Abstract:
A stroller ( 201 ) is provided which includes a chassis ( 203, 205 ) having first ( 211 ) and second ( 213 ) opposing frame elements. The chassis is supported on a plurality of wheels ( 223, 224, 225, 226 ). A seat ( 231 ) is suspended from the chassis by way of a support element ( 241 ). The seat includes upper ( 233 ) and lower ( 235 ) portions and is adapted to accommodate a child such that the back of the child rests against the upper portion and such that the legs of the child rest against the lower portion. The support element has first and second ends which are rotatably attached to first ( 243 ) and second ( 245 ) pivots mounted, respectively, on the first and second frame elements. The first pivot rotates about a first axis, and the seat is disposed between the first axis and the plurality of wheels. A first motor ( 271 ) is provided which rotates the first pivot.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/901,066, filed May 23, 2013, having the same title, and the same inventor, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; which application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Application No. 61/659,275, filed Jun. 13, 2012, having the same title, and the same inventor, and which is incorporated herein in by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates generally to infant strollers, and more particularly to infant strollers that are also adapted to function as a swing. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Baby carriages or strollers are well known and have a long history in modern society. Indeed, the first stroller was invented in 1733 by the English architect William Kent for use by the children of the 3 rd  Duke of Devonshire. Over the years, various improvements have been made to these devices. Many of these improvements have been concerned with making these devices more functional, durable, lighter, easier to manufacture, or easier to transport. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,654 (Willis) discloses an example of a more recent stroller. The device depicted therein is a car seat/stroller assembly with a frame that pivotally accepts an infant car seat. Once the car seat is positioned in the frame, it can rock freely in a back-and-forth motion. Other examples or strollers which have a similar functionality may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 706,448 (Pender), U.S. Pat. No. 1,480,451 (Koch), U.S. Pat. No. 1,508,500 (Bingen et al.), U.S. Pat. No. Pat. No. 3,564,626 (Nelson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,528 (Wadman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,665 (Simantob et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,654 (Willis), U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,205 (Bowman), U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,724 (Haigh), U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,461 (Emerson), and U.S. Pat. No. 156,390 (Wenpetren). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1-2  are illustrations of a prior art stroller. 
         FIGS. 3-9  are illustrations of a first embodiment of a stroller in accordance with the teachings herein. 
         FIGS. 10-16  are illustrations of a second embodiment of a stroller in accordance with the teachings herein. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In one aspect, a stroller is provided which comprises (a) a chassis having first and second opposing frame elements, wherein said chassis is supported on a plurality of wheels; (b) a seat suspended from said chassis by way of a support element, wherein said seat includes upper and lower portions and is adapted to accommodate a child such that the back of the child rests against the upper portion and such that the legs of the child rest against the lower portion, wherein said support element has first and second ends which are rotatably attached to first and second pivots mounted, respectively, on said first and second frame elements, wherein said first pivot rotates about a first axis, and wherein said seat is disposed between said first axis and said plurality of wheels; and (c) a first motor which rotates said first pivot. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the devices disclosed in the prior art may be suitable for their intended purposes, these devices also suffer from various infirmities. In particular, many of these devices require manual operation, and hence are not well suited to hands-free operation by the caregiver of an infant. Other devices of this type are constructed as rocker/stroller combinations whose operation depends on the surface the device is positioned on. Still others are unduly complicated and difficult or expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, some devices, such as the device depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,654 (Willis), have an axis of rotation that is at or below the body of the infant. Such a disposition of the axis of rotation produces a rocking motion, rather than a swinging motion, that may be less conducive to relaxation for some infants. 
     It has now been found that the foregoing infirmities may be overcome with a stroller of the type disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, this stroller has a seat which swings about an axis of rotation which is disposed above the body of the infant. This axis of rotation preferably extends above the top of, and parallel to the back of, the stroller seat. Unlike the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,654 (Willis), in which the axis of rotation is disposed at or below the body of the infant and hence produces a rocking motion, this disposition of the axis of rotation produces a swinging motion which is deemed more suitable to relaxation for some infants. It will be appreciated that this design allows the swinging motion of the seat to be decoupled from the nature of the surface the device is positioned upon. Moreover, this construction provides a stroller that provides a swinging motion and that is amenable to an uncomplicated design which may be operated easily and manufactured inexpensively. 
       FIGS. 3-9  show a particular, non-limiting embodiment of a stroller in accordance with the teachings herein. As seen therein, the stroller  201  includes an upper frame  203  and a lower frame  205 . The upper frame  203  includes first  211  and second  213  struts which are joined at the first ends thereof by way of a handle  214 , and which are joined at the second ends thereof by way of an arcuate cross-element  215 . The lower frame  205  includes a rear axle  221 , first  223  and second  225  serpentine struts, and first  227  and second  229  vertical struts. The first  223  and second  225  serpentine struts are adjoined at first ends thereof to the rear axle  221 , and are adjoined at second ends thereof to the first  211  and second  213  struts of the upper frame  203 , respectively, at a lower portion thereof. The first  227  and second  229  vertical struts are adjoined at first ends thereof to the rear axle  221 . The first  227  and second  229  vertical struts are adjoined at second ends thereof to the first  211  and second  213  struts of the upper frame  203 , respectively, at an upper portion thereof. The first  227  and second  229  vertical struts are adjoined adjoined at an intermediate portion by a rear cross element  230 . The rear axle  221  has first  222  and second  224  rear wheels rotatably attached thereto. 
     The stroller  201  further includes a seat  231  having an upper portion  233  and a lower portion  235 . The seat  231  is mounted on the upper frame  203  by way of a support element  241  that extends underneath the seat  231  and engages first  243  and second  245  pivots that are disposed, respectively, on the first  211  and second  213  struts of the upper frame  203 . 
