Stroller connectable with a car seat

[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 200620166482.9, filed on Dec. 28, 2006.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a stroller, and more particularly to a stroller connectable with a car seat.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Current trends in stroller design are such that a specific portion of the stroller is made to allow a car seat to be connected therewith. Such a design can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,070,890, 5,947,555, and 6,572,134, and UP Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0124611.

[0006] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,890, a stroller is connected with a car seat by a tray. In UP Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0124611, a stroller is connected with a car seat by a pair of supporting rods. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,555, a stroller is connected with a car seat by two armrests.

[0007] The object of this invention is to provide a stroller that can be connected with a car seat by a footrest.

[0008] According to an aspect of this invention, a stroller is adapted to be connected with a car seat. The car seat includes a retaining member. The stroller comprises:

[0009] a stroller frame;

[0010] a seat portion disposed on the stroller frame and formed with a generally horizontal seat plate;

[0011] a footrest disposed pivotally on the seat plate and having a coupling portion, the footrest being pivotable relative to the seat plate between first and second positions, the footrest standing on the seat plate such that the retaining member engages the coupling portion to thereby retain the car seat on the stroller when the footrest is disposed in the first position.

[0012] According to another aspect of this invention, a stroller assembly comprises:

[0013] a car seat including a seat body having a bottom portion formed with a retaining member; and

[0014] a stroller including

• • [0015] a stroller frame,
  • [0016] a seat portion disposed on the stroller frame and formed with a generally horizontal seat plate, and
  • [0017] a footrest disposed pivotally on the seat plate and having a coupling portion, the footrest being pivotable relative to the seat plate between first and second positions, the footrest standing on the seat plate such that the retaining member engages the coupling portion to thereby retain the car seat on the stroller when the footrest is disposed in the first position.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of a stroller assembly 1 according to this invention includes a stroller and a car seat 5. The stroller includes a foldable stroller frame 10, a seat portion 2 disposed on the stroller frame 10, a footrest 3, and a supporting rod 4. The foldable stroller frame 10 includes a front leg frame 11, a rear leg frame 12, a back frame 13, two armrests 14, a pair of front wheels 15, and a pair of rear wheels 16.

[0027] The car seat 5 includes a seat body 51 that has a backrest portion 511 and a seat portion 512. The backrest portion 411 includes a hollow middle ridge wall 53 and two side ridge walls 52 flanking the middle ridge wall 53. The middle ridge wall 53 includes a retaining member 531 that is biased to project downwardly from a bottom end thereof (i.e., the retaining member 531 is disposed on a bottom portion of the seat body 51), and that is configured as a projecting block, and an actuator 532 is disposed movably at an upper end of the middle ridge wall 53 and operable to move the retaining member 531 relative to the middle ridge wall 52 between an engagement position and a disengagement position. Each of the side walls 52 has a concave portion 522 aligned horizontally with the retaining member 531.

[0028] The front leg frame 11 is generally U-shaped, and includes a front leg rail 111 and two front leg side rods 112 connected respectively to two ends of the front leg rail 111. The front wheels 15 are disposed respectively on bottom ends of the front leg side rods 112. The rear leg frame 12 includes two rear leg side rods 121 connected respectively and pivotally to top ends of the front leg side rods 112, and a protective rail 122 interconnecting fixedly top ends of the rear leg side rods 121. The protective rail 122 may be replaced with a food tray (not shown). Alternatively, the protective rail 122 may be connected removably to the rear leg side rods 121. The rear wheels 16 are disposed respectively on bottom ends of the rear leg side rods 121. The back frame 13 is inverted U-shaped, and has two bottom ends connected respectively and pivotally to two rear leg connecting rods 131 that are connected respectively and pivotally to the rear leg side rods 121 at bottom ends thereof. The armrests 14 have front ends connected respectively and pivotally to top ends of the rear leg side rods 121, and rear ends connected respectively and pivotally to two sides of the back frame 13.

[0029] The seat portion 2 includes a generally horizontal seat plate 21 and a back plate 22. The seat plate 21 is disposed between the front leg side rods 112 and between the rear leg side rods 121. The back plate 22 is connected pivotally to a rear side of the seat plate 21. When the stroller is not mounted with the car seat 5, the back plate 22 is pivotable between a horizontal position whereat a baby can lie on the seat plate 21 and the back plate 22, and a vertical position whereat the baby can sit upright on the seat plate 21 and lean back against the back plate 22. The back plate 22 is also pivotable to an inclined position shown in FIG. 2 so as to enable the car seat 5 to be mounted on the stroller frame 10. A front end of the seat plate 21 is formed with a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions 211, two outmost ones of which are connected respectively and pivotally to the front leg side rods 112. Each of the protrusions 211 has an inclined top surface. Each adjacent pair of the protrusions 211 is interconnected by a connecting section 213, and defines a lug-accommodating space 214 therebetween. The footrest 3 can pivot about the connecting sections 213 among a first position shown in FIG. 1, a second position shown in FIG. 5, and a third position shown in FIG. 7.

