Login| Sign Up| Help| Contact|

Patent Searching and Data


Title:
AN INFANT CHAIR, A CHAIR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN INFANT CHAIR AND A BASE CHAIR, AND A METHOD FOR MOUNTING AN INFANT CHAIR ON A BASE CHAIR
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2011/161230
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
There is described an infant chair (16) that is adapted to be fastened to a base (12) chair which comprises a seat part (31) and a back part (27), the seat part (31) and back (31) part being adjustable in relation to one another, and a corresponding chair assembly. The infant chair (16) comprises at least one first fastening device (25 that is adapted to be fastened to the base chair (12) 's back (31) part and at least one second fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the base chair's seat part. Furthermore, the first fastening device and the second fastening device of the infant chair are arranged such that a position of use for the infant chair is obtained by adjusting the mutual position of the base chair's seat part and back part. A method for mounting an infant chair on a base chair is also described, where the first fastening device is fastened to the base chair's back part and the second fastening device is fastened to the base chair's seat part.

Inventors:
OPSVIK PETER (NO)
Application Number:
PCT/EP2011/060602
Publication Date:
December 29, 2011
Filing Date:
June 24, 2011
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
OPSVIK PETER AS (NO)
OPSVIK PETER (NO)
International Classes:
A47D1/10; A47D11/02; A47D15/00
Foreign References:
US20090267393A12009-10-29
US20050116518A12005-06-02
AU2004100605A42004-08-19
JPS52117111U1977-09-06
US5782532A1998-07-21
DE19935881A12001-02-01
DE19516841A11996-11-14
GB2380663A2003-04-16
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
ONSAGERS AS et al. (St. Olavs Plass, Oslo, NO)
Download PDF:
Claims:
1. An infant chair (16) adapted to be fastened to a base chair (12) comprising a seat part (31) and a back part (27), the seat part and the back part being adjustable in relation to each other,

characteri sed in that the infant chair (16) comprises at least one first fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the back part (27) of the base chair (12) and at least one second fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the seat part (31) of the base chair (12), the first fastening device and the second fastening device of the infant chair (16) being arranged such that a position of use for the infant chair (16) is obtained by adjusting the mutual position of the seat part (31) and back part (27) of the base chair.

2. An infant chair according to claim 1,

characterised in that the first fastening device comprises at least one back part mounting pocket (22) which can be slipped down onto the base chair's (12) back part (27) and/or the base chair's (12) side members.

3. An infant chair according to one of claims 1-2,

characterised in that the second fastening device comprises at least one seat part mounting pocket (25) that can be slipped onto the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and/or the side members of the base chair's (12) seat part (31).

4. An infant chair according to one of claims 2-3,

cha acterised in that the at least one back part mounting pocket (22) and/or the at least one seat part mounting pocket (25) is configured as an integral part of the infant chair (16).

5. An infant chair according to one of claims 1, 2-3,

cha acterised in that the first fastening device comprises one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device that are adapted to be fastened to the back part (27).

6. An infant chair according to one of claims 1-2, 4-5,

characteri se d in that the second fastening device comprises one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device that are adapted to be fastened to the seat part (31).

7. An infant chair according to one of claims 1-6,

cha acterised in that the infant chair (16) is provided with a rigid insert in a seat portion of the infant chair (16).

8. An infant chair according to one of claims 1-6,

characterised in that the infant chair (16) is constructed of a plastic material.

9. An infant chair according to one of claims 1-7,

characteri sed in that the infant chair (16) is constructed of a textile material.

10. A chair assembly comprising a base chair (12) and an infant chair (16) that is adapted to be fastened to the base chair (12), which base chair (12) comprises a seat part (31) and a back part (27),

characterised in that seat part (31) and back part (27) of the base chair are adjustable in relation to one another, and that the infant chair (16) comprises at least one first fastening device which is adapted to be fastened to the base chair's (12) back part (27) and at least one second fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the base chair's (12) seat part (31), which infant chair (16) is arranged in a position of use by adjusting the mutual position of the seat part (31) and back part (27) of the base chair.

