High chair concepts

Abstract

To provide space-efficient seating for a child and an adult, the present inventor devised a chair structure including an adult seat and a child seat and a mechanism for allowing manual conversion the chair to allowing seating in either the adult seat or the child seat.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/678,285, which was filed on May 6, 2005 and which is incorporated herein by reference

COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND PERMISSION

A portion of this patent document contains material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to this document: Copyright© 2005, Eduardo E. Drake.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments of the present invention concern chair structures and accessories, such as chairs with adjustable seat heights that is suitable for adult and child use.

BACKGROUND

The present inventor has recognized that parents purchase one or more high chairs to facilitate feeding and other seated activities of their young children and that these chairs not only consume significant amounts of floor space in their homes, but are not suitable for adult seating even during periods when children are sleeping or otherwise unlikely to need the chair. The problem is particularly acute in homes with smaller dining areas and/or with multiple high chairs.

Accordingly, the inventor has identified a need for alternative forms of high chairs and/or other child-seating accessories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are side views of an exemplary combination adult-chair and high chair 100 which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 1AA and 1BB are front views of combination chair 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates how an axel-type hinge mechanism can be incorporated into combination chair 100.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary combination chair 300 which includes a stowable booster and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary combination chair 400 which includes a stowable booster and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows side and front views of a chair and window-shade-like storable booster assembly which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

This description, which references the above noted figures and incorporates the appended claims and referenced patent application, describes one or more specific embodiments of an invention. These embodiments, offered not to limit but only to exemplify and teach the invention, are shown and described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement or practice the invention. Thus, where appropriate to avoid obscuring the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those of skill in the art.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1AA, and 1BB show a combination chair 100 which in one mode function as a convention chair suitable for an average adult size person and in another mode functions as a high chair suitable for small children and infants. Combination chair 100 includes A seat support portion 110, a lower support portion 120, and a hinge portion 130.

Seat support portion 110 includes side support structures 111A and 111B, adult-sized seat 112, back slat members 113A, 113B, and 113C; child-sized seat 114, child back slat 115, and a three-point child safety harness 116. Side support structures 111A and 111B include notches along their length to receive the child-sized seat and allow adjustment of its height. In some embodiments, notches are omitted or other known adjustment mechanisms such as detent mechanisms are used. In some embodiments one or more pairs of the slots may receiving a mating tray which slideably engages the slides. A detent mechanism may in some embodiments secure the tray in one of a plurality of positions to facilitate adjustment of the horizontal tray position relative to the child back slat 115.

Lower support portion 120, which is mounted to seat support portion 110 via hinge 130 to permit rotation of seat supportion about an axis defined by hinge 130, includes side support structures 121A and 121B and a step portion 122. Side support structures 121A and 121B include horizontal notches distributed along their vertical dimension for receiving step portion 122, with one or more additional pairs of horizontal notches provided to allow adjustment of the vertical height of step portion 122. In some embodiments, one or more the notches may receive a tray for storage when not in use. Other embodiments may provide a drawer for storage of bibs, child utensils, and cleaning supplies beneath step portion 122 or incorporated into step portion 122. In some embodiments one or more latches are provided, for example, opposite hinge 130 to prevent or severely restrict relative rotation of structures 110 and 120.

Chair 100 and its various components may be made of wood, plastic, metal, and composite materials of numerous varieties using known techniques such as injection or transfer molding, etc.

The embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention, not to restrict its breadth or scope. The actual scope of the invention, which embraces all ways of practicing or implementing the teachings of the invention, is defined only by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A chair comprising a seat support structure having first and second generally horizontal seat members mounted thereto.

2. The chair of claim 1, wherein the first and second seat members project outward in the same direction from the seat support structure.

3. The chair of claim 1, further comprising a lower support structure rotatably mounted to the seat support structure to permit rotation of an upper back portion of the seat support structure to a downward position whereby the upper back portion provides lower support for the chair.

4. A method comprising providing a chair having a child-seating mode and an adult-seating mode.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising changing the chair from one of the child seating mode and the adult-seating mode to the other of the child seating mode and the adult-seating mode.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising closing a latch to secure the chair in the other mode.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising opening the latch to enable changing the chair back to the one mode.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the chair comprising offering the chair for sale over the internet; receiving an acceptance of the sale offering over the internet; and mailing the chair in as an unassembled kit in response to the acceptance.

9. A chair comprising an adult seat and a child seat and means for allowing manual orientation of one or more portions of the chair to allowing seating in either the adult seat or the child seat.