Land vehicles – Wheeled – Extensible
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-10
2001-02-06
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Extensible
C280S658000, C280S047380
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183001
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject of the present invention is a device for attaching a body to a child's pushchair making it possible to fit and remove the body from the pushchair in a simple and reliable way. The term body is understood to mean any object that can accommodate a child, such as a cot, a carrycot, a seat, etc., and which can be installed on a pushchair.
Various types of child's pushchair are known. In a first type, illustrated in particular in French Patent 2,693,162 (AMPAFRANCE), the pushchair has a folding chassis and a body made of fabric held by rods. The pushchair can be folded very satisfactorily and the body can pivot, for example so that a seated and a lying-down position can be offered. However, the need to be able to take the body out of the pushchair chassis has arisen, this especially being the case if the body used is a carrycot with rigid non-folding shell. It then is necessary to take the carrycot out of the pushchair before folding the latter.
A second type of pushchair is also known, from European Patent Application No. 0,339,890 (HESTAIR MACLAREN), and this type comprises a chassis supporting a seat that can be angled with respect to the chassis and which can be taken out of and put back in the chassis. The chassis has two lateral seat mounts in the form of inverted V's and with ribs on their edges. The seat comprises two lateral pieces which have a central recess in the shape of an inverted V to cooperate with a mount of the chassis and with two grooves which the ribs of the mount can enter. Such a system is relatively fragile, unstable before it is locked if one end of the seat is pulled or pushed and not very easy to manipulate. This is because the ribs on the mounts and the ribs on the pieces of the seat have small dimensions which, besides their fragility, forces an operator who wishes to put a seat back in the pushchair to position each piece of the seat simultaneously and precisely above the corresponding mount of the pushchair chassis. Should such positional accuracy not be achieved, there is a risk that one or both pieces of the seat may not engage with the ribs on the corresponding mounts, and the operator runs the risk of the seat dropping to the ground.
Furthermore, the shape of the mounts means that the movements of mounting or dismantling the seat from the pushchair chassis need to be more or less at right angles to the position of the body. Thus, if the mounts are in a position such that the seat once installed will be horizontal, then the movement of the seat needs to be more or less vertical. When the position of the mounts is such that the seat once installed will be at an angle, the movement for installing the seat on the chassis needs to be more or less at right angles to the angle at which the seat is going to be inclined. It is thus clear that installing the seat on the chassis becomes a particularly tricky operation, as the operator has both to position each piece of the seat laterally with respect to the corresponding mount and to position the seat at such an angle that installation is possible. Another drawback of this type of pushchair is that the buttons for altering the angle of the seat and for unlocking it with a view to removing it from the pushchair chassis are extremely close together, which may lead to a user confusing them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to produce a device for attaching a body to a pushchair which allows the body to be stable even when it is not locked, which is robust enough and in which the body, while being installed, is guided with respect to the chassis in a way that considerably reduces the risk of the body, and therefore the child therein, being dropped.
The device for attaching a body to a child's pushchair, of the type comprising a chassis resting on rolling means and provided with two mounting pieces arranged one on either side of the body, the body being equipped with two attachment elements each one cooperating with one mounting piece of the said chassis. Each attachment element comprises at least one projecting lug capable of cooperating with at least one housing of the mounting piece, shaped appropriately for the said lug. Thus a body which is naturally stable with respect to the chassis even before locking is obtained.
Advantageously, the lug comprises at least two lug portions and the housing comprises at least two housing portions.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lug comprises a means of guiding the entry of the lug into the housing, in the form of an oblique lower portion of the lug. This lower portion of the lug is capable of projecting out from beneath the housing. Thus a body offered up above the chassis with no special accuracy can be fixed to this chassis without the risk of dropping it.
In one embodiment of the invention, the lug comprises a means of immobilizing the lug in the housing, this means being in the form of a cylindrical upper portion of the said lug. If, through not paying sufficient care, an operator attempts to press on or raise one end of the body, the upper portion of the lug will become jammed in the housing, preventing any destabilizing of the body.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mounting pieces comprise a means for laterally guiding the entry of the lug into the housing, this means being in the form of a lip extending from the upper edge of the mounting piece upwards and towards the centre of the body, and surfaces for longitudinal guidance which are arranged one on each side of the lug, and the attachment elements comprise a means for laterally guiding the entry of the lug into the housing, this means being in the form of bevelled portions arranged on one lateral face.
In one embodiment of the invention, the attachment elements comprise a lateral protrusion on the chassis side that cooperates with a recess in the mounting piece so as to limit the clearance between the body and the chassis. The lateral protrusions may have a rounded shape to make it easier for them to enter their respective recesses.
As a preference, the device comprises means of operating locking means for the attachment element, these being in the form of a linearly-manipulated operating button designed with an inactive position and a pushed-in active position that keeps the locking means unlocked as long as the attachment element remains in the housing of the mounting piece.
Advantageously, the mounting pieces comprise means of operating locking means for the attachment element, these being arranged on the body side and comprising a tab articulated to the said mounting piece and which when tilted allows the attachment element to be locked and unlocked. As the buttons for altering the angle of the body are generally arranged on the outer sides of the chassis rather than between the chassis and the body, the risk of confusing the locking mechanisms with the angle of inclination mechanisms is reduced.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least one attachment element comprises at least one recess formed on a lateral wall of a lug and designed to cooperate with a locking means that comprises at least one protrusion integral with the tab and capable of projecting into a housing in the mounting piece through a hole in the edge of the said housing. The purpose of the operating tab will immediately be evident to the operator, and this will make it possible to reduce the risk of manipulation error.
In one embodiment of the invention, the protrusion is bevelled so that entry of the lug into the corresponding housing pushes the protrusion aside and makes the tab tilt.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mounting pieces comprise a device for tilting the body, this device being equipped with operating means mounted some on each side of the chassis.
In an alternative form, at least one of the lugs of at least one attachment element projects partially out beneath a wall of one end of a housing so as to prevent the said lug from coming out of its housing before the other lug of the same attachment element co
Ampafrance S.A.
Avery Bridget
Johnson Brian L.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
LandOfFree
Device for attaching a support to a child's pushchair,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for attaching a support to a child's pushchair,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for attaching a support to a child's pushchair,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2594152