Abstract:
A crib includes a plurality of crib legs, a headboard structured disposed on a first side of the crib and extending between a first pair of crib legs, a footboard structure disposed on a second side of the crib and extending between a second pair of crib legs, and a supporting surface disposed between the headboard structure and the footboard structure. The footboard structure includes a fixed section positioned on an internal side and a movable section positioned on an external side of the crib. A top of the fixed section is positioned a first distance above the support surface, and the movable section is positionable a second distance above the top of the fixed section and is configured to move from the second distance above the top of the fixed section to a position at or below the top of the fixed section.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/538,023, filed Sep. 22, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated entirely herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention generally relates to furniture, and more particularly, to a crib assembly. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Different types of furniture are specially designed for use for babies and young children. As is known, a crib is a bed with high sides, e.g., barred or latticed sides, for a young child or baby. The sides are sufficiently high to prevent the child from climbing over the sides and falling from the crib. The height of these sides, however, may make it more difficult for a person, particularly one of smaller stature, to reach into the crib and attend to the child. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    One aspect of the present invention relates to a furniture assembly including a crib. The crib includes a plurality of crib legs, a headboard structure, a footboard structure, and a supporting surface. The headboard structure is disposed on a first side of the crib and extends between a first pair of the plurality of crib legs. The footboard structure is disposed on a second side of the crib and extends between a second pair of the plurality of crib legs. The supporting surface is disposed between the headboard structure and the footboard structure. The footboard structure includes a fixed section and a movable section. The fixed section is positioned on an internal side of the crib, and the movable section is positioned on an external side of the crib. A top of the fixed section is positioned a first distance above the support surface. A top of the movable section is positionable a second distance above the top of the fixed section. The top of the movable section is configured to move from the second distance above the top of the fixed section to a position at or below the top of the fixed section. 
         [0007]    A further aspect of the present invention relates to a furniture assembly including a crib. The furniture assembly includes a headboard structure, a footboard structure, and a supporting surface disposed between the headboard structure and the footboard structure. The headboard structure is disposed on a first side of the crib. The footboard structure is disposed on a second side of the crib. The supporting surface disposed between the headboard structure and the footboard structure. The footboard structure includes a fixed section and a movable section disposed in front of the fixed section. A top of the fixed section is positioned at least 20 inches above the support surface. The movable section is configured to move between a plurality of positions relative to the support surface. 
         [0008]    Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a crib assembly. The crib assembly includes a plurality of crib legs, a headboard structure, a footboard structure, a first side structure, a second side structure, and a supporting surface. The headboard structure is disposed on a first side of the crib and extends between a first pair of the plurality of crib legs. The footboard structure is disposed on a second side of the crib and extends between a second pair of the plurality of crib legs. The first side structure is disposed on a third side of the crib and extends between a third pair of the plurality of crib legs. The second side structure is disposed on a fourth side of the crib and extends between a fourth pair of the plurality of crib legs. The supporting surface is disposed between a structure defined by the headboard structure, the footboard structure, the first side structure, and the second side structure. The footboard structure includes a fixed section and a movable section. A top of the fixed section is positioned a first distance above the support surface. A top of the movable section is positionable a second distance above the top of the fixed section. The top of the movable section is configured to move from the second distance above the top of the fixed section to a position at or below the top of the fixed section. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example crib in a first operating mode, according to aspects of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates the example crib of  FIG. 1  in a second operating mode, according to aspects of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a partial assembly of the example crib of  FIG. 1 , according to aspects of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as described below. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    According to aspects of the present invention,  FIG. 1  illustrates an example crib assembly  100  in a first operating mode, and  FIG. 2  illustrates the example crib  100  in a second operating mode. As described herein, the structures of the crib  100  may be formed from any combination of suitable materials, including, but not limited to, wood, plastic, metal, and the like. In addition, the structures may be assembled according to any combination of fastening techniques, including, but not limited to, the use of screws, nails, pegs, rods, rivets, bolts, supporting brackets and plates, interlocking elements, press-fit connections, adhesives, and the like. 
         [0014]    The crib  100  includes a left rear post  101 , a right rear post  102 , a left front post  103 , and a right front post  104 , all of which extend upwardly from a floor surface to support the other structures of the crib  100 . The crib  100  includes a supporting surface  105  that provides support for a young child or baby situated in the crib  100 . The supporting surface  105 , for example, provides a sleeping surface for the child. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the supporting surface  105  is defined by the top surface of a crib mattress  106 . 
         [0015]    A headboard  110  extends upwardly along the rear side of the crib  100 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the headboard  110  includes a combination of spaced vertical bars  111  and a planar surface  112 . In alternative embodiments, the headboard  110  may include only spaced vertical bars or only planar surfaces. The headboard  110  is supported by the left rear post  101  and the right rear post  102 . The headboard  110  may be positioned against a wall and, like most headboards, may include features that make the crib  100  consistent with a particular design style. 
         [0016]    A left side  115  extends upwardly along the left side of the crib  100 . The left side  115  is supported by the left rear post  101  and the left front post  103 . The left side  115  includes spaced vertical bars  116 , which allow a person to see the child in the crib  100  through the left side  115 . 
         [0017]    A right side  120  extends upwardly along the right side of the crib  100 , opposite from the left side  115 . The right side  120  is supported by the right rear post  102  and the right front post  104 . The right side  120  includes spaced vertical bars  121 , which allow a person to see the child in the crib  100  through the right side  120 . 
         [0018]    A footboard assembly  130  extends upwardly along the front side of the crib  100 , opposite from the headboard  110 . The footboard assembly  130  is supported by the left front post  103  and the right front post  104 . 
