The present invention relates to a double stroller, i.e. a stroller configured to carry two babies.

Double strollers are known, wherein the two chairs for the babies to be sat upon are either arranged aligned one behind the other in the forward direction or, alternatively, they are arranged side-by-side relative to each other.

These strollers have the drawback of being very cumbersome. Particularly, it is often difficult to enter narrow rooms, such as a lift, or very crowded rooms, such as a coach or an underground train.

In fact, a stroller with chairs aligned one behind the other is too long to be accommodated for example in a conventional lift; a stroller with side-by-side seats is too wide to pass through the entrance door of a store, for example.

The object of the present invention is to provide a double stroller which can be easily introduced in narrow rooms.

This and other objects are achieved by the double stroller whose main characteristics are defined in claim 1.

Particular embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims, whose content is to be understood as integral and integrating part of the present description.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, which has been given as a non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stroller in a first configuration according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the stroller of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a stroller in a second configuration according to the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the stroller of Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 a double stroller according to the invention has been generally designated with 1. It comprises a first chair 2 and a second chair 4, each chair 2 and 4 including, a seat 6 and 8 and a back 10 and 12, respectively.

Alternatively, in place of the first and/or second chairs 2 and 4 a cradle is provided, or baby car seat or car chair.

In the description below, the terms right and left will be used with reference to the two sides of the stroller 1 relative to the forward direction of the stroller.

The stroller 1 further comprises a chassis 14 including a first and a second kickstand 14' and 14", having in the example illustrated in Fig. 1 a trapezoid shape, which are connected to a pair of wheel units 16 and 18, respectively. These kickstands 14' and 14" are advantageously connected to each other by means of at least one pair of cross-rods 19 which are preferably connected to the kickstands 14' and 14" at, or proximate to, the axes of the wheel units 16 and 18. Preferably, one or both wheel units of each pair of wheel units 16 and 18 are of the type known as a "tri-star wheel", i.e. comprising three wheels connected to each other and with the centers thereof being arranged angularly offset at 120° to allow an easier climbing of steps.

The seat 6 of the first chair 2 is supported by a first pair of identical L-shaped supports 20 (only the right-one of which is shown in Fig. 1) each having a first branch 20a and a second branch 20b, which extend at an angle, preferably greater than 90°, relative to each other. The seat 6 is fixed at the sides thereof to said first pair of supports 20, more particularly to the second branches 20b thereof.

The seat 8 of the second chair 4 is supported by a second pair of identical L-shaped supports 22 each having a first branch 22a and a second branch 22b, which extend at an angle, preferably greater than 90°, relative to each other. The seat 8 is fixed at the sides thereof to said second pair of supports 22, more particularly to the second branches 22b thereof. The first branches 20a and 22a, and respectively, the second branches 20b and 22b of said L-shaped pair of supports 20 and 22, are joined in vertexes 21 and 21' thereof.

The first branch 20a of the first right support 20 is connected to the first branch 22a of the second right support 22 by means of a first right connection rod 24'. The first branch 20a of the first left support 20 is connected to the first branch 22a of the second left support 22 by means of a first left connection rod 24".

The second branch 20b of the first right support 20 is connected to the second branch 22b of the second right support 22 by means of a second right connection rod 26'. The second branch 20b of the first left support 20 is connected to the second branch 22b of the second left support 22 by means of a second left connection rod 26".

Each of said second connection rods 26' and 26" is hinged, respectively, to the first and second kickstands 14' and 14" by means of a respective hinge pin 28' and 28", such as to be capable of rotating about an axis A defined by the two hinge pins 28' and 28" (see Fig. 3), said axis A extending in the cross-horizontal direction.

Advantageously, the stroller 1 comprises a pair of handles 30 which are fixed, respectively, to the first kickstand 14' and second kickstand 14", to which respectively support means 32 are associated, such as for example rods fixed at the one end thereof to the first 14' and second 14" kickstand, respectively, and provided, at the other end thereof with a cylinder element suitable to contact the handle rod such as to bear the load thereof.

Advantageously, one or both chairs 2 and 4 are provided, in a per se known manner, with armrests 34 and footboards 36 for supporting the feet thereon.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the stroller, in which the same elements are illustrated as in Fig. 1.

