US3427069A

US3427069A - Portable baby chair

Info

Publication number: US3427069A
Application number: US622194A
Authority: US
Inventors: Quentin H Mcdonald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-03-10
Filing date: 1967-03-10
Publication date: 1969-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 1986-02-11
Also published as: GB1208377A; DE1817957B2; BE725653A; DE1817957A1

Description

Feb. 11, 1969 H. MCDONALD 3,427,069

PORTABLE BABY CHAIR Filed larch 10, 1967 INVENTOR uwr//://7 Mad/W20 Arr 445245 Filed March 10, 1967 v Sheet 2 Feb. 11, 1969 I Q MCDONALD 3,427,069

PORTABLE BABY CHAIR I N VEN TOR.- WE/VT/A /7. Mai/V640 i of 5 Sheet O. H. M DONALD PORTABLE BABY CHAIR Ql Q g INVENTOR,

. x WE/Vf/A/f/ MAO/M940 Feb. l1, 1969 Filed larch 10, 1967 United States Patent 3,427,069 PORTABLE BABY CHAIR Quentin H. McDonald, 95 Morris Lane, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 Filed Mar. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 622,194 US. Cl. 297-153 21 Claims Int. Cl. A47d 1/02; A47e 4/02 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable baby chair having a collapsible support frame. The seat having a pivotal seating assembly is connected to the support frame when it is extended and detached when the frame is to be collapsed. The tray and and foot rest are also detachable so as to be mounted in primary positions when in use and secondary positions on the support frame when not in use. The tray and foot rest permit collapsing of the support frame and conform with the flattened configuration of a collapsed support This invention relates to a portable baby chair. More particularly, this invention relates to a portable baby chair having a collapsible support frame. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a portable baby chair having a collapsible support frame and a detachable adjustable seat.

Heretofore, baby chairs of the type usually referred to as high chairs have been constructed in various collapsible manners. In some instances, these baby high chairs have been formed with a table area which is apertured in its surface to contain a collapsible seat. Such high chairs have been supported on telescoping legs so as to position the table area at different levels for child feeding or child play. In other instances, baby high chairs have been formed with a seat secured to a foldable support frame in an integral manner. However, these heretofore used high chairs have generally been cumbersome to transport from place to place, unwieldly in assembling the chair into a baby-sitting position from a collapsed position, and bulky when collapsed. Further, the seats have generally been integrally attached to the support frame so that the seats have, in some instances, required a collapsible construction. This has added to the unwieldly cumbersome handling of such baby chairs in transporting them from place to place.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a detachable collapsible support frame for a baby chair.

It is another object of the invention to provide an independently collapsible support frame for a baby chair which is foldable into a flattened configuration.

It is another object of the invention to provide a portable baby chair having a seat and a collapsible support frame which are detachable from each other.

It is another object of the invention to provide a portable baby chair having an adjustably mounted seat.

It is another object of the invention to provide a removable tray and a removable foot rest for a collapsible support frame of a baby chair which cooperate with the support frame when collapsed to form .a generally flattened configuration.

It is another object of the invention to provide a portable baby chair with a detachable support frame which is collapsible into an easily managed and transportable form.

Briefly, the invention provides a portable baby chair with a collapsible support frame and a detachable seat. The support frame is formed with a pair of cross-legged frames having a pair of articulated support bars for sup- 3,427,069 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 porting the seat on the frame and for defining the limits of extension of the cross-legged frames. The cross-legged frames and the support bars are foldable so as to be collapsed from a support position to a generally flattened configuration. In addition, the support frame is provided with a releasable locking device for locking the seat in position on the frame when in an extended position. The seat is provided with a base for seating on the support bars of the support frame in cooperation with the releasable locking device and has a seating assembly which is pivotally mounted in the base for movement into one of a number of positions ranging from a feeding position to a reclining position. The seating assembly includes are leasable locking device for locking the seating assembly in one of these positions.

