Inflatable crib

The present invention relates to an inflatable crib formed by an inflatable base portion, a plurality of independently inflatable sidewalls, and a screen-like webbing connecting each sidewall to the base portion. The crib further includes a support frame and a sleeve attached to each sidewall for receiving a component of the frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a portable inflatable infant enclosure, in 
particular an inflatable crib. 
Different types of portable cribs and bassinets are known and available in 
the market place. Many of these structures however suffer from 
disadvantages such as being potentially unsafe and being relatively heavy, 
bulky, and difficult to handle even when in a folded or collapsed 
condition. Most of these disadvantages stem from the rigid members used to 
support the structure in an erect condition. Often, the rigid members are 
formed from heavy materials and have sharp edges which pose a hazard to a 
child/infant within the portable structure as well as to those assembling 
or handling the structure. One solution to these problems has been to 
provide a portable enclosure which is at least partly formed by inflatable 
components. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,728 to Lund illustrates a collapsible crib having an 
inflatable floor section, inflatable end sections attached to the floor 
section, and non-inflatable side sections. The side sections are connected 
to the end sections by separable fasteners at each of the four corners so 
as to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the crib. Each side and end 
section is provided with a tubular sleeve for receiving the supporting 
rods of a rigid frame used to maintain the desired shape for the crib. The 
primary deficiency of this structure is the potentially dangerous 
situation created by the use of separable fasteners to join the side and 
end sections. If a child/infant within the crib were to unfasten a 
fastener or if one of the fasteners was defective, an opening could be 
created between the sections sufficient for the child/infant to crawl 
through or for the child/infant to insert a limb or its head. Since the 
crib is suspended by the frame, such an occurrence could be extremely 
dangerous. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,147 to Van Dean illustrates an inflatable bassinet 
comprising two sheets of non-porous, flexible material forming a base 
panel and four side panels. The sheets are secured together so as to 
define therebetween two closed, air-retaining chambers. In addition, 
temporary fasteners such as zippers, snaps, buttons or ties are used to 
join the side and end panels at right angles to the bottom panel. 
Hereagain, the use of temporary fasteners creates a potentially dangerous 
situation. Further, the valves for inflating and deflating the bassinet 
are located inside the bassinet within reach of an infant. Should the 
infant grab one of the air valves, the bassinet could quickly deflate, 
again creating a dangerous situation. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,271 to Junod-Deile describes a child's playpen having 
an inflatable lower tube, a non-inflatable bottom attached to the lower 
tube, an upper inflatable tube forming a rail, and a plurality of bars 
formed from a flexible material fixed to flexible tubes adapted to be 
fastened to the upper and lower inflatable tubes forming the sides of the 
playpen. The most serious disadvantage associated with this construction 
is the danger of an infant having its head caught between the flexible 
side bars. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,098 to Fink illustrates an inflatable crib for babies. 
The crib has a base section in the form of an air mattress and four 
upstanding sidewalls attached thereto and in air communication therewith. 
The base portion and the sidewalls are provided with heat sealed seams 
which terminate inwardly of the edges of the several portions of the crib 
structure. An intercommunicating means for inflation of the device or 
deflation thereof from a common passageway is provided and equipped with 
an air valve. The inflatable crib is supported by a rectangular 
multi-section frame having a plurality of telescopic legs. A plurality of 
straps with snap fasteners are attached to the upper edge of the crib's 
sides to be fastened about the frame so that the frame holds the sidewalls 
of the crib in an upstanding position in the event air is accidentally or 
deliberately lost from the inflated structure. 
The Fink design while meeting the goals of being lightweight, readily 
portable and inexpensively formed suffers from several serious design 
flaws. For example, the air valve for inflating and deflating the crib is 
placed on a side of the base thereby making it easy to accidentally open. 
Fink also uses heat sealed seams to establish the rigidity of the crib. 
The presence of upper and lower rolled edges on the sidewalls caused by 
the need to fold material to create these seams is believed to create an 
unstable frame condition since the legs of the supporting frame must slope 
or lean inwards to compensate for the difference in size from the bottom 
of the crib to its top. 
Another serious design flaw in Fink's structure lies in the use of straps 
to hold the sidewalls in an upstanding position should the crib become 
deflated. It is unlikely that the straps and the associated snap fasteners 
would hold or remain in position and fastened if pressure were to be 
placed against one strap which, when it became undone, would cause 
increasing pressure on adjacent snaps resulting in their becoming undone. 
Also, the straps will most likely, become undone or unsnapped when the 
weight of a child creates a downward pressure on the walls of the crib, 
tending to turn the straps inward and upward in a rotating manner around 
the frame. This in turn would cause the snap in the sidewalls to be pulled 
and causes a tearing action which could pull the snap from the crib wall. 
Further safety problems may arise with the Fink design if a child were 
standing in the crib and it deflated. Sagging of the deflated sides could 
cause gaps between the sides of the crib and the frame. A child within the 
crib could insert its hand, arm or head through the gaps. If the child 
then fell or became frightened, it could easily break an arm or be choked 
to death as the weight of its body pulled against the arm or neck stuck in 
such a gap. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an 
inflatable crib which is portable, lightweight, and easy to handle. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a crib as above 
which is in compliance with safety requirements. 
These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent from the 
following description and drawings wherein like reference numerals depict 
like elements. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, an inflatable crib is formed by 
an inflatable base portion, a plurality of independently inflatable 
sidewalls, and a screen-like webbing connecting each sidewall to the base 
portion. The screen-like webbing permits observation of a child/infant 
within the crib and the passage of air through the crib. The crib further 
includes a frame for supporting its inflatable portions and a sleeve 
attached to each sidewall for receiving a component of the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an inflatable crib 10 in 
accordance with the present invention. The crib is suitable for use both 
as a sleep accommodation for a child/infant and as a playpen. While the 
crib 10 may have any desired shape, a substantially square configuration 
is preferred. 