The first right support 20, the first right connection rod 24', the second right connection rod 26' and the second right support 22 altogether define a first articulated parallelogram. The first left support 20, the first left connection rod 24", the second left connection rod 26" and the second left support 22 altogether define a second articulated parallelogram. These parallelograms are connected to each other by means of the seats 6 and 8 of the two

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP chairs 2 and 4 such as to move simultaneously. In case a cradle or a baby car seat are provided in place of the chairs 2 and 4, the two parallelograms are connected by means of at least one rod which is transversally fixed to the first or second pair of supports 20 or 22.

The articulated parallelograms are arranged to pass from a first configuration (illustrated in Fig. 1 and 2) wherein the first pair of supports 20 is offset both horizontally and vertically relative to the second pair of supports 22, to a second configuration (illustrated in Fig. 3 and 4) wherein the second pair of supports 22 is at least partially overlapped to the first pair of supports 20. Particularly, in the example illustrated in the drawings, the first pair of supports 20, in the first configuration, is arranged higher than the second pair of supports 22. Alternatively, in the first configuration, the first pair of supports 20 and the second pair of supports 22 are horizontally aligned and vertically offset.

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show a perspective view of the stroller 1 in the second configuration and a side view of the stroller in Fig. 3, respectively.

The two articulated parallelograms are configured such that, due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the second right connection rod 26' and second left connection rod 26" about the axis A, the first seat 2 is lowered and moves in the forward direction of stroller 1 whereas, simultaneously, the second chair 4 is lifted and moves backward relative to the forward direction of the stroller. The two articulated parallelograms are moved simultaneously because they are fastened to each other through the seats 6 and 8 of the two chairs 2 and 4.

Preferably, the stroller 1 is provided in a manner known per se with locking means suitable to maintain the trim of the two chairs 2 and 4 stable when they are in the first and second configurations.

In a variant of the invention, the first right 24' and left 24" connection rods connect, respectively, the right 21 and left 21' vertexes, of the pairs of supports 20 and 22. Furthermore, each of said first connection rods 24' and 24" is hinged, respectively, to the first and second kickstands 14' and 14" through a respective hinge pin such as to be capable of rotating about an axis A defined by the two hinge pins and extending in a cross- horizontal direction, similarly to what has been described above with reference to the second connection rods 26' and 26". Consequently, in this variant, the second connection rods 26' and 26" are no longer hinged to the chassis 14.

Thereby, due to the clockwise rotation of the first right connection rod 24' and first left connection rod 24" about the axis A, the first seat 2 is lifted and moves in the forward direction of the stroller 1, whereas, simultaneously, the second chair 4 is lowered and moves backwards relative to the forward direction of the stroller. In the second configuration, accordingly, the first pair of supports 20 is at least partially vertically overlapped to the second pair of supports 22.

Alternatively, the two chairs 2 and 4 are rotated by 180° such that the babies face the person pushing the stroller and the first pair of supports 20, in the first configuration, is arranged below the second pair of supports 22.

hi this case, the -movement of the second right connection rod 26' and second left connection rod 26" through the axis A will be a clockwise movement.

In the variant of the invention in which the first connection rods 24' and 24" are hinged to the first and second kickstands 14' and 14", the movement of the first right connection rod 24' and the first left connection rod 24" about the axis A will be a counter-clockwise movement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the two pairs of supports 20 and 22 and the right 24', 26' and left 24", 26" connection rods can be dismounted and the two kickstands 14' and 14" are articulated relative to the cross-rods 19 such as to be capable of being folded inwardly and overlapped to each other, in a non-operating condition, such as to reduce the overall dimensions of the chassis 14. In this case, the handles 30 are articulated in a manner known per se to the kickstands 14' and 14" thereof, such as to be capable of being folded forward and overlapping to the folded kickstands 14' and 14".

As the right 24', 26' and left 24", 26" connection rods can be dismounted, a single-seater stroller can be first provided, which can be then easily turned into the two-seater stroller of the present invention by connecting the chairs 2 and 4 to the right 24', 26' and left 24", 26" connection rods. The double stroller 1 of the present invention has thus the advantage that in the second configuration the overall dimensions of the two chairs 2 and 4 is developed in height and not in width or in length and thereby allows the stroller 1 to be easily introduced in narrow rooms. Furthermore, in the first configuration, space for the babies movement is maintained, as well as for their mother to easily reach them, whereas in the second configuration the overall dimensions of the stroller 1 are minimized.

Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments and manufacturing details may be widely changed from what has been described and illustrated therein by way of a non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.