The Baby Sitter Infant Support Cushion

Abstract

This invention is an infant and child round support cushion comprised of natural or synthetic firm filler material ranging in size between 22'' to 36'' in diameter, with a preferred diameter of 24'', with a center cut-out well ranging in size between 11'' to 18'' in diameter, with a preferred diameter of 12'', 2' to 7'' in height, with a preferred height of 5'', with three 1.5'' cushion inserts for the center well designed to provide a surface for laying, to help the child learn to sit up unsupported at rest or play, and to learn how to support self on knees while learning to crawl. This invention offers the new concept of offering a firmer more durable cushion that supports children on all surrounding sides ranging in height between 2'' to 7'' high, comprising sides with flat edges that do not allow the child to fall over and that teach the child how to support self in a seated position and a crawling position by providing a firm resistance against which feet can brace, in a compact aesthetic circle-design making the most use of material and space.

Description

PARENT CASE TEXT

[0001] This invention is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/312,911 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,149, the Sitting Square Baby Support Cushion filed on Jul. 19, 2005.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

[0002] Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0003] This invention pertains to the field of support pillows and cushions, and in particular to support pillows and cushions that are suitable for placement around an object, in this case a juvenile's head, neck, and body. The U.S. patent Classification would be Class 5 BEDS, relating to devices intended to hold the human in a prone, supine, sitting, or kneeling position. The subclass would be 652 SUPPORT FOR USER'S BODY OR PART THEREOF, which includes "cushion" and art that requires some modification to materials to adapt them for body support.

[0004] The references cited for the previous invention this invention improves upon, Sitting Square Baby Support Cushion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,149, are still applicable here, with the addition of one not previously cited. There is a number of other juvenile support cushions that provide support to the neck or body, however, only four were found that provide similar support that pertains to this invention. One such invention is by Susan Matthews, U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,024, filed Feb. 3, 2004, class 206/521. Susan Mathew's invention is a tubular-shaped oval pillow to support the child in a laying position or seated position, which also supports the juvenile's back and/or arms while at rest or play. The problem with this support pillow is that the juvenile is not firmly supported on all four sides, which allows the infant to flop over sideways, nor does it provide a front support for the juvenile who falls over frontwards. Another similar invention is by Jamie Leach, U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,590, filed Apr. 29, 2003, class 5/655; 5/922. This invention is that the juvenile is restricted to a laying position only not allowing for movement for muscle development, which restricts the age-limit to a pre-sitter. Another such similar invention is by Paul Pagano, U.S. Pat. No. 7,356,861, filed Apr. 15, 2008, class 5/655; 297/464; 5/922. Paul Pagano's invention is a square-shaped foam support cushion that straps the juvenile in tightly and allows for the juvenile's legs and feet to protrude outward from the body through an opening in the cushion in a sitting position. The problem with this invention is that it tightly straps the juvenile in and does not allow the juvenile to move freely to exercise muscles needed to learn to sit up independently and does not allow for a firm resistance against which feet can brace encouraging movement and development. Another such invention is by Sandra Darling and Denise Rowell, U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,545, filed on Nov. 2, 2004, class 5/655; 5/630; 5/657. The problem with this invention is that it is a u-shaped cushion that does not provide support on all four sides and does not provide resistance for the feet. Other support pillows only provide support to the head and neck. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,262 (Davis), U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,081 (Price), U.S. Pat. No. 2,167,622 (Bentivoglio), U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,728 (Lake). A pillow designed for the support of juveniles while asleep is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,085 (Antonio). This device supports only the head. The following juvenile activity centers, U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,930, Nov. 10, 2009 by Berkley, Cindy et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 593,085, Aug. 3, 1999 by O'Neill et. al. completely surround the child but are inflatable. The problem with these inventions is that the devices can deflate with use and the child is still unable to freely move about in and out of the device without restriction. The infant support and development pillow (Harris and Hughes, 2007), U.S. Pat. No. 20070204402 A1, completely surrounds the child but has an inner well depth that is 8''-16'' high, creating a depth that is much too deep to allow for an infant to have full range of motion to stretch back and forth and position self up on knees for learning to crawl, a pillow that has rounded edges allowing for the feet to slip under and potentially causing the pillow to flip up and over the child, and having a diameter of 30'' to 56'' that is not a compact design, and a pillow that is stated to be used by an infant ages 3 months to 9 months only and which is to be discarded after child learns how to sit up who is learning to crawl. This new invention improves upon this prior art by providing the following structural differences: an inner well height of 2'' to 7'', allowing for an infant as young as newborn to lie comfortable with neck not compromised while in a supine position, inner wall edges on top and bottom of well that are not rounded, but rather flat, not allowing feet to slip under, but rather providing a firm sturdy surface for feet to push against with composition of a more firm, dense polyurethane foam not allowing for infant to flip cushion, having three 1.5'' cushion insert seats that can be inserted to adjust the well height for the needs of the child, allowing for an infant to lay flat with three inserts in place, allowing for a newborn to prop up with two inserts in place, allowing for a pre-sitter to be supported with one insert in place, and allowing for a pre-crawler with inserts removed, that can later on be used by an older child for play, with compact dimensions that allow for portability, storage, and reduced material use and waste in manufacturing, that is to be used by an infant from ages newborn to four years for laying, propping up, learning to sit, learning to crawl, learning to stand, and creative play.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0005] This invention is an improvement to the previous invention of the Sitting Square Baby Support Cushion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,149. The square center well design of this previous patent allowed for juveniles to slouch into the corners unsupported. The new invention has a round inside well which eliminates the slouching and provides better support to the juvenile. This invention's new rounded outside perimeter also improves upon the invention by eliminating the corners and requiring less foam for the purposes of reducing manufacturing costs, shipping weight, and storage space, and increasing visual aesthetics. This invention also improves upon the previous invention by providing a range for the inside and outside diameter and height, which allows for this invention to serve smaller and larger juveniles, since juveniles learn to sit up and crawl at varying developmental ages and body lengths. The insert cushion improves upon the previous invention by providing a soft bottom surface for baby's bottom that can be stacked three high to adjust for support needed. The cover for this invention improves upon the previous invention by being one piece that secures all the way around and encloses at the bottom exterior perimeter that completely detaches allowing for easier removal and reassembling with an enclosure.

