Direct Access Oppositely Seating Swing

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present invention and patent application claims priority to and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/647,870 of the same as present inventor, filed on May 15, 2024.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to swings. In particular, the present invention relates to oppositely seating swings with unimpeded seat access.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Swings are well known for their general entertaining and stimulating effect on users. Swings for two users are particularly popular among couples as it facilitates a shared experience. Oppositely seating swings provide the additional benefit of being able to maintain eye contact and engage in face to face conversation during the shared swinging experience, which may contribute to a deeper emotional connection between the oppositely seated users and a heightened overall experience. To facilitate easy and balanced opposite seating of the users, such a swing needs to provide an intuitively identifiable opposite symmetric access to the swinging benches free of any low level obstacles and with a direct stable ground contact up to the moment of synchronous body weight transfer and seating onto the swinging benches. The users need to be able to stand on solid surface up to the moment they seat themselves so that their body weight is directly transferred from solidly standing to swinging seating. The present invention addresses this need. To provide close proximity while facing each other, there exists a further need to oppositely seat users in closest proximity separated only by a minimum leg room. The present invention addresses also this need.

A swing frame needs to provide a stable swing axis via swing hinges that are rigidly held above the swinging structure that provides the opposite seating. The swing frame at the same time needs to be compact and provide sufficient access for synchronous opposite access and seating. The present invention addresses also this need.

SUMMARY

A swing provides opposite seating and unimpeded symmetrically opposite access for a balanced body weight transfer onto two oppositely positioned swinging benches. The swinging benches are hinged within a frame including two intertwined and preferably substantially circular main frame elements, thereby providing wide symmetrically opposite bench access and support for preferably curved access platform for a preferably varying bench clearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a first side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a second side view that is opposite the first side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an oppositely seating swing 1 of the present invention has a swing frame 200 including first and second main frame elements 210, 211 that are preferably connected with each other via a number of frame struts 214 arranged in a continuous zig zag pattern between them as depicted. Preferably at least one of the two main frame elements 210, 211 is substantially circular with a respective first and second frame element centers 212, 213 of them being in respective first and second offsets 215, 216 to a vertical center axis 225 of the swing 1. Moreover, at least one but preferably both the first and second main frame element 210, 211 are tilted at respective first and second tilt angles 260, 261 towards each other such that they intertwine and cross along a frame element crossing axis 263 that may coincide in the preferred embodiment with at least one but preferably both first and second frame element centers 212, 213. The tilt angles 260, 261 are preferably between 20-30 deg with respect to the vertical center axis 225. As a favorable result, the swing frame 200 is encompassing a central frame opening 205 across which a swinging structure 100 may freely swing. At the same time a frame waist 253 is of a minimum extension and thus front and rear swing accesses 131, 132 are at a maximum for a given diameter of the main frame elements 210, 211. Moreover, the preferably circular shape of the main frame elements 210, 211 provides maximum first and second lateral swing spacing 271, 272 for entering users to freely rotate from their entry orientation along front and rear accesses 131, 132 towards first and second lateral bench accesses 141, 142. Thus, the lateral bench accesses 141, 142 can be brought to a minimum width, which in turn facilitates closest proximity of the opposite benches 121, 122 and consequently a closest and most intimate swinging experience of oppositely seated users.

For users to step into and enter the swing 1, an access platform 231 is connected to the frame structure 200 at the bottom of the swing opening 205. The access platform 231 is preferably conformal to the first and second main frame elements 210, 211 extending inside along them up to platform edge slope 232 that is still feasible to stand on. A friction coating may be applied to the surface of the access platform 231 to increase feasible edge slope 232 and lateral platform clearances 241, 242. As a result, the access platform may have with respect to the swing structure 100 first and second lateral platform clearances 241, 242 that are at respective maxima diametrically opposite each other with respect to the vertical symmetry axis 225. This may additionally naturally invite users to diametrically opposite approach and enter the swing 1 as already conveyed via the skewed overall frame structure 200 due to its center offset and intertwined main frame elements 210, 211. The access platform 231 may have a continuous surface or may have perforations or continuous slots for mud and/or rainwater clearance as is well known in the art.

