Device for mounting and/or securing especially of playground equipment and method of mounting and/or securing thereof

Abstract

 A bracket (1,2,3) and a method according to the invention for the mounting and/or attachment of in particular playground equipment or other equipment, which is suspended from a chain (18) or a rope on a carrier beam (21) or the like, which has a through hole.
The bracket comprises a housing (2) with walls and a bottom with a hole (10), said walls being configured with cut-outs (17) in which legs (15) of a U-shaped hanger (3) may be mounted. Further, the bracket comprises a cover (1) with a hole (7) which may be disposed on top of the housing (2).
A bolt (19) may be passed through the holes in the bottom (5) and the cover (1) as well as the hole in the beam (10). so that the bracket with the chain may be secured to the carrier beam (21) by means of the bolt and a nut (22).

Description

The prior art

[0001] The invention relates to a bracket for the mounting and/or attachment of in particular playground equipment or other equipment on a carrier beam, a crossbar or the like, wherein the carrier beam, the crossbar or the like is provided with a through hole, and the playground ground is suspended from a chain, a rope or the like.

[0002] Further, the invention relates to a method for the mounting and/or attachment of playground equipment or other equipment on a carrier beam, a crossbar or the like by means of a bracket, wherein the playground equipment is suspended from a chain, a rope or the like.

[0003] In the construction of playground equipment or other equipment, such as swings, it is necessary and required that the components forming part of the playground equipment comply with the rules which have been laid down to ensure the safety on playgrounds, so as to avoid any form of "finger catching traps", and thus to avoid injury to children, cf. European Standard Nos. EN 1176-1+AC: 1998 / EN 1176-1: 2008, item 4.2.7.6.

[0004] For instance, openings, such as holes or other cavities, particularly in movable parts, may not be configured such that a child may get its fingers caught.

[0005] US 2004/0087382 A1 discloses a bracket for the suspension of swings on playgrounds. The bracket comprises an upper semicircular part which encloses the uppermost portion of a carrier beam, as well as an oblong lower part which may be secured to the beam by means of two bolts and two nuts, said oblong part having secured thereto a freely accessible rotary member, which downwardly carries a ring to which e.g. a swing may be secured.

[0006] Other examples of known brackets are described in EP 0 153 007 A2 and G 88 04 935.3 U1. These brackets comprise an upper housing having mounted thereon a hanger on which a chain link may be applied. This structure results in an open cavity in the hanger, which will be reduced during the swinging, thus involving the risk that fingers introduced into the opening will be caught.

[0007] Thus, the known brackets described above have movable parts, where the fingers of a child may get caught during the swinging.

The object of the invention

[0008] It is the object of the invention to provide a bracket of the type described in the opening paragraph, wherein the movable parts are combined such that the fingers of a child cannot get caught, when playground equipment, such as a swing, is suspended for swinging in the bracket. Further, to construct the bracket to be compact and to avoid the need of extra equipment, such as a shackle and the like.

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved by a bracket of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1, which is characterized by comprising

• a housing with a bottom having a hole and one or more walls,
• a cover having a hole, said cover being disposed on top of the housing,
• a U-shaped hanger with pins which are disposed in cut-outs in the walls of the housing,
• a bolt with a head which is passed through the hole in the carrier beam, the crossbar or the like, as well as through the hole in the housing and the hole in the cover, such that said parts are clamped together, and
• means provided in the housing, said means limiting the size of the deflection of the hanger in the cut-out.

[0010] When, as stated in claims 2 and 3, the means are formed by projections in the form of at least one flange mounted on the end of the pin, a stop in the form of stays mounted in the cover will form an abutment for the rotary movement of the flange and thereby restrict the rotation and thereby the swing movement, so that a finger possibly present in the opening of the hanger will not be caught.

[0011] To ensure that the U-shaped hanger does not slide out of the cut-outs when the bracket is in use, it is an advantage, as stated in claim 4, that the housing has two opposed walls, each of which has a cut-out, said cut-out having arranged therein a mounting bushing, e.g. of plastics or of another material.

[0012] When, as stated in claim 5, a plastics disc is disposed between the cover and the housing, this disc will prevent the metallic parts from bumping against each other during the swinging and thereby reduce any noise and wear.

