U.S. patent application number 11/286275 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-17 for transferable baby seat.
Invention is credited to Steven Gibree.
Application Number | 20060181123 11/286275 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36814947 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060181123 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gibree; Steven |
August 17, 2006 |
Transferable baby seat
Abstract
A child seat includes a base portion, a seat portion that is
connected to the base portion, and a connection piece. The
connection piece is attached to the base portion and/or the seat
portion, and is adapted to removably couple the attached portion to
an external frame, such as a high chair frame or a swing frame.
Inventors: |
Gibree; Steven;
(Slatersville, RI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
IP STRATEGIES
12 1/2 WALL STREET
SUITE I
ASHEVILLE
NC
28801
US
|
Family ID: |
36814947 |
Appl. No.: |
11/286275 |
Filed: |
November 23, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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60630440 |
Nov 23, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/250.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D 1/08 20130101; A47D
13/107 20130101; A47D 13/105 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/250.1 |
International
Class: |
A47C 1/08 20060101
A47C001/08 |
Claims
1. A child seat, comprising: a base portion; a seat portion that is
connected to the base portion; and a connection piece attached to
at least one of the base portion and the seat portion that is
adapted to removably couple at least one of the base portion and
the seat portion to an external frame.
2. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the connection piece is
attached to the base portion, and is adapted to removably couple
both the base portion and the seat portion to the external
frame.
3. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the connection piece is
attached to the seat portion, and is adapted to removably couple
the seat portion to the external frame.
4. The child seat of claim 3, wherein the seat portion is removably
connected to the base portion, and the connection piece is adapted
to removably couple the seat portion to the external frame after
the seat portion has been removed from the base portion.
5. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the external frame is one of
a high chair frame and a swing frame.
6. The child seat of claim 1, further comprising the external
frame.
7. The child seat of claim 6, wherein the external frame is one of
a high chair frame and a swing frame.
8. The child seat of claim 7, wherein the connection piece is a
first connection piece, and the external frame includes a second
connection piece, wherein the first connection piece and the second
connection piece mate to removably couple the at least one of the
base portion and the seat portion to the external frame.
9. The child seat of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the base
portion and the seat portion is suspended above the ground when the
at least one of the base portion and the seat portion is coupled to
the external frame.
10. The child seat of claim 9, wherein the external frame is a
swing frame, and the first connection piece and the second
connection piece mate in a pivoting manner.
11. The child seat of claim 10, wherein the swing frame is adapted
to remain stationary on a solid surface, and the at least one of
the base portion and the seat portion are able to move in a
swinging motion with respect to the swing frame.
12. The child seat of claim 8, wherein the second connection piece
is formed integrally with the external frame.
13. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the connection piece is
formed integrally with the at least one of the base portion and the
seat portion.
14. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the seat portion includes a
seat frame and a seat cover.
15. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the base portion includes a
frame that supports the seat portion.
16. The child seat of claim 15, wherein the base portion includes a
vibration mechanism that imparts an oscillating motion to the seat
portion.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is related to and claims priority from co-pending U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/630,440, which was filed on
Nov. 23, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to seats and other accessories
for infants and small children, in which a child can be placed or
transported, and which might provide some other functionality.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Young children require many accessories. Parents of young
children who cannot walk or be left unattended especially need a
number of products, particularly when transporting the child. Baby
seats, rockers, swings, bouncers, and many different types of
carriers are available for keeping an infant or small child
stationary or for transporting the child. Each of these typically
is a stand-alone apparatus, so parents are required to purchase
numerous items if they are to provide the functionality of a number
of these accessories. It would be advantageous to provide such an
accessory that is a combination of two or more of these apparatus,
or that can be converted to provide the functionality of more than
one accessory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is a bouncer or other type of baby
seat that can be coupled with a frame of a high chair, swing, or
other type of baby accessory or furniture.
[0005] According to an aspect of the invention, a child seat
includes a base portion, a seat portion that is connected to the
base portion, and a connection piece. The connection piece is
attached to the base portion and/or the seat portion, and is
adapted to removably couple the base portion and/or the seat
portion to an external frame. The connection piece can be formed
integrally with the at least one of the base portion and the seat
portion.
[0006] For example, the connection piece can be attached to the
base portion, and therefore can be adapted to removably couple both
the base portion and the seat portion to the external frame.
Alternatively, the connection piece can be attached to the seat
portion, and therefore can be adapted to removably couple the seat
portion to the external frame. In this case, the seat portion can
be removably connected to the base portion, and the connection
piece can be adapted to removably couple the seat portion to the
external frame after the seat portion has been removed from the
base portion.
[0007] The external frame can be, for example, a swing frame, or a
high chair frame, and can be included as part of the invention. The
connection piece can be a first connection piece, and the external
frame can include a second connection piece. The second connection
piece can be formed integrally with the external frame. The first
connection piece and the second connection piece can mate to
removably couple the base portion and/or the seat portion to the
external frame. The base portion and/or the seat portion can be
suspended above the ground when the base portion and/or the seat
portion is coupled to the external frame. If the external frame is
a swing frame, the first connection piece and the second connection
piece can mate in a pivoting manner. The swing frame can be adapted
to remain stationary on a solid surface, such that the base portion
and/or the seat portion can move in a swinging motion with respect
to the swing frame.
[0008] The seat portion can include a seat frame and a seat cover.