[0030] With further reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the footrest 3 includes a plate body 30 that has a top surface 311 and a bottom surface 312 when the footrest 3 is disposed in the second position. That is, the bottom surface 312 faces downwardly and the top surface 311 faces upwardly when the footrest 3 is disposed in the second position. The plate body 30 is formed with a plurality of pivot lug units 31 disposed respectively within the lug-accommodating spaces 214. Each of the pivot lug units 31 is C-shaped, and is sleeved rotatably on the corresponding connecting section 213. As such, the footrest 3 has a pivot end (3P) proximate to the pivot lug units 31, and a free end (3F) distal from the pivot lug units 31. The plate body 30 has a coupling portion configured as a retaining groove 33 formed therethrough. In this embodiment, the retaining groove 33 has an elongated extension portion 34 (see FIG. 3) extending from a middle portion thereof toward the pivot end (3P).

[0031] The footrest 3 further includes two supporting ribs 35 formed integrally with the bottom surface 312 of the plate body 30 and located respectively to two sides of the retaining groove 33. Each of the supporting ribs 35 extends along a front-to-rear direction, and has first, second, and third positioning portions 362, 363, 364. In this embodiment, each of the supporting ribs 35 is formed with a guide slot 361 extending along a longitudinal direction thereof. Each of the first, second, and third positioning portions 362, 363, 364 is configured as a portion of the guide slot 361. With additional reference to FIG. 6, the first and third positioning portions 362, 364 are disposed respectively in proximity to the pivot end (3P) and the free end (3F) of the guide slot 361. The second positioning portion 363 is disposed between the pivot end (3P) and the free end (3F) (i.e., between the first and third positioning portions 362, 364), and is configured as a branch of the guide slot 361, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0032] The supporting rod 4 is disposed under the footrest 3, and has a positioning rod section 41 extending through the guide slots 361 in the supporting ribs 35 and engageable with the first, second, and third positioning portions 362, 363, 364 so as to maintain the footrest 3 in the first, second, and third positions, respectively, and two side rod sections 42 extending in the same direction respectively from two opposite ends of the positioning rod section 41. An assembly of the positioning rod section 41 and the side rod sections 42 is generally U-shaped. The supporting rod 4 further has two pivot rod sections 43 that extend respectively from the side rod sections 42 away from the positioning rod portion 41 and that are connected respectively and pivotally to the front leg side rods 112 of the stroller frame 10.

[0033] As such, when the footrest 3 pivots relative to the seat plate 21, the supporting rod 4 moves within the guide slots 361.

[0034] With particular reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, when the footrest 3 is disposed in the second position, it is generally horizontal, and is aligned with the seat plate 21. In this state, the baby can sit on the seat portion 2 and rest his or her feet and calves in a generally horizontal position on the top surface 311 of the footrest 3. With particular reference to FIG. 7, when the footrest 3 is disposed in the third position, it is aligned with the front leg side rods 112, and the top surface 311 of the footrest 3 is inclined rearwardly and upwardly. In this state, the baby can sit on the seat portion 2 and rest his or her feet and calves in an inclined position on the top surface 311 of the footrest 3.

[0035] With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, when it is desired to mount the car seat 5 to the stroller frame 10, the footrest 3 is pivoted upwardly to the first position such that it stands on the seat plate 21, and the supporting rod 4 is moved to the first positioning portions 362 of the supporting ribs 35 so as to maintain the footrest 3 in the first position. Subsequently, the car seat 5 is moved onto the stroller frame 10 such that the concaved portions 522 engage respectively two opposite sides of the free end (3F) of the footrest 3 and the retaining member 531 engages the retaining groove 33 in the footrest 3. As such, a front end of the car seat 5 is supported by the transverse supporting plate 3, and two opposite sides of the seat body 51 abut respectively against the armrests 14. In this state, when the baby is received within the car seat 5, it faces the back frame 13 and the person pushing the stroller assembly 1.

[0036] To remove the car seat 5 from the stroller frame 10, it is only necessary to pull the actuator 532 upwardly so as to disengage the retaining member 531 from the retaining groove 33.

[0037] With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims.