U.S. patent application number 10/397325 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-27 for high-chair for children with easy actuation.
This patent application is currently assigned to CAM IL MONDO DEL BAMBINO S.p.A.. Invention is credited to Rho, Angelo.
Application Number | 20030218366 10/397325 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11449976 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030218366 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rho, Angelo |
November 27, 2003 |
High-chair for children with easy actuation
Abstract
A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising a
stand for supporting a chair that can be arranged at a preset
height, a tilting device for varying the inclination of the
backrest, which can be accessed on the rear part of the backrest,
connectors for connecting to each other the backrest and the
footrest in order to vary the position of the footrest
simultaneously with the variation in the inclination of the
backrest.
Inventors: |
Rho, Angelo; (Telgate,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
Via Meravigli, 16
MILANO
20123
IT
|
Assignee: |
CAM IL MONDO DEL BAMBINO
S.p.A.
|
Family ID: |
11449976 |
Appl. No.: |
10/397325 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/153 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D 1/004 20130101;
A47D 1/002 20130101; A47D 1/0081 20170501 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/153 |
International
Class: |
A47B 039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 24, 2002 |
IT |
MI2002A001135 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising: a
chair; a backrest; a footrest; a stand for supporting said chair,
said backrest and said footrest, said chair being arrangeable at a
preset height; tilting means, located on said chair, for varying
inclination of the backrest, which can be accessed for actuation on
a rear part of said backrest; and connection means for connecting
to each other said backrest and said footrest in order to vary the
position of said footrest simultaneously with variation in the
inclination of said backrest.
2. The high-chair of claim 1, wherein said backrest is constituted
by a front and a rear half-shells, said tilting means comprising: a
first actuation fork, which is accommodated within said front and
rear half-shells; L-shaped levers articulated to said chair, said
first actuation fork having lower arms engaging said L-shaped
levers; a locking set of teeth arranged on a circular arc; a detent
that is slideable for engaging and disengaging said set of teeth
and, linkages being articulated to said levers and being connected
to said detent.
3. The high-chair of claim 1, wherein said connection means
comprises a rod that is articulated between a first protrusion of
said backrest and a second protrusion that is provided at said
footrest.
4. A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising: a
backrest; a chair; a supporting stand for said chair and backrest
that can be arranged at a preset height, and has front and rear
arms; and adjustment means for adjusting vertical position of said
chair on said stand, said adjustment means being accessible for
actuation at the backrest of said chair.
5. The high-chair of claim 4, wherein said adjustment means
comprise: a second fork, which can be accessed for actuation at a
rear face of the backrest and has lower lateral arms which are
connected to an articulation point of the backrest and said second
fork having a circular protrusion and an elongated slot, surrounded
by said protrusion, for movement with respect to an articulation
point of the backrest; an oscillating element with two pins; a
contoured slot provided on the front arm of the stand; and a
linkage with an eye engaging said protrusion and being articulated,
at the other end, to said oscillating element that can engage said
contoured slot for guided sliding with respect to the front arm of
said stand.
6. A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising: a
chair; a stand for supporting said chair so as to be arrangeable at
a preset height, a shaft supported at a lower end of said stand;
wheels supported on said shaft; a pinion keyed on said shaft and
being provided with seats; a brake lever that is articulated at the
lower end of said stand, said brake lever having a contoured
cutout, which provides an inactive position and an active position
for said brake lever with respect to the supporting shaft of the
wheels of said stand; and a retention tooth provided on said brake
lever to engage, when said brake lever is in the active position,
in said seats of said pinion.
7. The high-chair of claim 6, wherein said contoured cutout is
substantially shaped like the numeral 8, having a lower seat, an
upper seat and a central narrower portion so as to set, by engaging
the wheel supporting shaft, said inactive and active positions.
8. A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising: a
chair; a stand for supporting the chair so as to be arrangeable at
a preset height, said stand having front and rear arms; a tray that
has lateral guiding slots for closing said stand when said tray is
turned over, and is supported proximate to lower ends of the arms
of said stand; a first one of said arms being pivoted to an end of
said tray, and a second one of said arms engaging slidingly said
lateral guiding slots.
9. The high-chair of claim 8, wherein said tray comprises a
container portion that is surmounted by a border provided with
pivots for pivoting to the front arm of said stand and an upper
covering border, said guiding slots being provided in said border
and ending with a locking portion, and a pin that is connected to
the rear arm of said stand and engages said guiding slots.
