Patent Description:
Rapid developed economics and technology provide people with various consumer products, such as a child carrier.

In general, the child carrier not only allows a user to feed an infant sitting thereon conveniently, but also ensures safety of the infant. Thus, the child carrier has become more and more popular in infant caring.

In practical application, for improving convenience of storage or carrying of the child carrier, the child carrier is usually designed to be foldable.

However, a folding operation of the child carrier is usually complicated since a supporting frame of the child carrier cannot be folded together with a chair structure of the child carrier, so as to cause the user much inconvenience in folding or unfolding the child carrier.

<CIT> discloses a child chair with foldable frame parts made of bent metal tubing and a downwardly open U-shaped curved backrest frame, which carries the table frame, which also forms armrests, the seat and support frame as well as swivelling hooks for hanging, wherein the seat, table and support frames are bent into a U-shape and are mounted with their free leg ends at the legs of the backrest frame, which at the same time form the rear legs, so as to be pivotable against the backrest frame in the vertical plane, the ends of the support frame are hinged to a fixed axis near the bridge of the same backrest frame, and the ends of the legs of the table and seat frames, which are constrainedly guided by the same by means of a linkage, are arranged so as to be movable limitedly in the longitudinal direction of the legs, wherein, in the use position of the chair, the supporting frame is provided to hold the table frame and the seat frame parallel and horizontally to one another, while in the folded state of the chair the frame rests against the backrest frame.

<CIT> discloses a foldable high chair equipped with a foldable support frame, a pair of driving arms, a foldable chair frame, a pair of second linking elements, a pair of third linking elements and a pair of locking mechanisms. The foldable chair frame is supported and associated with the foldable support frame by the second and third linking elements. When the locking mechanisms is unlocked, the foldable chair frame and the foldable support frame can be converted into a folded configuration and overlapped with each other, so as can be hidden under a table for saving space in room.

In summary, it is necessary to design a child carrier to be folded or unfolded conveniently and quickly for solving the aforesaid problem.

This in mind, the present invention aims at providing a child carrier having a folding function. In such a manner, when a sliding base slides upward along a supporting frame, a seat can be folded up together with the sliding base and the sliding base can drive the supporting frame to be folded up synchronously, so as to quickly complete the folding operation of the child carrier. Thus, it is very easy for the user to perform the folding operation of the child carrier, so as to improve the operational convenience of the child carrier.

This is achieved by a child carrier having a folding function according to claim <NUM>. The dependent claims pertain to corresponding further developments and improvements.

As will be seen more clearly from the detailed description following below, the claimed child carrier includes a supporting frame, a sliding base, and a seat. The sliding base is disposed on the supporting frame and slidable in a substantially longitudinal direction of the supporting frame. The seat is foldably assembled with the sliding base. The supporting frame is driven to be folded up when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame.

In a variant embodiment, the seat includes a backrest portion and a seat portion. The backrest portion is movably pivoted to the sliding base. The seat portion is coupled to the backrest portion and selectively coupled to the sliding base. The backrest portion is rotatable relative to the seat portion when the seat portion is decoupled from the sliding base.

In a variant embodiment, the seat portion includes an engaging member having an engaging portion, and the engaging portion is operable to engage with the sliding base.

In a variant embodiment, the seat portion includes two engaging members located at left and right sides of the seat respectively and a pulling member having an end connected to the engaging member located at the left side of the seat, the other end of the pulling member is connected to the engaging member located at the right side of the seat, and a middle portion of the pulling member is exposed above the seat portion.

In a variant embodiment, the pulling member is a braided strap or a rope.

In a variant embodiment, the engaging portion extends from an axis to engage with the sliding base, and the axis is the same as the axis where the seat portion and the backrest portion are hinged to engage with the sliding base.

In a variant embodiment, the child carrier further includes an insert member and an actuator. The insert member is disposed on the backrest portion for selectively engaging with or disengaging from the sliding base. The actuator is operable to drive the insert member to be engaged with or be disengaged from the sliding base. The actuator is able to drive the insert member to move a first distance.

In a variant embodiment, the engaging member further has a driving portion, the driving portion is able to drive the insert member to move a second distance, and the second distance is longer than the first distance.

In a variant embodiment, the insert member is an iron wire or a steel wire.

In a variant embodiment, the child carrier further includes a pushing member disposed on the backrest portion and slidable upward and downward relative to the backrest portion. The pushing member has an upper end abutting against the insert member and a lower end coupling to the driving portion of the engaging member, and the pushing member is driven to push the insert member to be disengaged from the sliding base with a second distance when the engaging member is disengaged from the sliding base.