11. A chair assembly according to claim 10,

characterised in that the first fastening device comprises at least one back part mounting pocket (22) that can be slipped down onto the base chair's (12) back part (27) and/or the base chair's (12) side members.

12. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-11,

characterised in that the second fastening device comprises at least one seat part mounting pocket (25) that can be slipped onto the base chair's (12) seat part (27) and/or the side members of the base chair's (12) seat part (27).

13. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-12,

characteri sed in that the at least one back part mounting pocket (22) and/or the at least one seat part mounting pocket (25) is configured as an integral part of the infant chair (16).

14. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10, 12-13,

characteri sed in that the first fastening device comprises one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device which are adapted to be fastened to the back portion (27).

15. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-11, 13-14,

characterised in that the second fastening device comprises one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device which are adapted to be fastened to the seat portion (31 ).

16. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-15,

characterised in that the infant chair (16) is provided with a rigid insert in a seat portion of the infant chair (16).

17. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-15,

characteri sed in that the infant chair (16) is constructed of a plastic material.

18. A chair assembly according to one of claims 10-16,

characterised in that the infant chair (16) is constructed of a textile material.

19. A method for mounting an infant chair (16) on a base chair (12) that comprises a seat part (31) and a back part (27), the seat part (31) and the back part (16) being adjustable in relation to each other, which infant chair (16) comprises a first fastening device and a second fastening device for fastening to the base chair (12),

characteri sed in that the method comprises fastening the first fastening device to the base chair's (12) back part (27) and the second fastening device to the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and then adjusting the mutual position of the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and back part (27) until the infant chair (16) is securely fastened and has assumed a position of use.

20. A method according to claim 19,

characteri sed in that the first fastening device comprises one or more back part mounting pockets (22) which are slipped down onto the base chair's (12) back part (27) and/or the base chair's (12) side members.

21. A method according to one of claims 19-20,

characteri sed in that the second fastening device comprises one or more seat part mounting pockets (25) which at the front are slipped onto the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and/or the side members of the base chair's (12) seat part (31).

22. A method according to one of claims 19-21,

characterised in that the mutual position of the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and the base chair's (12) back part (27) is adjusted in that their mutual distance is changed.

23. A method according to one of claims 19-22,

characterise d in that the mutual position of the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and the base chair's (12) back part (27) is adjusted in that the seat part (31) is pushed forwards or backwards in a horizontal direction so that the infant chair (16) assumes its position of use.

24. A method according to one of claims 19-23,

characteri sed in that the base chair's (12) seat part (31) and/or back part (27) are fastened in their respective positions when the infant chair (16) is securely fastened in its position of use.

Description:
AN INFANT CHAIR, A CHAIR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN INFANT CHAIR AND A BASE CHAIR, AND A METHOD FOR MOUNTING AN INFANT CHAIR ON A BASE CHAIR.

The present patent application relates to an infant chair designed for mounting on a base chair and a chair assembly comprising an infant chair and a base chair. The present patent application also relates to a method for mounting the infant chair on a base chair.

A multitude of infant chairs are available in today's market. These chairs are configured in many different ways, but one feature they have in common is that they have been developed for particular age groups. This means that parents must buy more chairs as the infant becomes older and grows out of the chair he/she last used. Often there will also be a need for different types of chairs for the infant, for example, a high chair in which the infant can sit when he/she is to be seated at a dining table together with his/her parents, a lower sitting chair that can be placed on the floor, a rocking chair in which the infant can be rocked, a chair in which the infant can sleep etc. From the time the infant is born until he/she is able to sit in chairs that are designed for adults, it may easily be necessary to purchase numerous chairs, which can be costly.

Most infant chairs commercially available today are typically made of plastic or wood and may be space-consuming, especially if there are several infant chairs in the same household. These infant chairs are often not particularly transport-friendly, which means that it can be troublesome to take such an infant chair along on visits outside the home.

In British patent application GB 2380663 A, an infant chair is shown having a back portion and a seat portion. This chair may have attached thereto a soft seat device which is detachably fastened to the chair. The mutual distance between the seat part and the back part is not adjustable and therefore cannot be used for fastening the seat device to the infant chair.

