Abstract:
A reciprocating infant stroller assembly for automatically producing a reciprocating forward and backward rocking motion on an infant stroller is disclosed. The reciprocating infant stroller assembly includes a battery-powered motor having a linkage which is connects to an infant stroller wheel to induce a reciprocating motion. The reciprocating infant stroller assembly further includes a power switch and a speed control for controlling the frequency of motion.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in U.S. Patent Provisional No. 61/584,892 filed on Jan. 10, 2012 the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to infant strollers. More particularly, the present invention is directed to infant strollers that automatically produce rocking motions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As many parents can attest infants enjoy being pushed in infant strollers. The motions created by being pushed combined with changing scenery and being close to a parent or caregiver seems to be very comforting and enjoyable for infants. Parents and caregivers pushing infant strollers also benefit from the activity because of the peace of mind it creates as well as the health benefits it provides. 
     Because infant strollers are popular they come in a wide variety of styles with a wide variety of features. Lightweight infant strollers are popular; as are infant strollers with double seats for carry two (2) or more infants, sun bonnets, straps, harnesses, storage baskets, and pouches, among other features. However, the basic idea of providing motion is seldom if ever sought to be enhanced. 
     One (1) beneficial type of motion is rocking motion. Different infants want different degrees of rocking motion. In addition different ground surfaces such as concrete, bricks, and asphalt as well as different terrains produce different rocking motions, both in degree and frequency. Because of this caregivers often enhance the rocking motion by using the infant stroller handle. However, this restricts the caregiver from performing other tasks. In some instances it would be beneficial to provide a rocking motion even if the infant is not being pushed. This would free the parent or other caregiver to do other tasks. 
     In view of the foregoing an infant stroller that automatically produces a rocking motion would be beneficial. Preferably the rocking motion could be easily adjusted or turned off if not needed. Even more beneficial would be an automatically rocking infant stroller that frees a caregiver to perform other tasks. Preferably such an automatic rocking infant stroller would be battery powered and easily stored and transported. Of course, quiet operation would be important, as would ease of use and low cost. Ideally, the rocking motion would be produced by an assembly that can be incorporated into new infant strollers or retro-fit into existing infant strollers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The principles of the present invention provide for infant strollers that automatically produce rocking motions. Such rocking motions may be adjusted or turned off and may be powered by batteries. Preferably such infant strollers have quiet operation and would be powered by a rocking motion inducing assembly that can be incorporated into new infant strollers or retro-fit onto existing infant strollers. 
     A reciprocating infant stroller that is in accord with the present invention includes an infant stroller having a frame, an axle, a push handle, and a wheel. A drive assembly is mounted on the infant stroller. The drive assembly includes an electric motor having a rotating shaft for producing rotary motion, a battery for powering the electric motor, an electrical junction box that retains electrical connections for wiring the battery to the electric motor, and a drive arm assembly. The drive arm assembly is attached at one (1) end to the rotating shaft and converts the rotary motion into an oscillating motion. The drive arm assembly further includes a drive stud that is selectively in contact with the wheel. The reciprocating infant stroller further includes a control module that is mounted on the infant stroller and a wiring harness. The control module includes a power switch, an adjustable speed control for controlling the power applied to the electric motor, and electrical connections that support connecting the power switch and the adjustable speed control to the electric motor. The wiring harness electrically interconnects the electrical junction box and the control module. This provides user-controlled electrical power to the battery from the electric motor, which causes the motor to produce various rotary motion rates which are converted into oscillating motion that moves the drive stud. When the drive stud moves it presses on the wheel, thus imparting a rocking motion to the infant stroller. 
     Beneficially the reciprocating infant stroller has the drive assembly mounted to either the axle or the frame while the control module is attached to the push handle by at least one (1) restraining strap that is laced through mounting channels of the control module. In practice the wiring harness may be routed along the frame and secured to the frame member by a plurality of wire ties. Beneficially the wiring harness is terminated at each end by similar connecting plugs that mate with a control module jack and with a junction box connecting jack. 
     Also beneficially the drive assembly includes a base plate that holds the motor and the electrical junction box, as well as a battery compartment that retains the battery. In practice the battery compartment will include a latched lid. To attach the base plate to the infant stroller the base plate may have a fastening aperture and an attachment bolt that passes through the fastening aperture and which is configured to secure the drive assembly to the infant stroller. 
     Preferably the drive arm assembly includes a crank arm having a motor shaft aperture at one end that receives the rotating shaft and a crank arm hub at the other end that attaches to a crank arm assembly. The crank arm assembly is attached to the crank arm hub at one (1) end and to the drive stud at its other end. The drive arm assembly preferably includes a release mechanism for disconnecting the drive stud from the crank arm assembly. That release mechanism may include a drive stud socket for receiving the drive stud and a spring-loaded sleeve that is configured to capture the drive stud when in the drive stud socket. Then, the drive stud can be removed from the drive stud socket when the spring-loaded sleeve is slid away. Beneficially the crank arm assembly is attached to the crank arm by a pitman ball joint while the release mechanism is attached to the crank arm assembly by a pitman arm. The pitman arm may be adjustable in length. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  presents a rear isometric view of a reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  that is in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the drive train  20  of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded view of the drive arm assembly  40  of the drive train  20  shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the rear of a control module  50  attached to a push handle  120  of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; and, 
         FIG. 5  is an electrical block diagram of the motor and the controls of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  reciprocating infant stroller assembly 
               20  drive assembly 
               21  motor 
               22  motor shaft 
               23  battery 
               24  battery compartment 
               25  lid 
               26  wiring 
               27  wiring harness 
               28  connecting plug 
               29  wire tie 
               30  base plate 
               32  fastening aperture 
               34   a  “U” bolt 
               34   b  “J” bolt 
               36  nut fastener 
               37  motor shaft aperture 
               40  drive arm assembly 
               41  motor shaft nut 
               42  motor shaft flat 
               43  crank arm 
               44  crank arm hub 
               45  crank arm aperture 
               46  pitman ball joint 
               47  pitman ball joint nut 
               48  pitman arm 
               49   a  pitman adjusting nut 
               49   b  pitman tensioning nut 
               51  release mechanism 
               52  drive stud 
               53  drive stud nut 
               56  drive stud socket 
               60  control module 
               61  mounting channel 
               62  restraining strap 
               64  power switch 
               66  speed dial 
               68  control module jack 
               70  electrical junction box 
               71  connecting jack 
               75  latch 
               100  infant stroller 
               107  sleeve 
               110  frame member 
               114  axle 
               115  wheel 
               120  push handle 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 5 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     Refer now to  FIG. 1  for a rear isometric view of a reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  which is in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  includes an infant stroller  100  and a drive assembly  20  that is mounted to an axle  114 , or alternately, to a frame member  110 . The operation of the motor  21  is controlled by a control module  60 , which is preferably mounted to a push handle  120  of the infant stroller  100 . Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the control module  60  is mounted to the push handle  120  by restraining straps  62  that are wrapped around the push handle  120  and then laced through mounting channels  61  that are located in the base of the control module  60 . The restraining straps  62  are then tightened, such as by using an internal ratchet mechanism to secure the control module  60  to the push handle  120 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the drive assembly includes an electric motor  21 , a battery  23 , and a drive arm assembly  40  (described subsequently) that converts the rotary motion of the motor shaft  22  into an oscillating motion at a drive stud  52 . 
     Refer now to the mechanical configurations shown in  FIGS. 1-3  and to the electrical diagram shown in  FIG. 5 . The control module  60  electrically connects to an electrical junction box  70  that is located on a base plate  30  by means of electrical wiring  26  in a wiring harness  27 . The wiring harness  27  is discreetly routed along the frame member  110  and secured to the frame member  110  by a plurality of wire ties  29 . The wiring  26  in the wiring harness  27  are terminated at each end using connecting plugs  28 . The connecting plugs  28  are inserted onto a control module jack  68  (see  FIG. 4 ) on the control module  60  and into a connecting jack  71  (see  FIG. 5 ) in the electrical junction box  70 . 
     The connecting plugs  28  are preferably reversible. That is, the connecting plugs  28  are the same so that the wiring harness  27  can be reversed. The control module  60  includes a two-position power switch  64  (ON and OFF) and an adjustable speed dial  66 . The adjustable speed dial  66  can be adjusted to provide various rocking motion rates. For example, a slow oscillating motion while an infant is sleeping or a faster motion for infants who prefer a more vigorous rocking motion. 
     Refer now specifically to  FIG. 2 , which is an isometric view of the drive assembly  20  of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10 . The motor  21 , a battery compartment  24  with a lid  25 , and the electrical junction box  70  are all affixed to the base plate  30 . The base plate  30  is preferably a steel plate for strength. However, other materials, such as polymers and composite materials can be substituted without limiting the scope of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10 . 
     The drive assembly  20  further includes a plurality of fastening apertures  32  for attaching the base plate  30  to the infant stroller. The fastening apertures  32  receive “U” bolts  34   a  and/or “J” bolts  34   b  which are held in place by nut fasteners  36  to secure the drive assembly  20  to the infant stroller  100 . In practical retro-fit applications the base plate  30  may be adapted by a user to fit the desired infant stroller  100 . It may be appreciated that different embodiments of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  may be introduced via installation kits. Such kits may include properly shaped mounting base plates and fasteners for fitting the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  to a frame member  110  or axle  114  of different models of infant strollers  100 . 
     The motor  21  may be any of a variety of commercially available, preferably copper wound, low voltage, small frame, direct current motors having a cylindrical motor shaft  22 . The cylindrical motor shaft  22  is preferably equipped with an attachment flat and threads such as are common in small DC motors. The motor  21  is capable of generating sufficient torque to induce the desired rocking motion of the infant stroller  100 . 
     The motor  21  is electrically powered by the control module  60  which receives electrical power from the rechargeable battery  23 , which is located within the battery compartment  24 . As previously noted the battery compartment  24  is mounted to the base plate  30  and includes a lid  25 . The lid  25  is beneficially equipped with a latch  75  to retain the rechargeable battery  23  in place until removal is desired. Electrical connections for the motor  21  and the rechargeable battery  23  are hard wired within the electrical junction box  70  (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the motor  21  moves a drive arm assembly  40  which is attached to the motor shaft  22  by a motor shaft nut  41 . The drive arm assembly  40  includes a crank arm  43  which is preferably fabricated from steel. The crank arm  43  includes a crank arm hub  44  with a motor shaft aperture  37 . The motor shaft aperture  37  is configured to create a sliding fit with a matching flat  42  on the motor shaft  22 . Other embodiments of the present invention may incorporate alternate motor shaft  22  profiles and methods of attaching the crank arm  43  to the motor shaft  22 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the drive arm assembly  40  includes a crank arm  43  having a crank arm aperture  45  on one (1) end and a crank arm hub  44  on the other. A threaded shank of a pitman ball joint  46  is inserted into the crank arm aperture  45  where it is held in place by two (2) pitman ball joint nuts  47 . One (1) pitman ball joint nut  47  is on either side of the crank arm  43 , specifically reference the exploded view shown in  FIG. 3 . This double nut mount secures the pitman ball joint  46  to the crank arm  43  such that crank arm  43  rotary motion is translated into a transverse motion by the socket of the pitman ball joint  46 . The pitman ball joint  46  is mechanically connected to a drive stud  52  by a pitman arm  48  and a release mechanism  51  on the end of the pitman arm  48 . Thus the traverse motion of the pitman ball joint  46  is transferred to the drive stud  52 . 
     The drive stud  52  is preferably configured to freely rotate within the drive stud socket  56  of the release mechanism  51 . This enables the reciprocating rocking motion to be implemented as the infant stroller  100  is pushed. 
