CA2172174A1 - In-place walker - Google Patents

Abstract

An infant walker is provided for allowing an infant to practice walking in a stationary location. The walker includes a base for supporting the walker on a supporting surface, a pair of frame members extending upwardly from the base, and a swivel bouncing seat assembly disposed on the frame members for supporting a child above the base. The base includes support members on opposite sides thereof, and a treadmill connected between the support members in close proximity to the supporting surface. Each frame member includes at least two legs having lower portions and upper portions attached to and extending upwardly from a support member with a top rail joining the upper portions of the legs. The height of the seat assembly is adjustable to accommodate children of different height so that their feet rest on the treadmill.

Description

S0671/7061 ?
GLG/JH:tac IN-PLACE WALKER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a walker device for an infant or toddler. More particularly, this invention provides an in-place walker that enables an infant or toddler to simulate walking while restricted to a stationary location.

BACKG~OUND OF THE INVENTION

Infant walkers are widely known devices that have achieved great commercial success. Conventional walkers typically include a seat that is mounted by means of a frame to a base, and the base includes wheels that allow a child to propel itself across a surface. Examples of conventional walkers are illustrated in U.S. Patents Nos. 4,799,700 and 4,359,242. As illustrated in these patents, numerous variations exist for conventional walkers including collapsible and adjustable frames, trays, and frames that are responsive to bouncing movements of a child.
The use of conventional walkers, however, has been highly criticized in recent years. While left unattended, infants and young children are frequently injured using conventional baby walkers near stairways and other elevated surfaces.
Young children can propel themselves over the edge of a staircase, porch, patio, or the like and sustain serious n~ury.
To overcome this problem, walkers have been developed to utilize various braking mechanisms. An example of such a mechanism is illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,699,392 in which movement of any of the wheels over an edge of the underlying surface causes the base to collapse and a high.

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friction pad mounted on the base to engage the underlying surface. The pad inhibits further movement of the walker over the edge of the surface. This patented walker also includes a warning system to alert persons nearby of the child's precarious situation and prompt them to remove the child from danger.
Movable walkers with such safeguards, however, still enable a child to put itself into potentially dangerous situa~ions. For example, a child may exert sufficient force to overcome the braking system and drive the walker over the edge of a stair or similar surface. Additionally, the walker does not prevent a child from moving about an area into other potentially dangerous locations such as tables and bookcases stacked with objects that can be pulled off the surfaces or areas where electrical and cooking appliances are located.
In an attempt to address these problems, walkers have been developed that confine a child to a fixed position.
Examples of these walkers include U.S~ Patents Nos. 4,743,008 and 5,211,607. These walkers provide mechanisms that allow a child to walk while remaining stationary. The '008 device includes a treadmill that is suspended beneath and rotates with a seat mounted on an elevated tray. The '607 walker includes a seat revolvably mounted to the circumference of a stationary elevated tray that allows a child to walk around the tray along a circular walkway at the base of the walker.
Although each of these walkers essentially confines an infant to a stationary position, the mechanisms used in these devices are complex and cumbersome.
An object of the present invention is to provide an in-place walker that combines a rotatable, bouncing seat with~
a treadmill that allows an infant to practice walking in a stationary location.

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~_ - 3 -Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-place walker that is compact and lightweight.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an in-place walker that is relatively easy to manufacture and assemble and free of cumbersome mechanisms.

-- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages of the prior art enumerated above are overcome in the preferred embodiment of the infant in-place walker of this invention. The walker has features that include a base that supports the walker in a fixed position on a supporting surface, a pair of frame members connected one on each side of the base, and a seat assembly connected to the frame members. The base has a treadmill disposed in close proximity to the supporting surface. The seat assembly supports a child so that its feet can contact the treadmill.
The invention contemplates a base having support members connected on opposite sides of the treadmill for supporting the base on the supporting surface. The invention also contemplates each frame member having at least two legs with lower portions and upper portions that are respectively attached to one support member and a top rail. The top rail in turn carries the seat assembly which may include a rotatable bouncing seat.
Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention should become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FI~. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the in-place walker constructed in accordance with this invention;

