Abstract:
A guard arm with a drink container holding structure is extended between front end parts of right and left armrests of a stroller to protect a baby on the stroller. The guard arm includes a flexible guide arm body connecting the front end parts of the right and left armrests, and a pair of drink container holding members formed of a comparatively hard material and connected to opposite ends of the guide arm body, respectively. The drink container holding members are detachably connected to the front end parts of the armrests, respectively. Also, the drink container holding members are provided with recesses, for receiving drink containers therein, in their upper surfaces, respectively.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a stroller and, more particularly, to a guard arm with a drink container holding structure suitable for a stroller foldable in three, and a stroller provided with the guard arm. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     There have been proposed various folding strollers for carrying a baby outdoors for walking or shopping, adapted to be folded to facilitate storing and carrying. Sometimes, a drink, such as milk, is given to a baby sitting on the stroller. It is desired that the stroller is provided with a drink table for temporarily supporting a nursing bottle thereon. 
     There have been proposed strollers foldable in two and chairs for babies provided with a flat table that can be extended between right and left armrests for temporarily supporting a nursing bottle or the like thereon. A stroller foldable in three has a body having right and left side parts that can be folded to fold the stroller into a small width (i.e. a distance between the right and left side parts decreases). Therefore, a stroller foldable in three cannot be folded if a flat table is extended between right and left armrests, and hence, the flat table must be removed from the stroller when the stroller is folded. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problem, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a guard arm with a drink container holding structure, suitable for use on a stroller foldable in three, not required to be removed when the stroller is folded and adapted to hold a nursing bottle or the like when the stroller is unfolded, and to provide a stroller provided with the guard arm with a drink container holding structure. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, a guard arm with a drink container holding structure, adapted to be extended between front end parts of right and left armrests included in a stroller, to protect a baby on the stroller, includes: a flexible guard arm body connecting the front end parts of the armrests; and at least one drink container holding member formed of a comparatively hard material, connected to one end of the guard arm body, with the at least one drink container holding member being adapted to be detachably connected to a corresponding front end part of a corresponding armrest. 
     In the guard arm with a drink container holding structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the guard arm body has the shape of a band, and the drink container holding member has a recess, for receiving a drink container therein, in its upper surface. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, a stroller includes: a stroller body provided with right and left armrests; and a guard arm with a drink container holding structure, extended between front end parts of the right and left arm rests to protect a baby on the stroller body; wherein the guard arm includes: a flexible guard arm body connecting the front end parts of the armrests; and at least one drink container holding member formed of a comparatively hard material, connected to one end of the guard arm body, with the at least one drink container holding member being adapted to be detachably connected to a corresponding front end part of a corresponding armrest. 
     In the stroller according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the guard arm body has the shape of a band, and the drink container holding member has a recess, for receiving a drink container therein, in its upper surface. It is preferable that the stroller is foldable in three. 
     According to the present invention, at least one drink container holding member formed of a comparatively hard material, which is detachably connected to a front end part of an armrest, is mounted on one end of a flexible guard arm body that connects front end parts of right and left armrests. Therefore, a nursing bottle or the like containing milk or the like to be given to a baby, can be placed in a recess of the at least one drink container holding member, which improves convenience of the stroller. The guard arm is able to bend easily so as to comply with movement of folding members of the stroller when the stroller is folded in three, because the guard arm body is flexible, and the guard arm serving also as a drink container holding table when used on a stroller foldable in three does not need to be removed when the stroller is stored. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a stroller provided with a guard arm with a drink container holding structure in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the stroller shown in  FIG. 1  folded in three; and 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of assistance in explaining a construction of the guard arm with the drink container holding structure of the present invention, and a relationship between the guard arm with the drink container holding structure and the stroller. 
         FIG. 4  is a view to that of  FIG. 3 , but showing a modified manner by which the guard arm is connected to armrests of the stroller. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a stroller  10  in a preferred embodiment of the present invention has two front legs (right and left front legs)  12  provided with front wheels  11 , two rear legs (right and left rear legs)  14  provided with rear wheels  13 , and two armrests (right and left armrests)  16  pivotally connected to upper ends of the front legs  12  and the rear legs  14 . A detachable guard arm  17  is extended between front end parts of the right and left armrests  16 . Lower end parts of right and left side pipes  18 , included in a substantially U-shaped handle  15 , are pivotally connected to rear ends of the armrests  16 , respectively. 
     Lower ends of L-shaped brackets  19  are pivotally joined to middle parts of the rear legs  14 , respectively. Lower ends of the side pipes  18  of the handle  15  are pivotally joined to middle parts of the brackets  19 , respectively. When the stroller  10  is unfolded, locking members  20 , slidably mounted on lower end parts of the side pipes  18 , engage with locking parts formed in upper ends of the brackets  19 , respectively, to hold the stroller  10  in an unfolded state. A locking member operating mechanism  25  is incorporated into the handle  15  to operate the locking members  20  through wires (not shown), which extend through the side pipes  18  of the handle  15 , so as to unlock the stroller  10  from an unfolded state. 
