GB2405085A

GB2405085A - Child safety seat with a position adjusting mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2405085A
Application number: GB0319827A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shun-Min Chen
Original assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Taiwan
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Taiwan
Priority date: 2003-08-22
Filing date: 2003-08-22
Publication date: 2005-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2023-08-22
Also published as: GB0319827D0; GB2405085B

Abstract

A child safety chair includes a base 1 and a seat unit 2 mounted slidably on the base 1. A locking unit 5 includes a pair of interlocking members 51, each of which is secured to the base 1 and each of which defines a series of engaging grooves 510, and a latch 52 that is movably connected to the seat unit 2 and that engages a selected pair of the engaging grooves 510. Each of the engaging grooves 510 is defined by a groove-defining wall that has a front sliding face 510'. A releasing member 4 is connected to the seat unit 2 and is formed with a slot 420 for passage of the latch 52 therethrough. The slot 420 is defined by a slot-defining wall that has a pushing face 421. The releasing member 4 is operable to move the pushing face 421 frontwardly in such a manner so as to push the latch 52 to slide upwardly and disengage from the selected pair of the engaging grooves 510.

Description

CHILD SAFETY CHAIR wITH A POSITION-ADJUSTING MECHANISM This invention

relates to a child safety chair, more particularly to a child safety chair with a position-adjusting mechanism.

Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional child safety chair 9 for use in a motor vehicle. The chair 9 is adapted to tee fastened to the seat of the motor vehicle, and can be oriented forwardly or backwardly relative to the direction of the motor vehicle. The chair 9 includes a base 91 and a seat 92 mounted slidably on the base 91. The base 91 is formed with a pair of opposite rail grooves 94. A guide rod 951 is secured to the seat 92, and has two opposite ends that respectively extend into the rail grooves 94 so as to permit sliding movement of the seat 92 on the base 91. A locking unit is interposed between the seat 92 and the base 91 for preventing sliding movement of the seat 92, and includes a pair of opposite interlocking members 93 formed on the base 91 and formed with a plurality of engaging holes 930, and a pair of latches 952 that are pivoted to the guide rod 951 and that respectively engage a selected pair of the engaging grooves 930. A handle 950 is pivoted to the latches 952 through a pair of linkages 953.

In operation, pulling of the handle 950 in a frontward direction results in pivoting movement of the latches 952 away from the selected pair of the engaging grooves 930, thereby permitting sliding movement of the seat 92 on the base 91.

The conventional chair 9 is disadvantageous in that since the latches 952 are pivoted to the linkages 953, the former tend to loosen after a period of use, which can result in misalignment of the latches 952 with the selected pair of engaging grooves 930.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a child safety chair that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawback of the

prior art.

According to the present invention, a child safety chair comprises: a base; a seat unit disposed above and mounted slidably on the base; and a position-adjusting mechanism. The position- adjusting mechanism includes a locking unit and a releasing member. The locking unit includes a pair of parallel interlocking members, each of which is secured to the base and each of which defines a series of engaging grooves, and a latch that is movably connected to the seat unit and that extends in a longitudinal direction to releasably engage a selected pair of the engaging grooves in the interlocking members so as to position the seat unit on the base. Each of the engaging grooves is defined by a groove-defining wall that has a front sliding face which has top and bottom ends. The front sliding faces of the groove-defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves in the interlocking members are coplanar in a plane and are in sliding contact with the latch. The releasing member is connected to the seat unit and is formed with a slot for passage of the latch therethrough. The slot is defined by a slot- defining wall that has a pushing face which is in sliding contact with the latch. The releasing member is operable to move the pushing face frontwardly in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction toward the plane in such a manner so as to push the latch to slide from the bottom ends of the front sliding faces ofthegroove- defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves in the interlocking members to the top ends of the front sliding faces of the groove-defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves in the interlocking members, thereby resulting in disengagment of the latch from the selected pair of the engaging grooves.

In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Fig. l is a fragmentary, schematic perspective view of a conventional child safety chair; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, schematic perspective view of a child safety chairembodyingthisinvention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a position adjusting mechanism of the child safety chair of Fig. 2: Fig. 4 is a side view of the child safety chair of Fig. 2, with a latch disposed at an engaging position; Fig. 5 is a side view of the child safety chair of Fig. 2, with the latch disposed at a disengaging position; Fig. 6 is a side view of the child safety chair ofFig.2, withaseatunitdisposedatafirstinclined position; and Fig. 7 is a side view of the child safety chair f i of Fig. 2, with the seat unit disposed at a second inclined position.

15Figs.2 to4 illustrate the preferred embodiment of a child safety chair according to the present invention for use in a motor vehicle.

The child safety chair includes: a base 1; a seat unit 2 disposed above and mounted slidably on the base 1; and a position-adjusting mechanism interposed between the base 1 and the seat unit 2 for adjusting inclination of the seat unit 2 relative to the base 1. The position-adjusting mechanism includes a locking unit 5 and a releasing member 4. The locking unit 5 includes a pair of parallel interlocking members 51, each of which is secured to the base 1 and each of which defines a series of engaging grooves 510, and a latch 52 that is movably connected to the seat unit 2 and that extends in a longitudinal direction to releasably engage a selected pair of the engaging grooves 510 in the interlocking members 51 (see Figs. 3 and 4) so as to position the seat unit 2 on the base 1. Each of the engaging grooves 510 is defined by a groove- defining wall that has a front sliding face 510' which has top and bottom ends. The front sliding faces 510' of the groove-defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves 510 in the interlocking members 51 are coplanar in a plane and are in sliding contact with the latch 52. The releasing member 4 is connected to the seat unit 2, and is formed with a pair of first slots 420 for passage i 15 of the latch 52 therethrough (see Fig. 3). Each of the first slots 420 is defined by a slot-defining wall that has a pushing face 421 which is in sliding contact with the latch 52. The releasing member 4 is operable to move the pushing faces 421 of the slot-defining walls of the first slots 420 frontwardly in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction toward the plane in such a manner so as to push the latch 52 to slide upwardly from an engaging position (see Fig. 4), in which the latch 52 is disposed at the bottom ends of the front sliding faces 510' of the groove-defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves 510 in the interlocking members 51, to a disengaging position, in which the latch 52 is disposed at the top ends of the front sliding faces 510' of the groove-defining walls of the selected pair of the engaging grooves 510 in the interlocking members 51 ( see Fig. 5), thereby resulting in disengagment of the latch 52 from the selected pair of the engaging grooves 510.

