Abstract:
An Accessory Footrest Attachment is disclosed. The footrest attachment is designed to give children and others having legs that are shorter than normal adult legs a rest for their feet. The attachment has at least two configurations—one for installation on a conventional vehicle seat and one for installation on a typical residential chair. In either configuration, the footrest attachment preferably has a flip-up footplate so that the device can be made compact for storage when not in use. Furthermore, the attachment includes an associated stabilizing mat that is designed to be captured between the seated user and the seat, and that would keep the footrest attachment in an upright and stable condition. The footrest attachment and associated stabilizing mat is height-adjustable to account for variance in user and chair sizes.

Description:
This application is filed within one year of, and claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/062,185, filed Jan. 23, 2008. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to vehicle and residential furniture accessories and, more specifically, to an Accessory Footrest Attachment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     When riding in a car or sitting on a chair at home, children can frequently experience discomfort and cramping because their legs are too short for their feet to reach the ground. This causes their legs and feet to dangle without any physical support, thereby exerting undue pressure on the childs&#39; thighs. 
     What is needed is a compact, portable, adjustable attachment for either automobile seats or chairs with legs (e.g. chairs for residential use) that will provide support for a child&#39;s feet so that the pressure on their legs caused by their dangling legs and feet will be eliminated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and accessories, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Accessory Footrest Attachment. The footrest attachment should be designed to give children and others having legs that are shorter than normal adult legs a rest for their feet. The attachment should have at least two configurations—one for installation on a conventional vehicle seat and one for installation on a typical residential chair. In either configuration, the footrest attachment should have a flip-up footplate so that the device can be made compact for storage when not in use. There should further be a stabilizing mat associated with the footrest that is designed to be captured between the seated user and the seat, and that would keep the footrest attachment in an upright and stable condition. The footrest attachment and associated stabilizing mat should be height-adjustable to account for variance in user and chair sizes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the accessory footrest attachment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the attachment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2  installed on a conventional vehicle seat; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the device installation of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 1-4  including the crossbars for legged chair attachment; 
         FIG. 6  is a second perspective view of the device configured as in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the device configured as in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the device configured as in  FIGS. 5-7  installed on a legged chair; and 
         FIG. 9  is a second perspective view of the device configured as in  FIGS. 5-8  installed on a legged chair. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Accessory Footrest Attachment. 
     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the accessory footrest attachment  10  of the present invention. The attachment  10  has two use modes: (a) a first arrangement (depicted here) that is designed to be attachable to a conventional vehicle seat; and (b) a second arrangement (depicted in later drawing figures) that is designed to be attachable to legged chairs, such as those used for residential seating. The second arrangement is achieved by simply adding elements to the attachment  10  depicted in this  FIG. 1 . 
     The attachment  10  has a flip-up footplate  12  that provides a place for a child to place his or her feet (when the child&#39;s legs are too short to reach the floor of the vehicle). The frame of the attachment  10  is formed from a first post  14 A and a second post  14 B (extending generally vertically). The two posts  14 A,  1413  are maintained in spaced relation by an upper crossbar  16 A and a lower crossbar  1613 . The footplate  12  is pivotally attached to a first pivot trolley  20 A and a second pivot trolley  20 B. The pivot trolleys  20 A,  20 B can slide up and down the length of the posts  14 A,  14 B (and then pinned in place) so that the height of the footplate  12  can be adjusted to adapt to a variety of leg lengths. 
     In order to prevent the attachment  10  from slipping out from under the child, each post  14 A and  14 B terminates at its lower end in a foot (second foot  18 B shown here). Additional detail regarding the attachment  10  is provided in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the attachment  10  of  FIG. 1 . Here, the footplate  12  has been flipped up so that additional structure can be seen. The footplate  12  is pivotally attached to the first and second pivot trolleys  20 A,  20 B via a pair of structural members identified as a first plate strut  22 A and a second plate strut  22 B. The plate struts  22 A,  22 B are part of (or otherwise rigidly attached to) the footplate  12 . The struts  22 A,  22 B are depicted here as being generally triangularly-shaped protrusions from the bottom side of the footplate  12 . The plate struts  22 A,  22 B pivot about first and second pivot pins  24 A,  24 B. The pins  24 A,  24 B are removable if disassembly of the attachment  10  is desired. 
     As discussed previously, the pivot trolleys  20 A and  20 B are height-adjustable along the length of the first and second post ( 14 A,  14 B). The structure facilitating this adjustability is the first and second trolley pins  26 A (not shown) and  26 B, respectively. The trolley pins  26 A,  26 B insert through apertures formed in the trolleys  20 A,  20 B, as well as through pin apertures  28  formed in spaced relation along the posts ( 14 A,  14 B). To adjust the position of the trolleys  20 A,  20 B, it is a simple matter of removing the two trolley pins  26 A,  26 B, sliding the trolleys  20 A,  20 B to their desired position, and then inserting the pins  26 A,  26 B through the apertures  28 . If we now turn to  FIG. 3 , we can examine the entire assembly of the present invention as it would be used on a vehicle seat. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the device  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , including the stabilizing mat  30 , as it would be installed on a vehicle seat. The mat  30  comprises a seat bottom portion  34  and a seat front portion  36 . The seat front portion  36  is designed to lay over the front of the vehicle seat  32 . The upper crossbar (see  FIG. 1 ) of the attachment  10  has been slid through one of five available crossbar sleeves  38  formed in relative parallel orientation at the bottom end of the seat front portion  36  of the stabilizing mat  30 . 
