High chair tray having plateanchoring means

Dec. 23, 1958 _w. _R staley 2,865,697

HIGH CHAIR TRAY HAVING PLATE-ANCHORING MEANS

Filed Nov. 29. 1957

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ATTORNEYS

United States Patent Office

2,865,697

Patented Dec. 23, 1958

2,865,697

HIGH CHAIR TRAY HAVING PLATE- 6 ANCHORING MEANS

Wilbur R. Staley, Winnemucca, Nev.

Application November 29, 1957, Serial No. 699,589 8 Claims. (Cl. 311—103) ¹⁰

This invention relates generally to any of various table- ]_glike structures, such as a high chair tray, etc., and more specifically has reference to a table structure including a recess for receiving a specially formed plate, and including, further, a plate removably engageable in said recess, the structure having means for releasably locking the ₂n plate in position.

In the feeding of infants, it often happens that the child will brush the plate off the high chair tray or other table-like support, or alternatively, the child may throw the plate.from the high chair.. The present invention has _2gas its main purpose the provision of means for preventing an occurrence of this type.

Summarized briefly, the invention includes a table assembly which could be part of a high chair, infant’s feeding table, etc. Said assembly has a recess for a plate. 30 A plate insertable in said recess has a peripheral flange, and a releas.ble lock means is mounted within the table assembly, having opposed jaws that move into overlying relation to diametrically opposite portions of said flange, thus to releasably engage the plate agrinst removal from ₃₅the recess. A novel linkage between the jaws is so designed that on swinging of a projecting handle through a short distance, the jaws are simultaneously moved out of engagement with the flange to permit release of the plate. In this position of the jaws, the handle may be releasably _4plocked so that the jaws will be held retracted until a plate is returned to position in the recess.

. Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed diawing, in which like reference characters designate like 45 parts throughout the several views, and wherein:.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a high chair tray, in which a portion of the tray has been sectioned away, a plate being shown in position in the tray, the plate locking means being shown in full and dotted lines ₅q in locking and unlocking positions thereof, respectively;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view substantially on line 2—2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the plate locking me: ns per se, portions being broken away; _gg

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the high chair tray and of the handle of the locking means; and

Figure 5 is a still further enlarged, detail sectional view through the plate per se. · θθ

Referring to the drawing in detail, designated at 1® is a table top. This term is used in the general sense herein. to refer to any type of table structure, including high chair trays, infants’ feeding tables, etc.

The table top 10 has a depending peripheral flange 12, _ggand formed in the table top is a circular opening 14 in which is removably engaged a plate 16 having a flat bottom wall 18 and an upstanding, upwardly flaring side wall 20 formed at its top edge with an outwardly directed circumferential flange 22, that overlies the edge portion of the opening 14 to prevent food or liquids from flowing into ths opening 14. At the periphery of the bottom wall 18 there is formed an outwardly directed bottom flange 24 extending through the full circumference of the plate and having a beveled or sloped top surface 25, which slopes downwardly outwardly from the wall 20, whereby the flange 24 is progressively reduced in thickness in a direction toward its outside periphery.

Extending in opposed relation toward each other from opposite sides of the tray are bottom guides 26, which terminate at their confronting, inner ends at diametrically opposite locations of opening 14, below the top surface of the table. The bottom guides 26 may be integral projections formed upon the bottom edge of flange 12. However, this is at the option of the manufacturer and the bottom guides might merely be relatively small blocks secured to the underside of the table top in such a manner as to extend below the jaws of the locking mechanism. The bottom guides are mainly for the purpose of supportably underlying the movable jaws of the locking device in sliding contact therewith, to prevent said movable jaws from dropping downwardly to an extent such that they would no longer engage over the beveled bottom flange 25 of the plate 16.

The locking means has been generally designated 28, and includes a first locking arm 30 one end of which is provided with a lug 32 projecting upwardly and engaged in the table top, in such a manner that the arm 30 pivots upon the axis defined by the lug, between the full and dotted line positions shown in Figure 1.

At its other, distal end, the arm 30 is integrally formed with a laterally projecting jaw 34 of flattened formation, having a beveled leading edge 35 the bevel of which is complementary, on the underside of said edge 35, to the sloped top surface 25 of flange 24.

A link 36 is formed at one end with an arcuate portion extending through approximately 90° and pivotally connected at 40 to the intermediate portion of the arm 30. The other end portion 41 of the link is straight, and is pivotally connected at.42 to a second arm 44, adjacent one. end of the arm 44. Said adjacent end of the arm 44. is provided with a rubber sleeve 46, providing a hand grip, whereby the sleeved end of arm 44 constitutes a handle. The handle-defining end of the arm 44 corresponds to that end of the arm 30 having the lug 32 on which the arm 30 pivots. The arms are extended in substantially parallel relation with the link connected therebetween.

Intermediate the opposite ends of the arm 44 there is provided an upstanding lug 48, pivotally engaged in the table top, so that the arm 44 rocks about the axis defined by the lug 48, between the full and dotted line positions of arm 44 shown in Figure 1.

