Infant carrier and stroller apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9610966-B2
Application number	US-201514879832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

An infant carrier includes a surrounding frame, a seat portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame, a headrest portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame, a backrest portion respectively connected pivotally with the seat portion and the headrest portion, and a latching mechanism assembled with the backrest portion and operable to selectively engage with either of the seat portion and the headrest portion, the latching mechanism being configured to lock the infant carrier in either of a bassinet configuration and a seat configuration. The seat portion and the backrest portion are substantially coplanar and the headrest portion extends at an angle from the backrest portion to the surrounding frame when the infant carrier is in the bassinet configuration, and the headrest portion and the backrest portion are substantially coplanar and the backrest portion extends at an angle from the seat portion when the infant carrier is in the seat configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An infant carrier comprising:
a surrounding frame;
a seat portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame;
a headrest portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame;
a backrest portion pivotally connected with the seat portion and the headrest portion, respectively; and
a latching mechanism assembled with the backrest portion and operable to selectively engage with either of the seat portion and the headrest portion, the latching mechanism when engaged with the seat portion being disengaged from the headrest portion, and the latching mechanism when engaged with the headrest portion being disengaged from the seat portion, the latching mechanism being configured to lock the infant carrier in either of a bassinet configuration and a seat configuration;
wherein the seat portion and the backrest portion are substantially coplanar and the headrest portion extends at an angle from the backrest portion to the surrounding frame when the infant carrier is in the bassinet configuration, and the headrest portion and the backrest portion are substantially coplanar and the backrest portion extends at an angle from the seat portion when the infant carrier is in the seat configuration.

2. The infant carrier according to claim 1 , wherein two opposite sides of the surrounding frame are respectively affixed with two first brackets, and the seat portion has two second brackets that project from a support surface of the seat portion and are respectively connected pivotally with the first brackets.

3. The infant carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism engages with the seat portion when the infant carrier is in the bassinet configuration, and the latching mechanism engages with the headrest portion when the infant carrier is in the seat configuration.

4. The infant carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism includes a latch slidably assembled with the backrest portion, the latch being movable to selectively engage with either of the headrest portion and the seat portion.

5. The infant carrier according to claim 4 , wherein the backrest portion has a first and a second end portion respectively connected pivotally with the headrest portion and the seat portion, and the latch is formed as an integral part slidable along a longitudinal axis of the backrest portion so as to selectively extend outward at either of the first and second end portion to engage with either of the headrest portion and the seat portion.

6. The infant carrier according to claim 4 , wherein the latch has a release position where the latch is respectively disengaged from the seat portion and the headrest portion for allowing rotation of the headrest portion, the backrest portion and the seat portion to convert the infant carrier between the bassinet configuration and the seat configuration.

7. The infant carrier according to claim 6 , wherein the latch is movable away from the release position to selectively engage with either of the seat portion and the headrest portion, the infant carrier being in the bassinet configuration when the latch is engaged with the seat portion, and the infant carrier being in the seat portion when the latch is engaged with the headrest portion.

8. The infant carrier according to claim 4 , wherein the headrest portion has a first locking opening and the seat portion has a second locking opening, and the latch is movable to selectively engage with either of the first and second locking openings.

9. The infant carrier according to claim 4 , wherein the latching mechanism further includes a rotary actuator pivotally connected with the backrest portion, the rotary actuator being rotatable to drive the latch in sliding movement.

10. The infant carrier according to claim 9 , wherein the rotary actuator is accessible for operation at a rear of the backrest portion.

11. The infant carrier according to claim 9 , wherein the latch includes a guide slot that extends substantially perpendicular to a sliding axis of the latch, and the rotary actuator is affixed with a stud guided for movement along the guide slot.

12. The infant carrier according to claim 11 , wherein the latch has two opposite engaging ends respectively engageable with the headrest portion and the seat portion, and the guide slot is formed in a linking portion of the latch that is located between the two engaging ends.

13. The infant carrier according to claim 12 , wherein the backrest portion includes a cavity in which the linking portion is restricted to slide.

14. The infant carrier according to claim 13 , wherein the linking portion is located at a middle position of the cavity when the latch is in a release position, the latch when in the release position is respectively disengaged from the seat portion and the headrest portion for allowing rotation of the headrest portion, the backrest portion and the seat portion to convert the infant carrier between the bassinet configuration and the seat configuration.

15. The infant carrier according to claim 9 , wherein the latching mechanism further includes a spring having two opposite ends respectively anchored with the rotary actuator and the backrest portion, the spring being configured to bias the rotary actuator for keeping the latch engaged with either of the headrest portion and the seat portion.

16. The infant carrier according to claim 15 , wherein one of the two ends of the spring is anchored with the backrest portion at a location that is offset from a pivot axis of the rotary actuator.

17. The infant carrier according to claim 15 , wherein the rotary actuator has a neutral position in which the latch is respectively disengaged from the seat portion and the headrest portion for adjustment of the infant carrier between the bassinet configuration and the seat configuration, a biasing force applied by the spring being substantially aligned with a radial direction intersecting a pivot axis of the rotary actuator when the rotary actuator is in the neutral position.

18. The infant carrier according to claim 17 , wherein the biasing force applied by the spring rotationally biases the rotary actuator for keeping the latch engaged with either of the headrest portion and the seat portion when the rotary actuator is displaced away from the neutral position.

19. A stroller apparatus, including a stroller frame, and the infant carrier according to claim 1 installed on the stroller frame.

20. An infant carrier comprising:
a surrounding frame;
a seat portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame;
a headrest portion pivotally connected with the surrounding frame;
a backrest portion having a first and a second end portion respectively connected pivotally with the seat portion and the headrest portion; and
a latch assembled with the backrest portion, the latch being slidable between a first position where the latch is positioned adjacent to the first end portion and engages with the seat portion, and a second position where the latch is positioned adjacent to the second end portion and engages with the headrest portion, the latch being configured to lock the infant carrier in either of a bassinet configuration and a seat configuration;
wherein the seat portion and the backrest portion are arranged so as to receive a child in a generally horizontal position in the bassinet configuration, and the seat portion and the backrest portion are arranged so as to receive a child in a sitting position in the seat configuration.

21. The infant carrier acc

Assignees

• Wonderland Nursery Goods

Inventors

• Zhong Zhi-Ren

Classifications

• B62B7/123

  from seat to bed (B62B7/147, B62B9/104 take precedence) · CPC title

• A47D11/005

  Convertible children's beds · CPC title

• B62B7/142 Primary

  Means for securing the body to the frame · CPC title

• B62B7/147 Primary

  rotatable as a whole to transform from seating to lying · CPC title

• B62B9/104

  with adjustable or reclining backrests · CPC title