GB2507834A

GB2507834A - A foldable high chair with a backrest reclining mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2507834A
Application number: GB1305135.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: jun-jie Hu
Original assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Priority date: 2012-11-13
Filing date: 2013-03-20
Publication date: 2014-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 2033-03-20
Also published as: GB201305135D0; CN103799765B; CN103799765A; GB2507834B

Abstract

A foldable highchair comprising a support leg frame and a seat assembly connected to the support leg frame wherein the support leg frame comprises front and rear pivotally attached leg frames, the seat assembly has a seat plate 21 connected pivotally to the front and rear leg frames with a pivotally connected backrest 22 and wherein there is a backrest supporting device comprising an adjusting unit 44 mounted to the support leg frame and a connecting rod 41 disposed on the rear of the backrest 22 which can be selectively engaged with the adjusting unit 44 to allow pivoting of the backrest 22 or lock it in place. The adjusting mechanism 44 may have a plurality of positioning slots 442 and the rod 41 may be held in a channel adjacent to the slots by a stop block 446 which can be depressed to release it. The rod 41 may be U shaped and have a pair of spring biasing devices 42.

Description

FOLDABLE HIGHCHAIR

This invention relates to a foldable highchair, and more particularly to a foldable highchair that can be folded into a compact size.

A child highchair is provided for seating of a child such that the child can be fed conveniently. US 2005/0242646 discloses a foldable highchair framework having front and rear support stands that are pivoted to each other and that can be folded toward each other, such that the rear support stand is rotated toward the front support stand in a direction, and a backrest is rotated toward a seat in an opposite direction until a front surface of the backrest contacts the seat. As a result, the folded volume of the highchair is relatively large, so that a comparatively large space is required to store the folded highchair.

The object of this invention is to provide a foldable highchair that can reduce the folded volume.

According to this invention, there is provided a foldable highchair comprising a support leg frame assembly and a seat assembly connected to the support leg frame assembly, the support leg frame assembly including a front leg frame and a rear leg frame that are interconnected pivotally at upper ends thereof and that are foldable toward each other, the seat assembly including a seat plate connected pivotally between the front and rear leg frames, and a backrest connected pivotally to the seat plate; wherein the foldable highchair further comprises a backrest supporting device, the backrest supporting device including a connecting rod and at least one adjusting unit, the adjusting unit being disposed on the support leg frame assembly, the connecting rod being disposed on a rear side of the backrest and having a lower end connected removably to the adjusting unit such that, when the lower end of the connecting rod is removed from the adjusting unit, the backrest is rotatable relative to the seat plate.

when the connecting rod is removed from the adjusting unit, rotation of the backrest relative to the seat plate and of the rear leg frame relative to the front leg frame can be performed in the same rotational direction to reduce the total length of the backrest and the rear leg frame and, thus, the volume of the folded highchair.

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 front perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred embodiment; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a backrest supporting device of the first preferred embodiment; Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the backrest supporting device when the highchair is unfolded, illustrating that the backrest is disposed at a smallest inclination angle; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating that the backrest is disposed at a greatest inclination angle; Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of the first preferred embodiment; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred embodiment, illustrating that a hook portion of a connecting rod is removed from an adjusting unit; Fig. B is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment when it is folded; Figs. 9 and 10 are schematic perspective views illustrating how the first preferred embodiment is unfolded; Figs. 11 and 12 are schematic sectional views illustrating how the first preferred embodiment is unfolded; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view of the second preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention, illustrating engagement between a hook portion of a connecting rod and a stop block; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention; Fig. 15 is a fragmentary, partially exploded perspective view of the third preferred embodiment; Fig. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view of the third preferred embodiment when it is unfolded; and Fig. 17 is a schematic sectional view of the third preferred embodiment, illustrating how the highchair is unfolded.

Before the present invention is described in greater detail in connection with the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that similar elements and structures are designated by like reference numerals throughout the entire

disclosure.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the first preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention includes a support leg frame assembly 1, a seat assembly 2, a feeding tray 3, and a backrest supporting device 4.

