This application claims priority to Australian Provisional Application No. 20211901051, filed Apr. 11, 2021, and is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and method for a drop tray used to catch falling debris and in particular but not limited to debris dropped by an infant while seated in a high-chair, including food and liquids.
Inclusion herein of any prior art or background discussion should not be taken as admission that any matter discussed, including problems identified and solved by the Applicant, were known to anyone apart from the Applicant, were public knowledge or common general knowledge anywhere.
Conventional high-chairs have four splayed legs, a seat, leg holes and some form of restraint or upper section formed with rails and usually a front table section.
Food, liquids, utensils, or plates may often drop or spill on the floor. Infants may be very messy in fun and in temper. The usual solution may be to provide a drop sheet or mat on the floor, the chair may be placed on top of the mat which may have sufficient margin around the chair to cater for the range of falling debris from the infant's activity. If one wants to move the chair, the mat must be moved separately with the chair where the mat may already be in a mess. Quite often baby food may not be that appealing so the mat may have to be cleaned before it can be moved. Movement of the mat may cause more mess. Moving the chair and the mat separately may create additional work for parents.
It would be desirable to provide a useful alternative particularly, a drop tray, that may be moved with the chair and that may be simple to install, easy to clean, and inexpensive.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a high-chair drop tray having an upper peripheral edge above and surrounding a base, a sidewall extending between the peripheral edge and the base, the base having means defining spaced apart openings for spaced high-chair legs.
Preferably, the tray is made from a blank of thin sheet plastics, the blank having a periphery corresponding to said peripheral edge, a base section inward of the periphery and corresponding to the base, the base section having means defining spaced apart openings preferably leg holes, there being a margin between the base section and the periphery, the margin corresponding to the sidewall, and there further being at least one joiner section adapted to engage and at the same time bias the sidewall to its operative position.
In one embodiment the tray is for use with a high-chair having four splayed legs extending from a seat region of the chair to the ends of the legs, the ends of opposed pairs of said legs being diametrically opposed at a leg end spacing between the opposed ends wherein the means defining spaced apart openings provide four leg holes as pairs of diametrically opposed holes corresponding to the legs of the chair, the spacing between the opposed leg holes being less than the said leg end spacing.
In another embodiment the tray is for use with a chair having two legs or uprights and in this case the means defining spaced apart openings provide two spaced slots for spaced apart square profile chair uprights or legs.
Where in one embodiment, the tray may be formed from a single material comprising a sidewall section pulled behind an adjacent wall section and having a releasable hand insertable catch to secure the wall sections together.
Where, in yet another embodiment, the tray may be formed by use of a joiner the joiner comprises a sidewall section pulled behind an adjacent wall section and having a releasable hand insertable catch to secure the wall sections together.
While the tray may have any shape suited to capturing dropped food it is preferred that the tray may generally be dished with a sloping sidewall defining an upper mouth wider than the base, typically it may be boxy in form. Where, in another embodiment, thin plastic may be used, and the sidewall may preferably be configured to be manually and usefully deformable and springs back to its operative position. It may be pulled to aid clearing or removing food from the tray.
While the means defining spaced apart openings may be cut openings they may be any form including but not limited to actual holes in the sense of closed loop, slots, sideway entry passages, clip in arrangements or means that may be formed into these including pushouts in the base.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments and, together with the description, explain the disclosed principles. In the drawings:
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar parts. While several illustrative embodiments are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the components and steps illustrated in the drawings, and the illustrative methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, removing, or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and examples. Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure relate to a drop tray that may be a removable attachment to childrens' high-chairs to catch food mess or liquid spills, utensils, plates, and other debris dropped from the high-chair. The drop tray may be used with a high-chair where the high-chair may have one or more legs and a high-chair seat where a child may be placed upon. The drop tray may directly interface with or attach underneath the high-chair—immediately below the seat of the high-chair—without interfacing with one or more legs of the high-chair. The attachment or interface of the drop tray may include clipping, snapping, plugging, and/or integrating with a footrest, a car seat, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The drop tray may be disposed between the floor and the bottom of the high-chair seat where the drop tray is raised above the floor. The drop tray, disposed underneath the high-chair seat and above the floor, may have a surface area that encompasses and surrounds the bottom of the high-chair and/or the high-chair seat. The surface area of the drop tray may also extend and surround in all directions the high-chair where the drop tray may catch food mess or liquid spills, utensils, plates, and other debris dropped by an infant or child from the high-chair. The attachment (also including one or more legs) of the drop tray may also act as a footrest for the child. The drop tray may be a single material with one or more pieces joined and inseparable to a common piece where the one or more pieces may fold into themselves using deformable tab clips to create a secured and stable drop tray with