US3101970A

US3101970A - Chair unit for children

Info

Publication number: US3101970A
Application number: US98582A
Authority: US
Inventors: Karmel Israel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-03-27
Filing date: 1961-03-27
Publication date: 1963-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1980-08-27
Also published as: GB955126A

Description

Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Marchv 27, 1961 uvvs/v-TOR ISRAEL KARMEL l. KARMEL CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN Aug. 27, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 27, 1961 vi/wrok ISRAEL KARMEL 5y ll, f,

Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL.

CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 27, 1961 /NvEA/Te ISRAE L KAR M EL Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL 3,101,970

CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN Filed March 27.' 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lo b /I 220 United States Patent() 3,101,970 CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN Israel Kamiel, 3945 Puget Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Mar. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 98,582 l()v Claims. (Cl. 297-119) This invention relates to a childs chair unit preferably including a table and which may also be used as a stroller.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a chair and -feed and play table for children which may -be quickly and easily collapsed into a comparatively small bundle for carrying Or storing purposes, is very light and yet strong in construction, and which cannot possibly collapse when a child is in it.

Another object is the provision of a chair and table unit for children which may also be. used as a stroller without any alteration in the construction thereof, and which may be instantly converted -to a stroller or yback to a feed and playtable, thereby eliminating the necessity of two articles for these purposes.

A further object is the provision of a childs chair unit which may or may not be collapsible, and which is instantly convertible Afrom or to a chair-table unit to or from a stroller.

There are tables on the market for children which may be used for both playing and feeding, and have legs that collapse when the table is not required.. However, these are Ifor indoor use only, they fold into a lcomparatively cumbersome bundle, and cannot be used as a stroller. A preferred device accor-ding to the present invention eliminates these difliculties. It consists of a collapsible chair unit made of tubular aluminum `or any other suitable material. It includes automatic locking means for retaining the chair inits erected position, and the locking means is such that the chair cannot possibly collapse with a child either standing or sitting in it. The chair also has a tray arrangement which may be positioned in front of the child for feeding or playing purposes, and may be swung into a position where it acts as a handle so that the device may be used as a stroller. The unit normally includes wheels so that it may be quickly and easily moved about either when in use as a chair-table combination, or a stroller. The locking means may be quickly and easily released to permit the unit to be collapsed into a very small Ibundle.

Although it is preferred to make the unit collapsible, it is -to be understood that this invention contemplates a unit that is not collapsible, but includes a tray arrangement which may be positioned in front of a child in the unit and may be swung into-a position where it acts as a handle to convert the unit into a stroller.

Examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE l is a plan view of Ithe chair unit set up for use as a stroller,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the uni-t,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section ltaken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 1, showing the handle in dotted lines inthe table position,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the unit set upl as a table,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevationr of part of the unit,

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the unit in partly collapsed condition,

FIGURE 7 isA a plan view of an alternative form of unit,

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7,

FIGURE 9 is a Afragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of another alternative form of unit, and

3,101,970 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 FIGURE l0 is a plan view of part of the unit shown in FIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6 of the drawings, 10 is a collapsible chair unit including a pair of inclined

front legs

12 and 13 which are preferably connected together at their lower ends by a cross bar 14. A pair of substantially

vertical back legs

15 and 16 are provided, said legs preferably being connectedv together at their lower ends by a cross bar 17.

The front legs 12-13 and. back legs 15-16 support a Vseat section generally designated by the numeral 20. rl`he seat section includes a substantially U-shaped. supporting member 22 made up of

side members

23 and 24 connected at their outer ends by a cross member 25. Side member 23 is pivotally connected at its inner end to the upper end of back leg 15 by a pin 27, while side member 24 is pivotally connected at its .inner end to the upper end of back leg 16 by a pin 28.

Members

23 and 24 extend Iforwardly from the back legs to which they are connected, and are bent inwardly at 30 and 31, respectively, and then extend forwardly from said -bent portions, as clearly shown in FIGURE l. If desired, said side members may extend straightback from the forward ends thereof, in which case it would be necessary to provide spacers ybetween the inner ends of said mem;- fbers and the back legs, Arm rests 33 and 34 are lixedly mounted on the upper surfaces of

horizontal side inembers

23 and 24. A back cross lbrace 37 is ixedly secured to the inner ends of

side members

23 and 24 and arm rests 33 and 34, and this brace keeps the upper ends of

back legs

15 and 16 properly spaced apart. Cross brace 37 actually forms part of an annular support including supporting member 22, said brace and member forming and surrounding a seat opening 38. The upper ends of the inclined

front legs

12 and 13 are swingably connected to

side members

23 and 24 by pins 4t) and 41, said pins being spaced forwardly a little from

pins

27 and 28, see `FIGURE 1. It will be noted that the front legs are connected to the outer sides `of the side members, while the back legs are connected to the inner sides thereof.

