US3023988A - Article carrier for kite strings - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1962 w. c. CHRISTIAN 3,

ARTICLE CARRIER FOR KITE STRINGS Filed June 17, 1960 INVENTOR. 1 WILLIAM (C mmsrmu AGENT Unite States 3,023,988 ARTICLE CARRIER FOR KITE STRINGS William C. Christian, 211 Wilden Drive, Towson, Md. Filed June 17, 1960, Ser. No. 36,959 2 Claims. (Cl. 244-155) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in article carriers for kite strings and has for its primary object to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a simply constructed, positively operated and inexpensive device for carrying toy parachutes, or other objects, up a kite string by the action of the wind, and which embodies article releasing means which will not jam or otherwise get out of order and is operative by a slight impact against an abutment on the line of the kite string to release the articles for descent in the air.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presently appearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing, set forth in detail in the succeeding description, and defined in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the application of the article carrier to a kite string and showing the article carrier releasing a sail and parachute,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of my invention mounted on a kite string,

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional veiw taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, it will be seen that the present invention makes use of a kite 5 which may be of any suitable type, and a kite string 6 extending from the kite body to a position on the ground. Fixed to the kite string 6, as shown in FIG- URE 3, is a stationary stop 7. The use of this stop 7 will be hereinafter explained in detail.

The article-carrying and releasing device includes an elongated upright U-shaped body frame 8 formed from a length of rod 8' having legs or end members 9 and 10. The free ends of the legs or end members 9 and 10 are formed with means for slidably mounting the frame 8 on a kite string when the latter is in extended condition. This mounting means consists in spirally wound hooking devices 13 and 14 adapted to receive therein the kite string, as at 6 in FIGURES 1 and 3.

Intermediate the ends of the legs or end members 9 and 10 and formed integrally therewith are coils which serve as guide bearings 11 and 12, respectively. Welded or otherwise secured to the members 9 and 10 as shown at 15 and 16 is a tie rod 17 to provide proper spacing and reinforcement for the members 9 and 10 and to hold the aligned guide bearings 11 and 12 in proper alignment.

Suitably secured, as by welding or otherwise, to the rod 8, substantially at the rear end portion thereof is a rod 18 provided with depending legs 19 and 20 terminating in coiled aligned slide bearings 21 and 22 in a plane below the frame 8.

Secured to the tie rod 17 of the body frame 8 by welding or otherwise as at 23 is an inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 terminating at the lower ends of its leg portions 25 and 26 in guide bearings 27 and 28 in a plane below the frame 8. To provide further support for the inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 a rod 29 is welded or otherwise secured to the frame 8 as at 30 with its end portions secured to the legs 25 and 26 of the inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 as shown at 31 and 32 in FIGURE 2 of the drawing. This inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 has its horizontal axis at an angle other than 90 to the longitudinal axis of the body frame 8 and is spaced from an 3,623,988 Patented Mar. 6,. 1962 adjoining substantially rectangular guide frame 33 and in a plane substantially parallel therewith.

The guide frame 33 is secured to the frame 8 as by welding or otherwise to the tie rod 17 as shown at 34 and is further secured by a rod 35 having its end portions attached to the guide frame 33 and its intermediate portion welded or otherwise secured to the rod 8' at 36 as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing.

To propel the device on the kite string 6 a sail 37 constructed of cardboard or other suitable materialis provided with a notch 38 to enable it to straddle the body frame 8 between the guide frames 24 and 33, and holes 39 and 40 for the reception of spaced holding and releasing means or prongs 41 and 42.

The holding prongs 41 and 42 are lateral spaced extensions of legs 43 and 44 extending from a cross bar 45 which is welded or otherwise secured as at 46 to an actuating means or shaft 47.

The actuating shaft 47 has an open loop 48 formed on its front end portion for releasable engagement about the kite string 6 and abutting contact with the stop 7 at its front end portion and then extends rearwardly through the guide bearings 11 and 12 and is for-med with a downwardly directed portion 49 joined to a lateral finger 50 which is slidably engaged in the slide bearings 21 and 22.

A collar 51 is fixedly secured to the shaft 47 to limit the rearward movement thereof.

The operation of the invention is thought to be manifest but may be briefly described as follows:

The assembly shown in FIGURE 2 is mounted on the kite string 6 While the kite 5 is aloft and is propelled up the kite string 6 by pressure of the wind against the sail 37. When the open loop '48 contacts the stop 7 it forces the actuating shaft 47 rearwardly to remove the holding prongs 41 and 42 from the holes 39 and 40 in the sail 37 and also removes the front end portion of the finger 50 from the slide bearing 21 as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawing to release the sail 37 and a parachute, or other toy carried aloft by the invention, and permit them to return to the ground. After release of the sail 37 the article carrier then rides down the kite string 6 by force of gravity.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a kite string having a stop thereon, an article carrier, comprising an upright U-shaped body frame, a spirally wound hook on the free end of each leg of said U-shaped body frame for slidably mounting said U-shaped body frame upon a kite string in extended condition, a first guide frame arranged in an upright position transversely of the bight of said U-shaped body frame and fixedly secured thereto, a second guide frame arranged in tandem spaced relation relative to said first guide frame and fixedly secured to said U-shaped body frame bight, an upright fiat sail having laterally spaced openings therein and provided with a notch extending inwardly from the upper edge thereof and terminating substantially at the midpart of said sail, said sail being positioned within the space between said first and second guide frames with the bight of said U-shaped body frame loosely received in said sail notch, spaced prongs engageable in said laterally spaced openings for releasably holding said sail in said space, and actuating means operatively connected to said spaced prongs aotuable to shift the latter to the release 3 position responsive to engagement of said actuating means with said kite string stop.

2. For use with a kite string having a stop thereon, an article carrier, comprising a U-shaped body frame having end members, a spirally wound hooking device at the free end of each end member of said U-shaped body frame for slidably mounting said U-shaped body frame upon a kite string in extended condition, a tie rod secured to and between said end members of said U-shaped body frame, a first guide frame arranged in an upright position transversely of the U-shaped body frame and fixedly secured to said U-shaped body frame and said tie rod, a second guide frame having guide bearings formed therein arranged in tandem spaced relation relative to said first guide frame and fixedly secured to said U-shaped body frame and said tie rod, an upright fiat sail having openings therein and provided with a notch extending inwardly from the upper edge thereof and terminating substantially at the midpart of said sail, said sail being positioned within the space between said first and second guide frames with the U-shaped body frame loosely received in said sail notch, spaced prongs mounted in said guide bearings of said second guide frame for engagement in said holes in said sail, and actuating means operatively connected to said spaced prongs actua ble to shift the latter to the release position responsive to engagement of said actuating means with said kite string stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,211,896 Thomas Ian. 9, 1917 2,041,233 Cutshall May 19, 1936 2,469,449 Baskin May 10, 1949- 2,522,422 Wolf Sept. 12, 1950

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