Reclining changing seat

• US 6,773,065 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Laura Stamper
• Original Assignee: Laura Stamper
• Inventors: Stamper, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D ADAMO, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/137,240
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 297/256.12, 297/256.13, 297/256.16, 297/354.13, 297/343, 297/320, 297/317, 297/250.1
• US Class Current: 297/256.12
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 5/006 foldable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2875 inclinable, as a whole or partially
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2878 the back-rest being inclinable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2881 Upholstery, padded or cushioned members therefor

Abstract

A reclining seat having a L-shaped base unit and a seat with a reclining seat portion is described. The seat may be pulled out from the base unit, rotated with respect to the base unit and the reclining seat portion reclined to form a substantially horizontal surface, which may be used as a diaper-changing surface. If the reclining seat is a car safety seat, the base unit may accommodate a safety belt. The present invention also comprises a method of changing a child'"'"'s diaper without removing the child from a car seat.

Claims

1. A reclining seat comprising:

a substantially L-shaped base unit having a back and a bottom;

a seat having a back, a bottom, and opposing sides with said bottom slidably and rotatable mounted on said bottom of said base unit;

a plurality of seat back tracks wherein said opposing sides of said seat define slots therein to comprise said seat back tracks; and

a reclining seat portion having opposing sides and a foldable middle, which divides said reclining seat portion into a seat bottom and a seat back, wherein said opposing sides are slidably attached to said seat back tracks and said middle may unfold to form a substantially horizontal surface.

2. The reclining seat of claim 1 wherein said reclining seat portion may be used as a child diaper changing pad.

3. The reclining seat of claim 1, wherein said seat may be rotated to the left or right.

4. The reclining seat of claim 1, wherein said seat and said base unit are permanently attached to each other.

5. The reclining seat of claim 1, wherein said seat is secured to said base by a seat lock removably inserted into a means for accommodating the seat lock present in said back of said base unit to prevent undesired movement of said seat.

6. The reclining seat of claim 5, wherein the reclining seat portion is reclined by releasing said seat lock from said means for accommodating the seat lock, pulling said seat out and rotating it with respect to said base unit and reclining said reclining seat portion by pulling out said seat bottom while simultaneously sliding said seat back within said seat back tracks.

7. The reclining seat of claim 1, wherein said seat is connected to said base unit by a sliding revolving mechanism and a track.

8. The reclining seat as defined in claim 1, further comprising a handle wherein at least one of said opposing sides of said seat defines a hole therein to comprise said handle.

9. The reclining seat as defined in claim 1, wherein said reclining seat portion is covered by one of the group consisting of rubber, cloth, plastic, and leather.

10. The reclining seat as defined in claim 1, further comprising means to secure a safety belt to said base unit wherein said back of said base unit defines a hole therein to comprise said means to secure a safety belt to said base unit.

11. A reclining car safety seat comprising:

a seat bottom having opposing ends;

a seat back having opposing sides and opposing ends with one end foldably attached to one of said ends of said seat bottom;

a seat having a back, a bottom, and opposing sides with said opposing sides slidably attached to said opposing sides of said seat back; and

a base unit having a back and a bottom with said bottom attached to said bottom of said seat.

12. The reclining car safety seat of claim 11, wherein said seat bottom and said seat back may be reclined to be used as a child diaper changing pad.

13. The reclining car safety seat of claim 11, wherein said seat is slidably and rotatably mounted on said base unit.

14. The reclining car safety seat of claim 11, wherein said seat and said base unit are permanently attached to each other.

15. The reclining car safety seat of claim 11, wherein said seat is secured to said base unit by a seat lock removably inserted into a means for accommodating the seat lock present in said back of said base unit to prevent undesired movement of said seat.

16. The reclining car safety seat of claim 15, wherein said seat bottom and said seat back are reclined by releasing said seat lock from said means for accommodating the seat lock, pulling said seat out and rotating it with respect to said base unit, and reclining said seat bottom and said seat back by pulling out said seat bottom while simultaneously sliding said seat back within said opposing sides of said seat.

17. The reclining car safety seat of claim 11, wherein said seat is connected to said base unit by a sliding revolving mechanism and a track.

18. The reclining car safety seat as defined in claim 11, further comprising a handle wherein at least one of said opposing sides of said seat defines a hole therein to comprise said handle.

19. The reclining car safety seat as defined in claim 11, wherein said seat back and said seat bottom are covered by one of the group consisting of rubber, cloth, plastic, and leather.

20. A method of changing a child'"'"'s diaper, wherein a child is sitting in a car seat secured to a car by a safety belt having a base unit, a seat lock, a means for accommodating the seat lock, a plurality of seat back tracks, and a reclining seat portion having a seat back and a seat bottom, the method comprising the steps of:

releasing said seat lock from said means for accommodating the seat lock to release said seat of said car seat from said safety-belted base unit of said car seat;

pulling and rotating said seat of said car seat with respect to said base unit of said car seat;

pulling out said seat bottom of said reclining seat portion while simultaneously reclining said seat back of said reclining seat portion by sliding it within said seat back tracks, thereby placing said child and said reclining seat portion in a substantially horizontal position; and

changing the child'"'"'s diaper.