10. The high-chair of claim 9, further comprising an automatic
locking button connected to said pin for actuating release with
respect to said guiding slots.
11. A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising: a
chair with a horizontal surface; a stand for supporting said chair
so as to be arrangeable at a preset height; a sliding dinner tray
that is associated with the horizontal surface of the chair; and
retention means for retaining said dinner tray, said retention
means being accessible for actuation at a lower face of said dinner
tray.
12. The high-chair of claim 11, wherein said sliding dinner tray
has a lower half-shell and an upper half-shell, which enclose said
retention means; and wherein said retention means are constituted
by an actuation plate that is provided with a grip element that is
accessed for actuation at the lower face of the dinner tray in a
front region with respect to the chair; locking jaws, which are
articulated to the dinner tray and are engageable in interlocking
recesses formed under said horizontal surface; rods that are
pivoted to said locking jaws so as to perform a translational
motion and having protruding buttons, said plate being provided
with inclined slots that can engage said buttons.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a high-chair for children
with means for easier actuation.
[0002] As is known, high-chairs for children are already
commercially available which, generally speaking, are made with a
stand or supporting element whereto a chair is connected; such
chair can be arranged at the preferred height and has a backrest
that can be reclined in various manners.
[0003] In the solutions of the known art, currently there are
considerable problems in providing an ergonomic distribution of the
various controls, which must be available immediately to
bystanders, who are caring for the child, but on the other hand
must not be easily reachable by the child, in order to prevent
inappropriate actuations.
[0004] Currently commercially available solutions have not proved
suitable of solving the problem fully, and indeed have led to the
provision of structures that are particularly complicated and
awkward, and therefore they are subject to frequent jamming and are
not always able to comply with the required safety criteria.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The aim of the invention is to solve the problems described
above, by providing a high-chair for children with easier actuation
means that allows to have the various controls arranged in an
ergonomic position, making them easily accessible to bystanders but
difficult to access for the child sat in the high-chair.
[0006] Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is
to provide a high-chair for children in which the various controls
are particularly simplified and easy to assemble within the
high-chair, which and therefore does not have the various actuation
mechanisms in sight.
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
high-chair for children which, thanks to its particular
constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest
assurances of reliability and safety in use.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
high-chair for children with easier actuation means that can be
obtained easily starting from commonly commercially available
elements and materials and is also competitive from a merely
economical standpoint.
[0009] This aim and these and other objects that will become better
apparent hereinafter are achieved by a high-chair for children with
easier actuation means, according to the invention, which comprises
a stand for supporting a chair that can be arranged at a preset
height, characterized in that it comprises, on said chair, means
for varying the inclination of the backrest, which can be accessed
on the rear part of said backrest, and means for connecting to each
other said backrest and the footrest in order to vary the position
of said footrest simultaneously with the variation in the
inclination of said backrest.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Further characteristics and advantages will become better
apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive
embodiment of a high-chair for children with easier actuation
means, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the high-chair for
children;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the high-chair in the
position for use;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the means for varying the
inclination of the backrest;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view of the means for
adjusting the vertical position;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the
elements that compose the means for adjusting the vertical
position;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the brake
means;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a view of the brake lever in the inactive
position;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a view of the brake lever in the active position
for locking the wheel;
[0019] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the tray connected
at the lower end of the arms of the supporting stand;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the tray, shown in
dashed lines during the closure of the stand;
[0021] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the sliding
dinner tray;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lower shell of the
sliding dinner tray.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] With reference to the figures, the high-chair for children
with easier actuation means, generally designated by the reference
numeral 1, comprises a supporting stand 2, which is advantageously
constituted by a first arm and a second arm, or front arm 3 and
rear arm 4, which are hinged in an upward region and are
advantageously provided with wheels 5 for movement, which are
arranged at the lower ends of the rear arm, and with balls 5a,
which are arranged on the front arm.
[0024] A chair 7 is connected to the stand 2 and can be arranged at
various heights on the stand 2.
[0025] A first particularity of the invention consists in that at
the chair 7, and more specifically at the rear face of the backrest
10, which is constituted by a front half-shell 11 and by a rear
half-shell 12, there are backrest tilting means for inclining the
backrest, which have a first actuation fork 20, protruding from the
rear half-shell 12 and whose lower arms 22 engage L-shaped levers
23 that are articulated to the structure of the high-chair.
[0026] In each lever 23, the other arm is connected to a linkage
24, which is articulated with a detent 25 that can slide so as to
engage and disengage a set of locking teeth 26 arranged along a
circular arc.
