US2850744A

US2850744A - Baby trainer

Info

Publication number: US2850744A
Application number: US514023A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nika Louis; Claire M Nika
Original assignee: JIFFY PRODUCTS
Current assignee: JIFFY PRODUCTS
Priority date: 1955-06-08
Filing date: 1955-06-08
Publication date: 1958-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-09

Description

p 9, 1958 L. NIKA ETAL 2,850,744

BABY TRAINER Filed June 8, 1955 ATTORNEY United States Patent BABY TRAINER Louis Nika and Claire M. Nika, North Plainfield, N. J.,

assignors to Jiffy Products, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 8, 1955, Serial No. 514,023

Claims. (Cl. 4-239) The present invention relates to baby trainers and more particularly to deflectors for use with infants seats or trainers of the collapsible or non-collapsible types.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application Serial No. 183,061 filed September 2, 1950 now Patent No. 2,712,653, dated July 12, 1955.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive deflector for infants trainer toilet seats and the like, which is pivotally mounted at the forward portion of theseat, and preferably in a suitable recess and can be rotated into operative upright position in which it is straddled by the legs of the infant; and in addition to its normal function, acts also to prevent slipping of the infant from the seat, the deflector being rotatable in the opposite direction into inoperative position.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a pivotally mounted deflector which cannot be removed by the infant, but can be removed by an adult for cleaning or replacement, the deflector normally forming a permanent part of the seat, so that it cannot be misplaced or lost.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a deflector of the type indicated which is made of plastic material, can be cheaply manufactured by injection molding and which is sufliciently flexible and resilient to enable it to be removed from or inserted into a recess or other provision in the seat for receiving the deflector.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a deflector which can be pivotally mounted on a trainer seat by means of a simple pin and hole or slot hinge.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a deflector constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section through the deflector showing a modified form of hinge connection; while Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing another form of pivotal mounting of the deflector on the trainer seat.

Referring to the drawings, the forward portion of the baby trainer seat is shown fragmentarily at 1, there being provided a recess 2, as shown in Fig. l. The recess is bounded by dependent side flanges 3 and a front flange 4 of the trainer seat which is preferably made of plastic sheet material. At the bottom of the flanges 3 there is provided a ledge 5 for a purpose which will be described hereinafter.

Pivotally mounted within the recess 2 and fn'ctionally engaging the flanges 3 is a deflector 6 which is composed of a plate-like top portion 7 and depending ears or sides 8.' A

The top portion of the deflector as viewed in Fig. 1 is preferably of arcuate shape as shown, and the top portion of the deflector curves gradually into the plane of the free bottom edges of the sides 8, as indicated at 9.

The deflector is pivoted upon the flanges 3 by way of a hinge 10 which can be provided in various ways. Thus, there may be employed a snap fastener whose female elements are secured within the flanges 3, while the male ICC elements. We prefer, however, to employ a simpler type of hinge construction consisting merely of a lug orpin 11, as shown in Fig. 3 which is received within openings 12 in the flanges 3 of the seat. The lugs or pins can be constituted of the male element of a snap fastener.

When the deflector is swung into upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, its movement can be limited to the vertical position either by engagement with the flange 4 of the seat or with the ledges 5. Similarly, when the deflector is swung downwardly into the inoperative position, its downward movement can be limited by the ledges 5, so that it remains in the plane of the seat, i. e., its top surface is flush with the top of the seat. The position of the deflector flush with the top of the seat is particularly desirable with collapsible trainers, as the deflector then does not interfere with the complete collapse of the trainer nor with lifting of the collapsed trainer into position against the cover of the seat or against the wall at the rear of the toilet bowl; that is, the center of gravity of the collapsed trainer can be brought to a position rearwardly of the hinge connection (not shown) of the trainer by which it is swung rearwardly against the raised cover of the toilet bowl, or against the wall of the bathroom, as shown in our above-mentioned patent. However, the ledges 5 can be omitted and the deflector allowed to swing through into inoperative position.

Fig. 2 shows a modification in which the hinge of the deflector is arranged adjacent to the top plate 7, and also adjacent to the edges of the sides 8 of the deflector. By this eccentric position of the hinge or pivot, the edges 13 engage the front flange 4 of the seat when the deflector is brought into inoperative position with its top plate flush with the top of the seat 1, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2.

The sides of the deflector oppose suflicient resistance to flexing, so that they cannot be removed by the child; but they can be flexed by an adult sufflciently to enable the deflector to be removed for cleaning or possible replacement. As will be readily appreciated, the deflector is normally a part of the seat and is not removed therefrom, so that it cannot be lost or misplaced. It will be understood that the construction of the seat itself forms no part of the present invention and may be that disclosed in our above-mentioned patent or of any otherappropriate construction.

We claim:

1. A seat structure for baby trainers, comprising a seat having a central opening and a recess at'the forward portion thereof communicating with said opening, and a deflector of approximately channel cross-section at the lower portion thereof when viewed in the upright position and pivotally mounted within the recess and adjacent to the forward end of the recess, said deflector being movable into upright position in which it extends a substantial distance above the top of the seat, the inner surface of the deflector then facing the central opening, the deflector being rotatable rearwardly into inoperative position within the recess, its outer surface then providing a continuation of the upper seat surface substantially in the plane of the latter, the deflector being open at its bottom and presenting a smooth inner surface free of obstructions down to such bottom end when in upright position, whereby the flow of liquid down the inner surface of the deflector is unimpeded, the sides'of the deflector being resilient and being sprung toward each other so as to frictionally engage the sides of the recess.

2. A seat structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the seat is of molded plastic material and wherein the side 3 walls of the recess are provided with a ledge at the bottom edge thereof in position to be engaged by the bottom edge of the side walls of the deflector to limit the rearward movement of the latter to its inoperative position.

3. A seat structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of thedefiector extends beyond the hinge means for such a distance that in the inoperative position of the deflector its central wall fills the recess up to the forward edge of the latter, the hinge means being 10 cated so close to the forward edge of the recess that such edge constitutes a stop for the deflector as the latter is swung forwardly into its operative position.

4. A seat structure for baby trainers, comprising a seat having a central opening and a recess at the forward portion thereof communicating with said opening, the forward edge of the recess being spaced from the forward edge of the seat and the intervening portion of the seat being continuous with the rest of the seat and flush therewith, and a deflector having a central wall and side walls and being' of approximately channel cross-section at the lower portion thereof when viewed in the operative position, the central wall of the deflector curving at the top thereof into the plane of the free edges of its side walls, and hinge means for pivotally supporting the side 4 walls of the deflector upon the side walls of the recess, the deflector being swingable rearwardly into inoperative position, and the hinge means being so disposed that in such inoperative position the central wall of the deflector lies in the plane of the top surface of the seat so as to form a continuation thereof.

5. A seat structure as defined in claim 4, wherein the bottom edge of the deflector, in its operative position, extends to susbtantially the bottom edge of the side walls of the recess, the deflector being hinged so closely to the forward edge of the recess, that when it is swung rearwardly into inoperative position, its bottom edge extends substantially to the forward edge of the recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,623,994 Buchsbaum et a1. Apr. 12, 1927 1,628,830 Eastburn May 17, 1927 2,145,143 Trecartin Jan. 24, 1939 2,494,813 Hughes Jan. 17, 1950 2,545,598 Barnes Mar. 20, 1951 2,686,320 Feldstein Aug. 17, 1954 2,717,717 Busch Sept. 13, 1955