In a variant embodiment, the driving portion of the engaging member has a first inclined surface oblique to a sliding direction of the engaging member, the pushing member has a second inclined surface matching with the first inclined surface, and the driving portion drives the pushing member to slide upward via relative sliding of the first inclined surface on the second inclined surface.

In a variant embodiment, the seat further includes a handrail base and a link member. The link member, the seat portion, the handrail base and the sliding base cooperatively form a four bar linkage mechanism for performing a folding motion.

In a variant embodiment, the seat portion is pivoted to the sliding base at a first pivot point, the handrail base is pivoted to the sliding base at a second pivot point located above the first pivot point, the link member is pivoted to the handrail base at a third pivot point located in front of the second pivot point, and the link member is pivoted to the seat at a fourth pivot point located under the third point.

In a variant embodiment, the first pivot point is located at an upper end of the seat portion, the second pivot point is located at a rear end of the handrail base, the third pivot point is located at a middle portion of the handrail base, and the fourth pivot point is located at a front end of the seat portion.

In a variant embodiment, the handrail base and the sliding base are located at left and right sides of the seat portion, the link member is a U-shaped structure having an opening facing upward, a top portion located at a left side of the U-shaped structure is pivoted to the handrail base at the left side of the seat portion, a top portion located at a right side of the U-shaped structure is pivoted to the handrail base at the right side of the seat portion, and a front end of the seat portion is pivotably disposed in the U-shaped structure.

In a variant embodiment, an engaging slot is formed on one of the seat portion and the sliding base, an engaging rail is formed on the other of the seat portion and the sliding base corresponding to the engaging slot, the engaging rail is disengaged from the engaging slot after the seat is folded up, and the engaging rail is engaged with the engaging slot after the seat is unfolded.

In a variant embodiment, the engaging rail or the engaging slot is located at a middle portion of a side wall of the seat portion facing the sliding base.

The supporting frame includes a foldable joint and a locking mechanism. The foldable joint is disposed on the supporting frame. The locking mechanism is disposed on the foldable joint for selectively locking the foldable joint.

In a variant embodiment, the supporting frame includes a first standing frame and a second standing frame, the foldable joint includes a first fixed portion and a second fixed portion, and the locking mechanism includes a locking portion, a locking member, and a releasing member. The second fixed portion is connected to the first fixed portion of the first standing frame on the foldable joint via a pivot shaft. The locking portion is disposed on one of the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion. The locking member is movably disposed on the other of the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion. The locking member is able to engage with the locking portion to lock the supporting frame in a using position, and the releasing member is operable to move relative to the locking member and release the locking member from the locking portion.

In a variant embodiment, the supporting frame includes a first standing frame and a second standing frame, the foldable joint includes a first fixed portion and a second fixed portion, and the locking mechanism includes a locking member and a releasing member. The second fixed portion is connected to the first fixed portion of the first standing frame on the foldable joint via a pivot shaft. The locking member is movably disposed between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion to lock the supporting frame in a using position, and the releasing member is operable to move relative to the locking member and release the locking member from at least one of the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion.

In a variant embodiment, the child carrier further includes an unlocking driving member. The unlocking driving member is disposed on the sliding base. The unlocking driving member drives the locking mechanism to perform a release motion when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame.

In a variant embodiment, the unlocking driving member drives the releasing member to release the locking member from the locking portion for releasing the locking member or the foldable joint in the using position when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame.

In a variant embodiment, the supporting frame further includes a containing chamber and a guiding slot. The containing chamber is disposed on the standing frame for containing the releasing member. The guiding slot is communicated with the containing chamber. The guiding slot extends in a radial direction of the pivot shaft to be aligned with the unlocking driving member. The unlocking driving member slides along the guiding slot to drive the releasing member to release the locking member from the locking portion when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame.

In a variant embodiment, the unlocking driving member is a rib, a rod, a block, or a sheet.

In a variant embodiment, the locking member is an external gear, and the locking portion is an internal gear.

In a variant embodiment, the first fixed portion has a first rib formed thereon, the second fixed portion has a second rib formed thereon, and the first rib abuts against the second rib when first fixed portion and the second fixed portion are folded up to a predetermined position.

In a variant embodiment, the first rib is adjacent to a portion of the first fixed portion assembled with the first standing frame, and the second rib is adjacent to a portion of the second fixed portion assembled with the second standing frame.

In a variant embodiment, the child carrier further includes a blocking member. The blocking member is movably assembled with the sliding base to be movable at least between a blocking position and a releasing position. The sliding base is blocked in an upward direction when the blocking member is located at the blocking position, and the sliding base is able to slide upward when the blocking member is located at the releasing position.

In a variant embodiment, the blocking member is coupled to the supporting frame and the upper end of the sliding base to prevent the sliding base from sliding upward in the blocking position, and the blocking member is decoupled from the supporting frame and the sliding base to release the sliding base to be slidable upward in the releasing position.

In a variant embodiment, the seat is movable at least between a folding position and an unfolding position relative to the sliding base. The seat drives the blocking member from the releasing position to the blocking position when the seat is located at the unfolding position, and the seat is separate from the blocking member to make the blocking member switchable to the releasing position when the seat is switched to the folding position.

In a variant embodiment, an elastic sheet structure extends from the sliding base, the blocking member is formed on a free end of the elastic sheet structure, and the blocking member is switchable between the blocking position and the releasing position via elastic deformation of the elastic sheet structure.

In a variant embodiment, the blocking member is pivoted to the sliding base or the blocking member is slidably disposed on the sliding base.

In a variant embodiment, the blocking member rotates or slides leftward and rightward relative to the sliding base when the blocking member is switched between the blocking position and the releasing position.

In a variant embodiment, the child carrier further includes a returning member having a tendency to drive the blocking member from the blocking position to the releasing position, and the returning member drives the blocking member to the releasing position when the seat is switched to the folding position.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts the design in which the sliding base is disposed on the supporting frame and is slidable longitudinally along the supporting frame and the seat is foldably assembled with the sliding base. In such a manner, when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame, the seat can be folded up together with the sliding base and the sliding base can drive the supporting frame to be folded up synchronously, so as to quickly complete the folding operation of the child carrier. Thus, it is very easy for the user to perform the folding operation of the child carrier, so as to improve the operational convenience of the child carrier.

The detailed description for preferred embodiments of the present invention is provided with attached drawings as follows.

A child carrier of the present invention includes a foldable supporting frame, a foldable seat, and a sliding base disposed on the supporting frame and slidable in a longitudinal direction of the supporting frame. The seat is assembled with the sliding base and is selectively foldable relative to the sliding base. The sliding base drives the supporting frame to be folded up when sliding upward along the supporting frame. Specifically, the supporting frame includes a first standing frame, a second standing frame, a foldable joint connected to the first standing frame and the second standing frame, and a locking mechanism disposed on the foldable joint for selectively locking or releasing the foldable joint. The sliding base is disposed on the first standing frame and has an unlocking driving member. The unlocking driving member drives the locking mechanism to perform a release motion when the sliding base slides upward along the supporting frame, so as to ensure the folding reliability of the first standing frame and the second standing frame via the foldable joint. At the same time, the first standing frame can be fixed at an unfolded position relative to the second standing frame via the locking mechanism for preventing accidental folding of the first standing frame and the second standing frame, so as to ensure operational safety of the child carrier. For example, the first standing frame and the second standing frame could be a U-shaped tube with an opening facing upward (but not limited thereto) for reducing the overall weight of the child carrier, simplifying the structural design of the child carrier, and ensuring the support reliability of the supporting frame for the seat. For preventing folding of the supporting frame caused by upward sliding of the sliding base when the seat is in an unfolded state, the child carrier of the present invention further includes a blocking member. The blocking member is movably assembled with the sliding base to be movable relative to the sliding base at least between a blocking position and a releasing position. When the blocking member is located at the blocking position, the blocking member abuts against the supporting frame for preventing the sliding base from sliding upward. When the blocking member is located at the releasing position, the blocking member is separate from the supporting frame to make the sliding base slidable upward. The seat is movable relative to the sliding base at least between a folding position and an unfolding position. When the seat is located at the unfolding position, the seat drives the blocking member to move from the releasing position to the blocking position. When the seat is switched to the folding position, the seat is separate from the blocking member to make the blocking member switchable to the releasing position. Accordingly, the seat and the supporting frame can be folded up sequentially for ensuring the folding sequence of the seat and the supporting frame, but not limited thereto.

The detailed description for the preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided as follows, and the derived designs for the child carrier including the seat, the supporting frame, and the sliding base according to other related embodiments may fall within the scope of the present invention.

Please refer to <FIG> and <FIG>. The child carrier <NUM> according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a foldable supporting frame <NUM>, a foldable seat <NUM> and a sliding base <NUM> disposed on the supporting frame <NUM> and slidable in a longitudinal direction of the supporting frame <NUM>. The seat <NUM> is assembled with the sliding base <NUM> and is foldable relative to the sliding base <NUM>. Accordingly, the seat <NUM> can be folded up relative to the sliding base <NUM> when the seat <NUM> slides on the supporting frame <NUM> together with the sliding base <NUM>. At the same time, the sliding base <NUM> can drive the supporting frame <NUM> to be folded up when sliding upward along the supporting frame <NUM>. <FIG> shows that the supporting frame <NUM> is completely folded up.