Seat section 20 includes a lower supporting arrangement including horizontal,

side bars

44 and 45. These side bars are spaced bel-ow and a little inwardly of

side members

23 and 24. The inner ends of supporting

bars

44 and 45 are pivotally connected to the inner sides of

back legs

15 and 16 by

pins

46 and 47. The outer end of horizontal bar 44 is pivotally connected by a pin 50 to the upper end of a downwardly-inclined link 51, the lower end of which is pivotally connected by a pin 52 to front leg 12, and as link 51 is spaced inwardly from the -front leg, the pin also carries a spacer 53 between .these elements, see FIGURE 2. A vertical support 56 is swinga'bly mounted at its lower end on pin 50, and is pivotally connected at its upper end t-o side member 23 lby a pin 57. A stop 59 extends outwardly from vertical support 56 and normally rests on front leg 12. Support 56 is of such length that when stop 59 rests on the front leg, side member 23 and side supporting bar 44 are maintained in parallel relationship in substantially horizontal planes. A

Side supporting bar 45 is carried in the same manner as bar 44. The forward end of bar 45 is connected by a pin 62 to the upper end of a downwardly-inclinedlink 63, the lower end of which is connected by a pin 64 to inclined front leg 13, said pin also carrying a spacer 65 between the leg and the inclined lin-k. A vertical support 68 is carried by pin 62 and is connected at its upper end to side member 24 by a pin 69. A stop` 70 secured yto vertical support l68 normally rests on front leg 13 to retain bar 45 and side member 24 in parallel relationship in substantially horizontal planes.

A padded seat 73 is carried by

bars

44 and 45. This seat may be freely mounted on the bars, or it may be fixedly secured thereto, if desired. A padded back 76 hingedly secured to the inner edge of seat 75, is inclined upwardly therefrom and rests against cross brace 37, see FIGURE 3. A safety crotch strap 7S may be removably or permanently connected at its ends to the forward edge of seat 75 and the cross member 25 midway -between the ends of the latter.

In order lto collapse unit 10, back legs -16 have to swing forwardly relative to front legs 12-13. In order .to do this, links 51 and 63 have got to swing forwardly on their

pins

52 and 64, but their inner or upper ends must first swing upwardly. Therefore, if a child is sitting on seat 75, his weight resists the collapsing action.

A foot .section generally designated by lthe numeral 82 extends between the front and back legs spaced below bars 44 and `45 of seat section 2t). The foot section includes substantially horizontal side bans 85 and 86 pivotally connected at their inner ends to back

legs

15 and 16 by pins 87 and 83, the forward ends of said bars resting freely on .a cross bar 9) fixedly secured to the front legs 12 Iand 13. An upwardly-inclined link 92 is connected at its inner end by pin 93 to side bar S5 spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof, and the outer end of said link is pivotally connected by a pin 94 to front leg 12. Similarly, `an upwardly-inclined link 97 is connected at its lower end by a pin 98 to side bar 86, `and at its upper end by a pin 99 to front leg 13. A foot plate 102 is secured to bars 85 land 86 at the outer ends thereof.

The `action of

links

92 and 97 is the same, and as the latter is clearly shown in FIGURE 3, the action in connection with it will now be described. It will be noted that when side bar 36 is in its normal horizontal position resting on cross bar 90, pin 93 is below common centre line 104 extending through

pins

33 and 99; Any effort to move back legs 15-16 forwardly to rcoilapse units 1i) would tend to swing

links

92 and 97 downwardly, but they cannot move in this direction because of cross bar 91). Therefore, the unit is locked in the erected position. In order to collapse the unit, it is necessary to move foot plate 102 upwardly to swing

links

92 and 97 in the same direction around their

respective pins

94 and 99, and pin 9S must cross the common centre line 104. This requires a certain degree of force since bar 85 and link 97 act as toggle links requiring to be moved across the common centre line. A child sitting lon seat 75 cannot reach the foot plate to pull it upwardly, and if he stands on the foot plate, he cannot pull it upwardly so that the unit cannot be collapsed by a child in it, and it cannot accidentally collapse on its own. Even if a child on the seat could reach the foot plate, he could not collapse the unit since the seat must move upwardly before the back legs can move towards the front legs.

