Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Fr~n~Rr,r~. STROTIr.r'R
FIE~;D OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a stroller, more
particularly to a foldable stroller with enhanced
safety features.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the
invention,
Figure l is a side view of a conventional foldable
stroller when in an unfolded position;
Figure 2 is a side view of the conventional foldable
6troller when in a partly folded position;
Figure 3 is a side view of the conventional foldable
stroller when in a fully folded position;
Figure 4 i8 a perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of a foldable stroller according to the
present invention when in an unfolded position;
Figure 5 is a side view which illustrates the
preferred embodiment when in a partly folded position;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a catch r--h~n;Am
of the preferred embodiment;
Figure 7 is a side view which illustrates the
preferred embodiment when in the unfolded position; and
Figure 8 is a side view which illustrates the
preferred embodime t when in a fully folded position.
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BAC~CGROUNI~ OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Figure 1, a conventional foldable
6troller 1 i5 shown to comprise a seat frame 11, a pair
of rear support mem~ers 12 connected pivotally to two
sides of the seat frame 11 by means of pivot pins 11~,
and a pair of front support members 13 connected to the
two sides of the seat frame 11 at front ends of the
latter by means of two connecting shafts 112. The top
ends of the front and rear support members 13, 12 are
connected pivotally to front positioning units 14. The
bottom ends of the front and rear support members 13,
12 carry a respective caster 131, 121. The seat frame
11 has two top end portions connected pivotally to two
sides of a backrest frame 16. A pair of rear
positioning units 113 have bottom ends connected
pivotally to a respective connecting unit 15 by means
of a linking shaft (not shown). The backrest frame 16
is disposed between inner sides of the connecting units
15. A handle unit 1~ is connected to the connecting
2~ units 15 at outer sides of the latter. A front guard
shaft 18 has two ends connected to the rear positioning
units 113
In order to enhance stability of the foldable
stroller 1, a catch mechanism 19 is installed at the
connecting units 15, while a blocking plate 10 is
installed at each of the rear support members 12. The
catch ~e~h~ni ~m l9 includes a pair of catch plates 192
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biased by a respective tension spring 191 so as to
engage normally a corresponding protruding stub 114 on
the seat frame 11. The blocking plate 10 is biased by a
torsion spring 101 to pivot upwardly relative to the
respective rear support member 12.
Referring to Figure 2, when it is desired to fold
the conventional stroller 1, a connecting rod ~not
shown), which interconnects the catch plates lg2 , is
rotated in order to cause upward pivoting movement of
10 the catch plates 192 so as to disengage the latter from
the protruding stubs 114. At this stage, when the
handle unit 17 is pushed forward, rearward pivoting
movement of the co~necting units 15 occurs. Note that
further raarward pivoting movement of the connecting
15 units 15 is limited by the blocking plates 10. Thus, in
order to fold the conventional stroller 1, it is
necessary to press the blocking plates 10 against the
action of the torsion springs 101 in order to permit
continued rearward pivoting movement of the connecting
2 0 units 15 .
During the folding operation, the backrest frame 16,
which is connected to the connecting units 15,
eventually reaches a forwardly inclining position.
Because of the presence of the connecting shafts 112,
the casters 131 on the front support members 13
approach the casters 121 on the rear support members
12, thereby dispo6ing the front and rear support
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,~
members 13, 12 adj acent to each other while causing the
seat frame ll to lean toward the backrest frame 16. The
conventional stroller l can thus be folded from the
position shown in Figure l to that shown in Figure 2,
and from the position shown in Figure 2 to that shown
in Figure 3 in order to facilitate storage and
transport of the same.
Note that the seat frame ll leans toward the
backrest frame l~ when the conventional stroller l is
folded. Thus, when the catch mechanism l9 and the
blocking plates 10 are released accidentally while the
handle unit 17 is pushed forward, untimely folding of
the conventional stroller 1 occurs, thereby resulting
in injuries to the baby who is seated on the stroller
1.
SUMMARY OF THE I~VENTION
-'Therefore, the objective of the present invention is
to provide an improved foldable stroller with enhanced
safety features which can uv~ the odrawback that is
associated with the above mentioned prior art.
More specifically, the objective of the present
invention is to provide a foldable stroller which has a
seat frame that does not lean toward a backrest frame
of the same when the foldable stroller is folded,
thereby preventing injuries to a baby seated thereon
when accidental folding of the foldable stroller
occurs .