raised walls and may attach to a high-chair, a footrest, a car seat, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The drop tray may also be one or more pieces separately connected together to fold unto themselves using deformable tab clips to create a secured, stable, and/or rigid drop tray with raised walls and may attach to a high-chair, a footrest, a car seat, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The drop tray may be a single apparatus made from a continuous single material with a base and raised walls and may attach to a high-chair, a footrest, a car seat, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The drop tray may be snuggly secured to or resting below a high-chair seat, a footrest, a car seat, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices by way of specifically placed holes or interfaces in which the high-chair frame may slot through or interface with the drop tray. The placed holes or interfaces may prevent food mess or liquid spills, utensils, and other debris dropped by an infant or child from the high-chair from falling to the floor. The drop tray may be used on high-chairs with or without feeding trays or footrests, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The drop tray may be made from waterproof and food safe materials. Moreover, the drop tray may be made from a food grade plastic material, thermoplastic material, thermoset material, injection molded plastics, silicone, or other material that may be deformable, molded, thermoformed, and/or dishwasher safe. The drop tray being thermoformed may mean that the drop tray may be made from a continuous single material without need of assembling parts of the drop tray. The thermoforming process may include any other similar manufacturing or plastic forming or molding process such as injection molding, silicone molding, polyurethane foam (PUR foam) molding, and/or any other functionally similar processes that would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Generally, childrens' high-chairs may be composed of a high-chair frame, a seat, and a feeding tray. The seat may be for babies to sit on. The feeding tray may be used to put bowls, bottles, utensils, dishes or food.
Conventional high-chairs may not include a tray catching food or liquid spills, utensils, plates, and other debris dropped from the high-chair. Thus as a child may eat, food and utensils commonly spill or fall from the tray, front, sides and rear of the high-chair or from between the leg compartment of the high-chair, onto the floor.
The drop tray may catch the food or liquid spills, plates, or utensils so that the food may be salvaged or thrown away, the spills may be disposed, the utensils or plates may be reused, while protecting the floor below the high-chair from damage or dirty debris. The drop tray may also ensure that food and utensils may be retrieved from the drop tray at an appropriate height to ensure that guardians feeding the baby and helping to clean up during and after mealtimes may not have to repeatedly bend down to low uncomfortable positions. The raised height of the drop tray may also act as a footrest so that during meal times, the feet of a baby may be resting and not dangling in a way that may feel unsteady and uncomfortable.
The plurality of raised sidewalls may include a first sidewall 116, a second sidewall 118, a third sidewall 120, and a fourth sidewall 122. The first sidewall 116 may be equal in dimensions and shape as the second sidewall 118. The first sidewall 116 may be positioned in a parallel and opposite location of the second sidewall 118 relative of the base 112. The third sidewall 120 may be equal in dimensions and shape as the fourth sidewall 122, The third sidewall 120 may be positioned in a parallel and opposite location of the fourth sidewall 122 relative of the base 112. The first sidewall 116 may not be equal in dimensions and shape as the third sidewall 120. In other embodiment, the first sidewall 116, the second sidewall 118, the third sidewall 120, and the fourth sidewall 122 may be equal in dimensions and shape.
The plurality of raised sidewalls and the base 112 may each be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, a circle, a triangle, an oval, and/or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the plurality of raised sidewalls may also include a first corner sidewall 124 and a second sidewall 126 that may appear to have a triangular shape, an oval shape, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a round shape, or a square shape. The first corner sidewall 124 may be connected to the first sidewall 116, the third sidewall 120, and the base 112. The second corner sidewall 126 may be connected to the first sidewall 116, the fourth sidewall 122, and the base 112. Moreover, the plurality of raised sidewalls may also include a third corner sidewall 128 and fourth corner sidewall 130 that may appear to have a trapezoidal shape. The third corner sidewall 128 may be connected to the second sidewall 118, the third sidewall 120, and the base 112. The fourth corner sidewall 130 may be connected to the second sidewall 118, the fourth sidewall 122, and the base 112.
Furthermore, the first corner sidewall 124 and the third corner 128 may each share an edge with the third sidewall 120 having a direct connection with the third sidewall 120. Moreover, the first corner sidewall 124 may include a deformable tab clip 132 where the deformable tab clip 132 may be inserted on approximately the upper corner surface of the first sidewall 116 via a deformable slit opening. Similarly, the third corner sidewall 128 may include a deformable tab clip 134 where the deformable tab clip 134 may be inserted on approximately the upper corner surface of the second sidewall 118.
Moreover, the second corner sidewall 126 and the fourth corner 130 may each share an edge with the fourth sidewall 122 having a direct connection with the fourth sidewall 122. Moreover, the second corner sidewall 126 may include a deformable tab clip 136 where the deformable tab clip 136 may be inserted on approximately the upper corner surface of the first sidewall 116 via a deformable slit opening. Similarly, the fourth corner sidewall 130 may include a deformable tab clip 138 where the deformable tab clip 138 may be inserted on approximately the upper corner surface of the second sidewall 118. The deformable tab clip 132, 134, 136, and 138 may be in the shape of a triangle, a circle, a rectangle, a trapezoid, an oval, a spade, an arrowhead, and/or any combination thereof.
