Combination infant bed and toddler seat for shopping carts
OwnerEllen B. Lande, Deborah Silkeinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An infant bed and toddler seat convertible apparatus for use in the seat area of shopping carts made of a cradle-shaped member attached at its ends to the sides of the cart for receipt of an infant when in its bed mode and which in its seat mode has a portion thereof folded behind another portion of the apparatus with the ends being maneuvered forward for attachment to portions of the shopping cart thereby forming a seat for a toddler.
Claims28
In combination, an apparatus for supporting an infant or toddler, and a child's seat of a shopping cart, the apparatus being convertible between a cradle-like conformation useful for supporting an infant within the confines of the shopping cart child seat and a seat-like conformation useful for supporting a toddler capable of being seated within the shopping cart child seat, the child seat of the shopping cart having a substantially horizontal seat portion and a back support portion when the child seat is configured for use as a seat, the confines of the child seat further being defined by lateral side portions of the shopping cart and a rear portion of the shopping cart, comprising:
- a body member which is generally oblong and concave when in the cradle-like conformation, the body member having a central portion substantially at a lower most portion thereof with sides therearound and having ends defined at the more narrow sides of said body member, the body member being adapted to be positioned in said shopping cart child seat when in the cradle-like conformation with the lower most portion of the body member being supported by the seat portion of the child seat, the body member being adapted to the seat-like conformation by folding of a lateral side portion thereof behind a central portion thereof with said ends being brought forward of the central portion to form the seat-like conformation, the shopping cart child seat supporting the folded member in the seat-like conformation.
In combination, a child support and a child seat in a shopping cart, the child support being convertible between a cradle-like conformation useful for supporting an infant within the confines of the child seat and a seat-like conformation useful for supporting a child capable of being seated within the child seat, the child seat of the shopping cart having a substantially horizontal seat portion and a back support portion when the child seat is configured for use as a seat, the confines of the child seat further being defined by lateral side portions of the shopping cart and by a rear portion of the shopping cart, the improvement comprising:
- a body member including a central panel having first and second opposite edges and first and second ends, a first panel being attached to the central panel along the first edge of said central panel, a second side panel being attached along the second edge of said central panel, the body member being generally oblong and concave when in the cradle-like conformation, outer surfaces of at least the central panel contacting and being supported by the seat portion of the child seat of the shopping cart when the body member is in the cradle-like conformation;
- first retainer means joined to the interior surface of the body member when in the cradle-like conformation for holding and restraining a child within the body member;
- and,
- second retainer means joined to the exterior surface of the body member when in the cradle-like conformation for holding and restraining a child when the body member is in the seat-like conformation.
A method for converting a child support adapted for use in association with a child seat in a shopping cart between a cradle-like conformation useful for supporting an infant within the confines of the child seat and a seat-like conformation useful for supporting a child capable of being seated within the child seat, the child seat of the shopping cart having a substantially horizontal seat portion and a back support portion when the child seat is configured for use as a seat, the confines of the child seat further being defined by lateral side portions of the shopping cart and a rear portion of the shopping cart, the child support including a body member which is generally oblong and concave when in the cradle-like conformation, the body member having a central portion substantially at the bottom thereof with first and second side portions therearound and having ends defined at the more narrow sides thereof, the child support being adapted to be positioned in the child seat when in the cradle-like conformation, with the bottom of the body member being supported by the seat portion of the child seat, the method comprising the steps of:
- inverting the body member to cause the interior surface of the body member when in the cradle-like conformation to become the exterior surface;
- folding the first side portion of the body member rearwardly behind the central portion;
- positioning the second side portion of the body member on the seat portion of the shopping cart child seat;
- positioning the central portion of the body member on the back support portion of the shopping cart child seat;
- and,
- drawing the ends of the body member inwardly and releasably attaching said ends to the rear portion of the shopping cart to form a seat-like conformation within which a child capable of sitting can be disposed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.