High chair

• US 5,951,102 A
• Filed: 12/27/1996
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Jimenez, Eduardo J., Kapushion, Joseph L., Poulson, Keith L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US08/773,817
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 297/325, 297/326, 297/327, 297/328, 297/467, 297/256.15, 297/256.16, 297/134, 297/130, 297/344.14, 297/440.2, 297/440.21, 297/440.16, 297/16.1 , 297/148, 297/151, 297/149, 297/153, 297/344.18, 297/487, 297/440.22, 297/344.12, 297/452.18, 297/452.2
• US Class Current: 297/130
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/004 in height
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/006 dismountable
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/0085 removable
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/023 of high chair type
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/10 capable of being suspended from, or attached to, tables or other articles
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/103 attachable to adult's chairs

Abstract

A high chair which includes a removable tray with a single-handed actuation handle for actuating a release mechanism. The actuation handle is located on the front edge of the tray and can be pushed slightly forward to operate the release mechanism which pivots fingers out of engagement with grooves located on the sides of the seat of the high chair. The seat can be removed from the high chair by actuating a latch located on a bottom side thereof and pivoting it slightly while lifting off to disengage notches defined on the back of the seat from an upper tubular member of a cradle which is attached to a frame and supports the seat thereon. The cradle can be pivoted relative to the frame to provide a plurality of positions for the seat, including an upright and a recline position. A pivoting mechanism includes a pair of nested hubs and a pin which selectively locks the hubs together. The cradle can be adjusted in height relative to the frame by actuation of a button and pin arrangement which engages with openings in a frame member. The frame can be securely placed into either an operational or a storage position by pivoting the rear frame member and allowing a latch to be operated to secure the rear frame member in either the operational or storage position.

Claims

1. A removable tray for use with a seating member for children, the seating member having a seat back and having two spaced apart portions for engagement with the removable tray, the tray comprising:

a support surface for supporting various objects with the tray, the support surface having a front surface located on an opposite side of the tray from the seat back when the tray is attached to the seating member; and

an engagement mechanism attachable to the tray below the support surface for engagement with the spaced apart portions of the seating member, the engagement mechanism including a slidable actuation member extending outward from the support surface in the vicinity of the front surface and extending along a majority of the entire width of the tray, the actuation member being slidably actuable by moving the member inward in a direction substantially parallel to the support surface toward the seat back a sufficient amount to completely disengage the engagement mechanism from the spaced apart portions of the seating member.

3. A removable tray as defined in claim 1, wherein the engagement mechanism includes a right and a left engagement lever, each of which are pivotably mounted to an underside of the support surface, and each of which are also pivotably coupled to the slidable actuation member, the levers having engagement surfaces formed thereon for selective engagement with the spaced apart portions of the seating member, the levers being selectively pivotable between engaging and disengaging positions, wherein the levers are biased toward the engaging positions.

2. A tray for use with and attachable to a feeding chair for children, comprising:

a support surface for supporting various objects thereon, the support surface having a pair of opposite sides; and

a protruding member extending downward from the support surface at a position intermediate the two sides to prevent passage of a child between the tray and the chair, wherein the protruding member is pivotably and retractably mounted to the support surface to allow the protruding member to be moved between a blocking position to prevent passage of a child between the tray and the chair, and a non-blocking position to allow the tray to be placed on a planar surface such as a table while maintaining the support surface in an orientation generally parallel to the planar surface, and further wherein the protruding member includes a biasing member to urge the protruding member toward the blocking position.

4. A high chair for children, comprising:

a main frame;

a support frame having a portion that is pivotably attachable to the main frame, the support frame being pivotable between an upright and a reclined position;

a latch mechanism to releasably secure the support frame in the upright or the reclined position, wherein the latch mechanism includes a pair of nested members, one being mounted on the main frame and one being mounted on the support frame, and the latch mechanism further includes an extended member to connect the two nested members and prevent pivotable movement therebetween, the extended member being selectively removable from at least one of the two nested members to selectively allow pivotable movement therebetween;

and

a seat having a portion that is engageable and disengageable with the support frame to allow the support frame to support the seat from beneath the seat.

5. A high chair for children, comprising:

a frame including front and back frame members which are joined to each other at upper ends thereof;

a seat having a portion that is attachable to the frame; and

a right and a left connecting mechanism for joining together the upper ends of the front and back frame members, the connecting mechanisms having at least one of the front and back frame members pivotably connected thereto, to allow the frame to be moved between collapsed and extended positions, wherein in the collapsed position the front and back frame members are generally parallel to each other and in the extended position the front and back frame members are in an intersecting angular relationship to each other;

wherein at least one of the connecting mechanisms has associated with it a latch mechanism for selectively and releasably securing the front and back frame members into each of said parallel and intersecting relationships, the latch mechanism including at least two openings defined in the connecting mechanism and a button provided on one of the frame members which is biased outward from the frame member and is movable into the frame member, the button being selectably received in one of the at least two openings to releasably secure the frame members relative to each other.

6. A high chair for children, comprising:

a main frame, including a pair of u-shaped frame members joined together;

a support frame having a portion that is pivotably and slidably attachable to the main frame;

a seat having a portion that is engageable and disengageable with the support frame to allow the support frame to support the seat from beneath the seat; and

a tray which has a portion that is removably attachable to the seat;

wherein the seat includes indentations defined thereon for engagement with the tray, wherein the tray includes an actuation member and a release member which are pivotably attachable together, the release member including an engaging member to engage with the indentations on the seat and to disengage from the indentations when the actuation member is actuated.

7. A high chair as defined in claim 6, wherein the tray includes two release members, one located on either side of the actuation member.

8. A high chair as defined in claim 7, wherein the tray also includes a pair of side release members, one associated with each release member to release the release members in an alternative fashion from actuating the actuation member.

