Mounting system for umbrella strollers

Abstract

A mounting system for mounting an elongate object to a car seat, including a pair of discrete mounting devices, removably attachable to a car seat headrest, each mounting device including an attachment portion removably attachable to the headrest, a retaining portion for receiving and cradling the object, and a securing portion for releasably securing the object, such that the retaining and securing portions form a closed loop when the object is secured.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser No. 60/563,490, filed Apr. 19, 2004.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to support or mounting devices for securing items to the rear of an automotive seat.

2. Description of Prior Art

Due to its small collapsed size, the umbrella stroller is very portable and fits easily in the trunk of most motor vehicles. It is often left continuously in the vehicle, to be sure that it is available whenever one is away from the home with a child. This presents a problem in that it is small enough to stay in the car, but large enough to get in the way of groceries and other items that may need to also be transported in the vehicle.

Many vehicles have an open storage space behind the last row of seats, instead of a traditional trunk. These vehicles include vans, minivans, sport utility vehicles and station wagons. The open storage space is the volume of space bordered by the rear door or wall of the vehicle and the back of the rearmost seat. Often, items such as an umbrella stroller are stored here, on the floor, until they are needed for use. The disadvantage of keeping the stroller on the floor is that it takes up usable storage area. The user currently has two choices. The first is to simply stack any additional packages around and on top of the stroller. The user is then unable to retrieve the stroller when required. The second choice is to remove the stroller, place the additional packages on the floor and then place the stroller upon those packages. In this case, the weight of the stroller can damage fragile packages beneath it.

Inventions exist in the prior art to utilize the space above the floor of the rear storage area. U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,378 to Miller (2002) discloses a gun rack that hangs over the rear seat and has hooks to support a gun or bow. U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,900 (2003), U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,726 (2003), U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,061 (1994), and U.S. Pat. No. 2,680,523 (1954) all describe similar structures that support items off the back of the rear seat. What they all have in common are at least three structural parts that are fastened together into one large rigid unit. Two vertical members that hold the assembly to the rear seat and a horizontal cross member, that when fastened to the holding members, create a rigid assembly. The rigidity allows the objects held by the structure to be loosely attached and of varying size. The system is thus kept stable as the vehicle is driven. These inventions are complicated and expensive to produce, and once assembled on to the rear of the seat, these structures must be removed completely if a large package needs to be stored in the same area.

The invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,533 (1999) shows a stroller mounted to the rear of a seat. The stroller is folded and attached along the rear face of the seat, suspended above the floor of the automobile. The disadvantages are that it requires a special automotive seat and stroller that would limit its use to automobiles that specify the unique combination. A user would have no option to mount a standard umbrella stroller on the rear face of a standard car seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a mounting system includes a pair of discrete mounting devices used to mount an elongate object horizontally across the back of an automobile seat. This invention provides a means to elevate an umbrella stroller above the commonly used floor space of the vehicle, into a space that is not commonly used for storage. This invention will be referred to as a mounting system. In a preferred embodiment, the invention consists of two or more discrete mounting devices that mount to the rear side of the rearmost seat in a vehicle. The invention can be easily attached and detached from the rear seat. The invention should also be easy to use, allowing one to easily store and remove the stroller from the storage device quickly, without tools or excessive effort.

The following pages describe multiple embodiments of the umbrella stroller adapter shown in FIG. 3. For the purpose of clarity, the collapsed umbrella stroller will be represented in the following figures as a cylinder. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a typical umbrella stroller in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a view of a typical umbrella stroller in a collapsed position.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the first embodiment of the mounting system mounted on a car seat with a stroller.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the first embodiment of the mounting system with the seat not shown.

FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are isometric views of different attachment tabs.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the mounting system shown as it appears with no object mounted upon it.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the second embodiment of the mounting system with a flexible-retaining element.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the second embodiment of the mounting system mounted on the rear seat with a stroller.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the second embodiment of the mounting system mounted on the rear seat without a stroller.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a mounting system with button and hole securing elements.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a mounting system with tongue and slot fastening elements.