The releasing member 4 includes a curved operating lever 41 that has a lateral segment 411 disposed above the interlocking members 51, and an inclined segment 412 extending downwardly and inclinedly from the lateral segment 411. The first slots 420 are formed in the inclined segment 412. The inclined segment 412 is further formed with a pair of second slots 43 extending in the transverse direction. The seat unit 2 includes a seating member 21, and a connecting member 20 that includes a first rod 29 secured to the seating member 21, parallel to the latch 52, and extending in the longitudinal direction, a second rod 22 parallel to the first rod 29 and thelatch 52, and extending in the longitudinal direction through the second slots 43, and a pair of opposite linkages 23 interconnecting the first and second rods 29, 22 and formed with a pair of opposite third slots 24. The latch 52 extends through the third slots 24 in the linkages 23. The releasing member 4 further includes a pair of urging members 6 that are mounted on the lateral segment 411 of the operating lever 41 and that abut against the base 1 so as to accumulate a restoring force to urge the operating lever 41 to move rearwardly when the latch 52 is moved from the engaging position to the disengaging position.

The base 1 is formed with a pair of opposite curved rail grooves 12 extending along a curved path (L) (see Figs. 2 and 6). The second rod 22 has two opposite ends that respectively extend into the rail grooves 12 so as to permit sliding movement of the seat unit 2 on the base 1 along the curved path (L).

A movement-limiting unit 7 includes a protrusion 71 that protrudes from a bottom of the seating member 21, and a spring-biased engaging member 72 that is mounted movably on the tease 1, that releasably engages the protrusion 71, and that is operable to move downwardly to disengage from the protrusion 71 so as to limit sliding movement of the seat unit 2 within a smaller distance (see Fig. 6) , in which the second rod 22 is slidable between one of two opposite ends of each rail groove 12 and a middle position of each rail groove 12, thereby limiting the extent to which the seat unit 2 can be inclined relative to the base 1, and within a larger distance (see Fig. 7), in which the second rod 22 is slidable between the opposite ends of each rail groove 12, thereby permitting inclination of the seat unit 2 relative to the base 1 to a greater extent as compared to that shown in Fig. 6.

With the inclusion of the releasing member 4 in the child safety chair of this invention, the

aforesaid drawback as encountered in the prior art

can be eliminated.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A child safety chair adapted to be mounted in a vehicle,

comprising: a base; a seat unit disposed above and mounted slidably on said base; and a position-adjusting mechanism including a locking unit including a pair of parallel interlocking members, each of whichis secured Lo said base and each of which defines a series of engaging grooves, and a latch that is movably connected to said seat unit end that extendsinalongitudinaldirection to releasably engage a selected pair of said engaging groovesinsaidinterlocking members so es to position said seat unit on said base, each of said engaging grooves being defined by a groove-defining wall that has a front sliding face which has top end bottom ends, said front sliding faces of said groove-defining walls of said selected pair of said engaging grooves insaidinterlocking members teeing coplanarina plane and being in sliding contact with said latch, and a releasing member that is connected to said seat unit and that is formed with a slot for passage of said latch therethrough, said slot being defined by a slot-defining wall that has a pushing face which is in sliding contact with said latch, said releasing member being operable to move said pushing face frontwardly in a transverse direction relative to said longitudinal direction toward said plane in such a manner so as to push said latch to slide from said bottom ends of said front sliding faces of said groove-defining walls of said selected pair of said engaging grooves in said interlocking members to said top ends of said front sliding faces of said groove-defining walls of said selected pair of said engaging grooves in said interlocking members, thereby resulting in disengagment of said latch from : said selected pair of said engaging grooves.
2. The child safety chair of Claim 1, wherein said releasing member includes a curved operating lever that has a lateral segment disposed above said interlocking members, and an inclined segment extending downwardly andinclinedly from saidlateral segment, said slot being formed in said inclined segment, said inclined segment being further formed with a second slot that extends in said transverse direction, said seat unit including a seating member, and a connecting member that includes a first rod secured to said sealing member,paralleltosaidlatch, and extending in said longitudinal direction, a second rod parallel to said first rod and said latch, and extending in said longitudinal direction through said second slot, and a pair of opposite linkages interconnecting said first and second rods and formed with a pair of opposite third slots, said latch extending through said third slots in said linkages, said base being formed with a pair of opposite curved railgrooves, said second rod haying two opposite ends that respectively extend into said rail grooves so as to permit sliding movement of said seat unit on said base.
3. The child safety chair of Claim 2, wherein said releasing member further includes an urging member that is mounted on saidlateral segment end that abuts against said base so as to accumulate a restoring force to urge said operating lever to move rearwardly when said releasing member is moved frontwardly in r said transverse direction.
4. The child safety chair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as j illustrated in Figs. 2 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.