EP1816929B1 - Infant swing seat - Google Patents
Infant swing seat Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1816929B1 EP1816929B1 EP05849724.9A EP05849724A EP1816929B1 EP 1816929 B1 EP1816929 B1 EP 1816929B1 EP 05849724 A EP05849724 A EP 05849724A EP 1816929 B1 EP1816929 B1 EP 1816929B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- seat
- segment
- junction
- infant
- base segment
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 238000007373 indentation Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920002457 flexible plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000116 mitigating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011343 solid material Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47D—FURNITURE SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CHILDREN
- A47D13/00—Other nursery furniture
- A47D13/10—Rocking-chairs; Indoor Swings ; Baby bouncers
- A47D13/105—Rocking-chairs; Indoor Swings ; Baby bouncers pivotally mounted in a frame
Definitions
- This invention deals generally with infant seats and more specifically with an infant seat that has a reduced size for shipping.
- Infant swings are used extensively by caregivers to sooth and comfort babies. They are basically a seat that securely holds and positions the baby within a frame that supports the seat and allows it to move in a swinging front to back or side to side motion relative to the baby.
- the seat structures themselves have been constructed in many different ways, including a simple wire frame with a fabric sling and a now common plastic shell with fabric pads. Some seats have a construction for reclining that varies the angle between the seat bottom and seat back, however, most seats provide the recline feature by tilting back the entire seat. In such an arrangement, the angle between the seat bottom and seat back does not change as the seat assembly is reclined, but the angles of both the seat bottom and the seat back relative to the floor are changed.
- a problem with the shell type seats is their substantial shipping size.
- Prior art plastic shell seats are big and bulky causing the shipping size of even the disassembled infant swing to be rather large.
- the present invention provides an infant seat having a fixed angle between a seat bottom and a seat back and having two side walls joined to the seat bottom and the seat back, characterised in that the seat is formed of a base segment and a junction segment that meet one another in a junction plane that intersects the planes of the seat bottom, the seat back and the side walls, the base segment, which extends only from the junction plane forming a smaller opening to the large access opening of the seat, is formed as a rigid ring of lesser depth than the seat, and the junction segment which extends from the junction plane to the confluence between the seat bottom and the seat back is movable relative to the base segment and can occupy a deployed position in which the two segments together define a basket shape and a transport position in which the junction segment lies within the volume bounded by the base segment.
- the junction segment is formed as a rigid concave structure.
- a hinge may interconnect the base segment and the junction segment and enable the junction segment to pivot into the base segment.
- At least one locking device may be provided to lock the junction segment to the base segment in the deployed position.
- An auxiliary child seat is known from US 5,286,086 in which a compartment with a hinged lid is provided to house the buckle of a safety belt used to secure the seat in a vehicle.
- the junction segment is formed as a flexible support member defining the seat bottom and the seat back and is constructed to permit the support member to be pushed back into the volume bounded by the base segment.
- an open hole may be provided on each side of the support member with the holes extending into the seat bottom, the seat back, and the side walls.
- the preferred embodiments of the present invention reduce the size of the seat for shipping by constructing it in two mating parts.
- the complete seat includes a seat bottom connected to a seat back in a fixed angle and two side walls that all meet to form a basket-like support for the infant, and it is the depth of this "basket" that makes the seat bulky.
- the size of packaging is determined not by the overall depth of the seat but only by the depth of the base segment, as the junction segment can fit within the base segment and need not therefore add to the size of the package.
- FIG. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing infant seat 10 assembled from two mating segments, junction segment 12 and base segment 14.
- Infant seat 10 is built with base segment 14 shaped as a ring that includes parts of the seat bottom 18, seat back 20, and two side walls 22.
- Base segment 14 has a larger access opening at outer edge 26 of the ring and a smaller junction opening at the inner edge of the ring.
- the second part of the seat is junction segment 12 shaped as a concave structure with an exposed edge and forming the confluence of seat bottom 18, seat back 20, and side walls 22.
- the exposed edge of junction segment 12 mates with the inner opening of base segment 14 at junction line 23 to form a continuous basket shape.
- junction segment 12 is held within base segment 14 by hinge 16, hinge pin 17, and locking tabs 28 and 30. Together junction segment 12 and base segment 14 completely form seat bottom 18, seat back 20, and side walls 22 (only one of which is seen in FIG. 1 ). Leg support 24 and rolled outer edge 26, both of which add structural strength to base segment 14, are also shown in FIG. 1 .