DESCRIPTION

An umbrella stroller is a lightweight portable stroller designed for transporting a child relatively short distances. The strollers are made of thin metal tubes. Attached to the tubes is a fabric material that makes up the seat. The stroller has two modes of operation, open 11 or collapsed 12. In the open mode 11, the stroller is locked in a state where a child can ride in the upright position. In the collapsed mode 12, the stroller is folded up into a very compact form, similar in appearance and function to that of a collapsed umbrella. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an umbrella stroller in an open and collapsed state, respectively. To simplify the drawings, the geometry of the stroller will be represented as a cylinder 13 in the subsequent figures. It should be noted that the invention would be equally beneficial for mounting other elongate items. Some examples include but are not limited to, baseball bats, golf clubs and rifles.

A preferred embodiment of the mounting system is shown in FIG. 3. The mounting system consists of a pair of mounting devices 17 that are mounted along the rear face 16 of the rearmost seat of the vehicle. The mounting devices 17 are attahed to the car seat by mounting to the rigid support or posts of the headrest 14. Typically the headrest 14 is mounted to the top of the vehicle seat by two steel posts 15. These posts 15 are fixed to the headrest 14 and are inserted into the top of the rear seat 16. This allows the height of the headrest 14 relative to the seat 16 to be changed to accommodate riders of different heights.

FIGS. 3-4 show a mounting system 17, and as it would appear with an umbrella stroller 13 mounted in it. At one end is a protrusion of semi-rigid material that is the attachment portion 20. Near the center of this protrusion is a hole 21 of a large enough diameter for the posts 15 of the headrest 14 to fit through. At one end of the attachment portion 20 is a first downward bend 26. A vertical-retaining portion 22 extends downward from this first bend 26 to loosely follow the downward angle of the rear surface of the seat 16. At the lower end of the vertical-retaining portion 22 is a second bend 27 changing the direction of the protrusion from vertical to horizontal. Extending from the second bend 27 is a horizontal-retaining portion 23 extending outward toward the rear of the vehicle. At the rearmost end of the horizontal-retaining portion 23 is a third bend 28 changing the direction of the protrusion from horizontal to vertical. Extending from the third bend 28 is a vertical-securing portion 24a extending upward. The vertical-securing portion 24a, the horizontal-retaining portion 23 and the vertical-retaining portion 22 receive and cradle the umbrella stroller 13, holding it securely to inhibit rattling. At the upward most end of the vertical-securing portion 24a is a fourth bend 29 changing the direction of the protrusion from vertical to approximately 45 degrees off of a vertical plane. Extending from the fourth bend 29 is a lead-in portion 25a extending rearward and upward at an angle approximately 45 degrees to the vertical-retaining portion. The lead-in portion 25a allows the user to place the stroller 13 into the mounting system with one hand.

A stabilizing device 30 may be added to the rear face of the vertical-retaining portion 22 to hold it against the rear of the seat 16 when not in use or to stabilize it when in use. This will also provide stability to the stroller 13 when it is in the mounting system. The stabilizing device 30 will prevent the stroller 13 from swaying back and forth when the vehicle turns or accelerates. The stabilizing means 30 can be hook and loop, adhesive tape or some other feature that inhibits movement of the mounting devices 17 relative to the rear of the seat 16. In all mounting system embodiments, the stabilizing means 30 also secures the device against the rear of the seat 16 when the stroller 13 is being removed. In embodiments where the stroller 13 is held snugly by the mounting devices 17, it will facilitate removal of the stroller 13 to have mounting devices 17 secured while the stroller 13 is lifted upward and out of the mounting system.

FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d represent alternative embodiments of rigid and semi-rigid attachment tabs. FIG. 5a shows the mounting hole 21 as a simple through hole. To place the mounting hole 21 around the headrest shaft 15, the headrest 14 must be completely removed from the seat assembly 16. FIG. 5b shows an alternative to mounting hole 21. A slot 32 is formed from one side of the attachment portion 20 to the mounting hole 21. This slot 32 allows the mounting system to be attached to and removed from the headrest post 15 without removing the headrest 14 from the seat assembly 16. On the opposite side of the mounting hole 21 from the slot 32 is a portion of remaining material 31. This remaining material 31 is flexible enough to allow it to bend and twist during assembly to the headrest post 15. In this way, the slot 32 is able to open wide enough to allow the post 15 to be positioned in the mounting hole 21. After assembly, because the remaining material 31 is no longer twisted, the slot 32 is small enough to prevent the post from exiting the mounting hole 21. FIG. 5c shows the slot 32 formed into a snap fit 33. The user simply snaps the mounting system on to the headrest post by forcing the snap fit 33 horizontally against the shaft. FIG. 5d shows a simple hook 34 that retains the 17 to the post 15 by the downward force that the weight of the stroller 13 places on the hook 34 and the post 15. These alternative attachment devices add convenience to the user in that the device can be more easily attached and removed from the rear seat without removing the headrest 14 from the seatback 16.

The attachment portion 20 and the vertical-retaining portion 22 may be formed integrally or joined together from separate materials. If formed integrally, the attachment portion 20 may be thicker than the vertical-mounting portion 22 to provide increased stiffness needed for mounting heavier strollers. Similarly, if joined from two materials, the materials may have separate properties to provide added stiffness for mounting. Likewise first bend 26 may be a hinge joint formed from the joining of these two separate pieces.

FIG. 6 shows a single mounting device 17 as it would appear when the umbrella stroller is removed. The vertical-securing portion 24b and the lead-in portion 25b may be designed to flex inward about the third bend 28 when it is not in use. In this way the mounting system takes up less space when no stroller is mounted. When, inserting the stroller, the vertical-securing portion 24b and lead-in portion 25b are flexed outwardly toward the rear of the vehicle. The vertical-securing portion 24b is designed to spring back to securely hold the stroller in place and minimize the noise resulting when various parts of the stroller rattle against one another. In this way the mounting system is able to accommodate strollers of varying cross sections. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 shows the vertical-securing portion 24b and the horizontal-retaining portion 23 formed from the same material with an integrally formed spring at the third bend 28. The vertical-securing portion 24b and the horizontal-retaining portion 23 may be formed from two separate parts with a hinge and a separate spring to provide the necessary rotation and clamping force. Alternately, the second bend 27 may be substituted for third bend 28 as the hinged bend.

A cycle of operation for the mounting system 17 is now described. First the rear door of the vehicle is opened. The stroller 11 is then collapsed. The user then lifts the stroller 13, above the mounting system, orientating it horizontally with respect to the floor of the vehicle. The user then lowers the umbrella stroller 13 into the twin cradles of the mounting devices 17. The lead-in portion 25a acts to guide the stroller 13 into the mounting devices 17. To remove the stroller 13 from the mounting system the user grips the umbrella stroller 13 at its center and lifts upward. The mounting devices 17 are restrained by the headrest 14 and when used, the stabilizing means 30. In this way, the mounting devices 17 remain secured in position while the stroller 13 is lifted up and outward.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the mounting system 40. This embodiment is similar to the previous embodiments in that it includes a pair of mounting devices 40 consisting of an attachment portion, a retaining portion and a securing portion. In this embodiment, the securing portion comprises a first fastening element 41a releasably connectable to a second fastening element 41b. The first and second fastening elements 41a, 41b are used to more securely retain the stroller 13 during use. Similar to the previous embodiment, the attachment portion 20 attaches to the headrest posts 15 and supports the mounting system 40 above the rear floor of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the material of the attachment portion 20 may be flexible to wrap around the headrest shaft 15 and then attach securely to a portion of the mounting device. Alternately, the material of the attachment portion 20 may be rigid to allow the attachment portion 20 hook onto the headrest post 15 to support the weight of the stroller 13 without deformation. The retaining portion of this embodiment is made up of a flexible strap 45. The material of the flexible strap 45 is flexible enough to bend easily around the cross section of an umbrella stroller. Varying the length of the flexible strap 45 will allow for mounting of strollers of various cross sectional areas. The flexible strap 45 can be made of a low cost material such as low-density polyethylene or nylon strapping. The fastening portion 41 shown in FIG. 7 is a hook and loop type fastener. Typically it consists of two parts 41a, 41b. The two parts 41a, 41b of the fastening portion are located near opposite ends of the flexible strap 45. The fastening element 41 allows the ends of the flexible strap 45 to be joined together to form a closed loop of material that cradles the stroller securely, to inhibit rattling.

