Swivel Feeding Seat

• US 20140159439A1
• Filed: 02/18/2014
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOMY Holdings, Inc. (TOMY Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: TOMY Holdings, Inc. (TOMY Company Limited)
• Inventors: Medeiros, David, Daikubara, Mike Y., Tomas, Jorge, Fine, Cynthia
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,064 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;

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

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; and

a swivel lock mechanism that selectively locks the seat in at least a first, forward-facing position, a second, right-facing position, and a third, left-facing position relative to the swivel base, the swivel lock mechanism including a stopper biased vertically upwards and a protrusion engaging a ramped engagement surface of a latch body, the stopper received in pockets defined by the recline base.

2. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the swivel lock mechanism includes:

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.

3. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 2, 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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;

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;

a recline lock mechanism that selectively locks the seat from reclining and inclining relative to the base; and

a recline stop mechanism independent of the recline lock mechanism, the recline stop mechanism including a first stop surface on the base and a second stop surface on the seat that abuts the first stop surface on the base when the seat reaches a fully reclined position relative to the base, and wherein the seat includes a moveable release member 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.

8. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 7, 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.

9. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, wherein the groove defines an arcuate path for the tongue.

10. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, wherein the tongue is arcuate in shape.

11. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, wherein the groove and the tongue are located above the arcuate platform of the base.

12. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 8, 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 in the base, the tongue extending from the seat to cooperate with the groove in the base.

13. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 12, wherein the at least one guide rail extends above the tongue to prevent the seat from being lifted off of the base.

14. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 12, wherein the tongue extends outwardly from the arcuate bottom surface of the seat.

15. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 7, wherein the recline lock mechanism includes:

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.

16. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 15, 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.

17. 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, a bottom surface, and a plurality of arms extending upwardly from the top 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 to accommodate an infant; and

a second configuration in which the intermediate portion is removed and the head portion is coupled to the bench portion to accommodate a toddler; and

wherein, in the first configuration, an upper part of the seat is located above the plurality of arms, the upper part of the seat having a height measured upwardly from the plurality of arms, the intermediate portion of the seat comprising a majority of the height such that the majority of the height is in place in the first configuration to accommodate the infant and is removed in the second configuration to accommodate the toddler, and wherein at least one of each coupled portions includes hooks projecting vertically from an end surface of one coupled portion, the hooks also including a horizontally extending segment, the adjoining coupled portion including grooves configured to receive the hooks.

18. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 17, wherein the seat is taller in the first configuration than in the second configuration.

19. 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;

wherein the secondary tray defines a recessed food area that is configured to receive food, the recessed food area covering a substantial portion of the second tray, and the recessed food area extending below on upper edge of and into the primary tray; and

wherein the primary tray defines a cup recess separate from the food area of the secondary tray that is sized to hold a cup, and is open and exposed to receiving a cup when the secondary tray is coupled atop the primary tray, the cup recess including a first, substantially circular portion and a second, extension portion that segments the circular portion and extends radially outwardly from the circular portion, and is open thereto.

20. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 19, wherein the primary tray is slidably coupled to the seat.

21. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 19, wherein the primary tray includes a table surface and an outer lip surrounding the table surface, the secondary tray defining the food area by spanning the outer lip of the primary tray to cover the entire table surface of the primary tray.

22. A child'"'"'s seat assembly configured to rest on a supporting surface, the child'"'"'s seat assembly comprising:

a base having an underside that faces that supporting surface;

a seat supported by the base, the seat configured to recline relative to the base, the seat having a top surface that is contoured to support a child in a seated position;

a tray coupled to the seat; and

at least one riser that is rotatable relative to the base to position the seat in a first, lowered position relative to the supporting surface and a second, raised position relative to the supporting surface wherein the base is lifted entirely away from contact with the supporting surface, the at least one riser projecting further beyond the base in the raised position than in the lowered position, the at least one riser having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface of the at least one riser facing upward toward the seat in the lowered position and downward toward the supporting surface in the raised position, the at least one riser being stored within the base in the lowered position with the second surface of the at least one riser being substantially even with the underside of the base in the lowered position, the riser including an interlocking connection to lockingly connect the riser to the base to prevent withdrawal of the riser without disengaging the interlocking connection, the connection being locked by moving one of either the riser or the base relative to the other.

23. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 22, wherein the at least one riser rotates 180 degrees from the lowered position to the raised position.

24. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 22, wherein the second surface of the at least one riser faces downward toward the supporting surface in the lowered position and upward toward the seat in the raised position, and wherein the interlocking connection includes lips on the base and flanges on the riser.

25. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 24, wherein both the first and second surfaces of the at least one riser include grips, the grips on the first surface contacting the supporting surface in the raised position, and the grips on the second surface contacting the supporting surface in the lowered position, and the interlocking connection further includes an extension on the riser that snap locks into an aperture in the base.

26. The child'"'"'s seat assembly of claim 25, wherein the seat reclines relative to the base independently of the at least one riser, and the interlocking connection is engaged by horizontally sliding the riser relative to the base, and is disengaged by depressing the extension and sliding the riser in the opposite direction.