Collapsible Baby Carriage and Stroller

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to baby strollers, i.e. to collapsible baby carriages and/or strollers with a handlebar and armrests, associated with a seat part, and a chest bar.

Collapsible baby carriages and/or strollers have stood the test of time. In each case, they are collapsed either in the axial direction, thus reducing the width of the carriage or stroller, but not its length to any major extent, or else the wheelbase is reduced by a hinged or telescoping mechanism, thus markedly reducing the length but not the height of the carriage or stroller.

There is a desire in prior art strollers and baby carriages to provide for a further reduction in the collapsed and folded size.

2. Summary of the Invention

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a collapsible baby carriage and/or stroller, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and to provide collapsible baby carriage and/or stroller which requires even less space, and which can be put into the functional position and collapsed extraordinarily quickly.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a collapsible baby stroller, comprising a base frame, a handlebar connected to the base frame and armrests attached to the handlebar, a seat supported on the base frame, and a chest bar associated with the seat; and a plurality of joints for collapsing the baby stroller above the base frame.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the base frame has an outer boundary as seen in a plan view, and the handlebar, the armrests, the seat, and the chest bar do not protrude substantially past the outer boundary of the base frame in a collapsed state of the baby stroller.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises front bearing tubes and rear support tubes pivotally connected to the base frame. The rear support tubes may be embodied in divided form and include at least two support tube parts. There is also provided a folding hinge pivotally joining together the two support tube parts of the rear support tube. A mechanically actuatable safety lock may be associated with the folding hinge. There is further provided, in accordance with the invention, a shift lever having a first end pivotally connected at an upper region of the folding hinge. The shift lever has a second end opposite the first end, and the second end is either directly or indirectly pivotally connected to bearing elements of the seat.

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the baby stroller comprises a cross bar attached to and rigidly joining the support tubes above the folding hinge.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the bearing elements are in the form of a frame receiving the seat. There is also provided a locking bar associated with a rear region of the bearing element. The locking bar has outer ends, and including an upwardly-extending locking hook connected to each of the outer ends of the locking bar. The locking hooks are pivotally connected to the bearing elements for the seat. The locking hooks are preferably disposed on the cross bar. There is also provided one compression spring associated with each of the locking hooks.

In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises a common central joint element supporting the bearing tube, the support tube, and the handlebar. The bearing tube, the support tube, and the handlebar thereby extend in a vertical plane. The bearing tube is preferably rigidly connected to the central joint element. The bearing tube is thereby supported in a hollow chamber formed in the central joint element, and the support tube and the handlebar are pivotally connected to the central joint element. The central joint element may be formed with a locking notch, and the baby stroller thereby comprises a locking element adapted to lock in the locking notch of the central joint element. The locking element is guided longitudinally movably on the handlebar. There may further be provided a bolt guiding the locking element, the handlebar having an oblong slot formed therein for guiding the bolt.

In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises a handlebar unlocking device disposed at the handlebar, the bolt of the locking element being connected to the handlebar unlocking device and being guided thereby in concealed fashion. The handlebar unlocking device can be manually operated. At least one tension spring is provided on each side of the handlebar unlocking device. The handlebar unlocking device is preferably a handle guided in an upper region outside the handlebar.

In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises an unlocking sleeve guided longitudinally movably on the handlebar, the unlocking sleeve being disposed in a region where the handlebar unlocking device emerges from the handlebar.

Furthermore, a bolt is attached at the unlocking sleeve, the unlocking sleeve being guided by the bolt in an oblong slot formed in the handlebar. The locking element and the unlocking sleeve each perform a longitudinal motion, each of the longitudinal motions of the locking element and of the unlocking sleeve on the handlebar being at least of equal magnitude.

In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the central joint element has a support dome, embodied as a bearing face, in an elongated direction of the bearing tube. There is also provided a locking element adapted to receive the support dome, and the support dome, in a functional position of the baby stroller, is covered by the locking element. In the preferred embodiment, a free face end of the support dome is located outside the outer boundary of the base frame in a collapsed state of the baby stroller.

In accordance with yet an added feeature of the invention, the base frame is formed with two rear wheels, and the baby stroller, in the collapsed state thereof and stood on its side, being supported stably on the two rear wheels and the two support domes of the central joint elements.

In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises a collapsible box supported in space formed between an upper edge of the base frame and a lower edge of the seat. Boxes of this type are commercially available and may be of a standard size.

In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the chest bar is disposed removably and/or adjustably.

In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises fast-action locks removably locking the wheels at the base frame. In the preferred embodiment, the stroller further comprises a bottom shelf formed between the base frame and the seat, and wherein the bottom shelf and/or the base frame is formed with receptacles for the wheels.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the safety lock, the locking hook, the central joint element and the handlebar unlocking device are formed of man-made material. The safety lock, the locking hook, the central joint element, and the handlebar unlocking device are preferably injection-molded components.