[0006] This juvenile support cushion provides support on all four sides for the juvenile needing support for laying flat, while being propped up, to sit up or when learning to crawl. It contains a center well in which the juvenile sits, with completely surrounding surfaces on which the juvenile can rest its head and neck when lying down or back and arms when sitting up or arms and hands when learning to crawl or on which to rest toys when at play that comes with a three 1.5'' high cushions for resting bottom on that can be stacked one, two, or three high to adjust support needed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A support cushion comprising a one-piece body with flame-retardant, firm filler material with the following range of dimensions: a cylinder-like shape with the center cylinder removed, comprising a 22'' to 36'' round cushion, with a preferred diameter of 24'', 2'' to 7'' high, with a preferred height of 5'', with a rounded center well 11'' to 18'' in diameter, with a preferred inside diameter for center cut-out well of 12'', with a three center cushion inserts each with a sewn on cover, 11'' to 18'' in diameter, with a preferred diameter of 12'', 1.5'' in height, that can be stacked one, two, or three high. A removal cover is disposed about the cushion body securing at the bottom outside perimeter by an enclosure.

[0008] Previous inventions comprise a U-shaped or C-shaped pillow lacking firm support and complete surrounding support, or lacking firm surrounding support for motion for sitting up and crawling, and/or lacking cushion inserts for cushioning bottom and providing adjustable height for support for a range of ages from newborn to pre-sitter to pre-crawler to crawler and beyond.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0009] The foregoing features and advantages of the invention will become more fully understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout different views.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the support cushion. Exterior dimensions range between 22'' to 36''. Interior dimensions range between 11'' to 18''.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of the cushion. Height dimensions range between 2'' to 7''.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a front view showing the center cut-out well.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a front view of the cover showing how the cover secures all around the bottom exterior perimeter with an enclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of one cushion insert, 11'' to 18'' in diameter, 1.5'' high.

Claims

1. A support cushion comprising: the following new inventive structure and composition: a cylinder-like shape with the center cylinder removed, comprising a 22'' to 36'' round, firm, dense, polyurethane foam, one-piece cushion body 2'' to 8'' 2'' to 7'' high, with a preferred height of 5'', comprising a 11'' to 18'' center rounded cut-out well, with a preferred inside cut-out diameter of 12'', extending from the top surface to the bottom surface of the cushion, comprised of flat and not rounded top and bottom edges, in order to support a child who cannot sit up unsupported, that firmly supports an infant's and child's neck when lying, back and arms all on four sides when seated, also containing three separate center round cushion inserts 11'' to 18'' in diameter, with a preferred diameter of 12'', to fit in center well, 1.5'' high that rests on the floor surface to help in cushioning baby's bottom comprising a sewn on cover that can be stacked one, two, or three inserts high to adjust for the support needs of the infant, allowing for this cushion to be used with all three inserts to create a flat surface for laying on, with two inserts as a shallow well for a newborn to be propped up while safely contained within the well, with one insert to provide a deeper well for a pre-sitter, and then with all three inserts removed for a pre-crawler and beyond to ages four and up, and comprising a cover disposed about the cushion body, wherein the cover wraps completely around the entire surface of the cushion in once one piece securing along the exterior bottom perimeter by an enclosure.

2. A support cushion as in claim 1 wherein said cushion offers the new inventive uses of supporting a child on all three sides who is being propped up as early as ages newborn to 3 months, and who is beyond the learning to sit up stage who is moving on to learning to crawl, and this new design also provides a flat surface for child to lay. This cushion, that also provides support to a child who cannot sit up unsupported, that firmly supports an infant's and child's neck and body when lying, back and arms on all four sides when seated when attempting to sit up, that also provides a safe rounded well in which child sits while playing with toys prior to learning how to crawl, who needs a soft, firm object to rest on while positioned up on knees, who needs a soft, firm low to the ground object to sit on when needing a seat with feet positioned resting on the floor either inside the square cushion or outside the square cushion, and who needs a soft, firm cushion to lay on.

3. (canceled)