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Accordingly, the foldable stroller of the present
invention comprises:
a seat frame including a seat portion and a pair of
armrests disposed on two sides of the seat portion,
each of the armrests having a front section and a rear
section;
a pair of wheel frame units disposed on two sides of
the seat frame, each of the wheel frame units including
a front support member, a rear support member, and a
connector for interconnecting pivotally the front and
rear support members, each of the front and rear
support members having a bottom end which is provided
with a caster, the rear support member further having a
top end connected pivotally to the front section of a
respective one of the armrests, the rear support member
being further provided with an upwardly extending
b Iock ing pro j ect ion;
a backrest ~rame mounted pivotally on the rear
sections of the armrests;
a pair of connecting frames disposed on the two
sides of the seat frame, each of the connecting frames
including: a pivotable shaft with top and bottom ends;
a pivot pin for connecting pivotally the top end of the
pivotable shaft to the rear section of a corresponding
one of the armrests; a rear positioning unit mounted on
the pivot pin; a slide piece provided on the bottom end
- of the pivotable haft and straddling r~movably the
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rear support member of a corresponding one of the wheel
frame units, the slide piece abutting the blocking
pro j ection on the rear support member of the
corresponding one of the wheel frame units when the
foldable stroller is unfolded; a first connecting shaft
having two ends connected pivotally and respectively to
the pivotable shaft and the rear support member of the
corresponding one of the wheel frame units; and a
second connecting shaf t having two ,ends connected
pivotally and respectively to the first connecting
shaft and the front support member of the corresponding
one of the wheel frame units;
a handle unit having two lower end portions
connected pivotally and respectively to the slide
pieces of the connecting frames, the handle unit
further having two engaging members which engage
respectively the rear positioning units of the
connecting frames; and
a catch mechanism provided on at least one of the
connecting frames ,and operable so as to maintain
releasably a prede~rm; nl~d angle between the pivotable
shafts of the connecting frames and the rear support
members of the wheel frame units when the foldable
stroller is unfolded.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Ref erring to Figures 4 and 5, the pref erred
embodiment of a foldable stroller according to the
.
present invention is SnOwn to comprise a seat frame 2,
left and right wheel frame units 3, a backrest frame 4,
a pair of connecting frames 5, a handle unit 6 and a
catch m~rhAn;~m 7.
The seat frame 2 includes a pair of armrests 21
disposed on two sides of a seat portion 22. A front
guard shaft 23 has two ends connected to bent front
6ections 211 of the armrests 21. The two ends of a hood
support frame 24 are connected to parallel straight top
sections 212 of the armrests 21. The armrests 21
further have parallel straight bottom sections 25 which
are provided with a respective pivot projection 26
adjacent to rear sections of the same.
Each of the wheel frame units 3 is provided on a
respective one of the left and right sides of the seat
frame 2 and includes a front support member 32, a rear
support member 33, and a connector 31 for
interconnecting pivotally the front and rear support
members 32, 33. The front and rear support members 32,
33 have bottom ends which carry a respective caster
321, 331. A circular front positioning unit 332 is
mounted on the top end of the rear support member 33
and has an indented periphery 334. A pivot pin 34
mounts pivotally the front positioning unit 332 on the
bent front section 211 of a respective one of the
armrests 21. The rear support member 33 is further
provided with an up~ardly extending blocking projection
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333 .
The backrest frame 4 is mounted pivotally on the
rear side of the seat frame 2 and includes a backrest
portion 43 supported ~y a pair of upper side members
41, a U-shaped support beam 44 and a num~er of
horizontal members 42 (only one is shown) which extend
between the upper side members 41 and which are
disposed on the support beam 44. Linking plates 411 are
employed so as to connect pivotally the front ends of
the upper side members 41 and the straight bottom
6ections 25 of the armrests 21. The front ends of the
support beam 44 are connected pivotally and
respectively to the pivot projections 26 to permit
adjustments in the inclination of the backrest frame 4
relative to the seat frame 2.
The connecting frames 5 are disposed on two sides of
the seat frame 2 and are similar in construction. Each
of the connecting frames S includes a pivotable shaft
52 which has a top end connected pivotally to the rear
section of a corresponding one of the armrests 21 by
means of a pivot pin 51. A circular rear positioning
unit 53 is mounted on the pivot pin 51. The rear
positioning unit 53 has a recessed peripheral section
531. The pivotable shaft 52 has a bottom end which is
provided with a slide piece 54 that straddles
- releasably the rear support member 33 of a
corresponding one o~ the wheel frame units 3. The slide
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.
piece 54 includes a pair of opposed plates 541 and a
positioning plate 542 which extends between the opposed
plates 541. A bent first connecting shaft 55 has two
ends connected pivotally and respectively to the
pivotable shaft 52 and the rear support member 33. Each
of the connecting frames 5 further includes a second
connecting shaft 56 which has two ends connected
pivotally and respectively to a bent intermediate
section 551 of the first connecting shaft 55 and the
front support member 32 of the corresponding one of the
wheel frame units 3. Relative movement among the
pivotable shaft 52 and the ~irst and second connecting
shafts 55, 56 can result in folding of the foldable
stroller of the present invention.
The handle unit 6 is generally inverted U-shaped and
is connected pivotally to the connecting framês 5. The
handle unit 6 has two lower end portions 61 connected
pivotally and respectively to the slide pieces 54 of
the connecting frames 5. The handle unit 6 is provided
with two circular engaging members 62 which correspond
with the rear positioning units 53. Each of the
engaging members 62 has a peripheral portion 621 which
engages pivotally and removably the recessed peripheral
section 531 of the corresponding rear positioning unit
53. Normally, the handle unit 6 extends adjacent to the
pivotable shafts 52 of the connecting frames 5 to
permit pushing of `the foldable stroller from behind.
