Land vehicles – Wheeled – Extensible
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-08-14
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Extensible
C280S047330, C280S650000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273451
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,454,584 and 5,605,409 issued to Haut et al., each disclose a collapsible stroller having an &lgr;-shaped frame (hereafter “A-shaped frame”), collapsible between an operating position and a collapsed position. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. Such a collapsible stroller includes soft goods made of fabric, such as a seat, back support, canopy, storage basket, etc., covering parts of the stroller frame. The back support is movably configured between a sitting position and a recumbent or lying position. This stroller may be folded regardless of where the back support is positioned. This stroller also has a latch that automatically locks the stroller in the collapsed position to prevent the stroller from unfolding during handling, and has hinge locks that lock the stroller in the operating position. Further, this stroller has ergonomically correct gripping portions to allow the user to travel extended distances more comfortably.
In A-shaped frame strollers, or any other collapsible frame type strollers, when the stroller is in the collapsed position, the stroller is not sufficiently stable to position it upright. Therefore, the stroller has to be laid down flat on the ground or leaned against a support, making it more cumbersome to handle. It would be desirable to provide a stroller that can stand upright when the stroller is collapsed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,238 issued to Huang discloses a U-shaped stand pivotally connected to the U-shaped seat or basket frame of the stroller frame. The stand, however, extends outwardly when the stroller is collapsed, taking up space. As the stand is fixedly connected to the stroller frame, it cannot be disabled, unless the wheels are taken off
SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a stroller having a stroller frame, which can be collapsible, and the components thereof. In particular, in one aspect of the invention, the stroller has a stand. In another aspect of the invention, the stroller has a removable footrest assembly. In yet another aspect of the invention, the stroller has removable trays.
The stroller can comprise a collapsible frame, a stand, a removable footrest assembly, a removable front tray, a removable upper tray, and a latch, or any combination thereof.
The collapsible frame comprises at least the handle frame and front right, front left, rear right, and rear left legs pivotally connected to the handle frame. The collapsible frame can further include a seat frame having an intermediate bar and right and left arms extending from the intermediate bar. The right arm can be pivotally connected to the front and rear right legs and the left arm can be pivotally connected to the front and rear left legs. It can further include one or more front cross braces connecting the front right and left legs and a rear cross brace connecting the rear right and left legs. The collapsible frame is movable between a collapsed position and an operating position.
The stand can be connected to the cross brace and the intermediate bar, and the stand is movable between an extended position when the collapsible frame is in the collapsed position and a retracted position when the collapsible frame is in the operating position. The stand includes a stand guide and an elongated member movable relative to the stand guide. The elongated member has a first connector at one end thereof and a foot at the opposite end. The foot can engage the ground or support when the stand is moved to the extended position to keep the collapsed stroller in an upright position. The stand guide can have a second connector. One of the first and second connectors can be connected to the intermediate bar and the other of the first and second connectors can be connected to the rear cross brace.
The first connector can be connected to the intermediate bar and the second connector to the cross brace. Specifically, the first connector can be pivotally and removably connected the intermediate bar and the second connector can be pivotally and removably connected to the cross brace. In this respect, the first and second connectors each can comprise a C-shaped collar.
The elongated member can have an opposing pair of flanges and a slot formed therebetween. The stand guide has opposing grooves that engage the flanges so that the elongated member is slideably movable relative to the stand guide. The slot has a wider portion adjacent the first connector. The wider slot portion is dimensioned to allow insertion and removal of the stand guide. The wider slot portion can have a keyhole and the stand guide can have a complementary projection to allow insertion of the stand guide in a particular direction.
The stroller can include a latch that automatically latches the handle frame to one of the rear right and left legs upon the stroller frame being moved to the collapsed position. The latch can comprise a flat resilient member having a slot attached to one of the handle frame and the rear right or left leg, and a pin extending from the other of the handle frame and the rear right or left leg. The pin engages the slot to prevent the stroller frame from moving to the operating position.
The trays can include an upper tray removably connected to the handle frame and a front tray removably connected to the front right and left legs.
The stroller can include a footrest assembly removably attached to the stroller frame to cover the front right and left legs. The footrest assembly can have a foot resting portion, a substantially upright rear support, and right and left front leg shields. The foot resting portion can be positioned between the front right and left legs, and the substantially upright rear support can extend contiguously and upwardly, angled from the foot resting portion. The right and left front leg shields can extend along and over the front right and left legs respectively. The footrest assembly can have a first footrest connector, such as a C-shaped collar, that detachably secures the footrest assembly to the front cross brace connecting the front legs. The footrest assembly can also have a second footrest connector that secures the footrest assembly to the collapsible frame. To accomplish this connection, the collapsible frame can have a first spacer, positioned between the right seat frame arm and the front right leg, and a second spacer, positioned between the left seat frame arm and the front left leg, the second footrest connector in turn can comprise a first cutout in the right front leg shield dimensioned to connect to the first spacer and a second cutout in the left front leg shield dimensioned to connect to the second spacer. The footrest assembly can further include one or more cross braces connecting the right and left leg shields.
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patent: 5482311 (1996-01-01), Huang
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patent: 5548864 (1996-08-01), Vosbikian et al.
patent: 5590974 (1997-01-01), Yang
patent: 5605409 (1997-02-01), Haut et al.
patent: 5725238 (1998-03-01), Huang
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Julien Christine E.
Siesholtz Devon T.
Stauffer Dennis R.
Foley & Lardner
Graco Children's Products Inc.
Mar Michael
LandOfFree
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