US20090320205A1

US20090320205A1 - Playpen Bottom Frame that is Foldable Easily and Quickly

Info

Publication number: US20090320205A1
Application number: US12/146,677
Authority: US
Inventors: Owen Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-06-26
Filing date: 2008-06-26
Publication date: 2009-12-31

Abstract

A foldable bottom frame for a playpen includes a support bracket, a pivot connection unit including two opposite pivot bases pivotally mounted on two opposite ends of the support bracket respectively and two connecting rods each mounted on a respective one of the pivot bases, and a control unit including a locking member rotatably mounted on the support bracket and rotatable to abut the pivot bases to releasably lock the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit onto the support bracket. Thus, the user only needs to rotate and pull the control handle upward so as to unlock and fold the bottom bracket, so that the bottom bracket is unlocked and folded easily and rapidly, thereby facilitating the user unlocking and folding the bottom bracket.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bottom frame (or bottom bracket) and, more particularly, to a foldable bottom frame for a playpen.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional playpen comprises a main frame having a plurality of transverse rods and a plurality of upright rods, a plurality of joints mounted on the upper portion of the main frame to expand and fold the upper portion of the frame, and a bottom frame mounted on the lower portion of the main frame to expand and fold the lower portion of the main frame. However, the bottom frame is not operated easily and conveniently, so that the lower portion of the main frame cannot be folded easily and rapidly, thereby causing inconvenience to the user when folding the bottom frame and the playpen. In addition, the mediate portion of the bottom frame is easily sprung upward during the expanding process, so that the rods of the main frame are folded unintentionally, thereby causing danger to the user when expanding the bottom frame.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a foldable bottom frame for a playpen, comprising a support bracket, a pivot connection unit mounted on the support bracket and including two opposite pivot bases pivotally mounted on two opposite ends of the support bracket respectively and two connecting rods each mounted on a respective one of the two pivot bases, and a control unit mounted between the support bracket and the pivot connection unit and including a locking member rotatably mounted on the support bracket and rotatable to abut the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit to releasably lock the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit onto the support bracket.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a playpen bottom frame that is foldable easily and quickly.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable bottom frame for a playpen, wherein the user only needs to rotate and pull the control handle upward so as to unlock and fold the bottom bracket, so that the bottom bracket is unlocked and folded easily and rapidly, thereby facilitating the user unlocking and folding the bottom bracket.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable bottom frame for a playpen, wherein the swivel plate of the locking member is positioned by the elastic force of the elastic member so that the stop face of the swivel plate abuts and locks the protruding flange of the respective pivot base to exactly lock the pivot connection unit, thereby preventing the pivot connection unit from being sprung upward unintentionally so as to lock the bottom frame solidly and stably.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable bottom frame for a playpen, wherein after the force applied on the control handle is removed, the swivel plate is rotated to the original state by the restoring force of the elastic member of the control unit, thereby facilitating the user expanding the bottom frame.
Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a playpen in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foldable bottom frame for the playpen as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the foldable bottom frame as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a locally enlarged exploded perspective view of the foldable bottom frame as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view of the foldable bottom frame as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the foldable bottom frame taken along line 6-6 as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic operational view of the foldable bottom frame for a playpen as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic operational view of the foldable bottom frame for a playpen as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a schematic operational view of the foldable bottom frame for a playpen as shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1-6, a foldable bottom frame “A” for a playpen in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a support bracket 1, a pivot connection unit 3 mounted on the support bracket 1 and including two opposite pivot bases 31 pivotally mounted on two opposite ends of the support bracket 1 respectively and two connecting rods 32 each mounted on a respective one of the two pivot bases 31, and a control unit 2 mounted between the support bracket 1 and the pivot connection unit 3 and including a locking member 23 rotatably mounted on the support bracket 1 and rotatable to abut the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 to releasably lock the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 onto the support bracket 1.
The support bracket 1 is a hollow body. The support bracket 1 has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross-sectional profile and has a top wall provided with a mounting hole 11. Each of the two opposite ends of the support bracket 1 is provided with a fixing hole 14.
Each of the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 has an upper portion 310 pivotally mounted the support bracket 1 and a lower portion provided with a protruding flange 313 that is stopped by the locking member 23 of the control unit 2. The upper portion 310 of each of the two pivot bases 31 has an end provided with a pivot hole 314, and the foldable bottom frame “A” further comprises two pivot pins 12 each extending through the respective fixing hole 14 of the support bracket 1 and the pivot hole 314 of the upper portion 310 of the respective pivot base 31, so that the upper portion 310 of each of the two pivot bases 31 is pivotally mounted the support bracket 1. The upper portion 310 of each of the two pivot bases 31 has a side provided with an elongate receiving channel 311 to receive an end of the respective connecting rod 32. Each of the two connecting rods 32 of the pivot connection unit 3 is limited in the receiving channel 311 of the respective pivot base 31 by a limit pin 312.
