Patent Publication Number: US-11647846-B2

Title: Bassinet

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/789,671, filed on Jan. 8, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/792,102, filed on Jan. 14, 2019. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a bassinet, and more particularly to a bassinet that is convertible to a collapsed state. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With growing concern about the care and safety of infants, many kinds of bassinets have been developed for the market. A bassinet is often cumbersome to move about, and disassembly of the same might be time-consuming or even difficult for a caregiver. Moreover, a bassinet with different operation modes, such as being able to operate on a stand-alone basis and also being able to be attached to a playard, is of particular interest to many caregivers. In addition, the structural integrity of the bassinet is one of the most important concerns to the caregiver for the safety of the infants and even the caregiver themselves. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a bassinet that can alleviate the drawback of the prior art. 
     According to one aspect of this disclosure, a bassinet is provided. The bassinet is adapted to be detachably connected to a playard, and includes a frame unit, two legs a bottom plate and a lower limiting mechanism. The legs are pivotally connected to the frame unit. The bottom plate is disposed between the legs. The lower limiting mechanism is disposed on at least one of the legs. The bottom plate is detachably connected to the legs via the lower limiting mechanism. 
     According to another aspect of this disclosure, another bassinet is provided. The bassinet includes a frame unit, four legs, an upper limiting mechanism and a bottom plate. 
     The legs are pivotally connected to the frame unit and are disposed angularly spaced apart from each other. Each of the legs is made of an elastic material. The upper limiting mechanism is disposed on at least one of the frame unit and the legs for limiting pivotal movement of the legs away from each other. The bottom plate is detachably connected between the legs to exert forces pushing the legs away from each other. The bassinet is convertible to a collapsed state, where the bottom plate is detached from the legs and the legs are pivoted toward each other and support the bottom plate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a bassinet according to the present disclosure, the bassinet being detachably connected to a playard; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the first embodiment in an upright state with a bedding omitted; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic perspective view showing the first embodiment in a collapsed state; 
         FIG.  4    is a fragmentary and schematic side view showing the first embodiment connected to a top rail of the playard; 
         FIG.  5    is a fragmentary and partly exploded view of the first embodiment; 
         FIG.  6    is a fragmentary and partly perspective view of the first embodiment with a part of a leg of the first embodiment omitted; 
         FIG.  7    is a fragmentary sectional view of the first embodiment taken along line VII-VII of  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  8    is a side view of the first embodiment; 
         FIG.  9    is a view similar to  FIG.  7   , showing a fragmentary sectional view of a first variation of the first embodiment; 
         FIG.  10    is a fragmentary and partly sectional view of a second variation of the first embodiment, with a part of the leg removed to show that two pins of the second variation respective abut against two opposite sides of the leg; 
         FIG.  11    is a fragmentary, perspective and partly exploded view of a third variation of the first embodiment; 
         FIG.  12    is a fragmentary, perspective and partly exploded view of a fourth variation of the first embodiment; 
         FIG.  13    is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the bassinet according to the present disclosure, which is in the upright state; 
         FIG.  14    is a schematic perspective view showing the second embodiment in the collapsed state; and 
         FIG.  15    is a fragmentary side view of the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  3   , a first embodiment of a bassinet  20  according to the present disclosure is adapted to be detachably connected to a playard  21 , a playpen or other pieces of furniture in which an infant can be placed for preventing the infant from harming themselves, especially when a caregiver is away from the infant. 
     The bassinet  20  can be converted between an upright state (see  FIGS.  1  and  2   ) for being connected to the playard  21  and to hold the infant, and a collapsed state (see  FIG.  3   ) for being easily transported by the caregiver. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  7  and  11   , the bassinet  20  includes a frame unit  30 , two legs  40 , an upper limiting mechanism  50 , a lower limiting mechanism  60 , a bottom plate  70 , a bedding  80  and a locking mechanism  90 . In this disclosure, the bedding  80  is only shown in  FIG.  1    and is omitted in the remainder of the figures to clearly illustrate the structure of the bassinet  20 . 
