Convertible Canopy Crib

The subject matter of this patent application is related to the following U.S. patent applications of Jean Kasem, "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING A CANOPY CRIB TO A STANDARD CRIB" (P005), and "CANOPY ASSEMBLY HAVING UNIVERSAL COMPONENTS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANOPIES" (P006) which are filed on the same date as this application and which are incorporated by reference herein as if they were set forth in their entirety herein.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is generally related to cribs and more particularly to converting a canopy crib into a standard crib.

2. Description of the Related Art

Canopy cribs are very popular with couples who wish to have a unique sleeping area for their baby. As compared with a standard crib, the canopy crib has a raised canopy that is suspended over the sleeping area of the baby. The canopy as defined in this disclosure may be of different shapes, such as flat, convex (similar to a dome), concave (sometimes called fluted dome), and cone. Many people prefer the standard crib, which does not have any overhanging canopy, for a baby boy, and the canopy crib for a baby girl. Thus, when a couple initially has a baby girl and elects to purchase a canopy crib, and then subsequently has a baby boy, they may be forced to purchase a separate standard crib for their little boy. Therefore, to reduce the cost of a crib for such couples, there is a need for a canopy crib which can be easily converted into a standard crib, and vice versa. Such a canopy crib should also be cost-efficient to manufacture.

Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention is directed at a method of converting a canopy crib to a standard crib, and vice versa. The canopy crib includes a canopy assembly that is removably connected to a crib assembly. The canopy assembly includes a number of canopy legs that are removably connected to the crib assembly to support the canopy assembly on top of the crib assembly. The crib assembly has a number of supports, where a lower portion of each of the canopy legs removably fits over one of the respective supports. The method includes removing the canopy assembly by exposing the respective supports, and then covering each of the supports with a cap.

These as well as other features and advantages of the invention can be better appreciated by referring to the drawings, written description, and claims below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a canopy crib conversion according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the structure for removably supporting a canopy assembly atop a crib assembly.

FIG. 3 shows a covered support in the crib assembly once the canopy assembly has been removed.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the structure for removably supporting the canopy assembly.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a covered support.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a mechanism for removably connecting a canopy assembly to a crib assembly.

As summarized above, an embodiment of the invention is directed at an efficient method of converting a canopy crib into a standard crib. This permits a parent to make only a single purchase for a canopy crib as well as a standard crib. The procedure to change from canopy crib to standard crib will include simply removing the canopy assembly and then covering any exposed supports that were used to support the canopy assembly.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a convertible canopy crib according to an embodiment of the invention. A canopy assembly includes a canopy 12 made of cloth or other material that is supported by a frame (not shown) according to conventional techniques. The canopy 12 is not limited to the dome shape shown but may alternatively be of a variety of different shapes, including flat, concave (so-called fluted dome), or cone. The frame is attached using well known techniques in the art to a number of canopy legs 14, or using the techniques described in Jean Kasem's U.S. patent application entitled "CANOPY ASSEMBLY HAVING UNIVERSAL COMPONENTS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANOPIES" (P006) filed on the same date as this application. The canopy legs 14 are in turn connected to a crib assembly. The crib assembly comprises a base 16 surrounded by a number of crib side members 18a, 18b, 19a, and 19b which extend upwards from the base to help contain a baby inside the crib assembly. A mattress (not shown) would also be lying against the base 16. The side members 18 and 19 are tall enough such that the baby is not able to crawl outside of the crib. The crib assembly is supported by a number of crib legs 10. The crib assembly can be implemented according to conventional techniques, such as connecting the adjacent side members to a crib leg therebetween and connecting the base to the crib legs. In addition, the two side members 18a and 18b which oppose each other are movable in a vertical direction. The other side members 19a and 19b are normally fixed. The movable side members when lowered permit the baby to be placed into and removed from the crib without having to lift the baby as high as the top of the crib. Each movable side member 18 is guided by a pair of rods 22 that extend vertically through on either side of the movable side member. The top portion of the rod 22 is angled and looped as shown in FIG. 2, and is attached to a support 28 which is stationary with respect to the movable side members 18a and 18b.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the means for removably supporting the canopy assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention. The canopy leg 14 includes a post 21 and a sleeve 30. The sleeve 30 has a bottom portion that is sized to fit over and against the support 28 of the crib assembly, to support the canopy assembly. The support 28 is between movable side member 18a and stationary side member 19a. A hollow inside the support 28 and a corresponding hole in the sleeve 30 are sized to receive a bolt 24 through a flattened portion of the rod 22. This technique for securing the canopy assembly to the support 28 is shown in FIG. 4 in cross-section.