     Referring now back to  FIG. 1 , the drive stud  52  is located either at the factory or by a user on a stroller wheel  115 . Returning now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the release mechanism  51  is similar to a standard ball joint except for having a spring-loaded outer sleeve  107  configured to capture the drive stud  52  in a drive stud socket  56 . The outer sleeve  107  captures and retains the drive stud  52  in the drive stud socket  56  until the user determines to discontinue the reciprocating motion. 
     Discontinuing reciprocating motion is achieved by turning the power switch  64  off to remove power from the motor  21 . Then the spring-loaded sleeve  107  can be slid back toward the pitman arm  48  which enables removing the drive stud  52  from the drive stud socket  56 . When the drive stud  52  is removed the infant stroller  100  may be used simply to transport an infant without a rocking motion. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pitman ball joint  46  and the release mechanism  51  are respectively firmly attached to the pitman arm  48  by a pitman adjusting nut  49   a  and by a pitman tensioning nut  49   b . Those tensioning nuts  49   a ,  49   b  are useful for making the required spatial adjustments to properly position the drive stud  52  on the wheel  115 . 
     Turning now to the electrical diagram of  FIG. 5 , the control module  60  of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  is a standard “black box” enclosure which protects the electrical and electronic equipment contained therein. Such electrical and electronic equipment includes components such as, but not necessarily limited to; the power switch  64 , the speed dial  66 , internal connection wiring  26 , and any supporting circuit boards, fuses, and the like. 
     The control module  60  includes the control module jack  68  into which a connecting plug  28  of the wiring harness  27  is inserted. The wiring harness  27  provides electrical interconnections with the electrical junction box  70 . When installing the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  on an infant stroller  100  the wiring harness  27  is routed from the control module  60  to the electrical junction box  70  along frame members  110  as shown in  FIG. 1 . As previously noted the wiring harness  27  is fastened to the frame members  110  with wire ties  29  to prevent the wiring harness  27  from becoming entangled in the moving parts of the infant stroller  100 . The connecting plugs  28 , connecting jack  71 , and control module jack  68  simplify the electrical interconnections. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training after the original installation of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10 . After initial purchase or acquisition it would be installed on an existing or new infant stroller  100  as indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The method of installing and using the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring a model of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  having the desired hardware to accommodate the installation on an infant stroller  100 ; installing the base plate  30  with the attached drive components to the frame members  110  of the infant stroller  100  using the “U” bolts  34   a , “J” bolts  34   b , and nut fasteners  36 ; installing the drive stud  52  on a wheel  115 ; installing the control module  60  on the push handle  120  using the restraining straps  62 ; inserting the connecting plug  28  on one (1) end of the wiring harness  27  into the control module jack  68  on the control module  60 ; inserting the connecting plugs  28  on the opposite end of the wiring harness  27  into the control jack  71  on the electrical junction box  70  (located on the base plate  30 ); routing the wiring harness  27  along the stroller frame members  110  between the points of connection of the wiring harness  27  and securing the wiring harness to the frame members  110  with wire ties  29  to prevent the wiring harness from becoming entangled in any moving parts; installing and electrically attaching a fully charged battery  23  in the battery compartment  24  and securing it therein by closing the lid  25  and then using the latch  75  to latch the lid  25  closed; connecting the drive stud  52  to the release mechanism  51 ; turning on the power switch  64 ; and adjusting the speed dial  66  to achieve the desired oscillating motion. 
     It can be seen that after the initial installation of the reciprocating infant stroller assembly  10  the steps of operation become greatly simplified and only involve moving the infant stroller  100  to the desired location; connecting the drive stud  52  on the wheel to the release mechanism  51 ; turning on the power switch  64 ; and adjusting the speed dial  66  located on the control module  60 . The infant stroller  100  can be used without a rocking motion by separating the release mechanism  51  from the drive stud  52 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.