[0013] To prevent the bracket and the cover from rotating when affected mechanically, it is an advantage, as stated in claim 6, that the housing has projections on the outer side of its two opposed walls, wherein the projections are longer than the walls and the cover, and wherein projections are terminated by tips, said tips, during clamping of the bracket, penetrating into the carrier beams, the crossbar or the like to which it is to be secured.

[0014] With a view to reinforcing the U-shalped hanger of the bracket, it is expedient, as stated in claim 7, that the U-shaped hanger has projections on its outer surface.

[0015] As mentioned, the invention also relates to a method, as stated in claim 8.

[0016] This method comprises the following steps

• an uppermost chain link of a chain is passed into a U-shaped hanger,
• the U-shaped hanger is in a cut-out in the wall in a housing, which has a bottom with hole,
• a cover with a hole and cut-outs is applied on top of the housing,
• a bolt is passed through the hole in the bottom of the housing and through the hole in the cover and further up through a hole in the carrier beam, the crossbar or the like, following which
• the bracket is clamped with the bolt and a nut.

The drawing

[0017] The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which

fig. 1

shows a lateral view of the bracket mounted on a carrier beam and with a suspension chain applied,

fig. 2

shows the bracket of fig. 1 in a partially separated state and in section,

fig. 3

shows the bracket rotated through 90 degrees relative to figs. 1 and 2 in a partially separated state and in section, and

fig. 4

shows the means for restricting the swing movement in a partial section.

Description of the exemplary embodiment

[0018] With reference to figs. 1 and 2, which are lateral views of the bracket, the basic components appear, said basic components being formed by a housing 2, a cover 1 and a partly U-shaped hanger 3, which will be referred to as a U-shaped hanger below. At the top, the hanger is terminated by two pins 15 which are horizontal relative to the axis of symmetry of the U-shaped hanger, and each of which is terminated by an end stop 16, between which there is a given spacing.

[0019] The housing 2 is composed of a bottom and walls, of which there may be one or more walls, preferably, however four, so that the housing is box-shaped. The bottom is provided with a hole 10 through which a bolt 19 may be passed.

[0020] Moreover, a plurality of projections 8 are arranged on the housing 2. The ends of the projections are pointed, so as to be capable of penetrating into a beam 21 when the bracket is to be mounted, as indicated in fig. 4, as the length of the projections 8 is longer than the walls of the housing 2 and the thickness of the cover 1.

[0021] The cover 1 is arranged on top of the housing 2, and, just like the bottom of the housing 2, the cover contains a hole 7, which also fits the bolt 19.

[0022] The hole 10 at the bottom of the housing 2 and the hole 7 in the cover 1 are disposed above each other, so that the bolt 19 may be passed through the holes in the cover 1 and the housing 2, until the head 20 of the bolt is stopped by the bottom of the housing. The bolt 10 may be rounded or foursided in the bottom, depending on the type of the bolt.

[0023] The top of the cover 1 may be configured to be concave or circular, so that that it may engage a concavely or circularly configured beam with its top face. This, together with the projections 4 and cut-outs 8a in the sides of the cover, has the effect of preventing rotation between the cover 1 and the housing 2, when the parts are clamped together.

[0024] When both the cover 1 and the housing 2 are configured to be square seen from above, the parts may be assembled in two positions, viz. partly the one shown in the drawing and rotated through 90 degrees when movement along the beam is needed.

[0025] The U-shaped hanger 12 is positioned in cut-outs 17, which are arranged symmetrically at the top of the walls of the housing 2. These cut-outs may accommodate cylindrical bushings 9, which are terminated by collars at their sides, said collars having a distance which corresponds to the thickness of the walls.

[0026] Further, the bushings 9 may be made of the same material as the other components, but, as is referred, they may also be made of plastics or of another material.

[0027] The U-shaped hanger 3 is disposed rotatably in the bushing 17. This means that the U-shaped hanger 12 is capable of swinging forwards and backwards.

[0028] The inwardly facing pins 15 of the U-shaped hanger 12, which are mounted in the bushings 9 in the cut-outs 17 in the walls of the housing 2, are provided with oblong end stops 16 at the end, as shown in figs. 2 - 4.

[0029] The shape of the end stops 16 is such that they will be limited in their movement by the end stops 16a, 16b, see fig. 4, which are formed by stays 6 which extend downwards from the lower side of the cover 1.