     The legs  40  are pivotally connected to the frame unit  30 , and are adapted to be detachably connected to a top rail  210  of the playard  21 . Each of the legs  40  is made of an elastic material. The upper limiting mechanism  50  is disposed on at least one of the frame unit  30  and the legs  40  for limiting pivotal movement of the legs  40  away from each other. It should be noted that, based on practical design requirements, the upper limiting mechanism  50  may be disposed only on the frame unit  30 , only on the legs  40 , or on both the frame unit  30  and the legs  40 . The bottom plate  70  is detachably connected between the legs  40  via the lower limiting mechanism  60  to exert forces pushing the legs  40  away from each other to keep the bassinet  20  in the upright state. The lower limiting mechanism  60  is disposed on at least one of the bottom plate  70  and the legs  40  for detachably connecting the bottom plate  70  to the legs  40 . It should be noted that, based on practical design requirements, the lower limiting mechanism  60  may be disposed only on the bottom plate  70 , only on the legs  40 , or on both the bottom plate  70  and the legs  40 . The bedding  80  covers the other components of the bassinet  20  for providing a comfortable environment for the infant, and has a first portion  810  that is at least connected to the frame unit  30  and a second portion  820  that is opposite to the first portion  810  and that is connected to the bottom plate  70 . The bedding  80  defines a space  830  that is adapted for receiving the infant. Specifically, in this embodiment, each of the legs  40  has a first end  420  that is pivotally and detachably connected to the frame unit  30 , and a second end  430  that is opposite to the first end  420  and that is connected detachably to the bottom plate  70 . The first portion  810  of the bedding  80  is connected detachably to, and encloses the frame unit  30  and the first end  420  of each of the legs  40 . The second portion  820  of the bedding  80  encloses the bottom plate  70 . The bedding  80  further has a middle portion  840  that is connected between the first and second portions  810 ,  820 , and at least a part of the middle portion  840  of the bedding  80  is light-transmissible (e.g., a soft screen net) for the infant in the space  830  to be visible from the outer side of the bassinet  20 . 
     The locking mechanism  90  includes two locking members  910  (only one is shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   ) that are respectively connected to the legs  40  and that are adapted to be engaged with the top rail  210  of the playard  21  such that the bassinet  20  is securely connected to the playard  21 . In this embodiment, the locking mechanism  90  further includes two push buttons  920  (only one is shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   ) that are respectively connected to the legs  40 , and that are respectively and operably connected to the locking members  910  through two bars  930  (only one is shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   ). Each of the pushbuttons  920  is partially exposed from the respective one of the legs  40 , and is pushable by a user (e.g., the caregiver) to move the respective one of the locking members  910  via the respective one of the bars  930 , such that the locking members  910  are disengaged from the playard  21  to allow the caregiver to remove the bassinet  20  from the playard  21 . 
     When the bassinet  20  is detached from the playard  21 , the bassinet  20  is convertible from the upright state to the collapsed state, where the bottom plate  70  is detached from the legs  40  and the legs  40  are pivoted toward each other and folded. Before the legs  40  are folded, the bottom plate  70  may be lifted and slightly tilted to pass through the frame unit  30  from underneath and then placed on the frame unit  30  and the folded legs  40 . The collapsed bassinet  20  is compact and can be easily transported by the caregiver or stored within a relatively small space. It should be noted that the upper limiting mechanism  50  is provided for limiting pivotal movement of the legs  40  away from each other. However, since each of the legs  40  is made of an elastic material, the legs  40  can be forced to slightly pivot outward against the upper limiting mechanism  50  to disengage the bottom plate  70  from the legs  40 . After disengagement of the bottom plate  70 , the legs  40  can be pivoted toward each other. In one embodiment, each of the legs  40  may be a monolithic piece (i.e., integrally formed as one piece) made of plastic or metal. It should be noted that each of the legs  40  may be made of other elastic materials according to practical requirements, and may be made of several pieces assembled together as long as each of the legs  40  is elastic as a whole. 
