US2173639A - Play pen - Google Patents

Description

.Sept 19, 1939. A. wQswANscN 2,173,639

PLAY PEN Filed April 22, 1958 Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PLAY PEN Y Axel W. Swanson,

Chicago, Ill., assigner to The Holmquist-Swanson Company, a corporation of Illinois Application April 22, 1938, Serial No. ,203,656

3 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to play pens for infants, and more particularly to a collapsible pen which may be supported in opened o1' collapsed position solely by casters.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved pen which may be folded up readily so as to occupy but a small amount of space to enable it to be moved around on its casters whether in opened or closed position.

The present invention is an improvement over the play pen shown in my Patent No. 2,059,058, issued October 27, 1936. The present play pen is very similar to the one described in my patent except for the improved oor supporting means which will be described below.

It is desirable in play pens of this character to have the floor sections elevated a few inches above the floor of the room. In the device shown in my patent a special supporting leg was provided under the central portion of the oor of the pen but in the present invention that leg has been eliminated and an improved supporting cross-bar substituted.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of a pen embodying the invention; and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 1, showing the cross-bar construction.

In the embodiment illustrated, A designates rigid side walls to which are pivotally connected, at each end, jointed side walls A; B, a pair of floor sections which are hinged to the rigid side walls A; and C, a jointed cross-bar adapted to support the central portion of the oor sections when in opened position.

The side walls A are of conventional grille work construction and are provided at their lower sides with frame members 3 to which casters 4 are attached.

The side walls A are of similar construction and connect the ends of the rigid side walls by means of end hinges 5 in the well-known manner. The side walls A are each made up in two sections Which are joined by a central hinge 6 so that they may swing inwardly into the enclosure.

The i'loor sections B are each made up of floor boards 'l which are disposed parallel to the rigid 50 side walls and are connected at their ends by means of slats 8 which are connected to the side walls A by means of hinges 9 so that the sections may be swung upwardly adjacent to the rigid side walls. One of the floor sections is shown ;5 with an additional centrally disposed slat IU while the other floor section has its floor boards attached directly to the cross-bar C.

The cross-bar C is made up in two complementary sections which together span the distance between the rigid side walls. One of the sec- 5 tions Il', as indicated above, is attached directly to the lloor boards I while the other section l2 is free, but is adapted to support the other floor section having the cross slat il). The sections Il and by means of a hinge l 3 so that the cross-bar may be bent upwardly when the floor sections are turned up to collapse the pen. It will be understood that the section I2 may be swung around adjacent to the section il and accordingly will 15 not project above the top of the rigid side walls when in collapsed position. The lower frame members of one of the rigid side walls and the jointed side Walls are provided with metal brackets I4 which are fixed in position by means of rivets 20 l5. These brackets serve to support the slats 8 and one end of the section Il of the cross-bar when the pen is opened. The free end of the cross-bar is shown provid'ed with a projecting dowel I6 which may be projected into a socket 25 l1 provided in the lower frame member 3.

To collapse the pen it is merely necessary to raise the two floor sections into vertical position, swing the free section I2 of the crossbar C down adjacent to its companion section Il, and 30 press the hinges 6 of the jointed side walls inwardly. This will collapse the pen into an extremely small space but it still may be moved around readily on its casters.

The foregoing Adetailed description has been 35 given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in View of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A collapsible play pen comprising: a pair of opposed rigid side walls; a pair of centrally jointed side walls connecting adjacent ends of said rigid side walls by means of hinges, said cen- 45 tral joints being arranged so as to swing inwardly intol the enclosure; a pair of complementary floor sections, each of said sections being hinged to the lower portion of the adjacent rigid side wall so that the sections may independently swing upwardly into vertical positions when the pen is to be collapsed; a central cross-bar secured only to one of said floor sections and having two abutting sections connected by a centrally disposed hinge with its pivot at the lower edge of the bar I2 of the cross-bar are connected together l0 so that said bar may be flexed upwardly; and means on said rigid side walls for supporting the ends of said jointed cross-bar with the top face of the bar against the bottom of the floor sections when the latter are Adown in opened position.

2. A device as speciiied in claim 1, in which the cross-bar supporting means comprises a metal bracket affording a lip upon which the end of the cross-bar section, which is attached to a iioor section, may rest, and the other end of the free cross-bar section has a projection adapted to engage a socket in the opposite rigid side wall.

3. A collapsible play pen comprising: a pair of opposed rigid side Walls provided at their bottom corner portions with supporting casters adapted to carry the pen in open or collapsed condition; a pair of centrally jointed side walls connecting adjacent ends of said rigid side walls by meansK of end hinges, said central joints being arranged so that the sections may swing inwardly into the enclosure; a pair of complementary floor sections, each of said sections being hinged to the lower portion of one of the adjacent rigid side Walls so that the sections may swing upwardly into Vertical positions when the pen is to be co1- lapsed, and said sections each comprising ioor boards disposed parallel to the rigid side Walls and connected by cross slats; a central cross-bar secured solely to one of said floor sections and having two abutting sections connected by a centrally disposed hinge with its pivot at the lower edge of the bar so as to bend upwardly; a bracket on one of the rigid side walls for supporting the end of the secured portion of said cross-bar adjacent to the lower face of the opened Iioor sections, the free end of the bar making a tongueand-groove connection with the other rigid side wall; and metal brackets on the lower parts of the side walls for supporting the cross slats when the floor sections are down in opened position.

AXEL W. SWANSON.

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