Abstract:
A high chair incorporates a swivel feature and a height adjustment feature that permits the seat member to be positioned to the convenience of the caregiver. The high chair includes an H-shaped base member having a vertical pedestal member that houses a gas cylinder that provides height adjustment for the seat member and that supports the seat member for rotational movement relative to the pedestal. The H-shaped base allows the high chair to be positioned close to the caregiver. A swivel lock includes an actuation lever that has handles positioned on opposing sides of the seat member for actuation from either side of the high chair. The pivoted actuation lever also includes a spring-loaded stop member that is engagable with a toothed gear plate affixed to the pedestal to secure the rotated position of the seat member by positioning the stop member between teeth on the gear plate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/964,336, filed on Aug. 10, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to a child&#39;s high chair and, more particularly, to a high chair configuration that incorporates a swivel feature for the child&#39;s seat. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Different products are used by parents to aid in the positioning of their children to facilitate feeding them from the time the child is an infant until the child is old enough and large enough to sit at a table properly. One such product is a high chair, which is typically used to support infants and small toddlers at an elevated position so that the caregiver can easily feed the child. Another such product is a booster seat that is typically attached in a detachable manner to a standard chair so that the child is elevated on the chair to reach a normal table. Booster seats are typically used with older toddlers. 
   The high chair is a self-standing unit that provides a safe and secure seating area with a feeding tray that is removable from the high chair to facilitate the placement of the child on the high chair and to facilitate the cleaning of the tray and high chair structure. High chairs can incorporate height adjustment mechanism so that the seat can be vertically positioned to fit various table heights so that the tray mechanism could be removed from the high chair and the child positioned on the high chair be pushed up to a table. The booster seats typically attach to the standard chair with one or two adjustable straps so that the booster seat can be removed when no longer in use. The typical booster seat positions the child about three or four inches above the chair seat to locate the child at the table. Some booster seats are provided with height adjustment to fit various table heights. Some booster seats are adapted to receive a tray mechanism so that the booster seat can be utilized away from the table. 
   Although office chairs and other similar devices have long incorporated a swivel feature and/or a tilt feature combined with a height adjustment feature, child high chairs have traditionally been manufactured as a fixed structure with a base on which is mounted a fixed chair member for the seating of the child with the tray selectively positionable in front of the child. An example of an office chair having a chair tilt mechanism combined with a height adjustment feature can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,253, granted to Geoffrey Hollington, et al on Sep. 14, 1993, in which the rotatably mounted office chair incorporates a gas spring in a pedestal structure for the seat base with an actuation lever that is operable to release the gas spring to permit expansion thereof and a resulting vertical movement of the seat member. 
   The use of gas springs in a pedestal structure to provide a height adjustment feature is not limited to office furniture. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,949, granted to Rebecca Finell on Mar. 6, 2007, incorporates a wheeled base formed into an upwardly extending pedestal structure within which is supported a gas spring that is connected to the seat member. A vertical height adjustment of the seat member is accomplished through the manipulation of a foot pedal that releases the gas spring in a conventional manner to permit the vertical movement of the high chair seat. This high chair structure does not incorporate a swivel feature for the seat member as rotational movement of the high chair can be accomplished through a rotation of the wheeled base, which incorporates an arresting feature to limit the movement of the wheeled base structure. 
   Chairs or seats are known to incorporate a swivel feature. A swivel seat for use in a vehicle, such as a farm tractor or a combine, for example, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,354, issued on Jan. 9, 1996, to Dennis Gryp in which the selected rotated position of the seat is controlled through a rack mechanism that is cooperable with an actuation lever to secure the position of the seat by engaging a notch in the toothed rack with the actuation lever. Similarly, the tractor seat in U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,006, issued to Perry Woods on Mar. 31, 1998, is positionally controlled by a stop pin engagable through aligned holes in the seat member and the base member, with the actuation mechanism being positionable in a free swivel mode of operation. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,111, granted on Mar. 26, 2002, to Daniel Bowers, et al, the seat member of a powered personal mobility vehicle is pivotally mounted for movement through substantially a 180 degree range of movement to permit the operator to rotate the seat member ninety degrees from a central operating position for ease of ingress and egress to the seat member. This seat member incorporates a notched disk affixed to the base member. The actuation lever can be pivotally manipulated to selectively place a stop member into engagement with the notched disk to secure the seat member in the selected rotated position. 
   The high chair disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,966, granted to Peter Myers on Apr. 25, 2006, includes a base stand that can incorporate a turn table mechanism that provides a rotational function for the high chair seat member. The turn table mechanism incorporates a series of notches around the circumference thereof. A spring-loaded latch mechanism is engagable with the notches around the circumference of the turn table mechanism to restrain the rotated position of the high chair seat member. As is seen in FIGS. 11-16 of the Myers patent, the turn table mechanism is a substantial structural part of the seat member that also incorporates a tilt function for the seat member. 
