This invention relates to a flexible seat for an infant or child carrier such as a stroller. More specifically, the invention relates to a reclining seat having side web portions extending between the sides of the seat back and the stroller frame.
Many existing infant carriers, particularly strollers, are capable of altering the angle of inclination of the seat back portion from a sitting position to a reclined or horizontal position. The seat back is typically hingedly mounted so that it pivots relative to the side members of the stroller frame. One conventional mechanism to retain the stroller seat back in an upright position is a releasably interlocking peg and slot connection, in which a peg extends laterally outward from each side edge of the seat back, and in the upright position engages a slot in a resilient or biased pivoting latch mounted on each side of the stroller frame. Fabric webs are each attached to one seat back side edge and to one side of the stroller frame. In the reclined position, the side webbing of the seat lies in tension, suspending and supporting the seat back. In the upright position, the peg and slot are interlocked and the webs are collapsed, effectively maintaining the seat back in an upright position.
A disadvantage of the configuration described above is that it does not provide a means for biasing the web portions proximate the seat back latching mechanism away from the latching points. When converting the stroller seat back from a reclined position (where the peg and slot are not interlocked) to an upright position (where the peg and slot are interlocked) the collapsing side webs of a flexible stroller seat tend to bunch up around the peg and slot connection points, so that the fabric sides become caught and block the engagement of the connection points. Accordingly, there exists a need for a stroller seat back that effectively biases the web portions away from the latching points during movement from the reclined to the upright position.