PRIORITY CLAIM
This application claims priority to Netherlands Patent Application No. 2009531, filed Sep. 28, 2012, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
BACKGROUND
The present disclosure is related to child carriers. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to child carriers including wheels that allow a child carrier to be rolled along the ground.
SUMMARY
An illustrative child carrier is adapted to carry a child and a caregiver as the child carrier rolls along the ground. The child carrier includes a wheeled base and a child seat. The wheeled base is adapted to support a standing caregiver while the child seat supports a seated child as the child carrier rolls along the ground.
In illustrative embodiments, the child seat is coupled to the wheeled base for movement from an upright-use position to a collapsed-storage position. In the upright-use position, the child seat extends up from the wheeled base so that a child seated in the child seat is supported above the ground during operation of the child carrier. In the collapsed-storage position, the child seat extends along wheeled so that the child carrier has a relatively low profile during storage of the child carrier.
In illustrative embodiments, the child carrier includes a seat-position lock that provides means for blocking or allowing movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position. The seat-position lock includes a support arm coupled to the child seat and a support-arm retainer coupled to the wheeled base. The support arm is coupled to the child seat to pivot relative to the child seat. The support-arm retainer is coupled to the wheeled base and engages the support arm to block movement of the child seat to the collapsed storage position when the seat-position lock is locked.
In illustrative embodiments, the child carrier includes a brake unit that provides means for slowing the child carrier while a caregiver rides the child carrier. The brake unit includes a brake pedal, left and right friction plugs, and left and right struts that interconnect the brake pedal and friction plugs. The brake pedal is coupled to the wheeled base and is adapted to be pressed downwardly by a caregiver's foot to operate the brake unit. The friction plugs are moved into contact with back wheels of the wheeled base when a caregiver presses downwardly on the brake pedal to create friction between the friction plugs and the back wheels so that rotation of the wheels is resisted and the child carrier slows down.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rolling child carrier supporting a standing caregiver and a sitting child for rolling movement along the ground showing that the child carrier includes a wheeled base adapted to roll along the ground, a child seat coupled to a front end of the wheeled base to pivot about a seat axis relative to the wheeled base, a seat-position lock coupled between the wheeled base and the child seat to block or allow movement of the child seat about the seat axis toward and away from the wheeled base, and a brake unit coupled to a back end of the wheeled base to slow movement of the child carrier along the ground;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the child carrier of FIG. 1 showing the child seat in an upright-use position in which the child seat extends upwardly from the wheeled base so that the a child seated in the child seat is supported above the ground and showing that the seat-position lock includes a support arm coupled to and arranged to extend away from the child seat and a support-arm retainer coupled to the wheeled base and engaged with the support arm to block movement of the support arm relative to the child seat so that the seat-position lock is locked and blocks movement of the child seat about the seat axis from the upright-use position toward a collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the child carrier of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the child seat pivoted about the seat axis relative to the wheeled base from the upright-use position, shown in FIG. 2, to the collapsed-storage position in which the child seat extends along the wheeled base so that the child carrier has a relatively low profile for storage and showing that the support arm is arranged to extend along the child seat after being disengaged from the support-arm retainer so that the seat-position lock is unlocked and allows movement of the child seat about the seat axis toward and away from the wheeled base;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the child carrier of FIGS. 1-3 showing that the wheeled base includes an elongated deck board, front and back wheel trucks coupled to the deck board, and a pivot mount coupled to the deck board, also showing that the child seat includes a sling frame adapted to be coupled to the pivot mount of the wheeled base, a child-support sling coupled to the sling frame, a caregiver grip coupled to the sling frame, and a child grip coupled to the sling frame, further showing that the seat-position lock includes the support-arm retainer adapted to be coupled to the wheeled base and the support arm adapted to be coupled to the sling frame to pivot relative to the sling frame, and finally showing that the brake unit includes a brake pedal coupled to the deck board to pivot relative to the deck board, left and right friction plugs coupled to the back wheel truck, and left and right struts arranged to extend from the brake pedal to the corresponding left and right friction plugs;
FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the child carrier of FIGS. 1-4 showing the child seat in the upright-use position arranged to extend upwardly from the wheeled base prior to a caregiver unlocking the seat-position lock, as suggested in FIGS. 6-10, so that the child seat can be pivoted about the seat axis toward the wheeled base, as suggested in FIG. 11, to assume finally the collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of a portion of FIG. 5 annotated to include a series of arrows suggesting steps taken to unlock the seat-position lock, as shown in FIGS. 7-10, and to move the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 6A is a detail perspective view of a portion of FIG. 6 showing that the support-arm retainer includes a receiver adapted to receive a portion of the support arm and a blocker movable from an engaged position arranged to block movement of the support arm out of the receiver to a disengaged position arranged to allow movement of the support arm out of the receiver and suggesting that a first step in unlocking the seat-position lock is moving the blocker from the engaged position to the disengaged position so that the support arm is allowed to move relative to the receiver;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 6 after a caregiver moves the blocker of the support-arm retainer from the engaged position to the disengaged position during the first step of unlocking the seat-position lock so that the support arm is allowed to move out of the receiver of the support-arm retainer, as shown in more detail in FIG. 7A, and suggesting that a second step in unlocking the seat-position lock is pivoting the support arm relative to the sling frame about an arm axis so that the support arm is moved out of the receiver included in the support arm retainer as shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 7A is a detail perspective view of a portion of FIG. 7 showing the blocker of the support-arm retainer from the engaged position to the disengaged position so that the support arm is allowed to move out of the receiver of the support-arm retainer as shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 after a caregiver pivots the support arm relative to the sling frame about the arm axis and out of the receiver included in the support-arm retainer during the second step of unlocking the seat-position lock so that the sling frame of the child seat is allowed to pivot about the seat axis away from the wheeled base and suggesting that a third step in unlocking the seat-position lock is pivoting the sling frame about the seat axis away from the wheeled base as shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 after a caregiver pivots the sling frame about the seat axis away from the wheeled base during the third step of unlocking the seat-position lock so that the support arm can be moved toward the sling frame of the child seat without being blocked by the support-arm retainer and suggesting that a fourth step in unlocking the seat-position lock is pivoting the support arm toward the sling frame of the child seat so that the support arm extends along the sling frame of the child seat as shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9 after a caregiver pivots the support arm into position extending along the sling frame of the child seat unlocking the seat-position lock so that the support arm is moved out of the way of the child seat moving about the seat axis toward the wheeled base and to the collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 11 partial perspective view of the child carrier shown in FIG. 10 after a caregiver has unlocked the seat-position lock as shown in FIGS. 6-10 showing the child seat pivoted about the seat axis toward the wheeled base into the collapsed-storage position shown more particularly in FIG. 12;
FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the child carrier of FIG. 3 showing the child seat in the collapsed-storage position arranged to extend along the wheeled base so that the child carrier has a relatively low profile for storage or transportation by a caregiver;
FIG. 13 is a detail rear perspective view of a portion of the wheeled base and the brake unit included in the child carrier of FIGS. 1-4 showing that the brake unit is coupled between the deck board and the back-wheel truck of the wheeled base;
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view similar to FIG. 13 showing that the back-wheel truck of the wheeled base includes a hanger adapted to be coupled to the deck board, an axle coupled to the hanger to pivot relative to the hanger, and left and right wheels coupled to the axle and showing that the brake unit includes the brake pedal adapted to be coupled to the deck board, the left and right friction plugs adapted to be coupled to the axle, the left and right struts arranged to extend from the brake pedal to the corresponding left and right friction plugs, and left and right return springs adapted to bias the brake unit toward a disengaged position as shown in FIG. 15 and to resist movement of the brake unit toward an engaged position as shown in FIG. 16;
FIG. 15 is a rear elevation view of a portion of the wheeled base and the brake unit included in the child carrier showing the brake unit in the disengaged before a caregiver presses downwardly on the brake pedal and showing that the left and right friction plugs of the brake unit are out of contact with the corresponding left and right wheels of the back-wheel truck so that rotation of the left and right wheels is not resisted by the left and right friction plugs; and
FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 showing the brake unit in the engaged position after a caregiver presses downwardly on the brake pedal and showing that the left and right friction plugs of the brake unit are moved into contact with the corresponding left and right wheels of the back-wheel truck as a result of the left and right struts converting downward movement of the brake pedal into outward movement of the left and right friction plugs so that rotation of the left and right wheels is resisted by the left and right friction plugs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An illustrative rolling child carrier 10 is adapted to carry a child and a caregiver as child carrier 10 moves along the ground 15 as shown in FIG. 1. Child carrier 10 illustratively includes a wheeled base 12 and a child seat 14 as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. Wheeled base 12 is adapted to support a standing caregiver while child seat 14 supports a seated child. Thus, child carrier 10 can support both a caregiver and a child riding child carrier 10 along the ground 15.
