Foldable mechanism and infant carrier thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11484129-B2
Application number	US-202017023404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Sep 18, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

The present invention discloses a foldable mechanism and an infant carrier thereof. The foldable mechanism includes a first mount, a second mount and a locking member movably disposed between the first mount and the second mount. The first mount is pivotally connected to the second mount. The infant carrier is locked in the folded state when the first mount rotates to a first rotating position relative to the second mount. The infant carrier is locked in the expanded state when the first mount rotates to a second rotating position relative to the second mount. The first mount is locked at the first rotating position or the second rotating position via movement of the locking member, so as to make the foldable mechanism have a simple folding mechanical design and improve folding stability of the foldable mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable mechanism applied to locking an infant carrier in a folded state or an expanded state, the foldable mechanism comprising:
a first mount;
a second mount pivotally connected to the first mount, the second mount having a first mating portion, a second mating portion spaced apart from the first mating portion, and a protrusion adjacent to the second mating portion, a guide slot being formed on the protrusion, the second mating portion being disposed at one end of the guide slot, the first mating portion being disposed at the other end of the guide slot, the infant carrier being locked in the folded state when the first mount rotates to a first rotating position relative to the second mount, the infant carrier being locked in the expanded state when the first mount rotates to a second rotating position relative to the second mount; and
a locking member movably disposed between the first mount and the second mount, the locking member having a positioning portion and a locking portion, the positioning portion being slidable along the guide slot, the first mount being locked at the first rotating position or the second rotating position via movement of the locking member;
wherein the positioning portion is engaged with the first mating portion to lock the first mount at the first rotating position, and the positioning portion is disengaged from the first mating portion to release the first mount;
wherein the locking portion is engaged with the second mating portion to lock the first mount at the second rotating position, and the locking portion is disengaged from the second mating portion to release the first mount.

2. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the locking member is movable along an axial direction of a rotating axis of the first mount and the second mount.

3. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is a limiting block protruding from the locking member toward the second mount, the second mating portion is a limiting slot mating with the limiting block, and the positioning portion is formed on the limiting block.

4. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion protrudes from the second mount toward the first mount.

5. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein one of the positioning portion and the first mating portion is a convex structure, and the other of the positioning portion and the first mating portion is a concave structure.

6. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the foldable mechanism further comprises a release button slidably disposed on the second mount and connected to the locking member, and sliding of the release button on the second mount locks or releases the locking member.

7. The foldable mechanism of claim 6 , wherein the foldable mechanism further comprises an elastic member disposed between the first mount and the locking member, and the elastic member biases the locking member against the second mount and abuts the locking member against the release button.

8. The foldable mechanism of claim 6 , wherein the release button comprises a button body and an abutting portion, the abutting portion extends from the button body toward the locking member, and the abutting portion is disposed through the second mount to abut against the locking member.

9. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the locking member further has engaging teeth, the first mount has first teeth mating with the engaging teeth, the second mount has second teeth mating with the engaging teeth, the engaging teeth are engaged with the first teeth and the second teeth when the first mount is locked relative to the second mount, and the engaging teeth are disengaged from the second teeth when the first mount is released relative to the second mount.

10. The foldable mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the second mount has a sliding shaft extending toward the first mount, and the locking member has a center hole slidably mating with the sliding shaft.

11. An infant carrier comprising:
a main frame comprising a front leg and a rear leg;
a seat mounted on the main frame; and
a foldable mechanism comprising:
a first mount connected to one of the front leg and the rear leg;
a second mount connected to the other of the front leg and the rear leg and pivotally connected to the first mount to make the front leg pivotally connected to the rear leg, the second mount having a first mating portion, a second mating portion spaced apart from the first mating portion, and a protrusion adjacent to the second mating portion, a guide slot being formed on the protrusion, the second mating portion being disposed at one end of the guide slot, the first mating portion being disposed at the other end of the guide slot, the infant carrier being locked in the folded state when the first mount rotates to a first rotating position relative to the second mount, the infant carrier being locked in the expanded state when the first mount rotates to a second rotating position relative to the second mount; and
a locking member movably disposed between the first mount and the second mount, the locking member having a positioning portion and a locking portion, the positioning portion being slidable along the guide slot, the first mount being locked at the first rotating position or the second rotating position via movement of the locking member;

wherein the positioning portion is engaged with the first mating portion to lock the first mount at the first rotating position, and the positioning portion is disengaged from the first mating portion to release the first mount;
wherein the locking portion is engaged with the second mating portion to lock the first mount at the second rotating position, and the locking portion is disengaged from the second mating portion to release the first mount.

Assignees

• Wonderland Switzerland Ag

Inventors

• Zhang Chengkai

Classifications

• A47D1/004 Primary

  in height · CPC title

• A47D13/02

  Baby-carriers; Carry-cots · CPC title

• F16C11/10

  Arrangements for locking · CPC title

• A47D1/008

  with trays (children's chairs combined with tables A47D3/00) · CPC title

• A47D1/023 Primary

  of high chair type · CPC title