The base 112 may include one or more openings 140 to interface or accommodate a high-chair's legs or stands, a footrest, a car seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The base 112 may be affixed to the high-chair's legs or stands, a footrest, a car seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The one or more openings 140 ma each be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a triangle, a star, and/or any combination thereof. The one or more openings 140 may be approximately placed near the corners, the edges, and/or the center of the base 112. In one embodiment, the one or more openings 140 may be four circles approximately placed at the corners of the base 112. The one or more openings may have a local surface area that may be raised above and connected to the surface of the base 112 to prevent food or liquid spills, utensils, plates, and other debris dropped by an infant from the high-chair to slip through the high-chair's legs or stands, the interface of the footrest, the interface of the car seat, or the interface of any other functionally similar devices for children. An opening may be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a triangle, a star, and/or any combination thereof.
In another embodiment, base 112 may have in place of the one or more openings 140 one or more legs where the drop tray 100 may stand on its own below a high-chair a footrest, a chair, a booster seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children.
In yet another embodiment, the one or more openings 140 may be placed on the plurality of raised sidewalk instead of the base 112 where the one or more openings 140 may interface or accommodate a high-chair's legs or stands, a footrest, a car seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children.
The base 212 may include one or more openings 218 to interface or accommodate a high-chair, a footrest, a car seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children. The one or more openings 218 may be two slots approximately placed near edge 220 of base 212 and centered between edge 222 and edge 224 of base 212. A slot may be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a triangle, a star, and/or any combination thereof.
Furthermore, the drop tray 300 may include a first corner sidewall 324 (also referring to the first corner sidewall 124 of
Moreover, the drop tray 300 may include a deformable tab clip 332 (also referring to the deformable tab clip 132 of
Furthermore, the drop tray 300 may include four openings 340 on the base 312, a deformable slit opening 342 on the first sidewall 316 where the deformable slit opening 342 may be located near the deformable tab clip 332 for insertion of the deformable tab clip 332 into the deformable slit opening 342, a deformable slit opening 344 on the second sidewall 318 where the deformable slit opening 344 may be located near the deformable tab clip 334 for insertion of the deformable tab clip 334 into the deformable slit opening 344, a deformable slit opening 346 on the first sidewall 316 where the deformable slit opening 346 may be located near the deformable tab clip 336 for insertion of the deformable tab clip 336 into the deformable slit opening 346, and a deformable slit opening 348 on the second sidewall 318 where the deformable slit opening 348 may be located near the deformable tab clip 338 for insertion of the deformable tab clip 338 into the deformable slit opening 348. An opening may be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a triangle, a star, and/or any combination thereof.
Moreover, the first corner sidewall 324 may share edge 350 with the third sidewall 320; the third corner sidewall 328 may share edge 352 with the third sidewall 320; the second corner sidewall 326 may share edge 354 with the fourth sidewall 322; the fourth corner sidewall 330 may share edge 356 with the fourth sidewall 322.
in addition, the plurality of upper peripheral edges 114 of
Furthermore, the deformable slit opening 342, 344, 346, and 348 may each be shaped in the form of two parallel lines spaced apart forming an opening where a circle may connect one end of each line on one end and another circle connects the other ends of each line on the other end.
Furthermore, base 512 may have edge 524, 526, 528, and 530. Edge 524 may be on the opposite side of edge 526; and edge 528 may be on the opposite side of edge 530. Edge 524 may be parallel to edge 526; and edge 528 may be parallel to edge 530. The first sidewall 516 may share the edge 524 with base 512; the second sidewall 518 may share the edge 526 with base 512; the third sidewall 520 may share the edge 528 with base 512; and the fourth sidewall 522 may share the edge 530 with base 512.
Moreover, base 512 may include slot opening 532 and slot opening 534 (also referring to the one or more openings 218 of
Furthermore, base 612 may include diagonal slot opening 624, 626, 628, and 630. The diagonal slot opening 624 may be near corner 638 of base 612; the diagonal slot opening 626 may be near corner 634 of base 612; the diagonal slot opening 628 may be near corner 632 of base 612; and the diagonal slot opening 630 may be near corner 636 of base 612. Moreover, the diagonal slot opening 624 may have a vertex 640, and the diagonal slot opening 626 may have a vertex 642 where vertex 640 and vertex 642 may form an imaginary line that may be parallel to the imaginary line connecting corner 638 and corner 634. In addition, the diagonal slot opening 628 may have a vertex 644, and the diagonal slot opening 630 may have a vertex 646 where vertex 644 and vertex 646 may form an imaginary line that may be parallel or aligned with the imaginary line connecting corner 632 and corner 636. A slot opening may be in the shape of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a triangle, a star, and/or any combination thereof.
