Infant carrier-receiving component with indicator

• US 6,863,286 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Schumacher, Donald, Dranschak, David, Fair, Paul, Eros, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KLEBE, GERALD B
• Application Number:
  US10/298,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20040094923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 280/47.38, 280/47.39, 280/47.4, 280/47.35, 280/62, 280/63, 280/65, 280/79, 280/87.01, 280/87.05, 280/639, 280/641, 280/642, 280/643, 280/647, 280/650, 280/651, 280/652, 280/653, 280/654, 280/655.1, 280/657, 280/658, 280/659, 280/735, 340/573.1, 340/665, 340/667, 340/686.2, 340/682.1, 340/687, 297/250.1, 297/256.16, 297/130, 200/85.R, 200/85.A, 116/200, 116/173, 180/271, 180/273
• US Class Current: 280/47.38
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2845 having handles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2848 being convertible or adaptable to a preambulator, e.g. a baby-carriage or a push-chair
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 9/28 Auxiliary dismountable seats ; Additional platforms for children in standing-up position

Abstract

An infant carrier-receiving component including a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon, and an indicator located on said frame, wherein the indicator indicates when the infant carrier is located in a predetermined position on the frame.

Claims

1. An infant carrier-receiving component comprising:

a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on at least one of said infant carrier and said frame, wherein said indicator is automatically repositionable between a first position and a second position, wherein said indicator is operative to travel between said first position and said second position to indicate when said infant carrier is located in said first position on said frame and indicate when said infant carrier is located in said second position different than said first position.

2. The component of claim 1 wherein said indicator includes a notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is located in said first position or is not located in said first position, and wherein said notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is in the other of said first position or not said first position.

3. The component of claim 2 wherein said indicator includes a movable portion that is positioned in a first orientation when said carrier is located in said first position and that is positioned in a second orientation when said infant carrier is not located in said first position.

4. The component of claim 3 wherein the movement of said movable portion causes said notification portion to be generally visible or generally not visible.

5. The component of claim 4 wherein said notification portion is located on said movable portion.

6. The component of claim 5 wherein said movable portion is a pivotable arm, and wherein said notification portion is located at a distal end thereof.

7. The component of claim 4 wherein one of said component or said infant carrier includes a magnetic component and the other of said component or infant carrier includes a component that is located to interact with said magnetic component when said infant carrier is located in said first position to cause said movable portion to move to said first orientation.

8. The component of claim 3 wherein said movable component is biased into one of said first or second orientations.

9. The component of claim 2 wherein said frame includes a transparent portion, and wherein when said notification portion is visible said notification portion may be visible through said transparent portion.

10. The component of claim 2 wherein said notification portion includes a visual property that is different from the surrounding portions of said frame.

11. The component of claim 1 wherein said frame is mounted to a stroller body which includes a set of wheels and a handlebar shaped and located to be gripped by an operator such that said stroller body can be rolled in a desired direction.

12. The component of claim 11 wherein said frame includes a retraining bar shaped to be located in front of an occupant of said infant carrier, and wherein at least part of said indicator is located on said retaining bar.

13. The component of claim 1 wherein said frame is mounted to a car seat base body that is shaped to be mounted to an automotive vehicle seat, and wherein said car seat base body includes a belt path shaped and located to receive an automotive vehicle seat belt therein to mount said car seat base body to said automotive vehicle seat.

14. The component of claim 13 wherein said car seat base body includes a recess shaped to receive said infant carrier therein and a locking mechanism shaped to releasably mount said infant carrier to said car seat base body.

15. The component of claim 1 further comprising a switch located at least partially on at least one of said frame and said infant carrier for detecting when said infant carrier is located in said first position on said frame, and wherein said switch is in electrical communication with said latch indicator.

16. The component of claim 15 wherein said switch includes a contact located on said frame and a contact located on said infant carrier, said contacts being arranged to contact one another when said infant carrier is located in said first position on said frame.

17. The component of claim 1 wherein said indicator includes a notification portion that is either in a generally visible or a generally not visible state when said infant carrier is located in said first position, and wherein said notification is in the other of said generally visible or generally not visible state when said infant carrier is not located in said first position.

18. The component of claim 1 wherein said indicator includes a first notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is located in said first position, and wherein said first notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is not in said first position, and wherein said indicator includes a second notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is not located in said first position, and wherein said second notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is in said first position.

19. The component of claim 1 wherein said first position is a position wherein said infant carrier is mounted to said frame.

20. The component of claim 1 wherein said component is shaped to releasably receive said infant carrier thereon, and wherein at least one of said component and said infant carrier includes a locking mechanism for releasably mounting said infant carrier to said component.

21. The component of claim 1 wherein said frame includes at least one of a latch shaped to cooperate with a latch-receiving component of an infant carrier and a latch-receiving component shaped to cooperate with a latch of an infant carrier to couple said infant carrier to said frame, and wherein said indicator is at least partially spaced apart from said latch or said latch-receiving component of said frame.

