US3143374A - Children's feeding tray - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1964 R. J. CARBON! CHILDREN'S FEEDING TRAY Filed Nov. 6, 1965 INVENTOR RALPH J. CARBONI AT'TO EYS United States Patent 3,143,374 CmDRENS FEEDING TRAY Ralph J. Cor-bani, 327 Sharon Drive, New Orleans, La. Filed Nov. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 321,889 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-188) The present invention relates to an improved childrens feeding tray and more particularly to a childrens feeding tray which is especially adapted for use on a high chair.

One of the major problems in feeding children is that the children often grab the bowl in which their food is placed and attempt to overturn it. With younger children or infants the problem is more of one in which the childs uncontrolled swinging of the arms is likely to over-tip or knock over the bowl; or in fact, knock it entirely off the high chair tray.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved childrens feeding tray which is especially adapted for use on a high chair or a feeding table.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a locking mechanism which prevents the feeding tray from slipping a high chair or feeding table.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a feeding tray which is both simple and inexpensive to use and yet is simple and inexpensive to produce.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a feeding tray of the present invention attached to a conventional high chair tray;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken from the back; and

FIG. 3 is a persepctive view of the tray of FIGS. 1 and 2 taken from the side.

Referring now in detail to the drawings; there is shown in FIG. 1 a high chair of conventional design which is commonly used for the feeding of infants and young children. The high chair 10 is provided with a conventional tray 12 having a raised rib 14 about its entire periphery, which raised rib portion is intended to provide a wall to maintain articles on the tray 12.

A feeding tray of the present invention shown generally at 16 is removably attached to the high chair tray 12 and is capable of assuming under tension substantially the contour of the upper surface of the high chair tray 12 and its raised rib portion 14. In general, the feeding tray comprises a bowl section 18 adapted to contain food and at least one integral means attached to the bowl section 18 for attaching such bowl section to the edges 14 of the high chair tray 12, such attaching means being, for example, hook- like devices 20 and 22. The feeding tray 16 of the present invention is preferably fabricated from resilient material such as polypropylene, high density polyethylene, high impact polystyrene, vinyl coated sheet metal, or similar materials. If formed of plastic, the device may be injection molded; or the device may be formed by stamping and/or fabricating.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 is formed of a unitary and integral construction. The feeding tray 16 has a generally elongated shape and is adapted to attach across the width of the high chair tray 12 such that the rear attaching means 22 hooks over the back of the high chair tray 12 while the front attaching member 20 hooks over the front edge of the high chair tray. As shown in the drawings, the bowl 18 is preferably in the form of a rectangle or square when viewed from the top and the back wall 24 of the bowl section 18 merges directly with the back attaching means 22. While only one attaching means, such as either hook 20 or 22, is essential, it is preferable to have two and these are preferably hook shaped in order to directly grasp the edges 14 of the high chair tray 12. It is preferred to not only make the attaching means 20 and 22 hook-shaped, but to also provide them with a spring-like resilience so that, taking attaching means 20 as an example, the resiliency of the device will cause traverse contact lines 26 and 28 to be urged towards each other, while the high chair tray 12 will force such lines 26 and 28 away from each other. In such a case the attaching hook 20 acts as a coil scroll and effects a pinching force adjacent edge 14 of the high chair tray 12.

Intermediate the front wall 30 of the bowl 18 and the coil scroll 20 is provided a planar element 32 which serves to connect the bowl 18 and the front hook attaching means 20. Due to the raised edge portion 14 of the conventional high chair tray 12, the feeding tray 16 is provided at both ends and as part of the attaching means 20 and 22, recess portions 34 and 36 which correspond to a seat in which the rib 14 of the high chair tray 12 may seat. The recess 34 beneath the bowl section 18 is particularly important since, if the bowl 18 is deep, the recess 34 will require that the bottom of the bowl have a curved configuration.

Since it is conventional for high chairs 10 to have a strap 36 connected from the high chair seat to the rear of the high-chair tray 12 in order to insure that the child does not slide out of the chair, the back wall 24 and the back coil scroll 22 of the feeding tray 18 are provided with a slot 38 through which the strap 36 may pass freely.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An integral one-piece, molded infant feeding tray having a generally elongated configuration and adapted to attach across the width of a high-chair tray comprising, a first hook means adapted to hook about the back edge of a high-chair tray, a bowl section immediately above said first hook and integral therewith and adapted to receive food, a planar element extending from the bottom surface of said bowl section and integral therewith and extending beyond the front-most portion of said bowl section, and a second hook means extending from the front-most portion of said planar element and integral therewith and adapted to hook about the front edge of the high-chair tray.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said hook means comprises a resilient coil scroll.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein both hook means comprise resilient coil scrolls.

4. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said coil scroll extends the entire width of said planar element and wherein said feeding tray has a substantially uniform width along its entire length.

5. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said first hook means has a horizontal recess at its backmost portion extending across its entire width, which recess is adapted to provide a seat for the raised portion of a conventional high-chair tray edge.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first hook means has a centrally located slot extending from its free end up to said bowl section.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent 2,672,182

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,726,838

' 1,455,026 Iorgensen et a1 May 15, 1923 5 18 928 1,805,015 Schulze May 12, 1931 Howell Jan. 19,

4 Gwin et a1 Mar. 11, 1954 Ripley Dec. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 19, 1914 (1st Addition of 462,520) France Aug. 10, 1905 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFIGATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No.. 3 143 374 August 4 1964 In the grant lines 1 and 12,, printed specification line 3 and in the heading to the JD 'C0rb0ni" name of inventor for "Ralph each occurrence,, read Ralph Ja Carboni Signed and sealed this 17th day of Novmeber 1964.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims (1)

1. AN INTEGRAL ONE-PIECE, MOLDED INFANT FEEDING TRAY HAVING A GENERALLY ELONGATED CONFIGURATION AND ADAPTED TO ATTACH ACROSS THE WIDTH OF A HIGH-CHAIR TRAY COMPRISING, A FIRST HOOK MEANS ADAPTED TO HOOK ABOUT THE BACK EDGE OF A HIGH-CHAIR TRAY, A BOWL SECTION IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID FIRST HOOK AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE FOOD, A PLANAR ELEMENT EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID BOWL SECTION AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE FRONT-MOST PORTION OF SAID BOWL SECTION, AND A SECOND HOOK MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT-MOST PORTION OF SAID PLANAR ELEMENT AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND ADAPTED TO HOOK ABOUT THE FRONT EDGE OF THE HIGH-CHAIR TRAY.

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