Patent Publication Number: US-11033118-B2

Title: Vertically reciprocating cradle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a Section 371 national phase entry of PCT application PCT/CN2018/083151 filed Apr. 16, 2018, which claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN 201710249650.3 filed on Apr. 17, 2017, entitled “VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING CRADLE,” the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The application relates to the field of cradles, and more particularly, to a vertically reciprocating cradle. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Cradles are one kind of necessities for a newborn baby, which help the baby falling asleep. The cradles are designed as an effective means to provide a rocking motion so as to improve the sleep quality of the baby. 
     At present, cradles mainly comprise a mattress structure for bearing the baby, and a support structure for supporting the mattress, wherein the mattress structure is horizontally positioned in the support structure, and the support structure comprises a plurality of legs for supporting the whole cradle. And an arcuate rocking bar is connected between the legs. Rocking of the cradle in the left-right direction may be achieved by the variation of the contact area between the rocking bar and the floor when the cradle is rocked by hands. 
     In the prior art, rocking the baby left and right will cause the baby to feel dizzy, which is not beneficial to the brain development of the baby. While due to lack of any ergonomic design, the horizontally arranged mattress structure may make baby feel uncomfortable when the baby is lying on the mattress. In addition, such a structure will cause the baby to regurgitate milk, and is not helpful for baby&#39;s falling into sleep. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of the invention is to provide a vertically reciprocating cradle, so as to solve the issue that left/right rocking the baby is not beneficial to the brain development of the baby and the baby is prone to regurgitate milk when the baby is lying on the horizontally arranged mattress. The present application provides a vertically reciprocating cradle, comprising a mattress for bearing a baby and an elastic support structure for supporting the mattress; wherein the elastic support structure comprises a limiting plate, a middle connector and two elastic frames, and wherein each of the two elastic frames comprises an upper support frame and a lower limiting frame, the upper support frames of the two elastic frames are connected with the middle connector, and a limiting unit is formed on the limiting plate, and the two elastic frames are positioned on the limiting plate, respectively, and the two lower limiting frames are matched with the limiting unit; and wherein a connecting unit is formed at one end of a lower end surface of the mattress and connected with the middle connector, and the other end of the mattress is inclined downwards. 
     Furthermore, the limiting plate is formed with a plurality of limiting units, and the plurality of limiting units are symmetrically distributed at opposite ends of the limiting plate, and each of the two lower limiting frames matches to each of the limiting units symmetrical at two ends as a pair. 
     Furthermore, the plurality of limiting units are grooves, and the grooves, distributed at the two ends of the limiting plate, are obliquely arranged toward a direction of a symmetry plane of the limiting plate, and the lower limiting frames are embedded into the grooves. 
     Furthermore, the middle connector comprises a connecting plate formed in the middle and two hinges respectively formed at two ends of the middle connector, and each of the two hinges is hinged to each of the two upper support frames respectively. 
     Furthermore, the connecting unit of the mattress is provided with a first adhesive member, and a second adhesive member is formed on the connecting plate located on the middle connector, and the first adhesive member and the second adhesive member are adhered to each other. 
     Furthermore, the mattress comprises a cushion, a cushion cover and a support plate, and the cushion cover comprises a first pocket portion and a second pocket portion, and wherein the sponge cushion is sleeved in the first pocket portion, the support plate is sleeved in the second pocket portion, and the second adhesive member is located on the cushion cover. 
     Furthermore, the cushion comprises a bearing surface for bearing the baby, and a support surface opposite to the bearing surface, and the support surface is a plane, wherein an upper convex portion and a lower convex portion are formed on the bearing surface, and the baby lies between the upper convex portion and the lower convex portion. 
     Furthermore, the vertically reciprocating cradle further comprises two baffles, and the two baffles are respectively hinged to two ends of a bottom plate disposed between the two baffles, wherein the bottom plate is located below the mattress, and the two baffles are located at two sides of the mattress, respectively. 
     Furthermore, each of the two baffles is provided with a music box. 
     Furthermore, the elastic frame is integrally formed by bending an elongate material. 
     The present invention may provide a vertically reciprocating cradle. wherein one end of the mattress is arranged on the elastic support, and the other end of the mattress is arranged on the floor or on the parents&#39; bed, so that the mattress forms an inclined structure. The upper and lower bouncing of the elastic support will drive the mattress to move up and down together. With a proper adjustment of the inclined angle of the mattress, the mattress may make the baby feel more comfortable when lying in an inclined arrangement than lying horizontally. Since baby&#39;s head is facing upward when it is lying on the inclined mattress, milk drunk by the baby will flow down under the effect of the gravity, such that the possibility of milk regurgitation will be reduced when the baby is lying on this mattress. Compared with a left-and-right rocking mode for promoting baby&#39;s sleep, the vertical rocking mode will not make the baby feel dizzy, and thus it will be more beneficial to the brain development of the baby and meanwhile the sleep of the baby is facilitated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings with corresponding specification, illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. The implementation of the present invention may not limited by the exemplified embodiments. The figures have elements that have the same reference numerals presenting similar elements. Unless explicitly identified, the size and scale of the numbered elements are not limited by those shown in the drawings. 
