US1357043A - Collapsible baby-walker - Google Patents

Description

H. C. GORDON.

COLLAPSIBLE BABY WALKER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 22, 9

13573043. A Patented Oct. 26; 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY OHALLEN GORDON, or MUNGIn-INDIANA, Assien'oR 'ro GLAsc'ooK JuvENIL GOODS COMPANY, or UNoIn, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA. Y

GOLLAPSIBLE BABYWALKERQ Applicationfiled September 22, 1919. Serial No. 325,299.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, HENRY C; GORDON, a citizen of Canada, residing at Muncie, in the county of Delaware and Stateof Indiana,

have invented a new and useful Collapse ble Baby-lValker, of which the following is a specification.

it is the object oi my invention to provide a collapsiblebaby walker; and particularly to provide in the extensible legs joining the rings of such a baby walker spring latches which firmly hold such legs in their extended position against possibility of release by the child but which can be released by others to permit collapsing of the baby walker without turning it upside down. i

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baby walker embodying my invention, as it appears in operation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the baby walker, in collapsed position; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of v .Fig. 2, to show one form of latch; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the latch of Fig. 3," and associated parts; and Fig. 5 is-a view similar to Fig. 3, showing another form of latch.

The baby walker has the'usual base ring 10 supported on casters 11, and the usual smaller top ring 12, the two rings being interconnected by three or more extensible legs pivotally connected at their ends to the rings 10 and 12. When the legs are extend ed, the ring 12 is out of the plane of the ring 10; but when the device is collapsed as shown in Fig. 2 the two rings are substantially in the same plane.

Each extensibleleg comprises a lowerpart 15 and an upper part 16, which are relatively movable longitudinally of the leg to vary the leg length. Both parts are preferably formed of heavy wire. The lower part 15 is in general u sha'ped, with the free ends of the U bent toward each other;

.it has a base portion 17 by which it is piv oted in straps 18 carried on the base ring 10,

and two projecting arms 19 which areb'ent toward each other attheir'free ends andbetween which the'upper part. 16 lies. Such upper part consists of a single wire, 'formed with an eye in its upper end for-pivotal attachment to, the upper ring 12 At their free ends,the two arms 19 of the lower part of the extensible leg have fixed thereto a.

cross-piece formed of a channel shaped stamping 20 with its open face inward, and

V Sp i ti n of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 26, 1920;

downward. Thetwo arms 19 project across thischannel, andare fixed in its side walls. The upper part 16 projects freely through holes 21 in such side walls, so thatit can glide in said holes to vary the length of the egg 1 V In order to prevent such relative movement when the leg is extended, the'leg-part 16is provided near its lower end with a transverse notch 22, with which cooperates a spring latchmounted in' the channel-shaped cross-piece 20. rThis spring latch may take different forms, of which one form is shown in Figs. 3 and t and another in Fig. In

the form of latch shown in'Figs. 3 and 4 the latch comprises a strip of spring sheet metal 23, which is located between the side walls of the. channel member 20 to cooperate-with the arms 19 and with the notch 22 inthe upper leg-part 16. The strip 23 is bent, as

shown in Figs. 3 aud t, so that it has a loop 2 1 acting between the notched side of the leg-part 16 and the adjacent arm 19, which loop tends to expand to force such strip into the notch 22 when the latter comes into'regis as shown inthe dotted linesof Fig. '3, the

