Patent Publication Number: US-2003229966-A1

Title: Stroller height extenders and method

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
     [0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/389,362 filed on Jun. 17, 2002. 
    
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] This invention pertains generally to accessories for baby strollers and more specifically to height extenders for the stroller handles.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE FIELD  
       [0003] Nearly all parents of young children use strollers for their babies and toddlers. Currently, there are many, many types of strollers being sold and used for such children. There are single-seat strollers for one child and tandem and side-by-side strollers for two children. There are strollers with added standing platforms for older children and strollers with built-in bags and compartments for storing baby accessories.  
       [0004] Although all kinds of parents use such strollers, most strollers are designed to be used by women 5′4″ or under. This leaves taller women and most men in the undesirable position of having to bend over or slump their shoulders to reach the handles and push the strollers. Such stooping and slumping not only is uncomfortable, but also can result in significant back, shoulder, and neck pain. Persistent poor posture and physical stress can then lead to more serious physical problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing an adjustable height extender for use by taller women and men so that they can stand up straight in a natural position while safely gripping the strollers&#39; handles. At the same time, the invention also increases the horizontal distance between the pusher&#39;s body and the stroller so as to accommodate the taller pusher&#39;s greater stride. (The adjustable height extender can be used on any other device, such as luggage, with a handle that is too short for the pusher.)  
       [0006] The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a generally tubular bar, similar to a bicycle handle bar, one end of which is removably and adjustably attached to the stroller&#39;s existing handle using a clip assembly. The attachment is such that the bar extends generally perpendicularly from the handle, and the bar is usually bent so as to be at a comfortable angle for gripping with one hand. Further, the bar is normally covered with a soft gripping material such as neoprene. Although one height extender can be installed alone (at almost any point along the handle or the frame of the stroller), a pusher usually prefers to use two extenders as a pair, one for each hand.  
       [0007] In the preferred embodiment, a clip assembly is used to mount the extender bar onto the existing stroller handle. The clip assembly of the preferred embodiment comprises a clip element, a retainer element, and a tightening nut. Most strollers on the market today have tubular handles (and tubular frames), and so the clip assembly is designed to circumscribe a handle with a generally circular cross-section. Certainly clips could be designed for handles with different cross-sections, e.g., oval or square.  
       [0008] In the preferred embodiment, the clip assembly fits around the stroller&#39;s handle entirely circumscribing the handle. Then the extender bar threads onto the clip assembly, and the pusher finger-tightens the tightening nut. No tools are necessary for installing or removing the height extenders; no hardware needs to be permanently installed on the handle, and the clip assembly incorporates a special gripping material in its recesses so that it leaves no permanent marks on the handle. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the height extenders as they are used in the preferred embodiment;  
     [0010]FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the clip assembly of the preferred embodiment; and  
     [0011]FIG. 3 is a top view of the retainer element. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0012]FIG. 1 shows a pair of height extenders  10  as they are typically installed on a stroller handlebar  12 . As can be readily seen, each extender  10  of the typical pair is a mirror image of the other, so this discussion will focus on only one extender  10 . It is understood that a single extender may be used alone and also that the extender(s) can be attached anywhere on the frame of the stroller (not shown), including the handle or handlebar  12 . The extender comprises a bar  14  and a clip assembly  16 , both of which are shown in greater detail in the following figures.  
     [0013] The stroller handlebar defines the axis  50 , which is coincident with the bore axis  50  of the clip assembly  16 . The proximate end  24  of the bar  14  defines the bar axis  52  which upon assembly is roughly perpendicular to the bore axis  50 . (The bar is bent along its length so that the distal end  32  is displaced from the bar axis  52 .) The bar  14  is generally tubular and can be of any length or bent into any shape, but for the preferred embodiment, it is gradually and continuously bent so as to be at a comfortable angle for a user to grip with one hand while standing behind the stroller. In the preferred embodiment, the bar is bent continuously as shown in FIG. 2, so that the overall bend is approximately 90 degrees. The extender  10  works well if the angle of bend measures within the range of 40 to 90 degrees.  
     [0014]FIG. 2 shows the bar  14  in side view showing how the bar  14  is bent and also that the bar screw  18   a  of the clip assembly  16  is generally coaxial with the proximate end  24  of the bar  14 . It also shows how the bar  14  of the preferred embodiment is covered with a neoprene cover  40  so as to add softness and texture to the user&#39;s grip. In alternate embodiments, any appropriate material may be used, or optionally no cover at all.  
     [0015] Still referring to FIG. 2, the first screw (bar screw)  18   a  and the second screw (tightening screw)  18   b  of the clip element  20  extend from the clip body  20  through holes or slots (not threaded) in the retainer element  22 , which in the preferred embodiment is generally rectangular (as can be seen in the top view of FIG. 3). The bar screw  18   a  of the preferred embodiment is pivotally fixed to the clip  20  (pivoting on pin  58   a ) but extends loosely through the slot  42  in the first end of the retainer  22  and is threaded up into the proximate end  24  of the normally hollow bar  14 . If necessary, a threaded nut  26  may be spot-welded or otherwise retained inside the proximate end  24  of the bar  14  for receiving the screw  18   a . In alternate embodiments, the bar  14  may be designed with an endplate defining a threaded screw receptacle.  
     [0016] The tightening screw  18   b  also is pivotally fixed to the clip  20  (pivoting on pin  58   b ) and extends loosely through holes  44   a  and  44   b  (not threaded) in the second end of the retainer element  22 . A tightening nut  28  is threaded onto the screw  18   b  as it passes through the retainer, i.e., between holes  44   a  and  44   b , and is used to tighten the clip assembly  16  around the stroller handlebar  12 , by adjusting the size of the throughbore. In order to capture the nut  28  within the clip assembly  16 , the retainer  22  of the preferred embodiment has two prongs  54  and  56  on the second end and defining the holes  44   a  and  44   b  respectively. The tightening nut  28  is finger-operated so that no tools are needed to install the height extenders  10 .  
     [0017] The clip  20  and the retainer  22  of the clip assembly  16  are designed to define a throughbore that fits around and circumscribes the stroller handlebar  12  and defines the bore axis  50 . In the preferred embodiment, the fit is accomplished with two mating recesses on the mating surfaces of the two elements,  46   a  in the clip  20  and  46   b  in the retainer  22 , which are capable of defining the throughbore and seating the handlebar  12 . Upon tightening of the nut  28 , the size of the throughbore is adjusted so that the clip assembly  16  firmly holds the extender  10  on the handlebar  12  such that the bar axis  52  is roughly perpendicular to the bore axis  50 . In the embodiment shown, the recesses  46   a ,  46   b  are roughly triangular, but in alternate embodiments, they could be of any other appropriate shape, such as semicircular to create a generally circular throughbore. Furthermore, the recesses  46   a  and  46   b  can be coated or otherwise covered with a gripping material which not only helps to grip the handlebar  12  but also prevents marks on the handlebar.  
     [0018] In the preferred embodiment, a cap  30  is mounted at the distal end  32  of the tubular bar  14 . Obviously, in alternate embodiments, the cap  30  could be provided as an integral part to the bar  14 .  
     [0019]FIG. 3 is a top view of the retainer element  22  showing the arrangement of slot  42  and holes  44   a ,  44   b  at either end of the element (the first and second ends respectively). The clip assembly, and therefore the entire invention, would work if the slot  42  were a hole in the retainer and the screws were fixed to the clip body (i.e., not pivoted); however a slot is chosen and the screws pivot in order to make installation easier.