U.S. patent number 3,779,599 [Application Number 05/160,598] was granted by the patent office on 1973-12-18 for juvenile seating system.
Invention is credited to Arthur Gottfried.
United States Patent |
3,779,599 |
Gottfried |
December 18, 1973 |
JUVENILE SEATING SYSTEM
Abstract
A juvenile seating system including an accessory for cooperation
with a juvenile chair so that the latter can be used as a juvenile
vehicle seat, the accessory adapted for removably engaging the
chair, the accessory having a rigid upwardly extending portion
substantially disposed against the back of the backrest of the
juvenile chair when the accessory and the juvenile chair engage
each other, the accessory being adapted to rest against a backrest
of a vehicle seat when the accessory and the juvenile chair are in
engaging position and are adapted to be positioned with a
vehicle-provided seat belt passing about the juvenile chair urging
the accessory against the vehicle backrest, and the accessory
having a base complementary to the base of the juvenile chair for
the removable engaging.
Inventors: |
Gottfried; Arthur (Paramus,
NJ) |
Family
ID: |
22577542 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/160,598 |
Filed: |
July 8, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/253; 297/397;
297/484 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/2827 (20130101); B60N 2/2812 (20130101); B60N
2/286 (20130101); B60N 2/2806 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/28 (20060101); B60N 2/26 (20060101); A47d
001/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/253,250,254,255,256,394,396,130,397,228,389,134,118 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Zugel; Francis K.
Claims
I claim:
1. A juvenile seating system comprising
a combination of a juvenile chair with an accessory,
said juvenile chair having a seat, a backest and a base secured to
one another, said base supporting said chair,
said accessory removably engaging with said juvenile chair,
said accessory having a rigid upwardly extending portion
substantially disposed against the rearmost back surface of said
backrest when said accessory and said juvenile chair engage each
other, said accessory resting against a backrest of a vehicle seat
when said seat accessory and said juvenile chair are in engaging
position and said juvenile chair and said seat accessory are
secured by a vehicle-provided-seat belt passing about said juvenile
chair, said accessory being thereby pressed against said vehicle
backrest, and
said juvenile chair and said accessory having complementary
engaging base parts, at the lowermost portions thereof
respectively, for said removable engaging,
said base of said accessory includes two parallel rearwardly
extending bars of a length to be at least partially inserted
between the backrest and seat of a vehicle, and
said bars constitute the rear-most extremities of said engaged
juvenile chair and accessory.
2. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least
one crossbar secured to and across said two ends of said
accessory.
3. The system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein
said base of said juvenile chair includes two parallel side legs
and a rear leg forming a U-shaped base,
said at least one crossbar constitutes two parallel crossbars
spaced apart from each other, constituting one of said
complementary engaging base parts,
said rear leg passes between said crossbars and rearwardly thereof
in said engaged position, and
said side legs are disposed between and complementary to said
accessory in said engaged position.
4. An accessory for adapting a juvenile chair to be used as a
juvenile seating system, comprising
an accessory having a substantially horizontal base and a rigid
upwardly extending portion extending from said base, said base
having means for complementarily and removably engaging a base of
said juvenile chair and said upwardly extending portion
simultaneously substantially disposed abuttingly against the
rearmost surface of the backrest of said juvenile chair, and said
accessory being adapted to be positioned on a seat and backrest of
a vehicle with a vehicle-provided strap secured around said
juvenile chair and thereby securely holding said accessory against
the backrest of said vehicle,
said base constitutes two rearwardly extending bars adapted to be
inserted between said seat and backrest of a vehicle, and
said means comprises two spaced parallel crossbars connected to and
across said rearwardly extending bars adapted to complementarily
engage said base of said juvenile chair therebetween as well as to
insure rigidity of said rearwardly extending bars.
5. The system, as set forth in claim 4, wherein
said cross bars are flat bars and are disposed between said
rearwardly extending bars and each of said cross bars has curved
portions curving away from said rearwardly extending bars and a
straight portion connecting said curved portions.
Description
The present invention relates to a juvenile seating system for
vehicles.
Chairs for juveniles have been known for some time, but these
chairs are generally not adapted to serve as a chair for a juvenile
in a moving vehicle.
