ROLLING CHILD CARRIER
A child carrier includes a wheeled base and a child seat coupled to the wheeled base. The child seat is adapted to support a seated child during movement of the child carrier along the ground.
This application claims priority to Netherlands Patent Application No. 2009531, filed Sep. 28, 2012, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure is related to child carriers. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to child carriers including wheels that allow a child carrier to be rolled along the ground.
SUMMARYAn illustrative child carrier is adapted to carry a child and a caregiver as the child carrier rolls along the ground. The child carrier includes a wheeled base and a child seat. The wheeled base is adapted to support a standing caregiver while the child seat supports a seated child as the child carrier rolls along the ground.
In illustrative embodiments, the child seat is coupled to the wheeled base for movement from an upright-use position to a collapsed-storage position. In the upright-use position, the child seat extends up from the wheeled base so that a child seated in the child seat is supported above the ground during operation of the child carrier. In the collapsed-storage position, the child seat extends along wheeled so that the child carrier has a relatively low profile during storage of the child carrier.
In illustrative embodiments, the child carrier includes a seat-position lock that provides means for blocking or allowing movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position. The seat-position lock includes a support arm coupled to the child seat and a support-arm retainer coupled to the wheeled base. The support arm is coupled to the child seat to pivot relative to the child seat. The support-arm retainer is coupled to the wheeled base and engages the support arm to block movement of the child seat to the collapsed storage position when the seat-position lock is locked.
In illustrative embodiments, the child carrier includes a brake unit that provides means for slowing the child carrier while a caregiver rides the child carrier. The brake unit includes a brake pedal, left and right friction plugs, and left and right struts that interconnect the brake pedal and friction plugs. The brake pedal is coupled to the wheeled base and is adapted to be pressed downwardly by a caregiver's foot to operate the brake unit. The friction plugs are moved into contact with back wheels of the wheeled base when a caregiver presses downwardly on the brake pedal to create friction between the friction plugs and the back wheels so that rotation of the wheels is resisted and the child carrier slows down.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
An illustrative rolling child carrier 10 is adapted to carry a child and a caregiver as child carrier 10 moves along the ground 15 as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, child seat 14 is coupled to wheeled base 12 for movement about a seat axis 14A from an upright-use position as shown in
Child carrier 10 includes a seat-position lock 20 that provides means for blocking or allowing movement of child seat 14 about seat axis 14A from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position as suggested in
Support-arm retainer 24 of seat-position lock 20 illustratively includes a receiver 26 and a blocker 28 as shown in
Child carrier 10 includes a brake unit 30 that provides means for slowing child carrier 10 while a caregiver rides child carrier 10 along the ground 15 as shown in
Brake pedal 34 is coupled to wheeled base 12 and is adapted to be pressed downwardly by a caregiver's foot to operate brake unit 30 as suggested by arrow 34D in
Wheeled base 12 illustratively includes an elongated deck board 45, a front-wheel truck 44, a back-wheel truck 46, and a pivot mount 48 as shown in
Deck board 45 includes a central platform 50, a front platform 54, and a back platform 56 as shown in
Front-wheel truck 44 is coupled to front platform 54 of deck board 45 and extends downwardly from front platform 54 as shown in
Back-wheel truck 46 is coupled to back platform 56 of deck board 45 and extends downwardly from back platform 56 as shown in
Child seat 14 is adapted to support a child sitting illustratively includes a sling mount 74, a child-support sling 76 coupled to sling mount 74, and a child grip 78 coupled to sling mount 74 as shown in
Sling mount 74 illustratively forms a continuous hoop to structurally support child-support sling 76 and includes a sling frame 80 and a caregiver grip 82 as shown in
Sling frame 80 is U-shaped and includes a left arm 83, a right arm 84, a crossbeam 85 interconnecting left and right arms 83, 84, left and right arm brackets 86, 87, and a pivot coupler 88 as shown, for example, in
Left leg 31 of support arm 22 is coupled to left arm bracket 86 of sling frame 80 as shown in
Child-support sling 76 illustratively includes a chair 90 and a harness 92 as shown in
Brake unit 30, brake pedal 34 is coupled to back platform 56 as shown in
