U.S. patent application number 10/687059 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-21 for diaper changing apparatus and methods.
Invention is credited to Woodward, Carol, Woodward, Linda.
Application Number | 20050081297 10/687059 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34465523 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050081297 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woodward, Linda ; et
al. |
April 21, 2005 |
Diaper changing apparatus and methods
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for changing diapers are disclosed. In one
embodiment, an apparatus includes a bag member partially enclosing
an interior region and an outer surface having at least one first
securing member formed thereon. A changing mat is operatively
coupled to the outer surface and has at least one second securing
member formed thereon. The changing mat is deployable between a
closed position wherein the first and second securing members are
engageable and the changing mat occupies a stowed position
proximate to the outer surface of the bag member, and an open
position wherein the changing mat is unfolded to provide an
elongated changing surface. The bag member remains substantially
unchanged during deployment of the changing mat between the open
and closed positions.
Inventors: |
Woodward, Linda; (Tacoma,
WA) ; Woodward, Carol; (Tacoma, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLACK LOWE & GRAHAM, PLLC
701 FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 4800
SEATTLE
WA
98104
US
|
Family ID: |
34465523 |
Appl. No.: |
10/687059 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/655 ;
5/420 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D 15/003 20130101;
A47D 5/006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/655 ;
005/420 |
International
Class: |
A47G 009/06 |
Claims
1. A diaper changing assembly, comprising: a bag member partially
enclosing an interior region and forming an access opening leading
thereto, the bag member including an outer surface having at least
one first securing member formed thereon and a bottom portion
positioned opposite from the access opening; and a changing mat
operatively coupled to the outer surface and having at least one
second securing member formed thereon, the changing mat being
foldable into a plurality of portions such that in a closed
position, the plurality of portions are positionable proximate the
outer surface and the first and second securing members are
engageable with the changing mat occupying a stowed position
external to the bag member, and in an open position the plurality
of portions may be unfolded to provide an elongated changing
surface, the bag member being adapted such that the bottom portion
remains engaged with the support surface, the interior region
remains substantially accessible through the access opening, and
the bag member remains substantially unchanged during articulation
of the changing mat between the open and closed positions.
2. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the bag member
includes first and second side panels and a handle coupled to at
least one of the first and second panels.
3. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the bag member
includes one or more storage compartments coupled to the outer
surface.
4. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the bag member
includes a substantially rectangular member having first and second
side panels, opposing end panels, and a bottom panel coupled to the
first and second side panels and the opposing end panels, the
bottom panel comprising the bottom portion.
5. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the changing
mat is removably coupled to the bag member.
6. The diaper changing assembly of claim 5, wherein the changing
mat is removably coupled to the bag member using a zipper.
7. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the changing
mat is a tri-panel member.
8. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the changing
mat includes a compartmentless exterior surface.
9. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the changing
mat includes an inner layer of padding material substantially
surrounded by an outer, durable layer.
10. The diaper changing assembly of claim 1, wherein the changing
mat includes a pillow member disposed therein.
11. A diaper changing assembly, comprising: a bag member having at
least two side panels that substantially enclose an interior region
and at least partially form an access opening leading thereto, the
bag member including an outer surface having at least one first
securing member formed on one of the side panels and a bottom
portion positioned opposite from the access opening; and a changing
mat removably coupled to the outer surface of the one of the side
panels, the changing mat having a compartmentless exterior surface
and having at least one second securing member formed thereon and
engageable with the first securing member, the changing mat being
foldable into a closed position such that the changing mat is
stowed proximate the one of the side panels and the first and
second securing members are engageable, the changing mat further
being unfoldable into an open position to form an elongated
changing surface, the bag member being adapted such that the bottom
portion remains engaged with the support surface, the interior
region remains substantially accessible through the access opening,
and the bag member remains substantially unchanged during
articulation of the changing mat between the open and closed
positions.
12. The diaper changing assembly of claim 11, wherein the bag
member includes one or more storage compartments coupled to the
outer surface.
13. The diaper changing assembly of claim 11, wherein the bag
member includes a substantially rectangular member having opposing
end panels coupled between the first and second side panels, and a
bottom panel coupled to the end panels and to the side panels, the
bottom panel comprising the bottom portion and substantially
enclosing a lower end of the interior region.
