TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a handle suitable for instance for strollers or the like.

BACKGROUND

Most parents use a stroller or the like for their small children to sit in when they are too small to walk themselves or if they do not have the energy to walk. For parents using the stroller a lot, ergonomics is an important factor when choosing among strollers. People are of different height, walk with different length of the step, use the stroller for different activities and they therefore require different features. All necessary features should be present in one stroller, since it is very cumbersome to have different strollers depending on who is going to take a walk with the child. Hence, there is a need for a more flexible stroller.

In US6722689B2 a stroller designed for jogging is described. This known stroller comprises a handle bar to which additional handles are attached. Each handle has a stern member extending outwardly from the handle bar and a handle element, extending perpendicular to the stern member. The handle element comprises a coil spring allowing it to flex. The stern member is movable along the handle bar. A drawback with this handle design is that it is not adjustable in height, which means it is not suitable for people with different heights.

Another stroller is described in US20060027984A1. This stroller has a rotatable handle operated by a push button located on a tube connecting the handle with a coupling rod. The push button is not an advantageous design, in that a child standing on a stroller board may accidentally, or by curiosity, push the button while the stroller is being pushed forward. This may result in a possibly dangerous situation if the person pushing the stroller looses control over the stroller due to the handles suddenly becoming loose.

From the above it is understood that there is room for improvements. SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a new type of handle assembly which is improved over prior art and which eliminates or at least mitigates the drawbacks discussed above. More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a handle assembly that is versatile and provides the stroller with improved ergonomics. These objects are achieved by the technique set forth in the appended independent claims with preferred embodiments defined in the dependent claims related thereto. In a first aspect of the invention, a handle assembly for a stroller or the like is provided. The handle assembly is attached to a frame portion of the stroller, and it comprises a handle part which is pivotable around the frame portion. The handle assembly is adjustable between at least two height positions, one closer to the frame portion and one further away from the frame portion, thereby allowing adjustment of the height of the handle assembly and the distance between the handle part and the stroller frame. The handle part further has a locking mechanism which has an unlocked position in which the handle part is pivotable about a shaft, which is attached to the frame portion, and a locked position in which the handle part is stationary. This handle assembly is advantageous in that is can be adapted to suit people with different needs: for tall or short people by being adjustable in height, and for people with longer or shorter legs by being pivotable. It is also advantageous if they need to attach a stroller board to the stroller, since the rotation of the handle assembly provides space between the driver and the stroller. Therefor, regardless of the need, the new handle assembly will make the walk with the stroller ergonomic and comfortable.

The locking mechanism is advantageous in that it allows adjustment and setting of the handle part, as well as a stationary position in which the handle part cannot be moved. The locking mechanism provides the handle assembly with both flexibility and security. The handle part of the handle assembly may have a substantially oval shape with a central opening, which provides it with many holding possibilities and hand positions. It is easy for a user to change the grip and make small adjustments with a substantially oval handle shape.

In one embodiment, the locking mechanism includes a snap locking device or a clamp locking device. This type of locking mechanism is easy to maneuver, but is not likely to be released by itself or by mistake. Preferably, the locking mechanism comprises an eccentric locking device. This is a favourable type of locking mechanism since it is not likely to open by itself, or by mistake. For example, a push button located on the shaft of the stroller may be accidentally pushed by a child standing on a stroller board, with the consequence that the handle or handles suddenly becomes loose, which may severely affect the steering ability of the stroller.

The eccentric locking device may be lowered in the locked position of the handle part, and it may be raised in the unlocked position of the handle part. This is preferred since then the eccentric locking device is not in the raised position when the stroller is operated.

In one embodiment, the eccentric locking device is part of a snap locking device or a clamp locking device. This is a preferred type of lock, since it is easily operated at the same time as it is secure.

In a second aspect a stroller comprising at least one handle assembly is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described in the following; references being made to the appended diagrammatical drawings which illustrate non- limiting examples of how the inventive concept can be reduced into practice and in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a stroller seen from the back with two handles in a first position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the stroller with the handles in a third position;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a height adjusting mechanism of the handle in the third position;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the height adjusting mechanism of the handle in the third position;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the upper part of the stroller with the handles in the third position; Fig. 6 is an isometric view corresponding to Fig. 5 but with the handles in a second position;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the handle assembly in the second position; Fig. 8 is a side view of the handle assembly in the first position; Fig. 9 is a side view of a handle assembly in a locked position; Fig. 10 is a side view of the handle assembly in an unlocked position; and

Fig. 11 is an exploded view of a handle assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, certain embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention, such as it is defined in the appended claims, to those skilled in the art. With reference to Figs 1 and 2 there is shown a stroller 100 having four wheels 101 and a frame 1 10, which for instance is made of metal or plastic. The frame 1 10 includes a first portion 1 12 and a second portion 1 13 which are interconnected by a cross shaped member 1 1 1. Handle assemblies 120 with a handle part 121 , 122 each, are attached at the top of the frame portions 1 12, 1 13, via a shaft 144 (shown in Fig. 1 1). The handle assembly 120 has means for attachment (not shown) to a frame portion 1 12, 1 13 of the stroller 100. The handle part 121 , 122 has a substantially oval shaped design forming an opening 123 at the centre. A first part of the oval is attached to the part 144 (shown in Fig. 1 1) while an opposite part is free, hereafter referred to as the free part 124. The handle part 121 , 122 is rotatable or pivotable around the shaft 144 which is fitted to the frame portion 1 12, 1 13.