     The upper limiting mechanism  50  includes two first upper limiting members  510  (only one is shown in  FIGS.  6  and  7   ) that are disposed on the frame unit  30 , and two second upper limiting members  520  (only one is shown in  FIG.  7   ) that are respectively disposed on the legs  40  in such a manner that, when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 , the first upper limiting members  510  respectively abut against the second upper limiting members  520  to limit pivotal movement of the legs  40  away from each other. In this embodiment, each of the first upper limiting members  510  includes an upper limiting block  512  that protrudes from the frame unit  30 , and each of the second upper limiting members  520  includes an upper limiting wall  521  that protrudes from the respective one of the legs  40  and that abuts against the upper limiting block  512  of the respective one of the first limiting members  510  when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 . It should be noted that the number of the upper limiting blocks  512  of each of the first upper limiting members  510  may be more than one (e.g., four as shown in  FIG.  6   ), and a corresponding number of the upper limiting walls  521  of the respective one of the second upper limiting members  520  is provided to ensure the first upper limiting members  510  cooperate with the second upper limiting members  520  to precisely and steadily limit the pivotal movement of the legs  40  when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 . 
     Referring further to  FIG.  8   , another function of the upper limiting mechanism  50  is to ensure that, when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 , each of the legs  40  is forced by the bottom plate  70  to be slightly deformed. Such configuration results in a torque load in each pair of the first and second limiting members  510 ,  520 . Moreover, such configuration also results in the second end  430  of each of the legs  40  not being easy to separate from the bottom plate  70  when a horizontal force is applied to the bassinet  20 . The abovementioned configuration imparts a robust and sturdy structure to the bassinet  20 , which guards the safety of the infant and the caregiver. In one embodiment, when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 , each of the legs  40  is so positioned to extend in a direction that is inclined away from the bottom plate  70 . 
     Referring further to  FIG.  9   , in a first variation of the first embodiment, each of the first upper limiting members  510  includes a pin  511  instead of the upper limiting block  512 , and each of the second upper limiting members  520  includes the upper limiting wall  521  that protrudes from the respective one of the legs  40 . The pin  511  of each of the first upper limiting members  510  is fixed to the frame unit  30 , and when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40 , the upper limiting wall  521  of each of the second upper limiting members  520  abuts against the pin  511  of the respective one of the first upper limiting members  510  to limit pivotal movement of the legs  40  away from each other. In certain embodiments, the pin  511  of each of the first upper limiting members  510  may be a rivet, and more particularly a shouldered rivet. 
     Referring further to  FIG.  10   , in a second variation of the first embodiment, each of the first upper limiting members  510  includes two of the pins  511  that are fixed to the frame unit  30  and that respectively abut against two opposite sides  410  of the respective one of the legs  40  for preventing translational movement of the respective one of the legs  40  relative to the frame unit  30 . In this variation, each of the second upper limiting members  520  may include two of the upper limiting walls  521  to respectively abut against the pins  511  of the respective one of the first upper limiting members  510  when the bottom plate  70  is connected between the legs  40  to limit pivotal movement of the legs  40  away from each other. 
     In the first embodiment, the lower limiting mechanism  60  includes two first lower limiting members  610  (only one is shown in  FIG.  11   ) that are respectively disposed on the legs  40 , and two second lower limiting members  620  (only one is shown in  FIG.  11   ) that are disposed on the bottom plate  70 . The first lower limiting members  610  respectively and detachably engage the second lower limiting members  620  to connect the bottom plate  70  to the legs  40 . Each of the first lower limiting members  610  is a notch  611 , and each of the second lower limiting members  620  extends from the bottom plate  70  (e.g., being a protruding block  621 ) and detachably engages the notch  611  of a respective one of the first lower limiting members  610  to connect the bottom plate  70  to the legs  40 . In this embodiment, each of the first lower limiting members  610  has two of the notches  611 , and each of the second lower limiting members  620  has two of the protruding blocks  621  that respectively and detachably engage the notches  611  of the respective one of the first lower limiting members  610  to ensure a more secure connection between the bottom plate  70  and the legs  40 . It should be noted that the positions of the notches  611  and the protruding blocks  621  may be interchanged. That is, the notches  611  may be provided to the bottom plate  70 , and each of the protruding blocks  621  may be provided to a corresponding leg  40 . 