The swinging structure 100 is rotationally held around a swing axis 224 via preferably two swing hinges 221 fixed to the inside top of the swing frame 200. The swing axis 224 is preferably in plane with the frame element crossing axis 263 and horizontal while the swing 1 is operationally positioned. The two oppositely facing benches 121, 122 are connected to the hinges 221 via bench holders 113 in a height above the access platform 231 for users to conveniently seat themselves but also keep their feet clear off the access platform 231 during swinging. The curvature of the access platform 231 provides a varying distance to the flat benches 121, 122 across their widths thereby also accommodating users of predetermined different heights.

A bench separator 116 is also part of the swinging structure 1 and is holding the two opposite benches 121, 122 in a distance to each other. The bench separator 116 is positioned in a clearance height 117 above the access platform 231 such users up to a predetermined maximum height can unimpededly enter the swing 1 and position in front of a bench 121, 122 before sitting down without having to lift their feet over any obstacles and maintain a stable footing. The bench separator 116 may be of a circular shape around the vertical center axis 225 while the swinging structure 100 is in resting position. Thus, sharp edges and injuries are avoided in case a user exceeds the maximum predetermined height and bumps inadvertently their head into the bench separator 116. Additional bench stabilizers 119 may also extend between the benches 121, 122 and at least the bench separator 116 to provide rigidity to the swinging structure 100 as should be clear to anyone skilled in the mechanic arts. The swing 1 may rest and/or be mounted on the ground via swing feet 217 that are mounted on the outside bottom of the main frame elements 210, 211. The main frame elements 210, 211 with their continuous curvature may be conveniently bent from straight tubular feed stock and be assembled in the frame structure 200.

Once the swing 1 is positioned and mounted at a predetermined operating site, users intending to occupy and use the swing 1 may already intuitively visually identify from the intertwined main frame elements 210, 211 and the resulting skewed overall appearance of the frame structure 200 the two diametrically opposite bench access routes 131, 141 and 132, 142 and oppositely approach the swing 1. Once positioned in between the two benches 121, 122, the users may synchronously sit down and transfer their body weight onto the swinging structure 1, thereby avoiding an imbalanced body weight transfer and any resulting sudden out of center movement of the swinging structure 100. Once seated, the users may start swinging by initially pushing themselves off with their feet from the curved platform 231 closer to the lateral sides of the benches 121, 122 where their feet can reach the access platform 231. Once the swinging is initiated, the users may move their feet to the middle where they remain clear of the access platform 231.

In the following a listing is provided of the items enumerated above and depicted in the Figures:

• • 1 Opposing Facing Double Swing
  • 100 Swinging Structure
  • 113 Bench Holders
  • 116 Bench Separator
  • 117 Clearance Height
  • 119 Bench Stabilizers
  • 121 First Bench
  • 122 Second Bench
  • 131 Front Swing Access
  • 132 Rear Swing Access
  • 141 First Lateral Bench Access
  • 142 Second Lateral Bench Access
  • 200 Swing Frame
  • 205 Frame opening
  • 210 First Main Frame Element
  • 211 Second Main Frame Element
  • 212 First Frame Element Center
  • 213 Second Frame Element Center
  • 214 Frame Struts
  • 215 First Center Offset
  • 216 Second Center Offset
  • 217 Frame Feet
  • 221 Swing Hinges
  • 224 Swing Axis
  • 225 Vertical Center Axis
  • 231 Access Platform
  • 232 Platform Edge Slope
  • 241 First Platform clearance
  • 242 Second Platform clearance
  • 253 Frame Waist
  • 260 First Tilt Angle
  • 261 Second Tilt Angle
  • 263 Frame Element Crossing Axis
  • 271 First lateral swing spacing
  • 272 Second lateral swing spacing