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A male inserter and a female receiver fixed to a toy bar and a child-support device for relative movement between upright locked and inclined unlocked positions. The male inserter includes a lock element and the female receiver includes a catch surface. In the upright unlocked position, the male ins

A male inserter and a female receiver fixed to a toy bar and a child-support device for relative movement between upright locked and inclined unlocked positions. The male inserter includes a lock element and the female receiver includes a catch surface. In the upright unlocked position, the male inserter can pass through the female receiver. But in the inclined locked position, the lock element engages and locks against the catch surface. If a child in the child-support device pulls down and/or forward on the toy bar in the locked position, it does not move to the unlocked position. But an upward lifting force applied to the toy bar causes it to pivot from the locked position to the unlocked position and to then detach from the child-support device.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A mechanism for mounting a toy bar to a child-support device, the mounting mechanism comprising: a male inserter fixed to one of the toy bar and the child-support device, the male inserter including a lock element; anda female receiver fixed to the other one of the toy bar and the child-support d

1. A mechanism for mounting a toy bar to a child-support device, the mounting mechanism comprising: a male inserter fixed to one of the toy bar and the child-support device, the male inserter including a lock element; anda female receiver fixed to the other one of the toy bar and the child-support device, the female receiver including a lock opening that receives the male inserter and a catch surface that is selectively engaged by the lock element, wherein the catch surface is defined inside the female receiver, wherein the toy bar moves between an unlocked position and a locked position, in response thereto the male inserter moves relative to the female receiver between the unlocked position and the locked position, in the locked position the lock element of the male inserter engages the catch surface of the female receiver to retain the male inserter in the lock opening, and in the unlocked position the lock element is disengaged from the catch surface thereby permitting the male inserter to be withdrawn from the lock opening, wherein the movement of the toy bar is pivotal, the movement of the male inserter relative to the female receiver in response thereto is pivotal, in the unlocked position the toy bar and the fixed thereto male inserter or female receiver is generally upright, and in the locked position the toy bar and the fixed thereto male inserter or female receiver is inclined relative to the locked position. 2. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein with the male inserter inserted into the lock opening with the lock element inserted past the catch surface, the toy bar pivots from the upright unlocked position to the inclined locked position under the force of gravity, which relatively pivots the lock element behind and into locking engagement with the catch surface. 3. The mounting mechanism of claim 2, wherein in the inclined locked position, the force of gravity on the toy bar pivotally biases and retains the lock element of the male inserter in locking engagement with the catch surface, so the force of gravity on the toy bar must be overcome for the toy bar to pivot back to the upright unlocked position. 4. The mounting mechanism of claim 2, wherein in the inclined locked position the toy bar and the attached thereto male inserter or female receiver are inclined forward, and wherein applying a force downward, forward, or both, on the toy bar in the inclined-forward locked position generates retention forces holding the lock element of the male inserter in locking engagement with the catch surface. 5. The mounting mechanism of claim 2, wherein applying an upward lifting force to the toy bar causes the male inserter to pivot back from the inclined locked position toward the upright unlocked position, and further applying the upward lifting force to the toy bar pulls the male inserter in the upright unlocked position up through the lock opening, thereby automatically detaching the toy bar from the child-support device. 6. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical stop including an engagement surface defined by the male inserter and a stop surface defined by the female receiver, the engagement and stop surfaces configured to limit an insertion depth of the male inserter relative to the female receiver to where the lock element of the male inserter is past the catch surface of the female receiver so that the lock element can be relatively pivoted into locking engagement with and behind the catch surface. 7. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein in a pivot plane of the male inserter and at a narrowest part of the lock opening, a lateral dimension of a footprint of the male inserter, including the lock element, in the upright unlocked position is X, a lateral dimension of the lock opening between the guide surfaces is Y, and a lateral dimension of a footprint of the male inserter, including the lock element, in the inclined locked position is Z, wherein Z is larger than Y, which is larger than X. 8. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the lock element extends laterally rearward relative to an axis of relative travel of the male inserter. 