1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to juvenile products, such as child car seats for use by children and their caregivers, and more particularly to adjustment mechanisms for use in connection with such products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Juvenile products are widely used by caregivers. Many of those products, such as car seats, have portions that occasionally need adjustment to accommodate children of different sizes. It is generally desired that such adjustment be quick and easy for the caregiver, but result in a secure adjustment.
While various devices have been used in the past to accomplish such adjustment, most of those prior art devices have been lacking in ease of adjustments, security, or both.
In sum, the prior art devices do not provide the important advantages of allowing the desired easy and secure adjustment of juvenile products, such as heard rest portions of child car seats and/or restraints.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an adjustment mechanism for a juvenile product that is easy for use by a caregiver and that provides a secure adjustment. Preferably, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention allows for at least two separate adjustment positions. In a preferred embodiment, the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted is a headrest portion of a child car seat or restraint.
More specifically, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention preferably consists of a rotatable key that is attached to a portion of the juvenile product being adjusted for height. The key is preferably operably connected to a sliding actuator that may be operated by a caregiver by manipulating a resiliently biased push button positioned on an upper portion thereof. Preferably the push button is resiliently biased by a spring that is compressed within a housing operably attached to a portion of the push button assembly. The rotatable key may preferably have a rectangular-shaped boss positioned on a back portion thereof. The portion of the juvenile product being adjusted may include alignment guides fixedly attached and protruding therefrom to be slidingly received in corresponding alignment channels positioned on the fixed portion of the juvenile product, such as, for example the seat/base portion of a juvenile car seat.
Also in a preferred embodiment, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention preferably includes an adjustment channel comprised of at least two adjustment lobes located on a portion of the fixed portion of the juvenile product to receive the rotatable key slidingly therethrough when said rectangular-shaped boss of said rotatable key is positioned parallel to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted, and which prevents sliding of the key (and the attached portion of the juvenile product being adjusted) when the rectangular-shaped boss is positioned transverse to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted.
Preferably, in operation, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention is operated by the caregiver by pressing the resiliently biased push button, thereby rotating the rectangular-shaped boss on the rotatable key parallel to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted, while simultaneously grasping a portion of (or a handle on a portion of) the juvenile product being adjusted. Preferably, the caregiver then adjusts the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted to a desired location and releases the resiliently biased push button. Assuming the adjustment position chosen by the caregiver has aligned the rotatable key within an adjustment lobe, the releasing of the resiliently biased push button allows the rotatable key to rotate within the adjustment lobe so that the rectangular-shaped boss is transverse to the adjustment direction of travel, thereby locking the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted into place. If the adjustment position chosen by the caregiver is out of alignment, the caregiver will be alerted by the push button not completely returning to home state and will need to move the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted slightly one direction or the other in order to obtain proper alignment and locking of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted into place. Once proper alignment and locking has occurred, the resiliently biased push button will be biased back to the home state.
These and other aspects and objects, along with advantages and features of the invention disclosed herein, will be made more apparent from the description, drawings, and claims that follow.
The foregoing and other aspects, objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the invention itself, will be more fully understood from the following description of preferred embodiments, when read together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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In an embodiment of the invention, the rotatable key 12 may preferably have a rectangular-shaped boss 36 positioned on a back portion 38 thereof. The portion of the juvenile product being adjusted, such as a head rest portion 14 of a child car seat 10, may include alignment guides 40 fixedly attached to and protruding therefrom to be slidingly received in corresponding alignment channels 42 positioned on the fixed portion of the juvenile product, such as, for example the car seat base 34.
Also in a preferred embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 100 of the present invention preferably includes an adjustment channel 44 comprised of at least two adjustment lobes 46 located on a portion of the fixed portion of the juvenile product to receive the rotatable key 12 slidingly therethrough when said rectangular-shaped boss 36 of said rotatable key 12 is positioned parallel to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted, and which prevents sliding of the key 12 (and the attached portion of the juvenile product being adjusted) when the rectangular-shaped boss 36 is positioned transverse to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted (see
Preferably, in operation, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention is operated by the caregiver by pressing the resiliently biased push button 22, thereby rotating the rectangular-shaped boss 36 on the rotatable key 12 parallel to the direction of travel of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted, while simultaneously grasping a portion of (or a handle on a portion of) the juvenile product being adjusted. Specifically, as will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, the rotating movement of the rotatable key 12 may be accomplished in any number of known ways. In one embodiment disclosed herein, the rotating movement may be achieved by the sliding actuator 20 sliding through alignment nubs 48 positioned on the back side 50 of the headrest juvenile product. The attachment leg 26 includes a follower hole 27 that is shaped to rotatably receive a nub 52 positioned on a front portion 54 of the rotatable key 12. In an embodiment, the backside of the headrest 50 may include a nub groove 56 to facilitate the interaction and securement of the nub 52 in the follower hole 27 on the attachment leg 26. Thus, the pushing down of the button 22 causes the attachment leg 26 to move down, thereby rotating the rotatable key 12, thereby rotating the corresponding rectangular shaped boss 36 to the desired position parallel to the direction of adjustment allowing the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted to be moved. Conversely, once a desired adjustment position is reached, the caregiver may release the push button 22 allowing the sliding actuator 20 (and attached attachment leg 26) to rotate the rotatable key 12 such that the rectangular shaped boss 36 is positioned transverse to the direction of adjustment and is captured in a desired adjustment lobe 46 thereby locking the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted into place. If the adjustment position chosen by the caregiver is out of alignment, the caregiver will be alerted by the push button 22 not completely returning to home state and the caregiver will be alerted to move the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted slightly one direction or the other in order to obtain proper alignment and locking of the portion of the juvenile product being adjusted into place. Once proper alignment and locking has occurred, the resiliently biased push button 22 will be biased back to the home state.
Following from the above description and invention summaries it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the systems and processes herein described constitute exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that the invention is not limited to these precise systems and processes and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the claims and it is not intended that any limitations or elements describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are to be incorporated into the meanings of the claims unless such limitations or elements are explicitly listed in the claims. Likewise, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to meet any or all of the identified advantages or objects of the invention disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of any claim, as the invention is defined by the claims and because inherent and/or unforeseen advantages of the present invention may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140049081 A1 | Feb 2014 | US |