Safety Trip Lock For Cribs

Abstract

The combination of a child's crib having a drop side and a trip lock for holding the drop side in raised position, that improvement which comprises a double lock safety means preventing the actuation of the trip lock in the absence of manually raising the drop side at least a small amount prior to actuating the trip lock. Thus, two separate actions are necessary before the drop side can be lowered.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cribs with drop sides and various kinds of trip locks for holding the drop sides in raised position have been in use for many years. However some forms of trip locks are actuatable by the knee of the mother, whether accidentally or not, and at the same time may be accidentally actuated by a dog or small child without intention. Nevertheless the drop side will then automatically drop, perhaps injuring the child outside the crib who has inadvertently caused the same to drop, and allowing the infant in the crib to fall out. It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a double lock safety trip lock insuring against such accidental actuation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A crib having a drop side is provided with a trip lock which is operable by moving it in a direction transverse to the general plane of the crib. In a forward position, the trip lock engages a bracket at the bottom of the drop side, holding it in elevated position, but when the trip lock is merely pushed (i.e., to the rear) it releases the drop side which can then fall; together with a new and improved projection on the bracket that engages a deeper notch than in the prior art in the trip lock, whereby the trip lock may not be pushed at all until the drop side moves slightly upwardly from its upper locked position. When so raised, the projection is free of the trip lock so that the latter may now be pushed, as by the knee, to the rear in the usual manner to release the drop side so that it can descend. The trip lock is not capable of being moved at all accidentally until the drop side is moved upwardly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the rear of the front side of a crib illustrating as much of the drop side mechanism as is necessary to explain the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4--4 in FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a view partly in section illustrating the drop side bracket;

FIG. 6 is a view in rear elevation looking in the direction of arrow 6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the invention using only left hand brackets;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 9 in FIG. 7.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Only so much of the crib is shown as is necessary to illustrate the present invention. A pair of corner posts, one at each end of the crib, is illustrated in broken lines and indicated at 10, 10. These corner posts mount in the usual manner, crib drop side guide rods 12, 12 which extend through the lower rail 14 of the drop side. The latter has spindles 16 as is well known, these spindles being shown cut off in FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration.

Between the corner posts 10, 10 there is an angle-iron (stabilizer) generally indicated at 18 and generally centrally thereof there is located a more or less conventional trip lock which comprises a rod 20 connecting a pair of levers 22, 22 pivotally mounted as at 24 on the angle-iron 18, see FIG. 3, these levers being held in for instance solid line position in FIG. 3 by a conventional spring 26. The pivot pins 24 may be held in brackets 28, 28, this being largely conventional.

At least one of the levers 22, 22 is provided with a forward cam surface 30 rising in general across from the rod 20 to a terminal point at 32 with a cam surface stop which merges rearwardly into a relatively deep notch 34, again see FIG. 3. The levers 22 may be alike.

The bottom rail 14 of the drop side has mounted thereon at least one angle bracket 36 having a horizontal leg 38 extending to the rear and terminating in a right angle downwardly extending projection 40. Ears 42 are bent upwardly and between them provide a slot 44 which receives the vertical leg portion 46 of angle-iron 18.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a lever 22 is shown in solid line position wherein the projection 40 of the bracket 36 on the crib drop side lower rail 14 is located in notch 34, and at the same time the vertical leg 46 of the angle-iron 18 is located in slot 44 preventing the crib drop side as a whole from moving laterally.

Obviously in this position the drop side is firmly locked in its uppermost position.

Should the lever 22 or rod 20 be contacted from the right hand side thereof in FIG. 3, nothing will happen because projection 32 lying in front of projection 40 prevents any such action. However it will be noted that the bottom of the slot at 44 clears the bottom edge of the vertical leg 46 of angle-iron 18 to an extent necessary to allow the infant's nurse to lift the drop side sufficiently to then allow levers 22, 20 to be moved in a clockwise direction in FIG. 3 to the broken line position thereof, the projection 32 passing under the lower edge of projection 40 completely clearing the projection so that the drop side can now descend.

When the drop side is in its lowermost position, springs 26 return levers 22 to the solid line position in FIG. 3 and when it is desired to raise the drop side the edge of the projection 40 on bracket 36 rides on cam edge 30, moving the levers 22 slightly to the rear until projection 40 reaches projection 32, and passes over it, and thereupon spirng 26 will automatically cause legs 22 to snap in under the same resulting in the double lock safety position of the drop side as illustrated in FIG. 3.

It will be noted in FIG. 1 that brackets 36, 36 are different in that one is a left and one is a right as to the relative positions of the ears 42, 42. The rod 20 and levers 22, 22 are located between the ears on the respective brackets, and thus do not interfere therewith during the operation of the trip lock and drop side.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, the rod 20' has an offset at 50 which allows operation of the parts by avoiding ear 42' on the bracket 36' to the right, FIGS. 7 and 8. Ear 42' on the left hand bracket is avoided as before. By this simple means, the brackets 42' may be made alike, avoiding the extra cost of making lefts and rights.

Claims

We claim:

1. The combination of a crib having a drop side and a pivotal latch normally maintaining the drop side latched in its upper position, and means on the drop side engaging said pivotal latch and maintaining it against pivotal motion to unlatch the drop side, said means being constructed and arranged to disengage the latch upon motion of the drop side in an upward direction.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means includes a projection on the drop side.

3. The crib of claim 2 wherein said pivotal latch has a notch therein, said projection being entered into said notch and preventing motion of the pivoted latch in either direction except upon upward motion of the drop side releasing said projection from said latch inhibiting position.

4. The crib of claim 3 including a horizontal rod on the pivotal latch, and an offset in the rod avoiding interference with the projection.