The unit described so far as a collapsible chair, and it may be used as that, cross bars 14 :and 17 acting as feet for the unit, in which case suitable glides may be provided on the bars. However, it is preferable to provide wheels for the unit. This may be accomplished by securing axle bars 10S and 109 .to the undersurfaces of cross bars 14 and 17. Axle bar 103 has wheels 112 'and 113 rotatably mounted on the ends thereof, and axle bar 109 has

wheels

115 and 116 rotatably mounted on its ends. It will be noted that bars 1118 and 109 are longer than the width of the unit described above so that the wheels are located outwardly of .the sides of the unit, as clearly shown in FIGURE l, in order to provide both lateral and longitudinal stability for said unit.

If desired, suitable braking means may be provided. In this example, a brake bar 113 is pivotally mounted at `119 on the lower end of back leg 15, said brake bar extending across the back of the unit and behind leg 16. Bar 118 may have a knob 121 on one end adapted to engage ywheel 115, and said bar may have a handle 122 projecting outwardly from its opposite end. When knob 121 engages wheel 115, the opposite end of bar 118 rests on a pin 124 projecting from leg 16, but the adjacent end of the bar may be swung clear of this pin and dropped downwardly on to a pin 123 projecting from axle bar 139 beneath pin 122. At this time, knob 121 is swung upwardly clear of wheel 115, as Shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2.

It is preferable to provide unit 10 with a table-handle section 128. This section includes a U-shaped support or frame 132 made up of

side arms

133 and 134 connected together at their outer ends by a cross member 135.

Arms

133 and 134 `are pivotally connected to seat section 20 wherever desired, such as in the plane of

side members

23 and 24. One convenient way of doing this is illustrated in the drawings, and in this example, the side arms are swingably mounted on pins 4) and 41 which connect the upper ends of

Ifront legs

12 and 13 to

members

23 and 24. Support or frame 132 may be used as a handle, in which case, unit 10 functions as a stroller, and at this time, the support is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from seat section 20, as shown in FIGURES l to 3. When this support is in this position, the

ends

136 and 137 of

arms

133 and 134 project downwardly beneath

side members

23 and 24. Support 132 is locked in this position in any convenient way. One way of doing this is t-o provide locking bars 140 land 141 adjacent the arm ends 136 and 137. Bar 140 is pivotally mounted at 143 on Vfront leg 12 and has a recess 144 opening downwardly and fitting over a pin 145 projecting inwardly from arm 133. A handle 146 projects outwardly from the opposite end of locking bar 149, see FIGURE l, and a spring 147 normally pulls the latter end of the locking bar upwardly. Similarly, locking bar 141 is pivotally mounted at 150 on front leg 13 `and has `a downwardly-opening recess 151 therein adapted to tit over a pin 152 projecting inwardly from side arm 134. A handle 153 projects outwardly from the opposite end of bar 141, and a spring 154 connected thereto normally urges said end upwardly, see FIGURE 3. With the various elements in the positions shown in FIGURES l to 3, locking

bars

140 and 141 retain support 132 in its upper inclined position where it `acts as a handle. Even without these locking bars, support 132 cannot be swung rearwardly out of its proper inclined position since

pins

134 and 152 would engage the

front legs

12 and 13.

Bars 1411 and 141 maybe swung downwardly to release

pins

145 and 152 of support 132 to permit the latter to be swung forwardly and downwardly into the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3 and full lines in FIGURE 4. A tray or table 153 extends Vacross support 132 `and is permanently or removably secured to side

arms

133 and 134. The side :arms are jogged as indicated at 161 in FIGURE 3 so that when said arms are in substantially horizontal positions, tray 15S rests on vcross member 25 in the same horizontal plane as arm rests 33 and 34. However, said side arms may be straight and spacers used instead of the jogging of the side arms. If desired, tray 158 may be releasably locked in this horizontal position by means of the crotch flap 78 upon disconnecting the front end of the latter from the cross member 25 and releasably connecting said front end to an eye fastener 160 depending from the undersurface of tray 158 yas clearly shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4 shows how tray 158 is positioned just ahead of and above seat 75 so that it is in the correct position for -a child resting on the seat. At this time, unit 10 is set up to `act as a combined `chair and table. If it is desired to use the unit as :a stroller, it is only necessary to swing support 132 upwardly into its inclined position.

