Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US5669624A/en
Timestamp: 2020-07-03 15:12:35
Document Index: 40083033

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 915', 'art 910', 'arts 856', 'arts 856', 'arts 856', 'arts 856']

US5669624A - Stroller - Google Patents
US5669624A
US5669624A US08/635,254 US63525496A US5669624A US 5669624 A US5669624 A US 5669624A US 63525496 A US63525496 A US 63525496A US 5669624 A US5669624 A US 5669624A
US08/635,254
Anthony E. Eichhorn
1994-09-09 Priority to US08/304,663 priority Critical patent/US5590896A/en
1996-04-12 Application filed by Fisher Price Inc filed Critical Fisher Price Inc
1996-04-12 Priority to US08/635,254 priority patent/US5669624A/en
1997-09-23 Publication of US5669624A publication Critical patent/US5669624A/en
2001-01-26 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=23177436&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US5669624(A) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/304,663 filed on Sep. 9, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,896.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a folding stroller having a front wheel; a front member having a front wheel supporting portion for supporting the front wheel, and a pair of front member ends; a rear handle member having a handle portion and a pair of handle member ends; a pair of rear wheels; a rear support member having a pair of rear wheel supporting portions, each rear wheel supporting portion supporting a respective one of the rear wheels, and the rear support member having a pair of rear support ends; a pair of side members each having a first side member end and a second side member end. The handle member ends are pivotally connected to the front member ends, and the rear support member ends are pivotally connected to a medial portion of the handle member, the first side member ends are pivotally connected to portions of the front member and the second side member ends are pivotally connected, to portions of the rear member.
A first flexible web extends between the first frame portion and the seatback portion, and has a first extended configuration in which the seatback is suspended in a first reclining position and a second, foreshortened configuration in which the seatback is suspended in a second position more upright than the first position. A second flexible web extends between the second frame portion and the seatback portion, the second web also having a first extended configuration in which the seatback is suspended in first, reclined position and a second, foreshortened configuration in which the seatback is suspended in a second position more upright than the first position. The webs may be selectively foreshortened to move the seatback from the first position to the second position.
Referring now particularly to FIG. 2, the handle tube 20 is pivotally connected at its lower ends to the front tubes 40, 45 by means of an upper pivot mount 200 and an upper left pivot mount 190. The front tubes 40, 45 have their vertex at a heady vertical head tube 41 which has a conventional headset assembly for mounting a fork shaft 780 of the fork 110 so that the fork 110 may pivot along the longitudinal axis of the head tube, which is offset slightly back from vertical. The front wheel 320 is mounted at the bottom of the fork 110. A footrest 80 may be provided mounted to the lower front part of the front tubes 40, 45 over the front wheel 320 as shown and may include a decorative cap 82. This footrest 80 also serves as a fender and a fairing over the front wheel 320.
Left and right seat tubes 50, 60 are mounted to the front tubes 40, 45 by right front seat tube pivot mount 180 and left front seat tube pivot mount 170 as shown. Both seat tubes 50, 60 are pivotally mounted at their other ends to the rear tube 30 by left and right rear seat tube pivot mounts 750 and 755, respectively. The rear tube 30 is generally U-shaped and is pivotally mounted at its top ends to the handle tube 20 by means of a upper right pivot mount 230 and a upper left pivot mount 220. Right and left axle brackets 280, 290 are mounted at the lower comers of the rear tube 30. The right and left axle brackets 280, 290 each have a hole for receiving an axle tube 70 that extends therebetween and the left and right wheels 260, 270 are each mountable detachably on stub axles 340, 350, respectively that fit in the left and right ends of the axle tube 70, respectively. The ends of the axle tube may be fitted with sleeves 420, 430.
A brake pedal 300, 310 is pivotally mounted to each axle bracket 280, 290 and is pivotable between two detented positions. In an upper position, the brake pedal 300, 310 does not interfere with rotation of the wheel 260, 270. However, when the brake pedal 300, 310 is depressed, a pin 301, 311 (depicted in FIG. 8A) extending outwardly from the brake pedal engages radial teeth 361,371 on the inner center hub 360, 370 to lock the wheel 260, 270 and prevent it from rotating.
The seat back recline will now be described making particular reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 11A and 11B. Shown in FIG. 11A is the front view of the overall design of the components comprising the reclining stroller seat assembly. The seat assembly consists of a back rest portion 801 permanently attached to a seat portion 805 which is permanently attached to a leg rest flap 810. Attached along the periphery of the back rest portion 801 and the seat portion 805 are left and right web sections 815, 820 which when attached to the frame of the stroller function as the sides of the stroller seat. Both left and right web sections 815, 820 contain appendages 825, 826 which are intended to fold around the handle tube 20, fastened to the upper portion of the handle tube 20 by the right and left canopy mounts 735, 736, through holes 890, 895 in the web section, the lower section of the web appendage fastened to the handle tube 20 by hook-and-loop type fasteners 865, 870, 875, 880, or alternatively, fabric retainers with screws.
