GB2480724A

GB2480724A - A stroller with a head protecting structure

Info

Publication number: GB2480724A
Application number: GB201105628A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Zhi-Ren Zhong; yong-li Liu
Original assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Priority date: 2010-05-27
Filing date: 2011-04-01
Publication date: 2011-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-01
Also published as: GB201105628D0; CN102259659B; GB2480724B; CN102259659A

Abstract

A stroller includes a frame 1, and a seat 12 and backrest 15 connected thereto. The frame includes two side frame portions 10, with the seat and backrest being disposed between the side frame portions. The backrest is pivotable relative to the seat between a sitting position (figure 3) and a lying position (figure 1). The stroller further includes a head-surrounding structure 3, 4 disposed between the two side frame portions, said structure forming a protective barrier extending upwardly from a peripheral portion of the backrest so as to surround and protect the head of a child when lying in the reclined stroller. The head-surrounding structure may include a U-shaped supporting member 3 which can pivot between first and second positions defined by stop blocks, and a piece of soft material connected between the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15.

Description

STROLLER HAVING A HEAD-PROTECTING STRUCTURE

This invention relates to a stroller, and more particularly to a stroller having a head-protecting structure.

A foldable stroller is required for one person taking care of a small child when taking the child outdoors. To meet the need of the child, the stroller is typically provided with an angle-adjustable backrest to thereby allow for sitting and lying of the child thereon.

However, when the backrest is pivoted downwardly from a sitting position to a lying position, it extends rearwardly out of the stroller frame. Since no protection barrier is provided to surround the head of the child, safety risk during use of the stroller occurs. For example, the head may move out of the backrest during movement of the stroller.

As such, it is desirable toprovide additional equipment on the stroller to protect the head of the child lied on a backrest without obstructing folding of the stroller.

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a stroller that includes a head-protecting structure for protecting the head of a child lied on the stroller.

Accordingly, a stroller of this invention includes a frame, a seat connected to the frame, and a backrest connected to the frame. The frame includes two side frame portions. The seat and the backrest are disposed between the two aide frames. The backrest is pivotable relative -: to the seat between a sitting position and a lying position.

The stroller further includes a head-surrounding mechanism disposed between the two side frame portions. The head-surrounding mechanism forms a protective barrier extending upwardly from a peripheral portion of the backrest and adapted to surround and protect a head of a child when the backrest is at the lying position and when the child lies on the backrest.

These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a stroller according to this invention, illustrating that a backrest is at a lying position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, a fencing member being removed; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating that the backrest is at a sitting position; Fig. 4 is a partly exploded perspective view illustrating a position-limiting mechanism of the first preferred embodiment; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred embodiment, illustrating a supporting member at a first position; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred embodiment, illustrating the supporting member at a second position; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a stroller according to this invention, illustrating a connection relationship between a supporting member and a side frame portions; Fig. 8 is an assembled perspective view illustrating that the supporting member of the second preferred embodiment is disposed on rear ends of two arrnrests; Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the supporting member and the armrests of the second preferred embodiment, illustrating the structure of the supporting member; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a position-limiting mechanism of the second preferred embodiment when the supporting member is at a first position; and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the position-limiting mechanism of the second preferred embodiment when the supporting member is at a second position.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the first preferred embodiment of a stroller according to this invention includes a frame 1, a seat 12 connected to the frame 1, a backrest 15 connected to the frame 1, and a head-surrounding mechanism.

The frame 1 includes two side frame portions 10. Each of the side frame portions 10 includes a front leg 11, a rear leg 111, an armrest 14, a tubular handle 13, and a connecting rod 141. Upper ends of the front and rear legs 11, 111 of each of the side frame portions 10 are connected pivotally to a front end of the corresponding armrest 14.

The connecting rod 141 of each of the side frame portions has an upper end connected to a rear end of the corresponding armrest 14, and a lower end abutting against the corresponding rear leg 111 to maintain the frame 1 in an unfolded state. Each of the tubular handles 13 is disposed outside of the corresponding armrest 14, and has an end connected to the corresponding rear leg 111.

