Abstract:
An apparatus for assisting in the changing of diapers for a baby in the form of a portable diaper caddy. The tray has a base adapted to rest upon a surface. The tray includes multiple selectively sized compartments including a diaper compartment in the tray adapted to contain a plurality of diapers, a pad compartment in the tray adapted to contain a baby changing pad, and a wipe compartment in the tray adapted to contain a plurality of wet baby wipes. A lid covers the wipe compartment, the lid sealing against a top portion of the wipe compartment to prevent evaporation of liquid contained in the wet baby wipes. A handle extends from the tray to allow persons to grasp the tray for carrying the tray.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to trays, and more particularly relates to portable trays for baby products.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Parents change the diapers of babies frequently and often several times per day. In will readily be appreciated by parents everywhere that changing the diapers of babies is a difficult task. Many parents have been frustrated by the absence of any good products on the market for assisting parents in the diaper changing task in a convenient manner.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention is directed toward an apparatus for assisting in the changing of diapers for a baby in the form of a portable diaper caddy. The caddy includes tray having a base adapted to rest upon a surface. The tray includes multiple selectively sized compartments including a diaper compartment in the tray adapted to contain a plurality of diapers, a pad compartment in the tray adapted to contain a baby changing pad, and a wipe compartment in the tray adapted to contain a plurality of wet baby wipes. A lid covers the wipe compartment, the lid sealing against a top portion of the wipe compartment to prevent evaporation of liquid contained in the wet baby wipes. A handle extends from the tray to allow persons to grasp the tray for carrying the tray.  
           [0004]    Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portable diaper caddy holding a variety of diaper changing products, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tray part of the portable diaper caddy illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a cross section of FIG. 2 taken about line  3 - 3 .  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a cross section of FIG. 2 taken about line  4 - 4 .  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is top plan view of the lid part of the portable diaper caddy illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is a cross section of FIG. 5 taken about line  6 - 6 .  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. 5.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 8 is a side view of the snap in handle part of the portable diaper caddy illustrated in FIG. 1. 
     
    
       [0014]    While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    For purposes of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated in FIG. 1 as a portable diaper caddy  10 . In the disclosed embodiment, the caddy  10  is assembled from three separate parts including a unitary plastic tray  12  as shown in FIGS.  2 - 4 , a plastic lid  14  as shown in FIGS.  5 - 7 , and a handle  16  as shown in FIG. 8. The diaper caddy  10  can be easily transported from place to place, set down on a surface close to where the baby diaper changing operations are to take place, carrying all of the supplies necessary to change diapers, with quick access to the contents of the tray  12  to make the process of changing diapers easier and more convenient.  
         [0016]    The tray  12  extends vertically between a generally flat base  18  and a top surface  20 . The tray base  18  is adapted to lie flat on a support surface provided by a table, the ground or other suitable support. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tray  12  is generally rectangular. For purposes of reference, the tray  12  comprises first, second, third and fourth sides  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 . The first and third sides  21 ,  23  extend parallel. Similarly, the second and fourth side  22 ,  23  extend parallel.  
         [0017]    A plurality of primary purpose compartments extend vertically into the top surface  20  of the tray  12  to hold the necessary items for completing a diaper change. In particular, the tray  12  includes an elongated pad compartment  26  containing a flexible folded up baby pad  28 , a diaper compartment  30  containing a plurality of diapers  32 , and a wipe compartment  34  containing a plurality of wet baby wipes  36 .  
         [0018]    The pad compartment  26  extends along the entire length of the third side  23  transversely between the second and fourth sides  22 ,  24 . The pad compartment  26  extends vertical downward to a bottom surface  38  coplanar with and forming a part of the tray base  18  for supporting the tray  12  upright. The pad  28  can be removed from the pad compartment  26 , then unfolded and placed on a surface to provide a clean and comfortable surface upon which to place the baby for the diaper change. The pad  28  is refolded and returned to the pad compartment  26  when the diaper change is completed.  
         [0019]    The diaper compartment  30  is adjacent the first and second sides  21 ,  22  and also extends down to a bottom surface  40  that is coplanar and forms a portion of the tray base  18  for upright support of the tray  12 . The diaper compartment  30  is adjacent the first and the second sides  21 ,  22 , in a corner therebetween. The diaper compartment  30  is closely dimensioned to the largest commercial available diaper, and holds multiple diapers  32 , and holds a package of diapers or between  10  and  25  diapers  32  substantially flush with the tray.  
