U.S. patent application number 10/974371 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-09 for clothing for maintaining a baby's normal body temperature.
Invention is credited to Hacquard, Francois, McConnell, Michael T., McConnell, Thomas E..
Application Number | 20050120459 10/974371 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46303161 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050120459 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McConnell, Michael T. ; et
al. |
June 9, 2005 |
Clothing for maintaining a baby's normal body temperature
Abstract
A sack for a baby is provided. The sack may be worn by a baby
while sleeping to ensure that the baby is kept warm during cold
nights. The sack also provides additional protection to the baby
from overheating via a heat vent which allows hot air from within
the sack to pass therethrough as the inside temperature of the sack
rises to an unacceptable level. The heat vent may be covered with a
mesh which allows hot air to pass therethrough but prevents a
baby's legs and feet from passing therethrough.
Inventors: |
McConnell, Michael T.;
(Santa Ynez, CA) ; McConnell, Thomas E.; (Santa
Ynez, CA) ; Hacquard, Francois; (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STETINA BRUNDA GARRED & BRUCKER
75 ENTERPRISE, SUITE 250
ALISO VIEJO
CA
92656
US
|
Family ID: |
46303161 |
Appl. No.: |
10/974371 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10974371 |
Oct 27, 2004 |
|
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10701050 |
Nov 4, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/69.5 ;
374/E13.002 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01K 13/20 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/069.5 |
International
Class: |
A41D 001/00; A41B
001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A sack for a baby to maintain a normal body temperature of the
baby, the sack comprising: a. a clothing body sized and configured
to accommodate a body of the baby therewithin, the clothing body
defining a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion
having a vent for transferring heat from within the clothing body
to an environment, the upper portion having a neck aperture, left
arm aperture and right arm aperture for receiving a neck and arms
of the baby; and b. a mesh extending across the venting
aperture.
2. The sack of claim 1 further comprising a zipper extending across
a front side of the clothing body from the neck aperture to the
lower portion of the clothing body for removeably fitting the baby
in the clothing body.
3. The sack of claim 2 further comprising a strap attached to
opposing sides of the clothing body adjacent an upper terminal end
of the zipper.
4. The sack of claim 1 wherein the left arm aperture, the right arm
aperture and the neck aperture are fabricated from a soft plush
material.
5. The sack of claim 1 further comprising elastic bands sewn in
seams of the left arm aperture, right arm aperture and neck
aperture.
6. The sack of claim 1 wherein the clothing body is fabricated from
a cotton fabric.
7. The sack of claim 1 wherein the mesh is more permeable compared
to the clothing body.
8. The sack of claim 1 further comprising a zipper across the vent
to selectively open or close the vent.
9. The sack of claim 1 further comprising a resilient member about
a periphery of the vent to maintain the vent in an open
position.
10. A sack for an baby to maintain a normal body temperature of the
baby wearing the sack, the sack comprising a clothing body sized
and configured to fit the baby therein, the clothing body defining
a lower portion and a plurality of apertures formed at a lower
portion of the clothing body for flowing hot air from inside the
clothing body to outside the clothing body, the apertures each
being sufficiently small to prevent a foot of the baby from passing
therethrough.
11. A method for maintaining a normal temperature level of a baby,
the method comprising: a. providing a sack having a clothing body
sized and configured to fit the baby therein, the clothing body
defining a neck aperture, a left arm aperture and a right arm
aperture for respectively receiving a neck, left arm and right arm
of the baby, the clothing body having a plurality of apertures
formed at a lower portion of the clothing body to flow air from
inside to outside the clothing body; and b. placing the baby within
the sack.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the sack further comprises a
zipper attached to the clothing body and extending from the neck
aperture to the lower portion of the clothing body for selectively
placing the baby within the sack.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of placing the baby
within the sack comprises: i. traversing the zipper to an unzipped
position; ii. placing the arms and neck of the baby within the arm
apertures and neck aperture, respectively; and iii. traversing the
zipper to a zipped position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
Application No. 10/701,050, filed Nov. 4, 2003, the contents of
which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates generally to baby clothing,
and more particularly to baby clothing for maintaining a baby's
normal body temperature within the baby clothing while the baby is
sleeping.