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~ ; 2172174 FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the wal~er in FIG. I;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the walker taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line 4-4 of FIG. 3 illustrating the base of the walker;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 3 illustrating the height adjustment mechanism of the walker;
FIG. 5A is a side elevational view along line 5A-5A of FIG. 5 illustrating the overrotation features of the locking pin;
FIG. 6 is a top frag~entary view of the seat assembly taken along section line 6-6 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIG. 6 illustrating the seat mounting assembly;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6 illustrating the bounce mechanism of the seat mounting assembly; and FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line 9-9 of FIG. 6 illustrating an embodiment of a mechanism for limiting seat rotation that may be included in the seat mounting assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the in-place walker of the present invention is generally indicated as 20 in FIG. 1.
The walker 20 includes a base 22, left and right frame members 24 and 26, a seat assembly 28 and a tray 30. The seat assembly 28 is mounted on the top of the frame members 24, 26. The frame members are adjustably mounted on the base 22 so that the height of the seat assembly 28 can be varied 217217~
~ 5 to accommodate children of different height. The tray 30 extends forwardly from and generally parallel to the seat assembly 28.
As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the base 22 includes a left support member 32, a right support member 34 and a treadmill 36 connected between the support members 32, 34. The treadmill 36 is positioned between the support members 32, 34 to be generally horizontal and in close proximity to the supporting surface for the walker 20.
The support members 32, 34 are hollow and generally U-shaped, and have a generally rectangular cross-section.
Each end of the support members 32, 34 is formed with an upwardly facing socket 38 for receiving the frame mem~ers 24, 26. Each support member 32, 34 also includes a connecting member 40 extending outwardly from the inner wall 42 of the support member. Each connecting member 40 also has a plurality of holes 44 for attaching ~he treadmill 36 to the support members 32, 34. Preferably, the support members 32, 34 are molded from a rigid plastic material in a manner known in the art.
The treadmill 36 includes a platform 46, a roller 48 and an endless belt 50. The roller 48 is positioned between the support members 32, 34 in front of the platform 46 with the belt 50 encircling both the platform 46 and the roller 48. A
child's walking motion on the treadmill 36 causes the belt S0 to slide across the platform 46 in either a backward or forward direction S, which in turn rotates the roller 48 in a corresponding clockwise or counterclockwise direction C.
Although the main function of the roller 48 is to rotate the belt 50 more easily around the platform 46, the roller 48 may , also include an interactive feature, such as a noise generator, for encouraging a child to walk on the treadmill 36.

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The platform 46 has a generally rectangular smooth upper panel 56 over which the belt 50 slides as a child walks on the treadmill 36. The rear portion of the platform 46 opposite the roller 48 is radially shaped to engage and ease the belt 50 around the platform 46. The lower portion of the platform 46 acts as a structural member for supporting and minimizing the deflection of the upper panel 56 when a child stands on the platform 46. In the em~odiment shown in Figs.

