US2610331A - Folding play yard - Google Patents

Description

2 SHEETSSl-1EET 1 lilllllll l||| a] IIIIIIIIIIIL C. A. KUNIHOLM FOLDING PLAY YARD EFIIIIIII llllllllll .lFlllullllllll' l|||||||| Sept. 16, 1952 Filed May 23, 1949 yr J J Y 8 m d A IN V EN TOR.

rlI llll I|||||| Sept. 16, 1952 c. A. KUNIHOLM FOLDING PLAY YARD 2 SHEETS.-SHEET 2 Filed May 23. 1949 W2 BY I Am r Patented Sept. 16, 1952 FOLDING PLAY YARD Carl .A. Kuniholm, Gardner, Mass., assignor to Annett Box Company, J afirey, N. H., a corporation of New Hampshire Application May 23, 1949, Serial No. 94,761

3 Claims.

This invention relates 'to improvements in folding play yards and the principal object of the inventionincludes the provision of a folding play yard which is easily folded or selectively extended to useful condition from one side only of the play yard and with a minimum of effort.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a folding play yard comprising a rigid front side or wall having a side wall pivoted thereto at each end thereof and adapted to be in-folded in mutually overlapping relation 'on the rigid wall; in combination with an opposite or rear side wall which is adapted to be removably secured to the free ends of the pivoted walls and having hinged thereto one member of a twopart hinged floor, the other member of the floor being hinged to the rigid front wall, whereby the rear wall is movable in toward'the front wall with the floor members pivoting upwardly between the front and the rear wall for nested relation therebetween, and the in-folding side walls pivoting in overlapping relation with respect thereto to fully fold the play yard into a minimum area.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of the folding play yard described and having spring means to tend to fold all folding parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a play yard according to the present invention showing the same in extended condition ready to be used;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the floor in partly folded condition;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the entire play yard folded; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed views illustrating the connection between the movable rear wall and the swinging side walls.

The present invention is shown as comprising a front wall In which is of rigid non-folding construction and made up of top and bottom rails I2 and connecting spindles M with casters It at the lower ends of corner posts It to which the upper and lower rails are secured.

At each end, the corner posts have connected. thereto outstanding vertical supports 20 and 22, these being of unequal lengths as clearly seen in Fig. 4, and having secured thereto at the tops and bottoms thereof hinges indicated at 24. To these hinges are secured iii-folding side walls 26 2 and 28, wall 26 being shorter than wall 28, but the combined lengths of the side walls and their supports being equal. The construction of the side walls may be the same as that of the front Wall as to top and bottom rails and spindles.

The folding side Walls 26 and 28 terminate in corner posts 30 and 32 which are provided with casters 34. Each one of these corner posts is provided with a ring or the like as indicated at 36, see particularly Figs. 5 and 6. These rings are arranged horizontally for a purpose to be de I scribed. V

The rigid Wall ID has hinged thereto on the bottom rail l2, a floor part 38, hinges 40 being used to foldably connect the floor part. This floor part is in turn hinged as at 42 to a similar floor part 44, the latter being hinged as at 46 to the lower rail 48 of a movable rear wall 50.

The rear wall 50 is, therefore, movable from a folded condition with the floor elements 38 and 44 up against the front wall Ill as clearly shown in Fig. 4, to a fully extended condition as in Figs. 1 and 2.

The rear wall 50 has an upper rail 52 from each end of which depends a short pin 54 for engagement in the eyes 36 to lock the rear wall 50 to the corner posts 30 and 32.

A spring 56 is connected between the two parts of the floor and this spring tends to bring the two parts of the floor together, i. e., tends to fold the floor; and each in-folding side wall 26 and 28 is provided with a spring 58 tending to fold the same inwardly to the Fig. 4 position.

The in-folding side walls are provided with brackets or supports 60 upon which the edges of the folding floor rest when in extended condition.

It will be seen that this invention provides a relatively simple and yet automatically folding play yard which is very easily handled and is sturdy and strong under conditions of use.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. A folding play yard comprising a pair of Walls arranged generally parallel to each other, a multiple part folding floorhinged between said walls and to the walls, one wall being movable to and from the other wall, a pair of in-folding side walls hingedly secured to one of the first named walls, means detachably connecting the movable wall to the free ends of the in-folding side walls, and means tending to fold the floor parts together, said infolding side walls substan- 3 tially completely overlapping each other in folded condition, and springs to tend to fold the side walls inwardly.

2. A folding play yard comprising a pair of walls arranged generally parallel to each other, a multiple part folding floor hinged between and to both said walls, one wall being movable to and from the other wall, a pair, of in-folding side walls hingedly securedv to one of the first named walls, means detachably connecting the movable Wall to the free ends of the in-folding side walls, and separate coil means to fold the floor parts and in-folding side walls.

3. A folding play yard comprisinga front wall,

a pair of walls hinged thereto at the ends thereof, a separate rear wall, detachable connections between the rear wall and the hinged Walls, an

articulated multipart floor hinged to both the rear and the front walls at opposite ends thereof, the hinged walls being spaced from the front wall in folded condition, and the folded floor and rear 4 wall occupling the space, a spring tendency to fold the floor, and a spring tending to infold one of the hinged walls.

CARL A. KUNII-IOLM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 360,556 Bickford Apr. 5, 1887 1,270,358 Zaremba June 25, 1918 1,429,335 Gabriel Sept. 19, 1922 1,846,673 Brown Feb. 23, 1932 2,308,608 Kennedy Jan. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 209,958 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1940

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