BASSINET AND CRADLE

Abstract

A bassinet, including a hammock and a framework, the hammock having a first pair of opposing panels, a second pair of opposing panels and a bottom panel. At least one of the first or second pair of opposing panels is connected to the framework and each of the first and second pair of opposing panels is connected to the bottom panel so that the bottom panel is suspended in a predetermined orientation relative to the framework. Each panel of the first pair of opposing panels is capable of flexible deformation where the bottom panel is displaced in relation to the framework while the relative orientation of the bottom panel and the framework remains constant.

Claims

1. A bassinet comprising: a hammock and a framework; wherein the hammock has a first pair of opposing panels, a second pair of opposing panels and a bottom panel; wherein at least one of the first or second pair of opposing panels are connected to the framework and wherein the first and second pair of opposing panels each are connected to the bottom panel such that the bottom panel is suspended in a predetermined orientation relative to the framework; and wherein each panel of the first pair of opposing panels is capable of flexible deformation such that the bottom panel is displaced in relation to the framework while the relative orientation of the bottom panel and the framework remains constant, and wherein each panel of the first pair of opposing panels comprises a folded and/or creased material, wherein the folds and/or creases in the material deform during displacement of the bottom panel.

2. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second pair of opposing panels are oriented in a substantially vertical direction and wherein the bottom panel is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction such that the first and second pairs of opposing panels and the bottom panel form an open box.

3. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the direction of displacement of the bottom panel is substantially parallel to a panel of the first pair of opposing panels.

4. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the second pair of opposing panels are rigid.

5. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein each panel of the second pair of opposing panels is capable of flexible deformation such that the bottom panel is displaced in relation to the framework in a direction which is substantially parallel to the plane of a panel of the second pair of opposing panels.

6. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the framework comprises a rectangular frame and wherein the bottom panel is suspended parallel to a plane defined by the rectangular frame.

7. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the framework comprises transverse support beams and/or longitudinal support beams.

8. The bassinet according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second pair of opposing panels comprise respective fastening sections for fastening the first and/or the second pair of opposing panels to the framework.

9. The bassinet according to claim 1, the bassinet further comprising a rigid board which is insertable into a pocket formed in the bottom panel.

10. The bassinet according to claim 1, further comprising a stand adapted for receiving the framework of the bassinet.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a raised perspective view of a cradle bassinet according to the invention.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the cradle bassinet in FIG. 1 in longitudinal side view.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows the cradle bassinet in FIG. 2 in a state of swinging.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a raised perspective view of cradle according to the invention.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows the cradle in FIG. 4 in longitudinal side view.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows the cradle bassinet in FIG. 5 in a state of swinging.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a raised perspective view stand for the cradle bassinet in FIG. 1.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows a bottom perspective view of a frame of the cradle bassinet in FIG. 1.

[0039] FIG. 9 shows a raised perspective view baby bed with indication of area for attachment of the cradle bassinet in FIG. 1.

[0040] FIG. 10 shows a detail view of the attachment of the cradle bassinet in FIG. 1 onto the baby bed in FIG. 9.

[0041] FIG. 11 shows a raised perspective view of the base frame in FIG. 8 turned upside down onto the soft bassinet parts and the fastening of a first set of panels to the frame.

[0042] FIG. 12 shows the parts in FIG. 11 and the fastening of a second set of panels to the frame.

[0043] FIG. 13 shows the flipping of the ensemble in FIG. 12 and the insertion of a cradle base plate into a bottom panel of the bassinet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In the further description, the following terms will be used which should be understood as follows unless otherwise specified.

[0045] The term longitudinal is to be interpreted as the mainly horizontal direction parallel to the plane of symmetry of an objects largest dimension. For the present bassinet, the longitudinal direction generally coincides with a head-to-toe direction of a baby placed on a baby support surface of the bassinet. The term lateral, cross or transverse is to be interpreted as the generally horizontal direction parallel to the plane of symmetry of the an objects shortest dimension. For the present bassinet, the transverse direction generally coincides with a side-to-side direction of a baby placed on the baby support surface of the bassinet. The term inward is to be interpreted as the mainly horizontal direction towards any of the planes of symmetry of an object.