- junction segment 12 is shipped from the manufacturer with junction segment 12 attached to base segment 14 only at hinge 16. To reduce the shipping size, junction segment 12 in pivoted up into base segment 14 as indicated by arrows A and B when packaged. Assembly requires only that junction segment 12 be pivoted down from within base segment in the opposite direction from arrows A and B, and locking tabs 28 and 30 be inserted into their matching slots within base segment 14.
- FIG. 2 is a top view of junction segment 12 of infant seat 10 of FIG. 1 , and it should be appreciated that in this view junction segment 12 is a concave surface, a dish shape with centre portion 32 more remote than exposed edge 34. Exposed edge 34 is shaped to match with inner edge of 35 of base segment 14 ( FIG. 3 ). Seat bottom 18, seat back 20, and sidewalls 22 all merge within junction segment 12 and are indicated to facilitate orientation with FIG. 1 .
- Hinge fixtures 36 are formed on junction segment 12 to capture hinge pin 17 of hinge 16 ( FIG. 1 ), which is also captured by complementary hinge fixtures on base segment 14. Front locking tabs 28 and side locking tabs 30 insert into matching tab slots 44 and 46 in base segment 14 ( FIG. 3 ) to lock junction segment 12 within base segment 14. Locking tabs 28 and 30 can be constructed with conventional arrowhead type ends so that once inserted and snapped into their matching slots, the tabs will not inadvertently move out.
- FIG. 3 is a top view of base segment 14 of infant seat 10 of FIG. 1 .
- base segment 14 is also a concave surface, a dish shape, but it has centre hole 40 with inner edge 35 into which exposed edge 34 of junction segment 12 fits when the two segments are assembled together.
- Seat bottom 18, seat back 20, and sidewalls 22 are indicated to facilitate orientation with FIG. 1 .
- Hinge fixtures 42 are formed on base segment 14 to capture hinge pin 17 of hinge 16 ( FIG. 1 ).
- Hinge pin 17 is also captured by complementary hinge fixtures 36 on junction segment 12, and together they form hinge 16 of FIG. 1 .
- Front locking tabs 28 and side locking tabs 30 of junction segment 12 insert into matching tab slots 44 and 46 of base segment 14 to lock junction segment 12 within base segment 14.
- Other features such as slots and holes are visible on both junction segment 12 and base segment 14, but they are not pertinent to the present invention. Such other features are typically present to hold padding and safety belts.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showing infant seat 50 with a flexible support strap 52 in place
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the same infant seat 50 of FIG. 4 showing support strap 52 pushed back within infant seat 50.
- FIG. 4 shows infant seat 50 as it looks when in use, with support strap 52 forming the junction between seat bottom 51 and seat back 53, however, for clarity no accessories or reclining mechanisms are shown in FIG. 4 .
- Infant seat 50 has a side profile very similar to assembled infant seat 10 of FIG. 1 , so that, as shown in FIG. 4 it has the classic problem of a large depth dimension that requires expensive packaging and shipping.
- infant seat 50 is formed without the conventional full junction segment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- the junction region the region which is closest to the confluence of the seat bottom, seat back, and sides, is constructed with flexible support strap 52 and open holes 54 on both sides of support strap 52.
- support 52 can be constructed of flexible plastic with reduced thickness at regions 49, 55, and 57 to form flexible hinges of thin solid material. This is the same type of plastic that is conventionally used for plastic hinges, and it has exceptional strength and long life.
- Such a plastic hinges and the structure of strap 52 make it possible to store strap 52 within infant seat 50 for shipping by simply pushing strap 52 back into the enclosed volume of infant seat 50 as shown in FIG. 5 . Then, when putting infant seat 50 into service it is only necessary to push strap 52 outward and it moves into the position shown in FIG. 4 .
- This simple structure makes it possible to reduce the depth of infant seat 50 for shipping, and provides substantial economies in packaging and shipment.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of infant seat 10 with one of two recline adjustment assemblies 56 of the preferred embodiment.
- the second adjustment assembly 56 is on the opposite side of seat 10.