Attached to the front of the back rest portion 801 are right and left side waist straps 835, 830, which may be attached by a horizontal step 850, Stitched to the seat portion 805 is the center crotch portion 855. The back rest portion 801, the seat portion 805, and the leg rest flap 810 consist of a light weight rigid backing, such as hard board, plywood or plastic, with a foam-like material attached to the front side for the comfort of the occupant.
Stitched to the back side of the left and fight webs 815, 820 are the left and right extension webs 900, 905. The extension webs 900, 905 are appropriately angled inward from the top of the web sections 815, 820 to the intersection of the back rest portion 801 and the seat portion 805, Attached to the left extension web 900 via a fabric loop is a male buckle part 915 and attached to the right extension web 905 via a fabric loop is a female buckle part 910. When the male 915 and female 910 buckle parts are joined, the seat back portion 801 is positioned in the upright position (shown in FIG. 4A) and when uncoupled lies in the reclined position (shown in FIG. 4B). The seat portion 805 of the stroller seat remains in the same position and angle irrespective of the position of the seat back 801. The back rest portion 801 pivots at the intersection of the back rest portion 801 and the seat portion 805.
As seen in FIG. 11B, just below the intersection of the seat portion 805 and the leg rest flap 810 lies a horizontal strip 940 which extends beyond the length of the leg rest flap 810 in both directions. The ends of the horizontal step section 940 are attached to the left and right front tubes 40, 45 via screws near the juncture of the front tubes 40, 45 and the handle tube 20. The leg rest flap 810 pivots about the intersection of the seat portion 805 and the leg rest flap 810.
To reconfigure the stroller from the folded position to the open unfolded position, the handle tube 20 is pivoted relative to the front tubes 40, 45 and will move through a range of angled positions including the angled position shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As the handle tube 20 continues to be pivoted, it reaches the intermediate position shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, at which point the lower edges 142 of the latch handles 140, 150 come into a sliding camming contact with a portion of the handle tube 20. This camming contact urges the latch handles 140, 150 to be rotated outwardly, against the spring biased pressure. This permits the handle tube 20 to continue to be pivoted upwards relative to the front tubes 40, 45 until the handle tube 20 and the front tubes 40, 45 are substantially parallel as shown in FIGS. 6E and 6F. At this point, the side latch handles 140, 150 are free to rotate inward so that the inner grooves 141, 151 engage and entrap the handle tube 20. (The locked position with the latches 140, 150 rotated inward is shown in FIG. 5B, 6E and 6F.) The inward biasing force on the latch handles 140, 150 that is provided by the torsional coil springs 670,680 urges the handles into this closed position. The stroller is now locked in the completely unfolded operative position until both latch handles 140, 150 are simultaneously rotated outward (the latches are shown rotated outward in FIG. 5C) against the spring pressure again to permit folding of the stroller.
As can be readily seen in FIG. 7, the male backle parts 856, 857 of the seat belt assembly are permanently attached to a center crotch section 855 of the restraining device by a stitched loop 858 of conventional strapping material which is stitched to the material comprising the center crotch section 855. Thus, the male buckle parts 856, 857 are always in position for use and always attached to the crotch strap 855. This configuration prohibits use of the waist straps 830, 835 without the center crotch strap 855 since the male buckle parts 856, 857 are permanently attached to the center crotch strap 855. The center crotch strap 855 is constructed such that the material creates an envelope surrounding the otherwise exposed male buckle parts 856, 857, said envelope decreasing in width traveling down towards the seat 805.
Turning now to FIGS. 8A through 8C, it will be seen that the handle tube 20 and the rear tube 30 are arranged so that when the stroller frame is fully folded, a portion of the handle tube 20 contacts each of the brake members 300, 310 and forces the brake levers 300, 310 downward so that they the engage a wheel tooth to lock the respective rear wheel 260, 270.
The folding sequence will now be described making particular reference to FIGS. 10A through 10F. Depicted in FIG. 10A is the stroller as it appears in the fully unfolded position. Note the orientations and connections of the handle tube 20, the rear support tube 30, the left and right seat tubes 50 and 60 (only tube 50 is visible), and the left and right front tubes 40 and 45 (only tube 45 is visible). To commence the folding process, the spring loaded latches 140, 150 am rotated out away from the handle tube 20 by the user (in the manner shown in FIG. 5c).