       In the figures, like reference numerals are used to identify like parts throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective diagram of a vertically reciprocating cradle according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective diagram of a limiting plate according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective diagram of an elastic frame according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of a mattress according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the connection structure of a cushion cover and a middle connector according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic enlarged view of a structure indicated by A in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of details of the middle connector for the cradle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a partial side perspective view of the cradle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 9-10  are side perspective view of the cradle of  FIG. 1  having different height adjustments. 
         FIG. 11  is an end perspective view of the cradle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 12  is a partial side view of a cushion for the cradle of  FIG. 1  showing details of the cover and support plate. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a connecting unit for the cradle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a platform for the cradle of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     the present preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. It should be understood that all descriptive embodiments herein are only used for explaining the exemplified application of this invention and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     The same or similar reference numerals in the drawings of the present embodiment correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of the present application, it is understood that the terms “up” or “upper”, “down” or “lower”, “left”, “right”, indicates the directional, orientational or positional relationships. It is merely for convenience of description of the present embodiments and simplified description. It does not indicate or imply that the device or components referred to have a specific orientation, or that must have a structure or operation in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms used to describe the positional relationship in the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms may be understood according to specific situations. 
     The implementation of the present application is described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. 
     A preferred embodiment of the application is shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . 
     A vertically reciprocating cradle comprises a mattress  20  for bearing a baby and an elastic support structure  10  for supporting the mattress  20 , and the vertical bouncing movement of the elastic support structure  10  will drive the mattress  20  to move up and down. 
     The elastic support structure  10  comprises a limiting plate  11 , a middle connector  15  and two elastic frames  14 , and wherein each of the two elastic frames  14  comprises an upper support portion  12  and a lower limiting portion  13 , the upper support portions  12  of the two elastic frames  14  are connected to the middle connector  15 . In an embodiment, the connections may comprise detachable hinges  16   a  and  16   b . The upper support portions  12  of the two elastic frames  14  may rotate freely in the hinges  16   a  and  16   b  of the middle connector  15 . Grooves  111  is formed on the limiting plate  11 , and the two elastic frames  14  are arranged at an angle and positioned on the limiting plate  11 , and the two lower limiting portions  13  are matched with the grooves  111  respectively when the elastic frames  14  are positioned. 
     A connecting unit  24  is formed at a lower surface of the mattress  20  and is located on one end of the mattress  20 . The connecting unit  24  is connected with the middle connector  15 . The other end of the mattress  20  is located at a bottom plate  302  or on the parents&#39; bed, or rest on or pivotally engaged with a platform  26 , depending on the practical situation. After the positioning of the mattress  20 , the mattress  20  is in an inclined arrangement. 
     A connecting unit  24  is formed at a lower end surface of the mattress  20  and is located on one end of the mattress  20 . The connecting unit  24  is connected with the middle connector  15 . The other end of the mattress  20  is located at a bottom plate  302  or on the parents&#39; bed, depending on the practical situation. After the positioning of the mattress  20 , the mattress  20  is in an inclined arrangement. 
     The present embodiment may also provide a vertically reciprocating cradle, wherein one end of the mattress  20  is arranged on the elastic support structure  10 , and another end of the mattress  20  is arranged on the floor or on the parents&#39; bed, so that the mattress  20  forms an inclined structure. The vertical bouncing movement of the elastic support structure  10  will drive the mattress  20  to rock up and down. With a proper adjustment of the inclined angle of the mattress  20 , the mattress  20  may make the baby feel more comfortable when lying in an inclined arrangement than lying horizontally. 
     Since baby&#39;s head is facing upward when it is lying on the inclined mattress  20 , milk drunk by the baby will flow down under the effect of the gravity, such that the possibility of milk regurgitation will be reduced when the baby is lying on the mattress. Compared with a left-and-right rocking mode for promoting sleep, the vertical rocking mode will not make the baby feel dizzy. Thus it will be more beneficial to the brain development of the baby and meanwhile make the baby have a sound sleep. 
     In this embodiment, in order to allow the adjustment of the height of the cradle to fit different sizes of the baby, the limiting plate  11  comprises a plurality of grooves  111 . The plurality of grooves  111  are symmetrically disposed at opposite ends of the limiting plate  11 , and each of the two lower limiting portions  13  matches with each pair of the corresponding grooves  111  at two ends. Specifically, one end of the two elastic frames  14  is connected by the middle connector  15 , and then another end thereof is respectively matched with the groove  111  at both ends of the limiting plate  11 . Because of a plurality of grooves  111 , when the elastic frames  14  match with different grooves  111  in pair, the angle formed by the two elastic frames  14  may vary. The integrational height of the elastic support structure  10  will vary corresponding with the variation of the angle. At the same time the height of the mattress  20  located above the elastic support structure  10  will vary correspondingly as well. Accordingly, the height adjustment of the cradle can be achieved. 
     In other embodiments, one end of the limiting plate  11  may be provided with a limiting unit  111 , which is matched with one elastic frame  14 , and the other end of the limiting plate  11  is provided with a plurality of limiting units  111 , which are matched with another elastic frame  14 . In this way, height adjustment of the elastic support structure  10  may be achieved simply by adjusting the position of one of the elastic frames  14 . 