A cycle of operation for the second embodiment is as follows. To put the stroller 13 in the mounting system 40, the user holds the collapsed stroller up against the rear of the seat 16. At this position, both of the flexible straps 45 are between the stroller 13 and the seat 16. The stroller 13 is held at a height corresponding to the midpoint of the flexible strap 45. Each flexible strap 45 is then wrapped around the stroller 13 to cradle it. The second fastening element 41b is then securely fastened to the first fastening element 41a. Often a stroller 13 is thicker at one end than the other. The hook and loop fastening elements can be joined in a plurality of positions, allowing the mounting system 40 to accommodate different cross section sizes of different makes of umbrella strollers. Additionally, the flexible strap 45 can be lengthened or shortened in use to accommodate a wide variety of stroller sizes. Once the stroller 13 is secured in the mounting system 40, the stroller pushes downward on the middle portion 46 of the flexible strap 45. When the mounting system 40 is pulled downward in this way, the inside faces 43,44 of the end portions of the flexible strap 45 exert a cradling force on the stroller 13. These side forces from portions 43 and 44 provide a squeeze on the stroller that cradles the stroller 13 and inhibits rattling during driving.

To remove the stroller 13 from the mounting system 40, the user grabs the stroller 13 at its center, and pulls at the end of each strap 45 to disengage first fastening element 41a from the second fastening element 41b. The straps are left to hang downward, substantially flat and out of the way until needed again. FIG. 8 shows the mounting system 40 of the second embodiment attached along a seat back 16 with a stroller mounted within it. It is shown in FIG. 8 that in use, the mounting system 40 holds the stroller 13 above the floor of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 9, when not in use, the mounting system 40 is able to lie substantially flat against the rear of the seat 16 and maintain a low profile. In this case, with the stroller 13 removed, the entire storage space behind the rearmost seat 16 may be used without removal of the mounting system 40 from the seat 16.

FIG. 10 shows an alternative mounting system 54 where the hook and loop fastening means is replaced with a button 50 and a hole 51. This offers the benefit of increased durability over a hook and loop fastener. It is also much stronger than a hook and loop joint. At one end of the flexible strap 45 is a fixed button 50. This button 50 has a smaller diameter where the button is attached to the flexible strap 45. The button 50 has a larger diameter at a point away from where it attaches to the flexible strap 45. At the other end of the flexible strap 45 are one or more cooperating holes 51, sized to receive the largest diameter of the button 50. As before, the stroller 13 is positioned up against the rear of the seat 16 and the end of the mounting device 54 with the holes 51 is looped around the stroller 13 and attached to the fixed button 50. The hole 51 may have a slot 52, at one end, as shown, to more positively secure the button 50. The weight of the stroller 13 pulls the mounting device 54 downward, driving the smaller diameter of the button 50 into the slot 52. Multiple holes 51 and slots 52 can also accommodate strollers 13 of different dimensions. To disengage the button 50 from the hole 51, the end of the flexible strap 45 must be lifted upward until the small diameter of the button 50 is out of the slot 52.

