Abstract:
The combination child vehicle seat and temporary stroller is provided with wheel assemblies having wheels aligned in tandem, which, when retracted, maintain a flush vehicle seat underside which can be used as a vehicle seat without damaging the seat covering. The combination is provided with a handle having a hand grip which extends and locks in to place for use as a stroller, and retracts and locks in to place for use as a vehicle seat.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/659,474, filed Sep. 10, 2003.  
         [0002]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/409,304, filed Sep. 10, 2002. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0003]     This invention relates generally to equipment for transporting children, and more particularly to an apparatus which can serve as a vehicle seat for a child, and alternatively as a stroller.  
         [0004]     Lawmakers and safety conscious groups want to educate motorists of the need for transporting children safely in a vehicle. This requires the parents to have, not only a vehicle seat for transportation while in the vehicle, but also a stroller for use at their destination.  
         [0005]     This problem is being addressed by providing a device which operates as both. This device focuses mainly on infants, zero to one year old. Many parents find it inconvenient to transfer the infant from the car seat to the stroller and vice versa. This device is equipped to give the parents an option of carrying the car seat or adjusting the car seat to enable it to be rolled to their destination.  
         [0006]     Many accident claims and reports have been filed with car seat companies because the handle detached from the seat, and the seat fell causing injury to the child. This device, being able to be placed low to the ground and rolled, would prevent such falling accidents from happening.  
         [0007]     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive vehicle car seat and temporary stroller combination.  
         [0008]     In accordance with such object, this invention is intended to allow the parent with a choice of “carry” or “roll”.  
         [0009]     This invention is further intended to provide constructions that satisfy standards for standard regulation car seats, as we know them, and also provide such seats with a convenient, adjustable handle and with retractable wheels, for a safe and easy fit into a vehicle.  
         [0010]     Additionally this invention is intended to allow a sleeping child to remain in the seat, without having to be disturbed, when the seat is removed from the vehicle and rolled to a destination.  
         [0011]     This invention, in some embodiments, is also intended to provide a full length “Peek-a-boo” canopy in inclement weather, and also to keep child safe from any flying debris while being rolled.  
         [0012]     This invention, in some embodiments, is further intended to provide spring action wheels for the seat to absorb shocks while the seat is being rolled on rough terrain.  
         [0013]     Further, this invention, in some embodiments, is intended to keep an adjustable handle from accidentally being extended while carrying a child by using “Butterfly bolts” to lock the handle into place while it is extended or retracted.  
         [0014]     Another intent of this invention, in some embodiments, is to allow the handle to be conveniently and desirably positioned at the foot or head of stroller.  
         [0015]     This invention, in some embodiments, is also intended to supply a brake at the base of the wheels, to allow the car seat to remain secure and in place while the car seat is not mobile.  
         [0016]     Still other objects, advantages, distinctions and alternative constructions and/or combinations of the invention will become more apparent from the following description with respect to the appended drawings. Similar components and assemblies are referred to in the various drawings with similar alphanumeric reference characters. This description should not be literally construed in limitation of the invention. Rather, the invention should be interpreted within the broad scope of the further appended claims.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     This invention combines and incorporates features such as are found in already existing regulation car seats with features found in various other devices, so as to obtain a resultant construction that realizes the objects and the advantages sought for the invention, with just a few minor adjustments relative to existing regulation car seats. The invention employs a handle that is similar in many respects to, but modified from, a standard car seat handle so as to extend and retract for rolling or carrying the car seat. The handle of the resultant construction is also preferably able to be positioned at the head or foot of the car seat, allowing the child to face to or away from the parent. The handle is preferably also equipped with a hand grip for easy maneuvering. The invention has wheels that can be folded up into the base of the car seat for storage or locked down for rolling. The invention is preferably also equipped with spring action wheels which absorb shocks while rolling. The sides of the construction are preferably higher to keep the child&#39;s arms and legs from hanging over the sides. In a preferred form, the invention is additionally equipped with a wheel brake, similar to a stroller brake, which allows the construction to remain in place when it is not mobile.  
