They Invented What? (No. 37)

U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,724: Human free-flight catapult.

JW Note:  Reference numeral 7 in the below figure points to the “human rider.”  I’ll stick with roller coasters, thank you.

Abstract:

An amusement ride for catapulting a human rider, enclosed within a capsule, into the air in much the same fashion as ancient armies would hurl large boulders over the walls of castles. The ride provides many of the sensations and thrills encountered by fighter pilots launching from the decks of aircraft carriers without the requirement for flight training or the associated dangers. The ride essentially consists of a siege type catapult and a releasably connected launch pod. When in the launch position, a release mechanism is triggered by the operator and the rider is catapulted into the air at a physiologically safe rate of acceleration along a predictable free-flight arc. When an acceptable elevation is reached, the rider is separated from the capsule and gently brought back to earth using an automatically deploying parachute or similar device. An alternate embodiment envisions the use of a similar device to project a conveyance vehicle along a horizontal track similar to a stone skipping across the water.

Claims:

1. A catapult amusement ride comprising:
          a base divided into a drive support area at a first end, a conveyance support area at a second opposite end, and a pivot post support area located between said first and second ends;
          a pivot post having a first end attached to said base;
          a lever beam rotatably attached to said pivot post at a distal second end;
          an attachment point between said pivot post and said lever beam which divides said lever beam into a drive segment and a conveyance segment;
          a plurality of bungee/shock cords attached between the drive segment of said lever and the drive support area of said base;
          a conveyance vehicle attached to the end of said conveyance segment and resting on the said conveyance support area of said base during a pre-launch configuration;
          a triggered locking assembly attached to said base between said pivot post support area and said conveyance support area of said base;
          wherein when said lever device is held by said trigger locking assembly and, upon release of said lever by said trigger locking assembly, said bungee/shock cords pull on said drive segment of said lever causing said conveyance vehicle to be projected into the air by said conveyance segment along a predictable trajectory.

2. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base is the flatbed trailer of a truck.

3. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate one or more passengers.

4. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate two passengers.

5. A catapult amusement ride comprising:
          a base having a pivot post;
          a lever device:
          connection means for attaching said lever device pivotally to said pivot post;
          drive means providing rotational acceleration to said lever device;
          positioning means for positioning said lever device in a pre-launch position;
          a locking means for locking said lever device in a stationary position;
          a means for releasing said locking means to provide for the acceleration of said lever device;
          a conveyance vehicle for the transportation of passengers;
          a means for connecting said conveyance vehicle to said lever device;
          a track means for reducing frictional forces on the said conveyance vehicle while in contact with said base;
          wherein, upon release of said locking mechanism for said lever device, said lever device is angularly accelerated by said drive means and said conveyance vehicle, connected to said lever device by said connection means, is accelerated along a predictable path.

6. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein said base is the flatbed trailer of a truck.

7. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein drive means for said lever device are bungee/shock cords.

8. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein said positioning means is a motorized winch.

9. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein said positioning means is a hand-cranked winch.

10. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate one or more passenger(s).

11. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 5, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate two passengers.

12. A catapult amusement ride comprising:
          a hinged base having a pivot post;
          a lever device;
          connection means for attaching said lever device pivotally to said pivot post;
          drive means providing a rotational acceleration to said lever device; positioning means for positioning said lever device in a pre-launch position which is opposed to the drive means providing said rotational acceleration;
          a locking means for locking said lever device in a stationary position; a means for releasing said locking means to provide for the acceleration of said lever device;
          a conveyance vehicle for the transportation of passengers;
          a means for connecting said conveyance vehicle to said lever device;
          a multiplicity of orthogonally oriented track means for reducing frictional forces on the said conveyance vehicle while in contact with said base and a horizontal plane;
          wherein, upon release of said locking mechanism for said lever device, said lever device is angularly accelerated along said plane parallel to the ground by said drive means and said conveyance vehicle, connected to said lever device by said connection means, is accelerated along a predictable path.

13. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein said hinged base comprises a truck bed support rotated upon said hinges 90 degrees.

14. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein drive means for said lever device are bungee/shock cords.

15. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein said positioning means is a motorized winch.

16. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein said positioning means is a hand-cranked winch.

17. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate one or more passengers.

18. A catapult amusement ride as set forth in claim 12, wherein said conveyance vehicle will accommodate two passengers.