Specifically, the child carrier <NUM> includes a blocking member <NUM>. The blocking member <NUM> is movably assembled with the sliding base <NUM> to be movable relative to the sliding base <NUM> at least between a blocking position as shown in <FIG> and a releasing position as shown in <FIG>. The sliding base <NUM> is blocked in an upward direction when the blocking member <NUM> is located at the blocking position, and the sliding base <NUM> is able to slide upward when the blocking member <NUM> is located at the releasing position. In a variant embodiment, the blocking member <NUM> is coupled to the supporting frame <NUM> and the upper end of the sliding base <NUM> to prevent the sliding base <NUM> from sliding upward in the blocking position, and the blocking member <NUM> is decoupled from the supporting frame <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM> to release the sliding base <NUM> to be slidable upward in the releasing position. To be more specific, when the blocking member <NUM> is located at the blocking position as shown in <FIG>, the blocking member <NUM> abuts against the supporting frame <NUM>. In this embodiment, the blocking member <NUM> abuts against a first fixed portion <NUM> of the foldable joint <NUM> for preventing upward sliding of the sliding base <NUM>. As such, the blocking member <NUM> can prevent the sliding base <NUM> from driving the supporting frame <NUM> to be folded up when the seat <NUM> is in an unfolded state. When the blocking member <NUM> is located at the releasing position as shown in <FIG>, the blocking member <NUM> is separate from the supporting frame <NUM>. In this embodiment, the blocking member <NUM> is separate from the first fixed portion <NUM> to make the sliding base <NUM> slidable upward.

The seat <NUM> is movable relative to the sliding base <NUM> at least between a folding position as shown in <FIG> and an unfolding position as shown in <FIG>. When the seat <NUM> is located at the unfolding position as shown in <FIG>, the seat <NUM> drives the blocking member <NUM> to move from the releasing position to the blocking position. At this time, the blocking member <NUM> abuts against the supporting frame <NUM> to stop the sliding base <NUM> from sliding upward. When the seat <NUM> is switched to the folding position as shown in <FIG>, the seat <NUM> is separate from the blocking member <NUM> to make the blocking member <NUM> selectively switchable to the releasing position. That is, the blocking member <NUM> is separate from the supporting frame <NUM> for allowing the sliding base <NUM> to slide upward. Accordingly, the seat <NUM> and the supporting frame <NUM> can be folded up sequentially for ensuring the folding sequence of the seat <NUM> and the supporting frame <NUM>, but not limited thereto.

To be more specific, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the supporting frame <NUM> includes a first standing frame <NUM>, a second standing frame <NUM>, a foldable joint <NUM> connected to the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM>, and a locking mechanism <NUM> disposed on the foldable joint <NUM> for selectively locking or releasing the foldable joint <NUM>. The first standing frame <NUM> is pivotably engaged with the second standing frame <NUM> via the foldable joint <NUM> and the locking mechanism <NUM>. The sliding base <NUM> is slidably disposed on the first standing frame <NUM> and has an unlocking driving member <NUM>. The unlocking driving member <NUM> drives the locking mechanism <NUM> to perform a releasing motion when the sliding base <NUM> slides upward along the first standing frame <NUM>, so as to achieve the purpose that the foldable joint <NUM> can be released by the sliding base <NUM> to fold up the first standing frame <NUM> relative to the second standing frame <NUM>. Specifically, the foldable joint <NUM> is assembled with top portions of the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM> could be a U-shaped structure with an opening facing upward, such as a U-shaped tube or a U-shaped rod (but not limited thereto). Correspondingly, the top portions at the left sides of the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM> are assembled with one foldable joint <NUM>, and the top portions at the right sides of the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM> are assembled with another foldable joint <NUM>. That is, the foldable joints <NUM> are disposed at the left and right sides of the supporting frame <NUM> respectively (but not limited thereto), so as to reduce the overall weight of the supporting frame <NUM>, simplify the structural design of the child carrier <NUM>, and ensure the support reliability of the supporting frame <NUM>.

