Beds – Crib
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-15
2001-02-20
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Beds
Crib
C005S513000, C005S658000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189165
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to cots. More particularly the invention relates to a cot whose effective length is adjustable, to a cot adjusting device for adjusting the effective length of a cot and to a method of adjusting the effective length of a cot.
The length of a conventional cot is chosen having regard to the biggest child that the cot is designed to receive. In principle, the greater the length of the cot, the older the child can be whilst still being comfortable in the cot and therefore there are good reasons for a designer of a cot to make the cot as long as possible. That, however, gives rise to a problem when the child is much smaller and the length of the child is much less than that of the cot. If the bedding for the cot is arranged as it would be for a bigger child, then the smaller child will be placed in the cot with its head at one end of the cot and its feet will then be at a middle region of the cot; there is then nothing to stop the child shifting a substantial distance down the cot during a night's sleep and perhaps waking up at the end of the night with its feet at the bottom of the cot; in that case the child's head may be completely smothered by the bedding. In order to alleviate the problem just mentioned, the bedding for a smaller child may be arranged to allow for the child's head to be in a middle region of the cot, with the bedding covering the child extending between the middle and the bottom of the cot; that is a better arrangement but it is not problem-free: for example, the child may shift up the cot during the night and become uncovered by the bedding or may pull the bedding up over its head. A further disadvantage of both the arrangements just described is that the child's head may be in a middle region of the cot and it is not unusual to provide a mattress with a waterproof cover in that middle region. Such an arrangement is clearly dangerous and may even lead to cot death.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cot, an adjusting device for a cot and a method of adjusting a cot that overcomes or mitigates the problems referred to above.
The present invention provides a cot including a base, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls extending above the base, and a transverse wall movably secured across the cot above the base between the side walls at a position partway along the length of the cot, the transverse wall serving to reduce the effective length of the cot.
Preferably the transverse wall is detachably secured across the cot.
With such a cot, the transverse wall can be secured in position for a smaller child but, after the child has grown or when a longer child is to be accommodated, the transverse wall can be moved or removed. Preferably the transverse wall defines the effective bottom end of the cot for the child's feet.
Preferably the transverse wall is securable across the cot in a plurality of different positions along the length of the cot. Thus the effective length of the cot may be adjusted to any one of a plurality of different lengths. The effective length of the cot may even be continuously variable although such fine adjustment of the length is not normally required.
Whilst the transverse wall may be secured in the cot in any appropriate way, it is preferably detachably secured to the side walls of the cot. The device chosen for detachably securing the transverse wall may be of any suitable kind but is preferably one designed to be fixed and released quickly.
The side walls of the cot may include a plurality of upright bars and in that case the transverse wall is preferably secured in place by the bars of the side walls of the cot. The transverse wall may be secured in place by opposite ends of the wall fitting between adjacent bars of the cot and also pressing outwardly against the side walls of the cot, and/or by fastening devices fastening the opposite ends of the wall to bars of the cot.
The transverse wall may be arranged to be detached from the cot by movement of the wall relative to the cot in a direction towards the top end of the cot, that being the opposite direction to that in which a child will apply pressure to the transverse wall when it is located at the child's feet.
Preferably the transverse wall is secured to the cot in a manner that prevents vertical movement of the transverse wall when it is fully secured. Such an arrangement enables the transverse wall to be clamped on top of bedding in the cot, squashing the bedding so as to prevent any part of a child extending beyond the transverse wall.
There may be no need for the transverse wall, which is designed for use when a child is small, to extend above the base as far as the end and side walls and the height to which the transverse wall extends above the base of the cot may be substantially less than the height to which the side walls and end walls extend above the base. The transverse wall should be sufficiently high to reduce the effective length of the cot; by keeping the height of the wall as low as reasonable, the size and weight of the wall is reduced making it easier to handle.
Whilst the transverse wall may be made of an open framework construction like the sides of many cots and the ends of some cots it is preferably substantially solid and indeed the ends of the cot are preferably substantially solid. There is then no opportunity for a part of a child to pass through the wall and perhaps become caught in it.
Preferably the transverse wall extends across substantially the whole distance from one side wall to the other. The length of the transverse wall is preferably adjustable to allow the wall to be fixed to any one of a variety of cots. The feature of length adjustability may be provided in any appropriate way; for example, the transverse wall may be formed of members slidably connected together. In one embodiment of the invention a fastening device is provided to fix two members against relative sliding movement and thereby fix the length of the transverse wall at a selected length; in another embodiment of the invention the members are resiliently biased towards an extended condition of the transverse wall but can be slid relative to one another against the resilient bias to a more retracted condition. The resilient bias may be provided by one or more springs or by resilient foam contained within the members. In the case where the members are resiliently biased, the wall may be retracted, then placed in a desired location in the cot and then the wall extended such that ends of the wall become located between bars on side walls of the cot.
The present invention further provides a cot as defined above and further including a mattress and bedding extending over substantially the whole length of the cot, the transverse wall bearing down on the mattress and bedding to define the effective end of the mattress and bedding.
The transverse wall may be provided as part of a cot when the cot is first manufactured and sold. It is also possible, however, to provide the transverse wall as an accessory to be fitted to a cot that has been purchased separately. Accordingly the present invention further provides a cot adjusting device for use in adjusting the effective length of a cot, the device including a transverse wall and securing means for securing the wall across a cot at a position partway along the length of the cot, the transverse wall serving to reduce the effective length of the cot. The cot adjusting device preferably includes the various features defined above with reference to the entire cot.
The present invention further provides a method of adjusting the effective length of a cot, the method including the step of detachably securing a transverse wall to a cot which includes a base, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls extending above the base, the transverse wall extending across the cot above the base between the side walls at a position partway along the length of the cot, the transverse wall serving to reduce the effective length of the cot. Preferably, the method further includes the step of d
Conley Frederick
G & S Safety Products Limited
Melius Terry Lee
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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