The seat 12 is disposed between the front legs 11 and the rear legs 111 of the two side frame portions 10. The backrest 15 is located inside of the armrests 14 and between the connecting rods 141, and has two ends connected pivotally to the tubular handle 13 and adjacent to a rear side of the seat 12. The backrest 15 is pivotable relative to the seat 12 between a sitting position shown in Fig. 3 and a lying position shown in Fig. 2, so as to adjust an inclination angle of the backrest 15 relative to the seat 12, thereby providing enhanced comfort to the child on the stroller. In this embodiment, the backrest 15 is U-shaped, and is sleeved with a seat cloth 2 for supporting the child. Alternatively, the backrest 15 may be a plate that is also sleeved with the seat cloth 2.

The head-surrounding mechanism includes a supporting member 3 and a fencing member 4. In this embodiment, the supporting member 3 is U-shaped, and has two ends connected respectively and pivotally to rear ends of the armrests 14 of the two side frame portions 10. The fencing member 4 is disposed between the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15, and has two opposite sides connected respectively to the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15. With further reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the supporting member 3 has a U-shaped rod 31 and two pivot members 32 connected respectively to two ends of the rod 31. The rod 31 is connected removably to the pivot members 32 to allow the fencing member 4 to be assembled conveniently therewith. The removable connection between the rod 31 and the pivot members 32 will be described using the second preferred embodiment. A position-limiting mechanism is disposed between a respective one of the pivot members 32 and the corresponding side frame portion 10 for limiting the supporting member 3 to pivot within an angle range defined by a first position shown in Fig. 5 and a second position shown in Fig. 6. The position-limiting mechanism includes a pair of first and second stop units 16, 17 disposed on the rear end of the armrest 14 of the corresponding side frame portions 10, and a third stop unit 321 disposed on the corresponding pivot member 32. In this embodiment, each of the pivot members 32 has a main body 320, and each of the third stop unit 321 is configured as a projecting block 321 extending from the main body 320 toward the corresponding side frame portions 10. In addition, the first and second stop units 16, 17 of each of the position-limiting mechanisms are configured respectively as upper and lower stop blocks 16, 17 disposed in the pivoting path of the corresponding projecting block 321 in such a manner that the lower stop block 17 is disposed below and spaced apart from the upper stop block 16. With particular reference to Fig. 5, in each of the position-limiting mechanisms, when the projecting block 321 is pivoted upwardly into contact with the upper stop block 16, further upward pivoting movement thereof is prevented to maintain the corresponding supporting member 3 at the first position. With particular reference to Fig. 6, in each of the position-limiting mechanisms, when the projecting block 321 is pivoted downwardly into contact with the lower stop block 17, further downward pivoting movement thereof is prevented to maintain the corresponding supporting member 3 at the second position. With particular reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the backrest 15 is disposed inside the supporting member 3, in such a manner that pivoting movement of the backrest 15 cannot be obstructed by the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15 is pivotable within an angle range that is greater than that of the supporting member 3. With particular reference to Fig. 3, when the backrest 15 is at the sitting position, the supporting member 3 is at the first position, and the backrest 15 is disposed in front of the supporting member 3. With particular reference to Fig. 2, when the backrest 15 is at the lying position, the supporting member 3 is at the second position, and the backrest 15 is disposed under the supporting member 3. 1.I.

With particular reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the two opposite sides of the fencing member 4 are connected respectively to the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15, as described above. As such, when the backrest 15 pivots relative to the seat 12, the fencing member 4 drives the pivoting movement of the supporting member 3, such that the supporting member 3 is limited by the position-limiting mechanisms to pivot between the first and second positions.

When the backrest 15 is at the sitting position so that the supporting member 3 is at the first position, the backrest 15 is in front of the supporting member 3 so as not to provide a discomfort feeling to the child seated on the backrest 15. When the backrest 15 is pivoted relative to the seat 12 to the lying position, a side of the fencing member 4 is moved along with the backrest 15 to thereby pivot an opposite side of the fencing member 4 and, thus, the supporting member 3 until the supporting member 3 reaches the second position. At this time, the supporting member 3 is disposed above the backrest 15 so as to allow the fencing member 4 to be stretched between the supporting member 3 and the backrest 15 under tension, thereby forming a protective barrier extending upwardly from a peripheral portion of the backrest 15 for protecting and preventing the head of the child from moving out of 25. the backrest 15. As such, the protective barrier can be formed due to pivoting movement of the backrest 15 from the sitting position to the lying position without I,', I' performing additional operation, thereby resulting in convenience during use of the stroller.

