Amusement devices – Swing – Motor operated
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-29
2002-02-05
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices
Swing
Motor operated
C472S118000, C005S108000, C297S273000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343994
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a baby swing. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a low-profile swing that is safe for infants, ages new born to twelve months.
In the past several years, numerous law suits arising from infant injuries and fatalities have resulted in recalls of conventional baby swings and reduced the number of manufacturers of such swings from about a dozen to only a few. Indeed, the financial burden of those burgeoning law suits threatens to force the remaining manufacturers to discontinue production of their swing product lines.
Even apart from the threat of injuries, conventional baby swings had numerous other problems. The long skinny legs that made the swing so unstable, also made it difficult to maneuver, a risk for tripping passers by, and problematic for taking along (i.e., this swing design did not fit easily into a car). Further, the swing could not easily, nor safely, be moved from place to place while the baby was seated therein. Therefore, movement of the swing during use would require two persons: one to hold the baby, one to move the swing.
Coupled with the safety issues associated with walkers and bouncers, there are very few, if any, devices that parents can safely use to occupy their children. Further, most all of these devices are unsuitable for use with new born children or any child younger than 3-4 months old whose neck is incapable of supporting the weight of its own head.
The present invention overcomes the problems with these prior art baby swings. The present invention comprises a low-profile swing for infants including a base member, support legs extending upward from the base member, a seat for an infant rotationally supported by the legs, and means for oscillating the seat relative to the base and the legs, allowing the infant to be safely swung without fear of tipping. The base is a disk-shaped element whose maximum lateral dimension exceeds the maximum vertical extent of the support legs. This configuration provides an extremely stable configuration that cannot readily be tipped over. The seat completely surrounds the child while supporting the infant in a semi-reclined position and is, therefore, suitable for infants from new born through 12 months of age. Optionally, the seat may be removed from the support legs and double as a layette or car seat. The base member includes a stationary base element and a rotational base element so that the orientation of the swing may be readily changed to provide the infant with a change of scenery. Further, the stationary base may be provided with casters so that the swing may be easily moved without the necessity of removing the child. Since the child's legs do not extend outside the confines of the seat member, the seat may be mounted within a few inches of the base enhancing the stability of the swing assembly. Lastly, the relatively compact construction and light weight of this swing enable a mom to easily pick up the swing to transport it to another room or load it into a car to enable its use during a visit.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification.
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Nguyen Kien T.
Thomson Richard K.
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