US2294366A - Infant's training chair - Google Patents

Description

p 1942- M. a. EIDSON I I 2394,36

INFANTS TRAINING CHAIR Filed Aug. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 1, 1942. M, B, EIDSON ma mas INFANTS TRAINING CHAIR Filed Aug. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n A55 m I s 9 lfgwuwvtom 1 W Maw-z Jean Patente cl Sept. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the class of furniture and pertains particularly to improvements in childrens furniture.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a childs article of furniture which is designed to facilitate the training of a child fromthe time that it is very young, in the use of the necessary receptacles in answering the calls or requirements, of nature.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an article of furniture which makes it possible to start the necessary training of the child when it is too small to sit upright, the article being designed so that as the child grows and becomes stronger and better able to manage his body, he can be gradually brought to an upright or sitting position, thereby teaching the child the proper use of the stool from a 'very early age.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an article of furniture of the character stated which is designed in a novel manner to support a chamber receptacle for its use as an article of sanitation or for use as an ordinary chair or highchair in which an infant may sit while being fed or at other times.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation of the chair the back lowered and with the scat open to re-- ceive a chamber receptacle.

Fig. is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a View of the structure lowered or flattened out as shown in Fig. 4, in bottom plan.

Fig. '7 is a view in perspective of the deflector which is shown applied in Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I designates a pair of legs for the chair, which legs are in the form of relatively long vertically disposed panels which extend from the front to the rear of the chair and each of which is formed with a rearwardly downwardly sloping top edge 2 which merges with a sharply downwardly inclined top edge portion 2' which forms a terminal continuation of the major slightly inclined top edge portion 2. These side legs I are connected by the transverse panel or apron 3, as shown most clearly in Figs. 5 and 6.

Upon the top edge portions 2 of the legs there is supported the seat body 4 which is made up of the upper and lower panel portions 5 and 6, respectively. The upper panel portion has the central circular opening 1 formed therethrough and formed through the lower seat panel 6 is the central opening 8 which is concentric with the opening I but is of slightly smaller diameterso that there is formed the shoulder 9, These openings 1 and f the seat panels or seat sections merge into the relatively narrow forwardly extending slot In which is formed through both portions of the seat and which opens through the forward or front edge thereof, as shown in 'Fig. 4. At the forward end of the slot Hi the lower seat portion 6 is provided with the inwardly extending ears I I. There is thus formed through the seat body a shouldered opening of substantially circular form which is designed to have disposed therein the flangedtop of a chamber receptacle which is shown in broken lines in Fig. 5 and indicated by the numeral [2, the flange of this receptacle resting upon the shoulder 9 below the plane of the top of the seat. By the provision of the slot Ill, the receptacle can be conveniently lowered in position, the slot allowing for the passing of the handle of the receptacle so that it will be below the seat and out of the way when the receptacle is in place. The slot additionally provides for the maintenance of the seat in a sanitary condition as it serves to prevent the wetting of the forward part of the seat body when the same is being used.

When it is desired to use the chair as a chair rather than as an article of sanitation, the seat opening together with the slot may be closed by the placing therein of the fill-out panel l3, which panel is formed to enter the opening I and rest upon the shoulder 9 and to be supported at its forward end by the ears I l. The top of the fillside of the chair.

out panel l3 will be flush with the top surface of the seat.

Pivotally attached to the rear edge of the seat 4 by hinges I4, is a back l5 which has extending longitudinally of its rear side adjacent each 1ongitudinal edge, a reinforcing cleat l6. These cleats are angled at their lower ends, as indicated at H, so that when the back is lowered to substantially a horizontal position the cleats, which are in alinement with the legpanels I will come substantially into contact with the sloping rear edge portions 2 of such panels and may, if desired, be supported thereon.

For the maintenance of the back in lowered position, there are provided the supporting legs 3, each of which is pivotally attached as at I9, to a cleat l6 adjacent the outer or upper end thereof. These legs are preferably coupled'between their outer ends and a reinforcing bar which is secured across the back of the seat at substantially the transverse center thereof, by the hinged links or desk lid braces 2|.

The numeral 22 designates the arms at the sides of the chair. Each of these arms is in two sections, one section being indicated by-the numeral 23 and constituting theforward part of the arm which assumes substantially a vertical position when the chair back is upright, while the other section which is indicatedbythe numeral 24, assumes a substantially horizontal position when the back is upright.

The two sections of the arms are hingedly joined together as indicated at 25, the hinge being disposed upon the under sides of the sections so that the arms may be relatively moved from an alinedsrelation to an angular relation.

The forward end of the forward section 23 of each arm is provided with the angularly extending ear 26 which is pivotally attached, asat 2'!, t0 the forward upper part of the adjacent leg panel I upon the outer side thereof, as shown in Fig. 1.

seat back [5 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 5, the two portions of each arm move into alined position-and form a horizontal rail at the This horizontal rail functions as aprotective means when the chair is used for yery young babies, preventing the baby from rolling off the side of the chair.

