Patent Application
20190270027
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of baby walkers and more specifically relates to a baby walker with integral walking platform.
A baby walker is a device that can be used by infants who cannot walk on their own to move from one place to another. Modern baby walkers have a base made of hard plastic sitting on top of wheels and a suspended fabric seat with two leg holes. Infant support structures typically support an infant or child above a support surface, such as a floor or the ground. Some infant support structures include a seat that is configured to support a child so that the child can bounce while being supported by the seat. For example, a bouncer includes a frame that is configured to allow a child supported thereon to bounce relative to the support surface. However, the particular movement of the child on the structure and the resulting entertainment for the child is limited. Thus, a suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,575 to Paul Fair relates to a foldable infant activity center. The described foldable infant activity center includes a tray, a base and substantially-straight pylons. The tray has an infant-receiving opening. Each pylon has a lower portion which is directly or indirectly rotatably attached to the base and each pylon has an upper portion which is directly or indirectly rotatably attached to the tray enabling the tray and the base to be relatively rotated and folded from a use position to a storage position. Each of the pylons is substantially vertical when the tray and the base are in the use position.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known baby walker art, the present disclosure provides a novel baby walker apparatus. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an improved baby walker with an integral walking platform.
A walker-apparatus is disclosed herein. The walker-apparatus includes a top-section relative to a floor-surface and may include a frame defining a substantially open-space. Additionally, the frame may have a first semi-circular shape, and the first semi-circular shape may include a first arcuate-edge and a first substantially straight-edge. Further, a bottom-section may be included parallel to the top-section and relative to the floor-surface, the bottom-section may include a second semi-circular shape, and the second semi-circular shape may include a second arcuate-edge and a second substantially straight-edge.
The walker-apparatus may additionally include a support-section which may include a vertical-length relative to the floor-surface, and may be attached to the first substantially straight-edge at a first point on the vertical-length and attached to the second substantially straight-edge at a second point on the vertical-length. The first point may be higher than the second point, and the support-section may be configured to support the top-section and the bottom-section and to keep them parallel to each other.
A seat-section may further be provided. The seat-section may include a first-end, a second-end opposite the first-end, and an opening therebetween, the first-end being attached to the support-section at a third point on the length, the second-end being attached to the frame at the first arcuate-edge, and the opening being configured to hold the human-user. Further, the seat-section may be configured to selectively move about the substantially open-space upon actuation by the human-user.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a baby walker apparatus, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to baby walkers and more particularly to a baby walker apparatus as used to provide a baby walker with an integral walking platform.
Generally, the baby walker apparatus may include a seat which may move around, or side to side within a stationary activity centre. The baby walker apparatus may include a half-moon version allowing a child to move within in a half circle so that the child can move around within the walker. The child's feet may touch a bottom of the activity centre, not the ground. The baby walker apparatus may be collapsible via adjustable bracket.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
Referring now to
Further, the bottom-section 120 may also include a second semi-circular shape 122, and the second semi-circular shape 122 may include a second arcuate-edge 124 and a second substantially straight-edge 126. In addition, the bottom-section 120 may include a top-surface and a bottom-surface relative to the floor-surface 5. The top-surface may be configured to receive a foot of the user 10 to allow the seat-section 140 to move through the open-space 114 of the top-section 110, and the bottom-surface may be configured to rest upon the floor-surface 5.
As shown, the support-section 130 may attach the top-section 110 and the bottom-section 120 and the support-section 130 may be configured to support the top-section 110 and the bottom-section 120 and to keep them parallel to each other. The support-section 130 may include a vertical-length 132 relative to the floor-surface 5. Further, as illustrated, the support-section 130 may be attached to the first substantially straight-edge 118 at a first point on the vertical-length 132 and attached to the second substantially straight-edge 126 at a second point on the vertical-length 132. As shown, the first point may be higher than the second point, and the support-section 130 may be configured to support the top-section 110 and the bottom-section 120 and to keep them parallel to each other. In some embodiments, the walker-apparatus 100 may include a plurality of support-sections 130. In other embodiments, the walker-apparatus may be attached to the top-section 110 and the bottom-section 120 at different points (rather than at the first substantially straight-edge 118 and the second substantially straight-edge 126). In other embodiments still, the support-section 130 may be absent from the walker-apparatus 100.