The locking member 23 of the control unit 2 has a lower portion provided with a protruding swivel plate 234 which is rotatable relative to the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 and has two opposite ends each provided with a stop face 2340 that is movable to abut the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 to stop movement of the respective pivot base 31. Each of the two opposite ends of the swivel plate 234 has a side provided with a guide ramp 2342 located beside the stop face 2340 to guide movement of the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 relative to the respective pivot base 31.
Thus, the locking member 23 of the control unit 2 is rotatable relative to the support bracket 1 between a first position as shown in FIG. 6 where the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 abuts the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 to stop movement of the respective pivot base 31 so that each of the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 is locked onto the support bracket 1 by the swivel plate 234 of the locking member 23 of the control unit 2, and a second position as shown in FIG. 7 where the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 is detached from the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 to unlock the respective pivot base 31 from the swivel plate 234 so that each of the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 is pivotable inwardly relative to the support bracket 1.
The locking member 23 of the control unit 2 has a bottom provided with at least one retaining hole 236. The swivel plate 234 of the locking member 23 has a bottom provided with two spaced guide blocks 235.
The locking member 23 of the control unit 2 has a central portion provided with a rotation shaft 231 rotatably mounted in the mounting hole 11 of the support bracket 1 and having an upper portion protruding outwardly from the mounting hole 11 of the support bracket 1. The upper portion of the rotation shaft 231 is provided with a receiving groove 232 and two spaced screw bores 233.
The control unit 2 further includes a top cap 21 secured on the upper portion of the rotation shaft 231, a control handle 22 pivotally mounted between the top cap 21 and the upper portion of the rotation shaft 231, a support base 25 mounted in the support bracket 1 to support the swivel plate 234 of the locking member 23 so that the locking member 23 is limited between the support bracket 1 and the support base 25, and an elastic member 24 mounted on the rotation shaft 231 and biased between the locking member 23 and the support base 25.
The top cap 21 of the control unit 2 has a top provided with two spaced fixing bores 211, and the control unit 2 further includes two spaced locking screws 213 extending through the two fixing bores 211 of the top cap 21 and screwed into the screw bores 233 of the rotation shaft 231 to lock the top cap 21 onto the rotation shaft 231. The top cap 21 of the control unit 2 has a bottom provided with a receiving recess 212 juxtaposed to and aligning with the receiving groove 232 of the rotation shaft 231.
The control handle 22 of the control unit 2 is a substantially semi-circular elastic loop enclosed around the top cap 21 and has a transverse bar 221 located between the receiving groove 232 of the rotation shaft 231 and the receiving recess 212 of the top cap 21.
The support base 25 of the control unit 2 is secured in the support bracket 1 by a plurality of fixing pins 13. The support base 25 of the control unit 2 has a hollow inner wall 251 to receive a lower end 2310 of the rotation shaft 231 and a hollow outer wall 254 to receive the elastic member 24. The inner wall 251 of the support base 25 has a periphery provided with an outwardly protruding limit plate 252. The outer wall 254 of the support base 25 has a periphery provided with two opposite guide slots 253, and the two guide blocks 235 of the swivel plate 234 are movable in the two guide slots 253 of the support base 25 respectively to limit rotation of the swivel plate 234 relative to the support base 25.
The elastic member 24 of the control unit 2 has a first end 240 secured in the retaining hole 236 of the locking member 23 and a second end 242 abutting and limited by the limit plate 252 of the support base 25.
In assembly, the foldable bottom frame “A” further comprises a connecting bracket 4 mounted between the top cap 21 and the locking member 23 of the control unit 2 and located above the support bracket 1, two support rods 41 pivotally mounted on two opposite ends of the connecting bracket 4, and two L-shaped support tubes 42 mounted on the support bracket 1 to support the support bracket 1.
In operation, referring to FIGS. 6-9 with reference to FIGS. 1-5, when the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 abuts the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 to stop movement of the respective pivot base 31 as shown in FIG. 6, each of the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 is locked onto the support bracket 1 by the swivel plate 234 of the locking member 23 of the control unit 2, so that the pivot connection unit 3 is locked onto the support bracket 1 by the control unit 2 so as to lock the bottom frame “A”.
When a user wishes to unlock the bottom frame “A”, the user can hold the control handle 22 to rotate the top cap 21 which rotates the rotation shaft 231 which rotates the swivel plate 234 so that the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 is moved to detach from the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 as shown in FIG. 7 to unlock the respective pivot base 31 from the swivel plate 234 so as to unlock the bottom frame “A”. Thus, when the control handle 22 is pulled upward to move the support bracket 1 upward, the two pivot bases 31 of the pivot connection unit 3 are pivotable inwardly relative to the support bracket 1, and the two connecting rods 32 of the pivot connection unit 3 are moved upward and toward each other so as to fold the bottom frame “A” as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. At this time, the two L-shaped support tubes 42 and the two support rods 41 are also folded inwardly simultaneously.
After the force applied on the control handle 22 is removed, the swivel plate 234 is rotated to the original state as shown in FIG. 6 by the restoring force of the elastic member 24 of the control unit 2. In addition, the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 is moved to detach from the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 by guidance of the guide ramp 2342.
Accordingly, the user only needs to rotate and pull the control handle 22 upward so as to unlock and fold the bottom bracket, so that the bottom bracket is unlocked and folded easily and rapidly, thereby facilitating the user unlocking and folding the bottom bracket. In addition, the swivel plate 234 of the locking member 23 is positioned by the elastic force of the elastic member 24 so that the stop face 2340 of the swivel plate 234 abuts and locks the protruding flange 313 of the respective pivot base 31 to exactly lock the pivot connection unit 3, thereby preventing the pivot connection unit 3 from being sprung upward unintentionally so as to lock the bottom frame “A” solidly and stably. Further, after the force applied on the control handle 22 is removed, the swivel plate 234 is rotated to the original state by the restoring force of the elastic member 24 of the control unit 2, thereby facilitating the user expanding the bottom frame “A”.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A foldable bottom frame for a playpen, comprising:

