GB2317819A

GB2317819A - Folding seat with tray

Info

Publication number: GB2317819A
Application number: GB9620650A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Arthur Atkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-10-03
Filing date: 1996-10-03
Publication date: 1998-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2016-10-03
Also published as: GB9620650D0; GB2317819B

Abstract

A folding seat for a child comprises a seat member 1 having first and second portions which pivot relative to each other, a tray member 3 hingedly connected to the first portion behind the user, and stay means 5 which projects between tray member 3 and the second portion. Tray member 3 is adapted to extend in front of and around the sides of the user and preferably comprises a handle (25, Fig. 2) to facilitate the carrying of the seat. Stay means 5 may be pivotally mounted on the underside of tray member 3 and may be secured to seat member 1 by clip means 17. Webbing 7 may be provided through slots (11, Fig. 3) in the first portion for securing the seat to another object. Typically, stay means 5 is located between the legs of the user. The seat may also incorporate means for securing the seat in a folded configuration.

Description

FOLDING SEAT FOR A CHILD The present invention is concerned with a folding seat for a child. The seat incorporates a tray and may be folded into a compact configuration when not in use.

When parents are away from home with a young child there is sometimes a need to provide the child with a seat such as a "high chair" incorporating a seat and a tray. This can arise, for example, in a restaurant when there are not sufficient high chairs to satisfy demand or when visiting family and friends who are unlikely to be able to provide a high chair.

Portable high chairs are known which incorporate a screw mechanism for securing the chair to a table or the like.

Although this eliminates the legs normally required for a high chair, such chairs have the disadvantages that the screw mechanism can damage the table and that the chair does not fold for convenient transportation.

There is therefore a need for a portable high chair or the like which incorporates a seat and a tray and which can be folded into a compact configuration when not in use for convenient storage and/or transportation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a folding seat for a child, the seat incorporating a tray.

According to the present invention there is provided a folding seat for a child or the like, the seat comprising: a tray member adapted to extend at least in front of and around the sides of a child; a seat member incorporating at least first and second portions adapted to pivot relative to each other, the first portion of the seat member being hingedly connected to the tray member at a position adapted to be behind the child; and stay means adapted to extend between the tray member at a position in front of the child and the second portion of the seat member.

The tray member may comprise a tray portion adapted to be positioned in front of the child and arms extending from the tray portion to be positioned at each side of the child. The tray member may be hingedly connected to the tray member at the free ends of the arms.

The tray member may be provided with one or more depressions in the upper surface thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the tray member may be provided with a peripheral lip around all or part of the upper surface thereof.

The tray member may incorporate a handle to facilitate carrying of the seat. The handle may be positioned at that part of the tray member adapted to be remote from the child. The handle may comprise an aperture formed in the tray member.

The seat member may incorporate one or more further pivotable portions intermediate the first and second portions.

The hinge connection between the seat member and the tray member may be integral or separable.

The seat member may be provided with means for securing the seat to another object. The securing means may comprise webbing or the like passing through slots provided in the first portion of the seat member. The webbing or the like may incorporate means for securing the free ends thereof together.

The stay means may be pivotably mounted on the underside of the tray member. The pivot joint may include means for releasably locking the stay means in position. The stay means may be secured to the seat member by clip means. The clip means may be provided on the seat member and extend through a slot provided in the stay means. The stay means may be located to be positioned in use between the legs of a child.

The seat may incorporate means for securing the seat in a folded configuration.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a folding seat for a child according to the present invention, the seat being in a use configuration; Figure 2 is a plan view of the child's seat shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the child's seat shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a seat member of the folding seat; and Figure 5 is a plan view from below of a tray member of the folding seat.

The folding child's seat shown in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a seat member 1 and a tray member 3 with a stay 5 interconnecting the tray member with a free end of the seat member. Webbing 7 is provided for securing the child's seat to, for example, the back of an adult's chair. The webbing is provided with securing means (not shown) at the free ends thereof, such as strips of hook and loop material (such as that sold under the registered trade mark VELCRO) or a buckle arrangement. The folding seat is made of plastics material, with the seat member in particular being made of a flexible plastics material such as polypropylene.

The seat member is shown in more detail in Figure 4 and is generally rectangular in shape with two adjacent corners being rounded in order to avoid any risk of injury to a child's legs. The rounded corners may have other configurations, for example they may be cut away in order to reduce the amount of plastics material required. That edge of the seat remote from the rounded corners is provided with two hinge members 9 which co-operate with the tray member 3 to permit pivoting between the seat member and the tray member. That part of the seat member adjacent to the hinges 9 is provided with two parallel slots 11 which, in use, are upright, for receiving the webbing 7 (not shown in Figure 4). On that side of the slots 11 remote from the hinges 9, the seat member is provided with a plurality of transverse scores 13 or the like which permit the seat member to fold between a flat configuration as shown in Figure 4 and a rounded configuration as best shown in Figure 1. It is not necessary to provide a plurality of scores, but a single score gives rise to a more angular configuration which is not so comfortable for the child. As an alternative, the scores 13 may be formed integrally in the seat member in the form of one or more hinges. That edge of the seat member intermediate the rounded corners is formed with a cut-out portion 15 and with protruding clip means 17 for engaging the stay 5. The clip means 17 may protrude outwardly and upwardly as shown in Figure 1.

