WO2006072402A1

WO2006072402A1 - High chair

Info

Publication number: WO2006072402A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/013863
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bruna Groppo
Original assignee: Bruna Groppo
Priority date: 2005-01-03
Filing date: 2005-12-22
Publication date: 2006-07-13
Also published as: ITVR20050001U1

Abstract

A high chair (1) , comprising a supporting structure (2) which has a supporting portion (2a) for a seat (3) , characterized in that it comprises telescopic means (4) which act between the supporting structure and the seat and are adapted to adjust the distance between the supporting portion and the seat.

Description

HIGH CHAIR

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a high chair. Background Art High chairs for infants are currently generally constituted by a supporting structure for a seat, which is designed to accommodate the child and can be associated with a table, which optionally may allow tilting and/or removal and acts as a support for the plate and/or cup and at the same time in some cases prevents the child from falling forward. In many cases, the supporting structure is constituted by two substantially triangular lateral uprights, which are optionally connected to each other by means of one or more interconnection cross-members.

The seat is generally associated slidingly, at lateral portions thereof, with a respective sleeve-like element (in practice, one side of the triangle that constitutes each lateral upright) in order to allow to arrange it at different heights from the ground.

Means of several kinds for locking the seat with respect to the uprights, or rather with respect to the sleeve-like elements, are of course provided so as to ensure maximum safety and stability of the high chair. High chairs are also commercially available in which the supporting structure is constituted by two lateral elements, which also are generally interconnected by means of one or more interconnection cross-members and each have a supporting base, which during use is designed to rest on the ground, and an upright element, which protrudes from each supporting base along a direction which is inclined with respect to said base.

The seat is associated, at its lateral portions, with a tubular receptacle, which is slidingly associated with each upright element. Means for locking the seat, or rather the tubular receptacles associated therewith, with respect to the respective upright element are provided in this case, too. • As an alternative, it is possible to provide at the upright elements a plurality of locking guides (constituted for example by recesses which during use lie along a substantially horizontal direction), which are spaced along the direction of extension of said upright elements; said locking guides can be engaged by lateral engagement portions, which are supported by the supporting surface of the seat so as to allow to adjust (by engaging and disengaging the lateral engagement portions with respective pairs of locking guides arranged at a different height) the height of said supporting surface with respect to the ground.

Although the described high chairs are widely used, they suffer drawbacks.

In particular, it is evident that when the seat is arranged at a height which is lower than the maximum height, the portion of the upright elements that lies above the seat is often a hindrance and an impediment for the parent while feeding the child and/or is an inconvenience or a danger factor for the child itself (the child can knock its head or trap its hands). Moreover, some types are very bulky once they have been closed. Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate or at least reduce drastically the drawbacks noted above in known types of high chairs. In particular, within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a high chair which allows to change rapidly and effectively the height of the seat with respect to the ground.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high chair which is very easy to use. Another object of the invention is to provide a high chair which has a competitive production cost, so that its use is advantageous also from the economical standpoint.

This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a high chair which comprises a supporting structure, which has a supporting portion for seat, characterized in that it comprises telescopic means, which act between said supporting structure and said seat and are adapted to adjust the distance between said supporting portion and said seat.

Advantageously, said high chair is characterized in that said supporting structure comprises at least one upright, which lies along a first direction of extension, and at least one coupling element, which is fixed to said seat, lies along said first direction of extension and is associated telescopically with said at least one upright, locking means being provided which act between said at least one upright and said at least one coupling element.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a high chair according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a high chair according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of a high chair without the table;

Figure 3 is a view, similar to Figure 2, of the high chair with the seat in the reclined condition;

Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a high chair in which the seat is spaced from the supporting portion and the locking means are shown schematically in phantom lines;

Figure 5 is a side elevation view of a high chair in which the seat is closer to the supporting portion and the locking means are shown schematically in phantom lines;

Figure 6 is another side view, partially in phantom lines, of a detail of the locking means;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the seat with the table in the condition for use and, in dashed lines, in the condition for disengagement; Figure 8 is a side elevation view, partially in phantom lines, of a high chair provided with a different type of locking means;

Figures 9 and 10 are partially sectional side views of the high chair provided with elastic loading means; and Figures 11 and 12 are partially sectional side views of a respective high chair provided with movement means. Ways of carrying out the Invention

In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific embodiments, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer. With reference to the figures, a high chair, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a supporting structure 2, which has one or more supporting portions 2a.

The supporting structure 2 is designed to support a seat 3.

According to the invention, the high chair 1 is provided with telescopic means 4, which act between the supporting structure 2 and the seat 3 and are adapted to adjust the distance between the supporting portion

2a and the seat 3 and accordingly adjust the height of said seat 3 from the ground.

In greater detail and with particular reference to the embodiments shown in the figures, the telescopic means 4 can be constituted by at least one upright 5, which is associated (or articulated by means of a hinge 2b) directly with the supporting portion 2a (or in any case associated with the supporting structure 2) and lies along a first direction of extension 100, and at least one coupling element 6, which is fixed to the seat 3; the coupling element 6 also lies along a longitudinal direction, which during use substantially coincides with the first direction of extension 100.

