US3002788A - High chair attachment - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1961 Filed June 16, 1958 L. 5. ROGERS HIGH CHAIR ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR LORRA/Ms SUTTON Ross/vs United States Patent 3,002,788 HIGH CHAIR ATTACHMENT Lorraine Sutton Rogers,,Seattle, Wash. Filed June 16, 1958, Ser. No. 742,429 2 Claims. (Cl. 297255) This invention relates to attachments for chairs of conventional design, and is more particularly related to an attachment in the nature of a high chair which may be operatively associated with a conventional chair.

In many instances, it is desirable to be able to accommodate a young child or infant in a home where no high chairs are available. This is particularly true when it is necessary to feed the child or merely provide a safe place for the child to sit. Unfortunately, most conventional chairs do not particularly well lend themselves to the incorporation of a high chair attachment, but by means of the attachment of the present invention, I have found it possible to use such a conventional chair while providing a high chair for seating the child.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a type of high chair construction which may be readily placed on and removed from a straight back chair of conventional design.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character described which may be readily installed on and removed from a conventional chair with a minimum of difliculty and without in any way damaging or injuring such chair, and in which the chair and attachment cooperate to define a high chair for a young child.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment as hereinabove described which is foldable when in its inoperative position so as to make the same readily portable and easy to handle, and which, when in its operative installed position, may be secured to a chair to pro vide a safe seat for the child.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a device of the type referred to which will accommodate a tray which may be utilized in feeding of the infant and which may be used without the tray as a safe place for the child to sit.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in theshowing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the attachment of the present invention shown in operative position on a conventional chair.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 2. l

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional detail view of the tra supporting mechanism, the plane of the view being taken at line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of the attachment in its folded position.

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating a modified form of attachment.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional detail view of a typical joint or connection between the stiffening bars or rods.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view of the connection of a portion of the attachment to the hood member.

As will be seen in the drawings, the high chair attachment of the present invention is adapted to be operatively inserted on a conventional chair 14, the latter including a seat portion 16, legs 17 and a generally straight back 18. The attachment itself includes a hood portion 19 formed of canvas, plastic sheeting or any other flexible material, the shape of the hood portion being such as to substantially completely overlie and encompass the chair back 18. The front surface 21 of the hood, that is the portion of the hood overlying the front of the chair back, is provided adjacent its lower end with an apron extension 22 which is adapted to overlie at least a portion of the chair seat. This apron or forwardly extending portion 22 preferably terminates short of the front edge 23 of the chair as there is no need to have the same coterminous with the conventional chair seat. Also, extending from the longitudinally extending opposed edges of the apron 22 are side wall portions 24 and 26 respectively, these side wall portions likewise being formed as an integral part of. or secured to the apron. .To complete the fabric construction, a front marginal extension 27 is provided along the front edge of the apron 22 and such extension has a pair. of openings 28 provided therein for receiving the legs of the child. In this manner, it will be seen that the flexible portions 21, 22, 24, 26 and 27, which are formed from a single piece of material or which may be seamed together, provide a substantially complete enclosure for the back, bottom, side and front of a child and will eifectively restrain the. childs movements. In order to secure the unit to the chair seat, a continuous band or strap 31 is utilized, such strap being connected to the lower .surface of the apron 22 adjacent the front end thereof,

is then adapted to pass over the front edge 23 of the chair, and thence continuous rearwardly subjacent the chair seat to fasten with snap fasteners 33 or the like to a rear portion of the hood 19. Thus, by virtue of the hood being anchored on the chair back, and the strap 31 encompassing a portion of the seat, relative displacement of the unit on the chair is impossible.

It will be readily apparent that if the entire attachment was made of canvas or flexible material, it would be impossible to support the various components thereof in the position illustrated in the drawings. Hence, as an important feature of the invention, adjacent the upper longitudinally extending edges of the side walls 24 and 26 I provide hems 36 for receiving longitudinally extending rigid rods 37. These rods have their rearmost ends engaged in a swivel joint 38 which, as best illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawing may comprise a. generally cupshaped rubber member'riveted or otherwise fastened to the front surface 21 of the hood. In this manner, the rods 37, due to the resiliency of the connection at 3% are capable of relative displacement. The forward ends of the rod 37 are pivotally connected as indicated at 39 to a pair of vertical posts 41 whose lowermost ends are mounted in swivel connections 42 substantially identical to those illustrated at 38, but in this instance secured to the front corners of the apron 22.

From the foregoing, it will be readily observed that the bars 37 and posts 41 will maintain the side walls and front extension 27 in the vertically elevated positions substantially normal to the plane of the apron 22 as illustrated in the drawing, but it will likewise be apparent that due to the flexibility of the material, upon removal of the unit from the chair 14, the entire unit may be folded as illustrated in FIGURE 5 to produce a generally fiat configuration with the members 37 and 41 in generally parallel contiguous relationship. Also, by virtue of the swivel type of connections 38 and 42, a large amount of flexibility is afforded so as to insure adequate positioning of the parts upon the chair.