It is one object of the present invention to provide an accessory
which adapts a conventional juvenile seat so that it may be used in
a vehicle and which meets and exceeds U.S. vehicle safety
requirements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
combination juvenile chair and accessory to be used as a juvenile
vehicle seat, comprising a juvenile chair having a seat, a backrest
and a base secured to one another, an accessory for removably
engaging the chair, the accessory having a rigid upwardly extending
portion substantially disposed against the back of the backrest
when the accessory and the juvenile chair engage each other, the
accessory adapted to rest against a backrest of a vehicle seat when
the accessory and the juvenile chair are in engaging position and
are adapted to be positioned on a vehicle seat with a
vehicle-provided-seat belt passing about the juvenile chair urging
the accessory against the vehicle backrest, and the juvenile chair
and the accessory having complementary engaging base parts,
respectively, for the removable engaging.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a juvenile
chair and accessory in accordance with the afore-mentioned
objective, further comprising a head rest secured to the accessory
at a front side thereof, and the head rest disposed above the
backrest of the juvenile chair when the accessory and the juvenile
chair are in engaging position.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a
juvenile chair and accessory, wherein the base of the accessory
includes two parallel rearwardly extending ends adapted to be
inserted between the backrest and the seat cushions of a vehicle,
and the ends constitute the rear-most extremities of the engaged
juvenile chair and accessory.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an
accessory for adapting a juvenile chair for use as a juvenile
vehicle seat, comprising an accessory having a base and a rigid
upwardly extending portion extending from the base, the base being
adapted to complementarily and removably engage a base of the
juvenile chair, the upwardly extending portion simultaneously
substantially abutting against the backrest of the juvenile chair,
and the accessory adapted to be positioned against a seat and
backrest of a vehicle with the vehicle provided seat belt securing
the juvenile chair and the accessory against the backrest of the
vehicle.
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in
the following detailed description, the present invention will be
clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a juvenile chair
assembled together with an accessory and a seat-arm cushion and
secured to a vehicle seat;
FIG. 1A is a fragmentary sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the
position of the juvenile chair, seat-arm cushion and car seat
belt;
FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the juvenile chair,
accessory and seat-arm cushion of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the cooperative
assembled position of the juvenile chair and the accessory;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing in assembled position a
juvenile chair connected to another embodiment of an accessory;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing a portion of the base of the
chair and the accessory of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a section along the lines 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective assembled view of a juvenile
chair and a third embodiment of an accessory in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 8 is an exploded fragmentary view of the members of FIG.
7;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective assembled view showing the
juvenile chair and another embodiment of an accessory in accordance
with the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section taken along the lines 10--10 of
FIG. 9.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, a
juvenile chair 1 is provided having a backrest 2 connected to a
seat 3 and having arms 4 extending horizontally above the seat and
curving downwardly into a U-shaped base 5. The base 5 is adapted to
sit on a substantially horizontal surface and the opening of the U
faces the front. The U-shaped base 5 preferably of metal tubing
comprises two parallel legs 5a and a rear leg 5b, joined by bends
5c.
In accordance with the present invention, an accessory 6 is
provided which is adapted to engage with the juvenile chair 1. The
accessory 6 comprises a preferably metal tubular bar member 7 which
is generally bent into U-shape, having two horizontal parallel ends
8 at its rear which are covered at their extreme ends with
preferably plastic covers 9 or the like. The bar member 7 bends
upwardly substantially vertically, but slightly rearwardly, at the
front of the ends 8, forming portions 10 which slightly converge
towards each other in the upward direction. Approximately less than
half-way up the total length of the accessory, the portions 10
converge toward each other at a greater angle, and at their upper
ends are bent into a rear bend forming a continuous U-bend top
portion 11. A head rest 12 is secured to the top portion 11 by any
securing means such as a plurality of screws 13, preferably three
in number, which pass through the top portion 11 as indicated in
FIG. 2.