[0030] This limits the deflection of the hanger 3 to an acute angle 23, as indicated in fig. 4, thus preventing a finger from being caught in the cavity within the hanger 12.

[0031] As will additionally be seen in the drawing, the U-shaped hanger 12 has external projections 13 and internal projections 14, which are shown here to be configured as wings.

[0032] The internal projections 14 have the function of limiting the size of the cavity which is defined by the bottom of the housing 2, the bolt head 20 and a chain link 18, which is arranged in the U-shaped hanger, which means that fingers cannot get into the cavity.

[0033] The external projections 13 have a force amplifying effect on the U-shaped hanger 12.

[0034] A plastics disc 11 may be inserted between the cover 1 and the housing 2, which means that the rotary pins 15 of the hanger are confined in plastics. This has a noise reducing effect on the bracket, the wear is reduced, and the rotating movement is smooth.

[0035] The bracket 1 may be made in various sizes, depending on the loads to which it is exposed.

[0036] It will now be explained how the bracket is used.

[0037] The mounting on a beam 21 of e.g. a swing or a similar object, which is suspended from a chain, takes place in that an outermost chain link 18 of the chain is passed into the U-shaped hanger 12. Then, the pins 15 of the U-shaped hanger are moved into the cut-outs in the housing 2.

[0038] Now the bolt 19 may be passed through the holes 10, 7 in the bottom of the housing 2 and the cover 1 as well as through the beam 21, following which the bracket may be clamped together from the upper side of the beam by means of a nut 22, whereby the tips of the projections 9 may penetrate through the cut-outs 8a in the cover 1 into the beam 21.

Claims

1. A bracket for the mounting and/or attachment of in particular playground equipment or other equipment on a carrier beam, a crossbar or the like, wherein the carrier beam, the crossbar or the like is provided with a through hole, and the playground equipment is suspended from a chain, a rope or the like, characterized in that the bracket comprises

- a housing (2) with a bottom having a hole (10) and one or more walls,

- a cover (1) having a hole (7), said cover being disposed on top of the housing (2),

- a U-shaped hanger (3) with pins (15) which are disposed in cut-outs (17) in the walls of the housing (2),

- a bolt (19) with a head (20), which is passed through the hole in the carrier beam (21), the crossbar or the like, as well as through the hole (10) in the housing (2) and the hole (7) in the cover (1), such that said parts are clamped together, and

- means arranged in the housing (2), said means limiting the size of the deflection (23) of the hanger (3) in the cut-out (17).

2. A bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the means are formed by projections in the form of at least one flange (16) on the end of the pin (15), whose rotation is limited by stops (6) mounted in the cover (1).

3. A bracket according to claim 2, characterized in that the stops (6) are formed by at least two stays (6) to produce abutments (16a, 16b) for the flange (16).

4. A bracket according to claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the housing (2) has two opposed walls, each of which has a cut-out (17), said cut-out (17) having arranged therein a bushing (9), e.g. of plastics or other material.

5. A bracket according to claims 1 - 4, characterized in that a disc (11), preferably of plastics, is disposed between the cover (1) and the housing (2).

6. A bracket according to claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the housing (2) has projections (6) on the outer side of its two opposed walls, wherein the projections are longer than the walls and the cover (1), and wherein the projections (6) are terminated with tips.

7. A bracket according to claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the U-shaped hanger (3) has projections (13) on its outer side (12).

8. A method for the mounting and/or attachment of playground equipment or other equipment on a carrier beam, a crossbar or the like by means of a bracket according to claims 1 - 7, wherein the playground equipment is suspended from a chain (18), a rope or the like, and wherein the mounting is performed by the following steps

- an uppermost chain link (18) of a chain is passed into a U-shaped hanger (3),

- the U-shaped hanger is disposed in a cut-out (17) in the wall in a housing (2), which has a bottom with a hole (10),

- a cover (1) with a hole (7) is applied on the top of the housing (2),

- a bolt (19) is passed through the hole (10) in the bottom of the housing (2) and through the hole (7) in the cover (1) and further through a hole in the carrier beam (21), the crossbar or the like, following which

- the bracket is clamped with the bolt (19) and a nut (22).

Drawing