As illustrated in FIG. 10C, as the frame collapses, the front tubes 40, 45, the handle tube 20, and the seat tubes 50, 60 all continue to rotate toward the rear support tube 30 in the same fashion as described above. The ends of the front tubes 40, 45, once connected to the handle tube 20, now lie in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal. The handle tube grip 770, which was originally angled upward, is now angled downward via rotation about the front tubes 40, 45 and the rear support tube 30. As further illustrated in FIG. 10C, the reclining seat shifts its position as the rotation occurs. The reclining seat remains fixed at the handle tube 20 intersection (via screws through holes 890, 895 in the seat fabric webs 815, 820) and at the connections to the head tubes 40, 45 (via screws through leg rest flap located just above the horizontal strap 940). However, the seat bottom 805 slides along the left and right seat tubes 50, 60 during the folding process. As also illustrated in FIG.10C, the loop formed by the coupling of the seat mount straps 920, 925 around the seat tubes 50, 60 slides upward and towards the front of the stroller. The back rest portion 801 now lies on the other side of the handle tube 20, rotating about its connection with the seat portion 805. The seat portion 805 and the exposed end of the leg rest flap 810 are brought closer together throughout the folding process.
1. A folding stroller having a frame with a substantially centered longitudinal axis, comprising:
a rear support member having a pair of rear wheel support portions, each said rear wheel support portion supporting a respective one of said rear wheels and said rear support member having a pair of rear support member ends pivotally connected to said handle member;
a coupling mechanism releasably connecting said rear wheels to said rear wheel support portions; and
wherein said first side member ends are each pivotally connected to said front member between said front wheel supporting portion and one of said pair of front member ends and said second side member ends are each pivotally connected to said rear member.
2. The folding stroller of claim 1 wherein said second side member ends are each pivotally connected to said rear member between one of said rear wheel support portions and one of said rear support member ends.
a rear support member having first and second rear wheel support portions and first and second rear support member ends spaced laterally about said longitudinal axis, said rear support member ends being pivotally connected to said handle member at a location between said handle portion and said first and second handle member ends;
a front wheel coupled to said front member; and
a rear support member having first and second rear wheel support portions and first and second rear support member ends spaced laterally about said longitudinal axis, said rear support member ends being pivotally connected to said handle member; and
5. The stroller of claim 4 further comprising:
6. The stroller of claim 5 wherein:
7. The stroller of claim 5 wherein:
8. The stroller of claim 4 wherein:
9. The stroller of claim 4 further comprising:
10. The stroller of claim 4 further comprising:
11. The stroller of claim 10 wherein:
12. The stroller of claim 10 further comprising:
13. The stroller of claim 10 wherein:
said frame is positionable between a first, folded configuration in which said handle portion and said front wheel support portion are located adjacent said rear wheel support portions and an acute angle is formed at the pivotal connection between said front member ends and said handle member ends and a second, unfolded position in which said front member ends and said handle member ends lie in substantially the same plane and are spaced from said rear wheel support portions.
14. The stroller of claim 4 further comprising:
15. The stroller of claim 14 further comprising:
16. The stroller of claim 15 wherein said seat belt assembly includes left and right waist strap belts coupled at first ends thereof to said seat portion and second, opposite ends thereof terminating in left and right belt connectors, a crotch belt coupled at a first end thereof to said seat portion and having a second, opposite end having a transverse strip terminating at opposite ends in left and right belt connectors coupleable with said left and right waist strap belt connectors, said transverse strip being coupled to said second end of said crotch belt at a middle portion of said transverse strip, and a fabric cover substantially covering said crotch belt, said cover tapering in width from said transverse strip to said first end of said crotch belt.
US08/635,254 1994-09-09 1996-04-12 Stroller Expired - Lifetime US5669624A (en)
US08/304,663 US5590896A (en) 1994-09-09 1994-09-09 Stroller
US08/635,254 US5669624A (en) 1994-09-09 1996-04-12 Stroller
US08/304,663 Continuation US5590896A (en) 1994-09-09 1994-09-09 Stroller
US5669624A true US5669624A (en) 1997-09-23
ID=23177436
US08/304,663 Expired - Lifetime US5590896A (en) 1994-09-09 1994-09-09 Stroller
US08/635,255 Expired - Lifetime US5660435A (en) 1994-09-09 1996-04-12 Stroller
US08/635,254 Expired - Lifetime US5669624A (en) 1994-09-09 1996-04-12 Stroller
US (3) US5590896A (en)
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