14. The diaper changing assembly of claim 11, wherein the changing
mat is removably coupled to the bag member using a zipper.
15. The diaper changing assembly of claim 11, wherein the changing
mat includes an inner layer of padding material substantially
surrounded by an outer, durable layer.
16. The diaper changing assembly of claim 11 wherein the changing
mat includes a pillow member disposed therein.
17. A method of changing diapers, comprising: providing a bag
member that partially encloses an interior region and having an
access opening leading thereto, the bag member including an outer
surface and a bottom portion positioned opposite from the access
opening; engaging the bottom portion with a support surface such
that the interior region is substantially accessible through the
access opening; deploying a changing mat operatively coupled to the
outer surface into an open position to provide an elongated
changing surface without modification of the bag member, the bottom
portion remaining engaged with the support surface and the interior
region remaining substantially accessible through the access
opening; positioning a wearer of a diaper on the changing surface;
installing a diaper on the wearer; and redeploying the changing mat
into a closed position proximate the outer surface wherein the
changing mat occupies a stowed position external to the bag member
and without modification of the bag member, the bottom portion
remaining engaged with the support surface and the interior region
remaining substantially accessible through the access opening.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising securing a first
attachment device on the changing mat with a second attachment
device on the outer surface when the changing mat is in the stowed
position.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing a
previously-installed diaper from the wearer.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein deploying a changing mat
includes deploying a changing mat having a compartmentless surface.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to diaper changing apparatus
and methods, and more specifically, to apparatus having a removable
changing mat operatively coupled to an outside surface of a diaper
carrying bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Diapers are useful and ubiquitous products that occupy a
prominent place in the lives of parents and care-givers in
virtually every country around the world. Whether disposable or
reusable, diapers are almost the exclusive choice of clothing for a
variety of wearers, including, for example, younger children (e.g.
babies, toddlers, etc.) and certain persons with disabilities. In
many public areas frequented by parents, it is common to see
parents carrying both their infants and the ever-present diaper
bag.
[0003] Conventional diaper bags are typically characterized by a
relatively large compartment suited to carry an assortment of
diapers, wipes, lotions, baby bottles, and a variety of other
products useful for the task of caring for an infant. Other
conventional devices also provide a surface upon which to lay the
infant during changing operations, including, for example, the
devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,509 Bi issued to Vickers,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,257 issued to Albertieri, U.S. Pat. No.
5,649,658 issued to Hoffman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,433 issued
to Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,505 issued to Bullard et al., U.S.
Pat. No. 4,566,130 issued to Coates, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,323
issued to Sneider.
[0004] Although desirable results have been achieved using such
prior art devices, there is room for improvement. For example,
several prior art apparatus require the diaper bag to be
substantially disassembled in order to form the changing surface.
This requires that the parent or care-giver unload the diaper bag
prior to performing a changing procedure in order to form the
changing surface, and then to reassemble and reload the diaper bag
after the changing procedure is complete. This obviously adds
inconvenience to the diaper changing procedure. Furthermore, other
prior art apparatus have storage compartments located within the
changing surface portion of the apparatus, which again may require
the care-giver to unload portions of the apparatus, or alternately,
which may cause the infant to suffer discomfort during the diaper
changing procedure due to objects stored in the compartments.
Therefore, diaper changing apparatus and methods that mitigate
these adverse characteristics would be useful.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to diaper changing
apparatus and methods that mitigate several of the disadvantages of
prior art changing devices. Embodiments of apparatus and methods in
accordance with the present invention may advantageously improve
the efficiency of the diaper changing process, and may improve the
comfort of the baby during a changing operation.