To be more specific, the foldable joint <NUM> includes a first fixed portion <NUM> and a second fixed portion <NUM>. The first fixed portion <NUM> is pivoted to the second fixed portion <NUM> via a pivot shaft <NUM>. The top portion of the first standing frame <NUM> is assembled with the first fixed portion <NUM>, and the top portion of the second standing frame <NUM> is assembled with the second fixed portion <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the first fixed portion <NUM> is overlapped with the second fixed portion <NUM> in a direction indicated by a bidirectional arrow A in <FIG>. The first fixed portion <NUM> is located at an inner side of the supporting frame <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM> is located at an outer side of the supporting frame <NUM> (but not limited thereto). The aforesaid configuration can further improve the folding reliability of the supporting frame <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, for preventing excessive folding of the first fixed portion <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM>, the first fixed portion <NUM> has a first rib <NUM> formed thereon, and the second fixed portion <NUM> has a second rib <NUM> formed thereon. The first rib <NUM> abuts against the second rib <NUM> when the first fixed portion <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM> are folded up to a predetermined position (e.g. a position where the first standing frame <NUM> is substantially parallel to the second standing frame <NUM>, but not limited thereto). In a variant embodiment, the first rib <NUM> is adjacent to a portion 131a of the first fixed portion <NUM> assembled with the first standing frame <NUM>, and the second rib <NUM> is adjacent to a portion 132a of the second fixed portion <NUM> assembled with the second standing frame <NUM>. To be noted, the related description for the foldable joint mechanical design of the pivot shaft <NUM>, the first fixed portion <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM> is well known in the prior art and omitted herein.

As shown in <FIG>, the locking mechanism <NUM> includes a locking member <NUM> located between the first fixed portion <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM> along an axial direction of the pivot shaft <NUM> (i.e. the direction indicated by the bidirectional arrow A in <FIG>), a releasing member <NUM> moving together with the locking member <NUM>, a locking portion (not shown in the figures) disposed on the first fixed portion <NUM>, and a locking portion <NUM> disposed on the second fixed portion <NUM>. The locking member <NUM> slidably jackets the pivot shaft <NUM>. The locking member <NUM> locks the foldable joint <NUM> to lock the supporting frame <NUM> in a using position when being engaged with the locking portion on the first fixed portion <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM>, so as to prevent folding of the first standing frame <NUM> relative to the second standing frame <NUM>. The unlocking driving member <NUM> drives the releasing member <NUM> to release engagement between the locking member <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM> for releasing the foldable joint <NUM> when the sliding base <NUM> slides upward. As such, the foldable joint <NUM> can be foldable for allowing folding of the first standing frame <NUM> relative to the second standing frame <NUM> to fold the supporting frame <NUM> in a folded position. In another embodiment, the unlocking driving member <NUM> could drive the releasing member <NUM> to release engagement between the locking member <NUM> and the locking portion on the first fixed portion <NUM>, or could drive the releasing member <NUM> to disengage the locking member <NUM> from the locking portion on the first fixed portion <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM> simultaneously.

Specifically, an end portion of the first fixed portion <NUM> opposite to the second fixed portion <NUM> has a containing chamber <NUM> formed thereon and a guiding slot <NUM> communicated with the containing chamber <NUM>. The guiding slot <NUM> extends in a radial direction of the pivot shaft <NUM> to be aligned with the unlocking driving member <NUM>. The releasing member <NUM> is located in the containing chamber <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the releasing member <NUM> could be a round block structure to be located in the containing chamber <NUM> more steadily, and the releasing member <NUM> could be slidably disposed through the first fixed portion <NUM> in a longitudinal direction of the pivot shaft <NUM>. Accordingly, the unlocking driving member <NUM> can slide toward the containing chamber <NUM> via guidance of the guiding slot <NUM> when the sliding base <NUM> slides upward along the first standing frame <NUM>, so as to push the releasing member <NUM> to slide toward the first fixed portion <NUM>. In such a manner, the releasing member <NUM> can drive the locking member <NUM> to slide away from the locking portion <NUM> for releasing the foldable joint <NUM>. When the sliding base <NUM> drives the unlocking driving member <NUM> to slide downward, the releasing member <NUM> can return to its original position together with the locking member <NUM> via a returning member (not shown in the figures). The returning member could be a spring for providing a returning force to the releasing member <NUM> and the locking member <NUM> via compressed, torsional or stretch deformation. The unlocking driving member <NUM> could be a rib, a rod, a block, or a sheet. The locking member <NUM> could be an external gear and the locking portion on the first fixed portion <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM> could be an internal gear (but not limited thereto), so as to make the locking member <NUM> engaged with or disengaged from the locking portion on the first fixed portion <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM> more smoothly. It could be understood that the locking mechanism <NUM> could include the locking member <NUM>, the releasing member <NUM> moving together with the locking member <NUM>, and a locking portion (could be regarded as the aforesaid locking portion <NUM>) for engaging with the locking member <NUM> in another embodiment. The locking portion is disposed on the second fixed portion <NUM>, and the locking member <NUM> is movably disposed on the first fixed portion <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the locking member <NUM> could be slidable between the first fixed portion <NUM> and the second fixed portion <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the pivot shaft <NUM>. In such a manner, the locking member <NUM> can lock the foldable joint <NUM> when being engaged with the locking portion. On the other hand, the unlocking driving member <NUM> can drive the releasing member <NUM> to move the locking member <NUM> to be disengaged from the locking portion when the sliding base <NUM> slides upward, so as to release the foldable joint <NUM>. In another embodiment, the locking member <NUM> could be slidably disposed on the second fixed portion <NUM> and the locking portion is disposed on the first fixed portion <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the blocking member <NUM> is pivoted to the sliding base <NUM>, so that the blocking member <NUM> can be pivotable leftward and rightward relative to the sliding base <NUM> between the blocking position and the releasing position. As such, the seat <NUM> can drive the blocking member <NUM> from the releasing position to the blocking position more smoothly. In another embodiment, the blocking member <NUM> could be slidably disposed on the sliding base <NUM>, so that the blocking member <NUM> could slide leftward and rightward relative to the sliding base <NUM> between the blocking position and the releasing position. Specifically, the child carrier <NUM> could further include a returning member (not shown in the figures) having a tendency to drive the blocking member <NUM> from the blocking position to the releasing position. The returning member drives the blocking member <NUM> to the releasing position when the seat <NUM> is switched to the folding position, meaning that the blocking member <NUM> can be switched from the blocking position to the releasing position accordingly with the folding operation of the seat <NUM>, so as to improve the operational convenience of the child carrier <NUM>. For example, the returning member could be a spring for providing a returning force to the blocking member <NUM> via compressed, torsional or stretch deformation, but not limited thereto. In another embodiment, an elastic sheet structure (not shown in the figures) is fixed on the sliding base <NUM>. The elastic sheet structure extends from the sliding base <NUM>, and the blocking structure <NUM> is formed on a free end of the elastic sheet structure. As such, the blocking structure <NUM> can be switched between the blocking position and the releasing position via elastic deformation of the elastic sheet structure for achieving the aforesaid switching purpose.

