Foldable playyard

Foldable playyard, comprising:

• a unitary central hub member,
• a lower frame assembly comprising corner leg connecting members and hub legs each pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to said hub member and pivotably coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said lower frame assembly corner leg connecting members such that said hub legs are collapsible by pivoting said hub legs from a substantially co-planar spread configuration wherein said hub legs diverge radially outwardly from said hub member to a compact non-coplanar configuration wherein said hub legs are substantially parallel,
• an upper frame assembly comprising corner rail connecting members and side rail means each comprising a pair of side rails and a medial rail connecting member disposed therebetween, each of said rails being pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to one of said upper frame assembly corner rail connecting members and pivotably coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to said medial rail connecting member such that said pair of rails is collapsible by pivoting said rails from a substantially in-line configuration to a generally V-shaped configuration;
• and
• corner legs interconnecting said upper and lower frame assemblies, each fixedly coupled at one end portion thereof to one of said upper frame assembly corner leg connecting members and fixedly coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said lower frame assembly corner rail connecting members such that said corner legs are collapsible radially inwardly towards said hub member from a substantially parallel configuration wherein said corner legs are spread apart by said hub legs and side rail means to a substantially parallel compact configuration wherein said corner legs are drawn together by said hub legs and side rail means,
• each of said side rail means including latch means for latching said pair of rails in said substantially in-line configuration and latch release means for releasing said pair of rails from said in-line configuration,
• each latch means including a pair of oppositely sprung pin members, each pin member being at least partially telescoped within one of said rail end portions which is pivotably coupled to said medial rail connecting member, and a holding member coupled to said medial rail connecting member between said pin members.

Foldable playyard comprising:

• a unitary central hub member,
• a lower frame assembly comprising corner leg connecting members and hub legs each pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to said hub member and pivotably coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said lower frame assembly corner leg connecting members such that said hub legs are collapsible by pivoting said hub legs from a substantially co-planar spread configuration wherein said hub legs diverge radially outwardly from said hub member to a non-coplanar compact configuration wherein said hub legs are substantially parallel,
• an upper frame assembly comprising corner rail connecting members and side rail means each comprising a pair of rails and a medial rail connecting member disposed therebetween, each of said rails being pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to said medial connecting member and being pivotably and rotatably coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said upper frame assembly corner rail connecting members such that said pair of rails is collapsible by pivoting said rails from a substantially in-line configuration to a generally v-shaped configuration,
• corner legs interconnecting said upper and lower frame assemblies, each fixedly coupled at one end portion thereof to one of said upper frame assembly corner leg connecting members and fixedly coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said lower frame assembly corner rail connecting member such that said corner legs are collapsible radially inwardly toward said hub from a substantially parallel configuration wherein said corner legs are spread apart by said hub legs and side rail means to a substantially parallel compact configuration wherein said corner legs are drawn together by said hub legs and side rails means,
• each of said side rail means including means for selectively latching said side rails in and releasing said side rails from said substantially in-line configuration by rotation of said side rails.

Apparatus for latching a pair of rails in substantially in-line configuration, comprising

• a medial rail connecting member disposed between said rails, each rail being pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to said medial rail connecting member,
• a pair of oppositely sprung pin members, each pin member being at least partially telescoped within one of said rail end portions, and
• a holding member coupled to said medial rail connecting member between said pin members,
• each sprung pin member being provided with a cam surface portion for cammingly contacting said holding member such that said pin member retracts against spring pressure and a latch surface portion for engaging said holding member under spring pressure.

Apparatus for selectively latching a pair of rails in and selectively releasing a pair of rails from a substantially in-line configuration between a pair of rail end connecting members, comprising

• a medial rail connecting member disposed between said rails,
• each of said rails being pivotably coupled at one end portion thereof to said medial rail end connecting member and being pivotably and rotatably coupled at an opposite end portion thereof to one of said rail end connecting members, and
• a pair of oppositely sprung collar members each mounted on one of said opposite end portions of said rails so as to be slidable thereon and rotatable therewith,
• each collar member having a portion for engaging and interlocking with a portion of a rail end connecting member so as to prevent rotation of said collar member.