Patent US3601397A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3601397A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Play center having table, swing, slide and gymnastic bars
Assignee: PAR INDUSTRIES Inc
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Filing: 1969-10-03
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Granted: 1971-08-24
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Expires: 1989-10-03
Abstract
Abstract A play center for home yard, patio, or recreation room use by preschool and grade school age children designed and constructed to encourage innovative play as well as conventional usage by such children. The play center is a fabricated structure composed of six main tubular frames; three novel platform assemblies providing a table, associated bench seats and a slide approach platform; a slide board; a swing; and variously disposed tubular cross braces and wide step structures forming ground or floor engaging outrigger members to prevent upsetting of the assembled unit, swing supports, chinning and gymnastic bars, steps and seats. These fabricated elements and subassemblies are joined together to form an assembled unit of generally cubical configuration when viewed from the sides and opposite ends and the ground or floor area, measuring roughly 3 feet by 7 feet, delimited by the main frame subassemblies which cooperates with the main frame subassemblies, table and associated benches to form a house area and tunnellike passage in innovative usage by preschool children.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward T Carlin
- 👤 Bobbie L White
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 23:54
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B9/00; A63B2208/00; A63B2208/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
510 words
A play center for preschool and grade school age children designed to encourage innovative play activity comprising a tubular skeletal structure composed of respective pairs of side and end frame assemblies each formed of interconnected tubular support runs, upstanding end runs, and top cross runs defining closed skeletal shapes; means respectively interconnecting said frame assemblies to define a generally rectangular skeletal frame structure delimiting a play area wherein said end frame assembly support runs are outwardly offset beyond the ends to stabilize the play center against end tilting in use; a cross frame assembly disposed substantially midway of said side frame assemblies and having an upper cross run and oppositely extending end sections disposed laterally outwardly of said side frames including inwardly directed support runs terminating at and fixedly connected to said side frame support runs and lAterally spaced vertical runs disposed outwardly of said respective side frame assemblies and extending upwardly from said inwardly directed support runs and fixedly connected to said cross frame upper cross run; means fixedly interconnecting said laterally spaced vertical runs at said respective ends of said cross frame assembly comprising vertically spaced ladder rungs, said ladder rungs at one side extending the full height of said cross frame assembly to provide access to the top of said play center and provide a climber section and said ladder rungs at said other side extending about one-half the height of said cross frame assembly to provide access to a point midway of the height of said play center, and means fixedly connecting said innermost vertical run at each end of said cross frame assembly to a respective side frame upper cross run to rigidify said laterally outwardly disposed ends of said cross frame assembly and stabilize the play center against side tilting in use; slide board means including a slide board and a slide approach platform extending longitudinally of said other side of said play center toward one end of said play center, said slide approach platform having one end fixed to said laterally spaced vertical runs and platform hand rails fixed to said laterally spaced vertical runs at said other side and to the adjacently related upstanding runs of said end assembly at said one end of said play center and means fixedly connecting said hand rails to said slide approach platform to support the other end of said slide approach platform and the upper end of said slide board of said slide board means; a swing suspended from the top cross run of said one end of said play center; an upper table platform and a pair of lower bench seat platforms providing a bench seat alongside of and below each edge of said table platform respectively; means fixedly connecting said table platform and said pair of bench seat platforms in vertically spaced relation to the upstanding end runs of the other end section and the adjacently related upstanding end runs of said side frame assemblies, the space between said bench seats and below said table platform providing an open ended crawl tunnel passage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
510 words
A play center for preschool and grade school age children designed to encourage innovative play activity comprising a tubular skeletal structure composed of respective pairs of side and end frame assemblies each formed of interconnected tubular support runs, upstanding end runs, and top cross runs defining closed skeletal shapes; means respectively interconnecting said frame assemblies to define a generally rectangular skeletal frame structure delimiting a play area wherein said end frame assembly support runs are outwardly offset beyond the ends to stabilize the play center against end tilting in use; a cross frame assembly disposed substantially midway of said side frame assemblies and having an upper cross run and oppositely extending end sections disposed laterally outwardly of said side frames including inwardly directed support runs terminating at and fixedly connected to said side frame support runs and lAterally spaced vertical runs disposed outwardly of said respective side frame assemblies and extending upwardly from said inwardly directed support runs and fixedly connected to said cross frame upper cross run; means fixedly interconnecting said laterally spaced vertical runs at said respective ends of said cross frame assembly comprising vertically spaced ladder rungs, said ladder rungs at one side extending the full height of said cross frame assembly to provide access to the top of said play center and provide a climber section and said ladder rungs at said other side extending about one-half the height of said cross frame assembly to provide access to a point midway of the height of said play center, and means fixedly connecting said innermost vertical run at each end of said cross frame assembly to a respective side frame upper cross run to rigidify said laterally outwardly disposed ends of said cross frame assembly and stabilize the play center against side tilting in use; slide board means including a slide board and a slide approach platform extending longitudinally of said other side of said play center toward one end of said play center, said slide approach platform having one end fixed to said laterally spaced vertical runs and platform hand rails fixed to said laterally spaced vertical runs at said other side and to the adjacently related upstanding runs of said end assembly at said one end of said play center and means fixedly connecting said hand rails to said slide approach platform to support the other end of said slide approach platform and the upper end of said slide board of said slide board means; a swing suspended from the top cross run of said one end of said play center; an upper table platform and a pair of lower bench seat platforms providing a bench seat alongside of and below each edge of said table platform respectively; means fixedly connecting said table platform and said pair of bench seat platforms in vertically spaced relation to the upstanding end runs of the other end section and the adjacently related upstanding end runs of said side frame assemblies, the space between said bench seats and below said table platform providing an open ended crawl tunnel passage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
98 words
The play center of claim 1 wherein said cross frame assembly upper cross run is provided with a laterally directed truss member having dependent end runs telescopically associated with the adjacently related, innermost vertical runs of said cross frame assembly and downwardly and inwardly inclined runs integrally joined at their inner lower ends to a laterally directed run fixedly connected to the midpoint of said upper cross run of said cross frame assembly to strengthen said cross frame assembly adapting it to resist compression forces transmitted to said upper tubular cross run in use of the play center.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
190 words
The play center of claim 1 wherein each of said ladder rungs comprises an injection molded plastic member comprising an elongated planar tread plate having dependent skirt portions along its opposite longitudinal edges interconnected at equispaced points at opposite sides of its longitudinal center by integral, laterally directed reinforcing webs and said tread plate is formed at its opposite ends with integrally formed, dependent annular sleeve members diametrically end notched at their lower ends in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the tread plate, the outer wall surfaces of said sleeve member being formed to merge smoothly into the outer faces of said dependent skirts and the inner wall surface of which lying between the skirt ends is thickened throughout its length at opposite sides of said longitudinal axis to reinforce the line of juncture between each sleeve member and the tread plate and to provide a tangential flat face providing full bearing engagement with the abutment faces of the nuts of nut and bolt assemblies provided to fixedly connect the respective sleeve members in selected vertical position along the respective vertical runs assembled in the respeCtive sleeve through bores.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
The play center of claim 3 wherein the outer face of each sleeve member in surrounding relation to the notch in its lower end is thickened to provide a tangential flat face segment providing full bearing engagement with the abutment face of the bolt head of said nut and bolt assemblies.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
186 words
The play center of claim 1 wherein the top cross run of said one of said end frame assemblies at equispaced distances from its opposite ends is provided with a through aperture dimensioned to freely pass the shank of an L-bolt and the upper wall only in axially spaced relation to said through aperture is through drilled to form an L-bolt locking passage, said suspended swing includes a pair of straplike suspension members formed at their upper ends with loops positioned to encircle said top cross run in overlying relation between said through passage and said locking passage, and said L-bolts have dependent locking lugs disposed to enter said locking passages and threaded shank ends inserted through said through apertures to dispose the elongated head of said L-bolt in overlying relation to said positioned strap loops and are provided with securing nuts which, when tightened, draw said elongated heads firmly against said overlying portions of said loops forcing said portions of said loops into clamped engagement with said top cross run thereby fixing said loops against axial and rotational movement relative to said top cross run.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
130 words
The play center of claim 5 wherein said L-bolt shank between said threaded shank end and said elongated head is bent inwardly at its juncture with said elongated head at an acute angle and then reversely bent to dispose its threaded shank end in centered axial relation to said elongated head and said through aperture in said top cross run is formed by an entry end and an exit end offset in the direction of said locking passage to dispose said threaded shank end in coaxial relation to the longitudinal center of said elongated head whereby the securing nuts will be disposed approximately midway between the edges of said straplike suspension members so as to be housed by the loop to prevent accidental contact of playing children with the nut.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
169 words
The play center of claim 1 wherein said slide approach platform, said table platform and said bench seat platform each comprise a pair of support channel members disposed in laterally spaced relation with their channel openings in opposed facing relation and delimited along their upper edges by an inturned lip and delimited along their lower edges by an inturned lip having longitudinally spaced notches cut therein at predetermined intervals and a plurality of platform channel members disposed in preselected spaced relation lengthwise of said support channel members with their channel openings facing downwardly, the ends of their web portions formed with laterally spaced, upwardly directed button punches engaged behind the inturned lip delimiting the upper edges of the channel openings of said support channel members to fix said platform channels against axial withdrawal from said opposed support channel members, and their dependent channel forming flanges disposed in preselected spaced notches of said support channels to fix said platform channel members against relative movement axially of said support channel members.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
67 words
The play center of claim 7 wherein the web portion of each of said support channel members adjacent its opposite ends is formed with a bolt passage adapting said support channel members for selective bolted connection to the respective upstanding runs of said end frame assemblies at said other end of said play center and to the respective adjacently related upstanding runs of said side frame assemblies.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
The play center of claim 8 wherein the platform channel members of said slide approach platform and said table platform are disposed in close side-by-side relation adjacent the longitudinal center of said channel support members and the platforM channel members of said bench seat platform are disposed in widely spaced relation adjacent the opposing ends of said channel support members to properly relate the seats to the table platform.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
214 words
The play center of claim 1 wherein said side frame assemblies are each composed of a support run having upwardly and outwardly inclined ends, a pair of upstanding side members having a straight run telescopically fitted to and bolted to the upwardly and outwardly inclined ends of said support run and an inturned upper end lying in the plane defined by said support run and said straight run and a wide inverted V-shaped run telescopically fitted to and bolted to the inturned upper ends of said side members and said end frame assemblies each comprise respective U-shaped support runs the ends of which are inclined upwardly and toward the respective opposed ends of said side frame assemblies, a pair of upstanding members having a straight tubular run telescopically fitted to and bolted to the respective upstanding inclined ends of said support runs and a return bent upper end angled to abuttingly engage and be bolted to the underside of the opposing straight tubular runs of said respective side frame assemblies, said end frame return bent run being shorter in length than its associated straight tubular run, and a U-shaped top cross run having its end portions telescopically fitted to and bolted to the return bent upper ends of said related pairs of upstanding members.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1126082A
Cited
US3120955A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-23 | 1975-02-22 | 1975-08-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-23 | 1979-02-22 | 1979-08-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-23 | 1983-02-22 | 1983-08-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |