Stroller with switchable handle

A stroller comprising a respective folding device connected between one of a pair of front legs and a corresponding one of a pair of rear legs. A fastener is provided for pivotally coupling a substantially U-shaped handle to the folding device. A latch assembly is slidably mounted on a respective arm of the handle. The latch assembly is spring-biased to be releasably immobilized with respect to the folding device. The latch assembly is manipulatable to permit the handle and the latch assembly in together to pivot between a forward position and a rearward position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a stroller, and more particularly, to a 
compact stroller that can be easily folded. 
Strollers of a large size and complicated design are known to have a handle 
that can be switched or changed as to its orientation to be in either a 
forward position or a rearward position. For these robust and large size 
strollers, the handles are often very large to meet practical needs and 
the components of the stroller as a whole are not collapsible or foldable. 
During changing orientation of such handles, a pivotal movement of the 
handle about an end portion thereof is performed. The pivotal movement 
about the end portion, instead of other portions near an intermediate of 
the handle, insures that a maximum horizontal distance is traveled by hand 
grip of the handle, which is desired for a large size stroller. A locking 
mechanism is provided on an upper portion of the handle, spaced a distance 
from the end portion, to releasably anchor the handle in the forward or 
rearward position. 
A compact stroller, in contrast to the above mentioned large size 
strollers, is simple in structure and usually can be collapsed or folded. 
Such type of strollers can be seen in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,398, 
entitled "Foldable Stroller", filed on Sep. 28, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 
5,427,402, dated Jun. 27, 1995. It is noted that these two patent 
applications disclose a respective foldable stroller having novel folding 
device. However, these simple strollers are not equipped with a mechanism 
permitting a change or switch of position of the handle. With this in 
mind, the present invention aims at providing a foldable stroller in which 
the handle can be shifted between a forward position and a rearward 
position so as to change the advancing direction of the stroller as 
desired. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an improved foldable stroller of the type 
having a pair of front and rear legs, a respective folding device 
interconnected between one of the front legs and a corresponding one of 
the rear legs, and a substantially U-shaped handle having a pair of arms, 
the improvement comprising a latch assembly coupled to a respective arm of 
the U-shaped handle which can be manipulated to move along the arm, 
thereby permitting the latch assembly and the handle together to be 
operably pivotable between a forward position and a rearward position with 
respect to the folding device. 
The invention also provides a stroller comprising: a pair of front legs and 
a pair of rear legs, a substantially U-shaped handle having a pair of 
arms, a respective folding device coupling one of the front legs and a 
corresponding one of the rear legs, means for pivotally coupled the handle 
to said folding device, a latch assembly slidably mounted on a respective 
arm of the handle, and means for biasing said latch assembly to be 
releasably immobilized with respect to the folding device, said latch 
assembly being manipulatable to permit the handle and said assembly 
together to pivot between a forward position and a rearward position. 
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which 
characterize the stroller are pointed out with particularity in the claims 
annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better 
understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained 
by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a part 
hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is 
illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a stroller in 
a perspective view and in a schematic simplified side view, respectively, 
is shown according to a preferred embodiment. The stroller generally 
comprises a pair of front legs 12 to which a respective front wheel is 
mounted, a pair of rear legs 14 to which a respective rear wheel is 
mounted, a respective folding device 16 interconnected between one of the 
front legs 12 and a corresponding one of the rear legs 14, and a 
substantially U-shaped handle 18 having a pair of arms 182. A seat frame 
member 13 pivotally connected between the front and rear logs 12 and 14, a 
backrest frame member 15 and a canopy supporting member 17 are also 
disposed. The construction described thus far is basically found in prior 
art strollers, except for the folding device which is disclosed in 
Applicant's above-mentioned two co-pending applications entitled "Foldable 
Stroller" and thus is incorporated herein for reference. However, instead 
of being foldable, the folding device can be formed of a one piece member 
which cannot be folded, if desired. The improvement of the invention 
generally lies in the provision of a latch assembly and associated designs 
which will facilitate the shift of position for the handle 18. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the latch assembly, generally identified by 
reference numeral 20, is coupled to a respective arm 182 of the U-shaped 
handle 18. The latch assembly 20 comprises a slide 22, a latch 24 and a 
linkage 26 fixedly interconnected between the slide 22 and the latch 24. 
The fixed connection between the slide 22 and the linkage 26 can be by 
force fitting or simply be pinned together and the fixed connection 
between the latch 24 and the linkage 26 can also be achieved by a pin 28 
passing through both. The latch 24 is provided with a hollow portion 242 
for slidably engaging with a free end of the arm 182 of the handle 18. 
Both the slide 22 and the latch 24 are slidably mounted on the arm 182 so 
that the whole assembly can move along the arm by manipulating the slide 
22. 
The latch 24 has a notch 244 at a distal end. The notch 244 is provided on 
an inner side thereof so that it is not visible from outside. The notch 
244 engages with a protrusion 162 on the folding device 16 when the handle 
18 is in a rearward position (cf. FIG. 2) and engages with a protrusion 
142 on the rear leg 14 when the handle 18 is in a forward position (cf. 
FIG. 6). The latch 24 further has an elongate hole 246. To permit a 
pivotal movement of the latch 24 (and therefore the handle 18 as will be 
further described later), a fastener 30 is provided passing through the 
elongate hole 246 and a hole 184 on the free end of the arm 182 and then 
fixing to the folding device 16. The fastener 30 therefore permits the 
latch assembly 20 and the handle 18 in together to pivot between a forward 
position and a rearward position with respect to the folding device 16. 
Referring to FIG. 4, to releasably anchor or immobilize the latch assembly 
20 with respect to the folding device 16, a pin 40 and a spring 42 are 
provided. The pin 40 passes through and is fixed on the arm 182 of the 
handle 18 with an end portion 402 protruding beyond the arm 182. The 
spring 42 is received within a blind hole 248 of the latch 24 and is 
compressed between the latch 24 and the protruding portion 402 of the pin 
40 which is stationary with respect to the arm 182. Normally, the latch 24 
is biased by the spring 42 against the pin 40 so that the latch 24 is 
immobilized on the folding device 16 via the engagement of the notch 244 
and the protrusion 162. To release this engagement, the slide 22 is lifted 
up, in a direction as indicated by arrow L in FIG. 5, resisting a force 
from the spring that is further compressed between the latch 24 and the 
pin 42. At this time, the latch assembly 20 and the handle 18 can be 
pivoted, in a direction as indicated by arrow P, from a rearward position 
(FIG. 5) to a forward position (FIG. 6). 
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics 
and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the 
foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function 
of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be 
make in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of 
parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated 
by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are 
expressed.