The tray member 3 is shown in more detail in Figure 5 and comprises a generally rectangular portion which is in front of the child with protruding arms 19 which extend in use at each side of the child. The free ends of the arms are provided with hinge means 21 co-operable with the hinges 9 of the seat member 1. In practice, the hinges 9 of the seat member 1 are removably retained in the hinge means 21 which facilitates initial assembly of the seat and subsequent cleaning. The tray member is formed with a downwardly extending lip around the periphery thereof and with two depressions 23 in the upper surface of the generally rectangular portion. The depressions prevent toys, food or the like falling off the tray member too readily. The outer edge of the generally rectangular portion is formed with a handle 25 to facilitate carrying of the seat when in its folded configuration. The handle may take the form of an aperture in the tray member 3.

Extending from that edge of the generally rectangular portion intermediate the arms 19 towards the handle 25 and intermediate the two depressions 23 is a channel for receiving the stay 5, the stay being pivotably mounted at that end thereof adjacent to the edge between the arms 19.

The pivot mount for the stay 5 may incorporate clip or latch means for releasably maintaining the stay in a position generally perpendicular to the tray member 3.

Thus the stay is positioned between the child's legs to inhibit the child sliding out beneath the tray member.

The stay 5 is provided with an aperture 27 at the free end thereof for engaging with the protruding clip means 17 of the seat member 1.

The folding seat is movable between two configurations, a use configuration as shown in Figure 1 and a transportable or storage configuration in which the seat is folded flat.

In the transportable configuration, the stay 5 is moved out of its perpendicular configuration relative to the tray member 3 and is folded against the tray member in the channel between the depressions 23. The hinge mechanism 9, 21 is then used to fold the seat member against the tray member with the transverse scores permitting the seat member to flatten to the configuration shown in Figure 4 with the protruding clip means remaining in the aperture 27 of the stay 5. The free end of the seat member 1 is then secured to the tray member 3, for example by clip means (not shown) provided in the region of the handle 25, and the webbing is secured around the folded seat. In this configuration, the seat can be carried by the handle 25 in its transportable configuration or can be stored in any convenient space. In either case, the dimensions of the folded seat are particularly convenient.

In the use configuration, the webbing is undone and the clip means (not shown) is released in order that the hinge mechanism 9, 21 can be used to pivot the seat member 1 away from the tray member 3. The stay 5 can then be pivoted away from the tray member and clipped into its perpendicular configuration. The flexible nature of the material employed for the manufacture of at least the seat member 1 facilitates the necessary manipulation of the seat member. With the clip means secured to the stay, the seat is self-supporting. The seat is then placed on the seat cushion of an adult chair or other suitable surface and the webbing 7 can be passed around the back of the chair and secured together in order to retain the folding seat in position. A child can then sit in the seat with toys or food, for example, on the tray.

Clearly the folding seat described with reference to the drawings can be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the seat member, the tray member and the stay can be moulded as one or two components instead of the three components as described. In addition to, or as an alternative to, the depressions in the tray member, a lip can be provided around the upper periphery of the tray member to reduce the likelihood of toys and/or plates or the like sliding off the tray member.

Claims

1. A folding seat for a child or the like, the seat comprising: a tray member adapted to extend at least in front of and around the sides of a child; a seat member incorporating at least first and second portions adapted to pivot relative to each other, the first portion of the seat member being hingedly connected to the tray member at a position adapted to be behind the child; and stay means adapted to extend between the tray member at a position in front of the child and the second portion of the seat member.

2. A folding seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tray member comprises a tray portion adapted to be positioned in front of the child and arms extending from the tray portion to be positioned at each side of the child.

3. A folding seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tray member is hingedly connected to the seat member at the free ends of the arms.

4. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tray member is provided with one or more depressions in the upper surface thereof.

5. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tray member is provided with a peripheral lip around all or part of the upper surface thereof.

6. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tray member incorporates a handle to facilitate carrying of the seat.

7. A folding seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein the handle is positioned at that part of the tray member adapted to be remote from the child.

8. A folding seat as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the handle comprises an aperture formed in the tray member.

9. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the seat member incorporates one or more further pivotable portions intermediate the first and second portions.

10. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hinge connection between the seat member and the tray member is integral.

11. A folding seat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hinge connection between the seat member and the tray member is separable.

12. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the seat member is provided with means for securing the seat to another object.

13. A folding seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the securing means comprises webbing or the like passing through slots provided in the first portion of the seat member.

14. A folding seat as claimed in claim 13, wherein the webbing or the like incorporates means for securing the free ends thereof together.

15. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stay means is pivotably mounted on the underside of the tray member.

16. A folding seat as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pivot joint includes means for releasably locking the stay means in position.

17. A folding seat as claimed in claim 16, wherein the stay means is secured to the seat member by clip means.

18. A folding seat as claimed in claim 17, wherein the clip means is provided on the seat member and extends through a slot provided in the stay means.

19. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stay means is located to be positioned in use between the legs of a child.

20. A folding seat as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the seat incorporates means for securing the seat in a folded configuration.

21. A folding seat for a child or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.