Additionally, the baby chair of the invention is provided with a tray which is adjustably mountable on the seat when in use as a feeding tray and mountable on the support frame when not in such use. Likewise, a foot rest is provided which is mountable in one position on the support frame to provide a foot rest in cooperation with the seat and mountable in a second position in the support frame when not in such use. The tray and foot rest when mounted in their secondary positions cooperate with the support frame when collapsed to define a generally flattened configuration.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a support frame of the invention in a collapsed position with a tray and foot rest;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the support frame of FIG. 1 in extended position;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a collapsible support frame and seat of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective View of a collapsible support frame and seat with the tray and foot rest in an assembled position;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a foot rest of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the underside of a tray of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a view taken on line 77 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 illustrates a view taken on line 88 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a view of the underside of the seat with the releasable locking device shown partially broken away.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, support frame 10 has a pair of cross-legged frames 11, 12 which are hinged together as by a common cross-bar 1 3 intermediately of their respective ends in an X-shaped manner. The crosslegged frames 11, 12, for example, are constructed in a ladder-like manner with a plurality of cross-bars 13' and arranged with one inside the other. In addition, each frame 11, 12 is of a general A-shaped configuration with the base of each being wider than the top. This provides a stabilizing effect to the support frame 10 when in an open position. A dowel 14 extends through the upper ends of each cross-legged frame 11, 12 and an articulated support bar 15 is secured to the ends of the dowels 14 on each side of the support frame 10 to limit the extension of the cross-legged frames from each other. Each support bar 15 is formed by a pair of

sections

16, 17 which are hinged together at one end, for example, by a known hinge 18, on the underside of the sections, and secured to a dowel 14 at another end for pivoting about the axis of the dowel 14. The

support bar sections

16, 17 are provided with a continuous shoulder or land 19 to the inside of the support frame for a use as described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, a releasable locking device 20 is mounted on a pair of opposed sections 16 of the support bars to extend across the support frame 10. The locking device includes a housing 21 having a longitudinally extending passageway 22 in which a resilient means such as a coil spring 23 is sandwiched between a pair of bolts 24 to bias the bolts 24 outwardly of the ends of the housing 21. A pair of slots 25 of L-shaped configuration are formed in the housing 21 to communicate with the interior passageway 22 and a handle 26 is secured to each bolt 24. Each handle 26 projects through a respective slot 25 to permit manual manipulation of the bolts whereby the bolts can be drawn into the confines of the housing 21. The handles 26 are positioned with respect to the bolts 24 and slots 25 so that when they are in abutment with the outward walls of the slots 25, the bolts 24 protrude beyond the ends of the housing 21 within the limits of the shoulders 19 on the support bars 15 and when they are disposed in the depending portion of the slots 25 with spring 23 compressed, the bolts 24 are restrained against movement outwardly toward the support bars 15.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 9, seat 27 has a base formed of a pair of side pieces 28 and a seating assembly 29 pivotally mounted between the side pieces 28. The side pieces 28 are secured together by a plurality of

cross-rods

30, 31, 31 to form a rigid structure and are provided with oppositely aligned holes 32 near the base of the side pieces for cooperation with the bolts of the locking device on the support frame. In addition, the side pieces are each provided with an arcuate series of holes 33 (FIG. 3) about the axis of intermediate cross-rod 30.

Referring to FIG. 9, the seating assembly 29 is pivotally mounted on the intermediate cross-rod within the side pieces 28 and includes a seat-frame 34, a backframe and side-frames 36 which are secured together in an integral manner to maintain their relative positions. The seat-frame 34 and back-frame 35 are secured together at an angle to comfortably seat a baby, for example, at an angle of about 100 to 105. The sideframes 36 are shaped in a triangular configuration and are sized to abut the end cross-rods 31, 31 when the seating assembly 29 is pivoted about the cross-rod 30 between the limits of the end cross-rods 31, 31' so that the cross-rods 31, 31' act as stops to limit pivoting of the seating assembly. The seat-frame 34 has a releasable locking device 37 similar to the locking device 20 on the support frame 10 secured to its underside.