a support bracket;

a pivot connection unit mounted on the support bracket and including two opposite pivot bases pivotally mounted on two opposite ends of the support bracket respectively and two connecting rods each mounted on a respective one of the two pivot bases;

a control unit mounted between the support bracket and the pivot connection unit and including a locking member rotatably mounted on the support bracket and rotatable to abut the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit to releasably lock the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit onto the support bracket.

2. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit has an upper portion pivotally mounted the support bracket and a lower portion provided with a protruding flange that is stopped by the locking member of the control unit.

3. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 2, wherein the locking member of the control unit has a lower portion provided with a protruding swivel plate which is rotatable relative to the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit and has two opposite ends each provided with a stop face that is movable to abut the protruding flange of the respective pivot base to stop movement of the respective pivot base.

4. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 3, wherein each of the two opposite ends of the swivel plate has a side provided with a guide ramp located beside the stop face to guide movement of the stop face of the swivel plate relative to the respective pivot base.

5. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 3, wherein the locking member of the control unit is rotatable relative to the support bracket between a first position where the stop face of the swivel plate abuts the protruding flange of the respective pivot base to stop movement of the respective pivot base so that each of the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit is locked onto the support bracket by the swivel plate of the locking member of the control unit, and a second position where the stop face of the swivel plate is detached from the protruding flange of the respective pivot base to unlock the respective pivot base from the swivel plate so that each of the two pivot bases of the pivot connection unit is pivotable inwardly relative to the support bracket.

6. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 3, wherein

the support bracket has a top wall provided with a mounting hole;

the locking member of the control unit has a central portion provided with a rotation shaft rotatably mounted in the mounting hole of the support bracket and having an upper portion protruding outwardly from the mounting hole of the support bracket.

7. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 6, wherein the control unit further includes:

a top cap secured on the upper portion of the rotation shaft;

a control handle pivotally mounted between the top cap and the upper portion of the rotation shaft;

a support base mounted in the support bracket to support the swivel plate of the locking member so that the locking member is limited between the support bracket and the support base;

an elastic member mounted on the rotation shaft and biased between the locking member and the support base.

8. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 7, wherein the support base of the control unit has a hollow inner wall to receive a lower end of the rotation shaft and a hollow outer wall to receive the elastic member.

9. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 8, wherein

the locking member of the control unit has a bottom provided with at least one retaining hole;

the inner wall of the support base has a periphery provided with an outwardly protruding limit plate;

the elastic member of the control unit has a first end secured in the retaining hole of the locking member and a second end abutting and limited by the limit plate of the support base.

10. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 8, wherein

the outer wall of the support base has a periphery provided with two opposite guide slots;

the swivel plate of the locking member has a bottom provided with two spaced guide blocks which are movable in the two guide slots of the support base respectively to limit rotation of the swivel plate relative to the support base.

11. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 7, wherein

the upper portion of the rotation shaft is provided with two spaced screw bores;

the top cap of the control unit has a top provided with two spaced fixing bores;

the control unit further includes two spaced locking screws extending through the two fixing bores of the top cap and screwed into the screw bores of the rotation shaft to lock the top cap onto the rotation shaft.

12. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 7, wherein

the upper portion of the rotation shaft is provided with a receiving groove;

the top cap of the control unit has a bottom provided with a receiving recess juxtaposed to and aligning with the receiving groove of the rotation shaft;

the control handle of the control unit has a transverse bar located between the receiving groove of the rotation shaft and the receiving recess of the top cap.

13. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 12, wherein the control handle of the control unit is a substantially semi-circular elastic loop enclosed around the top cap.

14. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 7, wherein the support base of the control unit is secured in the support bracket by a plurality of fixing pins.

15. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 2, wherein

each of the two opposite ends of the support bracket is provided with a fixing hole;

the upper portion of each of the two pivot bases has an end provided with a pivot hole;

the foldable bottom frame further comprises two pivot pins each extending through the respective fixing hole of the support bracket and the pivot hole of the upper portion of the respective pivot base, so that the upper portion of each of the two pivot bases is pivotally mounted the support bracket.

16. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 2, wherein

the upper portion of each of the two pivot bases has a side provided with an elongate receiving channel to receive an end of the respective connecting rod;

each of the two connecting rods of the pivot connection unit is limited in the receiving channel of the respective pivot base by a limit pin.

17. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support bracket is a hollow body.

18. The foldable bottom frame for a playpen in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support bracket has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross-sectional profile.