Improvements in childrens pushchairs and strollers

Abstract

A pushchair with rolling belt tracks 3, 9 with at least six wheels 4, 5, 6, three on each side. The rear two sets of wheels have axles supported by supports; and the front pair of wheels is preferably

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to children’s pushchairs and strollers which are used to transport them. Background The use of children’s pushchairs and strollers to transport small children is common and extends world wide in most countries in some form. The pushchair and stroller usually are derived from a three or four wheeled frame which has a pushing handle and a material, and a sometimes padded insert attached onto the frame where the child will sit. The seating includes belts for holding them in, which have buckles and straps and often a cover which pulls over them to protect them from weather conditions such as the sun or wet weather. These generally comprise four separate wheels with one wheel located to end points of the frame in a squared or rectangular plan, the wheels tend to clip onto the frame ends onto push fittings and each independently rotate to aid use over raised ground and to re-direct the pushchair when steering. There is also often a holding section to the rear and underneath of the chair for shopping or care accessories for the child. These known pushchairs however have issues when faced with raised or uneven ground and if they are taken across ground that is even further more rugged they are often not capable of being used. Their four small wheels are fine to contend with flat pavements and indoor flooring, such as shopping centres, but these wheels become instantly clogged in wet mud and are unusable. Therefore, there is a need for an improved wheel formation on a pushchair that will enable the user to travel in very rugged locations and which also aids the transport of the pushchair using motorisation. The prior art therefore shows that there is a need for a more effective way of wheeling a pushchair, stroller or buggy in all terrains. The present invention aims to provide an improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks on at least six wheels using a preferably front wheel drive rechargeable battery powered motor to drive them, with the user having a control button mounted on the handle for ease of use to select drive and optional speeds. Summary of the invention According to the present invention there is provided an improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks fitted on each side on at least six wheels using a preferably front wheel drive rechargeable battery powered motor to drive them, with the user having a control I switch button mounted on the handle for ease of use to select drive and optional speeds. The tracks are turned in the known way by using said control to slow down one side of the tracks, which turns the pushchair in that direction and vice versa. The pushchair is fashioned in the known way to ensure it confides with safety design regulations that have already been put in place and the installation of the rolling belt tracks also is aimed to be out of the reach of the child. The belt tracks are mounted onto a protective base panel which covers the top of the moving wheels and tracks to ensure fingers cannot reach the moving belts. The panel is then fitted onto a frame onto which the seating and chair are fitted. The belt tracks run on wheels which are of at least three to each side of the pushchair, each turned on a wheel drive Axle with the front pair of wheels within the belt being driven by a motor; from a researchable battery, which can be charged in the home. In construction; to maintain affordable costings the wheel drive Axle is perpendicularly held and supported by a centrally transverse Axle support through with the Axle bar passes within turning fittings inside the support. The vertically disposed supports then attach to the horizontal protective base panel, through a hole and are attached to said panel using capping collars on the top of the panel, which screw onto a thread located to the upper end of each Axle support, holding them in place. Further to this, the frame onto which the chair is fitted is fixed on top of the protective panel being attached as shown in Figure 2 using fixture means. The control switch is mounted onto the handle to allow for easy control of the motor and the speed of each track for turning and is connected to the motor by a cable passing inside the tubed frame of the handle and down to the motor at the front of the ensemble, as shown. The wheels have squared drive treads equally spaced around them which connect fully with the belt toothed indents to grip the wheels onto the belts and prevent the belts from coming off or being disabled during use. The motor is preferably a 12V arrangement to provide sufficient power to the front drive wheels which will pull the chair forward and reverse it by control of the handle mounted button / switch. The motor is preferably mounted into a reinforced convex shell with the battery mounted on top of it, as shown in accompanying Figures. The charging point for the battery is located to the front of the pushchair to enable easy access and close connection distance to the battery. The battery is also fully removable for replacement needs. The motor would provide at least 300W and 20 Nm of torque to provide traction to the wheel structure which is capable of overcoming uneven ground. These amounts of Watts and torque may vary depending on the battery and motor size but it is to be considered that having too much unnecessary power may impact on the safety margins of a child’s perambulator. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks which has all the advantages of the prior art pushchairs and strollers and none of the disadvantages. It is another object of the present invention to provide a pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks which is of durable and reliable construction. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public. Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. Brief description of figures Figure 1 shows a dimensional view of the pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks. Figure 2 shows a side view of the pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks. Figure 3 shows a dimensional sectional through view of the pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks. Detailed description of figures A typical embodiment of the coupling device is shown in Figure 1. It comprises the pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks 1, which has rolling belt tracks 3 and 9 fitted on each side, on at least six wheels 4, 5, 6 using a preferably front wheel drive rechargeable battery powered motor 8 to drive them using Axel bar 7 and end wheel fittings 10, with the user having a control button 2 mounted on the handle for ease of use to select drive and optional speeds. The pushchair 1 is fashioned in the known way to ensure it confides with safety design regulations that have already been put in place and the installation of the rolling belt tracks also is aimed to be out of the reach of the child. The belt tracks 3 and 9 are mounted onto a protective base panel 17 which covers the top of the moving wheels and tracks to ensure fingers cannot reach the moving belts. The panel is then fitted onto a frame onto which the seating and chair are fitted. The belt tracks 3A and (9 in Figure 1) run on wheels 4A, 5A, 6A, 29, 30, 31 (which are disposed of at least three to each side of the pushchair each turned on a wheel drive Axle 7A, 22, 23 with the front pair of wheels 6A and 31 within the belts 3A and 9 being driven by said motor 8A; from the researchable battery 20, which can be charged in the home. The wheel drive Axle to the rear and middle is perpendicularly held and supported by centrally transverse Axle supports 18, 19 through which the Axle bars 22, 23 pass within turning fittings inside the Axle supports 18,19. The vertically disposed supports then attach to the horizontal protective base panel 17A, through a hole and are attached to said panel using capping collars 16 on the top of the panel 17A, which screw onto a thread located to the upper end of each Axle support 18,19, holding them in place. Further to this, the frame 12, 13, 14, 15, 21 and (25, 26, 27, 28 in Figure 3) onto which the chair is fitted is comprised of perpendicularly and transversely adjoined sections which are vertically, horizontally and obtusely disposed to each other and fixed on top of the protective panel 17A being attached using fixture means, as shown in Figure 2. The control switch 2A is mounted onto the handle tubing 24 to allow for easy control of the motor and its speed control of each side of wheels for turning and is connected to the motor by a cable 11 passing inside the tubed frame of the handle and down to the motor 8A at the front of the ensemble, as shown. The wheels 4A, 5A, 6A have squared drive treads 32 equally spaced around them which connect fully with the belt toothed indents to grip the wheels onto the belts and prevent the belts from coming off or being disabled during use. The motor 8A is preferably a 12V arrangement to provide sufficient power to the front drive wheels 6A and (31 in Figure 3) which will pull the chair forward and reverse it by control of the handle mounted control switch I button 2A. The motor 8A is preferably mounted into a reinforced convex shell with the battery 20 mounted on top of it, above the front Axel for clearance, as shown. The charging point for the battery 20 is located to the front of the pushchair to enable easy access and close connection distance to the battery. The motor 8A would provide at least 300W and 20 Nm of torque to provide traction to the wheel structure which is capable of overcoming uneven ground. These amounts of Watts and torque may vary depending on the battery and motor size but it is to be considered that having too much unnecessary power may impact on the safety margins of a child’s perambulator. Figure 3 shows the control switch 2B and its connecting cable 11B linked to the motor 8B, with left side wheels 29, 30 and 31 in track 9B and further frame components 13B, 14B, 25, 26, 27, 28.