     In a third variation of the first embodiment, each of the first lower limiting members  610  of the lower limiting mechanism  60  has a groove  612  that is formed in an inner side of the respective one of the legs  40  and that extends horizontally, and each of the second lower limiting members  620  of the lower limiting mechanism  60  includes a portion of peripheral edge of the bottom plate  70 . When the bottom plate  70  is connected to the legs  40 , the portions of peripheral edge of the bottom plate  70  are respectively received in the grooves  612  formed in the legs  70 . Such configuration also ensures that the bottom plate  70  can be detachably and securely connected to the legs  40 , and that the bottom plate  70  may be prevented from moving downwardly relative to the legs  40 . 
     Referring further to  FIG.  12   , in a fourth variation of the first embodiment, each of the second lower limiting members  620  has a engagement hole  622 , and each of the first lower limiting members  610  includes a protrusion  613  that is disposed relative to the engagement hole  622  of the respective one of the second lower limiting members  620  to be detachably engaged with the engagement hole  622  of the respective one of the second lower limiting members  620 , and a cover door  614  that is pivotally connected to the respective one of the legs  40  and that is resiliently biased to removably cover the protrusion  613  of the respective one of the first lower limiting members  610 . Specifically, in this variation, each of first lower limiting members ( 610 ) further includes a spring element ( 615 ) (e.g., a torsion spring) that provides the cover door ( 614 ) of the respective one of the first lower limiting members  610  a rotation force toward the bottom plate ( 70 ). When converting the bassinet  20  from the upright state to the collapsed state, the cover door  614  of each of the first lower limiting members  610  is operable to uncover the protrusion  613  of the respective one of the first lower limiting members  610  against the rotation force, such that the second lower limiting members  620  are respectively disengageable from the first lower limiting members  610 . The cover doors  614  of the first lower limiting members  610  cooperate with the engagement holes  622  of the second lower limiting members  620  and the protrusions  613  of the first lower limiting members  610  to ensure that the bottom plate  70  is secured to the legs  40  when the bassinet  20  is in the upright state. In this variation, each of the first lower limiting members  610  includes two of the protrusions  613  and two of the cover doors  614 , and each of the second lower limiting members  620  thus includes two of the engagement holes  622  to be respectively engaged with the protrusions  613  of the respective one of the first lower limiting members  610 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  13  to  15   , a second embodiment of the bassinet  20  according to the present disclosure has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment, with differences described hereinafter. 
     In the second embodiment, the bassinet  20  includes four of the legs  40  that are pivotally connected to the frame unit  30  and that are disposed angularly spaced apart from each other. The bottom plate  70  is detachably connected among the legs  40  to exert forces pushing the legs  40  away from each other. 
     When converting the bassinet  20  from the upright state to the collapsed state, the bottom plate  70  is detached from the legs  40 , and the legs  40  are pivoted toward each other and folded. Before the legs  40  are folded, the bottom plate  70  may be lifted and slightly tilted to pass through the frame unit  30  from underneath and then placed on the frame unit  30  and the folded four legs  40 . 
     In the second embodiment, the lower limiting mechanism  60  includes four fixtures  630  (only three are shown in  FIG.  13   ) that respectively protrude from the legs  40 . Each of the fixtures  630  cooperates with the respective one of the legs  40  to define an engaging space  640  with which the bottom plate  70  is engaged, for connecting the bottom plate  70  to the legs  40 . When the bassinet  20  is in the upright state (see  FIG.  13   ), the bottom plate  70  abuts against the legs  40  and the fixtures  630  to push the legs  40  away from each other, thereby creating a robust structure to ensure the structural integrity of the bassinet  20  in the upright state and providing a simplified structure that is easily to disassemble and store. Similar to the first embodiment, the bassinet  20  of the second embodiment can be converted from the upright state (see  FIG.  13   ) to the collapsed state (see  FIG.  14   ) by removing the bottom plate  70 , followed by rotating the legs  40  toward each other. 
     In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure. 
     While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.