The support leg frame assembly 1 includes: U-shaped front and rear leg frames 11, 12 pivoted to each other at upper ends thereof and foldable toward each other, each of the front and rear leg frames 11, 12 having two upright rod portions 111, 121; a footrest 13 disposed between the upright rod portions 111 of the front leg frame 11; two armrests 14 disposed respectively on two junctures between the front and rear leg frames 11, 12; and two seat tubes each having front and rear ends connected respectively and pivotally to the front and rear leg frames 11, 12.

The seat assembly 2 includes a seat plate 21 connected pivotally between the front and rear leg frames 11, 12, and a backrest 22 having a lower end connected pivotally to a rear end of the seat plate 21. The seat plate 21 has two opposite sides connected respectively to the seat tubes 15. Each seat tube 15 consists of front and rear tube sections that are interconnected pivotally in a known manner and that are connected respectively and pivotally to the corresponding upright rod section 111 of the front leg frame 11 and the corresponding upright rod section 121 of the rear leg frame 12. The front tube sections are connected fixedly to the seat plate 21. The feeding tray 3 is disposed removably on and above the two armrests 14.

When a child is seated on the seat assembly 2, his feet are supported on the footrest 13, and associated articles required for feeding can be placed on the feeding tray 3.

With further reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the backrest supporting device 4 is disposed to allow for inclination angle adjustment and folding of the backrest 22 of the seat assembly 2 relative to the seat plate 21 and folding of the seat assembly 2. The backrest supporting device 4 includes an inverted U-shaped connecting rod 41 disposed on a rear side of the backrest 22. Two upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 extend respectively and movably through two cover plates 43, which are disposed fixedly on a rear surface of the backrest 22 by bolts, in a direction toward the rear leg frame 12 to connect removably with two adjusting units 44 disposed on the rear leg frame 12. The backrest supporting device 4 further includes two return springs 42 sleeved respectively on the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41. Each return spring 42 has a lower end fastened to the corresponding cover plate 43 or the rear surface of the backrest 22, and an upper end fastened to the corresponding upright rod section 410 of the connecting rod 41, so as to provide a return force when the connecting rod 41 is moved relative to the backrest 22. In this embodiment, the return springs 42 are tension springs.

Each adjusting unit 44 includes a main body 44'. The main body 44' has a first end 440 proximate to the front leg frame 11, a second end 441 distal from the front leg frame 11, a plurality of positioning holes 442 disposed between the first and second ends 440, 441, and an adjusting slot 442 disposed above and in spatial communication with the positioning holes 442. In this embodiment, the number of the positioning holes 442 are three, so that the backrest 22 can be adjusted relative to the seat plate 21 to a selected one of three inclination angles. In actual use, the number of the positioning holes 443 can be changed according to the user's need. For convenient angle adjustment of the backrest 22, the backrest supporting device 4 further includes an operating member 45 sleeved on a horizontal rod section 412 of the connecting rod 41.

When the angle adjustment of the backrest 22 is desired, the operating member 45 is held and pulled upwardly to remove the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 from the corresponding positioning holes 442 into the adjusting slots 443. Subsequently, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 440 are moved along the adjusting slots 443 to align with two selected positioning holes 442 corresponding to desired inclination angle of the backrest 22. At this time, the operating member 45 is released to allow the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 to be biased by the return springs 42 into the selected positioning holes 442.

