Adjustable Infant Bed and Seat

There are known in the prior art many forms and arrangements of seats and beds for infant children. Due to the fact that infants cannot sit or raise their heads without support, a critical design feature of infant seats is that they support the infant for such purposes as feeding, napping, watching other activities, and the like. On the other hand, an infant generally should be confined when sleeping in a prone position, since they can roll in their sleep and travel laterally.

A popular form of convertible infant seat and bed includes a molded plastic frame in a generally rectangluar form, with low side walls extending from one end and both sides to form an upwardly opening coffer. An adjustable support leg extends from the bottom of the frame to support the frame on a level surface at various angles from substantially upright to fully reclined. The coffer portion usually contains a pillow which serves as a backrest for the infant when the seat is propped up on the support leg, and serves as a mattress when the seat is fully reclined so that the infant may sleep comfortably.

These plastic frame arrangements are certainly convenient and useful, yet they generally are less than comfortable. Young infants with little self-support capability tend to sag into the corners and crevices of the seat, due to the paucity of support for the child and the fact that many infants cannot coordinate the effort to regain a sitting position once they slide or slump to one side. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the seat pillow or cushion is often covered with a spill-resistant plastic material which is smooth and slippery.

A more serious drawback to the typical plastic frame convertible baby seat is that the supporting leg and edge portion of the seat require a relatively stable and horizontal surface so that the seat is supported with stability and safety. However, many serious accidents have occurred to infants in baby seats placed in recline on tables, sofas or chairs, and the like, due to uneven support of the leg and baby seat, and the resulting collapse of the seat.

A more traditional infant bed arrangement, the basket lined with a mattress and bunting, has been updated with modern fabrics and materials and a tote-bag approach. Such arrangements are fine for an infant sleeping or resting in recline, but the infant must be removed from the basket or tote for sitting and the like. Thus an extra seat often must be brought to accompany the basket or tote. The total effort required to travel with a small child is thereby increased.

The present invention generally comprises a convertible infant bed and seat which is superior in the support provided to the infant in both sitting and laying positions. It is also lightweight and reconfigurable as a seat or bed, and is easily cleaned and maintained.

The adjustable infant bed and seat includes a pillow formed of a fabric enclosure filled with expanded plastic beads. The fabric enclosure may be formed of a generally impermeable fabric, for sanitary purposes. A removable outer cover is secured about the pillow, with a generally rectangular base board disposed therebetween to stabilize the shape and configuration of the assembly. The cover is formed of a washable, breathable fabric, for comfort and ease of cleaning. The cover also serves to retain the assembly of the pillow and the stabilizing base board.

A three-point safety harness is joined to the upper surface of the outer cover to secure the infant to the outer cover. The pillow filling may be variously configured as a bed which receives the infant in the prone position, or it may be rearranged as a seat to support the infant in a sitting position. In any disposition the weight of the infant compresses the beads and sustains the arranged configuration to maintain support of the entire body of the infant. The pillow may be placed in a tote bag to facilitate pedestrian transport of the infant while secured to and supported by the pillow assembly. The expanded plastic bead filling is extremely lightweight yet is an excellent thermal insulator.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the convertible infant seat and bed of the present invention, shown in typical use.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the convertible infant seat and bed of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the invention as depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the present invention, shown in use configured as an infant seat.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a tote bag for use in carrying the convertible infant seat and bed arrangement of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional elevation of the pillow, cover, and stabilizer base panel assembly of the present invention.

The present invention generally comprises a convertible infant seat and bed which is lightweight and easy to transport, yet which provides superior full body support for the infant. With regard to FIGS. 1-4 and 6, the infant seat and bed 11 of the invention includes a pillow 12 formed of a fabric enclosure and preferably filled with beads 19 of expanded plastic such as polystyrene or the like. The material which forms the fabric enclosure of the pillow may comprise an impermeable fabric such as polyvinyl or polyethylene plastic, coated Nylon, or the like. The impermeable material protects the beads 19 from contamination by liquids and organic material.

An other cover 15 is secured about the pillow 12, and is formed of a fabric which is permeable and comfortable to the touch of an infant's skin, and which is also removable and washable. The outer cover includes opposed side panels 13 and 14, and a top panel 16 sewn to confronting, parallel top edge portions of the side panels 13 and 14. A generally rectangular bottom panel 17 of the outer covering 15 is sewn to the bottom edges of the side panels, and to the end edges of the top panel to form an enclosed volume above a rectangular base. The inner pillow 12 is preferably formed of similarly configured panel sections to effect a good fit therebetween.

A stabilizer base board 18 is joined to the assembly, disposed between the bottom panel 17 of the outer cover and the respective counterpart panel of the pillow 12. The base board 18 is formed of a thin panel of resilient, relatively stiff, form retaining material such as plywood, fiberboard, plastic, and the like. The base board 18 maintains the rectangular shape of the base of the assembly. More importantly, the base board provides stable and uninterrupted support for the pillow, even though the assembly may be resting on an uneven or irregular support.

It should be noted that the outer cover not only provides a comfortable and an easily washable surface for the infant to contact, it also serves to maintain the assembly of the pillow and the stabilizer base board 18. The bottom panel 17 is provided with an open seam 21 having overlapping edges, in closed slipcover fashion, which may be expanded to remove and replace both the base board and the pillow 12.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of a three-point safety harness 22 secured to the upper surface of the outer cover 15. The safety harness 22 secures the torso of the infant to the assembly, and prevents accidental rolling and falling of the infant, whether in the sitting or prone position. This feature permits the invention to be used to cradle and secure an infant in a location that would be otherwise dangerous; e.g., on a sofa or chair.

It should be noted that the side panels 13 and 14 of the outer cover and the inner pillow may be provided with a tapered plan configuration, so that one end of the assembly tends to be higher than the other. Together with the amount of expanded plastic bead filling placed in the inner pillow, this feature permits the assembly to be reconfigurable to support the infant in a generally upright sitting position, as shown in FIG. 4. In this position the infant may be fed, and may observe the surroundings. The pillow filling easily may be redistributed manually to form a lateral bed to support the infant in a fully prone position for more comfortable sleeping, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In either extreme or in any other conformal arrangement, the plastic beads retain their desired arrangement due to the compressive effect of the weight of the infant. Furthermore, the plastic bead filling tends to conform to the body contours of the infant, thereby providing generally full-body support to an individual who really requires such support. Other side panel configuration may be used by those skilled in the art to form a comfortable pillow enclosure without departing from the scope of this invention.

The convertible bed and seat of the present invention may be transported easily in a tote bag, one preferred form of which is shown in FIG. 5. The bag 26 is generally formed as a rectangular coffer opening upwardly, with side walls 27 higher than the greatest height of the assembly 11. A rolled or folded edge of other stiffening means at the upper edge of the bag 26 provides sufficient stiffness to maintain the shape of the bag together with stiff triangular panels folded into the end walls to prevent collapse of the sides onto the infant. A pair of strap loops 29 are joined to the opposed sides of the bag to facilitate carrying. The inner volume 31 of the bag is configured similarly to the outer shape of the assembly 11, so that the assembly 11 may be reshaped in conjunction with the lateral support of the sides and ends of the tote bag 26.

It should be noted that the assembly 11 is extremely lightweight, due to the low density of the expanded plastic beads and the lightweight fabrics used. The tote bag may be formed of canvas or Nylon fabric, or may be made of woven basket material. In any case the combined weight of the assembly 11 and the tote 26 is surprisingly low.