[0027] The actuation of the first fork 20 causes the rotation of
the lever 23 and therefore the disengagement of the detent 25 from
the set of teeth 26, with the possibility to vary the inclination
of the backrest 10.
[0028] A fundamental characteristic is constituted by the fact that
there are connection means for interconnecting the backrest 10 and
the footrest 30, which is articulated to the structure of the
chair; said means are constituted by a rod 31, which is articulated
between a first protrusion 32, which is connected to the backrest
10, and a second protrusion 33, which is connected to the footrest
30.
[0029] With this arrangement, by varying the inclination of the
backrest the position of the footrest is changed at the same
time.
[0030] The means for adjusting the vertical position of the chair 7
are described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and have a second
fork 40, which can be accessed at the rear face of the backrest and
has lower lateral arms 41, which are connected around the
articulation point of the backrest and form a circular protrusion
42 that surrounds an elongated slot 43 for movement with respect to
the articulation point 49 of the backrest.
[0031] The eye 45 of a linkage 46 engages the circular protrusion
42 and is articulated, at the other end, to a pin oscillating
element 47 or block with two pins, which allows engagement with the
shaped guiding slot 48 that adjusts the sliding with respect to the
front arm of the stand 2.
[0032] The actuation of the second fork 40 causes the oscillation
of the block with the two pins 47, consequently allowing its
movement within the slotted guide 48.
[0033] At the wheels 5 of the stand there are braking means 50,
which are constituted by a lever 51 that is articulated to the end
of one of the arms of the stand and has a contoured cutout 52,
which is substantially shaped like the numeral 8 and has a lower
seat 53 and an upper seat 54 which are delimited by a central
narrower portion 55, which is meant to form, by, engaging the shaft
56 associated with the wheels 5, an inactive position and an active
position for the brake lever.
[0034] When the lever is in the inactive position, as shown in FIG.
7, the lever is in the raised position and no interference
occurs.
[0035] To engage the brake, one acts on the pedal 58, which is
arranged at the ends of the lever 51, so as to engage the shaft 56
in the upper seat 54, with consequent coupling of the retention
tooth 59 in the seats 60 formed by a pinion 61 keyed to the shaft
56.
[0036] When the lever is in the active position, therefore, the
rotation of the wheel is absolutely prevented due to the locking
applied by the retention tooth 59.
[0037] A tray 70 is described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 and
is pivoted at one of its sides, for example to the front arm 3 of
the stand 2.
[0038] As shown in the drawings, the tray 70 has a container
portion 71, which is surmounted by a border 72 provided with the
pivots 73 and an upper covering border 74.
[0039] At the border 72, on its lateral portions, there are guiding
slots 75, which end with a locking portion 76, in which a pin 77
engages which is connected to the other arm 4 of the stand.
[0040] The pin 77 is connected to an automatic locking button 78,
so that when one wishes to close the stand it is sufficient to
release the pin 77 by acting on the button and slide the pin within
the slot 75, simultaneously closing the stand and tipping the
tray.
[0041] A sliding dinner tray, generally designated by the reference
numeral 80, is described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 and has
a lower half-shell 81 and an upper half-shell 82, which enclose
retention means comprising an actuation plate 84 that is provided
with a grip element 85, which can be accessed at the lower face of
the dinner tray in a region located in front of the chair. The
plate 84 is provided with inclined slots 86, which engage the
buttons 87 formed by movable rods 88, which are pivoted to locking
jaws 89 that are articulated to the dinner tray and can engage in
interlocking recesses 91 provided below a horizontal surface 90 of
the chair 7, so as to be able to vary, by sliding, the position of
the dinner tray, moving it with respect to the horizontal surface
90 that forms the interlocking recesses 91 for the jaws 89, which
are actuated by making the plate 84 slide.
[0042] From the above description it is thus evident that the
invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular
the fact is stressed that a high-chair for children is provided
which is particularly practical and versatile, since it allows to
have actuation elements that can be accessed immediately and are
handy for bystanders but are arranged where they cannot be accessed
easily by the child placed in the high-chair.
[0043] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations such as, for example, providing chairs
with different shapes and sizes, while using the same mechanisms of
the present invention. All such variations are to be considered as
falling within the scope of the appended claims.
[0044] All the details may further be replaced with other
technically equivalent elements.
[0045] In practice, the materials employed, as well as the
contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to
requirements.
[0046] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No.
MI2002A001135 from which this application claims priority are
incorporated herein by reference.
* * * * *