Horizontally supported planar surfaces – With receptacle – Detachable or relatively movable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-16
2001-04-17
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3636)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
With receptacle
Detachable or relatively movable
C297S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216605
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of specialized trays for high chairs in general, and in particular to a high chair tray having releasable engaging means to accommodate a variety of accessories.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,143,374; 4,606,576; 5,458,394; 5,558,391; and 5,586,800, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse high chair constructions having trays adapted to releasably receive a variety of receptacles.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical high chair tray construction that is designed to releasably secure receptacles wherein the receptacles are provided with tethered utensils.
As any parent or caregiver is all too well aware, young infants and small children are extremely prone to spilling food receptacles and/or knocking the receptacles and eating utensils from the high chair tray onto the floor.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved type of high chair tray construction wherein a central food receptacle is captively secured in a stationary location on the surface of the tray and further provided with utensils and auxiliary receptacles that are tethered to the main food receptacle in a satellite fashion, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, the multi-purpose high chair tray construction that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general, a tray unit adapted for use on a conventional high chair wherein t he tray unit is adapted to releasably receive a base unit which is further provided with a plurality of tethered accessory units.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the tray unit comprises a tray member having a contoured central recess provided with a plurality of radially projecting J-shaped slots which are dimensioned to releasably receive portions of the base unit.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the base unit comprises an enlarged food receptacle whose bottom is dimensioned to be received in the central portion of the recess and is further provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed J-shaped tangs which are dimensioned to drop through the J-shaped slots and then be rotated into engagement with the interior of the tray member.
In addition, the upper portion of the base unit is provided with a plurality of discrete apertures which are dimensioned to receive the captive end of the tethered accessory units which in the preferred embodiment of the invention includes eating utensil members such as forks and spoons and drinking receptacle members such as bottles and drinking cups.
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Chen José V.
Henderson & Sturm LLP
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