Patent Publication Number: US-7213277-B1

Title: Rocking bed

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a rocking bed, more particularly to a rocking bed with two curved rods, each of which has sections with different degrees of curvature. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional rocking bed  1  includes two curved rods  11 , two connecting rods  12 , each of which interconnects a respective pair of ends of the curved rods  11 , and a body-supporting member  13  mounted securely on the connecting rods  12  and extending between the curved rods  11  and between the connecting rods  12 . 
   The curved rods  11  of the conventional rocking bed  1  have a uniform curvature. When the rocking bed  1  is not in use, the entire rocking bed  1  is in a balanced state (see  FIG. 1 ), i.e., the body-supporting member  13  is substantially horizontal relative to the ground. Since the upper body of a person normally has a weight greater than that of the lower body, when the user  100  lies on the body-supporting member  13 , the rocking bed  1  inclines downwardly at one end thereof that supports the upper body of the user  100 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 , which can result in undesired sliding of the body of the user  100  on the body-supporting member  13  and in user discomfort. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , to overcome the aforesaid drawback, another conventional rocking bed  2  has been proposed. The rocking bed  2  includes connecting rods  12  different from those of the rocking bed  1  of  FIG. 1  in that one of the connecting rods  12  is solid and the other one is hollow. Therefore, one end of the rocking bed  2  is heavier than the other end of the rocking bed  2  such that the body-supporting member  13  can be at a horizontal state when the user  100  lies thereon. However, the manufacturing costs and the overall weight of the rocking bed  2  thus formed are undesirably increased. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a rocking bed capable of overcoming the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art. 
   Accordingly, a rocking bed of the present invention comprises: a bed frame including two curved rods, each of which has first and second ends, a first section extending from the first end, and a second section extending from the first section to the second end, the first section having a curvature greater than that of the second section, and two connecting rods, each of which interconnects the curved rods; and a body-supporting member mounted securely on the bed frame and extending between the curved rods and between the connecting rods. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional rocking bed; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic side view to illustrate an inclined state of the conventional rocking bed of  FIG. 1  when the user lies thereon; 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic side view of another conventional rocking bed; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a rocking bed according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment when in an idle state; and 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment when in a state of use. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the preferred embodiment of a rocking bed  3  according to the present invention is shown to include: a bed frame  4  including two curved rods  41 , each of which has first and second ends  411 ,  412 , a first section  410  extending from the first end  411 , and a second section  413  extending from the first section  410  to the second end  412 , the first section  410  having a curvature greater than that of the second section  413  (best shown in  FIG. 5 ), and two connecting rods  42 , each of which interconnects the curved rods  41 ; and a body-supporting member  5  mounted securely on the bed frame  4  and extending between the curved rods  41  and between the connecting rods  42 . 
   Each of the connecting rods  42  is U-shaped, and includes a main rod section  420 , and a pair of end sections  421  extending from respective ends of the main rod section  420  and connected to a respective pair of the first and second ends  411 ,  412  of the curved rods  41 . 
   In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the length of the first section  410  of each of the curved rods  41  is less than that of the second section  413  of each of the curved rods  41 . 
   In this embodiment, the body-supporting member  5  includes a fabric sheet having two end portions that are secured to the connecting rods  42 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the two end portions of the fabric sheet are respectively formed into loops and are sleeved on the main rod sections  420  of the connecting rods  42 , respectively. 
   Preferably, the rocking bed  3  further includes a pair of armrest parts  43 , each of which is mounted securely on a respective one of the curved rods  41 , and is arcuate in shape. In this embodiment, the two opposite ends of each of the armrest parts  43  are connected to two ends of the second section  413  of the respective one of the curved rods  41 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , when the rocking bed  3  is in an idle state, since the curvature of the first sections  410  of the curved rods  41  is larger than that of the second sections  413 , the connecting rod  42  that is connected to the first ends  411  of the curved rods  41  has a height greater than that of the connecting rod  42  that is connected to the second ends  412  of the curved rods  41 , and the body-supporting member  5  is disposed in an inclined state relative to the ground  300 . At this time, the rocking bed  3  has a lowest point  6  in contact with the ground  300 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , when the user  7  lies on the body-supporting member  5  of the rocking bed  3 , due to the heavier weight of the upper body of the user  7  than the lower body of the user  7 , the lowest point  6  is shifted in a direction toward the first ends  411  of the curved rods  41  such that the body-supporting member  5  is tilted to a horizontal state relative to the ground  300 . 
   By making the first and second sections  410 ,  413  of the curved rods  41  have different curvatures, the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art can be eliminated. 
   While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment 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.