US20040078895A1

US20040078895A1 - Baby safe bed extension device

Info

Publication number: US20040078895A1
Application number: US10/410,726
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Elling
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-10
Filing date: 2003-04-09
Publication date: 2004-04-29

Abstract

A Baby safe bed extension device for infants which can be used at the level of and attached to the bed of the parent. The rear legs of the baby bed can adjust to various heights while the front of the device maintains a hinged adjustable leaf which slides under the mattress of a conventional bed and form an extension of that bed permitting the baby to be near the parent. The Baby safe bed extension device is portable and folds flat for storage or travel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application relies on a previously filed provisional application 60371866 filed on 041002.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to bed for infants which can be used at the level of and attached to the bed of the parent by temporary fastening devices. The bed is easily removed and folded for storage or travel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many types of portable cribs and baby beds have come on the market in recent years. Some of them can be used as freestanding beds or playpens as well as beds for babies and very young children. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,635,305; 4,899,496; 4,750,223; 4,692,953; and 4,819,285 are some examples. Most of these are very low, resting on the floor or only a few inches above the floor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,435 shows a crib that is very lightweight and sits directly on the floor for freestanding use. Most of these require the parent to bend over to take the baby out of the bed or crib.

The current invention is an infant bed that is portable, lightweight, can be folded, and is used at the level of the parent's bed, to extend that bed to accommodate the baby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Many people believe that babies should sleep with the parents until they are two or three years old or sometimes older. This is a custom practiced in many cultures and advocated in the United States by some pediatricians, child psychologists and parent groups. Articles in favor of the practice have appeared in recent publications for new parents (see for example “Mothering” No. 62, Winter 1992, 45-51) and have been the subject of several television talk show discussions. In all of the instances of the infant or very young child sleeping in bed with the parent there is still the possibility of injury to the child. When both parents are in the bed that danger is compounded.

To avoid having to get up out of bed to get the baby, many mothers take the infant in bed with them, putting the baby in danger of falling off the bed and being injured if the mother falls asleep. A sleeping parent can also roll over the baby causing suffocation or other serious injuries.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bed for the newborn that is adjacent to, at the same level of, and connected to the parent's bed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide adjustable height legs as to lower or lift the device to relative height of the parent's bed

A still further object of the present invention is that the device can be attached to or unattached from the parent's bed easily as to fold and store or travel.

Another object of the present invention is to have the baby bed held in place safely and securely. This is accomplished by inserting a portion of the device under between the standard bed mattresses with ‘biting teeth’ which hold the device safely in place alongside the parent's bed. The device also houses a clasping or vice type of adjustable clamp which sandwiches the connecting leaves to the mattress of the parents bed.

The instant invention is meant to be used as sleeping area for a baby. It is not designed for use as a playpen or to contain a young child. The sides are lower than those for the conventional crib and, after a certain age, the young child could easily climb out.

The present invention consists of a rigid, flat, rectangular sleeping surface covered with an overlap mattress surrounded by three fixed walls. The fixed walls are made of a mesh material connected to the frame which is fastened strong.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ILLLUSTRATIONS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with all 3 walls upright and the rear legs extended. [0022]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention from the side where the device is shown attached to the mattress and bed of the parent. [0023]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention view from the bottom illustrating a cut-away of the sleeping area and the adjustable mattress clamping screws. [0024]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention as folded and disassembled for storage or travel[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be seen in the accompanying drawings. [0026]
The Baby safe [0027] bed extension device 1 is constructed of a rigid frame as seen in FIG. 1 which can be made of metal, wood or a polymeric material. The base 7 is rectangular with three sides enclosed with mesh type walls 3 and one side open. The sleeping area is defined by a back wall connected to the base 7 by a hinge and two side walls 2 which are also affixed to the base 7 covered by the removable, washable mattress 6. The side walls 16 are affixed to either ends of the back wall 15 by hinges 4. The baby safe, baby extension 1 is supported on a back leg assembly 13 attached to the underside of the base 7 at both ends of the bottom side. The rear legs 13 are adjustable in height by the twist latch 14 found on each of the back legs 13.
The rear wall of the device is held in an upright position through a connecting [0028] apparatus 4 which is affixed to the side walls. The right and left walls are affixed to the base 7 by spring hinges 16.
The two [0029] back leg assemblies 13 are alike, but they are not connected to the base 7 with any holding device outside of gravitational pull from the device and fitted holes. The back leg assembly 13 can be in the vertical or downward position or it can be removed and placed under the baby bed (FIG. 4) for storage or travel. It is attached to the base frame 7 by means of gravity and fitted holes.
In FIG. 2 the Baby safe bed extension device is shown attached to the standard mattress using the [0030] adjustment leaf 8 and the clamping leaf 11. The adjustment leaf 8 maintains the clamping screws 12 which can be tightened or loosened in order to raise or lower the adjustment leaf 11. The adjustment leaf 11 and the bottom of the base 7 maintain gripping teeth 9 to keep from slipping on the mattress.
In FIG. 3 the bottom view of the device is shown as the reverse side of the [0031] base 7 is seen along with the folding hinge 16 of the adjustment leaf 8. On the adjustment leaf 8 the adjustment screws 12 can be seen which control the height of the clamping leaf 11.
In FIG. 4 the Baby safe bed extension device is viewed collapsed for traveling or storage. The [0032] rear legs assembly 13 can be seen attached to the base 7 along side the folded walls 3 which now lay parallel to the base 7.

Claims

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected is as follows:

1. A Baby safe bed extension device to be attached to a standard mattress bed comprising:

Two rigid, adjustable, removable rear legs and support frame having a rectangular, ridged sleeping area enclosed by three mesh walls framed by rigid materials hingedly integrated with sliding, clamping leaves for attachment of said device to a mattress.

2. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device mounts directly to a standard mattress to support the front of the device.

3. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device has removable, height adjustable rear legs.

4. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device flexible fabric wall panels are permanently attached and made of a mesh fabric so as to let air circulate therethrough and through which the baby can be observed.

5. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the legs are removable for storage or travel.

6. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device relies directly on the standard mattress of the parental bed to support the front of the device.

7. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device utilizes only 2 legs or vertically supportive devices.

8. A Baby safe bed extension device according to claim 1 wherein the device uses a sliding, adjustable leaf to attach to a standard mattress.

9. A Baby safe bed extension device comprising a sleeping surface having affixed thereto and being surrounded by three mesh walls measuring 10 inches in height (two side walls and a back wall), and an open section allowing the sleeping surface to extend out of the walled are; also having affixed thereto, two rear support legs being irremovably coupled and one front support leaf for insertion under the mattress of a conventional bed for secure attachment of the baby bed thereto; and said support leaf being affixed thereto hingedly to the adjustable, sliding clap leaf such that said support leaf and clamp leaf can easily be folded down so as to make the sleeping surface contiguous with that of the conventional bed.