Folding device for a highchair

A folding device for connecting legs of a highchair includes first and second folding members, a toothed wheel, and an actuator. The first folding member is formed with a positioning groove, and the second folding member is formed with a position limiting unit. The toothed wheel includes a wheel body that is disposed between the first and second folding members and that has a periphery provided with a primary tooth engaging the positioning groove. The primary tooth engages the position limiting unit to lock the second folding member from movement relative to the first folding member when the second folding member is at an expanded position. The actuator is operated to release the second folding member from the locking action of the toothed wheel when moving the second folding member back to a folded position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Chinese application no. 200620120424.2, filed on Jun. 20, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a folding device, more particularly to a folding device for a highchair.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, a folding device for a highchair as disclosed in CN 2624737Y includes a plastic outer cap10, a plastic inner cap20and an actuator30. The outer cap10has a lower portion connected to a front leg of the highchair.

The actuator30is formed with a spring chamber33, and is disposed between the outer and inner caps10,20. The outer cap10is provided with a button slot12to hold the actuator30and prevent the actuator30from displacing relative to the outer cap10.

The inner cap20is provided with a first protrusion21and a second protrusion22. The actuator30is provided with a first engaging notched portion31and a second engaging notched portion32. A restoring spring40is disposed in the spring chamber33of the actuator30. When the highchair is in an expanded state, the first engaging notched portion31of the actuator30is biased by the restoring spring40to abut against the first protrusion21of the inner cap20.

When folding the highchair, the actuator30is pressed upward to disengage the first engaging notched portion31of the actuator30from the first protrusion21of the inner cap20. At this time, the inner cap20can be pivoted relative to the outer cap10for folding.

When expanding the highchair, the actuator30is pressed upward once again to permit pivoting of the inner cap20in the opposite direction for expanding.

Since positioning in the folding device is achieved through the first and second protrusions21,22of the inner cap20and the first and second engaging notched portions31,32of the actuator30, it is required to operate the actuator30when expanding or folding the highchair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a folding device for a highchair that is easier to operate as compared to the aforementioned prior art.

Accordingly, a folding device of the present invention is adapted for interconnecting foldably first and second legs of a highchair. The folding device comprises a first folding member, a second folding member, a toothed wheel, a spring and an actuator.

The first folding member is adapted to be connected to the first leg and is formed with at least one positioning groove.

The second folding member is adapted to be connected to the second leg and is formed with a position limiting unit that has a first contact portion and a second contact portion adjacent to the first contact portion. The second contact portion forms a step with the first contact portion and is indented relative to the first contact portion.

The toothed wheel includes a wheel body that is disposed between the first and second folding members and that has a periphery provided with at least one primary tooth. A portion of the primary tooth is received in the positioning groove to arrest rotation of the wheel body relative to the first folding member.

The spring is disposed between the wheel body and the first folding member.

The actuator is disposed on one side of the wheel body opposite to the spring and is accessible externally of the second folding member.

The second folding member is rotatable relative to an assembly of the first folding member and the toothed wheel between folded and expanded positions.

The primary tooth of the wheel body abuts against the first contact portion of the position limiting unit when the second folding member is at the folded position.

Movement of the second folding member to the expanded position results in abutment of the primary tooth of the wheel body against the second contact portion of the position limiting unit.

The actuator is operable to move the primary tooth of the wheel body away from the second contact portion of the position limiting unit against urging action of the spring to permit movement of the second folding member from the expanded position back to the folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 4 and 5illustrate the preferred embodiment of a folding device5according to the present invention, which is adapted for interconnecting foldably first and second legs6, i.e., front and rear legs, on a same side of a seat member4of a highchair such that the first and second legs6can be converted between folded and expanded states. The first and second legs6form an angle therebetween when in the expanded state, and are close to each other when in the folded state.

Referring toFIGS. 6,7and8, the folding device5comprises a first folding member51, a second folding member54, a toothed wheel52, a spring53and an actuator55.

The first folding member51has a coupling seat510that extends from a periphery thereof along a tangential direction and that is adapted to be connected to the first leg6, and an inner side formed with a central axle511and six angularly spaced apart positioning grooves512disposed around the central axle511.

The second folding member54has a coupling seat540that extends from a periphery thereof along a tangential direction and that is adapted to be connected to the second leg6, and an inner side that is formed with a central sleeve5400to be sleeved on the central axle511of the first folding member51to interconnect pivotally the first and second folding members51,54. The second folding member54is further formed with a pair of position limiting units541which are formed on an inner ring surface of an inner ring wall that surrounds the central sleeve5400and which are disposed at diametrically opposite positions relative to the central sleeve5400. Each of the position limiting units541has a first contact portion543and a second contact portion544adjacent to the first contact portion543. The second contact portion544forms a step with the first contact portion543and is indented relative to the first contact portion543. The second folding member54is further formed with six protrusions542which are angularly spaced apart from each other and which are formed on the inner ring surface of the inner ring wall. Each of the position limiting units541is disposed between a respective pair of the protrusions542.

