AU2006201382A1 - Seat apparatus - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Seat apparatus The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 004796176' 2 NSeat apparatus M' Field of the invention The present invention relates to a seat apparatus for attachment to a stroller

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S frame or similar hand-propelled, moveable load-carrying assemblies.

Throughout this specification any reference to strollers is to be taken to include similar devices, often referred to as pushers and push-chairs, used for transporting babies and small children.

Background of the invention Seats for strollers may often be moveable between an upright seated position 0 and a reclined position, allowing a child to sleep.

One way to recline a stroller seat is to pivot the entire seat about an axis generally located where the back and base of the seat meet. Pivoting an entire seat as a whole unit results in the child's legs being held upwardly when in the reclined position.

Alternatively, just the back of the seat may pivot in relation to the base of the seat. There may be a footrest in the upright position that also pivots upwardly to create a long flat surface for the child.

One of the problems associated with the above described reclining seats is that when in the reclined position they have a tendency to tip over backwards, especially if the user hangs bags etc on the handles. Another problem associated with the above described strollers is that when the stroller frame is collapsed into a storage or transport condition, the seats are cumbersome and do not fold into a substantially compacted arrangement.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a seat apparatus for attachment to a stroller frame that at least in part alleviates at least one of the above mentioned problems associated with prior reclining seats for strollers.

004796176, I3 (Summary of the invention According to the present invention, there is provided a seat apparatus for attachment to a stroller frame, the seat apparatus including: attachment means for attaching the seat apparatus to the stroller frame; 00 a seat base slidably mounted to the attachment means for movement of 0 N the seat base with respect to the attachment means that includes a horizontal Ocomponent; and a seat back mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the seat base; wherein the attachment means, seat base and seat back are configured 0 whereby said movement of the seat base and said pivotal movement of the seat back occur simultaneously on activation of either movement to alter the condition of the seat apparatus between a more upright condition and a more reclined condition.

Preferably, the movement of the seat apparatus to a more reclined condition includes movement of the seat base in a generally forward direction and pivotal movement of the seat back in a downwards direction. Correspondingly, movement of the seat apparatus to a more upright condition includes movement of the seat base in a generally rearward direction and pivotal movement of the seat back in an upward direction.

Advantageously, the seat back is pivotally mounted at or near its lower edge to the seat base at or near its rear edge.

The seat back is preferably pivotally mounted to the attachment means. The attachment means may be removably connected to the frame of the stroller. The seat apparatus may be attached to the stroller frame in either a forward or rear facing direction.

004796176 IND 4 N The attachment means preferably includes arm-rests and a front restraining bar.

S The seat base is preferably located below the point or points where the attachment means attaches to the stroller frame. Advantageously, the seat apparatus is moved into a more reclined condition before the stroller frame is collapsed.

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005 The seat base may contain grooves on either side. The attachment means may contain an arm on either side of the seat base, with primary projections which engage N the grooves, allowing the seat base to be slidably mounted to the attachment means.

Preferably, the seat back has an upper portion pivotally connected to the rest of the seat back. Advantageously, there is an arm extending between the seat base and 0 upper portion of the seat back, pivotally connected at or adjacent its respective ends to the seat base and seat back, such that when the seat apparatus is moved into a more reclined condition, the arm causes the upper portion to pivot to form a barrier at the upper end of the seat back.

The arms of the attachment means may further include secondary projections, which engage one of a plurality of complementary formations on the underside of the seat base to define respective latched conditions of the seat apparatus. Preferably, the activation of the movement of the seat base is through inward movement of the formations, disengaging them from the secondary projections, to allow the primary projections to freely slide along the groove. When the correct orientation of the seat is obtained, the formations are released to re-engage the secondary projections.

Alternatively, the secondary projections could be moved outwardly, disengaging from the formations. The secondary projections could then be released to re-engage the formations.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the seat apparatus may be laterally collapsible. The seat base is preferably constructed from two spaced side members, which can be joined at the rear by a flexible member. The front of the two side members is preferably joined by a hinged linkage, such that the two side members can be moved towards each other and the hinged linkage collapses, reducing the width of the seat base. Similarly, the seat back may be collapsible. The seat back preferably 004796176 IND N includes a rigid central portion and two spaced rear side members. The rear side S members may be connected to the central portion via hinged linkages. The hinged linkages are preferably positioned so that the rear side members can be moved towards 0 the central portion, lifting the position of the central portion relative to the rear side members. Advantageously, the rear side members are connected to the seat base side

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S members, such that the entire seat apparatus can be laterally collapsed simultaneously.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a stroller,

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including: a stroller frame; a seat apparatus having: attachment means for attaching the seat apparatus to the stroller frame; a seat base slidably mounted to the attachment means for movement of the seat base with respect to the attachment means that includes a horizontal component; a seat back mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the seat base; wherein the attachment means, seat base and seat back are configured whereby said movement of the seat base and said pivotal movement of the seat back occur simultaneously on activation of either movement to alter the condition of the seat apparatus between a more upright condition and a more reclined condition.

