Abstract:
A handle assembly is coupled with each of two handle-coupling rods ( 3 ) of a stroller or a top stroller. The handle assembly includes a handle ( 1 ) and a connecting tube ( 2 ). The connecting tube ( 2 ) includes an upper end ( 21 ) received in the handle ( 1 ) and a lower end that receives an upper end of an associated handle-coupling rod. When a button ( 15 ) mounted to the handle ( 1 ) is pressed, the handle ( 1 ) can be turned relative to the connecting tube ( 2 ) to a desired orientation. Further, when the button is pressed, the handle and the connecting tube can be jointly moved along a longitudinal direction of the connecting tube, thereby adjusting a level of the handle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a handle assembly for a stroller or a toy stroller.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     A stroller or toy stroller includes two handles for user&#39;s grip. However, the handles are fixed and thus could not be adjusted in length according to the height of the user. Also, the orientation of the handles could not be adjusted.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     An objective of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly for a stroller or a toy stroller, wherein the handle of the handle assembly can be adjusted in length and can be turned to change its orientation.  
         [0006]     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a handle assembly is coupled with each of two handle-coupling rods of a stroller or a toy stroller. Each handle-coupling rod comprises an upper end including at least two vertically spaced transverse positioning holes.  
         [0007]     The handle assembly comprises a connecting tube having a lower end that receives an associated handle-coupling rod, allowing the connecting tube to move relative to the associated handle-coupling rod along a longitudinal direction of the connecting tube. The connecting tube includes a longitudinal hole and at least two radial grooves defined in an upper inner periphery delimiting the longitudinal hole.  
         [0008]     The handle assembly further comprises a handle. A compartment is defined in a first end of the handle and a handgrip is formed on a second end of the handle. A hole is defined in an upper end wall delimiting the compartment. At least two radial grooves are defined in an inner periphery delimiting the hole. The handle further includes a transverse groove communicated with the hole. A button is pivotally received in the transverse groove. An upper end of the connecting tube is received in the compartment of the handle.  
         [0009]     A clutch block is received in the upper end of the longitudinal hole of the connecting tube. The clutch block includes at least two radial extensions extending from an outer periphery thereof. The clutch block further includes a longitudinal hole.  
         [0010]     A first elastic element is mounted in the upper end of the connecting tube for biasing the clutch block to a position where the radial extensions of the clutch block are partially received in the radial grooves of the handle and partially received in the radial grooves of the connecting tube, allowing joint longitudinal movement of the connecting tube and the handle. A tappet extends through the longitudinal hole of the clutch block. The tappet includes an upper end abutting against the button and a lower end.  
         [0011]     A main block is mounted in the upper end of the associated handle-coupling rod. The main block includes an upper longitudinal hole, a transverse hole below the upper longitudinal hole and communicated with the upper longitudinal hole, a lower longitudinal hole not aligned with the upper longitudinal hole, and a compartment between the lower longitudinal hole and the transverse hole. A positioning member is slidably received in the transverse hole. The positioning member includes an inclined transverse through-hole.  
         [0012]     A sliding block is slidably received in the compartment of the main block. The sliding block includes an inclined resilient extension rod extending through the inclined transverse through-hole of the positioning member into the upper longitudinal hole of the main block. The lower end of the tappet extends into the upper longitudinal hole of the main block and abuts against the inclined resilient extension rod.  
         [0013]     A second elastic element is mounted in the lower longitudinal hole of the main block for biasing the sliding block to a position that urges an end of the positioning member into one of the transverse positioning holes of the associated handle-coupling rod.  
         [0014]     When the button is pressed, the clutch block slides longitudinally such that the radial extensions of the clutch block are disengaged from the radial grooves of the handle to allow the handle to turn relative to the connecting tube to a desired orientation. Further, when the button is pressed, the inclined resilient extension rod is pressed downward and inward to cause the sliding block to slide downward and to cause the end of the positioning member to disengage from the transverse positioning holes, allowing the handle, the connecting tube, and the main block to move along the longitudinal direction of the connecting tube.  
         [0015]     The upper end of each coupling-coupling rod includes a pair of aligned longitudinal slots. A pin transversely extends through the connecting tube and the longitudinal slots for guiding longitudinal movement of the tubular tube. The main block includes a transverse hole through which the pin extends, allowing joint longitudinal movement of the main block and the connecting tube.  
