Abstract:
An infant high chair assembly includes a high-chair seat, a high-chair tray, transversely-spaced-apart first and second front legs, and a bracing front-leg strut. The bracing front-leg strut has a first portion attached to the first front leg, has a second portion attached to the second front leg, and has a third portion positioned transversely between, and less forward than, the first and second portions. In one construction, the bracing front-leg strut has a substantially arcuate shape including a forward-facing concave portion, an opposing rearward-facing convex portion, a first end attached to the first front leg, and a second end attached to the second front leg. sp  
     CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     The present application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No.  60/234,276  filed Sep.  21, 2000 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to infant high chairs, and more particularly to an infant high chair having two front legs.  
           [0002]    Conventional infant high chairs include those lacking front and rear legs, such high chairs having two sides and a back. The two sides and the back together extend to the floor in a substantially squared-off “U”-shaped floor imprint. The two sides and the back support the high-chair seat and the high-chair tray. Typically, the high-chair tray is easily removable from the rest of the high chair.  
           [0003]    Conventional infant high chairs also include those having two front legs and two rear legs which support the weight of the high-chair seat and the high-chair tray. In some of these designs, a bracing front-leg strut extends between, and is attached to, the two front legs, and a bracing rear-leg strut extends between, and is attached to, the two rear legs. The front portion of the bracing front-leg strut extends either straight across the front legs or extends forward and across the front legs. In one variation, the bracing front-leg strut contacts the floor, and two non-bracing and floor-protecting sleeves surround the outer ends of the strut and corresponding lower ends of the two front legs. In another variation, the bracing front-leg strut is raised above the floor. In some constructions, the high-chair tray is removable from a snack holder which remains attached to both side armrests above the seat bottom of the high-chair seat. In other constructions, the front and rear legs are pivotally attached so that the high chair may be folded when not in use.  
           [0004]    Typically, an adult carries the infant to the high chair and places the infant in the high-chair seat, and, after use, the adult picks up the infant from the high-chair seat. In some designs, wheels are attached to the floor-most ends of the front and back legs allowing an unoccupied high-chair to be rolled on the floor. It is noted that a high chair is not to be rolled on the floor or otherwise moved when the infant is in the high chair. In some usages, the unoccupied high chair is rolled, or otherwise positioned, close to the kitchen or dining room table.  
           [0005]    What is needed is an infant high chair having a robust design which is more convenient to use than conventional infant high chairs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A first expression of a preferred embodiment of the invention is for an infant high chair assembly having a high-chair seat, a high-chair tray, transversely-spaced-apart first and second front legs, and a bracing front-leg strut. The high-chair seat has a seat bottom. The high-chair tray is positionable above the seat bottom. The first and second front legs each partially support the weight of the seat. The bracing front-leg strut has a first portion attached to the first front leg, has a second portion attached to the second front leg, and has a third portion positioned transversely between, and less forward than, the first and second portions.  
           [0007]    A second expression of a preferred embodiment of the invention is for an infant high chair assembly having a high-chair seat, a high-chair tray, transversely-spaced-apart first and second front legs, and a bracing front-leg strut.  
           [0008]    The high-chair seat has a seat bottom. The high-chair tray is positionable above the seat bottom. The first and second front legs each partially support the weight of the seat. The bracing front-leg strut has a substantially arcuate shape including a forward-facing concave portion, an opposing rearward-facing convex portion, a first end attached to the first front leg, and a second end attached to the second front leg.  
           [0009]    Several benefits and advantages are derived from the invention. The bracing front-leg strut provides a robust design for the first and second front legs. Having the bracing front-leg strut extend less forward than the attachment of the strut to the first and second front legs, such as by designing the strut with a forward-facing concave portion, provides an infant high chair which is more convenient to use. The design of the bracing front-leg strut allows an adult to get closer to the infant high chair when placing the infant in, or removing the infant from, the high-chair seat which reduces the strain on the back muscles of the adult. The design of the bracing front-leg strut also allows an unoccupied infant high chair (especially with the tray removed) to be rolled, or otherwise positioned, closer to a straight or angled table leg, and hence closer to a kitchen or dining room table. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front and left side of an infant high chair including a preferred embodiment of an infant high chair assembly of the invention including a non-bracing sleeve covering the bracing front-leg strut and a non-bracing sleeve covering the bracing rear-leg strut;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the right side of the infant high chair of FIG. 1; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a top-planar, cross-sectional view of the infant high chair of FIG. 1 taken along lines  3 - 3  of FIG. 2 with the non-bracing sleeve removed from the bracing front-leg strut and with the non-bracing sleeve removed from the bracing rear-leg. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    A preferred embodiment of the invention is for an infant high chair assembly  10 , of an infant high chair  12 , and is shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 . The term “infant” includes a baby, an infant, or a young child. It is noted that infant high chairs include, without limitation, those without wheels and those having wheels designed for indoor use.  