Since the fencing member 4 is made of a soft material that allows for squeezing and folding and that occupies less space, during folding of the stroller, the supporting member 3 can be pivoted to an area inside the tubular handle 13. Hence, the stroller can be folded with relative ease.

Referring to Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the second preferred embodiment of a stroller according to this invention is similar in construction to the first preferred embodiment.

For example, the two ends of the supporting member 3' are also connected respectively and pivotally to the rear ends of the armrests 14' . The main difference between this embodiment and the first preferred embodiment resides in the position-limiting mechanisms. For convenience of illustrating the position-limiting mechanisms, it is necessary to describe the removable connection between the rod 31' and the pivot members 32' in advance. With particular reference to Figs. 8 and 9, each of the pivot members 32' of the supporting member 3' has a main body 320', an insert groove 324' formed in the main body 320' for receiving an end of the rod 31', and a first retaining member. The two ends of the rod 31' are provided with two second retaining members 311' engaging respectively and removably the first retaining members. In this embodiment, each of the first retaining members includes a resilient arm 325' disposed at one side of the corresponding groove

S I

324', and a retaining block 326' extending from the resilient arm 325' toward the corresponding insert groove 324' . Each of the second retaining members 311' is configured as a hole 311' formed in the rod 31' and engaging S the corresponding retaining block 326' . As such, the rod 31' is connected removably to the pivot members 32' . When separation of the rod 31' and the pivot members 32' is desired, it is only necessary to press and remove the retaining blocks 326' from the holes 311', respectively.

To reassemble the supporting member 3', the two ends of the rod 31' are inserted respectively into the insert grooves 324' to push the retaining blocks 326' away therefrom. Subsequently, when the holes 311' are brought into alignment with the retaining blocks 326', the retaining blocks 326' are biased into the holes 311' due to the return force of the resilient arms 325' . Since the rod 31' is connected removably to the pivot members 32', the fencing member can be mounted easily to the supporting member 3', as shown in Fig. 1.

The position-limiting mechanisms of the second preferred embodiment will be described in the following.