The releasable locking device 37 includes a pair of bolts 38 which are housed in a bore of a housing 39 and biased by an intermediately positioned spring 40 outwardly of the housing 39. Slots 41 are formed in the housing 39 through which handles 42 on the bolts 38 extend for retraction of the bolts 38 within the housing 39. The bolts 38 are positioned on the seat-frame 34 in alignment with the holes 33 in the side-frame 36 in order to protrude into the holes 33 when biased under the force of the spring 40. The bolts 38, upon extending into a set of holes 33, establish the position of the seating assembly 29 relative to the side pieces 28. The holes 33 represent the extreme positions for feeding a baby and for reclining of a baby as well as a number of intermediate positions. While any number of holes 33 may be provided, it is convenient to use four sets of holes.

A slot 43 is formed in the seat-frame 34 to provide both access to the handles 42 of the locking device 37 and a place to grasp the seat 27 when being transported. In addition, a slot 43 is formed in the back-frame 35 to place an additional hand grasping position during transportation.

Referring to FIG. 3, in assembling the baby chair of the invention, the support frame 10 is initially opened to an extended position with the support bars 15 in a substantially horizontal plane. Next, the seat 27 is positioned over the support frame 10 with the side pieces in alignment with the shoulders 19 of the support bars 15. The handles 26 of locking device 20 are then manually grasped and pressure is exerted inwardly thereon to compress the spring 23 within the housing 21 and to move the handles toward each other. This retracts the bolts 24 out of the plane of the side pieces 28 of the seat 27. With bolts 24 in the retracted position within the depending portions of slots 25, the side pieces 28 are rested on the shoulders 19. Then the holes 32 in the side pieces 28 are aligned with the bolts 24 and the handles 26 are are moved out of the depending portions of slots 25. This allows spring 23 in housing 21 to bias the bolts 24 into the holes 32 to lock the seat 27 to the support frame 10.

Thereafter, the seating assembly 29 is brought into one of the positions represented by the holes 33. This is accomplished by manually manipulating the handles 42 of locking device 37 (FIG. 9) through the slot 43 in a manner as described above for the locking device 20 on the support frame 10.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, a tray 44 for the baby chair includes a table portion 45 which, for example, can be bordered by a rail 46 provided with a series of attractive play devices 47 for attracting babys attention and for amusing a baby. A pair of releasable locks 48 are secured to the underside of the table portion 45 (FIG. 6) for mounting of the tray 44 both on the seat 27 and the support frame 10.

Referring to FIG. 8, each lock 48 includes a housing block 49 having a plurality of longitudinal bores 50, for example, two, a pin means having, for example, a pair of pins 51 slidably mounted in the bores 50 and a finger grip 52 outside the housing block 49 fastening the pins 51 together into a single unit, and a spring 53 in each bore 50 for biasing a pin 51 outwardly of the housing block 40. Each bore 50 is formed with an enlarged diameter portion to mount an enlarged head 54 of each pin 51 and to provide a stop for preventing removal of the pins in the direction of the finger grip 52. Each spring 53 is mounted between a head 54 and the reduced diameter portion of a bore 50 so as to bias the head 54 and pin 51 in a direction away from the finger grip 52. In order to facilitate assembling of the lock 48, the head 54 of each pin 51 is secured on the remainder of the pin as by threading.

Alternatively, one of the tray locks can be made with a pair of fixedly mounted pins (not shown) while the other lock is made as above with a pair of spring biased prns.

The side pieces 28 of the seat 27 are provided with a plurality of horizontally aligned holes 55 which are dimensioned and spaced to receive the pin heads 54 of the tray locks 48 ('FIG. 3) while the cross-legged frame 11 to the rear of the support frame 10 (as viewed in FIG. 4) has a plurality of bores 56 dimensioned and spaced to receive the pin heads 54 of the tray locks 48 (FIG. 4).

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, when the tray 44 is not in use it is mounted on the cross-legged frame 11 with the pin heads 54 of the locks 48 passing into the bores 56 in the cross-legged frame 11 (FIG. 8). The tray 44 cooperates with the support frame 11 to conform with the generally flattened configuration of the support frame when folded (FIG. 1) to permit ease of handling during transportation. The tray 44 is also in a conveniently accessible position when the support frame is opened ('FIG. 2) while 'being generally out of sight. When the tray 44 is to be used in the feeding of a baby or for like uses, it is mounted on the side pieces 28 of the seat 27 (FIG. 4) with the pin heads 54 passing through a set of holes 55 in the side pieces 28.