In the illustrative embodiment, child seat 14 is coupled to wheeled base 12 for movement about a seat axis 14A from an upright-use position as shown in FIG. 2 to a collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 3. In the upright-use position, child seat 14 is arranged to extend upwardly from wheeled base 12 so that a child in the child seat is supported above the ground. In the collapsed-storage position, child seat 14 is arranged to extend along wheeled base 12 so that child carrier 10 has a relatively low profile for storage and transportation.
Child carrier 10 includes a seat-position lock 20 that provides means for blocking or allowing movement of child seat 14 about seat axis 14A from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position as suggested in FIGS. 5-10. Seat-position lock 20 illustratively includes a support arm 22 and a support-arm retainer 24 as shown in FIG. 4. Support arm 22 is coupled to child seat 14 for movement about an arm axis 22A and is illustratively U-shaped having a left leg 31, a right leg 32, and a crossbar 33. Support-arm retainer 24 is coupled to wheeled base 12 and engages support arm 22 when seat-position lock 20 blocks movement of child seat 14 from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position.
Support-arm retainer 24 of seat-position lock 20 illustratively includes a receiver 26 and a blocker 28 as shown in FIG. 4. Receiver 26 is coupled to wheeled base 12 and is formed to include a channel 27 sized to receive crossbar 33 of support arm 22. Blocker 28 is illustratively coupled to receiver 26 by a living hinge 29 for movement about a blocker axis 28A. Blocker 28 moves from an engaged position arranged to block movement of support arm 22 out of channel 27 to a disengaged position arranged to allow movement of support arm 22 out of channel 27.
Child carrier 10 includes a brake unit 30 that provides means for slowing child carrier 10 while a caregiver rides child carrier 10 along the ground 15 as shown in FIG. 1. Brake unit 30 includes a brake pedal 34, left and right friction plugs 35, 36, left and right struts 37, 38, and left and right return springs 39, 40 as shown in FIG. 14.
Brake pedal 34 is coupled to wheeled base 12 and is adapted to be pressed downwardly by a caregiver's foot to operate brake unit 30 as suggested by arrow 34D in FIGS. 15 and 16. Left and right friction plugs 35, 36 are moved outwardly to a braked position as suggested by arrows 350, 360 in response to the caregiver pressing brake pedal 34 to slow movement of child carrier 10 along the ground 15 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. Left and right struts 37, 38 interconnect brake pedal 34 with friction plugs 35, 36 and convert downward movement of brake pedal 34 into outward movement of friction plugs 35, 36 as shown in FIGS. 15-16. Left and right return springs 39, 40 are coupled to friction plugs 35, 36 and bias friction plugs 35, 36 inwardly toward an unbraked position.
Wheeled base 12 illustratively includes an elongated deck board 45, a front-wheel truck 44, a back-wheel truck 46, and a pivot mount 48 as shown in FIG. 4. Front-wheel truck 44 is coupled to deck board 45 at a front end 41 of deck board 45. Back-wheel truck 46 is coupled to deck board 45 at a back end 42 of deck board 45. Pivot mount 48 is coupled to deck board 45 at front end 41 of deck board 45 and is coupled to child seat 14 to define seat axis 14A.
Deck board 45 includes a central platform 50, a front platform 54, and a back platform 56 as shown in FIG. 4. Central platform 50 is sized to support two feet of a standing caregiver in generally heel-to-toe position. Front platform 54 is connected to central platform 50 by an S-joint 55 so that front platform 54 is arranged forward of and above central platform 50. Back platform 56 is connected to central platform 50 by an S-joint 57 so that back platform 56 is arranged rearward of and above central platform 50.
Front-wheel truck 44 is coupled to front platform 54 of deck board 45 and extends downwardly from front platform 54 as shown in FIG. 4. Front-wheel truck 44 illustratively includes a hanger 58, an axle 60, a left wheel 61, and a right wheel 62. Hanger 58 is coupled to front platform 54. Axle 60 is coupled to hanger 58 for movement relative to hanger 58 about an axle axis 60A which forms a non-perpendicular angle α with deck board 45 as shown in FIG. 12. Left and right wheels 61, 62 are coupled to axle 60 for rotation.
Back-wheel truck 46 is coupled to back platform 56 of deck board 45 and extends downwardly from back platform 56 as shown in FIG. 14. Back-wheel truck 46 illustratively includes a hanger 68, an axle 70, a left wheel 71, and a right wheel 72. Hanger 68 is coupled to back platform 56. Axle 70 is coupled to hanger 68 for movement relative to hanger 68 about an axle axis 70A which forms a non-perpendicular angle β with deck board 45 as shown in FIG. 12. Left and right wheels 71, 72 are coupled to axle 70 for rotation. By coupling axles 60, 70 to hangers 58, 68 and deck board 45 for movement about axes 60A, 70A, a caregiver can pivot deck board 45 over a limited range of motion about a longitudinal axis 45A of deck board 45 to thereby steer child carrier 10.