Two bars 14 are fastened at their ends by a rivet-like connection
15 to the ends 8 of the seat accessory 6 restraining the ends 8
against relative lateral movement. The bars 14 are substantially
flat and are attached horizontally one above, and the other below,
the ends 8. The bars 14 are bent arcuately at their ends 16, in a
general forward direction and then are bent to each form a straight
portion 17 therebetween, the straight portion 17 being
substantially perendicular to the legs 8.
The bars 14 are slightly bent apart from each other in order to
readily receive therein the rear of the U-shaped base 5, as
illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.
To assemble the chair 1 and accessory 6, the spaced bars 14 are
slided over the rear leg 5b and the rear portions of the legs 5a of
the chair 1 until the upward bar portions 10 closely abut against
the rear of the backrest 2 of the chair 1. The bars 14 are
substantially spaced by the thickness of the legs 5a and 5b
although somewhat larger.
In this assembled position, the bend 5c of the chair 1 which
connects the legs 5a with the rear leg 5b, is substantially
adjacent to the arcuate ends 16 of the bars 14 [FIG. 1]. The ends 8
of the accessory 6 are spaced larger than, but complementary to the
spacing of legs 5a of the chair 1 so as to complementarily receive
the base 5 of the chair 1 therebetween.
The forward bending of the bars 14 positions the straight portion
17 substantially between the upwardly bent transition portion 18
between the ends 8 and the upwardly directed portions 10, and
slightly in front of the leg 5b of the chair in the assembled
position of FIG. 1.
In this assembled position the head rest 12 extends with its front
surface 19 aligned substantially with the front surface of the
backrest 2 of the chair 1.
In this operative position, the assembled unit comprising the chair
1 and the accessory 6, is placed on a vehicle seat 20, as
illustrated in FIG. 1. with the rear ends of the legs 8 being
pressed in between the cushions between the backrest 21 and the
seat 22 of the vehicle.
A plurality of straps are provided on the vehicle by the seat
vehicle manufacturer, such as car waist straps 23, which are to be
fastened around the assembled unit through the arms 4 of the chair
and pressing flat against the seat 3 of the chair 1, as illustrated
in FIGS. 1 and 1a; thereby holding the chair 1 against the seat of
the vehicle.
A soft, flexible seat-arm cushion 3a is provided having arm
portions 3b which are positioned around the horizontal portions of
the metallic arms 4 of the seat 3 and snapped clipped to itself by
snap fasteners 3c to soften the arm resting positions for the
child. The central portion 3d of the cushion 3a is consequently
positioned over the seat 3 of the chair 1 and further cushions the
child. The car seat belt 23 is between the seat 3 and the central
portion 3d of the cushion 3a, as indicated in FIG. 1A, providing in
the unoccupied condition of the unit, a space between the cushion
3a and the seat 3. The cushion is preferably made of conventional
stuffing 3c covered by covering material 3f which is sewed together
at the narrowing edges 3g to hold the stuffing inside. The central
rear edge 3g also abuts the backrest 2 of the chair in the
assembled position. The front edge 3h is concavely curved inwardly
for comfort. The rear edge of the cushion is recessed at portion
3k.
Straps are provided on the upper portions 10 of the accessory 6,
including adjustable shoulder straps 24, which shoulder straps are
designed to pass over the shoulder of the juvenile sitting in the
chair, as well as adjustable waist straps 25a which pass between
lower loops 25b formed in the shoulder straps 24 which waist straps
25 are adapted to pass around the waist of the child and then be
secured by a lock-release buckle 25c at the front ends of the waist
straps 25a. The rear ends of the waist straps 25a are attached to
an intermediate portion of the portions 10 of the accessory 6. A
spacing strap 25d is looped around the shoulder straps 24 to keep
the latter on the juvenile.
The vehicle provided seat belt 25 around the chair 1 holds the
chair against sudden stops and the assembled unit in the operative
position of FIG. 1 can withstand a thrust of 1,000 lbs. in
accordance with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. Although the accessory is not connected to the
chair 1 by any type of connections except for the free spacing
between the bars 16, there is achieved by this embodiment of the
present invention a rigid securing of the chair to the seat and
backrest of the vehicle.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 4 and
5, another embodiment of the accessory is disclosed, in which the
accessory 27 is substantially formed as a triangle with rounded
apex. The accessory 27 comprises a unitary bent member having
horizontal ends 28 which is then bent at its rear end upwardly and
slightly rearwardly to form two converging straight sides 29 which
are bent at a curved upper apex portion 30 and so connected to each
other. A head rest is secured to the apex portion as in the
previous embodiment namely, head rest 31.
