Oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6571408
  • Patent Number
    6,571,408
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, January 16, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 3, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
An improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen includes for oscillatory devices respectively engaged the receiving space of four lower corner members of a collapsible playpen. The improved oscillatory devices each has a hollow interior base seat, a pedal member, an elastic resistance member and a suspending member sequentially disposed into the base seat and rotatably secured by axial pins respectively, an inverse U-shaped suspending rod and a compressed spring suspending the oscillatory device into the lower corner member. Thereby tread an extension of the base seat and simultaneously lift up the playpen to lead the suspending member moving upward. The playpen is able to oscillated steadfastly.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to playpen and more particularly to an improved oscillatory device in the lower corner members of a collapsible playpen.




A playpen is indispensable for a family to raise a baby, especially a collapsible playpen which is readily to make a compact volume to collect and keep is welcomed public. A typical collapsible playpen


10


(as shown in

FIG. 1

) is combined with four upper corner members


11


, four lower corner members


12


, four posts


13


respectively secured to the upper and lower corner members


11


and


12


, four upper transverse rods or rails


14


respectively pivoted to the upper corner members


11


and four lower transverse rods


15


respectively pivoted to the lower corner members


12


. Each of the transverse rods


14


and


15


has a collapsible adapter


16


and


17


at a center. So that the playpen is collapsible. However, the lower corner members are stable this type of collapsible playpen is not oscillatory.




SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION




The present invention has a main object to provide an improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen by which the collapsible playpen is readily oscillated or fixed not to oscillate.




Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen which is operated by foot of the user who needs not to squate or to bow his body.




Further object of the present invention is to provide an improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen in which a safety device is provided to present the playpen to drop down even that the baby inadvertently touches the pedal.




Accordingly, the improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen comprises generally a collapsible playpen having four modified lower corner members each of which has a receiving space for receiving an improved oscillatory device. The improved oscillatory devices each has a hollow interior base, a pedal member, a resistance member and a suspending member disposed inside the base which a controlled by the pedal member to decide whether or not the improved oscillatory device is oscillated.




The present invention will become more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view to show a collapsible playpen according to a prior art,





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view to show an improved oscillatory device according to the present invention,





FIG. 3

is a perspective view to show the assembly of

FIG. 2

,





FIG. 4

is a sectional view taken along line


3





3


of

FIG. 3

,

FIG. 5

is a sectional view taken along line


3


′—


3


′ of

FIG. 3

,





FIG. 6

is a plane view to show the improved oscillatory device within the lower corner members,





FIG. 7

is a sectional view to show that the lateral plates of the suspending member disengage with the retaining slots of the resistance member,





FIG. 8

is a sectional view to show that the pedal member is treaded downward,





FIG. 9

is a sectional view to show that the suspending member moves downward to enable the lower corner member standing on the ground, and





FIG. 10

is a sectional view to show that the lower portion of the suspending rod engages within the pair of arcuate plates.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




With reference to

FIGS. 2

to


5


of the drawings, the improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen of the present invention comprises generally a collapsible playpen (as shown in

FIG. 1

) having four modified lower corner members


20


each of which has a receiving


21


in lower portion, a post on the top, a pair of transverse rods


23


perpendicularly pivoted to a pair of U-shaped pivots, a pair of retaining slots


24


symmetrically formed in lower end of the space


21


, a circular thru hole


25


and an oblong thru hole


26


in the top thereof adjacent the post


22


, and a caster


27


under a lateral side thereof.




An improved oscillatory device


30


engages into the receiving space


21


of each of the lower corner members


20


. The improved oscillatory device


30


is combined with a hollow interior rectangular base seat


31


, a suspending member


32


, an elastic resistance member


33


, an inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


and a pedal member


313


.