- Adjustment assembly 56 permits a caregiver to simply push both dials 58 in toward infant seat 10, which disengages infant seat 10 from outer housings 60 that are permanently attached to support tube 62. The caregiver can then rotate seat 10 with dials 58 to a desired position relative to support tube 62. Releasing dials 58, which are spring operated, locks the seat into the recline angle which has been selected but maintains the interconnection between seat 10 and dials 58.
- adjustment assemblies 56 in the preferred embodiment of the invention also improves the safety of the infant within seat 10. Rather than pivot the seat unstably around an axis at the conflucence 64 of the seat bottom and the seat back as in the prior art, the preferred embodiment locates adjustment assembly 56 and a similarly located pivot fixture (not shown) on the other side of infant seat 10 above junction 64 by a distance of at least 2 inches above seat bottom 18 ( FIG. 1 ) and one inch inward from seat back 20 ( FIG. 2 ). This places the pivot points at or very close to the centre of gravity of the infant occupying the seat and greatly reduces the tendency of infant seat 10 to tilt over backwards while a caregiver is adjusting the recline angle of the seat.
- FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of one recline adjustment assembly 56 from the same direction as seen in FIG. 6
- FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view of recline adjustment assembly 56 from the opposite side that is shown in FIG. 7A .
- the explanation which follows is best understood by referring to both FIGS. 7A and 7B .
- Outer housing 60 is permanently attached to support tube 62 of the swing frame and is therefore fixed in place relative to the floor or ground (not shown) upon which support tube 62 rests.
- Inner housing 67 is attached to and pivots with infant seat 10.
- Outer housing 60 includes stationary ring gear 61 with inner facing teeth, and inner housing 67 includes pivot ring gear 65 which is identical to ring gear 61.
- Control gear 68 is located between stationary gear 61 and pivot gear 65, and includes axial hole 70 that fits over and rotates around spindle 72 on inner housing 67.
- adjustment assembly 56 is fully assembled, control gear 68 engages within stationary gear 61 and partially within pivot gear 65, and is held within stationary gear 61 by compression spring 74. This position of control gear 68 locks stationary ring gear 61 and pivot gear 65 together into the same rotational position and thereby locks inner housing 67 and seat 10 into a fixed position relative to outer housing 60 and support bar 62.
- dial 58 It is the function of dial 58 to temporarily unlock pivot gear 65 from stationary gear 61 and to implement the rotation of seat 10 around axis 76 which is common to all the parts.
- dial 58 is rigidly connected to control gear 68 by screws 78 that pass through holes 81 in dial 58 and holes 82 in outer housing 60 and screw into sleeves 84 on control gear 68.
- Dial 58 can then be pushed toward seat 10 and pushes control gear 68 farther into inner housing 67 and out of contact with stationary gear 61 that is within outer housing 60. This frees up inner housing 67 and seat 10 for movement but maintains the connection with dial 58, so that seat 10 moves in the direction in which dial 58 is rotated.
- spring 74 pushes control gear 68 back into outer housing 60 and locks seat 10 in the new position into which it has been rotated.
- recline adjustment assembly 56 permits the caregiver to adjust the angle of recline of seat 10 by simply releasing the recline mechanism and rotating the mechanism and the seat with both hands.
- the seat rotates easily because it is at approximately the centre of gravity of the seat whether the seat is or is not occupied.
- Recline seat adjustment assembly 56 can also be installed on only one side of seat 10, but using assemblies 56 on both sides of seat 10 provides more stability.
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of one hand operated recline control assembly 86 which is located on outside back surface 88 of seat 10.
- Recline control assembly 86 captures and locks wire support 90 which slides within slots 92 formed on the back surface 88 of seat 10. Slots 92 are oriented in a vertical plane, and wire support 90 is attached to support tubes 62 by insertion into holes 94 within which wire support 90 is free to pivot. Wire support 90 therefore supports seat 10 at different recline angles depending upon the position of wire support 90 within slots 92.
- the several recline positions of seat 10 are determined by locking fixture 96 that has spaced indentations 98 to capture wire support 90 at different angular positions.
- top 100 of locking fixture 96 is grasped by the caregiver's hand while simultaneously holding top 102 of seat back 88. Squeezing top 100 of locking fixture 96 toward top 102 of seat back 88 pivots locking fixture 96 on pivot points 104 and releases wire support 90 from within whichever indentation 98 is capturing it. The caregiver can then adjust the angle of seat 10 while safely holding top 102 of the seat.