22. The component of claim 1 wherein said frame includes at least one of a latch shaped to cooperate with a latch-receiving component of an infant carrier and a latch-receiving component shaped to cooperate with a latch of an infant carrier to couple said infant carrier to said frame, and wherein said indicator can indicate when said infant carrier is located in said first position relative to said frame independently of the status of said latch or said latch-receiving component.

35. The carrier of claim 21 wherein said infant carrier includes a pivotable handle, and wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in said first position independently of the position of said handle.

36. The carrier of claim 21 wherein said infant carrier includes a handle, and wherein said indicator is generally spaced away from said handle.

23. An infant carrier system comprising:

an infant carrier shaped to securely receive an infant therein;

a frame shaped to removably receive said infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on at least one of said frame and said infant carrier, wherein said indicator visually indicates when said infant center is at least one of mounted to said frame and dismounted from said frame.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein one of said frame or said infant carrier includes a latch and the other of said frame or said infant carrier includes a latch-receiving component which can cooperate with said latch to couple said infant carrier to said frame, and wherein said indicator is at least partially spaced apart from said latch and said latch-receiving component.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein one of said frame or said infant carrier includes a latch and the other of said frame or said infant carrier includes a latch-receiving component which can cooperate with said latch to couple said carrier to said frame, and wherein said indicator can indicate when said infant carrier is located in said first position relative to said frame independently of the status of said latch or said latch-receiving component.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein said infant carrier includes a pivotable handle, and wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in said first position independently of the position of said handle.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein said infant carrier includes a handle, and wherein said indicator is generally spaced away from said handle.

28. An infant carrier-receiving component comprising:

a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on said frame, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in a predetermined position on said frame, wherein said indicator includes a notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is located in said predetermined position or is not located in said predetermined position, wherein said notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is in the other of said predetermined or not predetermined position, and wherein said indicator includes a movable portion that is located in a first position when said carrier is located in said predetermined position and that is located in a second position when said infant carrier is not located in said predetermined position.

29. The component of claim 28 wherein the movement of said movable portion causes said notification portion to be generally visible or generally not visible.

30. The component of claim 29 wherein said notification portion is located on said movable portion.

31. The component of claim 30 wherein said movable portion is a pivotable arm, and wherein said notification portion is located at a distal end thereof.

32. The component of claim 29 wherein one of said component or said infant carrier includes a magnetic component and the other of said component or infant carrier includes a component that is located to interact with said magnetic component when said infant carrier is located in said predetermined position to cause said movable portion to move to said first position.

33. The component of claim 28 wherein said movable component is biased into one of said first or second positions.

34. An infant carrier comprising:

a shell adaptively shaped to receive an infant or baby thereon, said shell being shaped to be removably mounted to a frame; and

an automatically repositionable indicator located on said shell, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is at least one of mounted on said frame and dismounted from said frame.

37. A stroller comprising:

a stroller body including a frame shaped to removably receive an infant carrier thereon, a set of wheels, and a handlebar shaped and located to be gripped by an operator such that said stroller can be rolled in a desired direction; and

an automatically repositionable indicator located on at least one of said infant carrier and said stroller body, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is at least one of mounted on said frame and dismounted from said frame.

38. A car seat base comprising:

a base body shaped to removably receive an infant carrier thereon and to be mounted to an automotive vehicle seat, said car seat base body including a belt path shaped and located to receive an automotive vehicle seat belt therein to mount said car seat base body to said automotive vehicle seat; and

an automatically repositionable indicator located on at least one of said infant carrier and said base body, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is at least one of mounted on said base body and dismounted from said base body.

39. An infant carrier-receiving component comprising:

a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on said frame, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in a predetermined position on said frame, wherein said indicator includes a notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is located in said predetermined position or is not located in said predetermined position, wherein said notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is in the other of said predetermined or not predetermined position, wherein said frame includes a transparent portion, and wherein when said notification portion is visible said notification portion may be visible through said transparent portion.

40. An infant carrier-receiving component comprising:

a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on said frame, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in a predetermined position on said frame, wherein said indicator includes a first notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is located in said predetermined position, wherein said first notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is not in said predetermined position, wherein said indicator includes a second notification portion that is generally visible when said infant carrier is not located in said predetermined position, and wherein said second notification portion is generally not visible when said infant carrier is in said predetermined position.

41. An infant carrier-receiving component comprising:

a frame shaped to receive an infant carrier thereon; and

an indicator located on said frame, wherein said indicator indicates when said infant carrier is located in a predetermined position on said frame, wherein said frame is coupled to a stroller body which includes a set of wheels and a handlebar shaped and located to be gripped by an operator such that said stroller body can be rolled in a desired direction, wherein said frame includes a retraining bar shaped to be located in front of an occupant of said infant carrier, and wherein at least part of said indicator is located on said retaining bar.