As shown in <FIG>, the seat <NUM> includes a seat portion <NUM>, a handrail base <NUM>, a link member <NUM>, and a tray <NUM>. The link member <NUM>, the seat portion <NUM>, the handrail base <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM> cooperatively form a four bar linkage mechanism for folding and unfolding of the child carrier <NUM>, and the tray <NUM> is detachably mounted on the handrail base <NUM>. Accordingly, a user can perform folding and unfolding operations of the seat portion <NUM> relative to the sliding base <NUM> conveniently via the link member <NUM> when the tray <NUM> is detached from the handrail base <NUM>. Specifically, the seat portion <NUM> is pivoted to the sliding base <NUM> at a first pivot point P1. The handrail base <NUM> is pivoted to the sliding base <NUM> at a second point P2 located above the first pivot point P1. The link member <NUM> is pivoted to the handrail base <NUM> at a third pivot point P3 located in front of the second pivot point P2. The link member <NUM> is pivoted to the seat portion <NUM> at a fourth point P4 located under the third pivot point P3. In a variant embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the first pivot point P1 is located at an upper end of the seat portion <NUM>, the second pivot point P2 is located at a rear end of the handrail base <NUM>, the third pivot point P3 is located at a middle portion of the handrail base <NUM>, and the fourth pivot point P4 is located at a front end of the seat portion <NUM>, so as to ensure folding smoothness of the seat portion <NUM> relative to the sliding base <NUM>. To be more specific, the handrail bases <NUM> and the sliding bases <NUM> are located at left and right sides of the seat portion <NUM>, the link member <NUM> is a U-shaped structure (e.g. a U-shaped tube or a U-shaped rod, but not limited thereto) having an opening facing upward. A top portion at the left side of the U-shaped structure is pivoted to the handrail base <NUM> located at the left side of the seat <NUM>, a top portion at the right side of the U-shaped structure is pivoted to the handrail base <NUM> located at the right side of the seat <NUM>, and a front end of the seat portion <NUM> is pivoted to the U-shaped part(but not limited thereto), so as to improve the linkage reliability of the seat portion <NUM>, the link member <NUM>, the handrail base <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM>. It could be understood that the tray <NUM> could be omitted according to the practical application, which means the seat <NUM> could only include the seat portion <NUM>, the handrail base <NUM> and the link member <NUM> in another embodiment.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, an engaging slot <NUM> is formed on the seat portion <NUM>, and an engaging rail <NUM> is formed on the sliding base <NUM> corresponding to the engaging slot <NUM>. The engaging rail <NUM> is separate from the engaging slot <NUM> after folding of the seat <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The engaging rail <NUM> is engaged with the engaging slot <NUM> after unfolding of the seat <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Accordingly, when the seat <NUM> is unfolded, engagement of the engaging rail <NUM> and the engaging slot <NUM> provides a steadier support to the seat portion <NUM>. Specifically, the engaging slot <NUM> is formed at a middle portion of a side wall of the seat portion <NUM> facing the sliding base <NUM>. To be noted, the engaging slot <NUM> could be disposed on the sliding base <NUM> and the engaging rail <NUM> could be disposed on the seat portion <NUM> in another embodiment.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the seat portion <NUM> has an engaging member <NUM> and a pulling member <NUM> connected to the engaging member <NUM>. The sliding base <NUM> has an engaging slot <NUM> for engaging with an engaging portion of the engaging member <NUM>. The engaging member <NUM> is disposed on the child carrier <NUM> and is slidable in the direction indicated by the bidirectional arrow A to be selectively engaged with or disengaged from the engaging slot <NUM>, so that the seat portion <NUM> can be driven to be folded or unfolded relative to the sliding base <NUM> when the user operates the link member <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the engaging members <NUM> are located at two sides of the seat portion <NUM> respectively. An end of the pulling member <NUM> is connected to the engaging member <NUM> located at the left side of the seat portion <NUM>, and the other end of the pulling member <NUM> is connected to the engaging member <NUM> located at the right side of the seat portion <NUM>. A middle section of the pulling member <NUM> could be exposed above the seat portion <NUM> for the user to operate the pulling member <NUM> conveniently for simultaneously releasing the engaging members <NUM> located at the two sides of the seat portion <NUM>, but not limited thereto. To be noted, the engaging member <NUM> and the pulling member <NUM> could be disposed on the sliding base <NUM> and the engaging slot <NUM> could be disposed on the seat portion <NUM> correspondingly in another embodiment. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the seat <NUM> further includes a backrest portion <NUM>. A side wall of the backrest portion <NUM> is pivoted to the sliding base <NUM> at a fifth pivot point P5. In a variant embodiment, the engaging portion of the engaging member <NUM> could extend from an axis to engage with the sliding base <NUM>, and the axis is the same as the axis where the seat portion <NUM> and the backrest portion <NUM> are hinged to engage with the sliding base <NUM>.

