Booster seat

A seat for supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a support surface. The inventive device includes a seat member positionable upon a support surface and having a seat recess directed thereinto. A foot rest is mounted to the seat member for supporting the feet of an individual and can be pivoted into a storage recess within the seat member for storage during periods of non-use of the device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to seating structures and more particularly 
pertains to a booster seat for supporting a child in a spaced orientation 
relative to a support surface. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of seating structures is known in the prior art. More specifically, 
seating structures heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist 
basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, 
notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art 
which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and 
requirements. 
Known prior art seating structures include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,335,968; 
4,968,091; 5,332,286; 4,662,678; 4,586,747; and U.S. Design Pat. No. 
305,387. 
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and 
requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a booster seat 
for supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a support 
surface which includes a seat member positionable upon a support surface 
and having a seat recess directed thereinto, and a foot rest pivotally 
mounted to the seat member for supporting the feet of an individual which 
can be pivoted into a storage recess within the seat member for storage 
purposes. 
In these respects, the booster seat according to the present invention 
substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the 
prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for 
the purpose of supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a 
support surface. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
seating structures now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a new booster seat construction wherein the same can be utilized 
for supporting a child in a spaced orientation from a support surface. As 
such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be 
described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new booster seat 
apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the seating 
structures mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a 
booster seat which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or 
even implied by any of the prior art seating structures, either alone or 
in any combination thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a seat for 
supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a support surface. 
The inventive device includes a seat member positionable upon a support 
surface and having a seat recess directed thereinto. A foot rest is 
mounted to the seat member for supporting the feet of an individual and 
can be pivoted into a storage recess within the seat member for storage 
during periods of non-use of the device. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the an may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carded out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the an will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new booster 
seat apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the seating 
structures mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a 
booster seat which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or 
even implied by any of the prior art tool guides, either alone or in any 
combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new booster seat 
which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new booster 
seat which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new booster 
seat which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both 
materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low 
prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such booster seats 
economically available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
booster seat which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior 
art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some 
of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new booster 
seat for supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a support 
surface. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new booster 
seat which includes a seat member positionable upon a support surface and 
having a seat recess directed thereinto, and a foot rest pivotally mounted 
to the seat member for supporting the feet of an individual which can be 
pivoted into a storage recess within the seat member for storage purposes. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-5 thereof, 
a new booster seat embodying the principles and concepts of the present 
invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be 
described. 
More specifically, it will be noted that the booster seat 10 comprises a 
seat means 12 for supporting an individual such as a child 14 in a spaced 
orientation relative to a support surface 16 such as is shown in FIG. 1 of 
the drawings. A foot rest means 18 can be provided with the present 
invention 10 and projects from the seat means 12 for supporting the feet 
20 of the individual 14 relative to the support surface 16 upon which the 
seat means 12 is positioned. By this structure, an individual such as a 
child 14 is supported in a comfortable and spaced orientation relative to 
the support surface 16. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3 wherein the present invention 10 is 
illustrated in detail, it can be shown that the seat means 12 of the 
present invention 10 preferably comprises a seat member 22 having a front 
wall 24 spaced from a rear wall 26. The seat member 22 further includes a 
top wall 28 spaced from a bottom wall 30 as shown in FIG. 2 of the 
drawings. The seat member 22 is shaped so as to define a seating recess 32 
directed into the top wall 28 and extending from contiguous communication 
with the front wall 24 towards the rear wall 26. Preferably, the seating 
recess 32 terminates in a spaced orientation relative to the rear wall 26, 
thereby defining a substantially U-shaped configuration of the top wall 28 
as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. By this structure, the seat member 22 
can be positioned upon a support surface 16, whereby an individual such as 
the child 14 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be positioned within the seating 
recess 32 for support relative to the support surface 16. 
With continuing reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, it can be shown that the 
seat member 22 is further shaped so as to define a storage recess 34 
directed into the bottom wall 30 of the seat member 22 and extending from 
contiguous communication with the front wall 24 towards the rear wall 26 
of the seat member. The foot rest means 18 is preferably pivotally mounted 
to the front wall 24 so as to be pivotable into the storage recess 34 as 
shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. A releasable securing strap 36 secured to 
the seat member 22 within the storage recess 34 thereof can be removably 
coupled about the foot rest means 18 so as to retain the same in the 
storage position illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, it can be shown that the foot rest 
means 18 of the present invention 10 preferably comprises a first hinge 38 
and a second hinge 40 secured in a spaced orientation to the front wall 24 
of the seat member 22 proximal to the storage recess 34. A first mounting 
member 42 is coupled to the first hinge 38 and extends downwardly 
therefrom. A second mounting member 44 is similarly coupled to the second 
hinge 40 and extends downwardly therefrom. The mounting members 42 and 44 
can be pivoted into the storage recess 34 as shown in FIG. 3 during 
storage of the foot rest means 18. The foot rest means 18 further 
comprises a first telescoping tube 46 telescopingly mounted relative to 
the first mounting member 42, and a second telescoping tube 48 similarly 
telescopingly mounted relative to the second mounting member 44. A foot 
rest member 50 extends substantially orthogonally between the telescoping 
tubes 46 and 48 so as to complete a definition of the foot rest means 18. 
As shown in FIG. 4, the telescoping tubes 46 and 48 are each precluded 
from sliding separation from the respective mounting members 42 and 44 by 
unlabelled annular projections extending from the ends of the telescoping 
tubes and mounting members. Further, the foot rest means 18 of the present 
invention 10 can be additionally configured so as to include adjustment 
apertures 52 directed through the telescoping tubes 46 and 48 which 
cooperate with a spring loaded detente projection 54 extending from each 
of the respective mounting members 42 and 44, whereby the spring loaded 
detente projection 54 can be projected through one of the adjustment 
apertures 52 so as to secure a longitudinal orientation of the respective 
telescoping tubes 46 or 48 relative to the mounting member 42 or 44. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, it can be shown that the seat member 22 of the 
seat means 12 may further include a weight 56 integrally molded or 
otherwise positioned therein which serves to preclude an unintentional 
tipping of the seat member 22 relative to a support surface 16 when the 
device is in use as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. To this end, the 
weight 56 preferably comprises a metallic material such as lead or the 
like which is positioned within the seat member 22 and oriented proximal 
to the rear wall 26 thereof. Preferably, the weight 56 extends 
transversely across an interior of the seat member 22 and is oriented so 
as to reside between the top wall 28 and the bottom wall 30 as well as 
between the recesses 32 and 34 and the rear wall 26. By this structure, 
the additional gravitational force exerted by the weight 56 will serve to 
preclude or reduce unintentional tipping of the seat member 22 relative to 
the support surface 16 as a child 14 leans forwardly of the device 10. 
In use, the booster seat 10 of the present invention can be easily utilized 
for supporting a child in a spaced orientation relative to a support 
surface 16 such as is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The folding 
configuration of the foot rest means 18 permits the device 10 to be easily 
collapsed for storage and/or transportation purposes as described above. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.