Baby play mat with protective enclosure

Beds – Having safety device

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C005S655000, C005S427000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06408463

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a baby play mat with a protective enclosure, particularly to a baby play mat with a protective enclosure comprising one or more bumpers. More particularly, a baby play mat that is expandable and portable.
BACKGROUND
Infants and small children generally require special protection when playing, especially when left alone. Baby playpens and mats have been used to provide an area for an infant or young child to play in moderate safety. These mats are typically portable in order to provide a safe play area for the child while traveling and staying in other places.
Play pens and mats are quite common for use with infants and children. Play mats without side guards are currently available but are not able to restrict the child from leaving the mat. Play pens and mats that have been disclosed are often of fixed size and shape. This type of mat lacks the ability to grow with the needs of the child. Play pens typically have a rigid frame work with mesh sidings that are approximately three feet high. Parents quickly realize that toddlers often object to the “caged-in” atmosphere of these types of enclosures.
Arrangements and devices for protecting infants and small children include a device disclosed in Lager, U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,958. The '958 reference discloses a traveling collapsible toddler bed. The '958 bed relates to a traveling bed arrangement for infants and small children and a method for disassembling a utility bed and pad. The utility bed comprises a rectangular flexible sheet, cushioning members and a pair of end pockets attached at either end of the flexible sheet for receiving the cushioning members. Plastic foam boards are used for the cushioning members and inserted in the pockets, which are folded up and fastened to form a walled bed or play area. The boards are identical to each other. The Lager '785 reference also discloses that the foam boards are rigid, but resilient to yield if a child falls against them. Eves discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,258, a baby changing mat. The '258 mat teaches a central padded body with a raised sill extending about a majority of the edge of the mat and is provided with a means for resisting lateral movement by a baby lying on the mat by using a pair of straps. Eves also discloses a mat that has at least one centrally located transverse stabilizing member. Neither the Lager nor Eves patents disclose the ability to change sizes to accommodate a growing child or a parental decision to make a larger area in which to allow the child to play within a safe enclosure.
Beger discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,348, a rest pad for an infant. The Beger pad discloses a padded bottom delimited on at least one side by a straight rim section being formed by a filling material which is received in a hollow reception space such that it can be removed for the purpose of lowering the rim section. Beger further teaches that for universal use, the hollow reception space should be defined by a loop connected via a predetermined bending boundary to the bottom. The Beger invention is constructed with fixed size closed loops, therefore, it is not possible to raise the height of its elevated rim without changing the construction of the original pad so it can not be used to safely contain a growing child. Chiang teaches, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,541 a modular play mat. The Chiang mat includes a plurality of modules that have cooperating fastening means to permit the modules to be removably connected together in different configurations. Chiang teaches that preferably the fastening means are hook and loop fasteners to connect the modules. Chiang teaches a mat with the ability to change sizes using hook and loop fasteners, but nothing is taught about a rigid wall system to safely contain an infant or child while being able to change shapes with the mat.
Bloom discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,013, a foldable infant's play mat with removable side guard. The Bloom mat teaches a portable infant play mat with a cushioned base portion and a cushioned wall portion which follows the perimeter of the base portion. Bloom also teaches that securing means should be provided to removably secure the wall portion to the base portion. The Bloom mat is portable and has a removable securing system for connecting the wall with the mat, but it does not incorporate a rigid wall system. Also, since the Bloom mat is round, it could not be easily expanded to form a larger play area. The Lager '785 reference, the Eves '258 reference and the Beger '348 reference teach portable systems, but do not resolve the problems of safely containing the child within the mat area or expanding as the child grows.
What is needed is a play mat that securely encloses a child and is expandable to form a larger play area as the child grows.
SUMMARY
The baby play mat with protective enclosure of the present invention is uniquely assembled to form a safe and sturdy protective play area for an infant or toddler. Advantageously, the baby play can grow with the child. Also, the baby play mat is easily assembled and dissembled so that it is portable.
One preferred embodiment of the baby play mat with protective enclosure comprises a mat having an upper surface, a lower surface and a perimeter. The upper surface of the. mat can comprise fastening means, VELCRO® type hook and loop strips for example, adjacent the perimeter. Preferably one or more bumpers circumscribe the perimeter. In one embodiment four bumpers form the enclosure around the mat. Preferably, the bumpers are of uniform size for ease of assembly. The bumpers comprise a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface comprising a top fastening means and the bottom surface comprising a bottom fastening means. The bumpers can be removable attached to the mat by connecting the fastening means of the play mat to the bottom fastening means of the bumper to form a protective tier circumscribing the perimeter. The protective tier defines an interior cavity or play area above the upper surface of the mat.
One or more additional bumpers comprising a second bottom fastening means or, alternatively, a second top fastening means and a second bottom fastening means, can be fixedly layered upon the protective tier to form a second protective tier. Alternatively, the baby play mat can comprise two or more additional protective tiers fixedly layered on the perimeter of the mat.
The baby play mat can comprise two or more bumpers wherein each bumper comprises an outer surface, an inner surface, a first end, a second end, a first fastening means positioned on the outer surface adjacent the first end and a second fastening means positioned on the outer surface adjacent the second end. The first fastening means of one bumper is removeably attached to the second fastening means of another bumper until all bumpers are securely fastened together to form a secure, protective tier.
One embodiment of the method of assembling this invention includes the step of color coding the perimeter of the play mat and the bumpers so that a bottom of each bumper is the same color as one of the sides of the perimeter. Alternatively, the perimeter of the play mat can be foot printed to the size and shape of the bumpers so that each bumper is placed within the matching, color coded footprint.
Additional bumpers can be fastened to each other to form a second protective tier upon the top of the first protective tier to increase the height of the enclosed area. Alternatively, a preferred baby play mat with protective enclosure can comprise at least two or more mats fastened to each other by fastening means, tabs and loops, for example, with six to eight bumpers fastened to the outer perimeters of the joined mats to increase the width and length of the play area.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4712258 (1987-12-01), Eves
patent: 4873734 (1989-10-01), Pollard
patent: 4999866 (1991-03-01), Lindsey
patent: 5035013 (1991-07-01), Bloom
patent: 5103514 (1992-04-01), Leach
patent: 5165130 (1992-11-01), Wendling
patent: 5

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