US2594053A - Child's chair protector with bib feature - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1952 G. E. M KEWEN CHILDS CHAIR PROTECTOR WITH BIB FEATURE Filed June 50, 1949 TOR. 6001' 01. M12100! IVE Patented Apr. 22, 1952 CHILD'S CHAIR PROTECTOR WITH BIB FEATURE George E. McKewen, Baltimore, Md. Application June 30, 1949, Serial No. 102,294

(Cl. H9)

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combined protector for a childs safety chair and the child sitting in the chair, designed to protect the table and the clothing of the child from being soiled by spilled food or drink.

The safety chair for which the subject protector is especially adapted is of the type having a rectangular table supported by four legs, with the childs seat arranged beneath an opening in said table, inset with respect to the perimeter of said table so as to be stably located within the base of support.

The general obj ect of the invention is to provide a protective cover for the top of the table substantially congruent with the area of the top exclusive of the aforementioned opening, adapted to lie flat thereupon, having a perimetric flange perpendicular to the table top extending about the four corners of the table for positioning the cover, and having means for tensioning the free margins of said flange for holding the cover in place, and to provide a bib flap unitary with the table engaging portion of said cover adapted to extend upward therefrom at the forward end of said opening and in protective relation to the clothing of the child.

Other objects of the invention will appear as a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings which accompany and illustrate the following specification, and throughout the several figures of which the same reference characters have been employed to denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the protector in its relation to the safety table and child;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the protector;

Figure 3 is a section through the safety table and protector, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a corner of the safety table with the contiguous portion of the protector, parts being broken away.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral I represents the protector as a whole, which is made from a sheet of waterproof flexible material, preferably plastic coated or impregnated. The table which it is adapted to fit has a rectangular peripheral frame 2 to which the top 3 is secured, there being four folding legs 4 at the corners. The top 3 has a rectangular opening 5 inset from all four sides of the table, being closer to the back edge than the front, giving a broad eating or playing surface at the front. The seat 6 is located beneath the opening. The frame 2, together with the coincident'edges of the table top give an appreciable thickness dimension to the vertical edge of the table.

Although the protector is preferably an integral sheet, it may be described as having a front portion 1, lying forwardly of the opening 5, and lateral extensions 8 at the side of said opening, extending rearwardly to the back of the table, so that in eifect it is U-shaped. The front portion I and the lateral extensions 8 lie flat upon the table top and congruently therewith. A peripheral flange 9 extends about the outer perimeter of the front portion 1 and lateral extensions 8, perpendicular to the table top, said flange being closed at the corners and being fitted over the edge of the table. There is a gap in the continuity of the flange 9 between the extensions 8 at the back. This gap is bridged by the tie strings I0, secured to the respective ends of the flange, and which may be drawn taut and tied to secure the protector in tensioned engagement with the table.

Bands H of elastic tape subtend the corner of the flange 9, being secured to the free edges of said flange at opposite sides of the corner. These bands form with the corner portions of the flange 9 pockets receiving the respective corners of the table. The bands H are of such length as to be slightly tensioned when they embrace the corners of the table. This puts a stress upon the longitudinal free edges of the flange 9, which resists attempts on the part of the child to displace the protector.

The protector includes a bib flap l2 which in use is divertable out of the plane of the portions 1 and 8 along a transverse line across the bight of the U-shaped flat portion, so as to come up against the front of the child. Gores l3 are set in on each side at the apex of the angle of divergence of the bib flap from the table engaging portion of the protector, said gores being of such fullness as to permit the bib flap to be substantially perpendicular to the plane of the table top. The gores close the angular space between the bib flap and the extensions 8, forming shields that shed onto the flat portion of the protector any food debris that may be dropped upon them.

The bib flap is shaped with a front neck line l3, and provided with rear shoulder panels seamed to the bib flap along the shoulder lines at l5 from neck to armhole, said panels being stitched at one lower end to the adjacent edge of the bib flap at a point near the gore. This completes the armhole. The shoulder panels While I have in the above description dis- 7 closed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and arrangement of parts are by way of example and not necessarily to be construed as limitations of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Child and table protector comprising a flat rectangular flexible waterproof sheet member having a substantially rectangular recess equidistant from. its side edges, defining lateral panels, extending forwardly to a transverse line adjacent the middle of said sheet member, said sheet member having a depending flange about its outer perimeter boxing its outside corners adapting it to be fitted down over the four sides of a rectangular table top, an elastic band extending obliquely of each corner of said sheet member secured at its ends to the free edge of said flange at points on opposite sides of the apex of saidv corner, means'for bridging said recess at the rear for tethering said lateral panels, a bib unitary with said sheet member deflectable upwardly from the plane of said side panels along said transverse line, said bib having armholes, and gores in the angles at the base of said bib united to said bib along the sides of said bib up to points at the under side of said armholes, and united to said sheet member along the side edges of said recess, whereby when said bib is deflected upwardly against the front of a child, it is held close to the sides of the child by said gores, the latter acting as protective closures of the angles between said upwardly deflected bib and said side panels.

2. Child and table protectorcomprising a flat rectangular flexible waterproof sheet member having a substantially rectangular recess equidistant from its side edges, defining lateral panels, extending forwardly to a transverse line adjacent the middle of said sheet member, said sheet member having a depending flange about its outer perimeter boxing its outside corners adapting it to be fitted down over the four sides of a rectangular table top, an elastic band extending obliquely of each corner of said sheet member secured at its ends to the free edge of said flange at points on opposite sides of the apex of said corner, means for bridging said recess at the rear for tethering said lateral panels, a bib unitary with said sheet member deflectable upwardly from the plane of said side panels along side transverse line, said bib being cut with a neck recess at the top, shoulder panels stitched to said bib laterally of said neck recess and to the outer edges of said bib below said neck recess to form armholes, and gores in the angles at the base of said bib united to said bib along the sides of said bib up to points at the under sides of said armholes, and to said sheet member along the side edges of said recess, whereby when said bib is upwardly deflected against the front of a child it is held close to the sides of the child by said gores, the latter acting as protective closures of the angles between said upwardly deflected bib and said side panels.

GEORGE E. McKEWEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,684,173 Diamond et a1. Sept. 11, 1928 2,321,670 Gibson June 15, 1943 2,362,465 Carner Nov. 14, 1944

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