         [0014]    In a first expression of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, the infant high chair assembly  10  includes a high-chair seat  14 , a high-chair tray  16 , transversely-spaced-apart first and second front legs  18  and  20 , and a bracing front-leg strut  22 . The high-chair seat  14  has a seat bottom  24  and preferably has a seat back  26 . Preferably, the seat bottom  24  and the seat back  26  include padded fabric to cushion the infant. The high-chair tray  16  is disposable above the seat bottom  24 . In some constructions, the tray  16  is disposed above the seat bottom  24  at the time of manufacture and is not designed to be removed by the user. In other constructions, the tray  16  is disposed above the seat bottom  24  by the user when a seated infant is to be fed and is removed by the user for various reasons including easier tray cleaning. In one construction, the tray  16  is removably attachable to a snack holder  28  which remains attached to both side armrests  30  (only one of which is shown in the figures) which are directly, monolithically, or indirectly attached to the high-chair seat  14 . The first and second front legs  18  and  20  each partially support the weight of the seat  14 . The bracing front-leg strut  22  has a first portion  32  directly, monolithically, or indirectly attached to the first front leg  18 , has a second portion  34  directly, monolithically, or indirectly attached to the second front leg  20 , and has a third portion  36  positioned transversely between, and less forward than, the first and second portions  32  and  34 . Preferably, the bracing front-leg strut  22  is covered by a non-bracing, esthetically-pleasing, and scratch-resistant sleeve  38  which also covers a small portion of the first and second front legs  18  and  20  above and below the first and second portions  32  and  34  of the bracing front-leg strut  22 .  
         [0015]    It is noted that the bracing front-leg strut  22  imparts strength making substantially rigid the first and second front legs  18  and  20  at the attachment locations on the first and second front legs  18  and  20  of the bracing front-leg strut  22 . In one construction, the third portion  36  is disposed transversely substantially equidistant between the first and second portions  32  and  34 . Preferably, the third portion  36  is disposed between generally one inch and generally twelve inches less forward than the first and second portions  32  and  34 . By “generally X inches” is meant X inches plus or minus one-quarter inch. No significant gain in access to the bracing front-leg strut  22  (by an adult or by a table leg) is gained by recess distances less than generally one inch or more than generally twelve inches. More preferably, the third portion  36  is disposed between generally one inch and generally six inches less forward than the first and second portions  32  and  34 . A recess distance beyond six inches typically interferes with minimizing the stowed dimensions of a collapsable infant high chair. Most preferably, the third portion  36  is disposed generally three and one-quarter inches less forward than the first and second portions  32  and  34 .  
         [0016]    In one example, the first portion  32  defines a first end  40  of the bracing front-leg strut  22 , and the second portion  34  defines a second end  42  of the front-leg strut  22 . Preferably, the first end  40  is welded to the first front leg  18 , and the second end  42  is welded to the second front leg  20 . In another example, the first and second front legs  18  and  20  each have a floor-most end  44 , and the bracing front-leg strut  22  is disposed closer to the floor-most ends  44  of the first and second front legs  18  and  20  than to the seat bottom  24 . In a further example, the bracing front-leg strut  22  is disposed above the floor-most ends  44  of the first and second front legs  18  and  20 . Preferably, the bracing front-leg strut  22  is disposed substantially horizontally when the floor-most ends  44  of the first and second front legs  18  and  20  are disposed on a horizontal surface  46 . By “substantially horizontally” is meant horizontally plus or minus fifteen degrees.  
