U.S. patent application number 13/247184 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-28 for crib bumper.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ellen DIAMANT, Francine Simonson, Janet Villano. Invention is credited to Ellen DIAMANT, Francine Simonson, Janet Villano.
Application Number | 20130074260 13/247184 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47909605 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130074260 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DIAMANT; Ellen ; et
al. |
March 28, 2013 |
Crib Bumper
Abstract
A protective material for surrounding the inside of an infant's
crib includes at least one panel having a substantial rectangular
shape. The panel is composed of felt and has a plurality of
apertures formed completely through the panel. The apertures
comprise between 25% and 60% of the surface area of the panel. The
panel has sufficient rigidity so that when positioned upright, and
held from a bottom edge, the panel remains in the upright position.
At least one fastener secures the panel to the side of a crib. In
various further forms, the protective material may comprise a
single panel having four segments which are foldably attached to
one another, folded inward 90 degrees to thereby form four sides of
a substantially rectangular box. Alternatively, the bumper
comprises four discrete, separate panels.
Inventors: |
DIAMANT; Ellen; (New York,
NY) ; Villano; Janet; (Brooklyn, NY) ;
Simonson; Francine; (Brooklyn, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DIAMANT; Ellen
Villano; Janet
Simonson; Francine |
New York
Brooklyn
Brooklyn |
NY
NY
NY |
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47909605 |
Appl. No.: |
13/247184 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/424 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D 15/008
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/424 |
International
Class: |
A47D 15/00 20060101
A47D015/00 |
Claims
1. A protective material for surrounding an infant's crib, said
material comprising: at least one panel having a substantially
rectangular shape, the panel composed of felt and having a
plurality of apertures formed completely through the at least one
panel, the plurality of apertures comprise between 25% and 60% of
the surface area of the at least one panel, the panel having
sufficient rigidly so that when positioned upright, and held from a
bottom edge thereof, the panel remains in said position; and at
least one fastener for securing the at least one panel to a
crib.
2. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the at least one
panel comprises four foldably attached segments, each of the four
segments are folded inward, 90 degrees relative to an adjacent
segment to thereby form four sides of a substantially rectangular
box.
3. The protective material of claim 1, the wherein the at least one
panel comprises four discrete segments, each of the four discrete
segments positioned to form four sides of a substantially
rectangular box.
4. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the at least one
panel comprises two pairs of panels, wherein respective panels of
each pair are disposed opposite each other to form the four sides
of a rectangular box.
5. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the felt material is
synthetic felt.
6. The protective material of claim 5, wherein the synthetic felt
material is polyester felt.
7. The protective material of claim 5, wherein the felt material is
selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, Nylon, and
acrylic.
8. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the felt material is
wool felt.
9. The protective material of claim 8, wherein the wool felt
material is composed of wool fibers having been subjected to heat
and pressure.
10. The protective material of claim 8, wherein the wool felt is
composed of needle-punched wool fibers.
11. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the at least one
panel comprises two pairs of panels, wherein respective panels of
each pair are disposed opposite each other to form the four sides
of a rectangular box.
12. The protective material of claim 1, further comprising a
plurality of fasteners for securing the at least on panel to the
crib.
13. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the felt is
selected from the group consisting of die-cut felt and laser-cut
felt, in which the die-cutting or laser-cutting, respectively,
produced the plurality of apertures.
14. The protective material of claim 1, wherein the at least on
panel has a length of about 100-200 inches, a height of 5-15 inches
and a thickness from 1/4 to 3/4 inches.
15. A protective material for surrounding an infant's crib, said
material comprising: at least one panel having a substantially
rectangular shape, said at least on panel forming four sides of a
rectangular box to be disposed about an inside of a crib, adjacent
its sides; the panel composed of felt and having a plurality of
apertures formed completely through the at least one panel, the
plurality of apertures comprise between 25% and 60% of the surface
area of the at least one panel, the panel having sufficient rigidly
so that when positioned upright, and held from a bottom edge
thereof, the panel remains in said position; and a plurality of
fasteners for securing the at least one panel to the crib.
16. The protective material of claim 15, wherein the felt material
is synthetic felt.
17. The protective material of claim 16, wherein the synthetic felt
material is polyester felt.