The toothed wheel52includes a wheel body521that is disposed between the first and second folding members51,54and that has a periphery provided with a pair of primary teeth522disposed at diametrically opposite positions. The periphery of the wheel body521is further provided with four angularly spaced apart secondary teeth523symmetrically disposed between the primary teeth522. The height of each of the secondary teeth523is shorter than that of each of the primary teeth522. A portion of each of the primary and secondary teeth522,523is received in a respective one of the positioning grooves512to arrest rotation of the wheel body521relative to the central axle511of the first folding member51. However, the wheel body521is movable relative to the first folding member51along the central axle511, which passes through the wheel body521and which serves as a wheel axis. The primary teeth522are associated operably and respectively with the position limiting units541in a manner to be described hereinafter. Each of the secondary teeth523has first and second lateral sides5231,5232and an inclined end surface5233interconnecting the first and second lateral sides5231,5232and configuring the first lateral side5231to be shorter than the second lateral side5232. Each of the secondary teeth523is associated operably with a corresponding adjacent pair of the protrusions542in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The spring53is sleeved on the central sleeve5400and is disposed between the wheel body521and the first folding member51. The spring53biases the toothed wheel52away from the first folding member51and toward the second folding member54.

The second folding member54is rotatable relative to an assembly of the first folding member51and the toothed wheel52between folded and expanded positions that correspond respectively to the folded and expanded states of the first and second legs6. As shown inFIG. 9, when the second folding member54is at the folded position, i.e., the first and second legs6are at the folded state, an end face of each of the primary teeth522of the wheel body521abuts against the first contact portion543of the respective position limiting unit541, and each of the primary teeth522further abuts against one of the protrusions542disposed adjacent to the first contact portion543. At this time, the second contact portion544of each of the position limiting units541is registered with one of the secondary teeth523of the wheel body521, and another one of the protrusions542disposed adjacent to the second contact portion544is located near the first lateral side5231of the registered one of the secondary teeth523of the wheel body521. When the second folding member54is moved relative to the first folding member51in the direction (I) shown inFIG. 9about the wheel axis to the expanded position shown inFIG. 10so as to convert the first and second legs6to the expanded state, said another one of the protrusions542slides along the inclined end surface5233of the adjacent secondary tooth523of the wheel body521, thereby pressing the wheel body521toward the first folding member51and compressing the spring53. When said another one of the protrusions542moves past the adjacent secondary tooth523of the wheel body521so as to be located near the second lateral side5232of the adjacent secondary tooth523of the wheel body521, said another one of the protrusions542further abuts against one of the primary teeth522of the wheel body521, and the end face of each of the primary teeth522of the wheel body521is registered with the second contact portion544of the respective position limiting unit541. At this time, the spring53causes the toothed wheel52to move along the wheel axis toward the second folding member54to result in abutment of the end face of each of the primary teeth522of the wheel body521against the second contact portion544of the respective position limiting unit541. As best shown inFIG. 10, when the second folding member54is at the expanded position, each primary tooth522is confined by the first contact portion543of the respective position limiting unit541and an adjacent one of the protrusions542, and each secondary tooth523is confined by an adjacent pair of the protrusions542. As a result, the second folding member54is unable to rotate relative to the wheel body521and the first folding member51, thereby locking the second folding member54at the expanded position.

To move the second folding member54from the expanded position back to the folded position, the locking action of the toothed wheel52on the second folding member54must be released first. In this embodiment, the actuator55is mounted movably on the second folding member54, has four posts551(seeFIGS. 6 and 8) that extend into the second folding member54and that abut against one side of the wheel body521opposite to the spring53, and is accessible externally of the second folding member54. The actuator55is operable to move the wheel body521away from the second folding member54against urging action of the spring53to release the locking action of the toothed wheel52on the second folding member54, i.e., to move the primary teeth522of the wheel body521away from the second contact portions544of the position limiting units541and to move the secondary teeth523away from the protrusions542so as not to obstruct movement of the protrusions542when the second folding member54is moved relative to the assembly of the first folding member51and the toothed wheel52in the direction opposite to the direction (I) inFIG. 9. The second folding member54is disposed at the folded position once the primary teeth522of the wheel body521abut against the first contact portions543of the position limiting units541and further abut against the protrusions542disposed adjacent to the first contact portions543of the position limiting units541, and once the protrusions542disposed adjacent to the second contact portions544of the position limiting units541are located near the first lateral sides5231of the adjacent secondary teeth523of the wheel body521.

In this embodiment, the positions and numbers of the primary and secondary teeth522,523on the wheel body521were chosen to achieve balanced forces during conversion of the first and second legs6between the folded and expanded states. In another embodiment of this invention, the wheel body521may be provided with only one primary tooth522and one secondary tooth523that cooperate with one position limiting unit541and one protrusion542on the second folding member54in the aforementioned manner. In yet another embodiment of this invention, the wheel body521may be provided with only one primary tooth522that cooperates with one position limiting unit541formed with a step of the second folding member54to achieve the same result.

In sum, in the folding device5of this embodiment, positioning is achieved through the primary and secondary teeth522,523on the wheel body521and the position limiting units541and the protrusions542on the second folding member54. The actuator55is provided to release the second folding member54from the locking action of the toothed wheel52when moving the second folding member54from the expanded position to the folded position. However, in the folding device5of this invention, the second folding member54can be moved from the folded position back to the expanded position by simply pulling apart the first and second legs6without the need to operate the actuator55.