1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infant seat products and, more particularly, to an assembly for mounting a toy bar arrangement to an infant seat assembly, and an associated apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
There are several commercially-available variants of infant seats or so-called “bouncers.” A bouncer usually consists of a frame and a seat which is supported by said frame and, additionally, may include features that are intended to entertain or soothe the infant occupant. Such features may include, for example, electromechanical vibration units, toys and toy bars intended to engage the interest of the infant occupant.
One commonly used feature is a toy bar. The toy bar attaches to the bouncer and provides a structure to which one may attach toys and/or other devices intended to capture the attention of and to engage the infant occupant. These toys may include electrical or mechanical features and may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to the toy bar or otherwise integral with the toy bar. The mounting devices which permit attachment of the toy bar to the frame are often designed to articulate in such a way as to facilitate use by the occupant (improving visibility or reach) or to allow the caregiver improved access to the occupant while being placed into or being removed from the bouncer.
A concern arising from the use of the toy bar is that it can appear to be, and may in fact be, used as a handle with which to lift the bouncer while occupied by an infant. This becomes a safety concern when the toy bar, while indeed appearing to be a handle, is not designed for use as a handle and, therefore, does not provide a safe means of transporting the bouncer while occupied. In such instances, the toy bar could potentially disengage from the frame/bouncer, or may not sufficiently balance and secure the seat so as to prevent the seat from inversion and possible discharge of the occupant.
Furthermore, previous designs of toy bars may demonstrate a variety of connection styles and geometry. While these designs are typically functional and relatively safe, both criteria are not typically met with equal success. For example, in strengthening a toy bar so that it does not disengage easily from the frame, such toy bars do not compensate for their potential use as a handle, to the extent that a caregiver might mistakenly assume it is designed for that purpose.
As such, it would be desirable to provide a device and associated apparatus capable of reducing instances of misuse of a toy bar as a handle during transportation of the bouncer, while also being capable of maintaining the toy bar in an engaged position during use thereof by the infant occupant.
The above and other needs are met by the present invention which, according to one aspect, provides a mounting assembly for mounting a toy bar arrangement to a frame of an infant seat assembly. The mounting assembly comprises a mounting member adapted to fixedly engage a frame of an infant seat assembly. The mounting assembly further comprises a receptacle member operably engaged with the mounting member and defining a cavity. The receptacle member is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis with respect to the mounting member, and between a locked position and an unlocked position in relation to a locking member associated with the mounting member. The mounting assembly further comprises a mating member adapted to operably engage a toy bar arrangement and configured to be removably received within the cavity of the receptacle member so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the receptacle member between the locked and unlocked positions. The mating member and the receptacle member engaged therewith extend along a non-vertical axis in the locked position. The mating member has a locking flange associated therewith. The locking flange is configured to engage the locking member in the locked position so as to prevent the mating member from disengaging the receptacle member in response to one of an axial force applied to the mating member along the non-vertical axis and a rotational force applied to the mating member toward the locked position. The mating member is configured to rotate to the unlocked position, and the locking member is configured to disengage the locking flange in the unlocked position so as to allow the mating member to be disengaged from the receptacle member, in response to at least one of an axial force applied to the mating member along a vertical axis and a rotational force applied to the mating member toward the unlocked position, so as to prevent the toy bar arrangement from supporting the frame of the seat assembly.