The main body 44' of each adjusting unit 44 further has a mounting hole 444 formed in the second end 441 of the main body 44' . Each adjusting unit 44 further includes a stop block 446 disposed movably within the mounting hole 444, anda resilient member 445 disposed within the mounting hole 444 and biasing the stop block 446 to close an end of the adjusting slot 443. Each stop block 446 is formed with a cavity 447. In this embodiment, each adjusting unit 44 further includes a stop pin 448 disposed fixedly in the main body 44' and extending into the cavity 447. Each stop block 446 is biased by the resilient member 445 to move a wall of the stop block 446 defining a lower end of the cavity 447 to contact the stop pin 448. Due to the cooperation of the stop blocks 446 of the adjusting units 44 with the resilient members 42, 445, the lower ends of the connecting rod 41 are confined within the adjusting slot 443 or the positioning holes 442, so that the backrest 22 can be pivoted between the first and second ends 440, 441 of the main body 44' of the adjusting unit 44.

Preferably, the lower end of each upright rod section 410 of the connecting rod 41 is formed with a laterally extending hook portion 411 engageable with the cavity 447 of the corresponding stop block 446. With particular reference to Fig. 5, when the backrest 22 is pivoted to the second end 441 of the main body 44' of each adjusting unit 44, each hook portion 411 engages the corresponding cavity 447 so as to retain effectively the connecting rod 41 on the main bodies 44' of the adjusting units 44, thereby promoting safety during use of the highchair. With particular reference to Figs. 3 and 4, each stop block 446 has a top surface aligned with the upper end of the corresponding adjusting slot 443 and having an inclined surface portion 449 that is inclined relative to the remaining portion of the top surface for guiding the lower end of the corresponding upright rod section 410 of the connecting rod 41 into the corresponding adjusting slot 443. In this embodiment, each resilient member 445 is a compression spring.

Figs. 4, 5, 9, and 10 illustrate operation of the foldable highchair, and do not show the feeding tray (see Fig. 1) . In addition, conventional structures of the foldable highchair shown in the drawings will not be described for brevity.

With particular reference to Figs. 1, 4, and 5, when the highchair is in an unfolded state, the front and rear leg frames 11, 12 of the support leg frame assembly 1 are far away from each other, the seat tubes 15 are horizontal, and the connecting rod 41 is inserted into desired positioning holes 442 such that the child can sit comfortably on the seat plate 21. It should be noted that, since the positioning hole 442 of the main body 44' of each adjusting unit 44 nearest to the second end 441 is in spatial communication with the cavity 447 of the corresponding stop block 446, removal of the corresponding hook portion 411 of the connecting rod 41 from the cavity 447 of the corresponding block 446 can be prevented when the highchair is unfolded.

With further reference to Figs. 6 and 7, when it is desired to fold the highchair, the backrest 22 is moved upwardly by unlocking the seat plate 21 from the support leg frame assembly 1, and subsequently pulling the backrest 22 upwardly. Hence, the front and rear leg frames 11, 12 are pivoted toward each other by virtue of the gravities of the front and rear leg frames 11, 12, such that the front and rear tube sections of each seat tube 15 are moved rearwardly and forwardly, respectively. tn this manner, the rear leg frame 12 is pivoted relative to the backrest 22 so as to allow the cavities 447 of the stop blocks 446 to face upwardly, thereby removing the hook portions 411 of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 from the adjusting units 44. At this time, the backrest 22 can be pivoted rearwardly and then downwardly until the I0 rear surface of the backrest 22 contacts the seat plate 21. As a consequence, the folded volume of the highchair is reduced significantly. With particular reference to Figs. 9, when it is desired to unfold the highchair, the front and rear leg frames 11, 12 are pulled away from each other with two hands until the seat tubes 15 and the seat plate 21 are moved to horizontal positions. At this time, the backrest 22 is located under the seat plate 21.

Afterwards, the backrest 22 is pivoted upwardly. During upward pivoting movement of the backrest 22, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 are moved to contact and depress the stop blocks 446 and the resilient members 445 to thereby move the stop blocks 446 downwardly in the mounting holes 444. Hence, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 move along the inclined guiding surfaces 449 of the stop blocks 446 and into the adjusting slots 443. As soon as the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 move into the adjusting slots 443, the stop blocks 446 are biased by the resilient members 445 to return to their original positions, thereby allowing the hook portions 411 of the connecting rod 41 engage the cavities 447 of the stop blocks 446. Thereafter, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 can be moved to selected positioning holes 442, so as to maintain the backrest 22 at an inclination angle.