In FIG. 4, the sleeve 30 is glued or otherwise permanently attached to the bottom portion of the post 21. The bottom portion of the post 21 is narrowed to yield a shoulder against which the top of the sleeve 30 is set. The top portion of the support is similarly narrowed to receive the bottom portion of the sleeve. The sleeve 30 is preferably made of a metal, such as brass, or other high strength material. A pair of aligned holes one on either side of the sleeve 30 and a corresponding opening in the support 28 receive the bolt 24 which threads into the stationary side member 19a to fasten the rod 22, the sleeve 30 and the side member 19a to the support 28. An advantage of the structure shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 4 is that it facilitates fitting the post 21 against the support 28 when both the post and the support, as well as perhaps the rest of the crib, are made of wood, without significantly affecting the all-wood appearance of the crib. In another embodiment of the invention, the support 28 is actually a top portion of a respective one of the crib legs 10. In this embodiment, virtually the entire crib assembly, except perhaps the rods 22 and caps 32, may be made of wood. The cap 32 may be made of the same material as the sleeve 30.

Removing the canopy assembly thus becomes a simple task of lowering the movable side 18a, removing the bolt 24 from the sleeve 30, and pulling the canopy legs 14 vertically upwards, by, for instance, grasping each post 21 and pulling upwards, to fully expose the support 28. If desired, the canopy 12 and its underlying frame may first be removed from the legs 14 in a piece-by-piece manner, leaving only the canopy legs 14 connected to the crib assembly. Thereafter, each canopy leg 14 may be pulled off its respective support 28. Alternatively, the canopy assembly can be removed as a whole, using two persons, one on either side of the crib, with each person grasping two of the four posts 21 and simultaneously pulling upwards.

Turning now to FIG. 3, once the canopy assembly has been removed, the supports 28 of the crib assembly which have been exposed as a result are then covered by, for instance, placing a cap 32 over each respective support 28. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cap 32 that covers the supports 28 cannot be rotated with respect to the region surrounding the support 28 on the crib assembly. To achieve this result, the bolt 24 is reinserted through the flat end of the angled top portion of the rod 22 into a hole in the cap 32 and the hollow in the support 28. This helps secure the cap 32 to the support 28 as well as prevent the cap 32 from being rotated.

The use of the angled rod 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and in FIGS. 4 and 5 thus provides an efficient technique for both securing the canopy assembly to the crib assembly, as well as for covering the exposed support 28 when the canopy assembly has been removed, while keeping the cap 32 and the canopy leg 14 from being rotated. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the angled rod 22, the movable side member 18a, the stationary side member 19a, the support 28, and the cap 32 are sized such that their tops are essentially at the same level as shown in FIG. 5, or where the top of the cap 32 is no more than 1/8 inch above the other components. The various components of the canopy crib described above and again shown in an exploded view in FIG. 6 may be sold as a kit together with instructions to connect the different components together using well known fastening techniques.

To summarize, a novel method of converting a canopy crib to a standard crib has been disclosed. Various embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to the figures above. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and is capable of changes and modifications within the scope of the inventive concept expressed here. For instance, although the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a round crib, the canopy to standard conversion techniques described may also be applied to rectangular cribs. Accordingly, it is intended that all such modifications and/or changes be within the scope of the claims.