Abstract:
A high-chair for children with easy actuation, comprising a stand for supporting a chair that can be arranged at a preset height, a tilting device for varying the inclination of the backrest, which can be accessed on the rear part of the backrest, connectors for connecting to each other the backrest and the footrest in order to vary the position of the footrest simultaneously with the variation in the inclination of the backrest.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a high-chair for children with means for easier actuation.  
           [0002]    As is known, high-chairs for children are already commercially available which, generally speaking, are made with a stand or supporting element whereto a chair is connected; such chair can be arranged at the preferred height and has a backrest that can be reclined in various manners.  
           [0003]    In the solutions of the known art, currently there are considerable problems in providing an ergonomic distribution of the various controls, which must be available immediately to bystanders, who are caring for the child, but on the other hand must not be easily reachable by the child, in order to prevent inappropriate actuations.  
           [0004]    Currently commercially available solutions have not proved suitable of solving the problem fully, and indeed have led to the provision of structures that are particularly complicated and awkward, and therefore they are subject to frequent jamming and are not always able to comply with the required safety criteria.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The aim of the invention is to solve the problems described above, by providing a high-chair for children with easier actuation means that allows to have the various controls arranged in an ergonomic position, making them easily accessible to bystanders but difficult to access for the child sat in the high-chair.  
           [0006]    Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a high-chair for children in which the various controls are particularly simplified and easy to assemble within the high-chair, which and therefore does not have the various actuation mechanisms in sight.  
           [0007]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-chair for children which, thanks to its particular constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use.  
           [0008]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-chair for children with easier actuation means that can be obtained easily starting from commonly commercially available elements and materials and is also competitive from a merely economical standpoint.  
           [0009]    This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a high-chair for children with easier actuation means, according to the invention, which comprises a stand for supporting a chair that can be arranged at a preset height, characterized in that it comprises, on said chair, means for varying the inclination of the backrest, which can be accessed on the rear part of said backrest, and means for connecting to each other said backrest and the footrest in order to vary the position of said footrest simultaneously with the variation in the inclination of said backrest. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a high-chair for children with easier actuation means, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the high-chair for children;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the high-chair in the position for use;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the means for varying the inclination of the backrest;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view of the means for adjusting the vertical position;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the elements that compose the means for adjusting the vertical position;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the brake means;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a view of the brake lever in the inactive position;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a view of the brake lever in the active position for locking the wheel;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the tray connected at the lower end of the arms of the supporting stand;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the tray, shown in dashed lines during the closure of the stand;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the sliding dinner tray;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lower shell of the sliding dinner tray. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    With reference to the figures, the high-chair for children with easier actuation means, generally designated by the reference numeral  1 , comprises a supporting stand  2 , which is advantageously constituted by a first arm and a second arm, or front arm  3  and rear arm  4 , which are hinged in an upward region and are advantageously provided with wheels  5  for movement, which are arranged at the lower ends of the rear arm, and with balls  5   a,  which are arranged on the front arm.  
         [0024]    A chair  7  is connected to the stand  2  and can be arranged at various heights on the stand  2 .  
         [0025]    A first particularity of the invention consists in that at the chair  7 , and more specifically at the rear face of the backrest  10 , which is constituted by a front half-shell  11  and by a rear half-shell  12 , there are backrest tilting means for inclining the backrest, which have a first actuation fork  20 , protruding from the rear half-shell  12  and whose lower arms  22  engage L-shaped levers  23  that are articulated to the structure of the high-chair.  
         [0026]    In each lever  23 , the other arm is connected to a linkage  24 , which is articulated with a detent  25  that can slide so as to engage and disengage a set of locking teeth  26  arranged along a circular arc.  
         [0027]    The actuation of the first fork  20  causes the rotation of the lever  23  and therefore the disengagement of the detent  25  from the set of teeth  26 , with the possibility to vary the inclination of the backrest  10 .  