     The seat bottom portion  34  is designed to lay atop the vehicle seat  32 . The vehicle seat  32  shown here is one from a later model vehicle, wherein a pair of child safety seat tethers  45  are provided at the seat  32  corners (see also  FIG. 4 ) the tethers  45  are a mandatory requirement provided by manufacturers for use in attaching a child safety seat to the vehicle seat  32 . When the footrest attachment of the present invention is in use, it would be in lieu of a child safety seat (which has its own built-in footrest), and therefore the tethers  45  would be free for use. When the child sits on the chair seat  32 , the seat bottom portion  34  will be captured underneath the child. This will keep the attachment  10  snug and stable against the front of the chair seat  32 .  FIG. 4  shows additional features of the stabilizing mat  30 . 
       FIG. 4  is a front view of the device installation of  FIG. 3 . The distal (or upper) edge  42  of the mat  30  is configured to tuck tight up to the seat back of the vehicle seat atop which the device  10  is attached. There are fastener straps  46  extending from each corner of the distal edge  42  of the mat  30 . The straps  46  are designed to either attach to the tethers  45  (if a late model vehicle), or, alternatively, wrap around the framework supporting the seatback of the chair. Fastener pads  44  are also dispersed on the bottom side of the mat  30  so that the straps  46  can wrap around the seat frame at the corners and then stick back to the fastener pads  44 . The straps  46  and fastener pads  44  are preferably covered with hook and loop fastener material to provide extensive adjustability. 
     At the proximal end  40  (see  FIG. 8 ) of the mat  30 , the mat has one of five transverse sleeves  38  formed within it (see also  FIG. 3 ). The sleeves are designed to accept the upper crossbar (see  FIG. 1 ) through it so that the attachment  10  and mat  30  are securely attached to one another; the option of five different sleeves  38  provides additional height adjustment for different seat sizes. If we now turn to  FIG. 5 , we can examine the additional elements that serve to convert the device  10  from one for installation in a vehicle to a device suitable for installation on a standard chair with legs. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 1-4  including the crossbars for legged chair attachment. Review of the device of  FIG. 1  as compared to that depicted here reveals that the basic device is the same, but with the addition of a retaining crossbar  48  at the upper end of the posts  14 A,  14 B. The purpose of the retaining crossbar  48  is to hook behind the front legs of the chair to which the device  10  is being attached. Hooking the ends of the retaining crossbar  48  behind the chair legs will hold the device  10  tight against the chair. The ends of the retaining crossbar  48  are preferably coated with cushioning sleeves  52  in order to protect the surface of the chair legs. In this version, the cushioning sleeves  52  are made from a rubberized material that the crossbar  48  is dipped in. 
     At the lower end of the posts  14 A,  14 B, a standoff crossbar  50  extends backwardly. The standoff crossbar  50  creates a separation between the bottom of the posts  14 A,  14 B and the bottom of the chair legs. This will enable the device to stand upright (since most times the chair seating member overhangs the front of the legs of the chair. The ends of the standoff crossbar  50  are also preferably provided with cushioning sleeves  52 . The spacing of the crossbars  48 ,  50  from the posts  14 A,  14 B is accomplished with the structure depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 6  is a second perspective view of the device of  FIG. 5 . As shown here, the retaining crossbar  48  extends backwardly from the upper ends of the posts  14 A,  14 B. The crossbar  48  connects with the posts  14 A,  14 B by first and second retaining crossbar struts  52 A,  52 B. The standoff crossbar  50  is attached to the lower ends of the posts  14 A,  14 B by first and second standoff struts  54 A,  54 B. In this embodiment, the standoff struts  52 A,  52 B,  54 A,  54 B are elongate bolt-shaped elements having threads formed on the outside of at least one end (the end attached to the posts  14 A,  14 B). The adjustment nuts  56  for the standoff struts  54 A,  54 B are shown here. Once the struts  54 A,  54 B are adjusted to the appropriate length, the adjustment nuts  56  are snugged down against either side of the posts  14 A,  14 B to keep the struts  54 A,  54 B at their desired lengths. Turning now to  FIG. 7  to examine the final elements of the device  10 . 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the device  10  of  FIGS. 5 and 6 . As shown here, the standoff struts  54 A,  54 B and the retaining crossbar struts  52 A,  52 B all engage the posts  14 A,  14 B through special apertures formed in the posts  14 A,  14 B. Similar to the standoff struts  54 A,  54 B, the retaining crossbar struts  52 A,  52 B are set and maintained in their desired position relative to the posts  14 A,  14 B by the adjusting nuts  56 . 
     The setting and securing of the length of the struts  52 A,  52 B,  54 A,  54 B could be accomplished by a variety of adjustment/securing structures; the depicted structure is only exemplary. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  each provide additional views of the present invention as configured and installed on a conventional legged chair. As shown, the fastener straps  46  have been wrapped around the seat-back posts  47  in order to hold the mat  30  snugly in place on the seat bottom. In  FIG. 9 , we can see the purpose of the crossbar sleeves  38  in adjusting for chair height. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.