GB2586842A

GB2586842A - Stroller seat with movable bumper bar

Info

Publication number: GB2586842A
Application number: GB1912774.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Oaks Michael
Original assignee: Stroller Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Stroller Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2019-09-05
Publication date: 2021-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-05
Also published as: CN213354596U; GB2586842B; GB201912774D0

Abstract

A seat for a pushchair, the seat comprising: a seat body 20, a seat base 40 and a seat back 30. The seat back is pivotally mounted to the seat base and movable between a stowed position generally adjacent the seat base and an operating position extending upwardly therefrom. A bumper bar 50 is coupled to the seat body, movable from a stowed position to a deployed position; and is urged toward the deployed position by a first resiliently biased member 49 (see fig. 5A). A locking element (60) is engageable with the seat base to secure the bumper bar to the seat base once the bumper bar has reached its deployed position. The locking element is disengaged by the rotation of the seat back toward the seat base. The disengagement of the locking element may allow the bumper bar and seat back to rotate together. The seat back may comprise a ramped 34 protrusion configured to work against a corresponding complementary protrusion on the locking element for urging the locking element into a corresponding angled recess.

Description

STROLLER SEAT WITH MOVABLE BUMPER BAR

FIELD

The present invention relates to a seat for a pushchair or stroller, particularly a seat with a projecting safety or bumper bar which provides restraint and/or protection to an infant.

BACKGROUND

Strollers or pushchairs or buggies or baby carriages are small wheeled vehicles which are used to transport infants and young children who are not yet able to walk or not yet able to reliably walk short distances.

While such strollers or pushchairs provide convenience for parents and carers when transporting an infant or young child, inevitably there is a need to disassemble and collapse the strollers or pushchairs upon reaching a destination such as a car or public transport, often at the same time as supervising the child or infant. Therefore, it is important that the collapsing process (and the subsequent re-assembly) once triggered is intuitive and as easily performed as possible. At the same time it is important that the collapsing process is not able to be accidentally triggered The inclusion of a projecting safety bar or bumper bar or "bump bar" or "belly bar" which provides restraint and/or protection to the occupant of a stroller is common, but unfortunately having a bumper bar often adds a further step in the disassembly process if the bumper bar needs to be manually detached (and then re-attached for re-assembly).

Although some bumper bars have been devised which actively drive the bumper bar into an operating position as the seat back rotates away from the seat base, such arrangements typically use complex clutch mechanisms, usually located in the seat hub. These arrangements can make the overall stroller wider or reduce the width of the seat as they add bulk and weight to the seat hub and overall stroller. Often these arrangements also work in conjunction with the seat recline mechanism, which allows the angle of inclination between the seat back and seat base to be changed by the parent or carer according to the energy levels of the child or infant being carried in the stroller.

SUMMARY

Features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations of the appended claims.

Accordingly, various approaches as described herein can provide a seat having a movable bumper bar which ameliorates or at least addresses one or more of the above problems.

In a broad form of the present disclosure there is provided a seat for a pushchair or stroller which includes a bumper bar or restraint. The bumper bar or restraint is locked in a deployed position to restrain the occupant of the stroller and is disengaged from the deployed position by rotation of the seat back towards the seat base.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a seat for a pushchair or stroller which includes a bumper bar or restraint; the seat comprising: a seat body comprising a seat base and a seat back, the seat back being pivotably mounted to the seat base and movable between a stowed position generally adjacent the seat base and an operating position extending upwardly therefrom; a bumper bar coupled to the seat body, the bumper bar being movable from a stowed position generally adjacent the seat base and seat back and a deployed position spaced apart from the seat base and seat back; a first resiliently biased member for urging the bumper bar towards the deployed position; a locking element engageable with the seat base so as to secure the bumper bar to the seat base once the bumper bar has reached its deployed position, wherein said locking element is disengaged from the seat base by rotation of the seat back towards the seat base.

Disengagement of the locking element from the seat base allows the bumper bar to rotate together with the seat back from the deployed position towards the seat base.

The locking element may be disengaged from the seat base by the seat back and urged at least partially into a corresponding recess defined in the bumper bar housing as the seat back rotates towards the seat base beyond a predetermined angular position of the seat back relative to the seat base.