The base portion can include a frame that supports the seat
portion. In addition, the base portion can include a vibration
mechanism that imparts an oscillating motion to the seat
portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary bouncer seat.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary high chair
frame.
[0011] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary high chair
assembly.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary infant swing
frame.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary infant swing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The apparatus of the invention is a baby or infant seat that
can be transferred among any of several support structures. For
example, the seat can function as the seat in a high chair, and can
be removed from the high chair structure and placed in a bouncer
frame. The transferable seat can include a seat frame and a cover.
The seat frame provides the structure for the seat as well as the
hardware necessary to couple the seat to the desired support
structure, that is, to the high chair and the bouncer, for example.
The seat cover is disposed on the seat frame and provides resilient
support for the seated infant. Alternatively, the seat can be a
unitary structure, such as a molded plastic seat, or can be
configured in any manner that includes a mechanism that couples the
seat to the support structure, and support for an infant.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a typical child seat 1, in this example in the
form of a bouncer, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,431,646 to Summer Infant, Inc. As shown, the seat 1 includes a
base portion 2, a seat portion 3, and a pair of connection pieces
4. The base portion 2 in this example provides a stationary base
for the seat 1, and also provides a frame 5 for the flexible seat
portion 3, which can be made of fabric or other supporting
material, and which covers the frame 5, in which the child can sit.
Although a bouncer seat is shown as an example, any type of child
seat can be provided, including a seat having unitary construction,
such as a molded plastic seat. If a particular embodiment of the
invention utilizes a bouncer seat, the base portion 2 will
typically include a vibration mechanism 6 that imparts an
oscillating motion to the seat portion 3. Each connection piece 4
is attached to the base portion 2 or the seat portion 3, or both,
and is adapted to removably couple the base portion 2 and/or the
seat portion 3 to an external frame, which is described below. The
connection piece 4 can be a separate component that is attached to
the base portion 2 and/or seat portion 3, or it can be formed
integrally with the at least one of these components.
[0016] If the connection piece 4 is attached to the base portion 2,
both the base portion 2 and the seat portion 3 can be coupled to
the external frame together. Alternatively, if the connection piece
4 is attached only to the seat portion 3, the seat portion 3 can be
coupled to the external frame by itself, if the seat portion 3 can
be removed from the base portion.
[0017] The external frame is preferably one that changes the
environment somewhat for the child, or that provides a beneficial
change for an adult who is monitoring the child. For example, the
external frame 10 can be a high chair frame 11, an exemplary
embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 2. When the child seat 1 is
coupled to the high chair frame 11, as shown in FIG. 3, the child
is placed in a stationary position off the floor, providing a
better location for an adult to feed or observe the child. If the
child seat 1 utilized is a bouncer, the high chair frame 11
preferably provides a base against which the bouncer base has
contact, so that the vibration feature of the bouncer can be used
while the bouncer seat is coupled to the high chair frame 11.
[0018] In an alternative embodiment, the external frame 10 can be a
frame for a swing 21, as shown in FIG. 4. When the child seat 1 is
coupled to the swing frame 21, as shown in FIG. 5, the child is
placed in a position off the floor, but one in which the seat 1 can
be swung, pendulum style, in a motion that often soothes a cranky
child. The swing frame 21 can include a latch mechanism that will
hold the seat in a stationary position, so that the assembly can be
used as a high chair, or so that the vibration feature of the
bouncer seat can be used.
[0019] The external frame can include a second connection piece 13
that mates with the connection piece 4 on the child seat in order
to couple the seat 1 to the frame 10. The second connection piece
13 can be formed integrally with the external frame. The first
connection piece 4 and the second connection piece 13 can mate to
removably couple the base portion and/or the seat portion of the
child seat 1 to the external frame. The second connection piece 13
can be a separate component that is attached to the external frame
10, or it can be formed integrally with the external frame 10. The
connection pieces can be adapted to mate in any known fashion. For
example, one connection piece can include a threaded extension, and
its mating connection piece can include a threaded collar that
engages the threaded extension to couple the connection pieces.
Alternatively, the connection pieces can include mating extensions
and recesses, friction fit, a snap-fit mechanism, or any other type
of mating mechanism that provides for easy coupling and
de-coupling. If the external frame is a swing frame, the first
connection piece and the second connection piece can mate in a
pivoting manner, such as by a hinged mating mechanism, or by an
extension that mates with a larger recess that allows room for one
connection piece to move pivotally with respect to the other. As
shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the second
connection pieces 13 can be swing arms 14 that connect pivotally to
a first pivot point 15 on the swing frame 21, and which connect to
the connection pieces 4 of the child seat 1 at second pivot points
16. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that any of a
number of conventional connection pieces is suitable for use with
the present invention.
[0020] Although it is contemplated that a preferred embodiment
includes the child seat and the external frame as described above,
it is also contemplated that the invention could include only the
seat, adapted with hardware to allow removable coupling with
previous designs for high chairs, swings, and other external
frames, or even for existing bouncers. As previously noted, the
child seat 1 can also have a unitary construction, such as a molded
plastic seat, which can function as a stand-alone seat or which can
attach to a separate base portion when not coupled to the external
frame.
[0021] Particular exemplary embodiments of the present invention
have been described in detail. These exemplary embodiments are
illustrative of the inventive concept recited in the appended
claims, and are not limiting of the scope or spirit of the present
invention as contemplated by the inventor.
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