Claims

1) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks comprising; at least six wheels with three on each side, the rear two sets of wheels having horizontal Axels which are supported by Axel supports, using a preferably front wheel drive rechargeable battery powered motor to drive the front pair of wheels with the Axel driven by a motor mounted to the frontal region, with the user having a control button mounted on the handle for ease of use to select drive and optional speeds to each track for turning, the belt tracks are mounted onto a horizontally disposed protective base panel, by way of said Axel supports, which covers the top of the moving wheels and tracks to ensure, the panel then being fitted onto a frame onto which the seating and chair are installed.2) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 1 wherein the belt tracks run on wheels which are arranged as at least three to each side of the pushchair, each turned on a wheel drive Axle with the front pair of wheels within the belt tracks being driven by a motor; from a researchable battery, which can be charged in the home.3) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 2 wherein in construction, the wheel drive Axle is perpendicularly held and supported by a centrally transverse Axle support through with the Axle bar passes within turning fittings inside the support.4) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 3 wherein the vertically disposed supports further attach to the horizontal protective base panel through a hole and are attached to said panel using capping collars on the top of the panel, which screw onto a thread located to the upper end of each Axle support, holding them in place.5) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 4 wherein further to this, the frame onto which the chair is fitted is fixed on top of the protective panel being attached using fixture means.6) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 5 wherein the cable passing inside the tubed frame of the handle and down to the motor at the front of the ensemble, connects the control switch I button to the motor assembly.7) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 6 wherein the motor is preferably at least a 12V arrangement to provide sufficient power to the front drive wheels which will pull the chair forward, reverse it and turn it, by control of the handle mounted switch I button.8) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 7 wherein the motor may be mounted into a reinforced convex shell with the battery mounted on top of it, with a charging point for the removable battery which may be located to the front of the pushchair, to enable easy access and close connection distance to the battery.9) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 6 wherein the motor would provide at least 300W and 20 Nm of torque to provide traction to the wheel structure and belt tracks, which is capable of overcoming uneven ground, these amounts of Watts and torque may vary depending on the battery and motor size but it is to be considered that having too much unnecessary power may impact on the safety margins of a child’s perambulator.10) A pushchair which is fitted with rolling belt tracks as claimed in claim 9 wherein the wheels have squared drive treads equally spaced around them which connect fully with the belt toothed indents to grip the wheels onto the belts and prevent the belts from coming off or being disabled during use.A

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