Itis a very simple matter to collapse unit 10. FIGURE 6 shows the unit partly collapsed from its position shown in FIGURE 3. In order to start this action, foot plate 102 is swung upwardly until it crosses centre line 104 where the toggle is broken, and back legs 15-16 may be swung forwardly beneath front legs 12-13. The foot plate follows the path lindicated by arrow 162 in FIGURE 6. At the same time, links 51 and I63 swing upwardly and follow the path indicated by arrow 163 in FIGURE 6. This allows

side members

23 and 24 to swing downwardly on their back pins 27 and 28 and front pins 57 and 69towards the front and back legs which are also movingl into substantially parallel positions. Support 132 is preferably in its lower position during the collapsing operation so that you end up with a comparatively small compact bundle. 'Ehe lconstruction of unit 10 is such that most of the elements thereof may be made from aluminum tubing so that the unit is quite strong, but very light. However, any suitable material may be used.

fIn order to erect the unit, if supporting member 22 is held up or lifted upwardly, the front and back legs swing downwardly towards their normal positions. As the back legs are swung away from the front legs, the various elements move towards their final positions, and the last action is to press foot plate 102 downwardly over centre line 104 to lock the legs and other elements in the erected position. Actually, when the foot plate is pressed downwardly, the back legs are automatically moved away from the front legs.

This invention contemplates the possibility of a unit including a seat section that is not collapsible, or is co1- lapsible and locked in erected position by some means other than that described above. In this case, the novelty is `in the handle-table idea that makes it possible quickly and easily to change the unit from and back again. l

Tray '158 of unit 10 is Xedly mounted on support 132. FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative unit 10u in which the tray is movably mounted on support 132. In this example, a tray 170 ts between

side arms

133 and 134, and has arms .'172 and 173 extending along the insides of

arms

133 and 134.

Arms

172 and 173 areswing-A ably mounted at their outer lends on

pins

40 and 41. Spring-loaded locking pins v176 and 177 extend through

side arms

133 and 134 into

recesses

179 and 180 formed in the adjacent sides of tray 170.

When locking pins 176 and 177 engage tray 170, as shown in FIGURE 7, said tray moves with support '132 in the same manner as 'tray 158 described above. However, when the support is in the handle or inclined position, if it is desired to use tray 170, pins 176 and 177 are drawn outwardly to release the tray, at which` time, said tray is swung downwardly into position resting on cross member 25. In other, words, the tray is available to a child on the seat even when the unit is being used as a stroller.

FIGURES 9 and 10 illustrate a unit which is another alternative form of the invention. The only actual differ ence is in the construction 4and arrangement of the `trayhandle section. Instead of support 132, unit 10b has a U-shaped support or frame 190 made up of

side arms

191 and 192 connected together at their outer ends byl a cross member 193. Arm 191 is made in two

sections

195 and 196 pivotally connected together at overlap ends by a pin 197. The lower end of arm section 195 is connected to seat section 20 in any desined manner, and in this example, it s swingably mounted on pin 57.

Arm sections

195 and 196 are releasably held in aligned positions in any suitable manner, such as by means of a spring-loaded pin 198, see FIGURE l0. Similarly, "arm 190 is made in

sections

202 and 203 swingably connected together at overlapping ends by pin 204. 'Ihe lower end of -section 20-2 is swingably mounted on pin 52.

Arms sections

202 and 203 are releasably held in aligned position by a locking pin 206. A tray 208 is fixedly or removably secured to arm

sections

196 and 203.

Support '190 is held in an inclined position as shown in FIGURE 9 in any desired manner. For example, a lock ing bar 212 may be pivotally mounted on arm section 195 by pins 213, said bar having an end that hooks on to a pin 214 projecting outwardly from vertical support 56.

a table to a stroller Another locking bar 218 is pivotally mounted on arm section 202 by a pin 219, said bar having an end that hooks over a pin 220 projecting outward-ly from vertical support 68. The opposite end of bar 218 is drawn upwardly by a spring 222.