Brake pedal 34 illustratively includes a press pad 96 arranged to extend over back platform 56 and connection member 98 arranged to extend under back platform 56 as shown in
In operation, a caregiver presses downwardly on brake pedal 34 as suggested in
To move seat-position lock 16 from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration a caregiver performs a number of steps as suggested in
In a first step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver moves blocker 28 of support-arm retainer 24 from the engaged position, shown in
In a second step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots support arm 22 relative to child seat 14 about arm axis 22A as suggested by arrow 2 in
In a third step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots child seat 14 about seat axis 14A away from wheeled base 12 as suggested by arrow 3 in
In a fourth step of unlocking seat-position lock 20, a caregiver pivots support arm 22 toward child seat 14 so that support arm 22 extends along child seat 14 as shown in
When seat-position lock 20 is in the unlocked configuration, a caregiver can pivot child seat 14 about seat axis 14A from the expanded-use position to the collapsed-storage position as suggested by arrow P in
An illustrative child carrier 10 for transporting a child by an adult may include a wheeled base 12 and a child seat 14 as shown in
In some embodiments, the front wheels 61, 62 may be are rotatably connected to a front axle 60 as shown in
In some embodiments, the child carrier 10 may comprise two back wheels 71, 72 being rotatably connected to a back axle 70 as shown in
In some embodiments, the front-axle axis 60A and the back-axle axis 70A enclose angles of more than one degree in opposite directions with respect to the corresponding virtual lines 65, 75 extending perpendicular to the central platform 50 of the elongated deck board 45 as shown in
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may include a sling frame 80 connected with a first end to the elongated deck board 45 near the front side 41 thereof and provided near a second end with a caregiver grip 82 as shown in
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may be foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa as shown in
In some embodiments, the sling mount 74 may be foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa as shown in
In some embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 comprises a front platform 54 provided with the at least two front wheels 61, 62, a central platform 50, and a back platform 56 provided with the back wheel 71 (or 72) as shown in
In some embodiments, the elongated deck board 45 may be provided with a brake unit 30 for braking the back wheel 71 (or 72) as shown in
In some embodiments, the child-support sling 76 may be a flexible seat made of a fabric as shown in
Claims
1. A child carrier comprising
- a wheeled base adapted to roll along the ground and to support a caregiver standing on the wheeled base,
- a child seat adapted to support a child seated on the child seat and coupled to the wheeled base for movement relative to the wheeled base about a seat axis from an upright-use position in which the child seat is arranged to extend upwardly from the wheeled base to a collapsed-storage position in which the child seat is arranged to extend along the wheeled base, and
- lock means for blocking movement of the child seat about the seat axis from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position so that the child carrier is maintained in a configuration that supports a child seated in the child seat above the ground during operation of the child carrier and for allowing movement of the child seat about the seat axis from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position so that the child carrier can be folded down to have a relatively low profile during storage of the child carrier.
2. The child carrier of claim 1, wherein the lock means includes a support arm coupled to the child seat to pivot about an arm axis and a support-arm retainer coupled to the wheeled base and the support-arm retainer is configured to engage the support arm when the lock means blocks movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position and to disengage the support arm when the lock means allows movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position.
3. The child carrier of claim 2, wherein the support arm is U-shaped and includes a first leg coupled to the child seat along the arm axis, a second leg coupled to the child seat along the arm axis, and a crossbar spaced apart from the arm axis that interconnects the left leg and the right leg.
4. The child carrier of claim 2, wherein the support-arm retainer includes a receiver coupled to the wheeled base and a blocker mounted for movement relative to the receiver, the receiver is formed to include a channel sized to receive the support arm, and the blocker is movable from an engaged position arranged to block movement of the support arm out of the channel to a disengaged position arranged to allow movement of the support arm out of the channel.