         [0016]     The connecting tube includes an inner flange through which the tappet extends. The inner flange includes a necked portion. The first elastic element includes a lower end abutting against the necked portion and an upper end abutting against an end wall of the clutch block.  
         [0017]     An end cap is attached to a lower end of the main block. The second elastic element includes an upper end abutting against the sliding block and a lower end abutting against the end cap.  
         [0018]     Other objectives, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a stroller with a pair of handle assemblies in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the handle assembly in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the handle assembly in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 3 , wherein a button is pressed.  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 6 , wherein the handle is turned through 90 degrees when the button is pressed.  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 8 , wherein the handle is pulled upward to adjust the level of the handle.  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 9 , wherein the button is released. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0029]      FIG. 1  illustrates a stroller  8  with two handle-coupling rods  9 , and a handle assembly is mounted to each handle-coupling rod  3 . Still referring to FIG.  1  and further to  FIGS. 2 through 4 , each handle assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises a handle  1  and a connecting tube  2 . The handle  1  includes a compartment  12  in a first end thereof, with a cruciform groove  13  being defined in an upper end wall delimiting the compartment  12 . The cruciform groove  13  can be deemed as a hole defined in the upper end wall delimiting the compartment  12  plus four radial grooves  131  defined in an inner periphery delimiting the hole  130 . The first end of the handle  1  further includes a transverse groove  14  communicated with the cruciform groove  13 . A button  15  is pivotally mounted in the transverse groove  14 . A rivet or pin  16  is extended through pin holes  18  in the handle  1  and a pin hole  17  in the button  15 . A portion of the button  15  is preferably located outside the handle  1  to allow easy press of the button  15 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The handle  1  further includes a handgrip  11  formed on a second end thereof for user&#39;s grip.  
         [0030]     The connecting tube  2  includes a longitudinal hole  26  having a cruciform section  22  in an upper end  21  of the connecting tube  2 . Namely, four radial grooves  27  are defined in an inner periphery delimiting the upper end of the longitudinal hole  26 . The upper end  21  of the connecting tube  2  includes an annular groove  25  in an outer periphery thereof. The connecting tube  2  further includes a transverse through-hole  23 . The handle-coupling rod  3  includes a longitudinal hole  34 . Further, the handle-coupling rod  3  includes at least two vertically spaced transverse positioning holes  31  and  32  (two in this embodiment) and a pair of aligned longitudinal slot  33  in an outer periphery of an upper end of the handle-coupling rod  3 . The upper end of the handle-coupling rod  3  is received in a lower end of the connecting tube  2 . A rivet or pin  24  is extended through the transverse through-hole  23  of the connecting tube  2  and the longitudinal slots  33  of the handle-coupling rod  3 . Thus, the connecting tube  2  is slidable relative to the handle-coupling rod  3  while the pin  24  is sliding along the longitudinal holes  33  without the risk of disengaging from the handle-coupling rod  3 .  
         [0031]     The upper end  21  of the connecting tube  2  is received in the compartment  12  of the handle  1 . A rivet or pin  19  is extended through a hole  20  in the handle  1  and through the annular groove  25 . The pin  19  has a diameter equal to the width of the annular groove  25 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Thus, when the handle  1  is moved along a longitudinal direction of the connecting tube  2 , the connecting tube  2  is also moved longitudinally. Nevertheless, the pin  19  allows the handle  1  to turn relative to the connecting tube  2 .  
         [0032]     The handle assembly further includes a clutch device  4 . The clutch device  4  includes a clutch block  43 , a tappet  40 , and an elastic element  44 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the clutch block  43  includes a longitudinal hole  46  and four radial ribs or extensions  46  extending from an outer periphery thereof. The clutch block  43  is partially received in the cruciform groove  13  of the handle  1  and partially received in the cruciform section  22  of the connecting tube  2  under the action of the elastic element  44 , allowing joint movement of the handle  1  and the connecting tube  2  (see  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0033]     The connecting tube  2  includes an inner flange  29  ( FIG. 3 ) on an inner periphery thereof. The tappet  40  is extended through the inner flange  29  and the longitudinal hole  45  of the clutch block  43 , with an enlarged upper end  41  of the tappet  40  extending into the transverse groove  14  of the handle  1  and abutting against an inner side of the button  15 . The enlarged upper end  41  of the tappet  40  has a maximum width or diameter greater than a diameter of the longitudinal hole  45  of the clutch block  43 . The inner flange  29  includes a necked portion  28 . The elastic element  44  is mounted around the tappet  40  and includes an upper end abutting against an upper end wall of the clutch block  43  and a lower end abutting against the necked portion  28 . The clutch block  43  is biased by the elastic element  44  to be a position partially received in the cruciform groove  13  of the handle  1  and partially received in the cruciform section  22  of the longitudinal hole  26  of the connecting tube  2 , allowing joint movement of the connecting tube  2  and the handle  1 . Further, the enlarged upper end  41  of the tappet  40  is pushed by the clutch block  43  to a position abutting against the inner side of the button  15 .  
