IMMOBILIZING RETAINER FOR CHILD'S JUMP CHAIR

Abstract

The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair is permanently or removably attached to the jump chair seat to extend therefrom. The retainer is formed of an inelastic, flexible length of material such as a strap, rope, cord, or the like, and is sufficiently long as to extend from the jump chair seat with a portion trailing across the underlying surface. A parent or caretaker for the child may step on the portion of the retainer resting on the surface to hold the jump chair seat in position while placing the child in the seat or lifting the child from the seat. This prevents the jump chair seat from swaying or rising as the child is placed in or lifted from the seat, thereby easing the effort of the caretaker to provide a safer operation. The retainer may be stored compactly on the jump chair when not in use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to chairs for infants and young children, and more particularly to an immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair that attaches to the bottom of a child's jump chair or bounce seat to limit or prevent movement of the chair when placing or removing a child in or from the chair or seat.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various movable seating devices for infants and toddlers have been developed in the past, for the exercise and entertainment of the child placed therein. Many of these devices are suspended from some overhead structure (framework, door lintel, ceiling structure, etc.) by resilient cords or the like, e.g., bungee cords, to allow the small child to bounce up and down to some extent while seated in the suspended seat. These devices are known by various terms such as jump chairs, baby bouncers, bounce seats, etc.

Such jump chairs can provide innumerable hours of enjoyment for small children placed therein, and are quite safe when properly designed and configured. However, by the nature of such devices it can be inherently difficult to place a child in the chair or to remove a child from the chair. This is due to the resilient lifting action of the bungee cords suspending the seat from the overhead structure, and the swaying of the scat from its suspension lines. One must take into account the lowering of the seat as the bungee cords stretch due to the weight of the child being added to the seat, as well as the horizontal movement or displacement of the seat due to contact with the child as the child is placed in the seat. Removing the child from the seat can be somewhat more difficult, as the bungees contract to raise the seat with the child as the child's weight is removed from the seat. As a result, the parent or caretaker of the child must lift the child through a substantial vertical distance, perhaps two or three feet, in order to lift the child completely clear of the seat, i.e., with the legs and feet of the child completely clear of the upper edge of the seat. Moreover, the very light weight of the seat may result in the seat tending to adhere to the child or to the clothing of the child, particularly in the case of a vinyl or other plastic seat and vinyl or other plastic training pants or the like being worn by the child in the seat. This adds further to the difficulty in removing the child from the seat, and creates some hazard in performing the action.

Thus, an immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair essentially comprises a long, inelastic, flexible length of material either permanently or temporarily attached to the bottom of the seat of a child's jump chair. The length of the extended retainer is sufficient to extend from the bottom of the jump chair seat with some portion of the length extending across the floor or other underlying surface. The parent or caretaker of the child may step on the portion of the retainer that is extended across the surface to stabilize the chair and limit its horizontal motion while placing a child in the chair. As the weight of the child is added to the chair during placement of the child in the chair, the chair will settle as the elastic suspension stretches. However, the initial stabilization of the chair as the child is initially being guided into the seat serves to facilitate the placement of the child in the chair by limiting the swinging motion of the chair. The retainer is particularly valuable in holding the seat portion of the jump chair at a fixed height above the surface while lifting the child from the chair. The parent or guardian need only step on the portion of the retainer that is resting on the surface to hold the seat portion at a fixed height, thereby facilitating the lifting of the child from the chair.

The retainer may be formed of any practicable inelastic material, e.g., natural or synthetic fabric webbing or strap, natural or synthetic rope or cord, etc. The retainer may be attached to the seat portion of the jump chair by any practicable means, e.g., stitching, adhesives, fabric rivets, etc. for permanent attachment, or snaps, ties, buttons, a zipper, etc. for removable attachment, so long as the attachment is sufficiently strong as to secure the retainer to the seat as required.

The retainer may be retracted or otherwise stored on the seat of the jump chair, if so desired. In one embodiment, the retainer comprises a flat strap with a portion of hook and loop fabric material (e.g., Velcro®) disposed a short distance from the attachment end, with a mating portion of such material attached to the seat of the jump chair near the attachment point of the retainer. The flat strap of the retainer is coiled with its hook and loop fabric material to the outside of the coil, and the two portions of hook and loop fabric are pressed together to secure the retainer in its compactly stowed configuration. Other embodiments provide for the permanently installed or removable retainer to be stored in a pocket on the seat of the jump chair.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view showing the immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to the present invention being used to retain the jump chair while the child is lifted therefrom.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to the present invention, shown in a partially stowed configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of an immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to the present invention, wherein a pocket is provided for the storage of a permanently attached cord retainer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating another alternative embodiment of an immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to the present invention, wherein a pocket is provided for the storage of a removably attached strap retainer.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair serves as a stabilizing device to prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the movement of the suspended chair when placing a small child in the chair or removing the child from the chair. The immobilizing retainer thus provides a substantial improvement in safety for such resiliently suspended jump chairs and the like. The device may be provided in combination with a child's jump chair, or as a separate component for attachment to an existing jump chair.

