Combination stroller and car seat

Claim 1

An apparatus for carrying infants and small children in alternative stroller and automobile seat modes, said apparatus comprising: a shell contoured for carrying an infant or small child, said shell having a back rest and a leg rest disposed forwardly of the back rest; a frame means for supporting said shell in spaced apart relation to a generally horizontal surface, said frame means integral with and extended downwardly of said shell, and having a forward frame end beneath said leg rest and a rearward frame end beneath said back rest; a first wheel supporting lever means mounted proximate one of said forward and rearward frame ends to pivot about a horizontal first axis between first and second lever positions relative to the frame means, said lever means including a stop means positioned to engage the frame means responsive to the pivoting of the first lever means to said first lever position and further positioned such that the shell and frame means, by gravity, tend to maintain the stop means and frame means so engaged; first and second wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the opposite of said frame ends; third and fourth wheels mounted rotatably to said lever means for rotation about a second axis parallel to the first axis, said third and fourth wheels disposed in a lowered operative position when the first lever means is in said first lever position, and said third and fourth wheels disposed in a raised storage position beneath said frame means when said first lever means is in said second lever position; and a handle including a generally horizontal center member and first and second parallel aarms extending from opposite sides of the center member, the ends of said arms remote from the center member being mounted pivotally to said first lever means to pivot about a third axis parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis, thereby said handle is pivotable between a handle operating position wherein said arms extend generally upwardly and rearwardly along and on opposite sides of said back rest to locate said center member above and behind said shell, and a handle storage position wherein said arms are disposed generally forwardly and horizontally on opposite sides of and generally below said shell, said handle further being movable in a horizontal direction, while in said handle storage position, to selectively pivot said first lever means between said first and second lever positions.

Claim 2

An apparatus for carrying infants and small children in alternative stroller and automobile seat modes, said apparatus comprising: a shell contoured for carrying an infant or small child, said shell having a back rest and a leg rest disposed forwardly of the back rest; a frame means for supporting said shell in spaced apart relation to a generally horizontal surface, said frame means integral with and extended downwardly of said shell, and having a forward frame end beneath said leg rest and a rearward frame end beneath said back rest; a first wheel supporting lever means mounted proximate one of said forward and rearward frame ends to pivot about a horizontal first axis between first and second lever positions relative to the frame means, said lever means including a stop means positioned to engage the frame means responsive to the pivoting of the first lever means to said first lever position and further positioned such that the shell and frame means, by gravity, tend to maintain the stop means and frame means so engaged; first and second wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the opposite of said frame ends; third and fourth wheels mounted rotatably to said lever means for rotation about a second axis parallel to the first axis, said third and fourth wheels disposed in a lowered operative position when the first lever means is in said first lever position, and said third and fourth wheels disposed in a raised storage position beneath said frame means when said first lever means is in said second lever position; and a handle including a generally horizontal center member and first and second parallel aarms extending from opposite sides of the center member, the ends of said arms remote from the center member being mounted pivotally to said first lever means to pivot about a third axis parallel to and spaced apart from the first axis, thereby said handle is pivotable between a handle operating position wherein said arms extend generally upwardly and rearwardly along and on opposite sides of said back rest to locate said center member above and behind said shell, and a handle storage position wherein said arms are disposed generally forwardly and horizontally on opposite sides of and generally below said shell, said handle further being movable in a horizontal direction, while in said handle storage position, to selectively pivot said first lever means between said first and second lever positions.