Preferably the predetermined angular position of the seat back relative to the base is proximal the deployed position of the bumper bar The seat back comprises a ramped protrusion configured to bear against a corresponding complementary protrusion on the locking element for predetermined angular positions of the seat back relative to the base for urging the locking element into the corresponding recess.

Advantageously, the predetermined angular positions of the seat back relative to the base are between proximal the deployed position of the bumper bar and proximal the stowed position and generally adjacent the seat base.

Preferably the locking element is urged by the seat back out of engagement with the seat base and in a direction of inward and towards the centre of the seat.

The first resiliently biased member extends between an aperture of the seat base and a groove in at least one bumper bar housing Advantageously, the first resiliently biased member may be a torsion spring.

Preferably the axis of rotation of the seat base and seat back and the direction of movement of the locking element are generally parallel but not coplanar.

The bumper bar and locking element are preferably coupled to the inside of the seat body.

The locking element may be biased against the seat back and seat base by a second resilient biasing member.

Advantageously, the second resilient biasing member may be a compression spring received in the recess of the bumper bar housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in further detail below by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-FIG 1 depicts an exemplary stroller to which the movable bumper bar of the present disclosure is attached and in a deployed position.

FIG 2 depicts a side view of the seat body and exemplary bumper bar in a deployed position ready for a child or infant to sit in the stroller of Fig 1 (the stroller frame has been removed for clarity).

FIG 3 depicts a side view of the seat body and exemplary bumper bar as the seat back is moved towards the seat base such that the bumper bar is about to disengage from the seat base and in which the stroller frame of Fig 1 has been removed for clarity.

FIG 4 depicts a side view of the seat body and exemplary bumper bar as the seat back is brought toward the seat base as the bumper bar is disengaged from the seat base and freely moves and in which the stroller frame of Fig 1 has been removed for clarity.

FIG 5A depicts a partial exploded perspective view of the seat body and bumper bar of the stroller of Fig 1 from the right hand side.

FIG 5B depicts another exploded partial perspective view of the seat body and bumper bar from the left hand side.

FIG 6A depicts a left hand perspective view of the bumper bar housing of the stroller of Fig 1 in which the locking element is in a locked position extending outwards from the recess and engaged with the seat base and seat back (not shown).

FIG 6B depicts a perspective view of the exemplary bumper bar housing of Fig 6A in which the locking element is in an unlocked position.

FIG 7A depicts a perspective view of an exemplary bumper bar housing and seat base of the stroller of Fig 1 in a deployed position where the locking element is engaged with the seat base (seat back not shown for clarity).

FIG 7B depicts a perspective view of the bumper bar housing and seat base of Fig 1 after the seat back (not shown) is moved toward the seat base in a folding operation to urge the locking element out of engagement with the seat base and into a recess in the bumper bar housing so that the bumper bar can rotate relative to the seat base.

FIG 7C depicts a perspective view of the bumper bar housing and seat base after further rotation of the bumper bar relative to the seat base from the position depicted in FIG 7B and in continuation of a folding operation (seat back not shown for clarity).

FIG 70 depicts a perspective view of the bumper bar housing and seat base when further rotated from the position depicted in Fig 7C with the seat base, bumper bar and seat back are all folded together (seat back not shown for clarity) Fig 8A depicts a perspective view of the seat back and the locking element where the bumper bar (not shown) is fixed relative to the seat base (not shown for clarity).

FIG 8B depicts a perspective view of the seat back as it has been rotated so as to begin to urge the locking element into the bumper bar housing (seat base and bumper bar housing not shown for clarity).

FIG 8C depicts a perspective view of the seat back after further rotation from the position in Fig 9B where the seat back has urged the locking element back into the bumper bar housing (seat base and bumper bar housing not shown for clarity).

FIG 9 depicts an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary locking element, as depicted in Figs 5A and 5B.

FIG 10A depicts a cross sectional view of the seat body of the stroller depicted in Fig 1 in which the bumper bar is in a deployed position and is maintained in that position by the locking element extending through the seat base from the bumper bar housing.