     The stroller  201  is further equipped with a front wheel assembly  251  comprising a first front wheel  253  and a second front wheel  255  which are adjoined by a lateral strut  257 . The front wheel assembly  251  is releasably attached to the upper frame  203  by way of first  259  and second  261  snap-activated couplers, which allows the front wheel assembly  251  to be readily swapped out for other wheel assemblies. Similarly, the handle  214  is attached to the first  211  and second  213  struts of the upper frame  203  by third  263  and fourth  265  snap-activated couplers, respectively, which allow the handle  214  to be readily swapped out for other handles. The first  259 , second  261 , third  263  and fourth  265  snap-activated couplers also facilitate at least partial disassembly of the stroller  201  for storage purposes. 
     The particular embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 3-9  includes first  271  and second  273  motors which are mounted, respectively, on the first  211  and second  213  struts of the upper frame  203 . The first  271  and second  273  motors drive the first  243  and second  245  pivots, thus imparting a swinging motion to the seat  231 . In some embodiments, only a single motor  251  may be utilized to drive one of the first  243  and second  245  pivots for this purpose. Either or both of the first  271  and second  273  motors may be equipped with a suitable control interface to control the operation thereof. The control interface may comprise one or more panels, displays and/or keypads, and may be equipped with suitable logic, in the form of software or hardware, so that it is programmable and/or capable of implementing various modes of operation. For example, the control interface may be adapted to swing the seat  231  in a slow, rhythmic manner so as to induce sleep, or with gradually reducing or increasing frequency. 
     The upper frame  203  is further equipped with canopy support elements  281  to support a canopy (not shown) over the seat  231 . The canopy support elements  281  may be adjustable, thus allowing the canopy to manipulated into a more open or closed configuration. Various clips, bands, or other provisions may be utilized to secure the canopy to the canopy support elements  281 . 
     A foot brake  283  is positioned on the rear of the stroller  201 , where it may be readily operated by someone pushing the stroller. In the particular embodiment depicted, the brake includes a horizontal bar  285  that may be pressed downward to engage the brake, thus maintaining the stroller  201  in a stationary position. The horizontal bar  285  may also be utilized to release the brake. In some embodiments, this may be achieved by double pressing the horizontal bar  285 , or by lifting the horizontal bar  285  upward. 
     The stroller  201  is further equipped with adjustable front  287  and rear  289  seat locking mechanisms, which provide the user with the ability to lock the seat  231  in place, and/or to limit the amplitude of the swinging motion towards the front or rear of the stroller. The front  287  seat locking mechanism comprises a first track  289  which is adjustably attached to an exterior surface of the lower portion  235  of the seat  231  by way of a first rotatable knob  291 . The front seat locking mechanism  287  further comprises a second track  293  having a clasp  295  attached thereto which releasably engages the arcuate cross-element  215 , and whose position along the length of the second track  293  is adjustable by way of a second rotatable knob  297 . Similarly, the rear seat locking mechanism  307  comprises a third track  309  which is adjustably attached to an exterior surface of the upper portion  233  of the seat  231  by way of a third rotatable knob  311 . The rear seat locking mechanism  307  further comprises a fourth track  313  having a clasp  315  attached thereto which releasably engages the arcuate cross-element  215 , and whose position along the length of the fourth track  313  is adjustable by way of a fourth rotatable knob  317 . 
       FIGS. 10-16  illustrate a second particular, non-limiting embodiment of a stroller in accordance with the teachings herein. The stroller  202  depicted is similar in most respects to the first embodiment, but has a three-wheel configuration consisting of first  222  and second  224  rear wheels and a single front wheel  253 . Such a wheel configuration may be more conducive to use in conjunction with certain activities, such as jogging. The wheels  222 ,  224  and  253  on the stroller  202  in this embodiment are preferably larger in diameter than the stroller  201  of the first embodiment, and are preferably mounted via quick disconnect levers and/or push pins. In an especially preferred embodiment, the quick disconnect levers and/or push pins are pressure activated by pressing on the wheel hubs or a portion thereof. 
     The stroller  201  of the first embodiment and the stroller  202  of the second embodiment have numerous advantages. For example, the configurations of the first  211  and second  213  support elements allow the seat  203  to be readily removed from the chassis and reattached in the opposite orientation (e.g., facing backwards instead of forwards). 
     The stroller of  FIGS. 10-16  is further equipped with a storage compartment  321 , which may be made out of a mesh, cloth or other suitable materials. Two corners of the storage compartment  321  are attached to the arcuate cross element  215 , and two corners are attached to the rear cross element  230 . 
     Several variations and modifications are possible to the foregoing embodiments. For example, the seat may be replaced with a larger (preferably non-swingable) seat that attaches to the existing chassis. This feature allows the stroller to be modified to accommodate a larger child so that the stroller does not have to be replaced as the child grows. 
     In addition, in some embodiments, the strollers disclosed herein may be further equipped with one or more trays. Such trays may be provided with a series of indentations adapted to hold beverages (e.g., bottles) or other such items, and may depend from the upper frame by way of one or more connectors. In some embodiments, the connectors may be rotatably connected to the upper frame in such a way that the tray is maintained in a horizontal position by gravity independently of the orientation of the stroller. 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, the motor(s) may be battery powered. In such embodiments, a gearing mechanism may be provided which is activated by the motion of the stroller wheels, and which recharges the batteries which power the motor. This feature allows the batteries to be recharged through normal use of the stroller. 
     The above description of the present invention is illustrative, and is not intended to be limiting. It will thus be appreciated that various additions, substitutions and modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed in reference to the appended claims.