Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
105~'ZSZ
BACKGROUND OF TH:E: INVENTION:
The present invention relates to a baby walker provided
with a frame that rolls along the ground and a seat elevated
at a height above the ground to the child. The child by
moving its feet along the ground may thus propel the walker
along the ground. With the present invention, it is also
possible to collapse the frame permitting convenient storage
of the walker as may be desirable when taking an automobile
trip for example and to adjust the height of the frame and
seat so as to accommodate the natural growth of the child.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
In accordance with one aspect of this invention there
is provided a walker, comprisings a top member provided with
an opening therein and a seat suspended below said opening;
a bottom member; means operably connecting said top and bottom
members for permitting the walker to be collapsed, wherein said
top and bottom members are positioned near each other, and for
permitting the walker to be expanded through several positions
wherein the distance between said top and bottom members is
variably adjusted, said collapsing and expanding means
comprises a first strut having a top portion mounted to said
top member for rotation about a fixed axis and a bottom
portion consisting of arms, said bottom member including
means for mounting said arms of said first strut to slide with
respect to said bottom member, said collapsing and expanding
means also comprising a second strut having a top portion and
a bottom portion consisting of arms, said top member including
means permitting said top portion to slide along the underneath
of said top member, said bottom member including means for
mounting said arms of said second strut to rotate about fixed
L
.
~05;~25;~
points on said bottom member, said struts having intermediate
portions between said top and bottom portions intersecting each
other on each side of said walker, said top member slide means
comprises a block, wherein said top portion of said second
strut passes through said block and is mounted to rotate about
an axis through said block, a rail mounted longitudinally
below said top member, said block mounted to slide along said :~
rail, and means located on said top member for locking said ;
collapsing and expanding means to set said top and bottom ::
members in a desired one of said positions, wherein said lock-
ing means comprises a series of teeth along said rail, a
.threaded post extending outwardly from said block, a knob
threaded on said post, and a member intermediately adjacent
said rail and said knob provided with teeth complementary in
configuration with respect to said teeth of said rail, such
that as said knob is threaded on said post said knob forces
said teeth of said member into engagement with said teeth of :~:~
said rail prohibiting said top portion of said second strut
from sliding, thereby locking said collapsing and expanding
means in one of said seve~al positions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
_
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the walker in raised
position;
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the
~ walker viewed from the bottom thereof illustrating the manually :-
operable mechanism for adjusting the height of the frame and
seat and for collapsing the entire walker for transport;
FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view partly in section
of one side of the bottom member of the frame illustrating
` 30 the relationship of the sliding and rotating struts to the
bottom member of the frame when the struts are positioned in
, ~ :
-la-
:. ,,,~, .
. ..
105;~ZSZ
such manner as to raise the top frame member to its uppermost
position;
FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view partly in section
illustrating the relationship of the struts to the bottom
member of the frame when the top frame member is in collapsed
position for storage;
FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view illustrating the
walker in collapsed position for storage;
-lb-
~,
.. ~ . - 105'~Z5Z
FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view illustrating the
walker in one of several distinct raised positions;
FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view illustrating the
walker in fully raised position wherein the top frame member is
positioned at the maximum permissible height above the lower
frame member; ~
FIGURE 8 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the walker
illustrating in detail the manually operable mechanism for adjust-
ing the height of the top frame member relative to the lower
¦ frame member; `
- FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of
Figure 8 illustrating the mechanism for locking the top frame
member in the selected position; and
, FIGURE 10 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the walker
illustrating the arrangement wherein one of the struts is mounted
for rotation to the underneath surface of the rear of the top
frame member.
. - , . . . = - -,
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
. '
- As illustrated in Figure 1, the baby walker or stroller
consists of a top member 10 provided with an opening 12 and a
seat 14 suspended below the opening 12 in such manner as to
support the child. The reference numeral 16 designates the
bottom member which is provided on the underneath side with a
plurality of roll~rs 17 permitting the bottom member 16 to move
along a surface~ The construction previously described is known
in the prior art and need not be explored in detail.
