Beds – Crib – Folding
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-06
2003-10-21
Luu, Teri Pham (Department: 3673)
Beds
Crib
Folding
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634039
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding structure of a baby bed, more particularly a folding structure of a baby bed, which allows a baby bed to be folded smoothly and with relatively little labor.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The applicant of the present invention disclosed a joint of a foldable baby bed as shown in
FIG. 4
in a patent application on U.S. Patent Office, and has been granted with U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,229 with this invention.
The joint of a foldable baby bed has a main body
1
, a pressing block
2
and two supporting members
3
.
The main body
1
has two side plates
11
,
12
and a curved intermediate portion
13
formed between the side plates
11
,
12
. The intermediate portion
13
has two stopping plates
132
extending downwards. The pressing block
2
has an elongated hole
21
, two engaging trenches
22
and a round hole
23
. A spring
24
is mounted on the round hole
23
at a lower end thereof.
Each of the supporting members
3
has an engaging protrusion
32
, an elastic plate
33
, and a curved portion
34
.
In combination, the pressing block
2
is up and down movably hidden in the main body
1
. The spring
24
is positioned such as to bias the pressing block
2
downwards. Each of the supporting members
3
is pivotally connected to the side plates
1
,
2
beside a respective side of the pressing block
2
. Each of the engaging protrusions
32
of the supporting members
3
can disengagably engage a respective one of the engaging trenches
22
of the pressing block
2
to locate the supporting members
3
at a locking position. And, the elastic plates
33
of the supporting members
3
will be located between the stopping plates
132
of the main body
1
.
Two supporting rods
4
of the frame of the foldable bed are pivoted to the main body
1
so that inner ends of the supporting rods
4
will be stopped from moving down by the curved portions
34
of the supporting members
3
when the baby bed is stretched and the supporting members
3
are located at the locking position.
To fold the bed, first the main body
1
has to be lifted upwards so that the inner ends of the supporting rods
4
can move away from the curved portions
34
of the supporting members
3
. Thus, the engaging protrusions
32
can be disengaged from the pressing block
2
by means of propping up the pressing block
2
. And, the supporting rods
4
can be pivoted on the main body
1
for folding the baby bed.
To stretch the baby bed from the folded position, the supporting rods
4
are pivoted on the main body
1
so that the inner ends thereof can be supported on the curved portions
34
of the supporting members
3
.
The folding structure has an advantage that when the baby bed is in the stretched position, the inner ends of the supporting rods
4
will press the curved portions
34
of the supporting members
3
due to gravity so that the engaging protrusions
32
will engage the engaging trenches
22
firmly; thus, the supporting members
3
cannot be unlocked, and the baby bed cannot be folded in case the pressing block
2
is pressed accidentally.
However, because there is no co-moving mechanism provided to the supporting rods
4
, the users have to pivot both the supporting rods on the joining member
1
with their hands. Therefore, the folding operation and the stretching operation are not very smooth, and cost relatively much labor. In addition, the user's fingers are likely to be clipped between the supporting rods
4
and two ends of the intermediate portion
13
, and get hurt when the baby bed is being folded because the movement of the supporting rods
4
is not restricted. To overcome this disadvantage, pads are attached to the intermediate portion
13
to prevent the user's fingers from getting hurt in folding the baby bed. However, the effect is not very satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a folding structure to a baby bed so that the baby bed can be folded and stretched smoothly and with relatively little labor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a clip prevention mechanism to the folding structure of a baby bed so that the user's fingers can't be clipped between the components of the folding structure to get hurt when the baby bed is being folded.
The folding structure of a baby bed of the present invention includes a joining member, a locking mechanism, and an elongated co-moving plate. The joining member has spaced-apart opposing first and second plate portions, and an intermediate portion formed on tops of the plate portions thereof. The locking mechanism is movably supported in a middle of the joining member between the opposing plate portions. The baby bed has a base including a first and a second supporting rods, which are pivoted to respective end portions of the joining member at first pivotal holes of inner sections thereof to be unlockably engaged with the locking mechanism at inner ends thereof. The first plate portion of the joining member is formed with a curved slot thereon. The elongated co-moving plate is pivotally connected to a second pivotal hole of the inner section of the first supporting rod with a first pivotal pin, which is passed through the curved slot, at a first end thereof. The elongated co-moving plate is pivotally connected to a second pivotal hole of the second supporting rod at a second end thereof. Thus, part of force exerted on one of the supporting rods for same to pivot on the joining member is imparted to other one of the supporting rods, and movement of the supporting rods is restricted by both the first pivotal pin and the curved slot in folding operation of the baby bed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5611634 (1997-03-01), Wang
patent: 6148456 (2000-11-01), Tharalson et al.
patent: 6202229 (2001-03-01), Cheng
Cheng Pao-Hsien
Luu Teri Pham
Rosenberg , Klein & Lee
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