The hollow interior rectangular base seat has a pair of aligned thru holes


310


in front and back walls, an opening


311


in the top, an extension


312


extended outward from a lower portion of a lateral wall


318


, a pair of arcuate plates


319


symmetrically disposed on a central lower portion of the front and back walls outside the base seat


31


, an aligned thru hole


3142


in a lower portion of the front and back walls at the right side of the arcuate plates


319


and a slit (not shown) in the lower portion of the lateral wall


318


above the extension


312


.




The pedal member


313


inserts into the base seat


31


through the slit and has a pivot hole


314


in front end engageable with the aligned thru hole


3142


pivotally secured by a retaining pin


3141


, an aligned thru hole


315


in a pair of projections on the top thereof adjacent the front end and a spring


317


disposed inside the base seat


31


under the pedal member


313


for keeping the pedal member


313


to raise upward. The pedal member


313


has its rear end exposed out of the base seat


31


.




The elastic resistance member


33


disposes into the base seat


31


above the pedal member


313


and has a pivoting means


331


on lower end including a thru hole engaged with the aligned thru hole


315


of the pedal member


313


and pivotally secured by a retaining pin


3151


, a pair of bent arms


332


symmetrically formed and parallel extending upward and each has a roughly U-shaped retaining space


333


in outer side, a retaining slot


3321


in a top and a protrudent plate


3322


projected upward from the top thereof abutting the retaining slot


3321


for preventing a pair of reduced lateral walls


321


to move inward.




The suspending member


32


disposes into the opening


311


of the base seat


31


above the elastic resistance member


33


and has a pair of reduced lateral walls


321


engageable into the retaining slots


3321


of the elastic resistance member


33


, a front and back wall


322


, a bevel slot


323


in the top, a pair of bevel blocks


324


above the bevel slot


323


and a pair of aligned slits


3221


spacedly and parallel formed in front and back wall


322


engageable with the aligned thru holes


310


of the base seat


31


and slidably secured by a pair of retaining pins


3222


which also engaged within the retaining space


333


of the elastic resistance member


33


.




The inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


has a transverse upper portion engaged into the bevel slot


323


of the suspending member


32


and suspended from the top of the lower corner member


20


by a compressed spring


35


which has an upper end


351


hocked the circular thru hole


25


and the oblong thru hole


26


of the lower corner member


20


and a lower end


352


hocked the center of the transverse upper portion of the inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


. The inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


further has a pair of symmetrically formed transverse ends engaged with the positioning slots


24


of the lower corner member


20


through the gap between the pairs of the arcuate plates


319


of the base seat


31


. Note that the transverse upper portion of the inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


should never be disengaged with the bevel slot


323


because of the bevel blocks


324


and the transverse ends


341


should never be disengaged with the positioning slots


24


because of the compressed spring


35


.




Referring to FIG.


6


and

FIG. 5

again, in operation first tread the extensions


312


of the base seat


31


to stabilize the lower corner members


20


and lift the playpen up (the lower corner members


20


are simultaneously moved up), the arms


332


of the elastic resistance member


33


are stretching open waiting for the downward movement of the lower corner members


20


, after that the lower corner are moved down, the redused lateral walls


321


of the suspending members


32


begin to move downward to press against the arms


332


of the elastic resistance members


33


and to engaged within the positioning slots


3321


of the arms


332


which accept the weight of the suspending members


32


. Meanwhile, the inverse U-shaped suspending rods are automatically lifted up-to lead the lower corner members


20


moving upward again. Therefor the playpen can be oscillated by hands so as the four lower corner members are simultaneously moving to and fro. This lime, the base seats


31


are standing on the ground to stabilize the suspending members


32


and the compressed spring


35


provide the resilient force to have the oscillation more easy.