- a spring (not shown) between locking fixture 96 and back surface 88 of seat 10 pivots locking fixture 96 into position against the seat's back surface to lock support wire 90 into the appropriate indentation.
- Recline control assembly 86 thereby furnishes multiple angles for reclining seat 10 while always maintaining control of seat 10 during the adjustment procedure and freeing up the caregiver's other hand to assure the safety of the infant within the seat.
- the preferred embodiments of the invention provide several solutions to problems that have plagued swing seats. It provides seat designs that reduce the shipping size of the seat thus yielding reduced shipping costs, and it furnishes recline angle adjustment mechanisms that permit a caregiver to safely adjust the recline angle while maintaining full control of the seat to assure that the infant within the seat is not displaced.
- recline control assembly 86 can be constructed to use actions other than a squeezing motion.
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- Carriages For Children, Sleds, And Other Hand-Operated Vehicles (AREA)
- Seats For Vehicles (AREA)
Description
- This invention deals generally with infant seats and more specifically with an infant seat that has a reduced size for shipping.
- Infant swings are used extensively by caregivers to sooth and comfort babies. They are basically a seat that securely holds and positions the baby within a frame that supports the seat and allows it to move in a swinging front to back or side to side motion relative to the baby.
- The seat structures themselves have been constructed in many different ways, including a simple wire frame with a fabric sling and a now common plastic shell with fabric pads. Some seats have a construction for reclining that varies the angle between the seat bottom and seat back, however, most seats provide the recline feature by tilting back the entire seat. In such an arrangement, the angle between the seat bottom and seat back does not change as the seat assembly is reclined, but the angles of both the seat bottom and the seat back relative to the floor are changed.
- A problem with the shell type seats is their substantial shipping size. Prior art plastic shell seats are big and bulky causing the shipping size of even the disassembled infant swing to be rather large.
- With a view to mitigating this problem, the present invention provides an infant seat having a fixed angle between a seat bottom and a seat back and having two side walls joined to the seat bottom and the seat back, characterised in that the seat is formed of a base segment and a junction segment that meet one another in a junction plane that intersects the planes of the seat bottom, the seat back and the side walls, the base segment, which extends only from the junction plane forming a smaller opening to the large access opening of the seat, is formed as a rigid ring of lesser depth than the seat, and the junction segment which extends from the junction plane to the confluence between the seat bottom and the seat back is movable relative to the base segment and can occupy a deployed position in which the two segments together define a basket shape and a transport position in which the junction segment lies within the volume bounded by the base segment.
- In one embodiment of the invention, the junction segment is formed as a rigid concave structure. In this case, a hinge may interconnect the base segment and the junction segment and enable the junction segment to pivot into the base segment.
- At least one locking device may be provided to lock the junction segment to the base segment in the deployed position.
- An auxiliary child seat is known from
US 5,286,086 in which a compartment with a hinged lid is provided to house the buckle of a safety belt used to secure the seat in a vehicle. - In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the junction segment is formed as a flexible support member defining the seat bottom and the seat back and is constructed to permit the support member to be pushed back into the volume bounded by the base segment.
- In such an embodiment, an open hole may be provided on each side of the support member with the holes extending into the seat bottom, the seat back, and the side walls.
- The preferred embodiments of the present invention reduce the size of the seat for shipping by constructing it in two mating parts. The complete seat includes a seat bottom connected to a seat back in a fixed angle and two side walls that all meet to form a basket-like support for the infant, and it is the depth of this "basket" that makes the seat bulky. However, when the seat is formed in two segments, the size of packaging is determined not by the overall depth of the seat but only by the depth of the base segment, as the junction segment can fit within the base segment and need not therefore add to the size of the package.