3-4, the lower portion of the platform 46 is formed with inverted, generally U-shaped channels 58 extending in a longitudinal direction from the front to the rear of the platform 46. To increase the structural integrity of the platform 46, the upper wall 60 of each channel 58 is joined to the upper panel 56. Preferably, the platform 46 is molded from a plastic material and the channels 58 are Joined to the upper panel 56 during the molding process by a plurality of discrete connections 62 between the channels 58 and the upper panel 56. The use of the discrete connections 62 improves the molding process by increasing the numrer of airflow passages 63 inside the platform (see FIG. 3).
As shown in FIG. 4, the platform 46 also includes posts 64 extending outwardly from opposite sides 66 of the platform 46 that attach to the holes 44 (see FIG. 3) in the connecting mem~ers 40 of the support mem~ers 32, 34. The posts 64 include a cylindrical body 68 with a locking tip 70 disposed on the free end of the body 68 opposite the platform side 66. The locking tips 70 have a hemispherical shape with a larger diameter than that of the body 68 so that a shoulder 72 is formed for engaging locking fingers 74 on the connecting member 40. The locking fingers 74 are cantilevered inwardly , at an angle from the face 76 of the connecting mem~er in a circular pattern so that the tips 78 of the locking fingers 74 effectively form the connecting holes 44 that receive the posts 64.. The diameter of the holes 44 is smaller than the diameter of the locking tips 70 so that insertion of the posts 64 into the holes 44 spreads the fingertips 78 which subsequently close behind the tip 70 to engage the shoulder 72 thereby locking the treadmill 36 to the support members 32, 34.
The roller 48 is an elongated cylindrical member having stub shafts 80 coaxially disposed on each end (see FIG. 5).
The shafts 80 are mounted in roller bearings 82 in each connecting member 40 to rotatably support the roller 48. The roller bearing 82 is formed with a circular bearing wall 84 that extends axially into the connecting member 40 from its face 76.
The base 22 also includes a shroud 86 that attaches to each support member 32, 34 and partially extends over the treadmill 36 to conceal the connection between the treadmill 36 and the support members 32, 34, as shown in FIGS. 3-5. A
series of barbs 88 (see FIG. 5) are disposed along the inner edge 90 of the shroud to engage corresponding holes or slots on the inner walls 42 of the supporting members 32, 34. The .
shroud 86 should conform to the general shape of the treadmill 36. Preferably, each shroud 86 extends a sufficient distance from the support members 32, 34 to conceal the edge of the belt 50.
The frame members 24, 26 are configured as inverted, generally U-shaped members. Each frame member 24, 26 includes lower legs 92, upper legs 94 and a top rail 96. The lower legs 92 are generally vertical and configured to slidably engage the sockets 38 in the support members 32, 34. The upper legs 94 extend upwardly from the lower legs 92 and are angled to converge towards each other away from the support members 32, 34. Each end of the top rail 96 connects to an upper leg 94 forming the unitized frame members 24, 26 with the top rail 96 being disposed above and generally parallel to the support members 32, 34. Preferably, the ~_ - 8 -frame members 24, 26 are each molded as a one-piece unit from a plastic material in a manner generally known in the art.
Each lower leg 92 includes a plurality of vertically spaced holes 98 for selectively adjusting the height of the seat assembly 28 above the treadmill 36. The height Oc the seat assembly 28 is selected by sliding the lower legs 92 in a vertical direction H within each socket 38 to coaxially align one of the holes 98 with corresponding support holes 102 on the inner wall 42 and the outer wall 104 of each socket. Each support hole 102 is formed with a flange 106 that extends from the inner and outer walls 42, 104 into the socket 38. The frame members 24, 26 are secured at the selected height with locking pins 108 that axially extend through the support holes 102 and the appropriate holes 98.
The interconnection between each lower leg 92, socket 38 and locking pin 108 acts as an adjustable connector.
The configuration of the locking pin 108 is similar to a thumb screw without threads. The locking pin 108 includes a circular head 110, a shaft 112 extending from one face of the head 110 and a handle 114 extending from the opposite face of the head. The handle 114 is generally rectangular and of sufficient size for an individual to grasp and rotate the pin. The shaft 112 is preferably a circular member sized to withstand the stresses imparted to it during use of the walker 20. The free end 116 of the shaft 112 can be chamferred so that the locking pin 108 can more easily be inserted through the series of holes. The shaft 112 also has L-shaped lock grooves 118 disposed on diametrically opposed sides of the shaft surface for engaging lock tabs 120 on the inner surfaces of the flanges 106 at the support holes 102.
The lock grooves 118 extend longitudinally from the free end 116 of each shaft 112 toward the head 110, where the lock grooves 118 turn 90 along the circumference of the shaft 112 adjacent the head 110. The locking pins 110 are secured to ~__ '`'7 217217~