   It would be desirable to provide a high chair structure that will provide a swivel feature that can be actuated conveniently by the caregiver to position the high chair seat member at a desired rotated position relative to the base member, while incorporating a high adjustment feature for the seat member. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of this invention to provide a high chair that will incorporate a swivel feature combined with a high adjustment feature. 
   It is another object of this invention to provide a swivel lock mechanism for a child&#39;s high chair that will provide accessibility from either side of the high chair seat member. 
   It is a feature of this invention that the actuation lever extends from a pivot axis to both opposing sides of the high chair seat member to permit actuation from either side of the seat member. 
   It is an advantage of this invention that the actuation lever can be actuated from either side of the high chair seat member. 
   It is another advantage of this invention that the actuation lever provides the caregiver with a natural and logical movement by pulling up while rotating the seat member. 
   It is still another advantage of this invention that the placement of the actuation lever on opposing sides of the high chair seat member, underneath the seat member helps prevent unintentional unlocking of the swivel feature of the seat member. 
   It is another feature of this invention that the actuation lever incorporates a stop member that is engagable with a toothed gear plate affixed to the pedestal structure of the high chair. 
   It is still another feature of this invention that the height adjustment feature of the child high chair utilizes a gas spring supported within the pedestal structure. 
   It is yet another feature of this invention that the base member incorporates a foot pedal that is operatively connected to the gas spring to affect a release thereof. 
   It is an advantage of this invention that the gas spring can be easily manipulated through a foot pedal positioned on the high chair base. 
   It is another advantage of this invention that the pivot axis for the actuation lever of the swivel lock mechanism for the child high chair is centralized to permit the movement of the actuation handles to be translated into a pivotal movement of the stop member engagable with the toothed gear plate. 
   It is still another feature of this invention that the actuation lever is formed in a general U-shaped configuration to provide opposing actuation handles that can be actuated from either side of the seat member and a single stop member on the opposing side of a central pivot axis. 
   It is yet another feature of this invention that the actuation lever is spring-loaded into a locked position by a spring member disposed beneath the stop member. 
   It is still another advantage of this invention that the spring-loaded actuation lever prevents the seat member from becoming a free rotating structure. 
   It is still another object of this invention to provide a base member that can provide greater flexibility in locating the high chair adjacent tables and furniture on which the caregiver is seated. 
   It is a further feature of this invention that the base member of the child high chair is formed in an H-shaped configuration. 
   It is a further advantage of this invention that the H-shaped base member can be positioned relative to adjacent furniture legs that the H-shaped base member can slide past the furniture leg without obstruction. 
   It is still a further advantage of this invention that the caregiver can be seated closer to the child seated in the high chair seat member without being obstructed by the high chair base member. 
   It is still a further feature of this invention that the H-shaped base member incorporates a vertical pedestal structure incorporating the height adjustment feature for the high chair and supporting the seat member for rotation relative to the pedestal structure and the base member. 
   It is yet another object of this invention to provide a high chair structure incorporating a swivel function and a height adjustment function that is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use. 
   These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a high chair that incorporates a swivel feature and a height adjustment feature that permits the seat member to be positioned to the convenience of the caregiver. The high chair includes an H-shaped base member having a vertical pedestal member that houses a gas cylinder that provides height adjustment for the seat member and that supports the seat member for rotational movement relative to the pedestal. The H-shaped base allows the high chair to be positioned close to the caregiver. A swivel lock includes an actuation lever that has handles positioned on opposing sides of the seat member for actuation from either side of the high chair. The pivoted actuation lever also includes a spring-loaded stop member that is engagable with a toothed gear plate affixed to the pedestal to secure the rotated position of the seat member by positioning the stop member between teeth on the gear plate. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a high chair incorporating the principles of the instant invention, the seat member being rotated to the right of a central position relative to the H-shaped base member; 
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the high chair depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the high chair shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a high chair similar to that of  FIG. 1 , but depicting the seat member as being rotated to the left of a central position relative to the H-shaped base member; 
       FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of the high chair placed in a central position relative to the H-shaped base member; 
       FIG. 6  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the high chair corresponding to lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the high chair taken along lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 5  to shown the swivel lock mechanism; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective exploded view of the high chair incorporating the principles of the instant invention, the seat member being partially broken away for the purposes of clarity; 
       FIG. 9  is a front side perspective view of the swivel lock mechanism housed within the seat member, portions of the seat member and the base member being broken away for purposes of clarity, the actuation lever being pivoted into a release position to affect rotation of the seat member relative to the pedestal and base; 
       FIG. 10  is a front side perspective view similar to that of  FIG. 9 , but depicting the actuation lever being pivoted into the lock position to secure the seat member from rotation; 
       FIG. 11  is a partial cross-sectional view of the high chair seat member shown in  FIG. 9  to better view the stop member retracted to allow rotational movement of the seat member relative to the pedestal and base; 
