Abstract:
A mounting assembly for mounting a toy to a rail and for supporting said toy on said rail, includes an upper bracket and a lower bracket, the upper bracket permitting the mobile to move vertically up and down, and the lower bracket permitting the mobile to move horizontally from side to side parallel to the rail, the lower bracket also attaching to the rail and supporting the upper bracket. The brackets are constructed to be loosened to permit disinfecting, but do not completely detach.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/002,059, filed May 22, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to toys, and more particularly, to a mobile that is detachably mountable to an infant&#39;s crib or playpen. The invention will be described in particular in connection with a mobile that is detachably mountable to a crib railing, although the invention also advantageously may be mounted to a playpen, highchair, car seat or the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Crib toys such as mobiles have gained wide popularity as a result of their play value and ability to provide sensory stimuli to an infant. These crib toys are provided with mounting brackets to permit the mounting of the crib toy to the top rail of a crib, playpen or the like. In order to accommodate the various sizes and constructions of rails on both cribs and playpens, as well as other such infant confining devices, these mounting brackets have been constructed in various forms, for example, interlocking flexible straps, threaded T-shaped plugs, and the like. However, these mounting brackets due to their universal mounting characteristic have generally been awkward to use during both installation and removal of the crib toy. In addition, these mounting brackets often have been found either difficult or unsuitable for raising the crib toy upwardly as the infant gains the ability to reach and/or stand up in the crib, so as to position the crib toy in its optimum location with respect to the infant for maximum play value and sensory stimulation. 
     Another problem with conventional crib toys such as mobile toys and mobile toy mountings is that, once installed on a crib or the like, it is difficult to quickly move the mobile out of the way, e.g. when reaching in for the infant. This problem can be an inconvenience under normal circumstances, or quite serious in the case of an emergency situation. This can be a significant problem in a hospital pediatric or nursery intensive care setting where mobiles are commonly used. 
     Another problem with conventional mobiles is that they are constructed of materials, and in a manner, that does not allow them to be disinfected. Transmission of infectious diseases is a growing problem and of concern in the home environment and especially in hospital and other clinical settings. 
     Yet another problem with current mobiles is that they include detachable parts that are easily lost or could inadvertently end up in the child&#39;s crib posing a potential safety hazard. 
     Examples of prior art mobiles and mounting brackets therefor are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,573,654; 4,904,220; 5,803,786; 7,762,865 and 8,424,820. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved crib toy such as a mobile and mounting therefor, which overcomes or avoids one or more of the foregoing disadvantages of the prior art. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a crib toy such as mobile toy and mounting therefor that allows the mobile to be raised and or moved from side to side quickly so that the height and position of the mobile can be matched to an infant&#39;s visual development level and/or his or her position in the crib. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a crib toy such as mobile and mounting therefor that permits a caregiver to quickly move the mobile out of the way to facilitate access to the infant particularly in an emergency situation. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a crib toy such as a mobile that allows for complete disinfection to reduce infectious disease transmission. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a crib toy such as a mobile that has no detachable parts that could be lost or fall into a crib creating a potential safety hazard for a child. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a crib toy such as crib mobile and a mounting system therefore comprising an upper joint (or joints) and a bracket. The joint (or joints), allows the mobile to be moved vertically up and down. The lower bracket attaches to the crib rail, supports the joint, and allows the mobile to be moved horizontally from side to side, parallel with the crib rail. The joint(s) on the upper bracket and on the lower bracket are orthogonally aligned to one another and allow for positioning the mobile so that the height and position of the targets or viewing discs of the mobile can be matched to an infant&#39;s visual development level and/or physical development level, as the infant begins to reach, and also the infant&#39;s position in the crib. The joint(s) permits the caregiver to quickly lower and move the mobile to a side of the crib to facilitate access to the infant. The two joint version allows the mobile to moved horizontally to the side. 
     In one aspect of the invention there is provided a mounting assembly for mounting a toy to a rail and for supporting said toy on said rail, said mounting assembly comprising an upper bracket and a lower bracket, the upper bracket permitting the mobile to move vertically up and down, and the lower bracket permitting the mobile to move horizontally from side to side parallel to the rail, the lower bracket also attaching to the rail and supporting the upper bracket. 
     In one aspect of the invention the upper bracket includes a first joint which is 90° offset to a joint on the lower bracket. 
     In another aspect of the invention the lower bracket includes a front plate and a back plate sized and shaped to fit over the crib rail. Preferably the front plate and back plate are fixed together by a threaded bolt which in turn is threaded into receiving threads in the back plate. 
     The present invention also provides a crib mobile comprising a mounting assembly as above described, and a mobile arm attached at its proximal end to the mounting bracket assembly. 
     In one aspect of the invention the mobile comprises a plurality of targets suspended from a distal end of the arm. 
     In another aspect of the invention the mobile includes a rotation mechanism for rotating the targets, preferably a spring-driven or battery driven motor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the present invention will be seen from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein, like numerals depict like parts, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top elevational view of a first embodiment of a mobile assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the mounting bracket portion of the mobile of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the bracket portion; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the bracket portion and 
         FIG. 7  an exploded view of the bracket and a portion of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an assembled view of the bracket and a portion of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a mobile assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 9 ; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the mobile assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , there is shown a crib mobile  10  in accordance with the present invention. The mobile comprises a main arm  12  attached at its proximal end to a mounting bracket assembly  14  which will be described in detail below. Bracket mounting assembly  14  in turn is mounted to a crib rail  16 . 