In order to mount or disengage the tray 44 from either of its respective positions on the baby chair, the finger grips 52 of each lock 48 are simultaneously grasped and pulled outwardly of the housing blocks 49 to disengage the pin heads 54 from either the holes 55 in the seat (FIG. 3) or the bores 56 in the support frame (FIG. 8). This unlocks the tray. Upon movement to its other position, the finger grips are again pulled outwardly while the pin heads are aligned with holes or bores and subsequently released to permit the pin heads to enter the holes or bores to lock the tray in place.

Referring to FIG. 5, a foot rest 57 for the baby chair includes a tread 58, a pair of support brackets 59 and a pivotal latching device 60. The support brackets 59 are secured to the tread 58 to support the tread on a crossbar of the support frame 10 and are shaped with a hook portion at the free ends for such a purpose. The latching device 60 is hinged at one end to the tread by a hinge 61 and provided with a slot 62 and pivotal plate 63 at the other end. The slot 62 is shaped to encompass a cross-bar and the plate 63 is adapted to overlie the slot 62.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when not in use, the foot rest 57 is secured to the common cross-bar 13 and the cross-legged frame 11 of the support frame 10. In this position, the hook portions of the support brackets 59 engage a lower cross-bar 13 on the frame 11 while the slot 62 and plate '63 of the latching device 60 envelop the common cross-bar 13 so as to distend the foot rest 57 between these cross-bars in fixed relation. When the support frame 10 is folded, the foot rest 57 conforms to the generally fiat configuration of the support frame (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 4, when in use as a foot rest for a baby, the foot rest 57 is suspended from the dowel 14 by means of the hook portions of the support brackets 59 and held in fixed position by securing the latching device 60 as above to a crossbar 13' under the dowel 14 on the cross-legged frame 12.

The invention provides a portable baby chair which is easily managed and transported while also providing a baby chair which is easily and rapidly assembled when put into use or collapsed when being transported or stored. Since the seat is readily detachable from the support frame and since the support frame together with the tray and foot rest are collapsible into a generally flattend configuration, the baby chair can be easily transported, as by automobile and used as a car-seat, and stored in a limited space. Furthermore, since the seat is readily detachable from the support frame, the seat can be used independently of the support frame.

The baby chair which can be constructed of various suitable materials such as wood has a support frame which is of relatively light weight which can be easily managed and assembled. The positions for attaching the tray and foot rest are readily accessible for complete assembling of the baby chair as a feeding table and are conveniently attached when not in use for ease in transporting and storing.

It is noted that a retainer strap (not shown) can be secured at one end to the underside of the tray of the seating assembly for detachable securement at the other end to the underside of the seating assembly. Further, a suitable cushion can be placed within the seating assembly and retained therein by a strap which, for example, passes through suitable slots in the seating assembly and also acts as a safety belt for a baby seated in the seating assembly.

The baby chair provides a number of functions which satisfies a number of needs. For example, the baby chair functions as a high baby seat so that with a baby seated in place a high vantage level which is stable and safe is provided for the babys comfort, enjoyment and feeding. Also, the baby chair functions as a high chair which in effect grows with the baby through adjustment of the seating assembly, tray and foot rest.

In addition, the baby chair provides a rigid stable structure which enhances the safety of the baby chair in use against swaying or tipping. This is due to the support frame being constructed with cross-legged frames having wider bases than tops as well as with the lower ends of each of these frames being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the upper ends.

Having thus described the invention, it is not intended that it be so limited as changes may be readily made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable baby chair comprising:

a collapsible support frame for collapsing into a generally flattened configuration;

a seat having an adjustable pivotally mounted seating assembly on said support frame; and

means releasably locking said seat to said support frame.

2. A portable baby chair comprising:

a support frame having a pair of cross-legged frames hinged to each other, and a pair of support bars, each of said support bars being secured to an end of each of said cross-legged frames for limiting the extension of said cross-legged frames from each other;

a seat having a pair of side pieces sup-ported on said support bars, and a seating assembly mounted between said side pieces; and

means releasably locking said seat on said support frame.

3. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said support bars includes a pair of sections hingedly secured to each other .and pivotally mounted on each of said cross-legged frames.

4. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said support bars has a shoulder mounting said seat thereon.

5. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means includes a housing mounted on said support frame, a pair of bolts slidably mountde in opposite ends of said housing for protrusion beyond the ends of said housing within the limits of said support bars, and a handle on each of said bolts projecting out of said housing for moving said bolts relative to said housing.

6. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein each said side piece of said seat has a hole aligned with one of said bolts whereby positioning of each said bolt in the hole in each said side piece locks said seat on said support frame.

7. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein a spring is positioned between said bolts biasing said bolts outwardly of said housing.

8. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 7 wherein each said handle projects through an L-shaped slot in said housing, said handles abutting the outward walls of the slots when said bolts are within the holes of said side pieces.

9. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 wherein said seating assembly is pivotally mounted between said side pieces, and wherein a releasable locking means is further included to lock said seating assembly in one of a plurality of positions relative to said side pieces.

10. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 wherein said releasable locking means is mounted on the underside of said seating assembly.

11. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a tray having a pair of releasable locks thereon whereby said tray is releasably mountable on said side pieces when in use and releasably mountable on one of said cross-legged frames when not in use.

12. A portable baby chair :as set forth in claim 11 wherein each said lock includes a housing block secured to said tray, at least a pair of pins slidably mounted in said housing block for projection out of said housing block, and a finger grip secured to said pins.

13. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 12 wherein each of said side pieces has a plurality of aligned holes for receiving said pins of one of said locks to lock said tray on said side pieces.

14. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 12 wherein one of said cross-legged frames has a pair of bores on opposite sides thereof for receiving said pins of said locks to lock said tray on said cross-legged frame.

15. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a foot rest having a tread, a pair of support brackets for supporting said tread on said support frame and a latching device pivotally secured to said tread for securing said tread to said support frame whereby said foot rest is releasably mountable on one of said cross-legged frames under said seat when in use and releasably mountable on both said cross-legged frames when not in use.

16. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 15 wherein said latching device has a slot at one end and a povotal plate overlying said slot for securing said end of said latching device to one of said cross-legged frames.

17. A collapsible support frame for a baby chair comprising .a pair of cross-legged frames hinged to each other at intermediate points thereof; and a pair of support bars for limiting the extension of said cross-legged frames from each other, each of said support bars having a pair of sections hingedly secured to each other at one end and pivotally secured to one of said cross-frames at the other end whereby said support frame is collapsible into a generally flat configuration.

18. A collapsible support frame as set forth in claim 17 wherein each support bar has a continuous shoulder to the inside of said frame.

19. A portable baby chair comprising:

a collapsible support frame for collapsing into a generally flattened configuration, said support frame including a pair of cross-legged frames hinged to each other at intermediate points thereof, a pair of support bars secured to said cross-legged frames, each of said support bars having a plurality of sections hingedly secured to each other and to one of said cross-legged frames;

a seat removably mounted on said support bars of said support frame; and

means releasably locking said seat to said support frame.

20. A portable baby chair comprising:

a collapsible support frame for collapsing int a generally flattened configuration;

a seat removably mounted on said support frame, said seat including a seating assembly therein, said seating assembly being adjustably mounted with respect to said support frame; and

means releasably locking said seat to said support frame.

21. A portable baby chair as set forth in claim 20 wherein said seat includes a pair of side pieces and said seating assembly is adjustably mounted between said side pieces :and which further comprises a releasable locking means for locking said seating assembly in one of a plurality of position relative to said side pieces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,435,290 2/ 1948 Scharaga 297134 2,982,339 5/1961 Clarin 29756 2,984,291 5/1961 Kostenborder et al. 297-153 3,223,431 12/ 1965 Gottfried et al. 3,224,530 12/1965 King et a1 29756 3,290,050 12/1966 Ezquerra 297 X 3,139,845 7/1964 Kolinski 1081 19 JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner.

U .5. C1. X.R. 297135, 56, 118