For synchronously releasing the seat portion <NUM> and the backrest portion <NUM>, the child carrier <NUM> could further include a pushing member <NUM> and an insert member <NUM>. The pushing member <NUM> is disposed on the backrest portion <NUM> and is slidable upward and downward relative to the backrest portion <NUM>. The insert member <NUM> is in an inverted-U shape for selectively engaging with or disengaging from the sliding base <NUM>. The insert member <NUM> is disposed on the backrest portion <NUM> and is slidable upward and downward relative to the backrest portion <NUM>. An upper end of the pushing member <NUM> abuts against the insert member <NUM>, and a lower end of the pushing member <NUM> is connected to the engaging member <NUM>. In such a manner, when the engaging member <NUM> is disengaged from the engaging slot <NUM> of the sliding base <NUM>, the pushing member <NUM> can push the insert member <NUM> to be disengaged from the sliding base <NUM>, so as to achieve the purpose that the seat portion <NUM> and the backrest portion <NUM> can be folded up synchronously.

To be more specific, a driving portion of the engaging member <NUM> has a first inclined surface <NUM> oblique to a sliding direction of the engaging member <NUM> (i.e. the direction indicated by the bidirectional arrow A), and the pushing member <NUM> has a second inclined surface <NUM> matching with the first inclined surface <NUM>. As such, the driving portion of the engaging member <NUM> can drive the pushing member <NUM> to slide upward via relative sliding of the first inclined surface <NUM> on the second inclined surface <NUM>, so as to achieve the purpose that the engaging member <NUM> can move together with the pushing member <NUM> and ensure that the pushing member <NUM> can slide upward and downward on the backrest portion <NUM> via the engaging member <NUM> for folding or unfolding of the seat <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the insert member <NUM> could be located at a back surface of the backrest portion <NUM> and the pushing member <NUM> could be located at a front surface of the backrest portion <NUM>, but not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the insert member <NUM> could be an iron wire or a steel wire to ensure the locking reliability of the insert member <NUM> for the backrest portion <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM>, and the pulling member <NUM> could be a braided strap or a rope for easy assembly and convenient operation of the pulling member <NUM>. The backrest portion <NUM> could further have an actuator <NUM> connected to a top end of the insert member <NUM>. The actuator <NUM> drives the insert member <NUM> to be engaged with or disengaged from the sliding base <NUM> for angle adjustment of the backrest portion <NUM>. In a variant embodiment, the actuator <NUM> could be located adjacent to a top portion of the back surface of the backrest portion <NUM> for driving the insert member <NUM> to move a first distance, therefore, the insert member <NUM> is able to disengage from the sliding base <NUM>, and the backrest portion <NUM> is movable related to the seat portion <NUM>, in particular, for the reclining angle adjustment. A returning spring is disposed in the actuator <NUM> to provide a returning force to the actuator <NUM> for returning the insert member <NUM> to its original position automatically when the actuator <NUM> is released. In a variant embodiment, when the driving portion of the engaging member <NUM> drives the pushing member <NUM> to slide upward via relative sliding of the first inclined surface <NUM> on the second inclined surface <NUM>, the driving portion of the engaging member <NUM> is able to drive the insert member <NUM> to move a second distance. To prevent accidental folding of the seat <NUM> during angle adjustment of the backrest portion <NUM>, in a variant embodiment, the second distance may be set longer than the first distance. When the user operates the actuator <NUM>, the insert member <NUM> can only move the first distance to disengage from the sliding base <NUM> to have an angle adjustment of the backrest portion <NUM>, however, by providing a blocker (not shown in figures) at the height of the first distance, the backward adjustment of backrest portion <NUM> cannot be continued. When the user operates the pulling member <NUM>, the insert member <NUM> is driven to move the second distance higher than the height of the blocker, the backrest portion <NUM> can be folded down backward without hindrance. Therefore, by providing the first distance and the second distance in the different insert member operating mechanisms, the operation safety of the child carrier <NUM> can be effectively improved.