5. The child carrier of claim 1, wherein the wheeled base includes an elongated deck board sized to support a caregiver standing on the wheeled base, a front-wheel truck coupled to the elongated deck board, and a back-wheel truck coupled to the elongated deck board.
6. The child carrier of claim 5, wherein each of the front-wheel truck and the back-wheel truck includes a hanger coupled to the elongated deck board, an axle coupled to the hanger, a left wheel coupled to the axle, and a right wheel coupled to the axle.
7. The child carrier of claim 6, wherein the axle of each of the front-wheel truck and the back-wheel truck is coupled to one of the corresponding hanger of the front-wheel truck and the back-wheel truck for movement relative to the corresponding hanger about an axle axis which forms a non-perpendicular angle with the elongated deck board.
8. The child carrier of claim 6, further comprising brake means coupled to the wheeled base for resisting rotation of the left wheel included in the back-wheel truck and the right wheel included in back-wheel truck in response to a caregiver applying a force on the brake means so that the child carrier can be slowed by the caregiver while the caregiver is supported on the child carrier.
9. The child carrier of claim 8, wherein the brake means includes a brake pedal coupled to the elongated deck board to move downwardly relative to the elongated deck board, a left friction plug movable outwardly from a first position out of contact with the left wheel of the back-wheel truck to a second position in contact with the left wheel of the back-wheel truck, a right friction plug movable outwardly from a first position out of contact with the right wheel of the back-wheel truck to a second position in contact with the right wheel of the back-wheel truck, a left strut coupled to the brake pedal and to the left friction plug and configured to covert downward motion of the brake pedal into outward motion of the left friction plug, and a right strut coupled to the brake pedal and to the right friction plug to convert downward motion of the brake pedal into outward motion of the right friction plug.
10. The child carrier of claim 1, wherein the child seat includes a sling frame coupled to the wheeled base for movement about the seat axis, a flexible child-support sling mounted to the sling frame, and a caregiver grip sized to be held by a caregiver coupled to the sling frame.
11. The child carrier of claim 10, wherein the sling frame is U-shaped and includes a left arm, a right arm, and a cross member arranged to extend from the left member to the right member, the child seat includes a child grip sized to be held by a child, and the child grip extends from the left member to the right member of the sling frame.
12. A child carrier comprising
- a wheeled base including an elongated deck board sized to support a caregiver standing on the elongated deck board, a front-wheel truck coupled to the elongated deck board near a front end of the elongated deck board, and a back-wheel truck coupled to the elongated deck board near a back end of the elongated deck board, and
- a child seat including a sling frame coupled to the elongated deck board and a child-support sling coupled to the sling frame and sized to support a child sitting on the child seat.
13. The child carrier of claim 12, wherein the child seat is coupled to the wheeled base for movement from an upright-use position in which the child seat extends upwardly from the wheeled base to support a child seated in the child seat above the ground to a collapse-storage position in which the child seat extends along the wheeled base to produce a relatively lower profile child carrier for storage.
14. The child carrier of claim 13, further comprising a seat-position lock movable from a locked configuration arranged to block movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position to an unlocked configuration arranged to allow movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position.
15. The child carrier of claim 14, wherein the seat position lock includes a support arm coupled to sling frame of the child seat and a support-arm retainer coupled to the elongated deck board of the wheeled base and the support-arm retainer is configured to engage the support arm when the seat-position lock blocks movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position and to disengage the support arm when the lock means allows movement of the child seat from the upright-use position to the collapsed-storage position.
16. The child carrier of claim 15, wherein the support arm is U-shaped and includes a first leg coupled to the child seat along the arm axis, a second leg coupled to the child seat along the arm axis, and a crossbar spaced apart from the arm axis that interconnects the left leg and the right leg.