An object of the present invention has therefore been to provide a solution capable of reducing the required number of infant chairs that an infant will need in the course of his/her infant and toddler years, or of extending the period of time in which the infant can use one infant chair.

It has also been an object to provide an infant chair that is easy to transport and that takes up little space during storage when it is not in use.

These objects are met by means of an infant chair as defined in independent claim 1 , a chair assembly as defined in independent claim 10 and a method for mounting an infant chair as defined in independent claim 19. Additional embodiments of the infant chair are defined in dependent claims 2-8, additional embodiments of the chair assembly are defined in dependent claims 1 1 -18, whilst further embodiments of the chair assembly are defined in dependent claims 20-24. The base chair to which the infant chair is designed to be fastened may be a chair produced for adults. The base chair may also be a chair that is designed for infants, for example, chairs that are made to be adjustable as the infant becomes older, thereby allowing the infant to use the same chair at least through a number of his/her infant and toddler years. An example of such a chair is the SITTI chair which has been developed by Peter Opsvik AS, and which is configured with a central structure that supports a footboard, a seat and a backrest. Another example of such a chair is the Tripp-Trapp chair that is manufactured by Stokke AS and is configured with upright side members that support a footboard, a seat and a backrest.

An infant chair is provided that is adapted to be fastened to a base chair comprising a seat part and a back part, which seat part and back part are adjustable relative to one another. The base chair may be a chair that is designed for adults or another infant chair, for example, the SITTI chair from Peter Opsvik AS as mentioned above. Other types of chairs may also conceivably be used as base chair.

The infant chair comprises at least one first fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the back part of the base chair and at least one second fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the seat part of the base chair, the infant chair's first fastening device and second fastening device being arranged such that a position of use for the infant chair is obtained by adjusting the mutual position of seat part and back part of the base chair.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first fastening device comprises at least one back part mounting pocket that can be slipped down onto the back part of the base chair and/or the side members of the base chair.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second fastening device comprises at least one seat part mounting pocket that can be slipped onto the seat part of the base chair and/or the side members of the base chair's seat part.

The at least one back part mounting pocket and/or the at least one seat part mounting pocket is/are preferably configured as an integral part/parts of the infant chair.

Alternatively, the first fastening device may comprise one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device that is arranged to be fastened to the back part, for example, around or over the edge of the back part. The second fastening device may similarly comprise one or more loops, straps or the like or at least one hook-shaped device that is arranged to be fastened to the seat part, for example, around or over the edge of the seat part. In an embodiment of the invention, the infant chair is constructed of a textile material. This allows the infant chair to be packed into a very compact shape when not in use, which means that the infant chair takes up little space when stored and is easy to transport. With some types of infant chair a problem may arise in that the infant chair is not deep enough with only textile material over the seat front edge of the base chair. In that case, the seat part of the infant chair can be provided with a rigid insert that extends the total length of the infant chair. The rigid insert may of course either be arranged permanently in the infant chair or the infant chair can be configured with a pocket or the like in which the rigid insert may be placed. When the infant chair is not in use, is to be transported or used on a chair where this is not a problem, the rigid insert can then be taken out of the pocket in the infant chair.

As an alternative to constructing the infant chair of a textile material, the infant chair may also be constructed of a plastic material. The infant chair can then be cast into its shape, preferably with a back part mounting pocket and a seat part mounting pocket, so that the embodiment of the infant chair in plastic is fastened to the base chair in the same way as the embodiment of the infant chair in textile material with corresponding pockets.

In an assembly of the infant chair and base chair, the seat part and back part of the base chair are adjustable relative to one another, and the infant chair comprises at least one first fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the back part of the base chair and at least one second fastening device that is adapted to be fastened to the seat part of the base chair, the infant chair being arranged in its position of use by adjusting the mutual position of the seat part and the back part of the base chair.