FIG. 11 shows a mounting system 60 with an alternative fastening portion referred to as a tongue and groove. A benefit of this configuration is that the entire strap may be made from a single stamped or molded piece. At one end is the attachment portion 20 similar to previous embodiments. A receiving slot 63 is placed at one end of the flexible strap 45. Formed into the flexible strap 45, opposite the slot 63 is a tongue 65. The tongue 65 has a wide portion 66 that should be smaller than the length of the slot 63. The tongue 65 also has a narrow portion 67 that should be narrower than the width of the slot 63. To place a stroller 13 in the mounting system 60, the stroller 13 is held against the rear of the seat 16, below the slot 63. The mounting system 60 will be positioned between the stroller 13 and the seat 17 while the tongue 65 will hang toward the floor of the rear storage area. The flexible strap 45 is then looped around the stroller 13. The tongue end 65 is then twisted such that the wide section 66 of the tongue lines up with the long section of the slot 63. The tongue 65 is inserted into the slot so that the wide section 66 completely passes through the slot 63. The tongue end 65 is then twisted back to its natural position, placing the wide section 66 perpendicular to the slot 63. The wide section 66 then retains the tongue end 65 in the slot 63 and the weight of the stroller 13 forces the narrow section 67 of the tongue downward in the slot 63.

The invention described above pertains to a system for mounting an umbrella stroller in the rear storage area of a car. This invention should not be limited to umbrella strollers. Larger strollers, as well as fishing rods, rifles, baseball bats and the like, would all work with this invention.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the forgoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mounting system for mounting an elongate object to a car seat, comprising:

a pair of discrete mounting devices removably attachable to a car seat headrest, each mounting device including:

an attachment portion removably attachable to the headrest;

a retaining portion for receiving and cradling the object; and

a securing portion for releasably securing the object, the retaining and securing portions forming a closed loop when the object is secured.

2. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the mounting device is formed of one of a semi-rigid and flexible material.

3. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the securing portion comprises a first fastening element releasably connectable to a second fastening element.

4. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein the first fastening element is releasably connectable to the second fastening element at a plurality of connection points.

5. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein the mounting device is formed of a flexible material and configured to lie substantially flat when the first fastening element is disconnected from the second fastening element.

6. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein the first and second fastening elements are formed of hook and loop material.

7. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein one of the first and second fastening elements comprises a button releasably connectable to a receiving hole on a second one of the first and second fastening elements.

8. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein one of the first and second fastening elements comprises a tongue releasably connectable to a receiving slot on a second one of the first and second fastening elements.

9. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the mounting device is removably attachable to a headrest post.

10. The mounting system of claim 9, wherein the attachment portion includes one of a rigid and semi-rigid attachment tab.

11. The mounting system of claim 10, wherein the attachment tab includes a through hole configured to receive the headrest post.

12. The mounting system of claim 10, wherein the attachment tab further includes a slot extending from the through hole to the periphery of the tab, the tab being deformable to receive the headrest post through the slot.

13. The mounting system of claim 10, wherein the attachment portion wraps around the headrest post and fixes on a portion of the mounting system, forming a closed loop when the mounting system is attached to the headrest.

14. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the mounting device further includes a stabilizing element releasably connectable to an anchor on the back of the car seat.

15. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the mounting device is removably attachable to the car seat headrest without removing the headrest from the seat.

16. A mounting system for mounting an elongate object to a car seat, comprising:

a pair of discrete mounting devices removably attachable to a car seat headrest, each mounting device including:

an attachment portion removably attachable to the headrest;

a retaining portion for receiving and cradling the object; and

a securing portion for releasably securing the object, the securing portion imposing a restraining force on the object when the object is loaded into the mounting system.

17. The mounting system of claim 16, wherein the mounting device is removably attachable to the car seat headrest without removing the headrest from the seat.

18. The mounting system of claim 17, wherein the mounting device is removably attachable to a headrest post.

19. The mounting system of claim 18, wherein the attachment portion includes one of a rigid and semi-rigid attachment tab.

20. The mounting system of claim 19, wherein the attachment tab includes a through hole configured to receive the headrest post, and a slot extending from the through hole to the periphery of the tab, the tab being deformable to receive the headrest post through the slot.

21. (canceled)