     The right and left front legs  12  are connected by a front connecting bar  21 ; and the right and left rear legs  14  are connected by a rear connecting bar  22 . Front ends of side connecting bars  23  are pivotally joined to middle parts of the front legs  12 , respectively; and rear ends of the side connecting bars  23  are pivotally joined together with the brackets  19  to the lower end parts of the side pipes  18 , respectively. Middle parts of the side connecting bars  23  are connected by an upper connecting bar  24 . 
     The front legs  12 , the rear legs  14 , the handle  15 , the armrests  16 , the connecting bars  21 ,  22 ,  23  and  24 , and other members constitute a stroller body  5  foldable in three, and are adapted to be set in an unfolded state for use or in a folded state. In the unfolded state a distance between the armrests  16  is greater than a distance between the armrests when the stroller body  5  is in the folded state. In this embodiment, a fabric seat and mesh pockets are attached to the front legs  12  and the rear legs  14 . In  FIG. 1 , the fabric seat and the mesh pockets are omitted to facilitate understanding of a general construction of the stroller  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the locking members  20 , on the lower ends of the side pipes  18 , are engaged with upper locking parts of the brackets  19  to hold the stroller  10  in the unfolded state for use. 
     When the locking member operating mechanism  25 , combined with the handle  15 , is operated to disengage the locking members  20  from the brackets  19 , the armrests  16  and the side connecting bars  23  are allowed to turn upwardly on pivotal joints placed on the side pipes  18 , so that the front legs  12  and the rear legs  14  can be folded so as to extend substantially parallel to each other so as to fold the stroller body  5  in a state facilitating carrying the stroller  10 . 
     The front connecting bar  21 , the rear connecting bar  22  and the upper connecting bar  24  have middle parts provided with joints  21   a ,  21   b ,  22   a ,  22   b ,  24   a  and  24   b  to make the front connecting bar  21 , the rear connecting bar  22  and the upper connecting bar  24  foldable. The handle  15  is provided with joints  15   a  and  15   b  to turn the right and left side pipes  18  forwardly relative to the locking member operating mechanism  25  so that the handle  15  is foldable. The joints  15   a ,  21   a ,  22   a  and  24   a , and the joints  15   b ,  21   b ,  22   b  and  24   b  are included in two parallel vertical planes, respectively. 
     When the side pipes  18  are moved forwardly after folding the front legs  12  and the rear legs  14  so as to extend substantially parallel, respective end parts of the handle  15 , the front connecting bar  21 , the rear connecting bar  22  and the upper connecting bar  24  are bent forwardly. Consequently, the stroller body  5  can be compactly folded in three as shown in FIG.  2 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a construction of the guard arm  17 , and a relationship between the guard arm  17  and the stroller body  5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the guard arm  17  has a flexible guard arm body  30  having the shape of a band, and drink container holding members  31  of a comparative hard material connected to opposite ends of the guard arm body  30 , respectively. End walls of the drink container holding members  31  are provided with recesses, not shown, of a shape complementary to that of end parts of the guard arm body  30 , respectively. The end parts of the guide arm body  30  are fitted into the recesses of the drink container holding members  31 , respectively. Each of the drink container holding members  31  has an arcuate body of a predetermined thickness having a widened middle part. A cylindrical recess  32  for receiving a drink container, such as a nursing bottle or a drink bottle, therein is formed in a widened middle part of an upper wall of the drink container holding member  31 . 
     A tubular projection  33  projects from a lower wall of each drink container holding member  31 . Round holes  34  for receiving the tubular projections  33  of the drink container holding members  31  are formed in front end parts of the armrests  16 . 
     The tubular projections  33  projecting from the lower walls of the drink container holding members  31 , connected to the guide arm body  30  of the guide arm  17 , are fitted into the round holes  34  of the armrests  16  so as to extend the guard arm  17  between front ends of the right and left armrests  16 . 
     When the stroller body  5  is unfolded in a state where the guard arm  17  is extended between the front end parts of the right and left armrests  16 , the cylindrical recesses  32  of the drink container holding members  31  open upwardly as shown in FIG.  1 . Therefore, the drink container holding members  31 , similarly to a conventional drink container support table, is able to hold drink containers, such as a nursing bottle and a drink bottle, temporarily in the cylindrical recesses  32 . 
     When the stroller body  5  is folded in three as shown in  FIG. 2 , the flexible guard arm body  30  bends and the tubular projections  33  projecting from the lower walls of the drink container holding members  31  turn properly in the round holes  34 . Consequently, opposite end parts of the guard arm  17  are twisted properly, and the guard arm  17  is bent or flexed so as to conform to the folded state of the stroller body  5 . 
     Although the two drink container holding members  31  are connected to the opposite ends of the guard arm body  30 , respectively, in this embodiment, only one drink container holding member  31  may be connected to only one of the opposite ends of the guard arm body  30 . 
     Although the guard arm body  30  of the foregoing embodiment has the shape of a band, the guard arm body  30  may be of any suitable shape, such as a round tube. 
     Although the tubular projections  33  projecting from the lower walls of the drink container holding members  31  at the opposite ends of the guard arm  17  are fitted into the round holes  34  of the armrests  16 , respectively, to extend the guard arm  17  between the armrests  16 , the guard arm  17  may be connected to the armrests  16  by any suitable connecting structure, such as round holes  35  formed in the drink container holding members  31 , and projections  36  formed in the armrests  16 , as shown in FIG.  4 .