FIG 10B depicts a cross sectional view of the seat body of the stroller depicted in Fig 1 in which the seat body is in a folded position wherein the locking element is disengaged from the recess of seat base by contact with the ramped member of the seat back.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The disclosed bumper bar provides an improved bumper bar with an engageable locking element which retains the bumper bar deployed and is disengaged by rotating the seat back.

Referring to Fig 1, there is depicted a stroller 10 in an upright configuration, ready to receive an infant or baby on the seat (soft goods and padding removed for clarity). The seat body 20 comprises a seat back 30 which is pivotally mounted to the seat base 40. A bumper bar 50 extends from either side of the seat body to restrain the infant or child as is known in the art in a generally U-shaped member, between a bumper bar housing 52 on either end. The seat body 20 may be detachably or fixedly engaged to the lower frame 60 at hubs 12, on either side of the seat. These hubs are usually located adjacent proximal to the pivot point of the seat back 30, relative to the seat base 40.

The seat body 20 is thus supported by the lower frame 66 with the front legs 67 and rear legs 68 maintained in a spaced apart configuration. As is known in the art, the front and rear legs 67 and 68 respectively typically terminate in ground engaging wheels. It would be appreciated that in the embodiment depicted, the bumper bar 50 is in a deployed position, spaced apart from the seat base 40 and the seat back 30. In this position, the bumper bar, is able to restrain the child or infant contained in the stroller, to restrain and protect them from a collision with other obstacles.

As discussed in further detail below, the bumper bar 50 is movable with respect to the seat base 40 from the deployed position shown in Fig 1. This is especially useful when needing to fold the seat back 30 towards a stowed position where the seat back is substantially parallel to the seat base 40.

Referring now to Fig 2, an exemplary side view of the seat body 20 in a deployed position is depicted with the external frame 66 and handle 70 removed for clarification.

As can been seen in Fig 2, the seat back 30 is attached to the seat base 40, and the bumper bar 50 extends in a deployed position where it is spaced apart from both the seat base 40 and the seat back 30.

Referring now to Fig 3, there is depicted a side view of the seat body 20, in an intermediate position as the seat back 30 is moved towards the seat base 40 in the direction shown by the arrow "A". It can be seen that in this positon unless the bumper bar is either detachable or moveable, it will restrict the continued folding of the seat back 30 toward the seat base 40.

Referring to Fig 4, there is depicted a side view of the seat body 20 in an exemplary stowed position in which the seat back 30, the bumper bar 50 and the seat base 40 are brought together in a predetermined position. In Fig 4 this predetermined position is substantially horizontal; although other positions could also be utilised provided the seat back and base are rotatable together. It would be appreciated that in some stroller or pushchair arrangements, the seat body 20 may then be entirely removed from the stroller frame (not shown), and then the frame separately collapsed. Alternatively, as is known in the art, in some arrangements, the seat body 20 may remain fixed to the stroller frame, which is then able to be folded once the seat back and seat base have passed the stowed position depicted.

Referring now to Figs 5A and 5B together, there is depicted an exploded perspective view of the seat body 20 (seat base 40 and seat back 30) together with the bumper bar 50 from alternate sides.

It can be seen that the seat back 30 has a seat back housing member 32 which receives a corresponding seat base housing member 42 of the seat base 40. In the seat back housing member 32, there is depicted a pivot bolt receiving hole 35 and a round surface on the housing 34 which is discussed in further detail.

The bumper bar 50 is coupled to the seat body and is a generally U-shaped bar with a housing 52 at each end which engages with the seat base housing and seat back housing as is discussed below.

The seat base housing member 42 of the seat base 40, includes a recess 44 for engagement with one end of a resilient biasing means 49, which is configured to urge the bumper bar 50 towards a deployed position spaced apart from the seat base and seat back. The other end of the resilient biasing means 49 is configured to be received by a guide 49 (visible in Fig 6) formed in the corresponding face portion of the bumper bar housing 52 at one end of the bumper bar.

A compression spring 47 biases a locking element 60 away from a recess 54 in the bumper bar housing 52 of the bumper bar 50.