       FIG. 11A  is a side elevational view of the actuation lever positioned as reflected in  FIG. 11  to release the stop member from the toothed gear plate, the seat structure being shown in phantom; 
       FIG. 12  is a partial cross-sectional view of the high chair seat member shown in  FIG. 10  to view the stop member engaged with the toothed gear plate to secure the seat member from further rotation relative to the pedestal and base; 
       FIG. 12A  is a side elevational view of the actuation lever positioned as reflected in  FIG. 12  to engage the stop member with the toothed gear plate, the seat structure being shown in phantom; 
       FIG. 13  is a partial front side perspective view of the high chair corresponding to the view of  FIG. 2 , but having the upper portions of the seat structure removed for purposes of clarity to view the swivel lock mechanism in a locked position; 
       FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of the seat member; 
       FIG. 15  is a partial cross-sectional view taken through the right arm rest of the seat member to depict the recline latch mechanism for the seat back; 
       FIG. 16  is a partial cross-sectional view of the high chair taken along the longitudinal centerline of the high chair to show the recline movement of the seat back of the seat member, the two recline positions of the seat back being shown in phantom; and 
       FIG. 17  is a partial left side elevational view of the high chair having a tray mounted thereto, showing the movement of the seat back of the seat member in phantom. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings, a child high chair incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. The high chair  10  is constructed with a base member  11  having wheels  12  mounted thereon to make the base member mobile. At least two of the wheels  12  having conventional wheel locks  12   a  to restrict movement of the base member  11 . The base member  11  is preferably formed in an H-shaped configuration with four legs  13  that are joined together at the central transverse member  14  so that the legs  13  project fore-and-aft from the ends of the transverse member  14 . With the wheels  12  mounted at the distal ends of the legs  13 , the base member is positionable over the surface of the floor such that a table leg, or chair leg can be oriented between the legs  13  to enable the high chair  10  to be moved very close to the obstructing furniture (not shown). 
   Projecting upwardly from the center of the transverse member  14  is a vertical pedestal member formed to have a fixed base portion  16  and a telescopic upper portion  17  interconnected by a gas spring  18  to control the telescopic movement of the upper portion  17  relative to the base portion  16 . A foot pedal  19  is operatively connected to the gas spring  18  to control the release of the gas spring  18  in a conventional manner. Depressing the foot pedal  19  releases the gas spring  18  to allow the gas spring  18  to expand or contract if sufficient weight is asserted to collapse the gas spring  18 . In this manner, height adjustment for the high chair  10  can be accomplished simply and conveniently. 
   The seat member  20  is rotatably supported on the upper portion  17  of the pedestal  15  to provide a swivel function for the seat member  20  relative to the base member  11 . As depicted in  FIG. 1 , the seat member  20  is rotatable to the right of a center position, shown in  FIG. 5 , and also to the left of the center position, as depicted in  FIG. 4 . The seat member  20  does not incorporate any stops that limit the range of rotation to either the right or left directions. The seat member is formed with a base portion  22  and a seat portion  23  that is mounted on the base portion  22  to form the seat member  20 . The seat portion  23  is secured to the base portion  22  through fasteners inserted into bosses  24  formed on the base portion, as are best seen in  FIG. 7 . The seat portion  23  is formed with a seat back  25  to support a child seated on the seat portion  23 . Arm rests  26  are preferably included on the seat portion  23  to control any lateral movement of the child on the seat portion  23 . An alternative configuration of the seat member  20  can be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/145,310, filed on Jun. 24, 2008, the description of which, including the attachment of the tray and the seat back recline mechanism, being incorporated herein by reference. 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 7-12 , the base portion  23  includes a swivel lock mechanism  30  to restrict the rotational movement of the seat member  20  relative to the pedestal  15 . The swivel lock mechanism  30  includes a stationary toothed gear plate  32  affixed to the pedestal  15  and an actuator member  35  pivotally supported on and carried with the base portion  22 . The actuator member  35  is formed, generally, in a U-shaped configuration with a pair of actuator handles  36  located at the distal ends of the actuator member  35 . The actuator member  35  is also formed with transversely extending pivot members  37  that are pivotally supported on the base portion  22  by the pivot supports  29 . A generally arcuate lock member  38  extends rearwardly from the centrally located, transverse pivot members  37  and is oriented concentrically with said gear plate  32 . The lock member  38  includes a stop member  39  sized to fit into the respective notched  34  formed between the teeth members  33  of the gear plate  32 . 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  6 ,  11 A and  12 A, the actuator handles  36  extend out of the base portion  22  through appropriately formed openings therein for access by the caregiver. As depression of the actuator handles  36  into the structure of the base portion  22  causes a pivoting of the actuator member  35  about a transverse pivot axis corresponding to the pivot members  37  and passing through the center of the gear plate  32 . The centralized pivot members  37  results in an opposing movement of the arcuate lock member  38  to retract the stop member  39  from engagement with the toothed gear plate  32 , as is depicted in  FIGS. 11 and 11A . The actuator member  35  is spring-loaded into engagement with the gear plate  32  by a spring  39   a  located for maximum effect under the stop member  39 . The stop member  39  retains the spring  39   a  against the base portion  22  so that the retraction of the stop member  39  out of engagement with the gear plate  32  compresses the spring  39   a  to increase the bias force urging the actuator member  35  into a locked position, as depicted in  FIG. 12 . Accordingly, when the actuator handles are released by the caregiver, the spring  39   a  automatically pivots the actuator member  35  about the pivot members to project the actuator handles  36  back out of the base portion  22  of the seat member  20 . 