[0006] In one embodiment, a diaper changing assembly in accordance
with the present invention includes a bag member partially
enclosing an interior region and forming an access opening leading
thereto. The bag member includes an outer surface having at least
one first securing member formed thereon. A changing mat is
operatively coupled to the outer surface and has at least one
second securing member formed thereon. The changing mat is foldable
into a plurality of portions such that in a closed position, the
plurality of portions are positionable proximate the outer surface
and the first and second securing members are engageable with the
changing mat occupying a stowed position external to the bag
member. In an open position, the plurality of portions may be
unfolded to provide an elongated changing surface. The bag member
remains substantially unchanged during articulation of the changing
mat between the open and closed positions. In an alternate aspect,
the changing mat is removably coupled to the bag member. In a
further aspect, the changing mat includes a compartmentless
exterior surface. In yet another embodiment, the changing mat
includes a pillow member disposed therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present
invention are described in detail below with reference to the
following drawings.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a diaper changing
assembly in an open position in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the diaper changing
assembly of FIG. 1 in a closed position;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the diaper changing
assembly of FIG. 2;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the diaper changing
assembly of FIG. 2; and
[0012] FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of an alternate
embodiment of first and second attachment devices of the diaper
changing assembly of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention relates to present diaper changing
apparatus and methods, and more specifically, to diaper changing
apparatus having a removable changing mat operatively coupled to an
outside surface of a diaper carrying bag. Many specific details of
certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following
description and in FIGS. 1-5 to provide a thorough understanding of
such embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, will understand
that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that
the present invention may be practiced without several of the
details described in the following description.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a diaper changing
assembly 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment, the diaper changing assembly 100
includes a bag member 110 removeably coupled to a changing mat 120.
As described more fully below, the diaper changing assembly 100
advantageously allows diapers, wipes, lotions, and other supplies
to be conveniently stored for transport in the bag member 110, and
with the changing mat 110 deployed in an open position 102, the
items within the bag member 110 remain readily accessible during a
diaper changing operation. These and other advantages of the diaper
changing assembly 100 will become apparent in the following
discussion.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the bag member 110
has an approximately rectangular or box-like shape having a pair of
opposing side panels, a pair of opposing end panels, and a bottom
panel (not visible). A pocket 112 (e.g. for baby bottles, etc.) is
coupled to one of the end panels of the bag member 110. One or more
handles 114 may be coupled to the side panels to facilitate
carrying of the diaper changing assembly 100. The panels of the bag
member 110 cooperate to partially enclose an interior region 116
into which the diapers, wipes, lotions, and other desired changing
supplies may be stored. It will be appreciated, however, that a
variety of alternate embodiments of the bag member 110 may be
readily conceived, and that the invention is not limited the
particular embodiment of the bag member 110 described above and
shown in the accompanying figures.
[0016] As further shown in FIG. 1, the changing mat 120 may be
removeably coupled to a lower portion of the bag member 110 by a
coupling device 122. In a preferred embodiment, the changing mat
120 has no pockets or storage compartments for carrying supplies.
In one particular embodiment, the coupling device 122 may be a
zipper. Alternately, however, the coupling device 122 may be one or
more snaps, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g. VELCRO.RTM.), or
any other suitable coupling device. In further embodiments, the
changing mat 120 may be permanently coupled (e.g. integrally
formed, sewn, glued, heat bonded, etc.) to the bag member 110.
[0017] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the changing mat 120 is a
tri-panel, foldable changing mat, and includes a padded portion 124
for cushioning a baby's head during use. Attachment members 126 are
coupled to the changing mat 120 in a manner that allows engagement
with corresponding receiving members 118 formed on the bag member
110, as described more fully below. In a particular embodiment, the
changing mat 120 includes one or more inner layers of padding
material (not visible), such as quilted fiberfill, foam rubber, or
the like, covered by an outer shell of durable covering material. A
variety of covering materials may be used for the durable outer
shell, including, for example, nylons, polyesters, any type of
washable plastic materials, or any other suitable polymeric or
non-polymeric materials. In a presently preferred embodiment, the
changing mat 120 (and bag member 110) is constructed of durable,
washable materials such that if it becomes soiled, it may be
removed from the bag member 110, washed and dried in conventional
washing and drying appliances, and easily reattached to the bag
member 110.