Further, the handle assembly 120 is movable between at least two positions along the frame; a first position in which the handle assembly 120 is positioned a distance a relative the frame portion 1 12, 1 13 and a second position in which the handle assembly 120 is positioned a distance A relative the frame portion 1 12, 1 13, where the distance A is larger than the distance a. These two height positions are shown in Figs 3 and 4 and are also referred to as the low (a) and the high (A) position. The height adjustment mechanism comprises a spring loaded push button 145 c which locks the handle assembly 120 in the desired height position.

Fig. 1 shows two handle parts 121 , 122 in a first position in which the free parts 124 are directed substantially diagonally towards a seating area of the stroller 100. In Figs 2 and 5 the handle parts 121 , 122 are shown in a third position, rotated such that the free parts 124 are directed away from the seating area of the stroller 100. This position of the handle parts 121 , 122 is beneficial for example if the stroller 100 is equipped with a stroller board (not shown) on which a child is standing. The handle parts 121 , 122 will thus not be in the way of and obstruct the child. It is also advantageous when the stroller 100 is pushed up on a curb. The leverage of the stroller becomes greater with the handle parts 121, 122 in this position. A second, middle position, of the handle parts 121, 122 is shown in Fig. 6, in which the handle parts 121, 122 are pivoted such that their free parts 124 almost meet between the first 112 and second 113 portions of the frame. Also in Fig. 7 the handle assembly 120 is shown in the second position where the handle part 121 is pivoted towards the other handle part 122 (not shown). In Fig. 8 the handle part is in the first position, i.e. rotated towards the seating area of the stroller 100.

With respect to Figs 9 and 10 a handle assembly 120 is shown including a locking mechanism 140. In Fig. 9 an eccentric locking device 141, which is a snap locking device or a clamp locking device, is lowered and the locking mechanism 140 is in its locked position. A shaft 144 comprises two sets of gear teeth (shown in Fig. 11) which, in the locked position, interact with corresponding gear teeth (not shown) inside the handle part 122. In the locked position the eccentric locking device 141 pushes the gear teeth of the shaft 144 and of the handle part 122 respectively against each other. Thus, the handle part 122 is locked and cannot be rotated.

Fig. 10 shows the unlocked position of the handle assembly 120 in which the eccentric locking device 141 is raised, which brings a spring 142 to pull the gear teeth of the shaft

144 and the handle part 122 from each other. Thus, the handle part 122 is free to rotate. In Fig. 11 all components of the handle assembly 120 are shown. From the top are shown the locking device 141, the handle part 122, the spring 142, fastening means

145 a, the shaft 144 with associated fastening means 145b and a mounting component

146 with associated height adjustment means 145c. In one aspect, there is provided an eccentric locking mechanism 140 for mounting in a handle part 122 of a stroller, which locking mechanism 140 comprises a eccentric member 141, a spring 142, a shaft 144 provided with two sets of gear teeth 147, wherein in a locked position the gear teeth 147 interact with corresponding gear teeth (not shown) inside the handle part 122, and in an unlocked position the eccentric member 141 is raised and thus the spring 142 is compressed such that the gear teeth 147 of the shaft 144 and the gear teeth of the handle part 122 are pulled apart such that the handle part 122 is free to rotate.

The eccentric member 141 is located on top of the handle part 122 such that it may be raised and lowered in order to unlock and lock the handle part 122 respectively. The other components of the eccentric locking mechanism 140 are located inside the handle part 122 and inside a frame portion 113. The eccentric member 141, with which the locking and unlocking of the locking mechanism is performed, is placed such that it is not easily released by mistake, not by the driver of the stroller, and not by a child standing on a stroller board, holding on to the frame of the stroller.

It should be appreciated that the inventive concept is by no means limited to the embodiments described herein, and many modifications are feasible within the scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims. For instance the handle is not limited to be connectable to a stroller, but also to prams, joggers, pushcarts etc. The shape of the handle may be designed in various ways, such as round, square, rectangular, with rounded corners, with sharp corners, as a straight bar, as a T-bar, as an I-bar, etc. The handle assembly may comprise two individual handle parts, but it would also be possible to comprise one single handle bar, connecting the two frame portions. The handle assemblies may be pre-mounted or integrated with the frame of the stroller, but they may also be supplied as accessories to strollers or the like.