Child seat 14 is adapted to support a child sitting illustratively includes a sling mount 74, a child-support sling 76 coupled to sling mount 74, and a child grip 78 coupled to sling mount 74 as shown in FIG. 4. Sling mount 74 is coupled to front platform 54 of deck board 45 by pivot mount 48 for movement about seat axis 14A. Child-support sling 76 is adapted to support a sitting child. Child grip 78 provides a handle for a child sitting on child-support sling 76.
Sling mount 74 illustratively forms a continuous hoop to structurally support child-support sling 76 and includes a sling frame 80 and a caregiver grip 82 as shown in FIG. 4. Sling frame 80 is adapted to stretch child-support sling 76 so that child-support sling 76 is shaped to support a sitting child. Caregiver grip 82 provides a handle for a caregiver standing on wheeled base 12.
Sling frame 80 is U-shaped and includes a left arm 83, a right arm 84, a crossbeam 85 interconnecting left and right arms 83, 84, left and right arm brackets 86, 87, and a pivot coupler 88 as shown, for example, in FIG. 4. Left arm bracket 86 is coupled to left arm 83 of sling frame 80 about midway between crossbeam 85 and caregiver grip 82. Right arm bracket 87 is coupled to right arm 84 of sling frame 80 about midway between crossbeam 85 and caregiver grip 82. Pivot coupler 88 is coupled to crossbeam 85 and is coupled to pivot mount 48 to allow movement of child seat 14 about seat axis 14A.
Left leg 31 of support arm 22 is coupled to left arm bracket 86 of sling frame 80 as shown in FIG. 4. Right leg 32 of support arm 22 is coupled to right arm bracket 87 of sling frame 80. Support-arm retainer 24 is coupled to front platform 54 of deck board 45.
Child-support sling 76 illustratively includes a chair 90 and a harness 92 as shown in FIG. 4. Chair 90 is illustratively made from fabric and forms a seat bottom 93, a seat back 94 extending up from the seat bottom 93, and a foot rest 95 extending down from the seat bottom 93. Harness 92 is illustratively a five-point harness but in other embodiments may be three-point harness, a lap harness, or the like.
Brake unit 30, brake pedal 34 is coupled to back platform 56 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Friction plugs 35, 36 are coupled to axle 70 of back-wheel truck 46 to slide along axle 70. Struts 37, 38 interconnect brake pedal 34 and friction plugs 35, 36 and push friction plugs 35, 36 outwardly from the unbraked position, out of contact with the wheels 71, 72, to the braked position, in contact with the wheels 71, 72 as suggested in FIG. 16. Return springs 39, 40 are coupled to friction plugs 35, 36 and pull friction plugs 35, 36 inwardly from the braked position to the unbraked position as suggested in FIG. 15.
Brake pedal 34 illustratively includes a press pad 96 arranged to extend over back platform 56 and connection member 98 arranged to extend under back platform 56 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Press pad 96 is adapted to be pressed by the foot of a caregiver during operation of brake unit 30. Connection member 98 is coupled to left and right struts 37, 38 to allow struts 37, 38 to pivot relative to brake pedal 34.
In operation, a caregiver presses downwardly on brake pedal 34 as suggested in FIGS. 15 and 16 to engage the brake unit 30. In response to downward movement of the brake pedal 34, friction pugs 35, 36 are moved outwardly as suggested by arrows 350 and 360 in FIGS. 15 and 16. When friction pugs 35, 36 engage back wheels 71, 72, brake unit 30 is engaged to slow movement of child carrier 10 as shown in FIG. 16.
To move seat-position lock 16 from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration a caregiver performs a number of steps as suggested in FIGS. 6-10. In the locked configuration, seat-position lock 16 blocks movement of child seat 14 about seat axis 14A from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position as shown in FIG. 5. In the unlocked configuration, seat-position lock 16 allows a caregiver to pivot child seat 14 down about seat axis 14A from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position as suggested by arrow P in FIG. 11.
In a first step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver moves blocker 28 of support-arm retainer 24 from the engaged position, shown in FIG. 6, to the disengaged position, shown in FIG. 7, as suggested by arrow 1 in FIGS. 6A and 7A. Movement of blocker 28 allows support arm 22 to move relative to receiver 26 as suggested by arrow 2 in FIG. 7.