the support members 32, 34 by fully inserting their shafts 112 through the support and adjustment holes 102, 98 and rotating the pin 90 countercloc~wise so that the lock tabs 120 engage the circumferential portion of the grooves 118 adjacent the head 110. The locking pins 108, thereafter, cannot be removed from the support members without first rotating the pins 90 clockwise to align the longitudinal portion of each groove with the corresponding lock tab. As shown in FIG. 5A, the head 110 includes diametrically opposed locking teeth 194 disposed on the head perimeter that engage locking posts 196 extending from the face of the support members 32, 34 to limit rotation of the locking pin 108 to 90 so that the lock tabs 120 are not da~aged from overrotation of the locking pin 108.
In FIGS. 1-3, the seat assembly 28 is shown attached to the top rails 96 of the frame members 24, 26 above the treadmill 36. The tray 30 is attached to the front edge of the seat assembly 28 so that it extends forwardly in a generally horizontal orientation. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the tray 30 is attached to the seat assembly 28 using fasteners (not shown), such as screws. The tray 30, however, could be attached to the seat assembly 28 so that it may pivot or be removable from the seat assembly.
The seat assembly 28 includes a seat subassembly 122 that is rotatably mounted to a seat platform 124. The seat subassembly 122 preferably rotates 360 to allow a child to interact with its entire surroundings. The seat subassembly 122, however, can be mounted in the platform 124 so that the seat rotation R is restricted to less than 360.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6-9, the seat subassembly 122 includes a seat 130 attached to a seat ring 132, an upper race 134 to which the seat ring attaches, and a lower-race 136 to which the upper race 134 is rotatably attached and `~ 2172174 ~

