Land vehicles – Wheeled – Extensible
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-02
2002-07-02
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Extensible
C280S650000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06412809
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The field of the invention is that of child care and in particular push chairs for children. More precisely, the invention relates to a folding push chair for a child, the hammock of which can be inclined and has a variable seating angle as a function of its angle of slope.
BACKGROUND
Numerous inclinable push chairs with a hammock or a slung seat are already known. Usually, the hammock is mounted on the chassis of the push chair. Various means are provided, on the chassis, to guide, position and keep the hammock in place in the desired position.
A known improvement consists of varying the opening angle of the seat of the hammock, as a function of its inclination. Hence when the hammock is in a substantially upright position (seated position), the angle of the seat (angle formed by the seating element and the back part of the hammock) is of the order of 110°, in such a way as to form an easy chair with a back. Conversely, when the hammock is in a stretched out position, the angle formed by the seat of the hammock opens up (of the order of 160°). Therefore, the child is comfortably seated when the hammock is in the sitting position and is stretched out when the hammock is in the stretched out position. Of course intermediate positions can also be provided.
A disadvantage of push chairs with a hammock the slope of which can be adjusted of whatever kind is that they are not very easy to fold. It is well known that ease of handling of child care equipment in general and folding push chairs in particular is an essential objective.
Numerous solutions have been proposed which allow one to provide practically automatic folding and unfolding or which at the very least only require a very reduced number of simple actions, whilst of course, at the same time responding to safety needs.
Nevertheless, it still remains necessary prior to folding, to bring the hammock back to a standard inclination. If this is not done then either folding is not possible or the hammock forms a large angle with the folded chassis which is not compatible with the requirement to make the folded push chair occupy a small space.
This adds an extra action when unfolding the push chair since the hammock returns systematically to the standard inclination, while generally speaking the user wishes to return to the previous inclination of the state of the art.
SUMMARY
The purpose of the invention is notably to remedy these disadvantages.
More precisely, an objective of the invention is to provide a folding push chair with a hammock with adjustable inclination, the folding up of which requires no additional operation whatsoever, compared with a push chair with a fixed hammock, whatever the inclination of the hammock.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such a push chair, the unfolding of which allows one to return to the previous angle of inclination of the hammock in an automatic way.
A particular objective of the invention is to provide, in one embodiment, a push chair, the hammock of which is reversible, that is to say positioned so that the child is facing the route ahead (in the direction the push chair is moving) or facing the person who i s pushing the push chair (direction opposite to the direction of the travel of the push chair).
Of course, another objective of the invention is to provide such a push chair, the size of which in the folded position is not modified by the implementation of the new functions.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide such a push chair, in which the new functions do not lead to a large increase in cost nor a great increase in the weight of the push chair, in the number of components used or in the complexity of manufacture of the components or of their assembly.
Hence the invention relates to a folding push chair for a child, of the type comprising an inclinable hammock mounted on the chassis of the push chair, having two pushing arms that can slide in such a way a s to allow folding respectively along two front struts, the fixing of the hammock onto the chassis being provided by co-operation between first fixing means mounted on said hammock and second fixing means mounted on said chassis.
By hammock, here one understands the sling that receives the child and its means of support (fastening, stiffening members etc.)
According to the invention, the first means of fixing carry means of adjusting the inclination of said hammock, and said second means of fixing co-operate with locking means such that:
when said chassis is in the deployed position, said second means of fixing are held in a single fixed position;
when said chassis is in the folded position, said second means of fixing are free to rotate, in accordance with an axis perpendicular to said front struts and parallel to the plane formed by the folded chassis, over a predetermined range of rotation,
in such a way that said hammock can arrive substantially in the plane formed by said folded chassis, over a predetermined range of rotation.
Hence the operations of inclining and of folding are dissociated from one another : the inclining is linked to the hammock and the folding to the chassis. The hammock and the elements that it carries, are not modified during the folding operation. Hence the effect of memorizing the inclination is provided, the hammock automatically once again taking up the inclination it previously had.
No special handling is required either for folding or for unfolding compared with the prior technique.
In an advantageous way, the first fixing means can be integrated with the second fixing means in two separate ways, it being possible to position the hammock so that the child being transported is facing the front or the back in relation to the direction of travel of the push chair.
In effect, the invention is particularly applicable to the case where the hammock is reversible (which, according to known techniques, requires extensive and not very convenient handling operations).
Preferably, said range of rotation covers an angle of at least 60° and generally much more, notably in the case of reversible hammocks.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, said locking means comprise at least one link, one end of which is mounted on a rear strut of said chassis and a second end is mounted on said second fixing means.
Hence the new function of the invention is ensured in a particularly simple and inexpensive way and is very effective.
Advantageously, said single fixed position of said second fixing means is defined by at least one stop created on said chassis which cooperates with a cam provided for this purpose on said second fixing means.
Notably the device can be fitted with an upper stop, created on said pushing arms, and a lower stop created on the corresponding front strut.
Other means can also be considered such as pins that co-operate with slots.
According to a second embodiment, said locking means comprise at least one link, one end of which is mounted on one of the support elements and the second end is movable parallel to said front struts and to said pushing arms.
Advantageously, said link is mounted on a component that slides between the strut and the pushing arm.
Once again, operation of the device is very simple.
In a preferred way, in the deployed position, said sliding component comes into contact with a guide and support sleeve for one of said struts and the corresponding pushing arm.
The description given above, essentially refers to just one side of the push chair. However, although in certain cases one might consider non-symmetrical means of operation, a push chair according to the invention advantageously comprises similar fixing means on each of its two ideas.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4335893 (1982-06-01), Carmichael et al.
patent: 4335900 (1982-06-01), Fleischer
patent: 4344649 (1982-08-01), Fleischer
patent: 4915401 (1990-04-01), Severson et al.
patent: 5074575 (1991-12-01), Bigo
patent: 5622377 (1997-04-01), Shamie
patent: 5669624 (1997-09-01), Eichhorn
patent: 5669625 (1997-09-01), Cabagnero
patent: 5988670 (1999-11-01), Song et al.
patent: 38
Ageneau M. Laurent
Bigo Jean
Ampafrance
Avery Bridget
Johnson Brian L.
Merchant & Gould P,C,
LandOfFree
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