In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the baby stroller further comprises a kick plate protecting the locking bar and a rear region of the bearing elements. The kick plate has an exterior which is preferably formed with profiling.

By embodying the carriage or stroller according to the invention, it can be collapsed into a transporting or storage position and returned to the functional position extremely quickly and simply, even by using only one hand.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a collapsible baby carriage and/or stroller, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a stroller in the functional position;

FIG. 1' is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the support on the left;

FIG. 2 is a similar view, but with the locking hook unlatched and the safety lock released;

FIG. 2' is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the support on the left;

FIG. 3 is a similar view, but with the handlebar angled upward;

FIG. 3' is an enlarged view of the detail A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a collapsed stroller;

FIG. 4' is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the support at the left;

FIG. 5 is a similar view, but in the set-up state;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view as seen in the direction A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section through a central joint element in the functional position of the stroller;

FIG. 8 is a similar view, but with a slightly tipped handlebar;

FIG. 9 is a similar view, but with the handlebar tipped more sharply; and

FIG. 10 is a similar view, but with the handlebar in the folded-over position.

Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail there is seen a base frame 1, supported on axles 28. The base frame 1 is not collapsed but instead, by the disposition of a plurality of joints according to the invention, serves to support the collapsed carriage or stroller. As a result, the axles 28 and thus the wheelbase (i.e. the distance between the wheels 24; 25), remains unchanged when the stroller is collapsed. In the collapsed state, the individual parts do not protrude substantially beyond the boundary of the base frame 1.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the front bearing tubes 2 and the rear support tubes 3 are connected pivotally to the base frame 1. The rear support tubes 3 are embodied in divided form, i.e. they are formed with two parts which are articulated about one another with a folding hinge 4. A mechanically actuatable safety lock 5 is associated with the folding hinge 4. A shift lever 6 is pivotally connected to the upper region of the folding hinge 4, and its other end is connected to the bearing elements 9 of the seat member 7.

The support tubes 3 are rigidly joined together above the folding hinge 4 by a cross bar 8. The bearing elements 7 that serve to receive the seat member 7 are embodied by a U-shaped frame whose crosspiece extends below the central joint element 13 and thus below the handlebar 12. A locking bar 10 is associated with the rear region of the bearing elements 9 for the seat part 7. An upward-leading locking hook 11 is assigned to each of the outer ends of this locking bar 10; these hooks are pivotally connected to the bearing elements 9 for the seat part 7 and are embodied for locking on the cross bar 8. Each locking hook 11 is assigned a compression spring.

The bearing tube 2, the support tube 3 and the handlebar 12 are supported and connected in a common central joint element 13 and extend in a vertical plane. The bearing tube 2 rests in a hollow chamber of the central joint element 13 and is rigidly connected, while the support tube 3 and the handlebar 12 are pivotally connected. The central joint element 13 has a locking notch 14, with which a locking element 15 is associated that is guided longitudinally movably on the handlebar 12. To that end, the locking element 15 is guided via a bolt 17 in an oblong slot 18 of the handlebar 12. The bolt 17 of the locking element 15 is connected to a handlebar unlocking device 16 guided in concealed fashion, which can be operated manually and is assigned at least one tension spring 34 on each side. In the upper region, the handlebar unlocking device 16 is extended to outside the handlebar 12 and is embodied as a handle 19; one longitudinally movably guided unlocking sleeve 20 each is disposed on the handlebar 12 and is guided via a bolt 21 in an oblong slot 22 of the handlebar 12. It is important that the longitudinal motions of the locking element 15 and of the unlocking sleeve 20 on the handlebar 12 are of the same magnitude.

In the elongated direction of the bearing tube 2, the central joint element 13 has a support dome 23, embodied as a bearing face, which in the functional position of the stroller is covered by the locking element 15. The free face end of the support dome 23, after the carriage or stroller is collapsed, is located outside the base frame 1, and the collapsed carriage or stroller is supported stably on the two rear wheels 24 and the two support domes 23.

Because of the embodiment according to the invention, the space between the base frame 1 and the underside of the seat part 7 is large enough that a commercially available collapsing box 26 can be stored there. The front wheels 25 and the rear wheels 24 are easily mounted and removed via a fast-action lock. The loose wheels 24; 25 can be supported in the bottom shelf 27 or in the base frame 1 in receptacles provided there for them, and as a result the outer dimensions of the collapsed carriage or stroller can be reduced still further.

The safety lock 5, the locking hook 11, the central joint element 13 and the handlebar unlocking device 16 are made of man-made materials and can be made by injection molding. The locking bar 10 and the rear region of the bearing element 9 are provided with a profiled kick plate. The back rest 31 and the arm rests 32 with the chest bar 33 can be collapsed in a known manner by means of a sliding block 29.