Preferably, the stroller is collapsible between an operational condition and a storage/transport condition. When the stroller is in the operational condition the seat apparatus is in the more upright condition and when the stroller is in the storage/transport condition the seat apparatus is in the more reclined condition.

Preferably, when in the storage/transport condition, the seat apparatus is substantially within the parameters of the stroller frame.

004796176 6 (Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to S the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a seat apparatus according to an 00 5 embodiment of the present invention attached to and forming part of a stroller, with the stroller in its operational condition and the seat apparatus in a more upright condition;

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OFigure 2 is a front perspective view of the seat apparatus similar to that of Figure N 1, but with the seat apparatus in a more reclined condition and the stroller collapsed; Figures 3 to 6 are similar side elevation views of the seat apparatus shown in its 0 most upright condition (Figure 3) and in successively more reclined conditions (Figures 4 to 6); Figure 7 is a front perspective view from above of the seat apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 8 is a rear perspective view from below of the seat apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 9 is a front view of a laterally collapsible seat apparatus according to another form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, with the seat apparatus in an upright condition and in an expanded position; Figure 10 is a front view of the seat apparatus of Figure 9 in a collapsed position; Figure 11 is a rear view of the seat apparatus of Figure 9 in an expanded position; and Figure 12 is a rear view of the seat apparatus of Figure 9 in a collapsed position.

Detailed description of the embodiments As can be seen from the Figures, there is provided a seat apparatus 10 for attachment to a stroller frame 12, which combine to form a stroller 13. The seat 004796176 N 7 N apparatus 10 includes a seat base 14, a seat back 16 and attachment means 18 for removably attaching the seat apparatus 10 to the stroller frame 12.

The attachment means 18 includes brackets 20 which releasably engage respective brackets 22 on either side of the stroller frame 12. On the top of the brackets 20 there are formed arm-rests 24. The attachment means 18 on either side of the seat apparatus 10 are connected via a front restraining bar 24 of typical construction.

IThe attachment means 18 also includes arms 28, having projections 30 at their lower ends. Each side of the seat base 14 includes a groove 32 which is engaged by a respective one of the projections 30. The projections 30 can slide along the respective 0 grooves 32. This allows sliding movement of the seat base 14 with respect to the attachment means 18, which is fixed to the stroller frame 12. The sliding movement of the seat base 14 includes a horizontal component.

The seat back 16 is mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the seat base 14. In the embodiment illustrated, the seat back 16 is pivotally mounted along its lower edge 34 to the rear edge 36 of the seat base 14 by way of hinges 38 located at either side of the seat base 14 and seat back 16.

The configuration of the seat base 14, the seat back 16 and the attachment means 18 allows movement of the seat base 14 and pivotal movement of the seat back 16 to occur simultaneously on activation of either movement to alter the condition of the seat apparatus 10 between a more upright condition, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 7 and 8, and a more reclined condition, as shown in Figures 2, 4, 5 and 6.

The seat back 16 is further pivotally attached to the respective attachment means 18 via primary links 42. When the seat apparatus 10 is in the more upright condition of Figure 3, the arms 28 of the attachment means 18 are located at the front of the groove 32 of the seat base 14. When the seat base 14 is moved forward, the grooves 32 slide along the projections 30. As the seat base 14 moves forward in relation to the attachment means 18, the seat back 16 is also pulled forward. The seat back 16 pivots about hinges 38 and the primary link 42 pivots downwardly. This causes the seat back 004796176.

ID 8 N 16 to move into a more reclined condition, as shown successively in Figures 4 to 6.

Cn Primary link 42 prevents the seat back from reclining freely. As shown in Figure 6, when the seat apparatus is in the most reclined condition, the arms 28 of the attachment means 18 are at the back of the groove 32 of the seat base 14.