   The seat back  25  is preferably formed to be reclined from a vertical orientation throughout a range of reclined positions. As can be seen in  FIGS. 14-17 , the recline mechanism  40  includes an actuator handle  41  located on the rear side of the seat back  25 . The actuator handle  41  is coupled to an elongated locking pin  42  that extends from the actuator handle  41  within the structure of the seat back  25  to engage latch openings  43  formed in the rearward part of the seat portion  23  to lock the seat back  25  in a selected recline position, as shown in phantom and solid lines in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . To operate, the actuator handle  41  is lifted to disengage the locking pin  42  from the engaged latch opening  43 . The seat back  25  is then moved to the desired position about the pivot  44  mounted between the opposing arm rests  26 , and the actuator handle  41  can be returned to the latching position to re-engage the locking pin  42  with the corresponding latch opening  43 . 
   The seat member  20  is also provided with receptacles  27  in the arm rests  26  to receive the mounting supports (not shown) of the tray  45 . Mounting sleeve (not shown) can be inserted into the receptacles  27  to engage the mounting supports and provide a stronger support than the molded plastic arm rest  26  can provide to resist the forces exerted on the cantilevered tray mechanism  45 . Furthermore, the mounting sleeve can be slotted to provide a latch keeper (not shown) for the retention of the tray  45  within the mounting sleeve. 
   In operation, the high chair  10  incorporates both a swivel feature and a height adjustment feature that are independently operable. The height adjustment feature can be operated through manipulation of the foot pedal  19  that release the gas spring  18  housed within the pedestal  15 . By grasping the seat member  20  while depressing the foot pedal  19  to release the gas spring  18 , the caregiver can manually position the seat member  20  to the proper height relative to the table or to another adjacent object to properly position a child seated on the seat portion  23  as desired by the caregiver. Lowering the height of the seat member  20  requires an exertion of a downward force on the seat member  20  while the foot pedal  19  is depressed to release the gas cylinder. Raising the seat member  20  can be accomplished by allowing the gas spring  18  to expand, thus telescopically moving the upper portion  17  of the pedestal  15  upwardly with the seat member  20  affixed thereto. 
   Actuation of the swivel feature is accomplished by depressing the actuation handles  36  into the base portion  22 , resulting in a pivoting of the actuation member  35  to move the stop member  39  downwardly out of engagement with the toothed gear plate  32 . The seat member  20  is then free to rotate relative to the pedestal  15  in either direction to position the seat member  20  and the child seated thereon as desired by the caregiver. Even though the H-shaped base member  11  has substantial flexibility in positioning the high chair  10  relative to an obstruction, such as a table leg, the resultant positioning of the seat member  20  may not be to the liking of the caregiver. By providing a swivel function through the rotational mounting of the base portion  22  on the pedestal  15 , the caregiver can rotate the position of the child to the convenience of the caregiver irrespective of the necessary positioning of the H-shaped base member  11 . 
   Furthermore, the placement of the actuation handles  36  on the underside of the base portion  22  requires the caregiver to grasp at least one side of the seat member  20  while positioning the seat member  20  rotationally. Additionally, a natural and logical pulling up of the actuation handles  36  is required to affect rotation of the seat member. The actuator member  35  can be operated through either side of the base portion  22  by depressing only one of the actuator handles  36  to cause the pivoting of the actuation member  35  that disengages the stop member  39  from the toothed gear plate  32 . Although the swivel feature compliments the function of the H-shaped base member  11  to facilitate the positioning of the child on the seat member  20  as desired by the caregiver, the swivel function can be utilized for any high chair irrespective of the configuration of the base member  11 , or irrespective of the configuration of the support frame of the high chair that positions the seat member  20  in an elevated position. The pedestal  15  can be formed in a smaller configuration to provide the capability for a swivel feature for substantially any base frame configuration. The novel swivel lock mechanism  30  is housed within the structure of the seat member  20  and can be adapted to work with substantially any support structure for the swivel function. 
   It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.