Patent Publication Number: US-2018028023-A1

Title: Inflatable Infant Bathing Enclosure Assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to infant bathing enclosures and more particularly pertains to a new infant bathing enclosure for protecting a child from hard surfaces while the child is being bathed in a sink. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a bottom wall that has a top side, a bottom side and a perimeter edge. The bottom wall comprising a flexible material and is inflatable. A plurality of posts is attached to and extends upwardly from the top side. The posts are spaced from each other and are positioned adjacent to the perimeter edge. Each of the posts has a height between 8.0 inches and 20.0 inches and each of the posts comprised of a resiliently compressible material. A shoulder forms a closed loop and is attached to an upper end of each of the posts. The shoulder bounds an opening configured for receiving an infant. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of an inflatable infant bathing enclosure assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new infant bathing enclosure embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the inflatable infant bathing enclosure assembly  10  generally comprises a bottom wall  12  that has a top side  14 , a bottom side  16  and a perimeter edge  18 . The bottom wall  12  comprises a flexible material and is inflatable and therefore may more particularly comprise an elastomer or a plastic material. The bottom wall  12  comprises a plurality of concentric loops  20 . Each of the loops  20  is inflatable independent from each other and each of the loops  20  includes a nozzle  22  to allow inflation of selected ones of the loops  20 . A size of the bottom wall  12  can thereby be determined by which of the loops  20  is inflated. The bottom wall  12  has an opening  24  therein extending through the top 14 and bottom  16  sides and may include more than one opening  24  to allow for drainage outwardly of the assembly  10 . 
     A plurality of posts  26  is attached to and extends upwardly from the top side  14 . The posts  26  are spaced from each other and are positioned adjacent to the perimeter edge  18 . Each of the posts  26  has a height between 8.0 inches and 20.0 inches and each of the posts  26  comprised of a resiliently compressible material. The resiliently compressible material may therefore comprise a foamed elastomer or a foamed plastic material. 
     A shoulder  28  forms a closed loop and is attached to an upper end of each of the posts  26 . The shoulder  28  bounds an opening configured for receiving an infant. The shoulder  28  comprises a resiliently compressible material and may be inflatable as well and therefore include a closable nozzle  30  for blowing air into and releasing air from the shoulder  28 . 
     A plurality of panels  32  is provided and each of the panels  32  is attached to and extends between a pair of adjacent posts  26  such that each of the panels  32  is attached to two of the posts  26 . Each of the panels  32  is comprised of a flexible material. Each of the panels  32  extends between and is attached to the bottom wall  12  and the shoulder  28 . Each of the posts  26  has one of the panels  32  attached thereto such that an interior of the assembly  10  is bounded by the posts  26  and the panels  32  to prevent limbs of the child from extending through spaces between the posts  26 . 
     In use, the user inflates the required amount of loops  20  of the bottom wall  12  to match a size of a bottom of a sink  34  in which the assembly  10  is to be used. The shoulder  28  extends outwardly away from the posts  26  so that it may rest upon the countertop  36  adjacent to the sink  34 . The assembly  10  is then filled with water and a child positioned therein. The bottom wall  12 , posts  26  and shoulder  28  protect the child from the hard surfaces of the sink  34  and countertop  36 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.