INFANT DECKCHAIR

The present invention refers to an infant deckchair, which can be folded and unfolded comfortably, occupying in its folding position a very reduce space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays it is known to use infant deckchairs to be used by babies. These deckchairs have the advantage that they can be also placed in different places in which the baby, partially laid down, can play or be distracted.

To make its transportation easier, the infant deckchairs are foldable, so that the deckchair can be taken everywhere.

Even though the deckchairs are foldable, the space they occupy is not optimised, because they have an irregular external surface.

Furthermore, the folding and unfolding usually is uncomfortable, because a considerable force must be applied for security reasons, and it is not provided any element to fold and unfold the deckchair easily.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With the infant deckchair of the invention said drawbacks can be solved, presenting other advantages that will be described.

The infant deckchair of the present invention comprises a foldable structure and a support surface for the user of the deckchair, and it is characterised in that it comprises a base and a lid hinged to each other, said lid being movable between a folded position, in which the lid is placed on the base, said structure and said support surface being housed between the lid and the base, and an

unfolded position, in which said structure is place automatically in its unfolded position.

Thanks to this feature, in its folded position, the deckchair of the present invention occupies a very reduced space, because the whole structure and support surface are placed between the lid and the base, which makes its transportation easier.

Furthermore, the external surface of the folded deckchair is completely smooth, because it is defined by the base and the lid.

Advantageously, said support surface is joined to said lid and to said base.

According to a preferred embodiment, said foldable structure comprises: - a pair of side guides provided in said base;

- a transversal axle that slides along said side guides;

- a link element placed between said lid and said transversal axle, so that the movement of said lid causes the sliding of said transversal axle along said side guides;

- a support bar of said support surface in said base linked with said transversal axle, so that in the unfolded position of the lid, said transversal axle causes the raising of said support bar, placing the support surface in its unfolded position.

Preferably, for security reasons, said base comprises a retaining element that retains said transversal axle in the unfolded position. To make the placement of the deckchair of the present invention easier in the folded and unfolded positions, said transversal axle is integral with a extensible handle placed outside said base and said lid, so that the position of said handle determines the position of the lid.

Advantageously, said support bar is U-shaped, the ends of said U being hinged at the rear part of said base, and said link element is mounted hinged with respect to the lid and to the transversal axle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of what has been described some drawing are attached, in which, diagrammatically and only as a non-limitative example, a practical case of embodiment is shown.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the infant deckchair of the present invention in its folded position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the infant deckchair of the present invention in an intermediate position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the infant deckchair of the present invention in its unfolded position.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As it can be seen in Fig. 1, in the folded position, the infant deckchair of the present invention is completely housed inside a base 1 and a lid 2, inside which the structure of the deckchair of the present invention is housed, on which a support surface 7 is placed (shown in dotted lines), on which the user of the deckchair rests.

The structure of the deckchair can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

The structure comprises a pair of side guides 3 provided in said base, a transversal axle 4 that slides along said side guides 3, a link element 5 placed between said lid 2 and said transversal axle 4, and a support bar 6, U-shaped, of said support surface 7 provided in said

base 1 linked with said transversal axle.

Furthermore, the deckchair of the present invention also comprises a retaining element 8 that retains the transversal axle 4 in its unfolded position, and an extensible handle 9 integral with said transversal axle, and placed outside from said base 1 and said lid 2.

In the folded position, the extensible handle 9 is in its closest position with respect to the base 1 and to the lid 2, as it can be seen in Fig. 1. In this folded position, the transversal axle 4 is in its advanced position in said side guides 3 (to the left according to the figures shown) , so that said axle 4 stretches the lid 2 to its folded position, on said base 1. Furthermore, the support bar 6 is also completely housed inside the base 1.

To unfold the deckchair of the present invention, it is just necessary to pull the extensible handle 9 in the direction shown by arrow A in Fig. 2.

When the handle 9 is pulled in this direction, the transversal axle 4 is caused to move to the right (according to the figures shown) , sliding along the side guides 3. When this axle 4 is moved, it will cause the lid 2 to be lifted, because of the presence of the link element 5. At the same time, it causes the support bar 6 to be also lifted, by the action of the ends of said transversal axle 4, or by the action of the support surface 7, that is joined to the lid 2 and to the base 1.

When the handle 9 is placed in its maximum unfolded position, the transversal axle 4 remains retained by a retaining element 8, so that the deckchair is placed steadily in its unfolded position, so that it is not possible to be folded accidentally.

In this unfolded position, the lid 2, with the support surface 7, is used as backrest for the baby that

uses the deckchair, and the support bar 6 defines, with the support surface 7, the seat portion of the deckchair.

It must be pointed out that said support surface 7 is suitably quilted to guarantee the comfort of the baby, and also that in this unfolded position it is enough tightened and stable to place the baby on it.

To place the deckchair of the present invention in its folded position, it is just necessary to press the handle 9 in the opposite direction, shown by arrow B in Fig. 3.

The force to be applied on the handle 9 must be enough to overcome the action of the retaining element 8, which can comprise elastic means, and to permit the movement of said transversal axle 4. It has been calculated that only an adult could exert this force to guarantee the security of the deckchair of the present invention.

When the handle 9 is pressed in the direction of arrow B, the movement of the components of the deckchair of the present invention is reversed according to that described previously.

Finally, the lid 2 is closed on the base 1 by suitable closing means, e.g. by a protrusion 10 that is pressed by an elastic element that is housed inside a complementary hole 11 provided in the lid 2. Therefore, it is obtained an infant deckchair that in its folded position occupies a very reduced space, remaining completely housed between the lid 2 and the base 1, and that can be folded and unfolded easily just moving said handle 9. Even though reference is made to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is apparent for a person skilled in the art that the disclosed infant deckchair is susceptible of numerous variations and modifications, and that all the details cited can be substituted by other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the

scope of protection defined by the attached claims