[0046] The invention will in the following be illustrated by examples of embodiments as shown in the attached figures, none of which are limiting for the invention.

[0047] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the bassinet 1 according to the invention, which comprises a hammock 10 and a rigid support structure 20. The hammock 10 comprises a first and second pair of opposing parallel vertical side panels 11, 12 and a bottom horizontal panel 13, which are flexibly connected together in the shape of an open box. The top edges of the side panels 11, 12 are connected to the support structure 20 which in this embodiment comprises a rectangular rigid frame comprising a first and second pair of opposing parallel beams 21, 22.

[0048] The first opposing side panels 11 are in this embodiment made up of a vertically creased or folded material. The total length of the material is greater than that of the effective length of the side panel providing a non-smooth surface with mainly vertical creases or fold lines running from the support structure 20 down to the bottom panel 13 like a curtain. Thus, the material making up the first opposing side panels 11 is dimensioned longer in a longitudinal direction than the actual side panel 11 and is shortened by introducing vertical crease or fold lines in order to create the vertical folds or creases shown in FIG. 1.

[0049] The first side panels 11 may be made of any suitable material. A light and air permeable fabric is preferred, in order to allow air to flow through the panel and provide good circulation of air to the baby while being flexible enough to allow parallel swinging of the bassinet. Further, respective neighbouring panels 11 and 12 may be connected to each other at their side edges in order to ensure that the baby is securely contained within the bassinet 1 and cannot fall out.

[0050] The second opposing side panels 12 in this embodiment are made up of a rigid, semi-rigid, or substantially non-stretchable material.

[0051] In FIG. 2, the bassinet 1 is viewed from a side view, showing one of the first side panels 11 of the hammock 10 and the support structure 20. In the state shown, the hammock is in its starting position hanging straight down from the support structure 20. In FIG. 3, the bottom panel 13 has been moved to the right side in relation to the support structure by a translational parallel displacement thereof. The displacement of the bottom panel is caused by the folds and/or creases in the material of the side panel 11 deforming. This sideways and mainly parallel movement allows for the bottom panel 13, onto which a mattress 5 may be placed, to swing back and forth to the left and right of the starting position shown in FIG. 2.

[0052] The translational parallel movement has the ability to emulate a swinging motion which is more natural for the baby than a single pendulum or inverted pendulum motion. In this embodiment, the swinging motion is enabled by the deformation of the longitudinal side panels 11 of the bassinet 1, hence providing a swinging motion in the longitudinal direction, such as from head to toe. However, the motion may also or alternatively be provided in the transversal direction for swinging sideways by providing elastically deformable transverse side panels 12, or by dimensioning the panels 11, 12 accordingly.

[0053] FIG. 4 shows the bassinet 1 of FIG. 1 mounted onto a stand 30. The stand 30 may be a standalone structure onto which the bassinet may be attached, either permanently or detachably. Alternatively, the stand 30 may comprise the support structure 20 and the hammock 10 may then be attached directly to the stand, either permanently or detachably.