In the under-edge of the upper portion-24 of each arm there is-provided a key-hole-shaped slot 33 which facilitates the attachment to the arms of the tray unit indicated generally by the numeral 34. s This unit comprises the tray proper 35 and the rearwardly extending side arms 35, each of which carries uponits inner side the transversely directed short semi-cylindrical pin 31. The radius of this pin 3'! carried by each arm 36 of the tray is such that it may snugly pass through the narrow portion of a key-hole slot .33 and the flat side of the pin extends longitudinally of the supporting arm so that, as is shown in Fig. 3, it is necessary that the tray arms be vertically disposed inorder that the pins may be slipped into their respective key-hole slots and after they have been moved into the larger ends of the slots, they may then be rotated so as to permit the tray to be swung forwardly and downwardly to rest upon the upper ends of the forward portions 23 of the arms. Naturally when the back of the chair is lowered, the tray will be removed as it cannot be used when the chair is so adjusted.

While the chair structure has been described as being designed to support a chamber receptacle, it is possible for it to be used by being placed directly upon a toilet seat and when the chair is to be used for the training of male children and placed upon the toilet stool or seat, it is desirable that there be employed a deflector shield such as is shown in Fig. 7. Such shields, here indicated generally by the numeral 38, are com- -monly employed upon childrens toilet chairs and such deflector in itself forms no part of the present invention. However, the formation of the slot I0 leading forwardly from the seatopening to the forward edge of the seat is made of the proper width so that such a deflector may be disposed between the edges of the slot and the arms 39 which the. deflector carries may be conveniently secured to the under side of the seat in the manner illustrated.

The upper or inner portion of each armis provided with a slot 40 and the adjacent cleat is provided with a similar slot 4|. By means of these slots, a suitable restraining strap may be passed around the back of thechair and in front of the body of the infant and connected with the arms as a safety means for preventing the infant from falling forwardly out of the chair when the same is used with the back upright.

From the foregoing, it .will be readily apparent that by the use of the present device, the training of infants in the use of the stool or chamber receptacle may be started at a very early age since by lowering the back of the chair, the infant can be put to the stool before it is able to sit up or support itself in upright position for this purpose. As the infant grows older, the back of the chair can be gradually raised until the infant-has learned to make use of the receptacle in the normal upright position. In addition to its use as a trainer for infants, the chair, by-the application to the seat of the fill-out panel 13, maybe used as a chair or as a convenient means for feeding the infant when the tray 34 is attached to the arms.

What is claimed is:

1. An infant training chair, comprising a seat having an opening therein for the reception of a receptacle and having supporting legs, a back hingedly attached to the rear part of the seat to be oscillated from a vertical position to substantially a horizontal position, and arms atthe sides of the chair each consisting of a long forward portion and a long top portion, a hinge connection between adjacent ends of the portions of each arm, said arm portions at their remote ends having angular extensions, a pivotal connection between the angular extension of each arm forward portion and the adjacent side of the seat, and a pivotal connection between the angular extension of each of the horizontal portions and the adjacent side of the back, said arm portions assuming an angular relation when the back is raised and moving into an alined relation when the back is lowered to the said horizontal position in which latter position the alined portions of the arms are supported by the angular extensions thereof in a position above the tops of the seat and back.

2. An infant training chair, comprising a seat having an opening therein for the reception of a receptacle and having supporting legs, a back hingedly attached to the rear part of the seat to be oscillated from a vertical position to substantially a horizontal position, and arms at the sides of the chair each consisting of a long forward portion and a long top portion, a hinge connection between adjacent ends of the portions of each arm, said arm portions at their remote ends having angular extensions, a pivotal connection between the angular extension of each arm forward portion and the adjacent side of the seat, a pivotal connection between the angular extension of each of the horizontal portions and the adjacent side of the back, said arm portions assuming an angular relation when the back is raised and moving into an alined relation when the back is lowered to the said horizontal position in which latter position the alined portions of the arms are supported by the angular extensions thereof in a position above the tops of the seat and back, and a fill-out panel adapted to position within the seat opening to convert the seat into a solid supporting body.

3. A chair of the character stated comprising a seat, a back hingedly coupled thereto to be swung from an upright position to a lowered position in which it extends rearwardly from the seat, an arm at each side of the seat comprising two hingedly coupled portions, and means at the remote ends of the portions of each arm pivotally coupling one portion with the seat and the other portion with the back, which is so constructed and arranged that upon swinging the back to lowered position the two portions of each arm will be shifted from an angular relation to an end to end alined relation and maintained at an elevation to extend above the top of the seat and back to form a side guard rail.

4. A chair of the character stated comprising a seat, a back hingedly coupled thereto to be swung from an upright position to a lowered position in which it extends rearwardly from the seat, an arm at each side of the seat comprsing two hingedly coupled portions, a lateral extention at the remote ends of the two portions of each arm, and a pivotal connection between the lateral extention of one portion of each arm and said seat, and a pivotal connection between the lateral extension of the other portion and said back, said arm portions being shifted from an angular relation to an end aligned relation upon swinging the back to lowered'position and. said lateral extensions functioning to elevate the aligned portions above the seat and back to form a side guard rail.

MARSHALL B. EIDSON.

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