The seat back 16 has an upper portion 17 pivotally connected to the rest of the seat back 16. As can be seen in Figures 3 to 6, the upper portion 17 is pivotally 0 N attached on either side to the seat base 14 via secondary links 40. When the seat 0 apparatus 10 is moved into a more reclined condition, the upper portion 17 is pivoted to N form a barrier at the upper end of the seat back 16, as can be seen in Figure 6.

0 In prior reclining stroller seats, when the seat back is reclined, the weight of the child's head is moved backwards, and the stroller then has a tendency to tip over backwards. The advantage of the present invention is in the horizontal movement of the seat base 14 with respect to the attachment means 18, and therefore the stroller frame 12, means that when the seat back 16 is reclined, the seat base 14 is moved forwards, moving the weight of a child's body forward to counteract the weight of the head. By moving the weight forward, the weight of the child is evenly distributed, thus the stroller does not have a tendency to tip over backwards. The seat apparatus 10 is removable and may be attached in either the forward or rear facing directions. The attachment means 18 are designed so that when the seat is reclined, when facing in either direction, the weight is distributed evenly.

To move the seat apparatus 10 back into a more upright condition, the seat base 14 is moved backwards, with the groove 32 sliding along the projections 30. The hinges 38 force the seat back 16 to move into a more upright condition. There is also a footrest 44 provided, which can pivot at pivot points 46 to move between positions. In the more upright condition the footrest 44 is usually in a downward position, as shown in all of the Figures. However, the footrest 44 may pivot to a more horizontal position when the seat apparatus is moved into a more reclined condition, providing a longer horizontal surface for the child.

004796176- IND 9 N To activate the movement of the seat apparatus 10 between the more upright S condition and the more reclined condition, a lever 48, located on the rear of the seat back 16 is pulled upwards. This lever 48 pulls on a cord 50 running down the length of C the seat back 16. The cord 50 is threaded around a pulley system 49, and connected to two plates 52, having complementary formations 54a, 54b and 54c, on the underside of

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00 the seat base 14. The arrangement is such that when the rod 50 is lifted, the cord 50 is pulled upwards and the plates 52 move inwardly. The arms 28 of the attachment means N 18 further include secondary projections 56, which engage the formations 54a, 54b and 54c to define latched conditions. When in the more upright condition shown in Figure 8, S0 the forward most formations 54a are engaged by the projections 56. When the plates 52 move inwardly, the secondary projections 56 are disengaged from the formations 54a, allowing the primary projections 30 to freely slide along the grooves 32. When the desired more reclined condition is achieved, the lever 48 is released and springs 51 push the plates 52 outwardly and the secondary projections 56 engage formations 54b or 54c.

The stroller 13 is collapsible between an operation condition, as shown in Figure 1 and a storage or transport condition, as shown in Figure 2. When the stroller 13 is in the storage condition, the seat apparatus 18 is in the more reclined condition. One of the advantages of the seat apparatus 10 is that due to the design and location of the .0 attachment means 18 in relation to the stroller frame 12, when collapsed, the seat apparatus 10 is able to fold down substantially within the parameters of the stroller frame 12, whether the seat apparatus 10 is in the forward or rear facing directions. This provides a compact stroller 13 when in the storage condition.

Another form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 is shown in Figures 9 to 12. In this embodiment, the seat apparatus 10 is also laterally collapsible. As can be seen best in Figure 9, the seat base 14 is constructed from two spaced side members which are joined at the rear by a flexible member 62. The flexible member 62 is typically constructed from webbing. The front of the two side members 60 is joined by a hinged linkage 64, such that the two side members 60 can be moved towards each other, as shown in Figure 10. The hinged linkage 64 is constructed from three arms 66, 004796176 ,N with the outer two arm 66a, 66c pivoting at both ends to reduce the width of the seat base 14.

Similarly, the seat back 16 is laterally collapsible. As shown best in Figure 11, the seat back 16 includes a rigid central portion 68 and two spaced side members 70. The 0 5 side members 70 are connected to the central portion 68 via hinged linkages 72. The hinged linkages 72 are positioned so that the side members 70 can be moved towards the central portion 68, lifting the central portion 68 upwardly relative to the side members 70, as seen in Figure 12. As the seat base 14 is pivotally connected to the ci seat back 16 via the side members 60, 70, the entire seat apparatus 10 can be laterally collapsed simultaneously, as best seen in Figure 10. Thus, the stroller 13 can be collapsed into an even more compact state.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

It will also be understood that the term "comprises" (or its grammatical variants) as used in this specification is equivalent to the term "includes" and should not be taken as excluding the presence of other elements or features.

Claims (9)

1. 004796176- 11 O CLAIMS 1. A seat apparatus for attachment to a stroller frame, the seat apparatus including: attachment means for attaching the seat apparatus to the stroller frame; 00 0, a seat base slidably mounted to the attachment means for movement of the seat base with respect to the attachment means that includes a horizontal component; e and a seat back mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the seat base; wherein the attachment means, seat base and seat back are configured whereby said movement of the seat base and said pivotal movement of the seat back 0 occur simultaneously on activation of either movement to alter the condition of the seat apparatus between a more upright condition and a more reclined condition.
2. 2. A seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the seat apparatus to a more reclined condition includes movement of the seat base in a generally forward direction and pivotal movement of the seat back in a downwards direction and movement of the seat apparatus to a more upright condition includes movement of the seat base in a generally rearward direction and pivotal movement of the seat back in an upward direction.
3. 3. A seat apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seat back is pivotally mounted at or near its lower edge to the seat base at or near its rear edge.
4. 4. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat back is pivotally mounted to the attachment means. 004796176 N 12 N
5. 5. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment C means is removably connected to the stroller frame. 0
6. 6. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat apparatus is attached to the stroller frame in either a forward or rear facing direction. 00 M 5
7. 7. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means includes arm-rests and a front restraining bar.
8. 8. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat base is located below the point or points where the attachment means attaches to the stroller frame. 0
9. 9. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat apparatus is moved into a more reclined condition before the stroller frame is collapsed. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat base further includes grooves on either side of the seat base. 11. A seat apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the attachment means includes an arm on either side of the seat base, with primary projections which engage the grooves, allowing the seat base to be slidably mounted to the attachment means. 12. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat back has an upper portion pivotally connected to the rest of the seat back. 13. A seat apparatus according to claim 12, further including an arm extending between the seat base and upper portion of the seat back, pivotally connected at or adjacent its respective ends to the seat base and seat back, such that when the seat apparatus is moved into a more reclined condition, the arm causes the upper portion to pivot to form a barrier at the upper end of the seat back. 004796176 N 13 O N 14. A seat apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the arms of the attachment means further include secondary projections, which engage one of a plurality of complementary formations on the underside of the seat base to define respective latched conditions of the seat apparatus. o 5 15. A seat apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the activation of the movement of the seat base is through inward movement of the formations, disengaging them from N the secondary projections, to allow the primary projections to freely slide along the 0 groove. 16. A seat apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the activation of the movement of the seat base is through outward movement of the secondary projections, disengaging them from the formations, to allow the primary projections to freely slide along the groove. 17. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat apparatus is laterally collapsible. 18. A seat apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat base is constructed from two spaced side members, which are joined at the rear by a flexible member. 19. A seat apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the front of the two side members is joined by a hinged linkage, such that the two side members can be moved towards each other and the hinged linkage collapses, reducing the width of the seat base. A seat apparatus according to claim 18 or 19, wherein seat back includes a rigid central portion and two spaced rear side members. 21. A seat apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the rear side members are connected to the central portion via hinged linkages. 004796176 N 14 0 N 22. A seat apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the hinged linkages are positioned so that the rear side members can be moved towards the central portion, lifting the position of the central portion relative to the rear side members. 23. A seat apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the rear side 5 members are connected to the seat base side members, such that the entire seat 00 apparatus can be laterally collapsed simultaneously. 24. A stroller, including: a stroller frame; a seat apparatus having: 0 attachment means for attaching the seat apparatus to the stroller frame; a seat base slidably mounted to the attachment means for movement of the seat base with respect to the attachment means that includes a horizontal component; a seat back mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the seat base; wherein the attachment means, seat base and seat back are configured whereby said movement of the seat base and said pivotal movement of the seat back occur simultaneously on activation of either movement to alter the condition of the seat apparatus between a more upright condition and a more reclined condition. A stroller according to claim 24, wherein the stroller is collapsible between an operational condition and a storage/transport condition. 26. A stroller according to claim 25, wherein when the stroller is in the operational condition the seat apparatus is in the more upright condition and when the stroller is in the storage/transport condition the seat apparatus is in the more reclined condition. 004796176 0 O N 27. A stroller according to claim 25 or 26, wherein when in the storage/transport C)L condition, the seat apparatus is substantially within the parameters of the stroller frame. N Dated 3 April 2006 00 Freehills Patent Trade Mark Attorneys 0 5 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant NIGC (Australia) Pty Ltd IGO (Australia) Pty Ltd