US2890741A - Baby walker - Google Patents

Description

June 16', 1959 w. H. REINHOLZ 2,890,741

BABY WALKER Original. Filed May 25. 1953 1 Hum" INVENTOR WILLI-AN H./RE|NHOL\Z ATTORNEYS United States Patent BABY WALKER William H. Reinholz, Rochester, NY.

Original application May 25, 1953, Serial No. 357,039,

now Patent No. 2,755,841, dated July 24, 1956. Divided and this application July 23, 1956, Serial No. 599,558

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-23) This invention is a division of my copending application Serial Number 357,039, filed May 25, 1953, now Patent No. 2,755,841, and has to do with vehicles known as baby walkers and has for an object the provision of a baby walker which has novel means for retaining it within a given area while permitting a child-occupant to walk in a circle about said area.

Another object is to provide a baby walker which may be produced with great economy, which is extremely light in weight and which may be shipped in fully knocked-down condition and readily assembled.

Another object is to provide a baby walker so designed and constructed that a child may bounce in the seat.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the baby walker;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the occupantsupport and anchor removed for illustrative purposes;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the anchor member;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 2.

With reference now to the drawings, I show a pair of oppositely disposed frames generally denoted 5, 6, respectively, and an anchor element 7.

Front frame 5 comprises a U-shaped top portion 15 whose ends terminate in vertically depending straight parallel intermediate portions 17. Each of the portions 17 then terminates at its bottom end in a forwardly ex tending, resilient leg 19, the respective legs diverging towards their outer ends and each terminating in a vertically disposed extension 22 carrying a conventional caster 23.

The U-shaped top portion 15 extends upwardly and forwardly from the intermediate portions 17 and may appropriately carry a crossbar 25 slidably supporting balls 26 by which a child occupying the device may amuse itself. A reinforcing and seat-retaining crossbar 28 also extends between the sides of the portion 15 and passes therethrough, one end, not shown, of the bar 28 being headed and the other end being threaded to receive a wingnut 29.

The rear frame 6 comprises an uprightly disposed U- shaped top portion 30 whose sides terminate in horizontally, forwardly disposed, resilient extensions providing arm rests 31. Arm rests 31 have depending parallel extensions 33 forming what I call intermediate portions. The portions 33, in turn, have leg extensions 35 which extend downwardly, rearwardly and outwardly in divergent relationship, each terminating in a vertically disposed portion 22a carrying a conventional caster 23.

In order to provide an anchor which permits a childoceupant to propel the device about a circle, but which prevents the device from moving otherwise than in such circular path, I provide a circular or ring-shaped fabric sack 7 which preferably comprises opposite sides 7a, 7b stitched together at 37, 38, and having a filling neck 39 which may be closed as by a string 39a. The sack 7 defines a central opening 40 within which one of the portions 22 or 22a and one of the casters 23 is disposed to rest against the floor or ground. Flexible straps 42, 43 are provided on the sack (to releasably secure it to a leg of the device. In the preferred form shown, strap 42 is secured at its ends to the periphery of the sack, has a medial hole 44 and a fastener 45, such as a button. Strap 43 is fixed at one end to the periphery of the sack and then extends through the hole 44, after which it is looped around one of the leg extensions 22 and secured to the fastener 45. It will be understood, of course, that the sack does not necessarily have to be circular in shape, but may be square or oval so long as it has the opening 40 to permit a caster to rest on the floor or ground and yet to prevent lateral escape of the caster from the opening.

When in use, the sack may be filled with sand or some other granular and sufliciently heavy material, but when being shipped or transported and not in use the sack may be emptied, collapsed and folded up as any other piece of fabric.

The occupant-support 47 comprises a sheet of fabric having sleeve-like edge portions 48 through which the frame elements extend. The support has a back-rest portion 47a, a seat portion 47b, and a front extension 470, the latter having a sleeved end 47e through which crossbar 28 extends. Front extension 47c has leg-passing recesses 49.

The intermediate portions 17 of frame 5 are secured to the intermediate portions 33 of frame 6, as by screws and wingnuts 50. Said intermediate portions are of a length at least equal to the distance between the bottom of the seat portion 47b and the arm rests. Leg portions 19 extend substantially horizontally or at a relatively small angle-of the order of preferably not exceeding 10 to the horizontal-to render the light weight of a child-occupant to readily flex them by bouncing up and down in the seat.

It is my preference to make each of the frames 5 and 6 in three sections, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 6; that is, the crossarm 60 of the U-shaped portion of each frame is tubular and is cut off adjacent the curve 60a, and the registering ends 62, 63 of each frame are held together by an intermediate member 64 having some what tapered ends 65 frictionally fitted into the ends 62, 63.

It will be apparent that the device may be shipped or transported in knocked-down position and quickly assembled or reassembled at point of use. Inasmuch as the anchor member 7 may be emptied of its weightproducing material when not in use, it adds little, if any, to the shipping weight. When it is desired to use the device, it is only necessary to fill the anchor sack through the filling opening 39, then rest one of the casters against the floor in the central opening 40. While it may not always be necessary to tie the anchor member to the leg of the vehicle by the straps 42, 43, since it is diificult for the caster to escape laterally from the central opening 40, nevertheless, when desired, the anchor may be readily secured to the leg of the vehicle by the straps 42, 43.

I claim:

1. A mobile seat structure for a child comprising, in combination, a seat, means including legs for supporting the seat, each of said legs having acaster, a deflated anchor having a filling opening through which a heavy flowable material may be poured, said anchor having an opening through which the caster of one of said legs may project into engagement with the floor, and means for securing said anchor to said leg.

2. A mobile seat structure in accordance with claim 1 in which said securing means includes a plurality of straps secured to said anchor and loosely engageable with said leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,232,163 Brecht Feb. 18, 1941 2,308,626 Reinholz Jan. 19, 1943 2,746,517 Dahlberg May 22, 1956

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