With particular reference to Figs. 9, 10, and 11, each of the pivot members 32' further has a projection 321' extending from the main body 320' toward the corresponding side frame portions 10', a curved position-limiting groove 322' formed in the main body 320' and extending in a direction of the rotating radius of the corresponding pivot member 32', and a stop wall 323' defining an end of the position-limiting groove 322' and cooperating with the projection 321' and the position-limiting groove 322' to constitute the third stop unit. Each of the first and second stopunits 16', 17' is adjacent toa junctionbetween the corresponding side frame portion 10' and the corresponding pivot member 32' . Each of the first stop units 16' is configured as an upper stop block disposed in the pivoting path of the corresponding projection 321' Each of the second stop units 17' is configured as a lower stop block extending into the corresponding position-limiting groove 322' and disposed in the pivoting path of the corresponding stop wall 323' and below the corresponding first stop unit 16' . With particular to Figs. 7and 10, when the backrest 15 pivots upwardly to the sitting position, the projections 321' come into contact with the upper stop blocks 16', respectively, to prevent further upward pivoting movement of the projections 321' to thereby maintain the supporting member 3' at the first position, such that the backrest 15' is in front of the supporting member 3' With particular reference to Fig. 11, similar to the first preferred embodiment, when the backrest 15' pivots downwardly to the lying position, the fencing member 4 drives downward pivoting movement of the pivot members 32' . Hence, the position-limiting grooves 322' move respectively relative to the lower stop blocks 17' in a clockwise direction until the lower stop blocks 17' come into contact with the stop walls 323' , respectively, thereby preventing further downward pivoting movement of the supporting member 3' so as to maintain the supporting member 3' at the second position. At this time, the backrest 15 is disposed under the supporting member 3' As a consequence, the supporting member 3' is disposed above the backrest 15' to thereby stretch the fencing member between the supporting member 3' and the backrest 15' under tension. The stretched fencing member forms the protective barrier for protecting the head of the child from moving out of the backrest 15' In view of the above, since the fencing member 4 is connected between the supporting member 3, 3' and the backrest 15, 15', when the backrest 15, 15'. is at the lying position, the supporting member 3, 3' is disposed above the backrest 15, 15', so that the fencing member 4 mounted between the supporting member 3, 3' and the backrest 15, 15' forms the protective barrier for protecting the head of the child to prevent the head of the child from moving backwardly. Furthermore, the stroller of this invention is convenient to operate, and is easy to use and fold.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A stroller including a frame, a seat connected to the frame, and a backrest connected to the frame, the frame including two side frame portions, the seat and the backrest being disposed between the two side frame portions, the backrest being pivotable relative to the seat between a sitting position and a lying position, wherein the stroller further includes a head-surrounding mechanism disposed between the two side frame portions, the head-surrounding mechanism forming a protective barrier extending upwardly from a peripheral portion of the backrest when the backrest is at the lying position.
2. The stroller as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the head-surrounding mechanism includes a supporting member and a fencing member, the supporting member being disposed between the two side frame portions, the fencing member being connected between the supporting member and the backrest such that, when the backrest is at the lying position, the supporting member is disposed above the backrest so as to allow the fencing member to be extended between the supporting member and the backrest, thereby forming the protective barrier.
3. The stroller as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the supporting member is connected pivotally between the two side frame portions, and is pivotable between first and second positions.
4. The stroller as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the supporting member has a rod and two pivot members connected respectively to two ends of the rod, the stroller further including two position-limiting mechanisms each disposed between a respective one of the pivot members and a corresponding one of the two side frame portions, so as to limit pivoting movement of the supporting member within an angle range defined by the first and second positions.
5. The stroller as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the two side frame portions includes a front leg, a rear leg, and an armrest having a front end connected pivotally to upper ends of the front and rear legs, and a rear end connected to the supporting member.
6. The stroller as claimed in Claim 3, wherein, when the backrest is at the sitting position, the supporting member is at the first position, and the backrest is disposed in front of the supporting member, and when the backrest is at the lying position, the supporting member is at the second position, and the backrest is disposed under the supporting member.
7. The stroller as claimed in Claim 4, wherein each of the position-limiting mechanisms includes a pair of first and second stop units that are disposed on the corresponding one of the two side frame portions, and a third stop unit disposed on a corresponding one of the pivot members and allowing for Contact with the first stop unit when the supporting member is at the first position and with the second stop unit when the supporting member is at the second stop unit.
8. The stroller as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each of the pivot members has a main body, and a projecting block extending from the main body toward the corresponding one of the two side frame portions, the first and second stop units of each of the position-limiting mechanisms being configured respectively as an upper stop block disposed in a pivoting path of the third stop unit and contactable with the third stop unit during upward pivoting movement of the third stop unit for preventing further upward pivoting movement of the third stop unit, and a lower stop block disposed below the upper stop block and in the pivoting path of the third stop unit and contactable with the third stop unit during downward pivoting movement of the third stop unit for preventing further downward pivoting movement of the third stop unit.
9. The stroller as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each of the pivot members has a main body, a projection extending from the main body toward the corresponding one of the two side frame portions, a curved position-limiting groove formed in the main body and extending in a direction of the rotating radius of the corresponding one of the pivot members, and a stop wall defining an end of the position-limiting groove and cooperating with the projection and the position-limiting groove to constitute the third stop unit, the first and second stop units of each of the position-limiting mechanisms being configured respectively as an upper stop block disposed inapivoting path of the projection and contactable with the projection during upward pivoting movement of the projection for preventing further upward pivoting movement of the projection, and a lower stop block disposed below the upper stop block and in the pivoting path of the stop wall and contactable with the stop wall during downward pivoting movement of the stop wall for preventing further downward pivoting movement of the stop wall.
10. The stroller as claimed in Claim 4, wherein each of the pivot members includes a first retaining member, and the two ends of the rod include respectively two second retaining members each connected removably to the first retaining member.
11. The stroller as claimed in Claim 4, wherein each of the pivot members has an insert groove, the two ends of the rod being inserted respectively and removably into the insert grooves in the pivot members.
12. The stroller as claimed in Claim 11, wherein each of the pivot members further has a resilient arm located at one side of the insert groove, and a retaining block extending from the resilient arm toward the insert groove, each of the two ends of the rod having a hole formed * , therethrough and engaging the retaining block of a corresponding one of the pivot members.
13. The stroller as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the fencing member is made of a soft material.
14. The stroller as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the fencing member has two opposite sides connected respectively to the supporting member and the backrest.
15. The stroller as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the backrest is disposed inside the supporting member.
16. A stroller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.