9. The mounting mechanism of claim 8, wherein the lock element is inclined downward as it extends rearward away from the male inserter to induce the male inserter to relatively pivot toward the inclined unlocked position upon application of an upward lifting force on the toy bar. 10. The mounting mechanism of claim 8, wherein the female receiver includes spaced-apart forward and rearward guide surfaces that cooperatively define the lock opening, wherein the catch surface extends laterally behind the rearward guide surface. 11. The mounting mechanism of claim 10, wherein the lock element and the catch surface extend in a plane in which the male inserter pivots. 12. The mounting mechanism of claim 10, wherein with the mounting mechanism mounted for use, the forward and rearward guide surfaces are generally upright to receive the male inserter in the upright unlocked position but tilted forward slightly to induce the toy bar to tilt forward so that the toy bar will then pivot forward by gravity to the locked position. 13. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein in the locked position the toy bar, and the fixed thereto male inserter or female receiver, are inclined relative to the locked position. 14. The mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the male inserter is fixed to a mounting portion of the toy bar for movement therewith, and the female receiver is included in a housing fixed to a frame of the child-support device for movement therewith. 15. A mechanism for mounting a toy bar to a child-support device, the mounting mechanism comprising: a male inserter fixed to a mounting portion of the toy bar for pivotal movement therewith between an unlocked position and a locked position, the male inserter and the toy bar generally upright in the unlocked position and in the locked position inclined forward relative to the unlocked position, the male inserter including a lock element extending laterally rearward relative to an axis of travel of the male inserter; anda female receiver in a housing fixed to a frame of the child-support device for movement therewith, the female receiver including a lock opening, spaced-apart forward and rearward guide surfaces, and a catch surface, the guide surfaces cooperatively defining the lock opening, the lock opening receiving the male inserter, and the catch surface extending laterally rearward relative to the rearward guide surface and selectively engaged by the lock element in the locked position,wherein in the inclined locked position the lock element of the male inserter engages the catch surface of the female receiver to retain the male inserter in the lock opening, and in the upright unlocked position the lock element is disengaged from the catch surface thereby permitting the male inserter to be withdrawn from the lock opening. 16. The mounting mechanism of claim 15, wherein with the male inserter inserted into the lock opening with the lock element inserted past the catch surface, the toy bar pivots from the upright unlocked position to the inclined-forward locked position under the force of gravity, which pivots the lock element under and into locking engagement with the catch surface. 17. The mounting mechanism of claim 15, wherein in the inclined-forward locked position, the force of gravity on the toy bar pivotally biases and retains the lock element of the male inserter in locking engagement with the catch surface, so the force of gravity on the toy bar must be overcome for the toy bar to pivot back rearward to the upright unlocked position. 18. The mounting mechanism of claim 15, wherein applying an upward lifting force to the toy bar causes the male inserter to pivot back rearward from the inclined-forward locked position toward the upright unlocked position, and further applying the upward lifting force to the toy bar pulls the male inserter in the upright unlocked position up through the lock opening, thereby automatically detaching the toy bar from the child-support device. 19. A mechanism for mounting a toy bar to a child-support device, the mounting mechanism comprising: a male inserter fixed to one of the toy bar and the child-support device, the male inserter including a lock element; anda female receiver fixed to the other one of the toy bar and the child-support device, the female receiver including a lock opening that receives the male inserter and a catch surface that is selectively engaged by the lock element,wherein the toy bar pivots between an unlocked position and a locked position to pivot the male inserter relative to the female receiver between the unlocked position and the locked position, in the unlocked position the toy bar and the attached thereto male inserter or female receiver are generally upright, and in the locked position the toy bar and the attached thereto male inserter or female receiver are inclined forward relative to the unlocked position,wherein with the male inserter inserted into the lock opening with the lock element inserted past the catch surface, the toy bar pivots from the upright unlocked position to the inclined-forward locked position under the force of gravity, which pivots the lock element under and into locking engagement with the catch surface and biases it there to retain the male inserter in the lock opening, andwherein applying an upward lifting force to the toy bar causes the male inserter to pivot from the inclined-forward locked position toward the upright unlocked position thereby disengaging the lock element from the catch surface, and further applying the upward lifting force to the toy bar pulls the male inserter in the upright unlocked position up through the lock opening, thereby automatically detaching the toy bar from the child-support device. 20. The mounting mechanism of claim 19, wherein the child-support device is a bouncer, rocker, swing, motion device, car seat, carrier, stroller, bassinet, crib, play yard, high chair, or other device for supporting the child in a sitting, reclining, lying, or standing position.