More detailed description for the folding and unfolding operations of the child carrier <NUM> is provided as follows with the attached drawings. If the user wants to fold up the child carrier <NUM> from the unfolded state as shown in <FIG> to the folding state as shown in <FIG>, the user just needs to pull the pulling member <NUM> to disengage the engaging member <NUM> from the engaging slot <NUM> for releasing locking between the seat portion <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM>. At this time, the engaging member <NUM> can drive the pushing member <NUM> to slide upward via relative sliding of the first inclined surface <NUM> on the second inclined surface <NUM> when being disengaged from the engaging slot <NUM>. With upward sliding of the pushing member <NUM>, the insert member <NUM> can be pushed to slide upward, so as to be separate from the sliding base <NUM> for releasing locking between the backrest portion <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM>. As such, the user can perform the folding operations of the seat portion <NUM> and the backrest portion <NUM> relative to the sliding base <NUM> respectively. Subsequently, the user can keep pulling the pulling member <NUM> and drive the link member <NUM> to move rearward and downward. At the same time, with rearward and downward movement of the link member <NUM>, the seat portion <NUM> can drive the backrest portion <NUM> to rotate rearward and downward, so as to fold up the backrest portion <NUM> and the seat portion <NUM> to collapse together as shown in <FIG>. Afterward, the user can pull the seat <NUM> upward to slide the sliding base <NUM> upward along the first standing frame <NUM>, so as to move the unlocking driving member <NUM> of the sliding base <NUM> close to the releasing member <NUM> via guidance of the guiding slot <NUM>. Finally, the unlocking driving member <NUM> can push the releasing member <NUM> to move the locking member <NUM> away from the locking portion <NUM> for releasing the foldable joint <NUM>, so that the first standing frame <NUM> and the second standing frame <NUM> can be folded up as shown in <FIG> to complete the folding operation of the supporting frame <NUM>.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts the design in which the sliding base <NUM> is disposed on the supporting frame <NUM> and is slidable longitudinally along the supporting frame <NUM> and the seat <NUM> is foldably assembled with the sliding base <NUM>. In such a manner, when the sliding base <NUM> slides upward along the supporting frame <NUM>, the seat <NUM> can be folded up together with the sliding base <NUM> and the sliding base <NUM> can drive the supporting frame <NUM> to be folded up synchronously, so as to quickly complete the folding operation of the child carrier <NUM>. Thus, it is very easy for the user to perform the folding operation of the child carrier <NUM>, so as to improve the operational convenience of the child carrier <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A child carrier (<NUM>) characterized by:
a supporting frame (<NUM>);
a sliding base (<NUM>) disposed on the supporting frame (<NUM>) and slidable in a substantially longitudinal direction of the supporting frame (<NUM>); and
a seat (<NUM>) foldably assembled with the sliding base (<NUM>);
wherein the supporting frame (<NUM>) is driven to be folded up when the sliding base (<NUM>) slides upward along the supporting frame (<NUM>),
wherein the supporting frame (<NUM>) comprises:
a foldable joint (<NUM>) disposed on the supporting frame (<NUM>); characterized in that
a locking mechanism (<NUM>) disposed on the foldable joint (<NUM>) for selectively locking the foldable joint (<NUM>).