US1786663A - Baby car or carriage - Google Patents

Description

D em 30, 1930. w E-K 1,786,663

BABY CAR OR CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 4, 1929 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Dec. 30;.1930. .1. w. LEEK 1.786563 BABY CAR OR CARRIAGE File d Jan. 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l atented Dec. 3%, 1930 JOHN WILLIAM LEEK, OF SALE, ENGLAND BABY GAR OR CARRIAGE Application filed January 4, 1929, Serial No. 330,277, and in Great Britain September 18, 1928.

This invention refers to a new or improved construction of baby car or carriage which can be propelledand guided by the ocoupants feet and is free to turn in all directions on a flat surface without risk of upsetting. A

particular purpose and advantage of the improved car is that it operates as a babyminder, in that it allows of the child, while fastened to the seat of the car, moving about without the attention'of a nurse or other person.

According to the invention, the improved car or carriage comprises a chair. Extending from below the seat of the chair are three radial members, one at each front corner of the chair and a third at the rear of the chair. At the extremity of each of the front radial memhers is a small wheel, and at the extremity of the rear radial member is a single swivel wheel, or a twin swivel wheel.

"he chair is furnished with straps, for se curing the ocoupan therein, and the height of the chair from the floor is such that a small child or infant can use his or her feet to propel the car in any desired direction, the wheel at the rear of the car allowing of rapid changes of direction.

Upon the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of one example of the improved baby car.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and

Fig. 3 a plan of the same example of baby car.

Fi 4t is a plan of a modification. v

Fi 5 is a plan of a further modification.

l 6 shows how the car is prevented rolling down steps.

The chair part a of the car, preferably made of wood, is of a shape such as to constitute what may be called a bucket type of chair, that is, a chair with a seat part a with an upstanding back part a both being rather more than a semi-circle in plan, see Fig. 3. The seat part a as also the inner face of the seat back a may be upholstered or left plain. Usually the seat part a only will be upholstered. When plain, its front part may be slightly raised.

A pair of leather or like flexible straps b If, are secured at one end to the inner face of the seat back and provided with a buckle and holes respectively at the other end, whereby the child may be strapped to the car.

To the underside of the seat a? are rigidly secured three radial bars 0 c 0 preferably of wood, and as shown thicker at one end than the other. To the outer free ends of the forard radial bars 0 0 rubber-tyred wheels (Z (Z are fittedthe wheels being adapted to rotate freely in planes parallel with each other and with the rear radial bar 0 F itting the outer free end of the radial bar 0 is the vertical pivot of the swivelling wheel (Z At the same end of the bar 0 may be a stout rubber ring 6 held horizontally to act as an elastic buffer, should the end of the bar when the car is running backwards tend to collide with a wall, or other obstruction.

The radial bars 0 0 0 are of a length such as to allow the wheels (Z (Z (Z to move sub stantially in a circle, with a point at, or about so of the seat a for centre. Further, the di mensions of the radial bars and the height of the chair from the ground, are such as to cause the centre of gravity to be low down and thus render the car noncapsizable in ordinary use.

In the example shown, the radial bars 0 0 extend about 4 inches outwards from the chair, and the bar 0 about 9 inches from the chair. The height of the underside of "so the chair from the floor will be about 4 inches. The bars 0 0 0 lie at an angle to each other in plan of about 120. With the car in use, the child, while strapped to the chair, pushes against the floor with his or her feet, and owing to the freedom with which the wheels rotate, the slightest push results in movement of the car, and either forwards or backwards or diagonally at the will of the occupant, the three wheelsallow ing of almost universal movement.

The three radial bars form a species of skeleton chassis, or at least, a chassis of the slenderest proportions between the various wheels, and such chassis, in addition to its lightness, lends itself to manoeuvring of the car around the legs of furniture, around corners of rooms and the like, and such manoeuvrin is facilitated by the fact that the it complete car will revolve in a circle with one of its forward wheels for centre.

A detachable tray 7", see Fig. at, may be provided, each end of the tray'being formed with a tongue part to engage a metal socket g secured to the chair and to extend below a pin 1.

As a precaution against the car running forwards or backwards and down steps, spikes [L1, 171,2 are provided on the underside of the bar 0 see Fig. 2, which, as shown in Fig. 6, engage the surface against which they fall after the front wheels or back wheel of the car have or has passed over the first or top step, the spike preventing any further down ward movement of the car. This arrangement has proved "cry eflective in practice.

A twin swivelling wheel, see Fig. 5, may be used in place of the single sv-xivelling wheel shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Although chiefly for use by infants, the improved car or carriage can be made to a larger scale for use by juveniles generally. Also if desired, the chair may be wide enough to hold tWo infants side by side, but as this would entail a larger area for manoeuvring, the single seater is preferred.

Being comparatively small and light, the complete car can be easily carried about by an adult. To facilitate packing and transport, the bars 0 c 0 may be detached from the chair by removing the connecting screws.

What I claim is l. A baby car or the like comprising a bucket-shaped chair, a single swivelling wheel arranged centrally behind the chair, two arms extending forwardly, one at each side of the chair, a non-swivelling wheel mounted on each arm, the said wheels being coaxial with each other and disposed so as to been each side of an open and free space between them and in front of the chair for the occupants legs, within which the oc cupant may propel the chair by his own feet from between the non-swivelling wheels and by crossing their common axis.

2. A baby car or the like comprising a bucket-shaped chair, a detachable arm extending rearwardly from the chair, a single swivelling wheel arranged centrally behind the chair, two detachable arms extending for wardly, one at each side of the chair, a nonswivelling wheel mounted on each arm, the said wheels being coaxial with each other and disposed so as to be on each side of an open and free space between them and in front of the chair for the occupants legs within which the occupant may propel the chair by his own feet from between the nonswivelling wheels and by crossing their common axis.

3. A baby car or the like comprising a bucket-like chair and a chassis composed of radial bars and wheels at the ends of the bars, one of such wheels being free to swivel about a vertical axis as well as to rotate about a horizontal axis, and the bars and wheels being of such proportions as to cause the centre of gravity of the car being near to the ground, and downwardly extending spikes applied to the underside of the chassis for the purpose of arresting the further motion of the car should it run forwards or backwards over a step, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

J. W. LEEK.

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