Convertible play center for children

• US 6,000,750 A
• Filed: 10/25/1996
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The First Years Incorporated (TOMY Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: The First Years Incorporated (TOMY Company Limited)
• Inventors: Hotaling, Bryan R., Rossman, Jon R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/751,080
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 297/2, 297/3, 297/118, 297/119, 297/129, 297/136, 297/344.18, 297/344.12, 297/258.1, 297/260.1, 297/272.1, 297/270.1, 108/11, 108/12, 108/14, 108/144, 108/25, 108/26, 312/194, 312/195, 312/237, 312/277, 312/293.1, 248/188.2, 248/188.5
• US Class Current: 297/2
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/004 in height
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/08 convertible to a rocking chair
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 11/002 Children's chairs convertible into tables

Abstract

Convertible furniture for children for use in different configurations as either a table or child'"'"'s seat. The furniture comprises a base, vertical supports, and a removable top. The top includes a rotating fabric sling seat for very young children. With the top removed, the furniture may be inverted for use as a play table. Rockers, rocker locks and means to prevent seat rotation are also disclosed. The vertical supports are telescopically extendable to adjust the height of the furniture.

Claims

1. Convertible child'"'"'s furniture comprising:

a base;

laterally spaced apart supports connected to and extending upwardly from said base, said supports being vertically adjustable to adjust the height of said furniture; and

a top having a child'"'"'s seat suspended therefrom, said top extending between and removably connected to and supported in spaced relation to said base by said supports;

said base having a flat surface on a side thereof facing away from said top and said supports;

whereby upon removal of said top, said furniture can be inverted to permit the use of the flat surface of said base as a table surface supported by said laterally spaced supports and said furniture can be adjusted for height in either its original or inverted orientation.

2. The furniture of claim 1 in which the child'"'"'s seat comprises

a frame;

and

a flexible sling with a pair of holes to accept a child'"'"'s legs, the sling being connected to said frame.

3. The furniture of claim 2 in which said sling is removably connected to said frame.

4. The furniture of claim 2 in which said frame is rotatably mounted to said top.

5. The furniture of claim 4 in which said top further comprises a lock to alternatively prohibit rotation of said frame within said top.

6. The furniture of claim 5 in which said lock comprises a slidable member of said frame, the slidable member constructed and arranged so as to engage at least one slot in an upstanding lip of said top.

7. The furniture of any one of claim 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in which springs are connected to the underside of said top, said springs resiliently vertically moveably supporting said top above said supports.

8. The furniture of claim 7 in which a sleeve is provided below said top, said sleeve removeably engaging said supports, said top supported by said springs on said sleeve.

9. The furniture of claim 1 in which two curved rockers extend downwardly along opposing edges of the flat surface of said base.

10. The furniture of claim 9 further comprising engageable stops to disallow rocking motion of the furniture in a forward direction, a rearward direction, or in both directions.

13. The furniture of either of claim 1 or 11 in which said base comprises support receivers connected to and extending upwardly from said base, said supports extending upwardly from said support receivers, said supports vertically moveable relative to said support receivers for adjustment of furniture height.

14. The furniture of claim 13 in which outwardly biased members are provided in ones of said supports and said support receivers and a series of vertically spaced openings, into which said members can extend, are provided in the others of said supports and said support receivers, whereby said supports may be selectively adjusted in height by moving said members to selected ones of said openings.

16. The furniture of either of claim 1 or 11 in which said base on at least one side extending between said supports is uninterrupted by any structure extending away from said top beyond said flat surface.

11. Convertible child'"'"'s furniture comprising:

a base having a flat bottom surface with curved rockers extending downwardly along opposing edges of the flat surface of said base;

laterally spaced apart supports connected to and extending upwardly from said base, the supports being vertically adjustably mounted to said base to adjust the height of said furniture;

a top extending between and removably connected to and supported in spaced relation to said base by said supports, said top having springs connected to the underside thereof, said springs resiliently vertically moveably supporting said top above said supports, and said top having a child'"'"'s seat suspended therefrom;

whereby upon removal of said top said furniture can be inverted to permit the use of the flat surface of said base as a table surface supported by said laterally spaced supports; and

engageable stops on said bottom surface of said base to selectively disallow rocking motion of the furniture in a forward direction, a rearward direction, or in both directions.

12. The furniture of claim 11 in which the child'"'"'s seat comprises:

a frame;

a flexible sling with a pair of holes to accept a child'"'"'s legs, said sling being removably connected to said frame, said frame being rotatably mounted to said top; and

a lock to selectively prohibit rotation of said frame within said top.

15. The furniture of claim 11 in which a sleeve is provided below said top, said sleeve removeably engaging said supports, said top supported by said springs on said sleeve.