U-shaped channel members 32 with the U facing each other are
secured to the inner sides of the ends 28 by rivet-like fasteners
33. The channel members 32 are provided with spring biased locking
members 34 thereon and the U-shaped channel members are adapted to
receive, as indicated in FIG. 4, the lateral legs 5a of the
juvenile seat 1 and to snappingly engage the legs 5a by the locking
members 34 in openings 5d formed in the base 5, for receiving the
spring biased locking members 34. The locking members 34 include a
latch 34a, which has a downward portion 34b which when rotated to
abut the upper portion 35 of the U-shaped channel members 32 as
indicated in FIG. 5 lifts the spring biased latch pin 34c out from
the U-channels and permits the legs 5a to slide in the channels.
Upon turning the latch member 34a, the spring biasing causes the
latch and pin 34c of the latch to move downwardly when the latch
portion 34b extends beyond the edge of the U-shaped channel
members, as indicated in FIG. 6, thereby causing the pin 34c to
engage in the opening 5d in the legs 5a of the chair 1, and holding
the chair securely to the accessory 27 in the U-shaped
channels.
The forward ends of the U-shaped channel members 32 extend beyond
the front of the ends 28, and a crossbar 36 is secured to the top
members 35 and lateral sides 37 of the U-shaped channel members 32
by rivets 38 or the like. The bar 36 is raised slightly at its
central portion 36a, the bar serving to space and hold the
U-channels apart corresponding to the spacing of the legs 5a. The
front ends of the U-shaped members form an inclined side edge 37a
on the outer side wall 37 pointing downwardly to the front. The
rear portions of the ends 28 of the accessory 27 extend beyond the
rear of the U-channel members 32 and are adapted to be inserted
between the seat and backrest cushions of a vehicle similarly as
indicated in FIG. 1 with the same vehicle strap arrangement
secureing and preventing the combination juvenile chair and
accessory from moving.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 7 and
8, still another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
An accessory 40 in accordance with the present invention comprises
a front extending end 41 having a semi-circular cross section open
toward the bottom and adapted to sit directly complementarily on
the legs 5a of the chair 1. Screws 42 pass through aligned openings
5d in the legs 5a and openings 41a in the ends 41 and are secured
by winged nuts 43, thereby securing the ends 41 to the chair 1. A
depending pin 44 in the front of the end 41 cooperates guidingly in
an opening 5e in the leg 5a to align the front of the ends 41 along
the legs 5a.
The accessory 40 is bent upwardly at the rear of the ends 41
forming parallel sides 45 and then bends inwardly in straight
triangular portions 46 to and are connected at the top by a curved
bend to which the head rest 47 is secured. In this embodiment the
rear leg 5b of the chair is the most rearwardly projecting
portion.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 9 and
10, still another embodiment of the accessory 48 is disclosed in
which the accessory 48 comprises a U-shaped base 49 having a
forward-most-front bar 50 and lateral side bars 51. The U-shaped
base 49 is designed to fit complementarily to, in the same plane,
and between the horizontal legs 5a. The base 49 of the accessory 48
and the base 5 of the chair 1 are disposed in inverted U position
with the leg 5b of the chair 1 being the rear-most portion. The
base 49 of the accessory 48 and the base 5 of the chair 1 are
secured by horizontally extending bolt screws 52 and corresponding
nuts 53, preferably provided in pairs on both sides.
The accessory bends upwardly and slightly rearwardly at the rear of
the base 49 forming two straight portions 54 converging toward each
other, which are joined at the top by a curved bend to which is
secured the head rest 55 as disclosed in the previous
embodiments.
The assembled chair and accessory units of FIGS. 7 and 9 are
strapped to a vehicle seat similarly as illustrated in FIG. 1. All
the disclosed accessory units are preferably made of metal
tubing.
* * * * *