As best seen in FIGURE 3 of the drawing, the rods 37 are each provided with an ofiset portion 44 which is utilized in connection with the support of a removable tray 46. This tray may have any desired external configuration and adjacent the opposing edges thereof are downwardly directed resilient clips, as shown in FIGURE 4 and designated by the numeral 47. These clips, are. adapted to resiliently graps the bars 37 and the fabric, wall material overlying the same so as to resist upward. displacement of the tray. Likewise, by virtue of the off:

set portion in the rods, movement of the clips and the tray.

longitudinally of the rods is effectively prevented.

In FIGURE 6 a slightly modified form of chair construction is illustrated and in place of the horizontal rods 37 and vertical posts 41, means are provided to furnish. additional reenforcement for the sides. As seen in the drawings, the reenforcing rods are provided at the bottom edges of the walls as Wellas at the rear edges thereof in addition to the top and front edges as described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1. Preferably, the'side walls 26 are provided adjacent their rear edges with a hem-like portion 51 which is secured to the front wall 21 of the hood member. Rods 52 are engageable in said hems and such rods are connected by a pivot pin 53 to horizontally extending rods 54 and 56 disposed at the upper and lower edges respectively of the side wall 26. The distal leading ends of the rods 54 and 56, are in turn pivotally connected to another vertical rod (58 which joins the latter and which is disposed adjacent the front edge of the apron and side walls. Obviously, the side walls, and apron are provided with hemmed portions similar to the portion 51 for receiving these rods. The pivotal connection therefor is best illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawing and it will be seen that each such connection may include a looped portion at the distal end of each rod which is pivotally engaged to a corresponding looped portion of an adjacent rod by the headed pin 53. It will be appreciated that this parallelogram arrangement of reenforcing rods which encompass the top, bottom and ends of the side walls likewise permit a folding upon removal of the hood 19 and strap 31 from the chair 14. Also, the rods 54 are again offset as illustrated at 61 for receiving the clips 47 of the tray.

Thus, in both embodiments of the invention, the attachment is readily foldable, notwithstanding the reenfo rcing bars or posts and yet is provided with all of the essential features of a high chair, including the tray upon which food or toys for the infant may be positioned. The unit is relatively simple in construction and very easy to place onto and remove from a conventional chair and serves a useful purpose in providing a safe seat for a young child notwithstanding the lack of a conventional'high chair in the premises. Also, it will be appreciated-that.the same type of unit can be placed on a soda fountain stool? by providing a compound or split strap to encompass the stool standard. m

What is claimed iszj 1. A high chairfattachment for a conventionalchair. having a seat and a back comprising a flexible hood member adapted to slip over the back of said chair, a substantially integral flexible apron adapted to be supported on the seat of said chair extending forwardly from said hood member and havingassociated therewith extensions providing flexible side walls and an apertured fleXible front wall, and means for supporting said side and front.

walls in substantially perpendicular relationship'to the generalplane ofsaid apron, said means including a pair of horizontal rods respectively secured along the uppermost edges of said side walls and a second pair of horizontal rods respectively secured along the lowermost edges of said sidewalls, saidmeansincluding a pair of vertical rods respectively secured along the forward edges of said side walls and a second pair of vertical rods respectively secured "along thej'rea'rwa rd edges of said side walls, said first pair hf vertical rod's respectively pivotally secured at ,thei opposite .ends to the forward ,ends of said firstand second pairs. .of horizontal rods andsaid second pair,,of ,-vert;ica l rods respegtiyely pivotally secured at their opposite ends to the rearward ends of said first and second p rs.oith ri outalrods red fine r me s ruc o said side w l s fip allelogt m ormp votally o ne d t therwh r by a d extensi ns may be s ectiv y o e from said perpendicular relation to a folded position.

a nst a danfinynennivetal ovem nt o d v rt al ds and horizontal. ods. to general, alignment- -t attec rneut er a. h i v ng seatand a.

ssu tami lylint ral y nd. pwa dly..fromj'the o nal dge ait uport enr da flex bl .fr nt wa l. extending substantially integrally and upwardlyfrom the aedsesnf e dipott pnan io ne i s dg s t d ide .W 1s,. w ex blel trap. avi a n portion see .e o, t fir t said. port on, leasableseeur g ans.

On the baCl QQQf saidhood member for receiving the other d; o aitiv r v,v nd. substa ti ly reenforcin ean s res lenaihe ppermo t. d f aid. side.

walls and the front edges thereof, said reenforcing means n .pi ntellyle nnee ed.te t e d p vo y end ted. nfield. eed m mbe nd a d p o p n. for yina froma; eneral y. pe pe dic per ive tionship to inoperative folded. relationship, said reentorlcinameans f rt er nelus li g red xt ng along the lowermost edges of said walls and the rear edges thereof to definea generally reptangular frame lying in a vertical plane adjac t llongitudinaledgeis of the first said portion, meanspivotally connecting adjacentrods together, and

meansfor supportin gthe re armost vertical rod on the.

front of said hood member.

eferences Cited n, the e. of h patent STATES PATENTS

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