- The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : -
-
FIG. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing an infant seat assembled from two mating segments. -
FIG. 2 is a top view of the junction segment of the infant seat ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a top view of the base segment of the infant seat ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showing an infant seat with a flexible support strap. -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of the infant seat ofFIG. 4 with the flexible support strap pushed back within the infant seat. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an infant seat with a dial recline angle adjustment assembly, -
FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of the dial recline angle adjustment assembly ofFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view of the dial recline angle adjustment assembly from the opposite side shown inFIG. 7A . -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a one hand operated recline angle adjustment assembly. -
FIG. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention showinginfant seat 10 assembled from two mating segments,junction segment 12 andbase segment 14.Infant seat 10 is built withbase segment 14 shaped as a ring that includes parts of theseat bottom 18,seat back 20, and twoside walls 22.Base segment 14 has a larger access opening atouter edge 26 of the ring and a smaller junction opening at the inner edge of the ring. The second part of the seat isjunction segment 12 shaped as a concave structure with an exposed edge and forming the confluence ofseat bottom 18, seat back 20, andside walls 22. The exposed edge ofjunction segment 12 mates with the inner opening ofbase segment 14 atjunction line 23 to form a continuous basket shape. -
Junction segment 12 is held withinbase segment 14 byhinge 16,hinge pin 17, andlocking tabs junction segment 12 andbase segment 14 completely formseat bottom 18, seat back 20, and side walls 22 (only one of which is seen inFIG. 1 ). Legsupport 24 and rolledouter edge 26, both of which add structural strength tobase segment 14, are also shown inFIG. 1 . -
Infant seat 10 is shipped from the manufacturer withjunction segment 12 attached tobase segment 14 only athinge 16. To reduce the shipping size,junction segment 12 in pivoted up intobase segment 14 as indicated by arrows A and B when packaged. Assembly requires only thatjunction segment 12 be pivoted down from within base segment in the opposite direction from arrows A and B, andlocking tabs base segment 14. -
FIG. 2 is a top view ofjunction segment 12 ofinfant seat 10 ofFIG. 1 , and it should be appreciated that in thisview junction segment 12 is a concave surface, a dish shape withcentre portion 32 more remote than exposededge 34.Exposed edge 34 is shaped to match with inner edge of 35 of base segment 14 (FIG. 3 ).Seat bottom 18, seat back 20, andsidewalls 22 all merge withinjunction segment 12 and are indicated to facilitate orientation withFIG. 1 .Hinge fixtures 36 are formed onjunction segment 12 to capturehinge pin 17 of hinge 16 (FIG. 1 ), which is also captured by complementary hinge fixtures onbase segment 14.Front locking tabs 28 andside locking tabs 30 insert into matchingtab slots 44 and 46 in base segment 14 (FIG. 3 ) to lockjunction segment 12 withinbase segment 14.Locking tabs -
FIG. 3 is a top view ofbase segment 14 ofinfant seat 10 ofFIG. 1 . As withjunction segment 12 ofFIG. 2 , in thisview base segment 14 is also a concave surface, a dish shape, but it hascentre hole 40 withinner edge 35 into which exposededge 34 ofjunction segment 12 fits when the two segments are assembled together.Seat bottom 18, seat back 20, andsidewalls 22 are indicated to facilitate orientation withFIG. 1 .Hinge fixtures 42 are formed onbase segment 14 to capturehinge pin 17 of hinge 16 (FIG. 1 ). Hingepin 17 is also captured bycomplementary hinge fixtures 36 onjunction segment 12, and together they formhinge 16 ofFIG. 1 .Front locking tabs 28 andside locking tabs 30 ofjunction segment 12 insert into matchingtab slots 44 and 46 ofbase segment 14 tolock junction segment 12 withinbase segment 14. Other features such as slots and holes are visible on bothjunction segment 12 andbase segment 14, but they are not pertinent to the present invention. Such other features are typically present to hold padding and safety belts. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showinginfant seat 50 with aflexible support strap 52 in place, andFIG. 5 is a perspective view of thesame infant seat 50 ofFIG. 4 showingsupport strap 52 pushed back withininfant seat 50.FIG. 4 showsinfant seat 50 as it looks when in use, withsupport strap 52 forming the junction betweenseat bottom 51 and seat back 53, however, for clarity no accessories or reclining mechanisms are shown inFIG. 4 .Infant seat 50 has a side profile very similar to assembledinfant seat 10 ofFIG. 1 , so that, as shown inFIG. 4 it has the classic problem of a large depth dimension that requires expensive packaging and shipping. - However,