With particular reference to Figs. 2 and 4, it should be noted that, although the backrest supporting device 4 includes two return springs 42, two cover plates 43, and two adjusting units 44, it may include only one return spring 42, one cover plate 43, and one adjusting unit 44, all of which are aligned with one of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41. As such, the same object of this invention can be achieved.

Fig. 12 shows the second preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention, which is similar to the first preferred embodiment except for the structure of each stop block 446. Each stop block 44 further includes a tongue (T) extending into the cavity 447 and dividing the cavity 447 into an upper cavity portion 447A and a lower cavity portion 4473. In this embodiment, each stop pin 448 extends into the lower cavity portion 4473, and the hook portion 411 of the lower end of each upright rod section 410 of the connecting rod 41 is engageable with the upper cavity portion 447A such that, when the wall of the stop block 44 defining the lower end of the cavity 447 comes into contact with the stop pin 448, and when the hook portion 411 comes into contact with a wall of the stop block 446 defining an upper end of the cavity 447, the hook portion 411 cannot be moved upwardly so as to prevent removal of the hook portion 411 from the adjusting unit 44.

Figs. 14, 15, and 1 show the third preferred embodiment of a foldable highchair according to this invention, which is similar to the first preferred embodiment. Unlike the first preferred embodiment, the stop blocks 446 (see Fig. 12) are omitted from the adjusting units 44, the backrest 22 and the operating member 45 are modified, and the return springs 42 (see Fig. 4) are replaced with first and second return springs 46, 47.

The modified operating member 45 has a housing 451. The modified backrest 22 is formed with two vertical slide slots 221. The housing 451 extends into the slide slots 221, is movable relative to the backrest 22 along the slide slots 221, and has two opposite sidewalls, each of which is formed with a guide slot 452 extending along a height direction (i.e., vertical direction) and having an upper end 453 and a lower end 454. The connecting rod 41 has a horizontal rod section 412 extending movably through the guide slots 221. As such, the operating member 45 is operable to move the connecting rod 41 relative to the backrest 22 along the height direction, so that the connecting rod 41 can be removed from the adjusting units 44. The first return spring 46 is disposed on the rear surface of the backrest 22 for biasing the connecting rod 41 downwardly toward the adjusting units 44. The second return spring 47 is disposed between the rear surface of the backrest 22 and the housing 451 of the operating member 45 for biasing the operating member 45 to move upwardly relative to the backrest 22. In this embodiment, the first and second resilient members 46, 47 are compression springs.

with further reference to Fig. 16, when angle adjustment of the backrest 22 is desired, the operating member 45 is pushed upwardly to move each hook portion 411 of the connecting rod 41 from one positioning hole 442 into the adjusting slot 443. Subsequently, the hook portion 411 is moved along the adjusting slot 443 until it is aligned with a selected positioning hole 442. Upon alignment of the hook portion 411 with the selected positioning hole 442, the operating member 45 can be released to allow the hook portion 411 to be biased by the first return spring 46 into the selected positioning hole 442. Alternatively, the hook portions 411 can be omitted from the connecting rod 41. If this occurs, the operating member 45 still can be operated to allow the lower end of each upright rod section 410 of the connecting rod 41 to be engaged within or removed from the selected positioning hole 442.

With further reference to FIg. 17, to unfold the highchair, the front and rear leg frames 11, 12 are first pulled away from each other until the seat tubes 15 and the seat plate 21 are moved to horizontal positions. Next, the backrest 22 is rotated relative to the seat plate 21 in a direction (E) . During rotation of the backrest 22, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 are biased to contact and move on the second ends 441 of the main body 44', so that an upward push force is applied by the adjusting unit 44 to move upwardly the horizontal rod section 412 of the connecting rod 41 to compress the first return spring 46, thereby moving the horizontal rod section 412 upwardly toward the upper ends 453 of the guide slots 452. As soon as the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 engage the adjusting slots 443, the upward push force is released so that the horizontal rod section 412 of the connecting rod 41 is biased by the first return spring 46 to the lower ends 454 of the guide slots 452. In this manner, the lower ends of the upright rod sections 410 of the connecting rod 41 can be engaged within the selected positioning holes 442 to maintain the highchair in an unfolded state, e.g., shown in Fig. 16.