When the infant chair is to be fastened to the base chair, the first fastening device is fastened to the back part of the base chair and the second fastening device is fastened to the seat part of the base chair. The mutual position of the base chair's seat part and back part is subsequently adjusted until the infant chair is securely fastened and has assumed a position of use. The mutual position can be adjusted in that the seat part of the base chair is adjusted or that the back part of the base chair is adjusted, or that both the seat part and the back part of the base chair are adjusted. In the last case, it will also be possible to obtain a height adjustment of the infant chair whilst it is fastened to the base chair.

If the first fastening device comprises one or more back part mounting pockets, the back part mounting pocket or pockets are slipped down onto the back part of the base chair and/or side members of the base chair or optionally other upwardly projecting parts of the base chair that such a back part mounting pocket can be slipped down onto.

If the second fastening device comprises one or more seat part mounting pockets, the seat part mounting pocket or pockets are slipped onto the front edge of the seat part of the base chair and/or side members of the base chair or optionally other projecting parts of the base chair that such a seat part mounting pocket can be slipped onto.

The mutual position of the base chair's seat part and the base chair's back part can be adjusted in that their mutual distance is altered, or alternatively in that the seat part is pushed forwards or backwards in a horizontal direction so that the infant chair assumes its position of use, optionally that the back part is pushed up or down in a vertical direction or a direction oblique to a vertical direction.

When the infant chair is securely fastened in its position of use, the seat part and/or back part of the base chair will preferably be secured in their respective positions.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the figures, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a base chair that can be used with the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of the infant chair fastened to the base chair shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of the infant chair and the base chair in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the infant chair with two back part mounting pockets before the infant chair is fastened to the base chair.

Figure 5 shows the infant chair in Figure 4 fastened to the base chair.

Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1 a base chair is shown comprising a column 38 that is arranged projecting upwards on a chair base 14. The chair base may be provided with wheels if desirable so as to allow the base chair 12 to be moved around more easily. The base chair comprises a seat part 31 that is arranged movably up and down on the column 38 and can be fastened to the column in a desired position. The base chair further comprises a back part 27 which, if desirable, is arranged movably up and down on the column 38. The back part 27 is configured with an upward projecting back part 28. The base chair 12 is preferably also provided with a footrest part 35. The footrest part 35 is preferably also movable up and down on the column 38.

Figure 2 shows a chair assembly 10 comprising the base chair 12 as shown in Figure 1 and described above and an infant chair 16 that is fastened to the base chair 12, The infant chair 16 is configured with an upper chair part portion 18 and a lower chair part portion 19. As shown clearly in Figure 3, the infant chair 16 comprises a first fastening device in the form of a back part mounting pocket 22 that is provided in the upper chair part portion 18 and a second fastening device in the form of a seat part mounting pocket 25 that is provided in the lower chair part portion 19. As should be clear from Figures 1-3, the infant chair 16 is fastened to the base chair 12 by slipping the back part mounting pocket 22 down onto the upward projecting back part 28 and slipping the seat part mounting pocket 25 onto the seat part 31 at the front edge. The mutual distance of the back part 27 and the seat part 31 is then adjusted so that the upwardly projecting back part 28 and the seat part 31 are inserted tightly into the back part mounting pocket 22 and the seat part mounting pocket 25, respectively. The back part and/or the seat part are then locked in their positions and the chair assembly 10, comprising the infant chair 16 and the base chair 12, is thus ready for use.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the infant chair 16 which in this

embodiment comprises two back part mounting pockets 22 that are slipped down onto the side members 40 of the base chair 12. In addition, the seat part mounting pocket is slipped onto the seat part 31. The seat part 31 can subsequently be pushed forwards and the infant chair 16 thus assumes its position of use.

In the above, it has only been mentioned that the infant chair can be fastened to the seat part 31 and the back part 27 with the aid of a seat part mounting pocket 25 and a back part mounting pocket 22. However, as explained earlier in the present application, there is nothing to prevent other types of fastening device from being used.

In the two illustrated embodiments, the infant chair 16 is constructed of a textile material. There is, however, nothing to prevent the infant chair from being constructed of a plastic material with a back part mounting pocket 22 and a seat part mounting pocket 25. The plastic infant chair can thus be fastened to the base chair in the same way as explained above.