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The handle unit 6, however, can be pivoted so that the
peripheral portions 621 of the engaging members 62
engage pivotally and removably the indented periphery
334 of a corresponding one of the front positioning
units 332 so as to permit ~orward pushing of the
foldable stroller.
Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the catch ~r~~hAn;c~ 7
includes two catch plates 71 mounted respectively on
the f irst connecting shafts 55 of the connecting frames
5. A horizontal rod 72 extends between the slide pieces
54 of the connecting frames 5. Each of the connecting
frames 5 is provided with a tension spring 73 which
pulls one of two ends of the horizontal rod 72 to
engage releasably a corresponding one of the catch
plates 71. To facilitate operation of the catch
mechanism 7, the horizontal rod 72 is provided with a
lever 721. In order to minimize further the risk of
untimely folding of the foldable stroller, a fastening
plate 74 is mounted pivotally on one end of the first
connecting shaft 55 of one of the connecting frames 5.
The fastening plate 74 is formed with a positioning
notch 741 which engages releasably a fastening
projection 335 formed on the rear support member 33 of
one of the wheel frame units 3. The purpose of the
catch mechanism 7 is to maintain releasably a
prede~rm; nf~d angle between the pivotable shafts 52 of
the connecting frames 5 and the rear support members 33
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of the wheel frame units 3 when the i~oldable stroller
is unfolded. When the foldable stroller is in an
unfolded position, the positioning plates 542 of the
slide pieces 54 abut the blocking projections 333 on
the rear support members 33 to limit forward sliding
movement of the slide pieces 54 on the rear support
members 3 3 .
When it is desired to unfold the foldable stroller
of the present invention, the handle unit 6 is pulled
rearward so as to cause forward pivoting movement of
the slide pieces 54 and enabLe the latter to straddle
on the rear support members 33. When the positioning
plates 542 of the slide pieces 5~ abut the blocking
projections 333 on the rear support members 33, the
horizontal rod 72 between the slide pieces 54 engages
the catch plates 71 on the first connecting shafts 55,
thereby retaining the foldable stroller in the unfolded
position, as shown in Figure 7.
When it is desired to fold the foldable stroller of
the present invention, pressure is applied on the lever
721 of the horizontal rod 72 to disengage the
horizontal rod 72 from the catch plates 71. The
fastening plate 74 is also pivoted so as to disengage
the latter from the rear support member 33 of one of
the wheel frame units 3. The handle unit 6 is then
pushed forward so that the pivotable shafts 52 and the
slide pieces 54 of the connecting frames 5 pivot
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rearward. When the pivotable shafts 52 pivot rearward,
a forward pushing force is applied on the armrests 21
of the seat frame 2. The first connecting shafts 55,
which have one end connected to the pivotable shafts
52, begin to pivot, thereby pulling the second
connecting shafts 56 rearward to cause rearward
movement of the front support members 32 and forward
and downward movement of the seat frame 2. The foldable
stroller is thus folded from the position shown in
Figure 7 to that shown in Figure 5, and from the
position shown in Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 8 in
order to facilitate storage and transport of the same.
Referring to Figure 8, the seat portion 22 and the
backrest portion 43 move forwardly and downwardly when
the foldable stroller of the present invention is
folded to the fully folded position. The seat portion
22 does not lean toward the backrest portion 43, unlike
the conventional stroller described beforehand.
Therefore, even if the catch mechanism 7 was released
accidentally, injuries to the baby seated on the
foldable stroller of the present invention can be
prevented since the baby will not be trapped between
the seat frame 2 and the backrest frame ~. The safety
features of the foldable stroller are thus enhanced,
thereby meeting the obj ective of the present invention.
It is noted that numerous modif ications in the
construction of the catch r-~h~ni Fm 7 can be made while
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ensuring that the ~oldable stroller of the present
invention ls still capable of meeting its objective.
Any catch mechanism that is capable of retaining
releasably the foldable stroller in the unfolded
position can be employed in the present invention.
Thus, the configuration of the catch r-ch~n;!:r should
not be limited to that of the disclosed embodiment. It
is also noted that the particular connection for
connecting pivotally the backrest frame 4 to the seat
frame 2 is not essential to the present invention since
such a connection only permits multiple-stage
adjustments in the inclination of the backrest frame 4
relative to the seat frame 2. In addition, the front
and rear positioning units 332, 53 only serve to retain
the handle unit 6 selectively in one of two positions
in order to permit pushing of the foldable stroller
from the front or from behind and does not affect the
folding action of the foldable stroller. Thus, the
Gtructural connection among the front and rear
positioning units 332, 53 and the handle unit 6 should
not be limited to that of the disclosed embodiment.
While the present invention has been described in
connection with what is considered the most practical
and pref erred embodiment, it is understood that this
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment
but is intended to cover various arrangements included
within the spirit and scope of the broadest
13
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interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and e~ ivalent arrange~ents.
ZO
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