A ramped surface 34 on the seat back housing 32 is configured to urge the locking member opposing the face of the compression spring 47 out of the recess 46 of the seat base 40 and at least partially back into the recess 54 on the bumper bar housing 52. This ramped surface 34 is located on the seat back at a location so that it urges the locking element 60 at a pre-determined orientation as is discussed in further detail below.

The pivot bolt 80 extends through corresponding apertures formed in the respective housing members to secure the housing members in engagement. That is, the pivot bolt extends through the aperture 35 formed in the seat back, the aperture 45 in the seat base and the aperture 55 in the bumper bar housing. This pivot bolt may terminate in a rivet or recess nut in the external housing as is known in the art.

In this way, the bumper bar 50 is biased toward a deployed position by the resistant biasing means (e.g. a torsion spring) 49. In this position the locking element 60 is biased into engagement with the seat base recess 46. At this point the bumper bar 50 is fixed relative to the seat base 40 notwithstanding further movement of the seat back 30 pivoting away from the seat base 40.

However, when the seat back is moved proximal to the deployed position of the bumper bar, the seat back 30 disengages the locking element 60 from the seat base so that the bumper bar 50 can move towards the seat base together with the seat back as shown in Fig 4.

Referring to Fig 5B, one face of the locking element 60 has a ramped surface complementary to the ramped surface 34 of the seat back housing 32. Alternatively, as would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, a similar arrangement of a shaped surface complementary to a corresponding surface of the locking element could also be formed on the seat back housing 32.

Referring now to Fig 6A, there is depicted a perspective view of the bumper bar housing 52 with the seat base and seat back removed for clarity. In the state of the housing depicted in Fig 6A it can be seen that the locking element 60 projects outwardly from the recess 54 in the bumper bar housing 52. In this projecting configuration, it would be appreciated that the locking element 60 is engageable with a corresponding recess (not shown) formed in the housing of the seat base 42 to lock the bumper bar relative to the seat base in the deployed position.

A torsion spring or resilient biasing means 49 is depicted, with one end secured in a retention groove 58, formed on the bumper bar housing 52. The other end of the resilient biasing means 49 received in a corresponding aperture or recess 44 on the seat base housing member 42.

The aperture for receiving the pivot bolt 55 is also shown for ease of orientation.

Referring now to Fig 6B, there is depicted a similar perspective view of the exemplary bumper bar housing 52 of Fig 6A. However in this view, the locking element 60 is in an unlocked position. In this position, the inclination of the bumper bar relative to the seat base 40 is no longer fixed, as the locking element 60 is urged against the compression spring 47 (not shown), and into the recess 54 formed in the bumper bar housing 52. It would be appreciated that the locking element 60 is urged inwardly against the compression spring 47 by the ramped portion 34 formed on the seat back housing 32 as has been discussed above in certain positions relative to the seat base. However, in this view, the seat back and seat base have been removed for clarity.

Accordingly in the configuration depicted in Fig 6B, the bumper bar is in an unlocked and moveable position, and is able to move with further rotation of the seat back 30 towards the seat base 40.

Referring now to Fig 7A, there is depicted a similar view to Fig 6A, in which the bumper bar 50 is locked to the seat base 40. However, Fig 7A includes the seat base 40 and seat base housing member 42 which are adjacent the bumper bar 50 and bumper bar housing 52 in an operational configuration. The pivot aperture 45 is shown for ease of reference. As shown, the locking element 60 has projected into the recess 46 in the seat base 40. Accordingly, in this orientation the seat base and bumper bar are engaged together, with the orientation of the bumper bar therefore fixed.

Referring now to Fig 7B, there is depicted a similar view to Fig 6B but also including the additional seat base housing 42 of the seat base 40 in an operational configuration. As shown in Fig 7B, the locking element 60 has been pushed out of the recess 46 on the seat base housing member 42, and in this configuration, the bumper bar housing 52 and accordingly the bumper bar 50 are able to rotate. (The ramped member 34 of the seat back which pushes the locking element 60 has been removed for clarity.) Referring to Fig 7C, it can be seen that this is a further exemplary perspective view after further rotation from the orientation depicted in Fig 7B, in which the locking element 60 remains disengaged from the recess 46 in the seat base, and as such, the bumper bar housing 52 and bumper bar 50 are freely rotatable relative to the seat base 40.