     In this embodiment, the grooves distributed at the two ends of the limiting plate  11 , are obliquely arranged toward a direction of a symmetry plane of the limiting plate  11 . The lower limiting portions  13  of the elastic frames  14  are embedded into the grooves to position the lower limiting portions  13  itself. The plurality of grooves  111  make manufacturing process simpler. Moreover, the grooves are obliquely arranged toward a direction of a symmetry plane of the limiting plate  11 , such that the lower limiting portions  13  of the elastic frames  14  may be secured more stably by means of the grooves. 
     In other embodiments, the plurality of limiting units  111  may also be convex teeth that protrude upward. 
     The middle connector  15  comprises a connecting plate  151  and hinge plate  152  formed in the middle connector  15  and two hinges  16   a  and  16   b  formed at two ends of the middle connector  15  respectively, and each of the two hinges  16   a  and  16   b  is hinged to one of the two upper support portions  12  of the elastic frames  14 . The structure of the connecting plate  151  is configured such that a plane area is formed on the middle connector  15 , and the plane area is used to better position the mattress  20  when connecting to the middle connector  15 . 
     The connecting unit  24  of the mattress comprises two adhesive members. A first adhesive member  241  is attached to an upper end of the mattress. The connecting plate  151  located on the middle connector  15  comprises a second adhesive member  242 . The first adhesive member  241  and the second adhesive member  242  are adhered to each other. Specifically, the adhesive members can be adhesives of being repeatedly used, and can also be a hook and loop fastener which is commonly known as a “velcro”, or can be a magnetic material having a strong attraction force, etc. An advantage of using the adhesive members when positioning the mattress  20  on the middle connector  15  is that the mattress  20  can be easily detached so that the cradle can be conveniently stored and transported. 
     In order to achieve the effect of easy assemble and disassemble of the mattress, in this embodiment, the mattress  20  comprises a cushion  21 , a cushion cover  22  and a support plate  23 . The cushion cover  22  comprises a first pocket portion  221  and a second pocket portion  222 , wherein the cushion  21  is sleeved in the first pocket portion  221 , the support plate  23  is sleeved in the second pocket portion  222  for supporting the cushion  21  without causing bends on the sponge cushion  21 . The incorporation of the cushion cover  22  allows the structure of the mattress  20  to be easily disassembled, making it more convenient to replace the mattress  20 . At the meantime, the first adhesive member  241  is positioned on the cushion cover, such that the structure of the mattress  20  becomes simple. In addition, it is much easier for the replacement of the first adhesive member  241  when it is damaged. 
     Since the mattress  20  is arranged in an inclined configuration, the baby may slide down the mattress  20  when lying on the mattress  20 . In order to solve this defect, in this embodiment, the cushion  21  comprises a bearing surface  211  for bearing the baby, and a support surface  212  opposite to the bearing surface  211 . The support surface  212  is flat. The bearing surface  211  comprises an upper convex portion  2111  and a lower convex portion  2112 . The baby lies between the upper convex portion  2111  and the lower convex portion  2112 . That is, the bearing surface  211  of the cushion  21  forms a concave arc structure. When the baby is lying in the concave arc, the lower convex portion  2112  may support the baby to prevent the baby from sliding down. In addition, the special curve arrangement makes the baby sleep more comfortably. 
     In order to prevent the baby from falling off the cradle from the sides, the mattress  20  comprises two convex portions on the left and right sides, respectively. In addition, the vertically reciprocating cradle further comprises a baffle frame  30  structure. The baffle frame  30  comprises two baffles  301  and a bottom plate  302  disposed between the two baffles  301 . The two baffles  301  are respectively hinged to two ends of the bottom plate  302  the bottom plate  302  is located below the mattress  20 . The two baffles  301  are respectively disposed at two sides of the mattress  20 . The arrangement of the baffles prevents the baby from falling off the cradle from the sides. In particular, the baffle frame  30  is independently presented, so that it is very convenient to carry. Because it can be folded, the baffle frame  30  does not require much space in terms of carrying and storage. 
     In order to enhance the function of putting the baby into sleep quickly, in this embodiment, each of the two baffles  301  is provided with a music box  31 . Such a music box  31 , on one hand, can put the baby into sleep. On the other hand, it serves as a tool for playing with the baby. 
     In particular, the two elastic frames  14  are integrally formed by bending an elongate material. Therefore, there will not be many nodes formed on the two elastic frames  14 . In this way, the cradle will be simple and convenient, and skin injury caused by scratching of the nodes may be avoided. Moreover, the integrally formed elastic frame  14  is more convenient to process, and at the same time, the elastic effect of the elastic frame  14  can be enhanced. 
     Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and that are not limited thereto. In the idea of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may also be combined. The combination of steps may be carried out in any order, and there are many other variations of the various aspects of the present application as described above, which are not provided in the details for the simplicity. Although the present application has been described in details with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified or equivalently substituted for some of the technical features. The modifications or substitutions do not deviate from the scope of the embodiments of the present application.