         [0017]    In one design, the infant high chair assembly  10  also includes a first wheel  48  attached to the floor-most end  44  of the first front leg  18  and a second wheel  50  attached to the floor-most end  44  of the second front leg  20 . Preferably, standard footwear of an average-sized adult fits underneath the bracing front-leg strut  22  allowing the adult closer access to the high chair  12  to place an infant in, or remove an infant from, the seat  14 . In another design, the infant high chair assembly  10  also includes transversely spaced-apart first and second rear legs  52  and  54  each partially supporting the weight of the seat  14  and also includes a bracing rear-leg strut  56  (covered by a non-bracing, esthetically-pleasing, and scratch-resistant sleeve  58 ) having a first end  60  attached to the first rear leg  52  and having a second end  62  attached to the second rear leg  54 .  
         [0018]    Preferably, the first front leg  18  and the first rear leg  52  are free of any interconnecting and bracing leg strut. Likewise, it is preferred that the second front leg  20  and the second rear leg  54  are free of any interconnecting and bracing leg strut. In a preferred construction, the first front leg  18  and the first rear leg  52  are pivotally connected together for rotation about a first pivot axis  64 , and the second front leg  20  and the second rear leg  54  are pivotally connected together for rotation substantially about the first pivot axis  64 . Such pivotal connections provide for a collapsable infant high chair which minimizes the space required for storage.  
         [0019]    In a second expression of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, the infant high chair assembly  10  includes a high-chair seat  14 , a high-chair tray  16 , transversely-spaced-apart first and second front legs  18  and  20 , and a bracing front-leg strut  22 . The high-chair seat  14  has a seat bottom  24 . The high-chair tray  16  is disposable above the seat bottom  24 . The first and second front legs  18  and  20  each partially support the weight of the seat  14 . The bracing front-leg strut  22  has a substantially arcuate shape including a forward-facing concave portion  66  (which is a curved line seen in FIG. 4), an opposing rearward-facing convex portion  68  (which also is a curved line seen in FIG. 4), a first end  40  directly, monolithically, or indirectly attached to the first front leg  18 , and a second end  42  directly, monolithically, or indirectly attached to the second front leg  20 . Preferably, the arcuate shape is a segment of a circular ring.  
         [0020]    Preferably, the bracing front-leg strut  22  is aligned substantially horizontally when the first and second front legs  18  and  20  are disposed on a horizontal surface  46 . The concave portion  66  has a middle point  70  disposed transversely equidistant between the first and second ends  40  and  42 . Preferably, the middle point  70  is disposed between generally one inch and generally twelve inches rearward of a forward-most straight line  72  drawn between the first and second ends  40  and  42 . More preferably, the middle point  70  is disposed between generally one inch and generally six inches rearward of the straight line  72 . Most preferably, the middle point  70  is disposed generally three and one-quarter inches rearward of the straight line  72 . Preferably, the straight line  72  has a length of between generally fourteen and generally twenty-four inches.  
         [0021]    Several benefits and advantages are derived from the invention. The bracing front-leg strut provides a robust design for the first and second front legs. Having the bracing front-leg strut extend less forward than the attachment of the strut to the first and second front legs, such as by designing the strut with a forward-facing concave portion, provides an infant high chair which is more convenient to use. The design of the bracing front-leg strut allows an adult to get closer to the infant high chair when placing the infant in, or removing the infant from, the high-chair seat which reduces the strain on the back muscles of the adult. The design of the bracing front-leg strut also allows an unoccupied infant high chair (especially with the tray removed) to be rolled, or otherwise positioned, closer to a straight or angled table leg, and hence closer to a kitchen or dining room table.  
         [0022]    It is noted that the bracing front-leg strut  22  is not limited to a substantially arcuate shape. In one construction, not shown in the figures, the bracing front-leg strut has a first segment, (directly, monolithically, or indirectly) attached to the first front leg, which extends transversely to a second segment which extends rearwardly to a third (and middle) segment which extends transversely to a fourth segment which extends forwardly to a fifth segment which extends transversely to, and is (directly, monolithically, or indirectly) attached to, the second front leg. In another construction, not shown in the figures, the bracing front-leg strut has a first section, (directly, monolithically, or indirectly) attached to the first front leg, which extends reardwadly to a second section which extends transversely to a third section which extends forwardly to, and is (directly, monolithically, or indirectly) attached to, the second front leg.  
         [0023]    The foregoing description of several expressions of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.