infant seat 50 is formed without the conventional full junction segment as shown inFIGS. 1 and2 . Instead, the junction region, the region which is closest to the confluence of the seat bottom, seat back, and sides, is constructed withflexible support strap 52 andopen holes 54 on both sides ofsupport strap 52. Furthermore,support 52 can be constructed of flexible plastic with reduced thickness atregions - Such a plastic hinges and the structure of
strap 52 make it possible to storestrap 52 withininfant seat 50 for shipping by simply pushingstrap 52 back into the enclosed volume ofinfant seat 50 as shown inFIG. 5 . Then, when puttinginfant seat 50 into service it is only necessary to pushstrap 52 outward and it moves into the position shown inFIG. 4 . This simple structure makes it possible to reduce the depth ofinfant seat 50 for shipping, and provides substantial economies in packaging and shipment. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view ofinfant seat 10 with one of tworecline adjustment assemblies 56 of the preferred embodiment. Thesecond adjustment assembly 56 is on the opposite side ofseat 10.Adjustment assembly 56 permits a caregiver to simply push both dials 58 in towardinfant seat 10, which disengagesinfant seat 10 fromouter housings 60 that are permanently attached to supporttube 62. The caregiver can then rotateseat 10 withdials 58 to a desired position relative to supporttube 62. Releasing dials 58, which are spring operated, locks the seat into the recline angle which has been selected but maintains the interconnection betweenseat 10 and dials 58. - The location of
adjustment assemblies 56 in the preferred embodiment of the invention also improves the safety of the infant withinseat 10. Rather than pivot the seat unstably around an axis at theconflucence 64 of the seat bottom and the seat back as in the prior art, the preferred embodiment locatesadjustment assembly 56 and a similarly located pivot fixture (not shown) on the other side ofinfant seat 10 abovejunction 64 by a distance of at least 2 inches above seat bottom 18 (FIG. 1 ) and one inch inward from seat back 20 (FIG. 2 ). This places the pivot points at or very close to the centre of gravity of the infant occupying the seat and greatly reduces the tendency ofinfant seat 10 to tilt over backwards while a caregiver is adjusting the recline angle of the seat. -
FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of onerecline adjustment assembly 56 from the same direction as seen inFIG. 6 , andFIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view ofrecline adjustment assembly 56 from the opposite side that is shown inFIG. 7A . The explanation which follows is best understood by referring to bothFIGS. 7A and7B . -
Outer housing 60 is permanently attached to supporttube 62 of the swing frame and is therefore fixed in place relative to the floor or ground (not shown) upon whichsupport tube 62 rests.Inner housing 67 is attached to and pivots withinfant seat 10.Outer housing 60 includesstationary ring gear 61 with inner facing teeth, andinner housing 67 includespivot ring gear 65 which is identical to ringgear 61.Control gear 68 is located betweenstationary gear 61 andpivot gear 65, and includesaxial hole 70 that fits over and rotates aroundspindle 72 oninner housing 67. Whenadjustment assembly 56 is fully assembled,control gear 68 engages withinstationary gear 61 and partially withinpivot gear 65, and is held withinstationary gear 61 bycompression spring 74. This position ofcontrol gear 68 locksstationary ring gear 61 andpivot gear 65 together into the same rotational position and thereby locksinner housing 67 andseat 10 into a fixed position relative toouter housing 60 andsupport bar 62. - It is the function of
dial 58 to temporarily unlockpivot gear 65 fromstationary gear 61 and to implement the rotation ofseat 10 aroundaxis 76 which is common to all the parts. For this purpose, dial 58 is rigidly connected to controlgear 68 byscrews 78 that pass through holes 81 indial 58 and holes 82 inouter housing 60 and screw intosleeves 84 oncontrol gear 68.Dial 58 can then be pushed towardseat 10 and pushescontrol gear 68 farther intoinner housing 67 and out of contact withstationary gear 61 that is withinouter housing 60. This frees upinner housing 67 andseat 10 for movement but maintains the connection withdial 58, so thatseat 10 moves in the direction in whichdial 58 is rotated. Whendial 58 is released,spring 74 pushes controlgear 68 back intoouter housing 60 andlocks seat 10 in the new position into which it has been rotated. - This simple operation of
