Orbital walker with activity table

Abstract

The invention is directed to a children's exercise and activity apparatus for providing cognitive development activities for small children and exercise functionality. The apparatus includes an activity table adapted for receiving one or more children's activity items, a seat for supporting a child above the floor, a connecting beam for connecting the seat to the activity table, and one or more legs connected to and depending downwardly from the seat to the floor to support the seat and prevent the seat from tipping over when a child is supported therein. The seat has a pair of leg openings that allow the child to touch the floor with its legs, and the connecting beam is rotatably connected to the activity table so that the child in the seat can travel in an orbital path around the activity table.

1 . A children's exercise and activity apparatus for providing activities for small children and also exercise functionality, said apparatus comprising: 
 an activity table adapted for receiving one or more children's activity items, the activity table having an upper surface for supporting the activity items when placed thereon;    a seat for supporting a child above the floor, the seat defining a pair of leg openings that allow the child to touch the floor with its legs;    a connecting beam for connecting the seat to the activity table at a location on the activity table below the upper surface of the activity table, the connecting beam being rotatably connected to the activity table so that the child in the seat can travel in an orbital path around the activity table; and    one or more legs connected to and depending downwardly from the seat to the floor to support the seat and prevent the seat from tipping over when a child is supported therein.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said activity table comprises a pedestal and a base supporting the upper surface of the activity table.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the connecting beam further comprises an annular collar that is configured to fit around the pedestal and rotate with respect thereto.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said annular collar comprises a first segment and a second segment, said segments being hingedly connected to allow an end of each of said segments to be moved apart from the other end to fit around a periphery of said pedestal and moved towards each other to secure said collar in rotatable engagement with said pedestal.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said ends of said segments include fasteners and said fasteners are engaged with each other to prevent said ends from moving apart from each other.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said fastener on said first segment is a draw latch and said fastener on said second segment is a tab for engaging said draw latch.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said pedestal further comprises an annular upper shelf and an annular lower shelf, said upper and lower shelves extending outwardly from a central axis of said pedestal past the periphery of said pedestal, and wherein a top surface of said annular collar engages a bottom portion of said upper shelf, preventing said collar from moving upwardly above the upper shelf, and a bottom surface of said annular collar engages a upper portion of said lower shelf, preventing said collar from moving downwardly below the lower shelf.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said annular collar has a wall that fits adjacent said pedestal, said wall comprising one or more rollers for facilitating the rotation of the annular collar around the pedestal.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said pedestal further comprises an annular shelf extending outwardly from a central axis of said pedestal, and wherein a bottom surface of said annular collar engages a top portion of said annular shelf such that the connecting beam is prevented from moving downwardly below the annular shelf.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said seat comprises: 
 a seat support ring having a first central vertical axis, an inner wall, an outer wall, and a shelf extending inwardly from a bottom of said inner wall in the direction of said first central axis, said outer wall having a beam receiving portion for connecting said seat support ring to said connecting beam; and    a seat carrier ring having a second central vertical axis, an inner wall, an outer wall, and a bottom surface;    wherein said outer wall of said seat carrier ring is positioned adjacent said inner wall of said seat support ring and said bottom surface of said seat carrier ring is positioned adjacent said shelf of said seat support ring such that said central axis of said seat support ring is coaxial with said central axis of said seat carrier ring and said seat carrier ring can rotate about said central axes independently of said seat support ring.    
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising a fabric sling for receiving a child, said sling having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein said bottom portion defines a pair of holes for receiving a child's legs and said top portion includes one or more fasteners for engaging one or more fastener receiving portions positioned on the seat carrier ring.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising one or more resilient members, said resilient members positioned between said bottom surface of said seat carrier ring and said shelf of said seat support ring, wherein said seat carrier ring can bounce vertically substantially independently of said seat support ring.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein a bottom of each of said one or more resilient members are mounted to a roller, such that said roller facilitates the rotation of said seat carrier ring around said central axes and independently of said seat support ring.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said seat includes one or more leg receiving portions, each leg receiving portion adapted for attaching each of said one or more legs to said seat, said one or more leg receiving portions being positioned on said seat along or outside of a radius extending from a central vertical axis of said activity table to a central vertical axis of said seat.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a wheel is attached adjacent a lower portion of said legs, said wheel having an axis of rotation oriented in a direction normal to a line tangent to a center axis of said activity table.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a roller is attached adjacent a lower portion of said legs, said roller configured to rotate in any direction.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , said activity table further comprising an underside, said underside defining an annular raceway for receiving a locking pin, wherein, in response to said locking pin being engaged into said annular raceway, the orbital movement of the seat is limited to a length of the annular raceway.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , said activity table further comprising an underside, said underside defining a stop hole for receiving a locking pin, wherein, in response to said locking pin being engaged into said stop hole, the orbital movement of the seat is prevented.  
   
   
       19 . A seat assembly for securing adjacent an activity table, said seat assembly comprising: 
 a seat for supporting a child above a floor, the seat defining a pair of leg openings that allow the child to touch the floor with its legs;    a connecting beam for connecting the seat adjacent to a pedestal supporting an activity table, the connecting beam including an annular collar that is configured to fit around a pedestal and rotate with respect thereto,    wherein said annular collar is hingedly attachable to said pedestal and can rotate around said pedestal so that a child in the seat can travel in an orbital path around the activity table.    
   
   
       20 . A children's activity apparatus comprising: 
 an activity table adapted for receiving one or more children's activity items and for use with a seat, the activity table having an upper surface for supporting the activity items when placed thereon; and    a pedestal extending between a base supported on a floor and the activity table, said pedestal including an annular upper shelf and an annular lower shelf,    wherein the pedestal defines a surface between the annular upper shelf and the annular lower shelf, said surface being adapted for receiving an annular collar of a beam configured for rotatably connecting the seat to the table and said surface being adapted for allowing a child in the seat can travel in an orbital path around the table.