Referring now to Fig 7D, there is shown a perspective view of the bumper bar housing 52 and seat base after further rotation from the operational state depicted in Fig 70. In Fig 7D the seat base 40, bumper bar 50 and seat back 30 are all folded together in a substantially horizontal configuration. (It would be appreciated that although depicted in a substantially horizontal position; other positions could also be utilised as appropriate). It can be seen in this position that the locking element 60 is not engaged with the corresponding aperture of the seat base 46, being urged into the recess 54 formed on the bumper bar housing 52.

Referring now to Fig 8A, there is depicted a perspective view of the seat back 30, and the locking element 60 in the state where the bumper bar is fixed relative to the seat base. It would be appreciated that the bumper bar 30 and the seat base 40 have been removed for clarity.

As depicted, the locking element 60 is urged against the seat back housing 32 of the seat back 30. This would typically be achieved by a compression spring 47 (not visible). The pivot bolt aperture 35 is included for ease of reference.

It can be seen that a ramped surface 34 protrudes from the inner face of the seat back housing 32. The ramped element 34 includes a leading edge 34a and a raised surface 34b which are configured to contact complementary surfaces 62 formed on the base of the locking element 60 (see Fig 5B).

As depicted in Fig 8A, the ramped surface 34 of the seat back housing 32 is not engaged with the locking element 60 in the arrangement shown. This means that the locking element 60 is extending out from the recess 54 in the bumper bar housing, through the recess 46 in the seat base housing 42 and against the surface of the seat back housing 32.

Referring now to Fig 8B, there is depicted an exemplary perspective view of the seat back as is being further rotated relative to the seat base (not shown). (The bumper bar 50 has also been omitted from this Figure for clarity.) As depicted in Fig 8B, further rotation of the seat back relative to the locking element brings the locking element 60 in an approach to the leading edge 34a of the ramped surface on the housing 32. At this point, the locking element 60 still extends through the corresponding recess 46 formed in the seat base housing 42 thereby fixing the orientation of the bumper bar 50 relative to the seat base 40.

However, as the orientation of the seat back changes, the locking element is able to be urged by the inclined leading surface 34a of the ramped surface 34 of the seat back housing 32 back towards the recess 54 formed in the bumper bar housing 52.

Referring now to Fig 8C, it can be seen that the lower surface 62 of the locking element 60 is in contact with the ramped surface 34b of the housing 32 of the seat back 30. It would be appreciated that in this arrangement, the locking element is urged against the action of the compression spring 47 (not shown) into the recess 54 of the locking element 60 defined in the bumper bar housing 52 Accordingly, locking element 60 no longer extends through the recess 46 of the seat base housing member 42. Accordingly, in this configuration, the bumper bar 50 is no longer engaged with the seat base 40, and the seat back 30, bumper bar 50 are freely rotatable toward the seat base 40.

Fig 9 depicts an enlarged perspective view of the locking element 60 in which the complementary protruding ramped surface 62 is depicted. The chamfered or angled ends 62a, 62b provide for a smooth transition up the ramped surface 34 of the seat back housing 3. It would be appreciated that only one chamfered or angled end will be used for each locking element on a respective side of the bumper bar. However, for ease of manufacture both angled or chamfered ends are provided for use as locking elements on either side of the bumper bar.

It would be appreciated that alternate shapes for the locking element different from the generally triangular cross section would also be possible, provided that the recesses 54 on the bumper bar housing 52 and recess 46 of the seat base housing member 42 are complementary to the overall shape of the locking element 60.

Referring now to Fig 10A, there is depicted a cross-sectional view of the mounting between the bumper bar 50, seat base 40 and seat back 30. In the state depicted in Fig 10A, the bumper bar is in a deployed position, in which the locking element 60 extends through the recess 46 in the seat base 40, thereby affixing the orientation of the bumper bar 50 relative to the seat base 40. The locking element 60 in this view is therefore urged out from the recess 54 formed in the bumper bar housing 52, under the action of compression spring 47 (not shown). The surface 62 of locking element 60 is urged by spring 47 onto the lower surface (or base) of ramped surface 34, thus engaging the locking element 60 so that the bumper bar is engaged in the deployed position.