[0054] In FIG. 5, the cradle 1 is shown from a side view, showing one of the first side panels 11 of the hammock 10, the support structure 20 and the stand 30. In the state shown, the hammock 10 is in a starting position hanging straight down from the support structure 20. In FIG. 6, the bottom panel 13 has been moved to the right side in relation to the support structure 20 by a translational parallel displacement thereof, similar to that of FIG. 3.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of the stand 30, comprising a top rectangular rigid frame with a first and second pair of opposing parallel beams 31, 32 and four legs 33.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of the framework 20 in detail. In this embodiment, the framework 20 comprises a rectangular frame comprising longitudinal beams 21 and cross beams 22. The cross beams 22 are extended in a horizontal direction in order to form support surfaces which can rest on suitably positioned structures. Further, the longitudinal beams 21 form side walls for securing the bassinet 1 e.g. on the longitudinal beams 31 of the stand 30 of FIG. 7. With the side walls of the cross beams 22 resting against respective outside surfaces of the longitudinal beams 31 of the stand 30, the bassinet 1 is secured against any inadvertent slipping or movement in the transverse direction relative to the stand 30. A similar construction may be provided for the cross beams 22 of the framework 20.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 9, a baby bed 40 has longitudinal sides 42 and transverse sides 41. FIG. 10 shows the bassinet 1, wherein the cross beams 22 of the framework 20 are resting on respective top surfaces of the longitudinal side walls 42 of the baby bed 40. Therein, the horizontally extending support surfaces of the cross beams 22 of the framework 20 provide a secure support for the bassinet 1 on a variety of different baby beds, even if the respective widths and/or the spacing of the side walls 42 differ by a few centimetres between different makes and models of baby beds.

[0058] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the side panels 12 are located close to the side walls 42 of the baby bed 40, so that only a very limited swinging motion is possible. According to some embodiments, however, the transverse panels 12 may be elastically deformable in addition to, or instead of the longitudinal panels 11 being elastically deformable, thus enabling a side-to-side swinging motion of the bottom panel 13. If the bassinet 1 is then placed at a distance away from the transverse side walls 41 of the baby bed 40, a side-to-side swinging motion of the bottom panel 13 could be achieved when the bassinet 1 is secured on the side walls 42 of the baby bed 40.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 11, the bassinet 1 may be assembled by placing the framework 20 onto the side panels 11, 12 of the hammock 10. In the example shown, the framework 20 has been turned upside-down to allow the fastening sections 11, 12 of the side panels to be fastened in an area which will not be visible during use of the bassinet 10. The fastening sections 11, 12 may be fastened to the framework 20 using e.g. zippers (as shown in FIG. 12), buttons, Velcro fasteners or the like. As shown in FIG. 13, before use, the framework 20 with the hammock 10 attached thereto is flipped over again. In order to provide a suitably supportive bottom panel 13, a rigid cradle base board 14 may be inserted into a pocket formed in the bottom panel 13 of the hammock 10. Additionally, a mattress (not shown) may be placed on top of the bottom panel 13 in order to provide a comfortable support surface for a baby.

[0060] A further embodiment comprises a stretcher-like structure of the bassinet. Therein, the hammock is not suspended from a rectangular frame as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 and 11 to 13, but is attached via a single pair of side panels to two opposing beams, which extend e.g. in the longitudinal or in the transverse direction of the bassinet. Thus, the bassinet resembles a stretcher in that a fabric hammock is suspended from two parallel and opposing support beams.

[0061] Prior to use, the bassinet according to this embodiment may then be placed onto a further support structure, such as e.g. the stand 30 of FIG. 7 or the baby bed 40 of FIG. 9, and the two opposing beams may be secured to the support structure. Therein, the rigid panels of the hammock may be attached to the two opposing beams, and the flexibly deformable panels of the hammock may be attached to the bottom panel at their lower edge and move freely at their upper edge. In order to ensure the stability of the vertical folds and/or creases in the side panel material, a string or a strip of non-stretchable fabric may be attached to the top end of the elastically deformable side panels. With this embodiment, a swinging motion of the bottom panel can be achieved using very little force Thus, this embodiment enables a baby to initiate the swinging motion of the bassinet e.g. by kicking his/her legs.

[0062] Alternatively, the flexible panels may be attached to the opposing beams, so that the unattached rigid panels may be used for stiffening the overall hammock structure, even though these panels are not attached to a support framework at their respective top ends.

[0063] It should be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed device and its associated use and manufacturing method. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems and the concepts contributed by the inventors to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.