[0004] Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is an unexplained sudden
death of a healthy baby. SIDS occurs in babies typically between
the ages of one (1) month to one (1) year. It occurs more
prevalently in babies between the ages of one (1) month and four
(4) months. Further, most deaths occur during the fall, winter and
early spring. Despite scientific research into the cause of SIDS,
scientists are still unsure of its exact cause. However, certain
precautions may help reduce the possibility of SIDS. For example,
scientists believe that a baby's sleep position may provide
protection against SIDS. In particular, scientists believe that
placing the baby on their back during sleep reduces the
possibilities of SIDS. Moreover, scientists believe that
overheating the baby may also increase the possibilities of
SIDS.
[0005] Overheating the baby may in part be caused by concerned
parents. In particular, in cold environments, parents dress their
babies in warm clothing to ensure that their baby does not catch a
cold. For example, parents may dress babies in warm clothing during
sleep time to ensure that as the temperature drops throughout the
night, the baby will not become cold thereby becoming susceptible
to catching a cold. However, by dressing the baby in warm clothing
during sleep, the baby may become too warm thereby increasing the
possibility of SIDS. As such, parents may underdress their baby
prior to placing their baby to sleep. However, as discussed above,
the baby may become too cold increasing the possibility of catching
a cold. In this regard, the options for parents are either to
increase the baby's risk of catching a cold or to increase the
baby's risk of SIDS. Both choices appear to be undesirable with the
later having an unacceptable risk (i.e., SIDS).
[0006] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for baby clothing
which may maintain a baby's normal body temperature even though
ambient temperatures fluctuates such that the baby is not at risk
to catch a cold nor at risk of SIDS.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a sack which may comprise a cloth body. The cloth body may have
three openings, namely, a left arm aperture, right arm aperture and
a neck aperture. These apertures may be sized and configured to
receive the left arm, right arm and neck of a baby, respectively.
Further, the cloth body may have a pouch configuration.
Accordingly, the baby when wearing the sack may have their torso
and legs contained within the sack with their arms and head outside
of the sack. The sack of the present invention may also have a heat
vent or venting aperture formed at a lower portion of the cloth
body. The vent may be operative to pass hot air from an inside to
an outside of the cloth body when the temperature within the cloth
body is raised to an unacceptable level for the baby. The vent may
be sized and configured such that a sufficient amount of heat is
expended from within the sack such that the baby wearing the sack
does not overheat.
[0008] However, if the vent is too large then the baby's feet may
protrude through the vent to expose the baby's feet to the
environment which may be too cold for the baby. As such, the vent
may further be covered with a mesh having a plurality of apertures.
The plurality of apertures may prevent the baby's feet from
protruding through the vent yet allow hot air from within the sack
to be expelled therefrom to cool down the inside temperature
thereof. Accordingly, parents and caretakers may rest assured that
the baby wearing the sack is warmed by the sack and hot air within
the sack is expelled through the vent to maintain the sack's inside
temperature at an acceptable level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the
invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sack worn by a baby
wherein the sack incorporates a vent;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sack of FIG. 1 with a
temperature measuring member positioned within the sack and a
zipper in an unzipped position;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the temperature measuring
member in communication with a temperature displaying member;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sack of FIG. 1 with the
baby removed from the sack and the zipper in a zipped position;
and
[0014] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the vent of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Referring now to the drawings which are for the purposes of
illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention,
and not for the purpose of limiting the same, FIG. 1 illustrates a
sack 10 of the present invention with a baby 12 fitted therein. The
sack 10 shown in FIG. 1 may comprise a clothing body 14 with a left
arm aperture 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), a right arm aperture 18 (see
FIGS. 1 and 2) and a neck aperture 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The left
and right arm apertures 16, 18 are shown without a sleeve (not
shown) and may be sized and configured to receive the shoulder
joints of the baby 12, as shown in FIG. 1. The left and right arm
apertures 16, 18 may be lined with a soft plush material 22a, 22b
(see FIG. 2) such as cotton such that the left and right arm
apertures 16, 18 do not irritate or cause discomfort to the baby 12
wearing the sack 10. Furthermore, the left and right arm apertures
16, 18 may have an elastic band (not shown) sewn in its seams such
that the left and right arm apertures 16, 18 may snugly fit onto
the baby's shoulder joint, as shown in FIG. 1. It is also
contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the
left and right arm apertures 16, 18 may further have sleeves (not
shown) attached thereto to cover arms 26 of the baby 12.