18. The protective material of claim 15, wherein the felt material
is wool felt.
19. The protective material of claim 18, wherein the wool felt
material is composed of wool fibers having been subjected to heat
and pressure.
20. The protective material of claim 15, wherein the felt is
selected from the group consisting of die-cut felt and laser-cut
felt, in which the die-cutting or laser-cutting, respectively,
produced the plurality of apertures.
21. The protective material of claim 15, wherein the at least one
panel comprises four foldably attached segments, each of the four
segments are folded inward, 90 degrees relative to an adjacent
segment to thereby form four sides of the substantially rectangular
box.
22. The protective material of claim 15, wherein the at least one
panel comprises four discrete segments, each of the four discrete
segments positioned to form four sides of a substantially
rectangular box.
23. The protective material of claim 22, wherein each of the panels
are formed from a respective continuous piece of felt.
24. The protective material of claim 15, wherein at least on panel
is formed from a continuous piece of felt.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to a crib bumper and in
particular a crib bumper which has a plurality of holes for
allowing an exchange of air from one side of the bumper to the
other side of the bumper thus allowing air to pass between the
interior of a crib and the environment outside of the crib.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventional infant cribs are made of wood or another
composite rigid material. The crib usually has a number of slats on
the sides and may have a solid headboard and footboard or one which
also includes a series of slats. Since the sides of most cribs tend
to be hard, in order to avoid injury from an infant coming in
contact with the relatively hard side surfaces of the crib
interior, various soft or padded inserts have been developed for
being placed within the crib.
[0003] One commonly used padding is known in the art as a bumper
which is placed inside a crib along its perimeter adjacent the side
slats and/or headboard and footboard. The bumper may be composed of
multiple segments such as two segments for the sides and two for
the headboard and footboard, respectively. Alternatively, the
bumper may be a single elongated rectangular padded material which
is folded to form the four perimeter sides inside the crib.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates to a new and improved
protective material which surrounds the interior of an infant's
crib. The present protective material may be in the shape of an
elongated rectangular material, such as a single panel which is
folded to form four sides of a substantially rectangular box for
placement within the infant's crib. Alternatively, a plurality of
panels, e.g., four, may be used, two for the head and foot,
respectively, of the crib and two for the sides of the crib.
[0005] Advantageously, the panel is composed of felt which has a
sufficient rigidity so as to remain in an upright position when
stood upright and held from a bottom of the panel. The panel(s)
has/have a number of holes or apertures comprising 25% to 60% of
the surface area of the panels which allow air to pass between the
inside of a crib and the outside environment. One or more fasteners
are used to secure the one or more panels to the sides of a crib,
e.g., slats of a crib.
[0006] In alternative further embodiments, the felt material may be
a synthetic material such as polyester felt or can be a natural
material such as wool felt, including wool felt composed of wool
fibers which have been subject to heat and pressure or the wool
felt may be formed using needle punching wool fibers.
[0007] The present invention, in one form, is directed to a
protective material for surrounding an infant's crib. The material
includes at least one panel having a substantially rectangular
shape and composed of felt. The panel has a plurality of apertures
formed completely through the material and the apertures comprise
between 25% and 60% of the surface area of the panel. The panel has
sufficient rigidity so that when positioned upward, the panel
remains in the upright position when held from a bottom of the
panel. At least one fastener is provided for securing the panel to
the side of a crib.
[0008] The present invention, in another form, is directed to a
particular material for surrounding an infant's crib. The material
includes at least one panel having a substantially rectangular
shape. The panel forms four sides of a rectangular box to be
disposed inside a crib adjacent its sides. The panel is composed of
felt and has a plurality of apertures formed completely through the
material. The apertures comprise between 25% and 60% of the surface
area of the panel. The panel has sufficient rigidity so that when
positioned upright and held from a bottom edge thereof, the panel
remains in the upright position. A plurality of fasteners secure
the panel to the crib.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a crib with a protective
material surrounding the interior of the crib in accordance with
the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a plan view of two panels of a protective material
in accordance with the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a plan view of another panel of the protective
material in accordance with the present invention having a
different aperture pattern from the panels of FIG. 1 in accordance
with another embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a plan view of another panel having a different
aperture pattern in accordance with another embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIGS. 5a and 5b comprise two die-cut panels in accordance
with the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a protective material, in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] The present invention will now be described with reference
to the figures and in particular FIG. 1. Protective material 10
surrounds the interior of crib 20 adjacent slats 21 and directly
above mattress 22. Protective material 10 is composed of four
discrete panels 11, 12, 13, 14. The length of the end panels 11, 13
are in the range of 20 to 30 inches and the length of the side
panels 12, 14 are between 40 and 60 inches. The height of the
panels 11, 12, 13, 14 is between 5 and 15 inches with a preferred
height of 10 inches. The thickness of the panels 11, 12, 13, 14 is
between 1/4 inches and 3/4 inches.