two parts may be pushed together to col- .lapsethe leg; In other words, by pushing in the thumb -pieces 25'of the legs and pushing down on the upper ring 12, the leg-parts "arepuished together to collapse the deviceand permit the upper ring 12 to descend into the plane of the lower ring 10. r In the other form of latch, shownin Fig. 5. the notch inthe leg-part 16 is toward the try with said strip; this is shown in full lines in Fig. The strip 23 extends around baseof the channel 20, between the base of 7 w'hich'channel and the parts 16. and 19lies a flat metal strip 26 which projects out of thechannel at one or both ends to provide an operating thumb-piece. A lightcomj pression spring 27 acts between this fiat strip. 26 and the base of the channel 20, and tends to push such strip. 11 the notch 22 when such notch comes opposite the strip upon the extension of the leg. By pushing either end of the flat strip 26 toward the base of the channel 20 against the spring 27, such strip acts as a lever fulcrumed near its opposite end on one of the arms 19, and the part in engagement with the notch 22 is lifted out of such notch to permit the two legparts to he slid together.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a baby walker, the combination of upper and lower rings, a plurality of extensible legs interconnecting said two rings, each of said legs comprising two parts which are movable longitudinally relatively to each other,'and a manually releasable spring latch member mounted on one of said legparts and extending transversely of the other, the other of said. leg-parts being provided with an external shoulder cooperating with said transverse spring latch to prevent such relative longitudinal movement.

2. In a baby walker, the combination of upper and lower rings, a plurality of extensible legs interconnecting said two rings, each of said legs comprising two parts pivoted respectively to the two rings and overlapping each other, said two parts being relatively longitudinally movable, one of said parts being provided with a cross-piece having a hole through which the other part moves, said latter part being provided with a notch, and a spring-pressed strip mounted in said cross-piece and engaging said second leg-part so that it springs into the notch when the leg is extended and thereby prevents the two leg-parts from being pushed together.

8. In a baby walker, the combination of upper and lower rings, a plurality of extensible legs, interconnecting said two rings, each of said legs comprising two parts pivoted respectively to the two rings and overlapping each other, said two parts being relatively longitudinally movable, one of said parts being provided with a cross-piece having a hole through which the other part moves, said latter part being provided with a notch, and a spring-pressed strip mounted in said cross-piece and engaging said second leg-part so that it springs into the notch when theleg is extended and thereby prevents'the two leg-parts from being pushed together, said spring-pressed strip being provided with a thumb-piece whereby it may be moved out of said notch.

4. An extensible leg for connecting the upper and. lower rings. of a baby walker, comprising relatively longitudinally movable leg-parts one of which is provided with a cross-piece through which the other slides,

and a spring-pressed strip mounted in said cross-piece crosswise of said leg-part and having an operating end projecting beyond the cross-piece and cooperating with the other leg-part to hold said two leg-parts against sliding. V

5. An extensible leg for connecting the upper and lower rings of a baby walker, comprising relatively longitudinally movable leg-parts one of which is provided with a cross-piece through which the other slides, and a spring-pressed strip mounted in said cross-piece crosswise of said leg-part and having an operating end projecting beyond the cross-piece and coiiperating with the other leg-part to hold said two leg-parts against sliding, said spring-pressed strip being manually movable to release said other leg-part and permit the leg to be collapsed.

6. An extensible leg for connecting the upper and lower rings of a baby walker, comprising a leg-part consisting of a U- shaped member arranged for pivotal mounting at its base to one of said rings, said legpart having a channel-shaped cross-piece connecting the free ends of said U-shaped member, a second leg-part consisting of a wire'arranged for pivotal mounting at one end on the other ring and having a sliding mounting in said channel-shaped cross-piece, said second leg-part being provided with a notch, and a spring-pressed strip mounted in said channelshaped cross-piece and tending to spring into said notch when the latter comes into registry therewith.

7; An extensible leg for connecting the upper and lower rings of a baby walker, comprising a leg-part consisting of a U- shaped member arranged for pivotal mounting at its base to one of said rings, said legpart having a channel-shaped cross-piece connecting the free ends of said U-chaped member, a second leg part consisting of a wire arranged for pivotal mounting at one end on the other ring and having a sliding mounting in said channel-shaped cross-piece, said second leg-part being provided with a notch, and a spring pressed strip mounted in said channel-shaped cross-piece and tending to spring into said notch when the latter comes into registry therewith, said springpressed strip having a portion projecting beyond said channel-shaped member by which; said strip may be lifted out of said HENRY GHALLEN eoRnoNL

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