[0018] FIGS. 2 and 3 are front perspective and side elevational
views, respectively, of the diaper changing assembly 100 of FIG. 1
in a closed position 104. Similarly, FIG. 4 is a rear elevational
view of the diaper changing assembly 100 of FIG. 2. As best shown
in FIG. 3, in the closed position 104, the changing mat 120 is
folded up and engaged with a side panel of the bag member 110. The
attachment members 126 on the changing mat 120 may be firmly
secured with the receiving members 118 on the bag member 110 to
hold the changing mat 120 in the closed position 104. If desired, a
secondary securing member 130, such as a strap with snaps or hook
and loop securing devices, may be used to further secure the
changing mat 120 in the closed position 104 (shown in phantom lies
in FIG. 2), and may extend entirely across the opening of the bag
member 110 (FIG. 3) to permit the bag member 110 to be closed for
transport. Alternately, a zipper or other closing mechanism 132
(FIG. 4) may be added along the upper edges of the side panels of
the bag member 110 to allow the bag member 110 to be closed. As
further shown in FIG. 4, the rear panel of the bag member 110 may
be equipped with one or more additional pockets 132 for convenient
access to supplies, changing items, etc.
[0019] In operation, the bag member 110 may be placed on a suitable
surface, and the changing mat 120 may be deployed (e.g. unfolded)
from its stowed position proximate the outer surface of the bag
member 110 into the open position 102. During the deployment of the
changing mat 120, the bag member 110 remains substantially
unchanged, and no disassembly or modification of the bag assembly
110 is necessary. Furthermore, prior to and during the deployment
of the changing mat 120, since the changing mat 120 is without
storage pockets or compartments, no unloading of any compartments
is necessary. Next, a wearer of a diaper may be positioned on the
changing mat 120, preferably with a head of the wearer positioned
on the pillow member 124. A previously installed diaper may then be
removed from the wearer (if not already removed), and a diaper may
then be installed on the wearer. The wearer may then be removed
from the changing mat 120, and the changing mat may be redeployed
into the closed position 104 proximate the outer surface such that
the changing mat occupies the stowed position external to the bag
member 110 and without modification of the bag member 110. The
changing mat 120 may then be secured to the bag member 110 by
securing the first and second attachment devices 118, 126 so that
the changing mat 120 remains in the stowed position 104 until it is
needed again.
[0020] In one particular embodiment, the first and second
attachment devices 118, 126 may be the corresponding projecting and
receiving portions of a snap-type coupling. Alternately, any other
suitable attachment devices may be used. For example, FIG. 5 is an
elevational view of an alternate embodiment of first and second
coupling members 118A, 126A of the diaper changing assembly of FIG.
2. In this embodiment, the second attachment device 126A includes a
main hole (or ring) 127A having slotted extensions 129A projecting
outwardly therefrom, and the first attachment device 118A comprises
a rotatable projection that may be passed through the aperture of
the second attachment device 126A and the rotated (or twisted)
(e.g. in the direction of arrows 119A) to secure the changing mat
120 to the bag member 110.
[0021] Diaper changing apparatus in accordance with the present
invention may provide significant advantages over prior art
apparatus. First, there is no need for the parent or care-giver to
disassemble the bag member 110 in order to form the changing mat
120. The changing mat 120 is readily accessible, and may be
deployed without unloading or modifying the bag member 110.
Supplies that may be needed during the diaper changing process
remain located in a readily-accessible position within the bag
member 110. This may improve the efficiency of the diaper changing
process in comparison with alternate prior art devices, and may
increase the parent's overall satisfaction with the diaper changing
assembly. Furthermore, since the changing mat 120 is coupled to an
outer surface of the bag member 110, it does not occupy precious
space within the interior region of the bag member 110, thereby not
diminishing the carrying capacity of the assembly.
[0022] Furthermore, since the changing mat 120 preferably does not
include storage compartments, there is no need to unload portions
of the apparatus in order to perform the diaper changing procedure.
There is also no discomfort caused to the infant during the diaper
changing procedure due to the presence of storage compartments in
the changing mat 120. In this way, the satisfaction of both the
care-giver and the infant may be improved.
[0023] It will be appreciated that a variety of alternate
embodiments of diaper changing assemblies may be conceived in
accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure. For
example, the shape and size of the bag member and/or the changing
mat may be varied from the particular embodiment described above
and shown in the accompanying figures. Additional handles may be
added, and the shape or location of such handles may be different
from the specific handle design described herein. Of course,
various color, patterns, decoration schemes, and other aesthetic
details may be conceived.
[0024] Thus, while specific embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated and described herein, as noted above, many changes can
be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present
invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be
limited by the disclosure of the specific embodiments set forth
above. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by
reference to the claims that follow.
* * * * *