As illustrated in Figures 2-4, the inner portions of the
side walls of the bottom member 16 are provided with longitudinal
slots 18 defining cavities within the walls, and pins 20. The
; ' -2-
. ..
,
` 105~'~5;2
top and bottom members 10 and 16, respectively, are operably
ccnnected to each other with the struts 22 and 24, as will now
be described.
The strut 22 is journalled for rotation within blocks 26
which are secured to the underneath surface of the rear of the
top member 10, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 10. The strut 22
terminates in lower ends designated by the reference numeral 28,
each of which passes through its corresponding slot 18 into the
cavity within the walls of the bottom member 16. Each of the
ends 28 of the strut 22 is provided with a roller 30, as illus-
trated in Figures 3 and 4, which is positioned within the cavity
to thus serve the dual purpose of fixedly securing the end 28- -
in relationship to slot 30 while permitting the roller 30 to move
along the bottom surface 32 of the cavity defined by the slot 18.
The strut 24, as illustrated in Figure.9, is mounted to rotate
within a block 34 that is mounted to move longitudinally below
the'top member 10 along the rail 36. The strut 24 termi~ates
downwardly in e,nds 38 which are provided with openings thro~gh
, : . ., ., .. ~ . . .. . .
. which the pins 20 extend thus permitting the ends 38 to rotate
, about the pins 20. ' ' ., . '
The struts 22 and 24 intersect on each side of the walker
at.the rotating cylinders 40. From Figure 2,,,it wili be apparent
that the struts 22 and 24 pass through their respective cylinders
. 40, while the pin 42 connects the cylinders 40 to each other.
.~ In this manner, as the struts 22 and 24 adopt different positions~
to be described hereinafter, their respective cylinders 40 rotate
about the pin 42. ,
With reference to Figures 2 and 8, it is apparent that the
. rail 36 is appropriately mounted, for example by screws 44, to _ _
., the underneath side of the top member 10. The rail 36 is
~ ,' .
. , -3-
, . . . . . :
\ ~ ~ ~
105~252
pxovided with a plurality of teeth 46 located on cpposite sides
of.the' slot 48. The block 34, which as illustrated in Figure 9
is arranged to slide between the underneath surface of the top
member 10 and the rail 36, is provided with a screw-threaded
shaft 50 which passes through the slot 48 of the rail 36 and an
opening located within the latching member 52 which is provided
with teeth 54 which mesh with the teeth 46 of the rail 36. A
,knob 54 is appropriately threaded on the shaft 50 such that as
it is turned in one direction the latching member'52 is forced
downwardly into engagement against the rail 36 until the respec-
tive teeth 54 and 46 engage at which time the block 34 is locked
in position. It will also be apparent that as the knob 54 is.
rotated in the opposite direction the teeth 54 and.46 disengage
and it is possible,to move'the block 34 and the strut 24 which
passes therethrough longitudinally along the underneath surface
of the top member 16. -
As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, as the position of theblock 34 is changed, the ends 28 of the strut 22 slide along the
bottom member 16 and the ends 38 of the strut 24 rotate about the ,
pins 20. . . . ; . .
Turning now to Figures 5-7, it will be apparent that as .
the knob 54 is loosened disengaging the teeth 46 and 54 it is
:possible to collapse the walker to the position illustrated in
Figure 5 wherein the top and bottom members 10 and 16, respec-
tively, are positioned near each other. Thus, the walker may
be conveniently stored which is particularly helpful when it is
desired to store the walker in an automobile during a tripu
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate various stages of raising the height
of the walker, it being understood that the teeth 46 and 54
_~_,
~ . .. .
. .
' ~ .
~O~ZZ52
coact to define a series of distinct positions between the
collapsed position illustrated in Figure 5 and the fully
raised position illustrated ~n Figure 7. The foregoing
is significant since it will be apparent that as the child
grows taller it is not necessary to discard the walker and
a4quire a larger one but rather it is only necessary to
change the seeting of the block 34 the result of which
is to progressively raise the height of the top member 10
relative to the bottom member 16. In this manner, a sing~e
walker may be used even though the child grows taller.
i~ -5-
,
