Collapsible or folding perambulator, cot, and other articles

Aug. 5, 1947. r. lenthall

COLLAPSIBLE OR FOLDING PERAMBULATOR, COT

2,425,195

AND OTHER ARTICLES

Filed Jan. 7, 1946

Sheets-Sheet 1

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Aug. 5, 1947. r. lenthall 2,425,195

COLLAPSIBLE OR FOLDING PERAMBULATOR, COT, AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Jan. 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

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Patented Aug. 5, 1947

2,425,195

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,425,195

COLLAPSIBLE OR FOLDING PERAMBULATOR, COT, AND OTHER ARTICLES

Robert Lenthall, London, England, assignor to The Scholl Manufacturing Company Limited, London, England

Application January 7,1946, Serial No. 639,625 In Great Britain January 6,1945

Claims. (Cl. 280—41) (Granted under the provisions of sec. 14, act of March 2, 1927; 357 O. G. 5)

This invention relates to collapsible or folding perambulators, cots, baths and other articles, the object being to provide a frame such that, when the article is collapsed or folded, it is compact and easily carried and, when ready for use, will be firmly locked in open position.

According to the invention the frame of a collapsible or folding article of the kind comprising two pairs of members, each of substantially Ushape, pivoted to oppositely disposed plates or blocks and movable into substantially parallel relationship side by side for transport, has the members of one pair adapted to turn down into downwardly and outwardly inclined positions, limited by stops, to form a base and the members of the other pair adapted to be turned apart and locked in angular relationship, as by toggle links, in positions in which they engage the members of the other pair and lock them against their stops. With such a construction the two pairs of members are simultaneously locked in relation to each other in their open position.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of the essentially interacting parts of a frame according to the invention in extended position. Fig. 2 is a similar view of part of Fig. 1 showing parts in release position prior to complete collapsing of such frame. Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to part of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a frame for embodiment in a perambulator. Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating the appearance of a perambulator embodying a frame as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view of such perambulator when collapsed. Fig. 7 is an elevation and Fig. 8 a plan of a detail which may be employed to lock the perambulator handle bar in position.

Referring first to Fig. 4, I and 2 represent the pair of substantially U-shaped members intended to be turned into downwardly and outwardly inclined position from a pair of blocks 3, to form a base and 4 and 5 represent the other pair of members adapted to be turned apart in relation to the blocks 3, and locked thus by toggle links 6.

As will be more clearly seen from Fig. 1, the ends of the limbs of the U-shape members I, 2 and 4, 5 extend beyond their pivots 7, and, when the frame is opened, the extended ends of the base members I, 2 abut against stops 8 on the blocks 3 and are engaged and held against the stops by the extended ends of the members of the other pair 4, 5, rotatable about pivot 7^a whereupon toggle links 9 connecting the members of this pair can be caused to lock all the members jn position. 55

The body of a perambulator, cot, bath or other article is constituted by an open topped flat bottomed bag 10 of flexible material attached to the transverse portions 11 of the upwardly extending 5 pair of members 4, 5.

A perambulator may be provided with a hood of flexible material attached in any usual way to the body at the rear top edge and supported by two U-shaped frames 12, 13 hinged together as at 10 14 and one of which 12 is hinged as at 15 to the side limbs of the U-shaped frame 5; these frames 12, 13 move about their hinges in contact with the locked toggles 9, and catches or bosses are provided on one of the toggle links at each side 15 of the perambulator, the frames 12, 13 of the hood riding over them in being raised and being engaged by them so as to be held in the half or fully opened up position of the hood. In the drawings one boss 16 (Fig. 5) only is shown, namely 20 that required to hold the hood fully open.

The side blocks 3 each comprise a pair of plates as seen in Fig. 3 between which the pivotal rivets 7 and stop rivets 8 extend, the two complete blocks being tied together by a stay bar 17 Fig. 4, ex25 tending beneath the body of the article and serving as a handle by which the collapsed article can be carried; the bar may be provided with a hand grip 18 rotatable on the bar.

In the case of a perambulator, wheels 19 Fig.

5, are mounted on journals carried by the base members I, 2 but such wheels are not necessary in the case where a cot or bath body is provided.

To provide an elevated handle bar for a perambulator, one of the body supporting members 35 (in the illustration the member 4) may be telescopically extensible, a catch or catches, releasable by thumb pressure, being provided for holding the handle bar in the extended position and, it may be, in the closed position. In Fig. 7 which 40 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow x in Fig. 5 of the junction between one of the inclined limbs of frame 4 and the associated transverse portion fl, the handle bar 20 which slides telescopically within the frame 4 is locked in 45 extended position by a pin 21 carried by a spring clip 22. This pin snaps into a hole in the handle bar as shown in Fig. 8 but is retracted to release the handle bar by pressure upon the clip 22 applied to the free end in an inward direction.