recline adjustment assembly 56 permits the caregiver to adjust the angle of recline ofseat 10 by simply releasing the recline mechanism and rotating the mechanism and the seat with both hands. The seat rotates easily because it is at approximately the centre of gravity of the seat whether the seat is or is not occupied. Reclineseat adjustment assembly 56 can also be installed on only one side ofseat 10, but usingassemblies 56 on both sides ofseat 10 provides more stability. -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of one hand operatedrecline control assembly 86 which is located onoutside back surface 88 ofseat 10.Recline control assembly 86 captures and lockswire support 90 which slides withinslots 92 formed on theback surface 88 ofseat 10.Slots 92 are oriented in a vertical plane, andwire support 90 is attached to supporttubes 62 by insertion intoholes 94 within whichwire support 90 is free to pivot.Wire support 90 therefore supportsseat 10 at different recline angles depending upon the position ofwire support 90 withinslots 92. - The several recline positions of
seat 10 are determined by lockingfixture 96 that has spacedindentations 98 to capturewire support 90 at different angular positions. In operation, top 100 of lockingfixture 96 is grasped by the caregiver's hand while simultaneously holdingtop 102 of seat back 88. Squeezing top 100 of lockingfixture 96 towardtop 102 of seat back 88pivots locking fixture 96 onpivot points 104 and releaseswire support 90 from within whicheverindentation 98 is capturing it. The caregiver can then adjust the angle ofseat 10 while safely holdingtop 102 of the seat. Upon the release oftop 100 of locking fixture 96 a spring (not shown) between lockingfixture 96 and back surface 88 ofseat 10pivots locking fixture 96 into position against the seat's back surface to locksupport wire 90 into the appropriate indentation. -
Recline control assembly 86 thereby furnishes multiple angles for recliningseat 10 while always maintaining control ofseat 10 during the adjustment procedure and freeing up the caregiver's other hand to assure the safety of the infant within the seat. - The preferred embodiments of the invention provide several solutions to problems that have plagued swing seats. It provides seat designs that reduce the shipping size of the seat thus yielding reduced shipping costs, and it furnishes recline angle adjustment mechanisms that permit a caregiver to safely adjust the recline angle while maintaining full control of the seat to assure that the infant within the seat is not displaced.
- It is to be understood that the form of this invention as shown is merely a preferred embodiment. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of parts; equivalent means may be substituted for those illustrated and described; and certain features may be used independently from others without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
- For example, the specific shapes of
seat 10,junction segment 12 andbase segment 14 can be changed, and the locations ofhinge 16 and lockingtabs 28 could be interchanged or more or different types of locking tabs could be installed at other locations. Furthermore, reclinecontrol assembly 86 can be constructed to use actions other than a squeezing motion.
Claims (5)
- An infant seat (10) having a fixed angle between a seat bottom (18) and a seat back (20) and having two side walls (22) joined to the seat bottom (18) and the seat back (20), wherein the seat (10) is formed of a base segment (14) and a junction segment (12) that meet one another in a junction plane (23) that intersects the planes of the seat bottom (18), the seat back (20) and the side walls (22),
the base segment (14), which extends only from the junction plane (23) forming a smaller opening to the large access opening of the seat (10), is formed as a rigid ring of lesser depth than the seat (10), and the junction segment (12), which extends from the junction plane (23) to the confluence between the seat bottom (18) and the seat back (20), is movable relative to the base segment (14), such that the junction segment (12) can occupy a deployed position, in which the two segments (12,14) together define a basket shape, and a transport position, in which the junction segment (12) lies within the volume bounded by the base segment (14). - An infant seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the junction segment (12) is formed as a rigid concave structure.
- An infant seat as claimed in claim 2, further including a hinge (17) interconnecting the base segment (14) and the junction segment (12) and enabling the junction segment (12) to pivot into the base segment (14).
- An infant seat as claimed in claim 3, further including at least one locking device (28) to lock the junction segment (12) to the base segment (14) in the deployed position.
- An infant seat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, having two sides, a back with a top and an outside back surface and further including a recline angle control apparatus which comprises :pivot fixtures that rotate, so that the infant seat rotates with the pivot fixtures, and with the infant seat supported from a support surface by support structures;at least one slot (92) interconnected with the outside back surface of the infant seat;a wire support (90) pivoting within holes (94) in the support structures with a portion of the wire support captured by and slidable within the at least one slot (92), and with the wire support supporting the seat at different recline angles when the wire is at different locations along the at least one slot;a locking fixture (96) interconnected with the seat's outside back surface;spaced indentations (98) within the locking fixture (96), with the indentations oriented to capture the support wire (90) at different positions along the at least one slot (92); anda release control (100) on the locking fixture (96) that moves the indentations (98) away from the wire to release the wire for changing positions along the at least one slot.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US63146204P | 2004-11-29 | 2004-11-29 | |
PCT/US2005/042582 WO2006058143A2 (en) | 2004-11-29 | 2005-11-25 | Infant swing seat |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1816929A2 EP1816929A2 (en) | 2007-08-15 |
EP1816929A4 EP1816929A4 (en) | 2009-12-16 |
EP1816929B1 true EP1816929B1 (en) | 2019-01-09 |
Family
ID=56409420
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP05849724.9A Active EP1816929B1 (en) | 2004-11-29 | 2005-11-25 | Infant swing seat |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1816929B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4794568B2 (en) |
CN (2) | CN2891852Y (en) |
AU (1) | AU2009238269B2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2590449C (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006058143A2 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USD979259S1 (en) | 2020-09-17 | 2023-02-28 | Kids2, Inc. | Modular swing |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN101669739B (en) | 2008-09-09 | 2012-01-18 | 宝钜实业股份有限公司 | Infant swing |
CN102551425B (en) | 2009-07-29 | 2016-12-07 | 宝钜儿童用品香港股份有限公司 | Baby's swing |
CN102396927B (en) * | 2010-09-07 | 2013-11-27 | 明门香港股份有限公司 | Swing for infants |
TWI425925B (en) * | 2010-09-10 | 2014-02-11 | Wonderland Nursery Goods | Infant swing |
CN102578863B (en) * | 2011-01-10 | 2015-06-17 | 明门香港股份有限公司 | Baby swing |
CN210300375U (en) * | 2018-05-07 | 2020-04-14 | 明门(中国)幼童用品有限公司 | Foldable containing device |
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JPS6129323Y2 (en) * | 1981-02-10 | 1986-08-29 | ||
US4371206A (en) * | 1981-02-17 | 1983-02-01 | Kolcraft Products, Inc. | Rockable infant seat/cradle |
US4545613A (en) * | 1983-03-18 | 1985-10-08 | Cosco, Inc. | Car seat carrier |
US4697845A (en) * | 1985-08-02 | 1987-10-06 | The Quaker Oats Company | Long-running motor-driven baby swing |
US4805928A (en) * | 1986-07-23 | 1989-02-21 | Combi Co., Ltd. | Reclining mechanism of baby carriage |
JPH0530548Y2 (en) * | 1986-08-22 | 1993-08-04 | ||
US4858997A (en) * | 1986-12-31 | 1989-08-22 | Shubin Steven A | Child safety car seat |
JPS63159589U (en) * | 1987-04-08 | 1988-10-19 | ||
US4892356A (en) * | 1988-07-27 | 1990-01-09 | Chromcraft Furniture Corp. | Chair shell |
JP2592108B2 (en) * | 1988-08-31 | 1997-03-19 | コクヨ株式会社 | Chair with backrest |
JPH0644746Y2 (en) * | 1992-02-03 | 1994-11-16 | コンビ株式会社 | Car auxiliary seat for infants |
CH696228A5 (en) * | 2002-11-18 | 2007-02-28 | Angela Prada Cretton | Versatile Baby bath. |
-
2005
- 2005-11-25 WO PCT/US2005/042582 patent/WO2006058143A2/en active Application Filing
- 2005-11-25 CA CA2590449A patent/CA2590449C/en active Active
- 2005-11-25 EP EP05849724.9A patent/EP1816929B1/en active Active
- 2005-11-25 JP JP2007543486A patent/JP4794568B2/en active Active
- 2005-11-28 CN CNU2005201434377U patent/CN2891852Y/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2007
- 2007-12-26 CN CNU2008201388495U patent/CN201200188Y/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2009
- 2009-11-13 AU AU2009238269A patent/AU2009238269B2/en active Active
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
None * |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USD979259S1 (en) | 2020-09-17 | 2023-02-28 | Kids2, Inc. | Modular swing |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2590449A1 (en) | 2006-06-01 |
CA2590449C (en) | 2010-04-20 |
AU2009238269B2 (en) | 2011-07-21 |
WO2006058143A2 (en) | 2006-06-01 |
WO2006058143A3 (en) | 2009-04-09 |
CN201200188Y (en) | 2009-03-04 |
AU2009238269A1 (en) | 2009-12-03 |
CN2891852Y (en) | 2007-04-25 |
JP4794568B2 (en) | 2011-10-19 |
EP1816929A2 (en) | 2007-08-15 |
JP2008521497A (en) | 2008-06-26 |
EP1816929A4 (en) | 2009-12-16 |
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