Chairs and seats – With table – desk – or easel – Seat supported within periphery of apertured table
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-13
2004-01-27
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
With table, desk, or easel
Seat supported within periphery of apertured table
Reexamination Certificate
active
06682139
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Stationary infant activity centers, designed to safely amuse and contain pre-ambulatory infants, are a recent development in the juvenile furnishings market. See for instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,944 issued to Cone et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,201 issued to Bellows, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,211 issued to Myers; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,246 issued to Meeker, et al. These activity centers use a cloth sling seat, with two leg openings, that allows an infant to stand. The seat is designed to support an infant in the upright position and is rotatably supported relative to its base or main frame so that the seated infant can rotate relative to the base or floor. The seat is also resiliently supported so that the seated infant can bounce up and down. The base can be rounded to allow rocking. These activity centers include a waist height tray. Some have a toy built into the tray (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,201) or detachably attached to the tray (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,246). Some are adjustable for the infant's size or weight.
These infant activity centers provide a confined environment for an infant from the time the infant is old enough to hold up his or her head, typically at about six months of age, until he/she is able to walk, typically at about twelve months of age. These centers, however, have a limited product life because as soon an infant becomes a toddler, i.e., is able to walk, he or she will usually not tolerate such a confined environment. Thus, the product life often becomes only four to seven months. Some infants do not want to be confined as soon as they can crawl effectively, in which case the product may be in use for even less time.
It is desirable to extend the use of the activity center by making it also appropriate for toddlers. This involves allowing the toddler to move in and out of the activity center at will and providing activities that appeal to toddlers. The present invention meets this need.
SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an activity center and components thereof, including a leg assembly and a tray assembly, which are part of the activity center. The activity center can be converted so that the same unit can be used by a child first as an infant and then as a toddler. The present invention also relates to toys that are usable with the activity center. These toys can be converted from infant use to toddler use.
According to one aspect of the invention, the activity center has a tray that can be configured as a closed loop to contain an infant and reconfigured in an opened configuration to create a play space in which a toddler can enter and exit at will. Thus, a toddler, particularly one who enjoys getting in or out of things, can play inside the activity center or interact with it from the outside. Convertible toys can be attached to or integrated with the activity center. The same toy structure that an infant may find amusing can be converted into a new toy configuration to amuse a toddler.
According to another aspect of the invention, the activity center comprises a base or base assembly (base), a plurality of legs or leg assemblies (legs) connected to the base, and a tray or tray assembly (tray) attached to the legs. The tray is configurable between an opened configuration or position and a closed configuration or position in which the tray forms an enclosure. The activity center include a seat that is detachably attachable to the tray. The seat is attached to the tray when the tray is in the closed configuration, surrounding the seat. The seat is detached from the tray when the tray is in the opened configuration.
The tray can have a pivotal joint, which is attached to one of the legs, and allows the tray to pivot between the opened position and the closed position, and free ends that are lockable together to the closed position. The tray comprises a first tray or member (first tray) and a second tray or member (second tray). The first tray has a first end portion and a second end portion. The second tray has a third end portion and a fourth end portion. The first and third end portions are coupled together and connected to one (third) of the legs. The first and second trays are configurable between the tray opened position and the tray closed position where the tray surrounds the seat. In the tray closed position, the second and fourth end portions are coupled together, with the first and second trays each connected to one (first, second)of the legs.
Specifically, the first tray can have a first hub and a first locking joint and the second tray can have a second hub and a second locking joint. The first hub has a first opening and the second hub has a second opening. The first and second openings can be aligned and the first and second locking joints locked when the tray is in the closed configuration. At least three fasteners can connect the first and second trays to the legs. The first hub can be on the first end portion and the first locking joint can be on the second end portion. The second hub can be on the third end portion and the second locking joint can be on the fourth end portion.
With the first and second hubs are overlapped with the first and second openings aligned, a third fastener can extend through the first and second openings and connect both the first and second trays to the third leg. The first tray has at least third and fourth openings through which a second fastener attaches the first tray to the first leg and the second tray has at least fifth and sixth openings through which a second fastener attaches to the second leg.
In the tray opened configuration, the first fastener attaches the first tray to the first leg through the third opening and the second fastener attaches the second tray to the second leg through the fifth opening. In the tray closed configuration, either the first or a fourth fastener can attach the first tray to the first leg through the fourth opening and either the second or a fifth fastener can attach the second tray to the second leg through the sixth opening. The first and second trays each can be C-shaped or semi-circular (complementary) so that the two tray together can form an enclosing configuration. Specifically, the first and second trays can be substantially annular with a central opening when the first and second locking joints are locked. In this respect, the fourth opening can be spaced farther away from the first opening than the third opening and the sixth opening can be spaced farther away from the second opening than the fifth opening.
The leg or leg assemblies each can have a sleeve extending uprightly from the base, a slider received in the sleeve and movable relative to the sleeve, a spring positioned between the sleeve and the slider and supporting the slider relative to the sleeve, and a leg member or leg received in the slider and adjustably mounted to the slider so that the position of the leg is adjustable relative to the slider. The tray is connected to the legs.
A height adjuster can be included for each of the legs (first, second, third). The legs each have an elongated wall having a plurality of slots formed along a longitudinal direction thereof The height adjuster has a leg engaging member movably connected to the slider and biased toward and movable substantially perpendicularly to the elongated wall. The leg engaging member has a projection dimensioned to extend through the slot and hold the leg in position relative to the slider. Each leg can have a plurality of pairs of slots formed along the elongated wall. The leg engaging member can have a pair of slot engaging projections that can extend through the slot pair.
Each leg is adjustable between a spring lock out position, where an upper portion of the leg is substantially flush with an upper portion of the sleeve and an extended position where the leg is positioned higher than the sleeve.
The base can have a substantially convex surface that allows the base to rock and stowable stands selectively engageable with a surface to prevent the base from rocking.
According to another aspect of the inve
Bellows William B.
Benson Julie M.
Nelson Paul B.
Cuomo Peter M.
Graco Children's Products Inc.
Vu Stephen
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