FIG. 1 provides an environmental perspective view of a child's jump chair 10 having the immobilizing retainer 12 of the present invention attached thereto and extending therefrom. The jump chair 10 includes a seat portion 14 having a plurality of elastic or resilient suspension members 16 extending therefrom. The suspension members 16 attach to an overhead anchor 18 that is secured to a suitable overlying structure, e.g., ceiling joist over the room, etc., in a well-known manner. Alternatively, the immobilizing retainer 12 may be used with a conventional jump chair or bounce chair suspended from a frame that rests upon the underlying floor or other structure, if desired.

The immobilizing retainer 12 comprises an elongate, inelastic, flexible line or strap having a jump chair attachment end 20 that attaches to the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10 and an opposite free end portion 22. The free end portion 22 of the immobilizing retainer line 12 is sufficiently long that it may rest upon the underlying surface when the jump chair 10 is suspended from the overlying structure, generally as shown in FIG. 1. The device is used essentially as shown in FIG. 1. A parent or caregiver A initially steps upon the free end portion 22 of the immobilizing retainer line 12 to immobilize or stabilize the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10, and then lifts the child B from the chair 10 or places the child B into the chair 10. The immobilizing retainer line 12 prevents the seat portion 14 of the chair 10 from rising when lifting the child B therefrom, thereby reducing the lifting height required for the parent or caregiver B to remove the child A from the chair 10 and increasing the safety of the operation by preventing the seat portion 14 of the chair 10 from inadvertently catching on one of the legs or feet of the child B when the child is being lifted from the chair. The free end portion 22 of the retainer line is released once the child B has been removed from the chair 10, allowing the seat portion 14 of the chair to rise to its unladed height. It will be seen that the immobilizing retainer line 12 may also be used to prevent or at least minimize the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10 from swaying due to contact with the child B when the child is placed in the jump chair. The seat portion 14 will settle as the elastic suspension members 16 elongate when the child's weight is placed therein, but initially the seat portion 14 will be prevented from swaying due to the retention of the seat by the immobilizing retainer 10 during this operation.

FIG. 2 provides a detailed perspective view of the attachment and storage of the first embodiment immobilizing retainer line 12 illustrated in the environmental view of FIG. 1. The attachment end 20 of the retainer line 12 may be permanently attached to the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10 by any of a number of practicable means, e.g., stitching 24 and/or adhesive 26 (shown extending from beneath the attachment end 20 of the retainer line 12 in FIG. 2), conventional fabric rivets, etc., as desired. The immobilizing retainer line 12 may be compactly stored upon the jump chair 10 as well. FIG. 2 illustrates one such storage means, wherein a patch of hook and loop fabric material 28a, e.g., Velcro®), is attached to the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10 and a mating portion of hook and loop fabric material 28b is attached to the immobilizing retainer line 12 at a point near the attachment end 20 of the retainer line and to the outside surface of the retainer line, i.e., opposite the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10, generally as shown in FIG. 2. The remainder of the immobilizing retainer line 12 may be coiled beginning with the distal free end portion 22 thereof, the retainer line 12 shown partially coiled in FIG. 2. When the coiling is completed, it will be seen that the hook and loop portion of material 28b on the retainer line will be on the outside of the coil, and will face the mating hook and loop material 28a on the jump chair seat 14. The two mating portions 28a and 28b of hook and loop fabric material may then be pressed together to secure the coiled retainer line 12 to the jump chair 10 until the retainer line 12 is needed.

The immobilizing retainer line 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an inelastic, flexible, flat strap. However, other line configurations may be used. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment comprising a length of rope or cord 112 having a jump chair attachment end 120 and an opposite free end portion 122. The attachment end 120 may be secured to the seat portion 14 of the jump chair 10 by stitching, adhesive, etc., or other means, e.g., the fabric rivet 124 shown in FIG. 3. As the rope or cord retainer line 112 cannot be rolled up upon itself as in the case of the flat strap embodiment, a pocket 128 is provided for the storage of the rope or cord retainer line 112 of FIG. 3. The rope or cord retainer line 112 embodiment is used in the same manner as described further above for the flat strap retainer line 12 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 provides an illustration of a removably attached immobilizing retainer line 212. The retainer line 212 of FIG. 4 is another elongate, inelastic, flexible line in the form of a flat strap, similar to the line 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The immobilizing retainer line 212 includes an attachment end 220 and an opposite free end portion 222. The free end portion 222 is shown coiled in the manner of the retainer line 12 illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The retainer line embodiment 212 of FIG. 4 differs from the retainer 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the retainer line 212 is removably attached to the seat 14 of the jump chair 10. The attachment end 220 of the retainer line 212 is stitched, glued, riveted, or otherwise permanently attached to the seat 14 as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, but the remainder of the line 212 is removably attached to the attachment end 220 by a zipper 224. The user of the jump chair 10 and immobilizing retainer line 212 of FIG. 4 may detach the removable portion of the retainer line 212 from the seat 14 by means of the zipper 224. Other conventional means may be used to attach the retainer line 212 removably to the seat 14, e.g., ties, buckles, buttons, snaps, etc. The retainer line 212 may be stored in a pocket 228 provided on the seat 14 of the jump chair 10 when not in use, Other storage means may be provided, e.g., mating hook and loop fabric patches or panels to hold the retainer line 212 in a coiled configuration and to hold the coil to the seat 14, etc.