         [0020]    The wipe compartment  34  is adjacent the first and fourth sides  21 ,  24 . but does not extend to the base  18 . To prevent the caddie  10  from upsetting, a vertically extending leg  42  is formed into a corner between the first and fourth sides  21 ,  24 . The leg  42  is spaced in relation to the other bottom surfaces  38 ,  40  and forms a third bottom surface  44  coplanar with and forming a portion of the tray base  18 . The three bottom surfaces  38 ,  40 ,  44  allow the tray  12  to stand in a sturdy upright position. The wipe compartment  34  holds multiple wet baby wipes  36  (e.g. between  20  and  80  wipes). The wet baby wipes  36  typically include a water and/or alcohol based cleaning solution.  
         [0021]    The lid  14  covers the wipe compartment  34  and seals against the tray  12  to prevent evaporation of liquid contained in the wet baby wipes  36 . In the disclosed embodiment, the lid  14  is connected to the base via a hinge  46  formed by interfitting structures  48 ,  50  on the tray  12  and lid  14 . The hinge  46  allows the lid  14  to be pivoted upwardly to open the wipe compartment  34  and downwardly to close the wipe compartment  34 . For purposes of reference, the wipe compartment  34  is rectangular including first, second, third, and fourth sidewalls  51 ,  52 ,  53 ,  54 . The lid  14  is hinged to the first sidewall  51 . To prevent liquid evaporation from the wet baby wipes, the disclosed embodiment includes a tongue and groove seal between the lid  14  comprising a vertically extending tongue  56  extending all of the way around the rectangular periphery of the lid  14  and a receiving groove  58  extending around the tops ends of at least the second, third and fourth sidewalls  52 ,  53 ,  54 . The tongue  56  is received in and engages the walls of the groove  58  to provide a seal. Because it would be difficult for the tongue  56  to pivot into a groove at the top of the first side wall  51 , the tongue  56  horizontally deflects in engagement with the first side wall  51  to provide a seal along the first side wall  51 .  
         [0022]    A resilient snap connection keeps the lid  14  sealed to the tray  12 . In the disclosed embodiment, the snap connection comprises a flexible hook  60  extending freely from the top surface  20  of the tray  12  and a lift tab  62  projecting horizontally from the lid  14 . When the lid  14  is being pivoted and closed, the hook  60  deflects past a rib  64  on the tab  62  and then expands horizontally after clear the rib  64  to latch on the tab  62 . The engagement between the tab  62  and the hook  60  keep the lid  14  closed and the tongue  56  and groove  56  in engagement to provide a seal. When it is desired to pivot the lid  14  open to access baby wipes, the hook  60  can be manual deflected to obviate the rib  64  and simultaneously the lift tab  62  is lifted by a finger to open the wipe compartment  34 .  
         [0023]    The handle  16  comprises a horizontal gripping bar  66  integrally formed with a pair of perpendicular arms  68 . Each arm  68  includes an cylindrical pivot projection  70  that snaps into cylindrical cavities  72  on the second and fourth sides  22 ,  24  of the tray  12 . The handle  16  can be pivoted to a vertical position for carrying and downward to a horizontal position to prevent interference with the tray compartments.  
         [0024]    The tray  12  further preferably includes multiple accessory compartments. The disclosed embodiment includes a swab compartment  74  containing a plurality of cotton swabs  76 , a cotton ball compartment  78  containing a plurality of cotton balls  80 , an ointment compartment  82  containing a vessel of ointment  84 , a powder compartment  86  containing a vessel of baby powder  88 , and a miscellaneous compartment  90  for any other necessary items. The accessory compartments  74 ,  78 ,  82 ,  86 ,  90  are shallow and do not extend very deep to allow easy access to the contents contained therein. As shown, these compartments are arranged between the pad compartment  26 , the diaper compartment  30  and the wipe compartment  34  (and the leg  42 ) to allow a wider support base  18  for the tray  12 . It will be appreciated that the number of accessory compartments can be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention. For example the central three compartments  74 ,  78 ,  82  could be eliminated and replaced instead with a fixed handle integrally formed with the tray  12 .  
         [0025]    All of the references cited herein, including patents, patent applications, and publications, are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.  
         [0026]    The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.