         [0018]     In one highly advantageous embodiment of the invention, a full length, “Peek-a-boo” canopy is provided. The canopy covers the entire length of the car seat. It is equipped with a “Peek-a-boo” window that allows the parent to monitor the child. The canopy protects against inclement weather as well as debris while the child is being rolled.  
         [0019]     In another embodiment of the invention, the handles are adjustable and lockable into place with butterfly bolts. The butterfly bolts prevent the handles from being accidentally released. Manual manipulation of the butterfly bolts is needed to lock the handle in its extended or retracted positions.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     Comprehension of the invention is facilitated by the reading of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a standard regulation car seat with invention modifications shown.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates the full length, “Peek-a-boo” canopy, with window.  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates a version of a standard regulation car seat with invention modifications shown in three dimensions.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4   a  depicts an embodiment showing the handle in an extended position, with front or rear positioning and the wheel brake.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4   b  illustrates the butterfly bolt to lock and unlock wheels and handles.  
         [0026]      FIG. 4   c  is an enlarged version of the wheel assembly and locking pin shown in the wheels down position.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4   d  is a view of the wheel assembly and butterfly bolt shown in the wheels down position.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates wheel placement when the wheels are retracted into the recess and the seat is ready to be placed in the vehicle.  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  further describes the “Peek-a-boo” canopy and its attributes.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]     In  FIG. 1 a  hand grip  12  is included as part of handle  14  and is arranged for easy carrying or pushing. Handle  14  extends upward for easy use when rolling. A wheel brake  16  may keep the wheels  18  stationary when the car seat  10  is not mobile. Stepping on the wheel brake  16  causes it to clamp down on the back wheels, impeding the movement of the car seat  10 . The car seat portion  10  includes higher sides  20  to protect a child&#39;s arms and legs while the car seat  10  is rolling. The wheels  18  fold into a recess  23  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) within a base  22  of the car seat  10  to allow the car seat to fit smoothly into a vehicle without damaging the car&#39;s interior. The wheels  18  lock down and into place for rolling.  
         [0031]     In  FIG. 2 a  full length, pull-over canopy  24  is provided to cover the child in inclement weather and to protect the child from debris while the car seat is rolling. When the canopy  24  is not in use it can be folded down to the foot  27  or up to the head  29  of the car seat  10 . A “Peek-a-boo” window  26  in the canopy  24  is used to monitor the child and also allows the child to see the parent.  
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  depicting a similar embodiment to that of  FIG. 1  in three dimensions.  FIG. 3  shows the car seat  10  converted into the stroller  30 . Wheels  18  are included on the underside, and the handle  14  is modified from a conventional car seat handle to provide a multi-level adjustment  28 , to allow the user to place the handle  14  at a comfortable height position.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4   a  depicts an embodiment with the handle  14  extended to its longest position and the wheels locked down for rolling. Wheels  18 , in this embodiment, in-line wheels, are provided and positioned parallel to one another on both sides of the underside of the car seat  10 . The wheels  18  are preferably equipped with spring action to absorb shocks encountered when the car seat  10  is rolling.  
         [0034]      FIG. 4   b  illustrates the use of butterfly bolts  32 . Butterfly bolts  32  may be used to secure the handle  14  and wheels  18  when in carrying or rolling positions. Although butterfly bolts  32  are used in this embodiment of the invention, other devices and methods known in the art can also be used.  