which in turn attaches to the seat platform 124. The lower race 136 is supported in the platform 124 on a plurality of compression springs 138 so that the seat subassembly can reciprocate vertically V in response to a child's bouncing movement.
The seat ring 132 is an annular member having an inverted, generally U-shaped cross-section. A plurality of seat tabs 142 are disposed on the outer perimeter of the seat ring for engaging seat clips 144 attached to the seat 130. A
plurality of connecting posts 146 are spaced along the seat ring 32 and extend downwardly between the seat ring walls 147 from its upper wall 145. The height of the seat ring increases from the front to the rear of the seat subassembly 122 to provide additional support for a child's back.
The upper race 134 is also an annular member having an inverted, generally h-shaped cross-section. The upwardly extending outer and inner walls 148, 150 abut and support the downwardly extending walls 147 of the seat ring 132. The inner wall 150 extends downwardly below the lower race 136 and into the seat platform 124 (see FIGS. 3 and 7). A
plurality of support posts 152 extend upwardly from the bottom wall 154 of the upper race to abut and support the connecting posts 146 of the seat ring 132 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The support posts 152 are connected to the connecting posts 146 by fasteners, such as screws 153.
The upper race 134 carries locating walls 156 that transversely extend between and above the outer and inner walls 148, 150 to properly align and connect the seat ring 132 to the upper race 134. The illustrative embodiment of the invention includes four locating walls 156 (see FIG. 6 which shows three of the walls) spaced 90 from each other around the upper race 134. Antifriction ribs 158 extend downwardly from the bottom wall 154 of the upper race 134 and engage the lower race 136, thereby maintaining a space . ~' '7. 2172174 between the upper race 134 and the lower race 136 for reducing the friction between the races so as to allow easier rotation of the seat subassembly 122. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, eight antifriction ribs 158 are spaced 4S from each other around the upper race 134 (see FIG. 6 which shows four of the ribs).
The lower portion of the inner wall 150 carries radial protrusions 159 extending outwardly therefrom to rotatably attach the upper race 134 to the lower race 136. The protrusions 159 are located below the antifriction ribs 158 a distance approximately equal to the height of the lower race 136 to capture the lower race 136 between the protrusions 159 and the ribs 158.
The lower race 136, similarly, is an annular member having an inverted, U-shaped cross-section. The upper surface 160 acts as the bearing surface for the rotatable upper race 134. The downwardly depending outer and inner walls 162, 164 form a downwardly facing channel that retains the upper ends of the springs 138. The protrusions 159 on the upper race 134 engage the lower edge of the inner wall 164 to secure the upper and lower races together. The lower race 136 also includes retention tabs 166 that extend radially outwardly from the outer wall 162 for attaching the lower race to the seat platform 124 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The illustrative embodiment of the invention includes four retention tabs 166 spaced 90 apart along the circumference of the outer wall 162. The springs 138 are retained within the lower race 136 by downwardly depending bosses 168 that extend into the springs 138.
The seat platform 124 has an annular seat mount 170 with , a generally L-shaped cross-section depending downwardly from the platform upper surface 172. The seat mount 170 has a central hole through which the seat 130 extends. The bottom wall 174 of the seat mount 170 carries bosses 176 that 21~2174 support the lower ends of the compression springs 138, thereby resiliently supporting the seat subassembly 122 in the platform 124. The sidewall 180 of the seat mount 170 has retention slots 178 (see FIG. 8) for slidably engaging the retention tabs 166 on the lower race 136. The retention slots 178 extend vertically from the lower wall 174 toward the upper surface 172 of the platform 124, and allow the lower race 136 to reciprocate vertically in response to a child's bouncing movement. The downwardly dependlng portion of the upper race inner wall 150 extends adjacent the seat mount lower wall 174 effectively forming an enclosure to retain the springs 138 between the seat mount 170 and the lower race 136. The upper race inner wall 150 also acts as a barrier to prevent the seat 130 from becoming snagged by the lower race 136 and/or the springs 138.
In the illustrative embodiment of the walker 20, the total vertical travel of the seat 130 is approximately 3/4 inches. Eight compression springs 138 are equally spaced around the seat subassembly 122 (see FIG. 6). Each spring 138 is rated for a 6 lb. load at a 3/4 inch deflection resulting in a total capacity of 48 lbs. at a 3/4 inch deflection.
As previously discussed, the seat subassembly 122 preferably can rotate 360 allowing a child a full view of it's surroundings. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, however, a mechanism can be included on the seat assembly to limit the seat rotation to something less than 360. The mechanism illustrated includes a vertical post 182 extending upwardly from the upper wall 160 of the lower race, that engages a radial slot 184 in the upper race bottom wall 154. Rotation , of the seat subassembly 122 is limited to the arcuate extent of the slot 184.
The seat 130 is generally bucket-shaped with an upper lip 186 that attaches the seat 130 to the seat ring 132. As - 217217~

~_ - 13 -described above and shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the seat 130 attaches to the seat ring 132 by means of seat clips 144 pravided on the upper lip 186 and that engage the seat tabs 142 on the seat ring 132. The bottom front portion of the seat 130 has holes 188 ~see FIGS. 3 and 6) through which a child's legs extend downwardly toward the treadmill 36. The holes 188 are spaced apart to form a web 189 that a child straddles for support. The seat is preferably made from a fabric or vinyl covered padded material.
The tray 30, as shown in FIG. 3, preferably has a well 190 with an upwardly extending peripheral wall 191 for retaining food, spilled liquids, child's toys, etc. Further, the walker 20 may include an activity toy 192 that removably nests in the tray well 190 within easy reach of a child in the seat 130. The activity toy 192 may include a variety of interactive devices such as a mirror, spinning cylinders and sound making devices.
Having described an illustrative embodiment of the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made to this embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Therefore, it is not intended that the breadth of this invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, the breadth of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (22)

1. An in-place walker, comprising:
a base including support members on opposite sides thereof for supporting the base on a supporting surface, and a treadmill connected between the support members and disposed in close proximity to the supporting surface;
a pair of frame members, each frame member including at least two legs having lower portions and upper portions that are attached to and extend upwardly from a support member, and a top rail joining the upper portions of the legs of the frame member; and a seat assembly disposed on the top rails for supporting a child between the frame members with its feet on the treadmill.

2. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of adjustable connectors for attaching the legs to the support members enabling the height of the seat to be adjusted with respect to the treadmill to accommodate children of different height so that their feet rest on the treadmill.

3. The in-place walker as defined in claim 2, wherein each connector includes:
a socket at an end of a support member for receiving the lower portion of a leg having a plurality of vertically spaced holes; and a locking pin for inserting in the socket to selectively engage one of the plurality of holes in the lower, portion of the leg.

4. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, further comprising a tray connected to the seat assembly.

5. The in-place walker as defined in claim 4, further comprising an activity center disposed on the tray.

6. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, wherein the treadmill includes a platform having an upper surface and an endless belt that slides over the upper surface.

7. The in-place walker as defined in claim 6, wherein the treadmill further includes a roller disposed adjacent one end of the platform, the belt rotating the roller as the belt slides over the upper surface of the platform.

8. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, wherein the seat assembly includes:
a horizontal platform having an opening through which the torso of a child may extend, the platform being connected to the top rails of each frame member; and a seat frame rotatably mounted in the opening, the seat frame carrying a child's seat.

9. The in-place walker as defined in claim 8, wherein the seat frame includes:
a lower race attached to the platform;
an upper race rotatably attached to the lower race;
and a seat ring attached to the upper race, the child's seat being attached to the seat ring so that the seat extends through the opening in the platform.

10. The in-place walker as defined in claim 9, wherein the lower race is resiliently attached to the platform so that the seat frame reciprocates in a substantially vertical direction in response to a child's bouncing motion.

11. The in-place walker as defined in claim 8, wherein the seat frame rotates 360°.

12. The in-place walker as defined in claim 8, wherein the seat frame rotates less than 360°.

13. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, wherein the seat assembly includes:
a seat platform having an opening through which the torso of a child may extend, the platform being attached to the top rails;
a lower race being resiliently attached to the seat platform so that the seat assembly may reciprocate in response to the child's bouncing motion;
an upper race being rotatably attached to the lower race so that the seat assembly may swivel;
a seat ring attached to the upper race; and a seat for supporting the child, the seat being attached to the seat ring so that the seat extends through the opening in the seat platform.

14. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, wherein the treadmill includes:
a platform having an upper surface;
a roller adjacent one end of the platform; and an endless belt encircling the roller and the platform, the belt rotating on the roller as the belt slides over the upper surface of the platform.

15. The in-place walker as defined in claim 1, further comprising an activity center disposed on the seat assembly within reach of the child in the seat assembly.

16. An in-place walker, comprising:
a base for supporting the walker on a surface and having a treadmill disposed in close proximity to the surface;
a pair of frame members connected one on each side of the base; and a seat assembly connected to the frame members and having a seat for supporting a child so that its feet can contact the treadmill.

17. The in-place walker as defined in claim 16, further comprising a plurality of adjustable connectors for securing the frame members to the base enabling the height of the seat to be varied with respect to the treadmill for accommodating children of different height so that their feet rest on the treadmill.

18. The in-place walker as defined in claim 16, wherein the seat assembly includes a seat platform and first means for rotatably attaching the seat to the seat platform.

19. The in-place walker as defined in claim 18, wherein the seat assembly further includes second means for resiliently attaching the seat to the platform so that the seat may reciprocate in response to the child's bouncing motion.

20. An in-place walker, comprising:
a base for supporting the walker on a surface;
a treadmill mounted on the base and having an endless belt disposed in a fixed location on the base;
a frame on the base;
a seat assembly on the frame including a seat for supporting a child with its feet in contact with the treadmill; and an adjusting mechanism connected to the frame for adjusting the height of the seat to accommodate children of different height so that their feet rest on the treadmill.

21. The in-place walker as defined in claim 20, wherein a rotating mechanism is connected to the seat assembly for rotating the seat relative to the treadmill.

22. The in-place walker as defined in claim 21, wherein a spring mechanism is connected to the seat assembly enabling the seat to reciprocate in response to a child's bouncing motion.