Referring now to Fig 10B, there is depicted a further cross-sectional view of the seat back 30, seat base 40 and the bumper bar 50 as connected together. In the operational state depicted, the seat is in the fully folded position and the bumper bar is now unlocked.

That is, the locking element 60 is being pushed by the top of the ramped surface 34 formed on 30 the housing of the seat back hub housing member 32 back into the recess 54 formed on bumper bar housing 52. The protruding surface 62 of locking element 60 has chamfered/angled ends to allow it to transition smoothly up ramped surface 34 of the housing 32.

As such, the locking element 60 is retracted and the bumper bar 50 is unlocked and able to move from the generally horizontal state to the operational state.

It would be appreciated that the operation of the foldable bumper bar arrangement described herein is an elegant solution which does not take up a significant amount of space. The seat back housing member 32 receives a corresponding housing member 42 of the seat base within its periphery, while the seat base housing member 42 receives within its periphery the corresponding bumper bar housing member 52 and accordingly the dimensions of the overall hub formed when the pivot bolt 80 is inserted and engaged are relatively thin.

This arrangement may be compared to separate cam type mechanisms in which movement of the seat back is positively coupled to the movement of the bumper bar to an operational position. As such, with the arrangement of the present disclosure, the width available to the infant or child can be maximized, while at the same time not needing to make the overall pram wider.

Thus, the bumper bar folding mechanism does not encroach upon the area available to the infant or child and does not complicate the hub arrangement by which the seat is attached to the frame. The design is relatively simple and avoids complex moving parts, having a rotating element (bumper bar) secured by a locking element which is engaged/disengaged by moving between two recesses. At the same time the folding mechanism is automatic and does not require the user to detach and re-attach the bumper bar on disassembly and reassembly. The mechanism is also safe as it is not able to be actuated by the occupant of the stroller.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further and although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A seat for a pushchair or stroller, the seat comprising: a seat body comprising a seat base and a seat back, the seat back being pivotably mounted to the seat base and movable between a stowed position generally adjacent the seat base and an operating position extending upwardly therefrom; a bumper bar coupled to the seat body, the bumper bar being movable from a stowed position generally adjacent the seat base and seat back and a deployed position spaced apart from the seat base and seat back; a first resiliently biased member for urging the bumper bar towards the deployed position; a locking element engageable with the seat base so as to secure the bumper bar to the seat base once the bumper bar has reached its deployed position, wherein said locking element is disengaged from the seat base by rotation of the seat back towards the seat base.
2. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to claim 1 wherein disengagement of the locking element from the seat base allows the bumper bar to rotate together with the seat back from the deployed position towards the seat base.
3. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the locking element is disengaged from the seat base by the seat back and urged at least partially into a corresponding recess defined in the bumper bar housing as the seat back rotates towards the seat base beyond a predetermined angular position of the seat back relative to the seat base.
4. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to claim 3 wherein the predetermined angular position of the seat back relative to the base is proximal the deployed position of the bumper bar.
5. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any one of the claims 1-3 wherein the seat back comprises a ramped protrusion configured to bear against a corresponding complementary protrusion on the locking element for predetermined angular positions of the seat back relative to the base for urging the locking element into the corresponding recess.
6. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to claim 5 wherein the predetermined angular positions of the seat back relative to the base are between proximal the deployed position of the bumper bar and proximal the stowed position and generally adjacent the seat 30 base.
7. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the locking element is urged by the seat back out of engagement with the seat base and in a direction of inward and towards the centre of the seat.
8. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the first resiliently biased member extends between an aperture of the seat base and a groove in at least one bumper bar housing.
9. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the first resiliently biased member is a torsion spring.
10. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the axis of rotation of the seat base and seat back and the direction of movement of the locking element are generally parallel but not coplanar
11. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the bumper bar and locking element are coupled to the inside of the seat body.
12. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to any preceding claim wherein the locking element is biased against the seat back and seat base by a second resilient biasing member.
13. The seat for the pushchair or stroller according to claim 12 wherein the second resilient biasing member is a compression spring received in the recess of the bumper bar housing.