The seat-section 140 may be located within the substantially-open space 114 of the top-section 110. The seat-section 140 may include a first-end 142, a second-end 144 opposite the first-end 142, and an opening 146 therebetween. The opening 146 may be configured to hold the human-user 10 (
As illustrated, the first-end 142 may be attached to the support-section 130 at a third point on the length, and the second-end 144 may be attached to the frame 112 at the first arcuate-edge 117. The second-end 144 of the seat-section 140 may include a third arcuate-edge 154. Further, the first arcuate-edge 117 of the top-section 110 may include an inner-surface and an outer-surface, and the inner-surface may include a seat-section track 156 configured to receive the third arcuate-edge 154 and aid in movement of the seat-section 140 through the open-space 114.
In a preferred embodiment, the walker-apparatus 100 may further include a support-rail 151 located between the top-portion and the bottom-portion at the first arcuate-edge 117, and the second arcuate-edge 124, respectively. The support-rail 151 may be collapsible such that the top-portion may be collapsed into the bottom-portion for compact storage. Further, the support-rail 151 may include a plurality of adjustable-brackets 152. The adjustable-brackets 152 may allow a carer-user to lower the top-section 110 to accommodate different sizes of the human-user 10.
Referring now to
As above, the first-end 142 may be attached to the support-section 130 at the third point on the length, and the second-end 144 may be attached to the frame 112 at the first arcuate-edge 117 (
In this embodiment, the walker-apparatus 100 may include the top-section 110 relative to the floor-surface 5. As above, the top-section 110 may include the frame 112 defining the substantially open-space 114. In this embodiment, the frame 112 may have a first circular-shape 111, and the first circular shape may include a first circumferential-edge 113 and a first central-axis 115. Further, the bottom-section 120 may be included and parallel to the top-section 110 and relative to the floor-surface 5, the bottom-section 120 including a second circular-shape 123, and the second circular-shape 123 may include a second circumferential-edge 127 and a second central-axis 128. In addition, the bottom-section 120 may include the top-surface and the bottom-surface relative to the floor-surface 5. The top-surface may be configured to receive a foot of the user and the bottom-surface may be configured to rest upon the floor-surface 5. In one embodiment, the top-section 110 may include a table-surface configured to hold toys for use by the human-user 10.
As shown, the support-section 130 may include a vertical-axis 133 relative to the floor-surface 5, the support-section 130 being located at the first central-axis 115 and the second central-axis 128 such that the first central-axis 115, the second central-axis 128 and the vertical-axis 133 are co-axial. Further, as illustrated, the support-section 130 may be configured to support the top-section 110 and the bottom-section 120 and to keep them parallel to each other. The support-section 130 may include the plurality of height-adjustable rings 153, and the first-end 142 of the seat-section 140 include a circular-attachment configured to attach to one of the plurality of height-adjustable rings 153.
The seat-section 140 may be located within the substantially-open space 114 of the top-section 110. Additionally, the seat-section 140 may include the first-end 142, the second-end 144 opposite the first-end 142, and the opening 146 therebetween. Further, the seat-section 140 may include the moveable-member 148 configured to allow for 360° movement as above. As shown, the first-end 142 may be attached to the support-section 130, and the second-end 144 may be attached to the frame 112 at the first circumferential-edge 133. As above, the opening 146 may be configured to hold the human-user 10, and the seat-section 140 may be configured to selectively move about the substantially open-space 114 upon actuation by the human-user 10. Further, the second-end 144 of the seat-section 140 may include an arcuate-edge configured to conform to a shape of the first circumferential-edge 113. The first circumferential-edge 113 may include the inner-surface and the outer-surface, and as above, the inner-surface 155 may include a seat-section track 156 configured to receive the arcuate-edge and aid in movement of the seat-section 140 through the open-space 114.
As illustrated, the walker-apparatus 100 may further include the support-rail 151 located between the first-portion and the second-portion at the first circumferential-edge, and the second circumferential-edge 127, respectively. As above, the support-rail 151 may be collapsible, and may include the plurality of adjustable brackets 152.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