[0016] The neck aperture 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 may be
interposed between the left and right arm apertures 16, 18 wherein
the neck aperture 20, left arm aperture 16 and right arm aperture
18 are sized and configured to receive a neck 24 (see FIG. 1) and
arms 26a, 26b (see FIG. 1) of the baby 12. The neck aperture 20 may
be lined with a soft plush material 22c (see FIG. 2) such as cotton
similar to the arm apertures 16, 18 such that the neck aperture 20
does not irritate the baby 12 wearing the sack 10. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4, a zipper 28 may extend from the neck aperture 20
toward a lower portion 30 of the sack 10 on its frontal side 32.
The zipper 28 enables the baby's caretaker to slip the sack 10 on
and off of the baby 12. The zipper 28 may be placed in a zipped
position (see FIG. 4) or unzipped position (see FIG. 2). A strap 34
(see FIGS. 1 and 4) may be engaged to the opposing sides 36a, 36b
of the clothing body 14 adjacent an upper terminal end 38 of the
zipper 28. The strap 34 may be engaged to opposing sides 36a, 36b
of the clothing body 14 via a system of hooks and loops, button
snaps, button/button hole system or other types of engagement
mechanism. It is also contemplated within the scope of the present
invention that the zipper 28 may be substituted with other types of
closure members such as hooks and loops. Additionally, the neck
aperture 20 may also have an elastic band (not shown) sewn in its
seams such that the neck aperture 20 may snugly fit around the
baby's neck 24.
[0017] The clothing body 14 may also be fabricated from a soft
material to provide comfort to the baby 12 wearing the sack 10.
More particularly, the clothing body 14 may be fabricated from
material with a low heat transfer rate (i.e., an insulator) such as
cotton to keep the baby 12 warm. The cloth body 14 may also be
fabricated from a material that does not allow air to pass or
impedes air passage therethrough (i.e., low permeability).
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1, the sack 10 may encapsulate the
baby's torso and legs within a single cavity. In this regard, the
baby 12 may still be allowed to freely twist and turn within the
sack 10 such that the baby 12 may have a full range of motion
within the sack 10. Since the legs and torso are contained within a
single cavity, the warmth of the legs and torso synergistically
heat the cavity faster and more efficiently.
[0018] The sack 10 may be effective and efficient in retaining heat
generated from the baby 12 fitted therein to keep the baby 12 warm
in cold environments. However, the retained heat within the sack 10
may cause the baby 12 to be too warm. As such, a vent 40 (see FIGS.
1, 2, 4 and 5) may assist in releasing excess heat 42 retained
within the sack 10 to maintain the proper temperature within the
sack 10 for the baby 12. The vent 40 may be formed at the lower
portion 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) of the clothing body 14 to allow the
excess heat 42 retained within the sack 10 to escape therethrough,
as shown in FIG. 5.
[0019] The vent 40 may be a single large aperture formed at the
lower portion 30 of the clothing body 14. The vent 40 may define a
periphery 44 (see FIG. 5) which may have attached thereabout an
optional resilient semi-rigid member (not shown) such as a wire
member or rubber resilient member to maintain an open position (see
FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5) of the vent 40 even when the baby 12 is fitted
therein. This assists in ensuring that the vent 40 is open to allow
hot air to pass therethrough and to allow cold air to be drawn
within the sack, as appropriate. It is also contemplated within the
scope of the present invention that the vent 40 may have an
optional zipper (not shown) attached to the vent 40 to allow the
vent 40 to be selectively closed and opened.