     A plurality of targets or discs  18 ,  20 ,  22  are supported at a distal end of the arm  12 . Three targets or discs  18 ,  20 ,  22  are shown. However, the mobile may have two, or four or more targets or discs. 
     The targets or discs are supported on a support hub  24  which in turn is rotatably mounted to the distal end of arm  12 . A rotation drive mechanism such as a spring-driven or battery-driven motor may be provided either within the distal end of handle  12  or within support hub  24 . 
     Targets or discs  18 ,  20 ,  22  may be colored or contain patterns or pictures to stimulate the infant. If desired, targets or discs  18 ,  20 ,  22  may be reversible on support hub  24  so that different colored or patterned targets or discs may be substituted. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-6 , the bracket assembly system  14  comprises a lower bracket  30  comprising a front plate  32  and a hack plate  34  sized and shaped to fit over a crib rail  16 . The front plate  32  and back plate  34  are fixed together by a threaded attachment bolt  36  which in turn is threaded into receiving threads  38  in the back plate  34 . Front plate  32  has a hub  40  sized and shaped to accommodate attachment bolt  36 . A knob  42  includes a triangular-shaped shaft  44  having bosses or prongs  45  which is fitted into a receiving hub  46  in attachment bolt  36 . Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , there is a screw  37  for fastening the attachment bolt  36  to the lower knob  42 , entering the hollow end of the bolt  36  inserts through the hack of the attachment bolt  45  into the shaft  44  of the knob  42 . The attachment bolt  36  and lower knob  42  capture the hub  40  of the front plate  32 . 
     The bracket assembly system  14  also includes an upper bracket  48  which in turn is rotatably mounted to an upper end of lower bracket  32 . Bracket  46  includes a lower portion  50  which includes a threaded extension  52  and a cogged section  54  which is sized and shaped to mesh with a cogged section  54  in an upper end of lower bracket  32 . Upper bracket  48  is rotatably attached to lower bracket  32  by an internally threaded knob  56  which is sized and shaped to engage with threads  50  of upper bracket  48 . Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , there is a screw  47  that enters the bracket  46  from the back/inside of the threads  50  into the retainer piece  78  capturing both the front plate  32  upper ring  54  and the nut  56 . 
     Upper bracket  48  also includes an upper ring  60  which is orthogonally (90°) offset from the lower portion. Ring  60  also includes internal cogged ring  62  for engaging with an external cogged shaft (not shown) on the proximal end of the mobile handle  12 . The cogged shaft also includes external threads (not shown). 
     Completing the assembly is an upper knob  70  which includes internal threads  72  for engaging with the external threads  80  on a threaded shaft  82  (shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 ) at the proximal end of arm  12 , and a triangular retainer element  76  which is in turn fitted to shaft  82 . As seen in  FIG. 6 , retainer element  76  includes raised bosses or prongs  84 , for engaging with shaft  82 . Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , there is a screw  77  that enters the back/inside of the mobile arms  12  threads  82  into the upper retainer part  76  and captures the ring portion  60  of the joint bracket  46  and the upper nut  70 . 
     As will be appreciated, the bracket arrangement above described permits easy adjustment of the mobile in both a vertical position and a horizontal position. All that is necessary to adjust the vertical height is a quick turn of knob  70 . By the same token, to adjust the horizontal position one needs only to loosen knob  56 . 
     Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIGS. 9-11 , it is sufficient in most cases to rotatably attach the proximal end of arm  12  directly to bracket  14  via rotatable joint  100 . While rotatably mounting arm  12  directly to bracket  14  eliminates the rotatable joint that allows the mobile to be moved from side to side, for most purposes, it is sufficient to rotatably mount the mobile arm  12  directly to the support bracket  14  since the mobile arm can still be raised directly up and out of the way, for example, in case of an emergency. 
     Referring in particular to  FIG. 11 , rotatable joint  100  includes a housing  102  on which is mounted a canned retainer  104  having detents  106 . Retainer  104  is floated on springs  108 . A spring and  110  loaded release button ratchet  112  controls the retainer, and rejects through an aperture in a joint cover  114 . The advantage of this construction is that the unit may be tilted up and out of the way without pressing the button so that the neck can be moved quickly. The release button  112  can be then pressed to move the unit back into position. 
     A further feature and advantage of the mobile of the invention is that the several parts readily may be loosened enough for cleaning and sterilization. 
     That is to say, the parts for this mobile are constructed of materials that can be disinfected and it is assembled in such a way that all joints can be loosened enough to allow complete disinfecting. All connecting parts allow just enough spacing to allow fingers to reach to all of the surfaces to be completely disinfected. 
     Also, the parts for this mobile are assembled in such a way that they can be loosened enough to allow cleaning, but do not completely detach. This will keep parts from being lost or separated from the mobile when handled or cleaned. For the pivoting joints, the retainers with the triangular pronged ends are holders for the nuts to keep them from coming off of units. For the crib attachment portion the lower knob and the attachment bolt captures the bracket, so that the bolt does not completely separate from the unit. 
     While the present invention has been described particularly with reference to a mobile for a crib, the invention also advantageously may be used for providing mobiles to playpens, cradles, changing tables and the like. 
     Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in some instances it may be sufficient to include just one pivoting joint, so as to provide only vertical movement, e.g. as illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , or only horizontal movement. Also, one or more of the rotatable brackets may restrict movement via friction. Still other changes are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.