When .support 190 is in the position shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, -it acts as a handle so that unit `l0/b may be used as a stroller. When it is desired to use tray 208, locking pins 198 yand 206 are drawn outwardly to permit arm sections .191 and 203 .to be swung downwardly around pins 197 and 204 into substantially horizontal positions, shown in broken lines in FIGURE 9. At this time, tray 208 is in front of and aligned arm rests 33 and 34, while cross` member 193 rests on back cross brace 37. It is preferable to have the tray in this position when unit 10b is collapsed Vand erected in the manner described above. It will be noted that

arm sections

196 and 203 are long enough to extend past a child on seat 75 without touching It is lobvious that instead of tixedly securing tray 203 to support 190, said tray may be movably connected thereto in the same manner as tray 170 is connected to support 132 of unit 10a. i -The chair -units of this invent-ion preferably are convertible from strollers to tables and back again merely by swinging the handle between the inclined and horizontal positions. Each unit is preferably collapsible, but it does not have to be so. However, a unit may be built as a chair alone, incorporating only the specified collapsible system, and the latter chair may or may not be supplied vwith a table arrangement. The chair unit lends itself to many other variations. 4For example, the table or .tray may be hollow in order to hold articles, such as pencils, rulers and papers,`and said table or tray may take any other desired form.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A chair unit for children comprising a seat section, legs connected to and supporting said section, wheels carried by the legs upon which the unit rides, a support carrying a tray and swingably mounted on the seat section movable from a horizontal position with the tray near and in front of the seat section to an inclined upright position relative to said seat section to become a handle by means of which the unit may be moved about on said wheels thereby converting Ithe unit into a stroller, means for retaining the Itray support in the horizontal position, and

locking means for releasably and rigidly locking the sup-- port in the inclined upright position relative to the seat section to prevent said support from swinging to the horizon-tal position when the stroller is being moved bymeans of the support.

2. A chair unit for children comprising a collapsible seat section, legs collapsibly connected to and supporting said section, wheels carried by the legs upon which the unit rides, locking means for releasably preventing the seat section from collapsing and retaining said legs in position `to support said seat section, a support carrying a tray and swingably mounted on` the seat section movable from a horizontal position with the tray near land in front of the seat section to an inclined upright position relative to said seat section to become a handle by means of which the uni-t may be moved about `on said wheels thereby converting the unit into a stroller, means for retaining the tray support in the horizontal position, and locking means for releasably and rigidly locking the support in the'inclined upright position relative to the seat section to prevent said support from swinging to the horizontal position when the stroller is being moved by means of the support.

. 3. A chair unit for children comprising anl annular support forming a seat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedat upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legs pivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardly relative to the support, wheels carried by the front and back legs upon which the unit rides, seat supporting side bars beneath the opening hingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardly therefrom, vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support and at lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, a foot section extending between the back and front legs below the side bars, locking means forming part of the foot section for releasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legs in their inclined positions, a support carrying a tray and swingably mounted on said annular support movable from a horizontal position with the tray in front of and substantially aligned with the annular support to an inclined upright position relative to the latter support to become a handle by means of which the unit may be moved about on said wheels thereby converting the unit into a stroller, means for retaining the tray support in the horizontal position, and locking means for releasably and rigidly locking the support in the inclined upright position relative to the seat section to prevent said support from swinging to the horizontal position when the stroller is being moved by means of the support.

4. A chair unit for children as claimed in claim 3 including downwardly inclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the side bars and at lower ends to the front legs, and a stop projecting from each vertical support and normally resting on an adjacent front leg.

5. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming a lseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connected at upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legs pivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardly relative to the support, wheels carried by the front and back legs upon which the unit rides, seat supporting means beneath the seat opening hingedly connected to the back legs at one end and suspended at the opposite end from the support, a foot section extending between the front and back legs below the seat supporting means, locking means for releasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legs in their inclined positions, a support including side arms mounted on the front legs near the seat supporting means and inclined upwardly away from said seat supporting means to act as a handle by means of which the kunit may be moved about on said wheels thereby converting the unit into a stroller, said arms being in lower and upper sections hingedly connected together, means releasably locking the sections of each arm in alignment to prevent said sections from hinging when the stroller is being moved by means of said suppont, said upper arm sections when released being swingable into horizontal positions along the top of the annular support,

and a tray carried by the upper arm sections positioned to lie in front of and substantially aligned with the anular support when the upper arm sections are in their horizontal positions.