[0020] The vent 40 may be large enough to cool down the inside
temperature of the sack 10. However, a vent 40 large enough to
accomplish this function may also be large enough for the baby's
feet (not shown) to pass therethrough which is not a desired result
based on a view that the baby's feet may become exposed to cold
air. To eliminate the possibility of the baby's feet passing
through the vent 40, the vent 40 may be covered with a mesh 46 (see
FIG. 5). For example, the mesh 46 may be sewn about the vent
periphery 44 (see FIG. 5). The vent 40 may be covered with the mesh
46 (see FIG. 5) to allow the transfer of hot and cold air
therethrough. As used herein, the mesh 46 may be any material which
is more permeable compared to the cloth body material. In
particular, the mesh 46 may be a cotton cloth fabric with a
plurality of apertures 48.
[0021] Alternatively, it is also contemplated within the scope of
the present invention that the vent 40 may comprise a plurality of
apertures (not shown) formed within the clothing body 14 itself and
more particularly, a plurality of apertures formed at the lower
portion 30 of the sack 10. In other words, instead of a single
large aperture forming the vent 40 with the mesh 46 covering the
vent 40, the lower portion 30 of the clothing body 14 may be
punched with a plurality of smaller apertures (not shown). These
apertures may each be sufficiently small to prevent a baby's foot
from passing therethrough but as an aggregate, may be sufficient to
cool the inside temperature of the clothing body 14 to an
acceptable level for the baby 12.
[0022] The clothing body 14 may further comprise a temperature
measuring member 50 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and a temperature
displaying member 52 (see FIGS. 1 and 3), the particulars of which
are discussed in detail in Application Ser. No. 10/701,050
identified in the CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS section
of this application. In this regard, the temperature measuring
member 50 and the temperature displaying member 52 are optional
aspects of the present invention and are not required to practice
the various aspects of the present invention discussed herein.
[0023] Generally, the temperature measuring member 50 is positioned
within the clothing body 14 (see FIG. 2) and the temperature
displaying member 52 is positioned outside of the clothing body 14
(see FIG. 1). The temperature measuring member 50 measures the
temperature within the clothing body 14 and communicates the
measured temperature to the temperature displaying member 52 which
displays the measured temperature. In this regard, the temperature
measuring member 50, temperature displaying member 52, vent 40 and
vent zipper (not shown) may work in conjunction with each other.
For example, the baby 12 may wear the sack 10, and as the
temperature within the clothing body 14 increases to keep the baby
12 warm, the temperature measuring member 50 communicates the
measured temperature to the temperature displaying member 52 which
displays the measured temperature. If the measured temperature
displayed via the temperature displaying member 52 is too high for
the baby 12, then the baby's mother or caretaker may open the vent
zipper (not shown) to allow hot air from within the clothing body
14 to pass therethrough to reduce the temperature within the
clothing body 14.
[0024] The sack 10 may allow mothers and caretakers to keep the
baby 12 warm in cold environments and simultaneously, maintain the
temperature level within the sack's clothing body 14 at an
acceptable level for the baby 12. For example, as the weather
becomes cold, a mother may become concerned that their baby 12 may
catch a cold or other illness. In this event, the mother may fit
the baby 12 within the sack 10 to keep the baby 12 warm from the
cold weather. However, as the mother and baby 12 goes into a
department store or other heated/sheltered environment, the baby's
body heat may raise the inside temperature of the clothing body 14
to an unacceptable level for the baby 12. Accordingly, hot air may
pass through the vent 40 to reduce the temperature within the sack
10 to an acceptable level for the baby 12.
[0025] Additionally, parents and caretakers may rest assured that
the baby 12 will not overheat while wearing the sack 10 during
sleeping periods. In particular, the baby 12 wearing the sack 10
may be warmed throughout the night via the sack 10. However, when
inside temperature of the sack 10 is raised to an unacceptable
level, heat from within the sack 10 is transferred through the vent
40 into the environment. As such, the inside temperature of the
sack 10 may be maintained at an acceptable temperature level. In
other words, the sack 10 warms the baby 12 to prevent the baby 12
from catching a cold and the sack 10 releases heat via the vent 40
to prevent SIDS even though the ambient temperature fluctuates.
[0026] This description of the various embodiments of the present
invention is presented to illustrate the preferred embodiments of
the present invention, and other inventive concepts may be
otherwise variously embodied and employed. The appended claims are
intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar
as limited by the prior art.
* * * * *