SWIVEL FEEDING SEAT

• US 20100181808A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOMY Holdings, Inc. (TOMY Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: RC2 Corporation (TOMY Company Limited)
• Inventors: MEDEIROS, DAVID, DAIKUBARA, MIKE Y., FINE, CINDY, TOMAS, JORGE
• Granted Patent: US 8,651,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/135
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/002 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/0081 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/0085 removable

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a seat configured to swivel, recline, and raise to accommodate a child during feeding.

Claims

1. A child'"'"'s seat assembly comprising:

a seat having a top surface that is contoured to support a child in a seated position and a bottom surface;

a tray coupled to the seat; and

a swivel base that supports the seat, the seat being rotatable relative to the swivel base about a vertical axis.

2. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising a recline base positioned between the seat and the swivel base, the seat configured to recline relative to the recline base and the recline base configured to rotate relative to the swivel base.

3. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising a swivel lock mechanism including:

a handle slidably coupled to the swivel base, the handle defining at least one ramped engagement surface;

a stopper moveably coupled to the swivel base; and

a biasing member that forces the stopper toward the seat;

wherein the swivel lock mechanism is adjustable between a locked position, in which the stopper prevents the seat from rotating relative to the swivel base, and an unlocked position, in which the seat is able to rotate relative to the swivel base, by sliding the at least one ramped engagement surface of the handle over the stopper to move the stopper relative to the seat.

4. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 3, wherein the handle is slidable relative to the swivel base in a first direction to a first unlocked position and in a second direction opposite the first direction to a second unlocked position, the handle being biased in the locked position between the first and second unlocked positions.

5. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising a roller assembly coupled to one of the seat and the swivel base, the roller assembly configured to roll across an annular track as the seat rotates relative to the swivel base.

6. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one riser, the swivel base configured to engage the at least one riser in a first, lowered position and a second, raised position, the at least one riser being rotated 180 degrees from the lowered position to the raised position, the at least one riser projecting further beyond the swivel base in the raised position than in the lowered position.

7. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first riser and a second riser, wherein the swivel base defines a first aperture and a second aperture, the child'"'"'s seat assembly adjustable between a lowered position in which the first riser is stored within the first aperture and the second riser is stored within the second aperture, and a raised position in which the first riser projects beyond the swivel base from the second aperture and the second riser projects beyond the swivel base from the first aperture, the seat being positioned higher in the raised position than in the lowered position.

8. A child'"'"'s seat assembly comprising:

a seat having a top surface that is contoured to support a child in a seated position and an arcuate bottom surface;

a tray coupled to the seat; and

a base that defines an arcuate platform for supporting the arcuate bottom surface of the seat as the seat reclines and inclines relative to the base, the seat including a first coupling member and the base including a second coupling member, the first and second coupling members engaging to couple the seat onto the base, the seat being removable from the base by reclining or inclining the seat relative to the base until the first and second coupling members are disengaged.

9. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, wherein the first coupling member includes one of a groove and a tongue and the second coupling member includes the other of the groove and the tongue, the tongue sized to slide within the groove as the seat reclines and inclines relative to the base, the groove having at least one open end, the seat being removable from the base by reclining or inclining the seat relative to the base until the tongue exits the at least one open end of the groove.

10. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 9, wherein the groove defines an arcuate path for the tongue.

11. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 9, wherein the tongue is arcuate in shape.

12. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 9, wherein the groove and the tongue are located above the arcuate platform of the base.

13. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 9, wherein the base includes at least one guide rail that projects from the base at a location above the arcuate platform, the at least one guide rail cooperating with the arcuate platform to define the groove.

14. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one guide rail extends above the tongue to prevent the seat from being lifted off of the base.

15. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 13, wherein the tongue extends outwardly from the arcuate bottom surface of the seat.

16. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, further comprising a recline lock mechanism including:

a handle slidably coupled to the base, the handle defining a ramped engagement surface;

a stopper moveably coupled to the base; and

a biasing member that forces the stopper toward the seat;

wherein the recline lock mechanism is adjustable between a locked position, in which the stopper engages the seat to prevent the seat from reclining relative to the base, and an unlocked position, in which the stopper disengages the seat to enable the seat to recline relative to the base, by sliding the ramped engagement surface of the handle over the stopper to move the stopper relative to the seat.

17. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 16, wherein sliding the handle in a first direction relative to the base causes the stopper to move in a second direction relative to the base that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

18. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, wherein the base includes a first stop surface and the seat includes a second stop surface that abuts the first stop surface when the seat reaches a fully reclined position relative to the base.

19. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 18, wherein the seat includes a moveable release tab that transmits movement to the second stop surface of the seat to separate the second stop surface of the seat from the first stop surface of the base.

20. A child'"'"'s seat assembly comprising:

a base; and

a seat coupled to the base, the seat having a top surface that is contoured to support a child in a seated position and a bottom surface, the seat comprising;

a bench portion;

an intermediate portion removably coupled to the bench portion; and

a head portion removably and interchangeably coupled to the bench portion and the intermediate portion;

wherein the seat is adjustable between a first configuration in which the head portion is coupled to the intermediate portion and the intermediate portion is coupled to the bench portion and a second configuration in which the intermediate portion is removed and the head portion is coupled to the bench portion.

21. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 20, wherein the bench portion includes a first engagement feature comprising one of a tab and a groove and the intermediate portion includes a second engagement feature comprising the other of the tab and the groove, the first and second engagement features cooperating to couple the intermediate portion to the bench portion.

22. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 21, wherein the head portion includes the same second engagement feature as the intermediate portion.

23. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 20, wherein the seat is taller in the first configuration than in the second configuration.

24. A child'"'"'s seat assembly comprising:

a base;

a seat coupled to the base, the seat having a top surface that is contoured to support a child in a seated position and a bottom surface;

a primary tray coupled to the seat; and

a secondary tray removably coupled atop the primary tray, the secondary tray having at least one resilient arm that snaps beneath the primary tray to secure the secondary tray onto the primary tray.

25. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 24, wherein the primary tray is slidably coupled to the seat.

26. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 24, wherein the primary tray includes a table surface and an outer lip surrounding the table surface, the secondary tray spanning the outer lip of the primary tray to cover the entire table surface of the primary tray.

27. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 24, wherein at least one of the primary tray and the secondary tray defines a recess sized to hold a cup, the recess including a first, substantially circular portion and a second, extension portion that extends outwardly from the first portion.

28. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 24, wherein the primary tray defines at least one recess sized to hold a cup, the secondary tray being spaced apart from the at least one recess in the primary tray such that the at least one recess remains exposed to receive the cup when the secondary tray is coupled atop the primary tray.