6. A chair uni-t for children comprising an annular support forming a seat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connected atupper ends to the support, a pair ot laterally spaced front legs pivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back`legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardly relative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneath the opening hingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardly therefrom, vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support and at lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, a foot section extending between the back and front legs below the side bars, said foot section being pivotally connected to the back legs and normally lying in a substantially horizontal position resting on stop means carried by the front legs, and link means connecting `the foot section to the front legs positioned to prevent movement of said front legs towards the back legs when the foot section is in said horizontal position and to permit said movement when the foot section is swung upwardly about the pivotal connection thereof to the back legs.

7. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming a seat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connected at upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legs pivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardly relative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneath the opening hingedly connected to the back legs and extending orwardly therefrom, vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support and at lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, downwardly-inclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the side bars and at lower ends to the front legs, `a stop projecting from each vertical support and normally resting on an adjacent front leg, a foot section extending between the back and front legs below the side bars, and locking means forming part of the foot section for releasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legs in their inclined positions.

8. A chair unit as claimed in claim 7 in which the foot section comprises side bars pivotally connected to the back legs and normally resting on a cross bar carried by the front legs, a foot plate carried by the side bars near the front legs, and downwardly-inclined links pivotally connected at one end to the front legs and at the opposite end to the side bars inwardly of said front legs, said plate and links forming the locking means and being swingable upwardly and forwardly to release the legs.

9. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming a seat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connected at upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legs pivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardly relative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneath the opening hingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardly therefrom, vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support and at lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, downwardly-inclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the side bars and at lower ends to the front legs, a stop projecting from each vertical support and normally resting on an adjacent front leg, a foot section between and pivotally connected to the back legs and extending between the front legs, and locking means forming part of the foot section and connecting the latter section to the front legs and releasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legs in their inclined positions, said back legs being swingable towards the front legs when released by the locking means.

l0. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming a seat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connected at upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legs pivotally ccnnected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the back legs, said front legs normally being inclined torwardly and downwardly relative to the support, a seat positioned beneath said seat opening, a foot section extending between the back and front legs below said seat and extending outwardly beyond the seat, said toot section being pivotally connected to the back legs and normally lying in a substantially horizontal position resting on stop means carried by the front legs, and link means connecting the foot section to the front legs positioned to prevent movement of said front legs towards the back legs when the foot section is in said horizontal position and to permit said movement when the foot 9 1o seotion is swung vupwardly about the pivotal connection 1,538,408 Reed May 19, 1925 thereof to the back legs. 1,587,253 Tarbox June l, 1926 n 2,429,034 Smith et a1. Oct. 14, 1947 References Cited m the file 0f thlS patent 2,577,579 Hall Dec, 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,948,332 Hamilton Aug. 9, 1960 1,256,701 Kohlman Feb. 19, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,471,007 Schmidt 1 Oct. 16, 1923 524,603 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1940 141,844 Australia June 26, 1951

Claims

1. A CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN COMPRISING A SEAT SECTION, LEGS CONNECTED TO AND SUPPORTING SAID SECTION, WHEELS CARRIED BY THE LEGS UPON WHICH THE UNIT RIDES, A SUPPORT CARRYING A TRAY AND SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON THE SEAT SECTION MOVABLE FROM A HORIZONTAL POSITION WITH THE TRAY NEAR AND IN FRONT OF THE SEAT SECTION TO AN INCLINED UPRIGHT POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT SECTION TO BECOME A HANDLE BY MEANS OF WHICH THE UNIT MAY BE MOVED ABOUT ON SAID WHEELS THEREBY CONVERTING THE UNIT INTO A STROLLER, MEANS FOR RETAINING THE TRAY SUPPORT IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION, AND LOCKING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY AND RIGIDLY LOCKING THE SUPPORT IN THE INCLINED UPRIGHT POSITION RELATIVE TO THE SEAT SECTION TO PREVENT SAID SUPPORT FROM SWINGING TO THE HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEN THE STROLLER IS BEING MOVED BY MEANS OF THE SUPPORT.