Lug 48 is disposed between the jaw-provided end of the arm 44 and the pivotal connection 42. Between the lug 48 and the pivotal connection 42 a spring 50 of the expansion, type is connected between arm 44 and flange 12, tending to rock the arm 44 counterclockwise in Figure 1.

The jaw-provided end of the arm 44 has a jaw 52 extending laterally inwardly from the arm 44 in opposing relation to the jaw 34. law 52 has a beveled edge corresponding to the beveled edge of the jaw 34.

Upper guides 54 are in the form of small, rectangular blocks, secured to the underside of the table top at diametrically opposite locations of the opening 14, said upper guides being spaced from the lower guides 26 a distance sufficient to cause the jaws to be guided between the upper and lower guides when moving into and out of locking engagement with the plate.

Referring now to Figure 4, in the flange 12 there is provided a horizontally extending slot 56, one end of which has a depending, communicating extension 58 forming a wall 59 which is engageable by the arm 44 when the

2,865,697 within the opening, said plate being formed with a circumferential flange overlying the first flange and formed to a diameter slightly greater than that of the opening, for sealing engagement of the second named flange against the edge portion of the opening responsive to the downward biasing of the plate by the jaws in said first position of the locking means.

3. A table, plate, and plate retainer assembly comprising: a table top having an opening; a plate removably engaged in said opening; and locking means mounted on the table top for movement between a first position lockably engaging the plate in the opening and a second position releasing the plate for removal from the opening, said plate being formed with circumferential flange, said 3 5 locking means including opposed jaws extendable into overlying relation to said flange in the first position of the locking means, said locking means including spaced, pivoted arms carried by the table top and connected for conjoint movement about their respective pivot axes, said 20 jaws being formed upon the arms and shifting toward each other on movement of the locking means toward said first position and away from each other on movement of the locking means to said second position thereof.

4. A table, plate, and plate retainer assembly comprising: a table top having an opening; a plate removably engaged in said opening; and locking means mounted on the table top for movement between a first position lockably engaging the plate in the opening and a second posi30 tion releasing the plate for removal from the opening, said plate being formed with circumferential flange, said locking means including opposed jaws extendable into overlying relation to said flange in the first position of the locking means, said locking means including spaced, 35 pivoted arms carried by the table top and connected for conjoint movement about their respective pivot axes, said jaws being formed upon the arms and shifting toward each other on movement of the locking means toward said first position and away from each other on move₄0 ment of the locking means to said second position thereof, the connection between said arms comprising a link extending between and pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the respective arms in spaced relation to the pivot axes of the arms.

5. A table, plate, and plate retainer assembly com^J prising: a table top having an opening; a plate removably engaged in said opening; and locking means mounted on the table top for movement between a first position lockably engaging the plate in the opening and a second position releasing the plate for removal-from ’^J' the opening, said plate being formed with circumferential flange, said locking means including opposed jaws extendable into overlying relation to said flange in the first’ position of the locking means, said locking means includ-- ing spaced, pivoted arms carried by the table top and connected for conjoint movement about their respective pivot axes, said jaws being formed upon the arms and shifting toward each other on movement of the locking means toward said first position and away from each gQ other on movement of the locking means to said second position thereof, the connection between said arms comprising a link extending between and pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the respective arms in spaced relation to the pivot axes of the arms, one of the arms pro-.

₆₅ jecting outwardly from the table top to provide a handle for shifting the arms from the first to the second., position thereof.

6. A table, plate, and plate retainer assembly com- prising: a table top having an opening; a plate removγθ ably engaged in said opening; locking means mounted on the table top for movement between a first position lockably engaging the plate in the opening and a second position releasing the plate for removal from the opening, said plate- being formed with circumferential flange,75 said locking means including opposed jaws extendable

3.....

arm 44 is to be releasably locked in its plate-disengaging position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

In use of the device, assuming that arm 44 is not engaged by wall 59, spring 50; tending to contract, will swing arm 44 from its dotted-to its full line position of 5 Figure 1, and through the medium of link 36 this will swing arm 30 to its full line position of Figure 1. Assam- ing that a plate has been positioned in the opening 14, the jaws 34, 52 will engage over the bottom flange 24, releasably holding the plate against removal from the 30 opening. The beveled undersides of the confronting edge portions of the jaws, complementing the beveled top surfaces 25 of the flange 24, exert a cam action against the plate, tending to bias the plate straight downwardly, thus to sealably bind flange 22 against the edge portion of the opening to prevent spilled foods or liquids from flowing into the opening. Further, this holds the plate firmly locked in the opening, so that the infant cannot rattle it or pry it out of the opening.

When the plate is to be removed, one need merely shift the handle integrally formed on arm 44 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1. The arm is sufficiently loose on its pivot 48 to permit it to be shifted downwardly when it is registered with the depending extension 58 of slot 56. Spring 50, tending to contract, exerts a pull on the arm tending to return the same to the end of the slot remote from the extension 58. This binds the arm firmly against the abutment 59.

In these circumstances, the arms will be in the unlocking, dotted line positions of Figure 1, so that the plate can be readily removed. Removal is facilitated by extension of one’s hand under the table top, to a location where the hand can exert a light upward pressure against the bottom of the plate for lifting the same out of the opening.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof descriced above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.