Claims
- 1. A joint adapted to be used in a child holding, carrying and amusement system, said joint comprising, in combination, an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve including at least two sections an upper section of which includes an upper end having a flared end portion, resilient means disposed within the outer sleeve, and a shock absorbing member employed in conjunction with the resilient means and spaced from the internal walls of said outer sleeve, said shock absorbing member including a lower portion and an upper portion, whereby said upper portion of said shock absorbing member is free to move up and down and from side to side within said outer sleeve, said flared end portion of said outer sleeve permitting increased side-to-side movement of said shock absorbing member, said joint being adapted to be removably connected to and between a child holding device and a support base for said holding device, said resilient means in conjunction with said shock absorbing member providing up and down motion and side-to-side motion with respect to said outer sleeve, further including connecting means for connecting said joint to a child holding device and a support base therefor, said connecting means comprising upper connecting means connected to said upper portion of said resilient means and shock absorbing member for connecting said shock absorbing member to a child holding device, and further including control means for controlling and locking said joint to limit movement, said control means comprising a lift member disposed between the two sections of said outer sleeve and pivotally connected to said sections, said lift member including handle means disposed externally to said outer sleeve and extending through a slot in one of said sections of said outer sleeve, whereby downwardly applied force on said handle means causes said lift member to separate said two sections of said outer sleeve.
- 2. The joint as defined in claim 1 wherein one end of said shock absorbing member is locked and connected to a child holding device or carrier and the other end is locked and connected to a support base for said carrier so that when said lift member is made to separate said two sections of said outer sleeve, the upper section lifts the carrier upwardly causing the resilient means and shock absorbing member to be extended to and held at an outer position thereby limiting movement of said resilient means and said shock absorbing member.
- 3. The joint as defined in claim 2 wherein said lift member is of generally horseshoe-shaped configuration, the middle portions of the legs of the horseshoe being larger than the ends of said legs.
- 4. A child holding device comprising a child carrier, a support base therefor and a joint as defined in claim 1, wherein one end of said joint is connected and locked to said child carrier and the other end is connected and locked to said support base for the child carrier.
- 5. The child holding device as defined in claim 4 wherein said child carrier, joint, base support takes the form of a pre-walking child walker, said base support having rolling means connected thereto.
- 6. A child holding device in the form of an infant seat-infant bed combination, comprising a child carrier, a support base therefor and a joint disposed between said carrier and said support base, said carrier being pivotally mounted to an upper portion of said joint and adapted to be disposed horizontally perpendicular to said joint end at various angles thereto, said joint comprising an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve including an upper end having a flared end portion, resilient means disposed within the outer sleeve, and a shock absorbing member employed in conjunction with the resilient means and spaced from the internal walls of said outer sleeve, said shock absorbing member including a lower portion and an upper portion, the end of said upper portion being connected to said child carrier, means for limiting movement of said lower portion of said shock absorbing member, said upper portion of said shock absorbing member being free to move up and down and from side to side within said outer sleeve, said flared end portion of said outer sleeve permitting increased side-to-side movement of said shock absorbing member, said joint being adapted to be removably connected to and between a child holding device and a support base for said holding device, said resilient means in conjunction with said shock absorbing member providing up and down motion and side-to-side motion of said carrier with respect to said outer sleeve.
- 7. A child holding device comprising a child carrier, a support base therefor, and a joint disposed between said child carrier and support base one end of said joint being connected and locked to said child carrier and the other end being connected and locked to said support base, said joint comprising, in combination, an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve including an upper end having a flared end portion, resilient means disposed within the outer sleeve, and a shock absorbing member employed in conjunction with the resilient means and spaced from the internal walls of said outer sleeve, said shock absorbing member including a lower portion and an upper portion, the end of said upper portion being connected to said child carrier, said upper portion of said shock absorbing member being free to move up and down and from side to side within said outer sleeve, said flared end portion of said outer sleeve permitting increased side-to-side movement of said shock absorbing member, said joint being adapted to be removably connected to and between a child holding device and a support base for said holding device, said resilient means in conjunction with said shock absorbing member providing up and down motion and side-to-side motion with respect to said outer sleeve, the bottom of said child carrier being of rounded design and said outer sleeve of said joint including an upper curved portion of larger curvature than the curvature of said bottom of said child carrier, and control means for positioning said upper curved portion of said outer sleeve and said bottom curved portion of said child carrier into contact with each other thereby limiting movement of said child carrier with respect to said joint.
- 8. A child holding device comprising a child carrier, a support base therefor and a joint disposed therebetween, said joint comprising, in combination, an outer sleeve, resilient means disposed within said outer sleeve and spaced from the internal walls of said outer sleeve, said resilient means including a lower portion and an upper portion, said upper portion of said resilient means being free to move with respect to said outer sleeve, and wherein an upper end of said resilient means is connected to said child carrier and a lower end of said outer sleeve is connected to said support base, the upper end of said resilient member and said carrier being adapted for up and down motion and side to side motion with respect to said outer sleeve.
- 9. The child holding device as defined in claim 8 wherein said resilient means comprises a torsion bar.
- 10. The child holding device as defined in claim 8 wherein said resilient means comprises one or more springs.
- 11. The child holding device defined in claim 8 wherein said resilient means comprises spring steel.
- 12. The child holding device as defined in claim 8 wherein said outer sleeve of said joint includes a flared upper end disposed in spaced relation to the carrier where motion of the carrier with respect to the joint is desired.
- 13. The child holding device as defined in claim 12 further including control means for lowering said carrier against said flared upper end of said outer sleeve of said joint where movement of said carrier with respect to said joint is to be restricted or prevented.
- 14. The child holding device as defined in claim 8 wherein the upper portion of said outer sleeve includes a flared end portion and the bottom of said child carrier includes grooves adapted to engage said flared end portion.
- 15. The child holding device as defined in claim 14 further including control means associated with said joint for lowering said child carrier against said flared end portions of said outer sleeve, causing said flared end portion of said outer sleeve to engage said grooves of said child carrier thereby restricting or preventing motion of said carrier with respect to said joint.
REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 758,799, filed Jan. 12, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,553.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
806321 |
Dec 1958 |
GBX |
1173916 |
Dec 1969 |
GBX |
1423130 |
Jan 1976 |
GBX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
758799 |
Jan 1977 |
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