         [0035]     The wheels  18  may be mounted on a wheel assembly  19  which may be pivoted around a hinge  21  into the recess  23  on the underside of the car seat base  22  as shown in  FIGS. 4   c,    4   d,  and  5 . When pivoted into the recess  23 , the wheels  18  and wheel assembly  19  may be held tightly in place by the geometry of the confined space of the recess  23  under the car seat  10 . Alternately the wheels  18  can be unfolded from underneath the car seat  10  as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . The wheels  18  and wheel assembly  19  may be manually put into the rolling position from the recess  23  under the car seat  10  while the seat is still inside the car. For additional safety, the wheels  18  and/or wheel assembly  19  may be locked into place by extending a butterfly bolt  32  through the wheel assembly  19  and an aperture  31  in the car seat base  22  as shown in as shown in  FIGS. 4   c  and  4   d.  Using this additional safety feature, the wheels  18  or wheel assembly  19  can only be unlocked, for folding into the recess  23 , by manually pressing the wings of the butterfly bolt  32  and removing the butterfly bolt  32  from the wheel assembly  19  and the car seat base  22 . The butterfly bolt  32  may remain in the car seat base  22  or wheel assembly  19  when not in use.  
         [0036]     Various alternate methods for retracting and locking wheels located on undersides of various devices are known in the prior art, such as those found in patents relating to skates that can be converted into shoes, including: U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,643 to Schreyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,249 to Schaefer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,970 to Tucky, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,609 to Fichepain, U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,469 to Yoham, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,120,039 and 6,343,800 to Clementi, U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,644 to Chu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,468 to Chiang et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,656 to Gervasoni.  
         [0037]     In alternate embodiments, the wheel assembly may fold into the recess  23  using the hinge assembly of Yoham. Another possibility is the use of the hinge and wheel assembly of Gervasoni wherein the wheel assembly pivots about an axis passing through a portion of the wheels. Wheels mounted within individual wheel holders, such as those found in Chiang et al., may be attached on the underside of the base  22  and manually deployed and retracted. Other known methods for deploying and retracting wheels or wheel assemblies into a recess may also be employed in yet more embodiments.  
         [0038]      FIG. 5  is a partial cutaway view showing the wheels  18  folded into the recess  23  of the base  22  for placement of the car seat  10  in a vehicle. In this embodiment, the wheels  18  are mounted on a wheel assembly  19  so they can be folded into the recess  23  manually, or by use of a mechanical retraction method. The geometry of the recess  23  is such that the wheels  18  or wheel assembly  19  may fit snugly into place. If the recess is too large to create a tight fit, or if more security is desired, a locking mechanism may be added to hold the wheels  18  or wheel assembly  19  in place.  
         [0039]      FIG. 6  is another view showing the use of a “Peek-a-boo” canopy  26  having various other attributes. The canopy may utilize water repellent fabric and include a clear plastic window  26 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , an expandable canopy  34  is attached, at its center, to a bar  36  and is extendible or expandable in both directions. When the center bar is rotated to the mid-point of the seat, the canopy  34  can be pulled up to cover the top half of the car seat  10 , pulled down to cover the bottom half of the car seat, or extended or expanded towards both the top  29  and the bottom  27  to cover the entire car seat. When not in use the canopy  34  may fold together at the bar  36 , and the bar  36  can be rotated down to foot  27  of car seat  10 . Although this particular type of canopy is well suited for the intended purposes, other canopy configurations, known generally in the art, can also be used.  
         [0040]     This invention has all the advantages of a car seat in that it can be used with the wheels stored underneath in the conventional manner. The car seat can be used in the car and removed as a conventional car seat. It can easily and quickly be converted to a stroller for transporting the baby relatively short distances, thereby offering freedom from carrying the weight of the child plus the additional weight of the seat. Additionally, the risk of the child falling or being dropped is eliminated because the car seat is rolled along instead of carried along. When used as a stroller, this invention enjoys the additional safety features of a car seat, such as impact resistant construction and the five point restraint system to hold the baby safely in place. The extending handle provides the convenience of a stroller, and the ability to position the handle at the top or the bottom of the seat gives the user the choice of stroller or carriage orientation.  
         [0041]     Although the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments and applications, persons skilled in the art can, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments without exceeding the scope or departing from the spirit of the claimed invention. In addition, specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others for convenience only, as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and description in this disclosure are proffered to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.