Swing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional swings are limited in entertainment value and usability due to the need for users to maintain a specific position and pump their legs to control motion, and they lack durability, ease of installation, and safety features.
Innovation Solution
A swing design featuring a concave central portion with a tether system that allows the swing to move in various directions without requiring users to pump their legs, incorporating a tether system with multiple sections that support the body and provide structural integrity, and optional features like ballast chambers for improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional rectangular rigid swing seats or flexible strap-like swing seats are used, then the swing structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the user must maintain a specific position and pump legs to control motion, limiting entertainment value and accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The swing body is divided into a concave central portion and a peripheral edge portion, with the tether system segmented into multiple independent tether sections (first tether section, second tether section, third tether section, fourth tether section) that can move independently. This segmentation allows the swing to move in multiple directions (back-and-forth, sideways, circular) while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether system is designed to be dynamic rather than rigid, allowing the tether sections to change length and orientation during swing operation. The tethers can extend and retract, and the swing body can rotate and tilt, enabling free movement in multiple directions without requiring complex mechanical controls.
2Ease of operation
If tire swings that can twist and swing in any direction are used, then movement freedom is improved, but the user must still hold onto ropes or chains and maintain control, reducing ease of use for certain children
Solution Approach 1:
The swing design adds rotational freedom around the vertical axis by allowing the entire swing body to rotate on the tether system. This dimensional addition enables circular and diagonal motion patterns beyond the traditional planar back-and-forth movement, expanding movement freedom while maintaining structural reliability through the distributed tether configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The swing body design with concave central portion and peripheral edge serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides a stable seating area, allows free rotation, supports multiple tether attachment points, and enables various motion patterns (back-and-forth, sideways, circular) all through a single integrated structure without requiring additional control mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a tether system with multiple tether sections is implemented, then movement freedom and entertainment value are improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The swing body is divided into a concave central portion and a peripheral edge portion, with the tether system segmented into multiple independent tether sections (first tether section, second tether section, third tether section, fourth tether section) that can move independently. This segmentation allows the swing to move in multiple directions (back-and-forth, sideways, circular) while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether system parameters (length, orientation, attachment points) are designed to change dynamically during operation rather than remaining fixed. The tether sections can extend and retract, and their attachment angles adjust automatically based on swing motion, enabling multiple operation modes without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A swing includes a body including a concave central portion including an upper surface defining a recessed seat adapted to support a user, a lower surface that is on an opposite side of the central portion as compared to the upper surface, and a peripheral edge surrounding the concave central portion. The peripheral edge includes a plurality of tether openings, and a tether system is engaged with the plurality of tether openings. A first tether section of the tether system extends between first and second ones of the tether openings along the lower surface of the body, and a second tether section of the tether system extends between third and fourth ones of the tether openings along the lower surface of the body, such that the first and second sections of the tether system support the central portion of said body.