         [0019]    The headboard  110 , the left side  115 , the right side  120 , and the footboard assembly  130  define the sides of an enclosure  107  above the supporting surface  105 . The sides of the enclosure  107  are dimensioned to prevent the child from getting out of the crib  100  on his/her own. In the first operating mode shown in  FIG. 1 , the footboard assembly  130  extends to a height similar to the left side  115  and the right side  120 . While the footboard assembly  130  may be lower than the headboard  110 , it may still be difficult for a person, particularly one of smaller stature, to reach over the footboard assembly  130  and into the crib  100  to attend to the child. Advantageously, however, the crib  100  provides a second operating mode which lowers the footboard assembly  130  to a more convenient height. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the footboard assembly  130  includes a fixed section  131  and a movable section  135 . The fixed section  131  is fixed to the left front post  103  and the right font post  104 . The height of the fixed section  131  remains at a fixed height and cannot be adjusted. The fixed section  131  ensures that the height of the footboard assembly  130  is at least this fixed height. The partial assembly of the crib  100  shown in  FIG. 3  (without the movable section  135 ) illustrates the fixed section  131  more clearly. 
         [0021]    Meanwhile, the movable section  135  is disposed in front of the fixed section  131  and can be adjusted relative to the fixed section  131  to extend to varying heights. The movable section  135  is coupled to the left front post  103  and the right front post  104  in any appropriate manner to allow it to move up and down and lock at the varying heights. For example, the movable section  135  may be guided along tracks disposed respectively along the left front post  103  and the right font post  104  and may be locked at selected heights by manually-operated spring-biased pins. In alternative embodiments, the movable section  135  may be guided downwards or upwards relative to the supporting surface  105  by an automated mechanism or another electro-mechanical mechanism, which may be controlled by a remote and/or by a control mechanism located on the crib  100  that is not accessible to the child in the crib  100 . In alternative embodiments, the movable section  135  may swing down to lock at a lower height. The fixed section  131  includes spaced vertical bars  132  and the movable section  135  includes spaced vertical bars  136 . Together the vertical bars  132  and  136  allow a person to see the child in the crib  100  through the footboard assembly  130 . 
         [0022]    While the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-3  show the use of vertical bars  132 ,  136 ,  111 ,  116 , and  121 , it is understood that any combination of the headboard footboard assembly  130 , headboard  110 , left side  115 , and the right side  120  may include any combination of solid vertical panels, spaced vertical bars, and/or other structures, e.g., lattice structures, structures with patterned apertures, etc. Indeed, according to some embodiments, both the left side  115  and the right side  120  include one or more solid panels. 
         [0023]    In the first operating mode shown in  FIG. 1 , the movable section  135  is in a raised position where the top of the movable section  135  is at a maximum height, which is higher than the fixed height of the fixed section  131 . In the raised position, the bottom of the movable section  135  may be even with the bottom of the fixed section  131 , which is disposed below the supporting surface  105 . In alternative embodiments, the crib  100  may include locks or other childproof mechanisms preventing inadvertent unlocking and lowering of the movable section  135 . The locks may be unlocked in any suitable manner, including by using a key, entering a combination lock, or performing a predetermined mechanical movement. 
         [0024]    In the second operating mode shown in  FIG. 2 , the movable section  135  is moved to a lowered position so that the top of the movable section  135  is even with the top of the fixed section  131  at the fixed height. With the movable section  135  at the lowered position, a person can more easily reach over the footboard assembly  130  and into the crib  100 , while still preventing the child from getting out of the crib  100 . When the person is no longer attending to the child, the movable section  135  can be raised to the safer height shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0025]    Regulations or standards may govern aspects of crib design. For example, United States federal safety regulations require that the tops of the fixed sides of a crib, including the footboard, extend to a height of at least 26 inches above the supporting surface, e.g., the crib mattress. In addition, according to U.S. regulations, the footboard must be coupled to the rest of the crib in a manner that prevents the footboard from becoming partially detached and creating a gap that may allow the child or a part of the child to slip though and/or get trapped between the footboard and the rest of the crib. 
         [0026]    As discussed previously, it may be difficult for a person to reach over the footboard at the height of 26 inches. U.S. federal safety regulations, however, allow some aspects of the crib to be movable. Thus, the footboard may be designed to move between a raised position (at 26 inches) and a lowered position. The height of the footboard in the lowered position must be no less than 20 inches above the supporting surface  105 . In general, no movable portion of the crib can have a horizontal surface, which can be used as a toe-hold by the child in the crib, at less than 20 inches above the supporting surface at any time. 
         [0027]    Advantageously, the crib  100  can be configured to comply with the U.S. federal safety regulations above. The fixed section  131  of the footboard assembly  130  can be fixed to the crib  100  at a height of 20 inches from the supporting surface  105 . The fixed section  131  is securely fixed particularly to prevent the creation of a gap between the footboard assembly  130  and the rest of the crib  100 . The top of the movable section  135  has a height of 26 inches in the raised position and a height of 20 inches in the lowered position. The fixed section  131  and the movable section  135  do not have a horizontal surface that presents a toe-hold hazard between the supporting surface  105  and 20 inches above it. In sum, the crib  100  allows a person to reach over the footboard assembly  130  and reach into the crib  100  more easily, while complying with safety standards. 
         [0028]    While the present invention has been described in connection with a number of exemplary embodiments, and implementations, the present inventions are not so limited, but rather cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements. For example, although some aspects of the present invention may be described with reference to separate elements, it is understood that some elements may be combined to provide an integrated structure while satisfying the functions of the elements. Furthermore, it is also understood that aspects of the present invention are not limited to the particular shapes and dimensions described or illustrated in this present application.