As clearly shown by the figures, the coupling element 6 is associated telescopically with the respective upright 5.

Moreover, locking means 7 are provided which act between the upright 5 and the respective coupling element 6.

With reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the supporting structure 2 comprises two uprights 5, both of which run along a first direction of extension 100 and are arranged laterally to the seat 3 during use. The seat 3 supports, at respective lateral portions 3 a, two coupling elements 6, which also lie along the first direction of extension 100. Each one of the two coupling elements 6 is associated telescopically with the respective upright 5.

Naturally, in this case also there are locking means 7, which act at least between one of the coupling elements 6 and the respective upright 5.

Advantageously, the high chair 1 can be provided with means 11 for remote actuation of the locking means 7 and in particular of the locking element 8.

Merely by way of example, the locking means 7 might comprise at least one locking element 8, which is supported for example by the coupling element 6 and can engage at least one engagement portion 9 formed on the respective upright 5: obviously, when the locking element 8 is in the condition in which it engages the engagement portion 9 (formed on the upright 5), the sliding of the coupling element 6 with respect to said upright 5 is prevented.

In this regard, with reference in particular to the embodiment shown in Figures 4 to 6, the coupling elements 6 can have a respective grip handle 6a, which is associated with an actuation lever system 6b.

Said actuation lever system 6b (which in this case provides the remote actuation means 11) supports the locking element 8 at an actuation portion 6c thereof.

Conveniently, it is possible to provide elastic means, which act between the actuation lever system 6b and the coupling element 6, are constituted for example by a cylindrical spiral spring 6d, and are adapted to keep the locking element 8 engaged within the respective engagement portion 9.

In a fully equivalent manner, the locking means 7 can be provided so that the locking element 8 is supported by the upright 5 (or uprights 5) and can engage at least one engagement portion 9 which in this case is formed on the respective coupling element 6.

In this regard, with reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the remote actuation means 11 can be constituted by a pedal 6e, which is connected to a push rod 6f for the actuation of the locking element 8.

In practice, a high chair 1 has been provided which has coupling elements 6, each of which forms an inverted cup-shaped receptacle 6g, which are telescopically associated with a respective upright 5; the upper end portion 5 a of each upright is coupled slidingly with the inverted cup- shaped receptacle 6g, thus allowing to lower the seat 3 and simultaneously lower the upper part of the high chair 1 and, in the case of the illustrated embodiments, the coupling elements 6 (which are rigidly coupled to the seat

3).

With particular reference to the cross-sections shown in Figures 9 and

10, the high chair 1 can be provided with elastic loading means 10, which act between the supporting structure 2 and the seat 3 and are adapted to act by pushing so as to keep said seat 3 spaced from the supporting portion 2a

(and therefore from the ground).

Advantageously, the elastic loading means 10 can be constituted by one or more springs 10a or by a gas cylinder 10b.

Said elastic loading means 10 are accommodated within one or both of the coupling elements 6 and the respective upright or uprights 5. According to another aspect, shown in Figure 7, the high chair 1 comprises a table 20, which is mounted so that it can rotate about an axis, which is substantially vertical during use, with respect to the seat 3, in order to transit from an active condition (shown in Figure 7), in which the table 20 is arranged in front of the seat 3, to a disengagement condition (shown again in Figure 7 but in dashed lines), in which the table 20 is arranged laterally with respect to the seat 3.

Conveniently, in order to allow the passage of the table 20 from the active condition to the disengagement condition, it is possible to provide a coupling pin 21, which protrudes for example from the table 20 and lies along a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of arrangement of said table 20 and engages rotatably within a complementary shaped receptacle 22 supported by the seat 3.

Advantageously, the high chair 1 can be provided with per se known means adapted to keep the table 20 in the active condition.

Operation of the high chair according to the present invention is evident from what has been described above.

In particular, it is evident that simply and intuitively, by pressing downwardly on one of the grip handles it is possible, after disengaging the locking means, to couple telescopically (for closure) the coupling elements and the respective uprights, allowing to reduce the dimensions along the first direction of extension and simultaneously lowering the height of the seat, moving it closer to the supporting portion.

Once the chosen lower height has been reached, the locking means are of course operated in order to prevent the relative movement of the coupling elements and the respective uprights.

In practice, the inverted cup-shaped receptacles formed in the coupling elements slide, in this case downwardly, with respect to the upper end portion of the uprights, lowering not only the seat but also the upper part of the high chair. δ

In a fully similar manner, if the height of the seat is to be increased, it is possible to pull up the handles after disengaging the release means; during this operation, the presence of the elastic loading means, if provided, facilitates the upward sliding of the seat and of the coupling elements rigidly coupled thereto.