17. The child carrier of claim 15, wherein the support-arm retainer includes a receiver coupled to the wheeled base and a blocker mounted for movement relative to the receiver, the receiver is formed to include a channel sized to receive the support arm, and the blocker is movable from an engaged position arranged to block movement of the support arm out of the channel to a disengaged position arranged to allow movement of the support arm out of the channel.
18. The child carrier of claim 12, wherein each of the front-wheel truck and the back-wheel truck includes a hanger coupled to the elongated deck board, an axle coupled to the hanger for movement relative to the hanger about an axle axis which forms a non-perpendicular angle with the elongated deck board, a left wheel coupled to the axle, and a right wheel coupled to the axle.
19. The child carrier of claim 12, further comprising a brake unit including a brake pedal coupled to the elongated deck board to pivot relative to the deck board and a friction plug mounted for movement relative to a wheel included in the back-wheel truck from a first position out of contact with the wheel of the back-wheel truck to a second position in contact with the wheel of the back-wheel truck.
20. The child carrier of claim 19, wherein the brake unit includes a strut coupled at a first end to the brake pedal to pivot relative to the brake pedal and at a second end, opposite the first end, to the friction plug to pivot relative to the friction plug.
21. A child carrier for transporting a child by an adult, the child carrier comprising
- a wheeled base including an elongated deck board having a central platform sized to provide a footrest for the adult, two front wheels, a back wheel, and
- a child seat including a sling mount and a child-support sling for the child connected to the sling mount,
- wherein the front wheels are rotatably connected to a front axle, the front axle are pivotable about a front axle axis connected to a front side of the elongated deck board, the front axis encloses an angle of more than one degree with a virtual line extending perpendicular to the central platform of the elongated deck board, and the sling mount is connected to the elongated deck board near the front side thereof so that during use a force applied to the sling mount by a caregiver standing on the elongated deck board in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated deck board will cause the elongated deck board to be tilted and the front axle to be pivoted.
22. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the child carrier comprises two back wheels being rotatably connected to a back axle, the back axle being pivotable about a back axle axis connected to a back side of the elongated deck board, and the back axis encloses an angle of more than one degree with a virtual line extending perpendicular to the central platform of the elongated deck board.
23. The child carrier of claim 22, wherein the front axle axis and the back axle axis enclose angles of more than one degree in opposite directions with respect to the corresponding virtual lines extending perpendicular to the central platform of the elongated deck board.
24. The child carrier of claim 22, wherein the distance between the two front wheels is about the same as the distance between the two back wheels.
25. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the sling mount comprises a sling frame being connected with a first end to the elongated deck board near the front side thereof and provided near a second end with a caregiver grip, the child carrier further comprises a support arm connected to the sling frame between the first and second ends thereof and connected to the elongated deck board between the first end of the sling frame and the back wheel.
26. The child carrier of claim 25, wherein the sling mount is foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa, the sling frame is pivotably connected with a first end to the elongated deck board, and the support is pivotably connected to the sling frame and releasably connected to the elongated deck board or vice versa.
27. The child carrier of claim 25, wherein the sling mount is foldable from an erect position to a collapsed position and vice versa and the sling frame is pivotably connected with a first end to the elongated deck board.
28. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the elongated deck board comprises a front platform provided with the two front wheels, a central platform and a back platform provided with the back wheel, and wherein the central platform is lowered with respect to the front platform and the back platform.
29. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the elongated deck board is provided with a brake unit for braking the back wheel.
30. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the child carrier comprises an electric motor for driving at least one of the front wheels or the back wheel.
31. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the child-support sling is a flexible seat made of a fabric.
32. The child carrier of claim 21, wherein the elongated deck board is monolithic.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2013
Publication Date: Apr 3, 2014
Inventors: Gerjan Storm (Eindhoven), Mark Schrooten (Antwerpen)
Application Number: 14/025,173
International Classification: A63C 17/26 (20060101); A63C 17/01 (20060101);