In a second step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots support arm 22 relative to child seat 14 about arm axis 22A as suggested by arrow 2 in FIG. 7. Pivoting of support arm 22 moves support arm 22 out of receiver 26 so that child seat 14 is allowed to pivot about seat axis 14A away from wheeled base 12 as shown in FIG. 8.
In a third step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots child seat 14 about seat axis 14A away from wheeled base 12 as suggested by arrow 3 in FIG. 8. Pivoting of child seat 14 allows support arm 22 to be moved toward child seat 14 without being blocked by support-arm retainer 24 as shown in FIG. 9.
In a fourth step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots support arm 22 toward child seat 14 so that support arm 22 extends along child seat 14 as shown in FIG. 10. The seat-position lock 20 is now unlocked and child seat 14 can assume the position shown in FIG. 11.
When seat-position lock 20 is in the unlocked configuration, a caregiver can pivot child seat 14 about seat axis 14A from the expanded-use position to the collapsed-storage position as suggested by arrow P in FIG. 11. In the collapsed-storage position, child seat 14 extends over wheeled base 12 so that child carrier 10 has a relatively low profile for storage and/or transportation of child carrier 10 as shown in FIG. 12.
An illustrative child carrier 10 for transporting a child by an adult may include a wheeled base 12 and a child seat 14 as shown in FIGS. 1-16. The wheeled base 12 may include an elongated deck board 45 having a central platform 50 sized to provide a footrest for the adult, two front wheels 61, 62, and a back wheel 71. The child seat 14 may include a sling mount 74 and a child-support sling 76 for the child connected to the sling mount 74.
In some embodiments, the front wheels 61, 62 may be are rotatably connected to a front axle 60 as shown in FIG. 4. The front axle 60 may be pivotable about a front axle axis 60A connected to a front side 41 of the elongated deck board 45 as suggested in FIG. 12. The front axis 60A may enclose an angle A of more than one degree with a virtual line 65 extending perpendicular to the central platform 45 of the elongated deck board 45. The sling mount 74 may be connected to the elongated deck board 45 near the front side 41 thereof so that during use a force applied to the sling mount 74 by a caregiver standing on the elongated deck board 45 in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 45A of the elongated deck board 45 will cause the elongated deck board 45 to be tilted and the front axle 60 to be pivoted.
In some embodiments, the child carrier 10 may comprise two back wheels 71, 72 being rotatably connected to a back axle 70 as shown in FIG. 4. The back axle 70 may be pivotable about a back-axle axis 70A connected to a back side 42 of the elongated deck board 45 as shown in FIG. 12. The back axis 70A may enclose an angle B of more than one degree with a virtual line 75 extending perpendicular to the central platform 50 of the elongated deck board 45.
In some embodiments, the front-axle axis 60A and the back-axle axis 70A enclose angles of more than one degree in opposite directions with respect to the corresponding virtual lines 65, 75 extending perpendicular to the central platform 50 of the elongated deck board 45 as shown in FIG. 12. In some embodiments, the distance between the two front wheels 61, 62 is about the same as the distance between the two back wheels 71, 72.
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may include a sling frame 80 connected with a first end to the elongated deck board 45 near the front side 41 thereof and provided near a second end with a caregiver grip 82 as shown in FIG. 4. The child carrier 10 may further comprise a support arm 22 connected to the sling frame 80 between the first and second ends thereof and connected to the elongated deck board 45 between the first end of the sling frame 80 and the back wheel 71 (or 72).
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may be foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa as shown in FIGS. 5-10. The sling frame 74 may be pivotably connected with a first end to the elongated deck board 45. The support arm 22 may be pivotably connected to the sling frame 74 and releasably connected to the elongated deck board 45 or vice versa.
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may be foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa as shown in FIGS. 5-10. The sling frame may be pivotably connected with a first end to the elongated deck board 45.
In some embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 comprises a front platform 54 provided with the at least two front wheels 61, 62, a central platform 50, and a back platform 56 provided with the back wheel 71 (or 72) as shown in FIG. 4. The central platform 50 may be lowered with respect to the front platform 54 and the back platform 56.
In some embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 may be provided with a brake unit 30 for braking the back wheel 71 (or 72) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 14. In some embodiments, the child carrier may comprise an optional electric motor 99 for driving the front wheels 61, 62 as suggested in FIG. 4. In other embodiments, the motor 99 may be configured to drive the back wheels 71, 72.
In some embodiments, the child-support sling 76 may be a flexible seat made of a fabric as shown in FIG. 4. In some embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 is a whole made as a single unit (monolithic). In other embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 may be a multi-component part.
Patent Application
20140091547