Furthermore, base 712 may include an edge 724 that may be shared with the first sidewall 716, an edge 726 that may be shared with the second sidewall 718, an edge 728 that may be shared with the third sidewall 728, and an edge 730 that may be shared with the fourth sidewall 722. Moreover, base 712 may include universal openings. The universal openings may allow drop tray 700 to fit the interface for a variety of configurations for different high-chairs, footrests, car seats, or any other functionally similar devices for children.
The universal openings may comprise four first small circular openings 732, four large circular openings 734, and a pair consisting of two rectangular openings 736. The universal openings may be of various shapes such as ovals, squares, triangles, trapezoids, stars, and/or any other combination thereof. Furthermore, the universal openings may be centered between edge 728 and 730. Furthermore, the universal openings may be biased to be located near edge 724 and away from edge 726.
Furthermore, passage 864 and 865 may allow for the legs of a high-chair to be inserted to drop tray 800 where a clipping action fitted in holes 860-863 secures the drop tray 800 under the high-chair. Region 866 may be under the high-chair seat to catch food, spills, plates, and/or utensils. Moreover, the periphery sidewalls or margins 867, 868, and 869 may form a dished shape when the clipping action fitted in holes 860-863 may secure the drop tray 800 under of the high-chair and above the floor where clipping action fitted in holes 860-863 are performed on one or more legs of the high-chair without requiring disassembling the one or more legs from the high-chair.
The high-chair may have a high-chair seat 915, a backrest 916 and a table 917. In relation to exemplary leg 912, each leg may fit into a socket 918. The socket 918 may be threaded or have a push button release so the splayed legs may be removed or separated from the seat.
Upon removal or separation of the splayed legs, the drop tray 900 may fitted to the high-chair. Holes 919, 920, 921 and 922 (also referring to one or more openings 140 of
In one embodiment, the high-chair 911 may have one or more legs that may be separated from the high-chair 911.
In another embodiment, the drop tray 900 may be affixed to the four splayed legs 912, 913, and 914 (the fourth splayed leg is not shown) where the drop tray 900 may be integral to the high-chair 911 in that the four splayed legs and the drop tray 900 may not be separated. The drop tray 900 being integral with the high-chair 911 may mean that the drop tray 900 and the four splayed legs may be indivisible, or the drop tray 900 may be pre-formed with the four splayed legs of the high-chair 911 and/or the high-chair 911 where the four splayed legs of the high-chair 911 and/or the high-chair may be made from the same material.
In another embodiment, the high-chair 911 may have one or more legs that may be affixed to the drop tray 900 where the drop tray 900 may be integral to the high-chair 911 in that the one or more legs and the drop tray 900 may not be separated. The drop tray 900 being integral with the high-chair 911 may mean that the drop tray 900 and the one or more legs may be indivisible, or the drop tray 900 may be pre-formed with the one or more legs of the high-chair 911 and/or the high-chair 911 where the one or more legs of the high-chair 911 and/or the high-chair may be made from the same material.
In yet another embodiment, the range of the margin to catch food or liquid spills, plates, and/or utensils may be optimised by having a generally dished or curved configuration. In yet another embodiment, the sides of the drop tray 900 or margin (also referring to the plurality of raised sidewalls in
In another embodiment, drop tray 900 may contain a drainage hole not located on holes 919, 920, 921, and 922. The drainage hole may have a plug that may be removed to pour spills, liquids, and/or food through the drainage hole to pour into a trashcan.
While the dished configuration on may provide an easy way to clean food trapped on the corner 928, drop tray 900 may be cleaned by disassembling it in situ into its cut blank sheet form, and then after drying the drop tray 900 may be reassembled.
In other embodiments, the drop tray 900 in a cut blank sheet form may be placed in a dishwasher. In yet other embodiments, the drop tray 900 may be two or more pieces constructed together to fit around a high-chair, a footrest, a car seat, or any other functionally similar devices for children.
In one embodiment, drop tray 1100 may be thermoformed to be a single continuous material without the need of deformable tab clip 1116 because the left sidewall 1106, the base 1102, the right sidewall 1108, the left-front corner sidewall 1110, the right-front corner sidewall 1112, and the front sidewall 1104 may be one continuous material. Furthermore, the drop tray 1100 may be thermoformed to include the one or more tabs or clips 1066 on the base 1102.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Multiple modifications and variations of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
Certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be combined in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the disclosure. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021/901051 | Apr 2021 | AU | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/IB2022/053331 | Apr 2022 | US |
Child | 17933825 | US |