         [0028]    A fundamental characteristic is constituted by the fact that there are connection means for interconnecting the backrest  10  and the footrest  30 , which is articulated to the structure of the chair; said means are constituted by a rod  31 , which is articulated between a first protrusion  32 , which is connected to the backrest  10 , and a second protrusion  33 , which is connected to the footrest  30 .  
         [0029]    With this arrangement, by varying the inclination of the backrest the position of the footrest is changed at the same time.  
         [0030]    The means for adjusting the vertical position of the chair  7  are described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and have a second fork  40 , which can be accessed at the rear face of the backrest and has lower lateral arms  41 , which are connected around the articulation point of the backrest and form a circular protrusion  42  that surrounds an elongated slot  43  for movement with respect to the articulation point  49  of the backrest.  
         [0031]    The eye  45  of a linkage  46  engages the circular protrusion  42  and is articulated, at the other end, to a pin oscillating element  47  or block with two pins, which allows engagement with the shaped guiding slot  48  that adjusts the sliding with respect to the front arm of the stand  2 .  
         [0032]    The actuation of the second fork  40  causes the oscillation of the block with the two pins  47 , consequently allowing its movement within the slotted guide  48 .  
         [0033]    At the wheels  5  of the stand there are braking means  50 , which are constituted by a lever  51  that is articulated to the end of one of the arms of the stand and has a contoured cutout  52 , which is substantially shaped like the numeral  8  and has a lower seat  53  and an upper seat  54  which are delimited by a central narrower portion  55 , which is meant to form, by, engaging the shaft  56  associated with the wheels  5 , an inactive position and an active position for the brake lever.  
         [0034]    When the lever is in the inactive position, as shown in FIG. 7, the lever is in the raised position and no interference occurs.  
         [0035]    To engage the brake, one acts on the pedal  58 , which is arranged at the ends of the lever  51 , so as to engage the shaft  56  in the upper seat  54 , with consequent coupling of the retention tooth  59  in the seats  60  formed by a pinion  61  keyed to the shaft  56 .  
         [0036]    When the lever is in the active position, therefore, the rotation of the wheel is absolutely prevented due to the locking applied by the retention tooth  59 .  
         [0037]    A tray  70  is described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 and is pivoted at one of its sides, for example to the front arm  3  of the stand  2 .  
         [0038]    As shown in the drawings, the tray  70  has a container portion  71 , which is surmounted by a border  72  provided with the pivots  73  and an upper covering border  74 .  
         [0039]    At the border  72 , on its lateral portions, there are guiding slots  75 , which end with a locking portion  76 , in which a pin  77  engages which is connected to the other arm  4  of the stand.  
         [0040]    The pin  77  is connected to an automatic locking button  78 , so that when one wishes to close the stand it is sufficient to release the pin  77  by acting on the button and slide the pin within the slot  75 , simultaneously closing the stand and tipping the tray.  
         [0041]    A sliding dinner tray, generally designated by the reference numeral  80 , is described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 and has a lower half-shell  81  and an upper half-shell  82 , which enclose retention means comprising an actuation plate  84  that is provided with a grip element  85 , which can be accessed at the lower face of the dinner tray in a region located in front of the chair. The plate  84  is provided with inclined slots  86 , which engage the buttons  87  formed by movable rods  88 , which are pivoted to locking jaws  89  that are articulated to the dinner tray and can engage in interlocking recesses  91  provided below a horizontal surface  90  of the chair  7 , so as to be able to vary, by sliding, the position of the dinner tray, moving it with respect to the horizontal surface  90  that forms the interlocking recesses  91  for the jaws  89 , which are actuated by making the plate  84  slide.  
         [0042]    From the above description it is thus evident that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular the fact is stressed that a high-chair for children is provided which is particularly practical and versatile, since it allows to have actuation elements that can be accessed immediately and are handy for bystanders but are arranged where they cannot be accessed easily by the child placed in the high-chair.  
         [0043]    The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations such as, for example, providing chairs with different shapes and sizes, while using the same mechanisms of the present invention. All such variations are to be considered as falling within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0044]    All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.  
         [0045]    In practice, the materials employed, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements.  
         [0046]    The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2002A001135 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.