All the characteristics of the invention indicated above as advantageous, convenient or the like may also be omitted or replaced with equivalents.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus, for example, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, it is possible to provide for the presence of linear actuators 30 for the assisted movement of the coupling element or elements 6 with respect to the supporting structure 2 and in particular with respect to the upright or uprights 5.

Said linear actuators 30 can be constituted for example by a hydraulic piston 31, which can be actuated by a pedal 32 (as shown in Figure 12) or by a worm screw 33, which can be turned by an electric motor 34 supported by said at least one upright 5 and provided with a portion which acts by pushing against said coupling element.

Of course, as illustrated in Figure 3, it is possible to use seats 3 which have articulations between the body of the seat (and the sides 3 a), the back 3b and the footrest 3c, so as to allow transition to a reclined condition.

Moreover, as shown schematically in Figure 3, the upright or uprights 5 (and therefore the first main direction of extension 100) can rotate about the hinge 2b, thus ensuring the possibility to fold the high chair simply and effectively.

Moreover, nothing prevents to associate wheels with the supporting structure 2 in order to facilitate the movements of the high chair 1 (in the embodiments shown in the figures, the wheels, for example, are coaxial with respect to the hinge 2b).

In practice it has been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects in all of its embodiments.

The use of telescopic means, and particularly the presence of the uprights and of the respective coupling elements, allow in practice to provide a high chair in which the coupling elements directly provide the upper portion of the high chair, thus allowing to lower and raise, together with the seat, the entire upper portion of the high chair.

In this manner, even when the seat is completely lowered (as clearly shown in Figure 5), there are no portions of the supporting structure or of the high chair which are arranged above the seat, consequently eliminating any hindrance to the movements of the child or parent.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements. All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. VR2005U000001 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A high chair (1) comprising a supporting structure (2), which comprises a supporting portion (2a) for a seat (3), characterized in that it comprises telescopic means (4), which act between said supporting structure (2) and said seat (3) and are adapted to adjust the distance between said supporting portion (2a) and said seat (3).

2. The high chair (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said telescopic means (4) comprise at least one upright (5), which is associated with said supporting portion (2a) and lies along a first direction of extension (100), and at least one coupling element (6), which is fixed to said seat (3) and lies along said first direction of extension (100) and is associated telescopically with said at least one upright (5), locking means (7) being provided which act between said at least one upright (5) and said at least one coupling element (6).

3. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supporting structure (2) comprises two uprights (5), which lie along a first direction of extension (100), said seat (3) supporting, at respective lateral portions (3 a), two coupling elements (6), which lie along said first direction of extension (100), each one of said two coupling elements (6) being associated telescopically with a respective upright (5), locking means (7) being provided which act at least between one of said coupling elements (6) and the respective upright (5).

4. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking means (7) comprise at least one locking element (8), which is supported by said coupling element (6) and can engage at least one engagement portion (9) formed on the respective upright (5), said locking element (8), when engaged with said engagement portion (9), locking the sliding of said coupling element (6) with respect to said upright (5).

5. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one upright (5) has a plurality of engagement portions (9), which are spaced along said first direction of extension (100).

6. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking means (7) comprise at least one locking element (8), which is supported by said upright (5) and can engage ■at least one engagement portion (9) formed on the respective coupling element (6), said locking element (8), in the condition for engagement with said engagement portion (9), locking the sliding of said coupling element (6) with respect to said upright (5).

7. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one coupling element (6) is provided with a plurality of engagement portions (9), which are spaced along said first direction of extension (100).

8. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means (11) for the remote actuation of said locking element (8).

9. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises elastic loading means (10), which act between said supporting structure (2) and said seat (3) and are adapted to act by pushing in order to keep said seat (3) spaced from said supporting portion (2a).

10. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said elastic loading means (10) comprise a spring (10a).

11. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said elastic loading means (10) comprise a gas cylinder (10b).

12. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a table (20), which is mounted so that it can rotate about an axis which during use is substantially vertical with respect to said seat (3) in order to pass from an active condition, in which said table (20) is arranged in front of said seat (3), to a disengagement condition, in which said table (20) is arranged laterally with respect to said seat (3).

13. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for retaining said table (20) in the active condition.

14. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one linear actuator (30) for the relative movement of said at least one coupling element (6) with respect to said supporting structure (2).

15. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one linear actuator (30) for the relative movement, along said first main direction of extension (100), of at least one element (6) for coupling with respect to the respective upright (5).

16. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one upright (5) is articulated to said supporting portion (2a) so that it can rotate about a respective hinge (2b).

17. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one linear actuator acts between said at least one upright (5) and the respective coupling element (6).

18. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one linear actuator (30) comprises a hydraulic piston (31), which can be actuated by a pedal (32), or a worm screw (33), which can be turned by an electric motor (34) which is supported by said at least one upright (5) and has a portion which pushes against said coupling element (6).

19. The high chair (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one coupling element (6) forms a receptacle shaped like an inverted cup (6g) for accommodating the upper end portion (5a) of a respective upright (5).