         [0034]     The handle assembly further comprises a positioning device  5  mounted in the connecting tube  2  and the handle-coupling rod  3 . Still referring to  FIGS. 2 through 4 , the positioning device  5  comprises a main block  51  including an upper longitudinal hole  52 , a transverse hole  53  below and communicated with the upper longitudinal hole  52 , a lower longitudinal hole  57  not aligned with the upper longitudinal hole  52 , and a compartment  58  between the lower longitudinal hole  57  and the transverse hole  53 .  
         [0035]     The positioning device  5  further includes a positioning member  72  slidably received in the transverse hole  53 . The positioning member  72  includes an inclined transverse through-hole  74 . A sliding block  60  is slidably received in the compartment  58  and includes an inclined resilient extension rod  62  extending through the inclined transverse through-hole  74  into the upper longitudinal hole  52  of the main block  51 . A lower end  42  of the tappet  40  extends into the upper longitudinal hole  52  of the main block  51  and abuts against a distal end of the inclined resilient extension rod  62 . The pin  24  is extended through a transverse hole  54  in the main block  51  to allow joint longitudinal movement of the main block  51  and the connecting tube  2 .  
         [0036]     An end cap  66  is attached to a lower end of the main block  2  and includes a stem  68  received in a lower compartment  55  of the main block  57 . Preferably, the end cap  66  includes a resilient hook member  70  extending through a transverse positioning hole  56  in the main block  51  to securely retain the end cap  66  in place. An elastic element  64  is received in the lower longitudinal hole  57  of the main block  51  and includes an upper end abutting against the sliding block  60  and a lower end abutting against the end cap  66 .  
         [0037]     The positioning member  72  is biased by the elastic element  64  and the inclined resilient extension rod  62  to a position where an end  76  of the positioning member  72  extends into, e.g., the lower transverse positioning hole  32  of the handle-coupling rod  3 . In this case, the connecting tube  2  cannot be moved, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the button  15  is pressed inward, the enlarged upper end  41  of the tappet  40  is pressed downward and compresses the elastic element  44 . The clutch block  43  disengages from the cruciform groove  13  of the handle  1  yet still remains in the cruciform section  22  of the longitudinal hole  26  of the connecting member  2 . In this state, the handle  1  can be turned until the handgrip  11  is in the desired orientation, as shown in  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the handgrip  11  may be located in one of four orientations. The number of orientations or positions of the handgrip  11  depends on the number of the radial grooves forming the groove  13 , and the number of the radial extensions  46  and the number of the radial grooves  27  of the connecting tube  2  are changed accordingly.  
         [0039]     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 8 , when the button  15  is pressed inward, the lower end  42  of the tappet  40  pressed the inclined resilient extension rod  62  downward and inward, causing the sliding block  60  to slide downward and to compress the elastic element  64 . Meanwhile, the positioning member  72  is moved away from the transverse positioning hole  32 . Thus, the end  76  of the positioning member  72  disengages from the lower the transverse positioning hole  32 . The user may pull the handle  1  upward (which causes joint upward movement of the connecting tube  2  and the main block  51 ) until the positioning member  72  is aligned with the other transverse positioning hole  31 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . When the button  15  is released, the sliding block  60  and the inclined resilient extension rod  62  return their initial position under the action of the elastic element  64 , which, in turn, urging the end  76  of the positioning member  72  into the other transverse positioning hole  31 . The level of the handgrip  1  is thus adjusted. Further, the button  15 , the tappet  40 , and the clutch block  43  return their original position under the action of the elastic element  44 .  
         [0040]     The handle assembly  1  in accordance with the present invention can be used with a toy stroller, not limited to the stroller shown in the drawings.  
         [0041]     Although a specific embodiment has been illustrated and described, numerous modifications and variations are still possible without departing from the essence of the invention. The scope of the invention is limited by the accompanying claims.