[0016] A plurality of fasteners such as ties 16 extend from the
plurality of panels 11, 12, 13, 14 and are tied to adjacent slats
22 of the crib 20.
[0017] The protective material 10 is advantageously formed from
either synthetic or natural felt. One advantage of using felt is
that it provides a balance of allowing holes or apertures 17 to be
either die-cut or laser-cut completely through the material. In
addition, felt provides sufficient rigidity at a reasonable
thickness, e.g., between 1/4 inch and 3/4 inches in thickness.
Sufficient rigidity is defined as allowing the material to stand
upright and not flop over when placed upright and held from a
bottom edge, e.g., edge 11b. In addition, felt is soft to the touch
and thus the felt material forms a pleasant material to be in
contact with an infant's skin.
[0018] The synthetic felt material can be made of polyester,
polypropylene, Nylon or acrylic with polyester being one
advantageous material. The natural felt can be wool felt including
a non-woven material made by compressing wool fibers using heat
pressure and optionally moisture. Alternatively, the wool felt can
be formed from needle punched wool fibers.
[0019] The plurality of apertures 17 completely through the panels
11, 12, 13, 14 allow for the exchange of air from inside the
interior of the crib to the outside environment. Advantageously,
the apertures 17 are formed using the technique of die-cutting or
laser-cutting the felt material. One advantage of using die-cut or
laser-cut felt is that the panels 11, 12, 13, 14 can be composed of
a single material of a single layer, namely the felt material which
is cut without requiring an additional material to provide rigidity
to the respective panels such as a mesh or backing material.
Further, a separate soft to the touch facing material or layer is
not needed. As a result, a single continuous piece of felt forms
the respective panels 11, 12, 13, 14.
[0020] In an alternative embodiment, rather than felt material, the
panels 11, 12, 13, 14 may be composed of EVA foam or polyurethane
foam.
[0021] The arrangement and pattern or design of the apertures 17
may vary based on aesthetics. Advantageously, between 25% to 60% of
the surface area of the respective panels 11, 12, 13, 14 comprise
the holes, and preferably between 30% and 50%. This allows for a
sufficient transfer of heat and air from inside the crib to the
outside environment.
[0022] A number of non-limiting patterns of apertures are shown in
FIGS. 1-5b. Referring to FIGS. 2-5b, where like elements to those
in FIG. 1 have been increased by 100, respectively, in FIG. 2 side
panel 112 and panel 113 has a flower pattern 118. A plurality of
ties 116 extend from a top and bottom edge of the panels 112, 113
for securing the panels 112, 113 to a crib. In alternative
patterns, FIG. 3 shows panels 212, 213 having a dot pattern 218 and
FIG. 4 shows side panels 312, 313 having a links pattern 318. In
yet another alternative pattern, FIGS. 5a and 5b show panels 412,
512, respectively, having pattern 518.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 6, in an alternative embodiment, instead
of four discrete panels, the protective material may be composed of
a single panel 610 having a series of foldably attached segments
611, 612, 613, 614, via fold lines 615. A total length of panel 610
is between 100 and 200 inches. The segments 611, 612, 613, 614 are
folded at fold line 615, 90 degrees, to thereby form four sides of
a substantially rectangular box which is then placed inside the
crib. Accordingly, each fold line 615 forms a respective corner of
an assembled bumper.
[0024] Although the invention has been described above in relation
to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be
effected in these preferred embodiments without departing from the
scope and spirit of the invention.
* * * * *