Horizontally supported planar surfaces – With structural installation – Vehicle supported
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-28
2001-10-23
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
With structural installation
Vehicle supported
C220S592230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305299
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle child seats and more particularly pertains to a new car seat snack tray for feeding and entertaining a child within a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of vehicle child seats is known in the prior art. More specifically, vehicle child seats heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,378; U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,043; U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,300; U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,901; U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,527; and U.S. Pat. Des. 351,738.
In these respects, the car seat snack tray according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of feeding and entertaining a child within a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of vehicle child seats now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new car seat snack tray construction wherein the same can be utilized for feeding and entertaining a child within a vehicle.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new car seat snack tray apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the vehicle child seats mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new car seat snack tray which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art vehicle child seats, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a base with a planar rectangular bottom face and a peripheral side wall integrally coupled to a periphery of the bottom face and extending upwardly therefrom in perpendicular relationship therewith. As such, an interior space, an open top, and an upper peripheral edge are defined. The side wall is defined by a pair of elongated side faces and a pair of short end faces. The base further includes a pair of elongated slotted tabs integrally coupled to the short end faces thereof and extend therefrom at an elevation common with the upper peripheral edge. Associated therewith are three short slotted tabs each equally spaced along one of the elongated side faces of the base. The three short slotted tabs each remain at an elevation common with the bottom face of the base. Note
FIGS. 1 & 10
. A first one of the short end faces of the base includes a latch portion having an outwardly extending grip. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the latch portion further includes a top inwardly extending member adjacent the upper peripheral edge.
FIG. 3
shows that a second one of the short end faces of the base has a bottom inwardly extending member adjacent to the bottom face of the base. Also included is a tray having a planar rectangular bottom face with a size less than that of the base. As can best be shown in
FIGS. 2 & 3
, and a side wall of the tray extends upwardly and outwardly from the bottom face of the tray to define an interior space, an open top, and an upper peripheral edge.
FIG. 13
shows the tray having a peripheral lip extending outwardly from the upper peripheral edge which in turn has an upwardly extending peripheral flange for reasons that will soon become apparent. The side wall of the tray is defined by a pair of elongated side faces and a pair of short end faces. A first one of the short end faces of the tray has a top outwardly extending member for engaging the top inwardly extending member of the base. Similarly, a second one of the short end faces of the tray has a bottom outwardly extending member for engaging the bottom inwardly extending member of the base. As shown in
FIG. 13
, the bottom face of the tray has a downwardly extending peripheral protrusion. As an option, the tray is hollowed to define a closed interior for containing a liquid temperature medium. Note FIG.
14
.
FIG. 2
shows the flexible lid of the present invention which has a planar rectangular configuration with a periphery defined by a peripheral slit and a peripheral grip having a V-shaped crosssection along an entire periphery thereof. The peripheral slit is adapted to frictionally receive the upwardly extending peripheral flange of the tray during use.
FIG. 10
shows a plurality of bowls removably positioned within the base. Such bowls each have a length about ½ that of the base. It should be noted that the bowls have removable covers.
FIGS. 12 & 13
depict a removable suction platform including an upper sleeve for removably and frictionally engaging the peripheral protrusion of the tray. The suction platform is equipped with a lower suction skirt for creating a vacuum coupling with a recipient surface. With reference now to
FIGS. 7-9
, a coloring plate is provided having an intermediate planar rectangular portion and a peripheral lip having an inverted L-shaped cross-section along a length thereof. As best shown in
FIG. 9
, the peripheral lip is adapted for engaging the upper peripheral edge of the base such that the intermediate planar portion resides at a plane beneath that of the upper peripheral edge. The intermediate planar portion includes a first thin elongated plate having an inboard edge integrally coupled to the intermediate planar portion and extending upwardly and inwardly toward a center of the coloring plate. Associated therewith is a wide rectangular recess formed along a short end edge of the intermediate planar portion. As shown in
FIG. 5
, a playing station is provided including a rectangular block with a pair of elongated side faces and a pair of short end faces. A first one of the short end faces of the block of the playing station has a top outwardly extending member for engaging the top inwardly extending member of the base. A second one of the short end faces of the block of the playing station has a bottom outwardly extending member for engaging the bottom inwardly extending member of the base. This structure is similar to that of the tray. The playing station further has a pair of stanchions positioned along a longitudinal bisecting line of the block. A slotted guide is mounted between top ends thereof for allowing the sliding of a toy therealong. Finally, a bib is constructed from a flexible, impermeable material. Such bib has a generally square configuration with a generally convex top edge, a linear bottom edge and a pair of side edges tapering from the bottom edge to the top edge of the bib. The bib includes a pair of neck straps each mounted to opposite side edges of the bib and extending therefrom in continual relationship with the top edge of the bib. The bib further includes a pair of mounting fasteners each coupled to the opposite ends of the bottom edge of the bib. The mounting fasteners each have a pair of spaced snap couples thereon for allowing the coupling thereof onto the short slotted tabs of the base. The side edges of the bib have arcuate ears which extend outwardly therefrom for directing food toward the bottom edge of the bib.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is
Anderson Jerry A.
Cuomo Peter M.
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