Accordingly, the immobilizing retainer line in its various embodiments serves to stabilize and at least substantially immobilize the seat portion of a child's jump chair to facilitate placement of the child in the chair or removal of the child from the chair, substantially as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The retainer line may take on various configurations, e.g., the flat strap and rope or cord configurations illustrated, etc. The line may be formed of any of a number of different materials, e.g., natural or synthetic fabric webbing (e.g., nylon webbing) or fiber for a rope or cord, leather strap material, etc., as desired. Various means may be used to attach the strap, rope, or cord to the seat, either removably or permanently as desired. Any of the embodiments noted above serve the purpose and function, and substantially facilitate the placement and removal of a child in and from the seat of the jump chair, correspondingly increasing the safety of the operation.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A child's jump chair and an immobilizing retainer therefor, comprising in combination:

a jump chair having a seat portion and a plurality of resilient suspension members extending therefrom, the suspension members of the jump chair being adapted to suspend the seat portion of the jump chair above an underlying surface; and

an elongate, inelastic, flexible line, the line having a jump chair attachment end attached to the seat portion of the jump chair and a free end portion opposite the jump chair attachment end, the free end portion being dimensioned and configured for extending across the underlying surface when the jump chair is suspended thereabove.

2. The child's jump chair and immobilizing retainer according to claim 1, wherein the line is permanently affixed to the jump chair.

3. The child's jump chair and immobilizing retainer according to claim 1, wherein the line is removably affixed to the jump chair.

4. The child's jump chair and immobilizing retainer according to claim 1, further comprising line storage means disposed upon the jump chair for storing said line when not in use.

5. The child's jump chair and immobilizing retainer according to claim 1, wherein the line is a flat strap.

6. The child's jump chair and immobilizing retainer according to claim 1, wherein the line is selected of materials selected from the group consisting of a rope and a cord.

7. A method of removing a child from a child's jump chair using the apparatus of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

(a) stepping on the free end portion of the line, thereby restraining the movement of the seat portion of the jump chair;

(b) lifting the child from the seat portion of the jump chair; and

(c) releasing the free end portion of the line, thereby allowing the seat portion of the jump chair to rise.

8. An immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair, the jump chair having a seat portion and a plurality of resilient suspension members extending therefrom, the suspension members of the jump chair being adapted to suspend the seat portion of the jump chair above an underlying surface, the immobilizing retainer comprising an elongate, inelastic, flexible line having a jump chair attachment end adapted for attachment to the seat portion of the jump chair and a free end portion opposite the jump chair attachment end, the free end portion extending across the underlying surface when the jump chair is suspended thereabove.

9. The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to claim 8, further comprising means for permanently attaching the line to the jump chair disposed upon the jump chair attachment end of the line.

10. The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to claim 8, further comprising means for removably attaching the line to the jump chair disposed upon the jump chair attachment end of the line.

11. The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to claim 8, further comprising line storage means disposed upon the jump chair for storing said line when not in use.

12. The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to claim 8, wherein the line is a flat strap.

13. The immobilizing retainer for a child's jump chair according to claim 8, wherein the line is selected of materials selected from the group consisting of a rope and a cord.

14. A method of removing a child from a child's jump chair using the apparatus of claim 8, comprising the steps of:

(a) stepping on the free end portion of the line, thereby restraining the movement of the seat portion of the jump chair;

(b) lifting the child from the seat portion of the jump chair; and

(c) releasing the free end portion of the line, thereby allowing the seat portion of the jump chair to rise.

15. A method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an elongate, inelastic, flexible line, the line having a jump chair attachment end and a free end portion opposite the jump chair attachment end;

(b) attaching the jump chair attachment end of the line to the jump chair;

(c) extending the free end portion of the line across an underlying surface when the jump chair is suspended thereabove;

(d) stepping on the free end portion of the line, thereby substantially immobilizing the jump chair; and

(e) releasing the free end portion of the line, thereby allowing free motion of the jump chair.

16. The method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair according to the method of claim 15, further comprising the step of permanently attaching the jump chair attachment end of the line to the jump chair.

17. The method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair according to the method of claim 15, further comprising the step of removably attaching the jump chair attachment end of the line to the jump chair.

18. The method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair according to the method of claim 15, further comprising the step of storing the line upon the jump chair.

19. The method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair according to the method of claim 15, wherein the line is made from flat strap material.

20. The method of immobilizing a resiliently suspended child's jump chair according to the method of claim 15, wherein the line is made from rope or cord.