9. A high chair as defined in claim 6, wherein the engaging member of the release member includes two separate protrusions, spaced apart at a distance corresponding to the distance between two indentations in the seat.

10. A high chair as defined in claim 9, wherein the distance between the two protrusions corresponds to the distance between two protrusions having one empty protrusion therebetween.

11. A high chair for children, comprising:

a frame including front and back frame members which are pivotally connected along a pivot axis at a pivot point to each other at upper ends thereof;

a seat having a portion that is attachable to the frame; and

a right and a left connecting mechanism for joining together the upper ends of the front and back frame members, the connecting mechanisms having at least one of the front and back frame members pivotably connected thereto, to allow the frame to be moved between collapsed and extended positions, wherein in the collapsed position the front and back frame members are generally parallel to each other and in the extended position the front and back frame members are in an intersecting angular relationship to each other, the connecting mechanisms having an outer surface oriented perpendicular to the pivot axis;

wherein at least one of the connecting mechanisms has associated with it a latch mechanism on the outer surface of the connecting mechanisms at a spaced apart location along the frame members from the pivot point for selectively and releasably securing the front and back frame members into each of said parallel and intersecting relationships.

12. A high chair as defined in claim 11, wherein the latch mechanism includes at least two openings defined in the connecting mechanism and a button provided on one of the frame members which is biased outward from the frame member and is movable into the frame member, the button being selectably received in one of the at least two openings to releasably secure the frame members relative to each other.

13. A high chair for children, comprising:

a main frame, including a pair of u-shaped frame members joined together;

a support frame having a portion that is pivotably and slidably attachable to the main frame; and

a seat having a portion that is engageable and disengageable with the support frame to allow the support frame to support the seat from beneath the seat, wherein the seat is removably attachable to the support frame with an attachment mechanism,

wherein the support frame includes an upper and a lower elongated horizontal member, and the attachment mechanism removably attaches the seat to the upper and lower members of the support frame;

wherein the attachment mechanism is affixed to the seat and includes a pair of recesses defined on the back of the seat to engage the upper member of the support frame and also includes an engagement mechanism on the bottom of the seat to engage the lower member of the support frame.

14. A high chair as defined in claim 13, wherein the engagement mechanism is pivotably mounted to the bottom of the seat, movable between an engaging position and a disengaging position, and biased toward the engaging position, the engagement mechanism having an inclined bottom surface thereon to move the engagement mechanism toward the disengaging position when the seat is moved from a removed position toward the lower member of the support frame, the engagement mechanism moving against the bias toward the disengaging position due to a camming nature of the inclined surface and the pivotable mounting, the bias moving the engagement mechanism back toward the engaging position when the seat is sufficiently moved toward the lower member of the support frame.

15. A high chair as defined in claim 14, wherein the engagement mechanism includes a recess defined on a back side thereof for engagement with the lower member of the support frame.

16. A high chair as defined in claim 13, wherein the engagement mechanism engages with the lower member of the support frame in a manner to self-tighten if the seat is lifted away from the lower member without actuating the engagement mechanism.

17. A high chair as defined in claim 13, wherein the engagement mechanism is centrally disposed adjacent the front of the seat bottom.

18. A high chair for children, comprising:

a main frame, including a pair of u-shaped frame members joined together;

a support frame having a portion that is pivotably and slidably attachable to the main frame, the support frame being pivotable between an upright and a reclined position;

a seat having a portion that is engageable and disengageable with the support frame to allow the support frame to support the seat from beneath the seat; and

a latch mechanism to releasably secure the support frame in the upright or the reclined position, wherein the latch mechanism includes a pair of nested members, one being mounted on the main frame and one being mounted on the support frame, and the latch mechanism further includes an extended member to connect the two nested members and prevent pivotable movement therebetween, the extended member being selectively removable from at least one of the two nested members to selectively allow pivotable movement therebetween.

19. A high chair for children, comprising:

a main frame;

a support frame having a portion that is attachable to the main frame, the support frame including an upper and a lower elongated horizontal member; and

a seat engageable and disengageable with the support frame to allow the support frame to support the seat from beneath the seat, wherein the seat is removably attachable to the upper and lower members of the support frame with an attachment mechanism, and further wherein the attachment mechanism is affixed to the seat and includes a pair of recesses defined on the back of the seat to engage the upper member of the support frame and also includes an engagement mechanism on the bottom of the seat to engage the lower member of the support frame.

20. A high chair as defined in claim 19, wherein the engagement mechanism is pivotably mounted to the bottom of the seat, movable between an engaging position and a disengaging position, and biased toward the engaging position, the engagement mechanism having an inclined bottom surface thereon to move the engagement mechanism toward the disengaging position when the seat is moved from a removed position toward the lower member of the support frame, the engagement mechanism moving against the bias toward the disengaging position due to a camming nature of the inclined surface and the pivotable mounting, the bias moving the engagement mechanism back toward the engaging position when the seat is sufficiently moved toward the lower member of the support frame.

21. A high chair as defined in claim 20, wherein the engagement mechanism includes a recess defined on a back side thereof for engagement with the lower member of the support frame.

22. A high chair as defined in claim 19, wherein the engagement mechanism is pivotably mounted to the bottom of the seat, and wherein the engagement mechanism includes a recess defined on a back side thereof for engagement with the lower member of the support frame, and wherein the relative location of the recesses on the back of the seat and the recess on the engagement mechanism and the shape of the recesses cause the engagement mechanism to self-tighten if the seat is lifted away from the lower member without actuating the engagement mechanism.

23. A high chair as defined in claim 19, wherein the engagement mechanism is centrally disposed adjacent the front of the seat bottom.