Referring to

FIGS. 7

to


10


of the drawings, tread the pedal members


313


downward, the elastic resistance members


33


are not to moved temporarily until that the playpen is lifted up to lead the inverse U-shaped suspending rod


34


and the suspending member


32


slightly moving upward to have the reduced lateral walls


321


disengaged with the positioning slots


3321


of the elastic resistance members


33


. When moves the pivoting means


331


of the elastic resistance members


33


move more downward, the arms


332


of the elastic resistance members


33


begin to deform and to displace inward, release the playpen, the lower corner members


20


are automatically moving downward because of the weight of the playpen, mean while the inverse U-shaped suspending rods


34


press the suspending member more inserting into the base seat


20


, release the pedal member


313


so that the lower corner members


20


are standing on the ground and the suspending rods


34


are limited between the arcuate plates


319


to have the playpen not to be oscillated. If wants the playpen to oscillate again, repeated the process as discussed the above.




The improved oscillating device of the present invention provide ready operation. The user needs not to squate or to bow his body but just treads the extensions


312


and lifts up the playpen, the process to oscillate the playpen is accomplished. Besides, the pedal member


313


has a safe function. Even if the user or a baby inadvertently touches it. The playpen is itill stable.




Note that the specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention, with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. An improved oscillatory device for a collapsible playpen comprising:four lower corner members disposed on the lower portion of a collapsible playpen each having a receiving space in lower portion, a post on a top, a pair of transverse rod perpendicularly pivoted to a pair of U-shaped pivots, a pair of retaining slots symmetrically formed in lower end of the receiving space, a circular hole abutting an oblong hole in a top thereof adjacent the post and a caster under a lateral side thereof; an improved oscillatory device disposed into the receiving space of each of the lower corner members, said improved oscillatory device each comprising: a hollow interior rectangular base seat having a pair of first aligned thru hole spacedly formed in upper portion through front and back walls, an opening on top, an extension extending outward from a lower portion of a lateral wall, a pair of arcuate plates symmetrically formed on a central lower portion of the front and back walls outside the base seat, a second aligned thru hole in a lower portion of the front and back walls thereof on a right side of the arcuate plates and a slit in lower portion of a lateral wall above the extension; a pedal member inserted into the base seat through the slit having a thru hole in front end engaged with the second aligned thru hole of the base seat and rotatably secured by an axial pin, a rear end extending out of the base seat and a third aligned thru hole in a pair of projections on a top thereof; a spring disposed inside the base seat under the pedal member; an elastic resistance member disposed into the base seat about the pedal member and having a thru hole under a pivoting means on lower portion thereof engaged with the third aligned thru hole of the pedal member and rotatably secured by an axial pin, a pair of bent arms symmetrically formed and parallel extending upward each having a U-shaped retaining space in outer side, a retaining slot in a top and a protrudent plate projected upward from a top thereof abutting the retaining slot; a suspending member disposed into the base seat above the elastic resistance member and having a pair of reduced lateral walls engageable with the retaining slots of the elastic resistance member, a front and a back wall, a bevel slot in a top, a pair of bevel blocks above the bevel slot and a pair of aligned slits spacedly and parallel formed in the front and back wall therethrough engageable with the second aligned thru holes of the base seat and slidably secured by a pair of retaining pins which also engaged within the U-shaped retaining space of the elastic resistance member; an inverse U-shaped suspending rod having a transverse upper portion engaged into the bevel slot of the suspending member, a pair of lateral portions engaged the arcuate plates of the base seat and a pair of transversely bent lower end engaged within the retaining slots of the lower corner member respectively; a compressed spring suspending the suspending rod from a inner top of the lower corner member and having an upper end hocked with the circular hole and the oblong hole of the lower corner member and a lower end hocked a center of the transverse upper portion of the suspending rod; whereby, tread the extension of the base seat and simultaneously lift up the playpen that the playpen can be able to oscillated.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
5956786 Huang Sep 1999 A
6026524 Barger Feb 2000 A
6158067 Cheng Dec 2000 A
6341394 Wang Jan 2002 B1
6349434 Zhuang Feb 2002 B1
6438773 Hsia Aug 2002 B1
6470515 Hsia Oct 2002 B1