Another aspect of the present invention provides an infant seat assembly comprising a frame having first and second side portions, and a toy bar arrangement extending between the first and second side portions and having opposing ends. The infant seat assembly further comprises a pair of mounting members, each mounting member being fixedly engaged with one of the side portions of the frame. The infant seat assembly further comprises a pair of receptacle members, each receptacle member being operably engaged with a respective mounting member and defining a cavity. Each receptacle member is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis with respect to the respective mounting member, and between a locked position and an unlocked position in relation to a locking member associated with at least one of the mounting members. The infant seat assembly further comprises a pair of mating members, each mating member being operably engaged with a respective end of the toy bar arrangement and being configured to be removably received within the cavity of the respective receptacle member so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the respective receptacle member between the locked and unlocked positions. Each mating member and the receptacle member correspondingly engaged therewith extends along a non-vertical axis in the locked position. The mating member received by the receptacle member associated with the at least one of the mounting members having the locking member associated therewith further includes a locking flange associated therewith. The locking flange is configured to engage the locking member in the locked position so as to prevent the mating member from disengaging the receptacle member in response to one of an axial force applied to the mating member via the toy bar arrangement along the non-vertical axis and a rotational force applied to the mating member via the toy bar arrangement toward the locked position. The mating member is configured to rotate to the unlocked position, and the locking member is configured to disengage the locking flange in the unlocked position so as to allow the mating member to be disengaged from the receptacle member, in response to at least one of an axial force applied to the mating member via the toy bar arrangement along a vertical axis and a rotational force applied to the mating member via the toy bar arrangement toward the unlocked position, so as to prevent the toy bar arrangement from supporting the frame of the seat assembly.
Embodiments of the present invention thus provide advantages as otherwise detailed herein.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Embodiments of the present invention address concerns in which a toy bar is mounted to a seat frame of an infant bouncer, as previously described. In this regard, embodiments of the present invention permit the toy bar to travel along an arcuate path, the extremes of which provide for one of two orientations, an “in-use” or locked position or an unlocked position which allows for ready disengagement or removal of the toy bar by a caregiver. To overcome the use of a toy bar as a handle, embodiments of the present invention provide a rotating toy bar mount assembly, configured such that when the toy bar is grasped (as when attempting to use it as a handle), it automatically releases from its mounts (and hence the frame of the bouncer) when lifted. However, when the toy bar is secured in the “in use” or locked position, it is locked so as to prevent the toy bar from unintentionally disengaging from the bouncer, including toward or onto the infant occupant while in use. That is, in the event an attempt is made to use the toy bar as a handle, embodiments of the present invention as described herein provide features for automatically disengaging the toy bar from its locked position, as well as automatically disengaging the toy bar from the bouncer, before the toy bar can be used as a lifting handle. In this regard, embodiments of the present invention provide an assembly and apparatus for preventing misuse of a toy bar as a handle, while also preventing the toy bar from unintentionally becoming separated from the bouncer.
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The mating member 460 may include a key 468 configured to be received within the keyway 444 associated with the receptacle member 440 so as to allow the mating member 460 to be inserted within the cavity 442 in only one orientation. In some instances, the key 468 may have a wedge-shaped profile and the keyway 444 is correspondingly configured to receive the key 468. In such instances, the wedge-shape profile of the key 468 is used to guide the mating member 460 into the cavity 442 of the receptacle member 440 by serving as a wedge which automatically causes the receptacle member 440 to rotate away from the locked position and permitting the mating member 460 to be seated into the receptacle member 440, as shown in
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Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, throughout its path of motion, opportunities to provide stops which prevent or limit rotation of the toy bar arrangement 200 as well as guides and slots to enable desirable rotation can be identified such that normal assembly of the toy bar arrangement 200 with the seat frame 150 will implement such features to prevent inadvertent release. Furthermore, the disengagement of the toy bar arrangement 200 may be as a result of any one of several mechanisms, including ratcheting devices, spring locks or other mechanisms that allow the toy bar arrangement 200 to move from a locked position to an unlocked position as a direct result of a caretaker's attempt to lift the infant seat assembly 100 while using the toy bar arrangement 200 as a handle. In addition, the interaction between the locking flange 466 and the locking member 430 may be contained within a housing structure so as to reduce the possibility of pinching a caregiver or infant occupant. Such a housing structure may be generally funnel-shaped such that the mating member 460 can be inserted within the housing structure to engage the receptacle member 440. In some instances, the housing structure may be integrally formed as part of the mounting member 420. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/234,461 filed Aug. 17, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61234461 | Aug 2009 | US |