Thus, the second and third preferred embodiments can achieve the same object and function as the first preferred embodiment.

To sum up, when the connecting rod 41 is removed from the adjusting units 44, the highchair can be folded with relative ease, and the rear surface of the backrest 22 can be folded on the seat plate 21 to reduce effectively the volume of the folded highchair.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A foldable highchair comprising a support leg frame assembly and a seat assembly connected to the support leg frame assembly, the support leg frame assembly including a front leg frame and a rear leg frame that are interconnected pivotally at upper ends thereof and that are foldable toward each other, the seat assembly including a seat plate connected pivotally between the front and rear leg frames, and a backrest connected pivotally to the seat plate; Wherein the foldable highchair further comprises a backrest supporting device, the backrest supporting device including a connecting rod and at least one adjusting unit, the adjusting unit being disposed on the support leg frame assembly, the connecting rod being disposed on a rear side of the backrest and having a lower end connected removably to the adjusting unit such that, when the lower end of the connecting rod is removed from the adjusting unit, the backrest is rotatable relative to the seat plate.
2. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit includes a main body, the main body having a first end proximate to the front leg frame, a second end distal from the front leg frame, a plurality of positioning holes disposed between the first and second ends, and an adjusting slot in spatial communication with the positioning holes.
3. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the adjusting slot is disposed above the positioning holes such that, when the highchair is unfolded, the lower end of the connecting rod is inserted into a selected one of the positioning holes so that the backrest is at an inclination angle relative to the seat plate.
4. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the adjusting unit is disposed on the rear leg frame, the backrest supporting device further including a return spring disposed between the connecting rod and the seat assembly for biasing the lower end of the connecting rod into the selected one of the positioning holes.
5. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the adjusting unit further includes a stop block disposed at the second end of the main body for closing an end of the adjusting slot.
6. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 5, wherein themain body of the adjustingunit further has amounting hole formed in the second end, the stop block being disposed movably within the mounting hole and being biased to close the end of the adjusting slot.
7. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the stop block has a top surface having an inclined surface portion that is inclined relative to the remaining portion of the top surface for guiding the lower end of the connecting rod into the adjusting slot.
8. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the lower end of the connecting rod is formed with a laterally extending hook portion, said stop block being formed with a cavity engageable with the hook portion.
9. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the stop block includes a tongue extending into the cavity and dividing the cavity into an upper cavity portion and a lower cavity portion, the adjusting unit further including a stop pin disposed fixedly in the main body and extending into the lower cavity portion, the hook portion of the lower end of the connecting rod extending into the upper cavity portion, the stop block being biased to move a wall of the stop block defining a lower end of the cavity to contact the stop pin.
10. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the connecting rod is inverted ti-shaped, the backrest supporting device further including an operating member operable for removing the connecting rod from the adjusting unit along a height direction.
11. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the operating member has a housing, the connecting rod having a horizontal rod section extending through the housing, the housing having two opposite sidewalls, each of which is formed with a guide slot extending along the height direction and permitting the horizontal rod section to extend therethrough.
12. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 10, wherein, when the lower end of the connecting rod moves in the adjusting slot and the positioning holes, the horizontal rod section moves along the guide slots of the sidewalls of the housing of the operating member.
13. The foldable highchair as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the backrest supporting device further includes a first return spring disposed on a rear surface of the backrest for biasing the connecting rod toward the adjusting unit, and a second return spring for biasing the operating member to move relative to the backrest in a direction.
14.A foldable highchair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.