The crib 10 differs from other known inflatable crib designs in that it has 
an inflatable base or floor portion 12 and four independently inflatable 
sidewall sections 14. By forming the crib with five independently 
inflatable sections, the deflation of one of the sections does not create 
a dangerous situation. The crib 10 further differs from other inflatable 
crib designs in that the sidewalls 14 are not directly connected to the 
base 12. Instead, a screen-like webbing 16 is used to join the lower edge 
of each sidewall to the base. The use of the webbing 16 provides certain 
advantages. First, it facilitates the passage of air through the crib. 
Second, it allows visual observation of the child/infant within the crib. 
Finally, it prevents the use of the crib in an unsafe manner such as 
without the safety support frame 18. If one were to inflate each of the 
sidewalls and the base, one would still not have a formed crib suitable 
for use. 
The inflatable base portion 12 may be formed from any suitable lightweight 
plastic material known in the art. Preferably, it is formed from two 
sheets of plastic material which are electronically welded along all of 
the edges. By forming the base 12 in this manner, no undesirable folds or 
rolled edges are present which can interfere with the support frame. A 
valve 20 is provided for permitting inflation/deflation of the base 12. 
Preferably, the valve 20 is placed in the sheet that forms the underside 
of the base during use. Inadvertent opening of the valve and subsequent 
deflation of the base can be avoided by placing the valve in this 
position. 
The sidewalls 14 are also formed from a suitable lightweight plastic 
material, preferably the same material used to form the base 12. 
Hereagain, the sidewalls are formed by electronically welding two sheets 
of plastic material along all of the edges. In forming the sidewalls 14, 
however, the two opposed edges 22 which typically form the vertically 
oriented edges during use are welded so as to form flaps 24. The four 
sidewalls 14 can then be formed into the desired box-like or square 
configuration by electronically welding together the flaps of adjoining 
wall sections. The primary advantage of welding adjoining sections 
together in this manner is again safety related--namely, the absence of 
any gaps or openings through which a child/infant can extend a limb or its 
head. Each sidewall is provided with a valve 26 along the sheet forming 
the outer surface of the crib during use. Each valve 26 is preferably 
positioned in a location outside the reach of a child/infant within the 
crib. 
The valves 20 and 26 may be simple mouth inflating tubes having stoppers 
attached thereto. Alternatively they could be formed by any other suitable 
form of valve known in the art. 
As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 12 and each sidewall 14 are 
provided with a plurality of button-like members 28. These members are 
intended to create a cushion-like or quilted pattern to the base and 
sidewalls. It is believed that such a construction is desirable from the 
standpoint of preventing a child/infant from wedging itself in a position 
where it could suffocate. 
The webbing 16 joining the sidewalls to the base may also be formed from 
any suitable lightweight material known in the art. The webbing is 
preferably joined to the bottom edge of each sidewall and to the edges of 
the base by electronic welding. Ideally, the webbing is formed from a 
single piece of material. The openings 30 in the webbing are sized so that 
a child/infant in the crib could not extend a limb or its head 
therethrough. When the crib is in an erect position, the webbing extends 
to a height in the range of from about 10% to about 20% of the total 
sidewall height. 
A frame 18 is provided for supporting the inflatable portions of the crib 
10. The frame comprises tubular horizontal rod components 32 and legs 34, 
each preferably formed from a single piece of rigid material. While it is 
preferred that the legs 34 be formed from a metallic material, the frame 
components 32 may be formed from either a rigid plastic material or a 
suitable metal or metal alloy. As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal 
components and the legs are joined at each corner by a corner brace 36. 
The corner brace 36 may be formed either by a plastic or metallic 
material. Ideally, the brace 36 receives the leg 34 at an angle relative 
to the vertical axis of the sidewall. It is believed that providing a 
supporting frame with an outwardly angled leg provides stability against 
the possibility of the crib leaning due to a child/infant leaning against 
one side of the crib. 
The support frame 18 is joined to the sidewalls of the crib by sleeves 38 
adapted to receive the horizontal components of the frame. The sleeves 38 
may be affixed to the sidewalls 14 in any desired manner. For example, the 
sleeves 38 may be welded to the sidewalls. Ideally, the sleeves are 
located below the top edge of the sidewall by about 20% ro about 25% of 
the total sidewall height. By positioning the sleeves 38 in this location, 
well below the top edge of the sidewalls, no gaps or openings are created 
between the support frame 18 and the sidewalls through which a 
child/infant could insert a limb or its head. 
Generally, the base portion 12 of the crib rests on the floor when the crib 
10 is supported by the frame 18; however, if desired, a frame could be 
provided that suspends the crib so that the base 12 is spaced from the 
floor. 
As can be seen from the foregoing description, the design of the inflatable 
crib 10 of the present invention is highly safe. First, there are no 
openings through which a child/infant could extend a limb or insert its 
head. Second, a safety frame is provided for supporting the inflatable 
portions of the crib. Third, deflation of a single inflatable section does 
not render the crib unsafe. Fourth, provision is made for adequate air 
flow through the crib. Finally, a child/infant within the crib can be 
observed. 
Further advantages of the present invention are that the crib is formed 
from lightweight components and can be easily assembled and disassembled. 
As a result, cribs in accordance with the present invention are easily 
transportable. Further, the crib in its collapsed condition is extremely 
compact and can be stored in a relatively small area. 
It is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with this 
invention an inflatable crib which fully satisfies the objects, means, and 
advantages set forth hereinbefore. While the invention has been described 
in combination with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many 
alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those 
skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it 
is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and 
variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended 
claims.