Patent Publication Number: US-2022225788-A1

Title: Baby hammock and baby crib

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims to the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2021100572617, filed on Jan. 15, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a baby hammock and a baby crib. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Baby cribs provide great convenience for caregivers to take care of babies or infants. In order to expand the functions of the baby cribs, many baby cribs are equipped with baby hammocks. The baby hammocks are detachably disposed above the baby cribs, such that the caregivers can conveniently take out or place the babies or infants. 
     A conventional baby hammock generally includes a crib base, a peripheral crib fence extending upward from a peripheral edge of the crib base, and an annular frame connected to an upper edge of the peripheral crib fence. The annular frame may be supported on a crib support of the baby crib, such that the baby hammock can be accommodated in a space defined by the baby crib. 
     There are various known solutions having a foldable design of baby cribs facilitating storage and transport of baby cribs. However, the baby crib equipped with the above baby hammock still has a relatively large size after being folded. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various embodiments, a baby hammock is provided including: a crib support; a first peripheral crib fence mounted to the crib support and having an opening at a bottom thereof; and a hammock portion, where a periphery of the hammock portion is detachably connected to the first peripheral crib fence by at least one first zipper, and the hammock portion covers the opening of the first peripheral crib fence. 
     A baby crib including the above baby hammock is also provided. 
     The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To illustrate the technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art more clearly, the accompanying drawings for describing the embodiments or the prior art are introduced briefly in the following. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and persons of ordinary skill in the art can derive other drawings from the accompanying drawings without creative efforts. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a baby crib; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic top view of the baby crib in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an another schematic perspective view of the baby crib in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial schematic enlarged view of a portion A in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view of a rear surface of a hammock portion in the baby hammock in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view of a first support plate according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic perspective view of a baby crib according to another embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic perspective view of the baby hammock in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic perspective view of the baby crib in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic perspective view of a baby crib according to another embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  schematically shows a bottom surface of the second mattress in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic top view of a second support plate mounted to the mattress in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic perspective view of a baby crib according to yet another embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  schematically shows a top surface of the second mattress in  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 15  schematically shows a bottom surface of the second mattress in  FIG. 13 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the invention are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The various embodiments of the invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Elements that are identified using the same or similar reference characters refer to the same or similar elements. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, if an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
       FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6  show schematic structures of a baby crib  100  according to some embodiments. The baby crib  100  has a baby hammock according to some embodiments. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the baby crib  100  may include a crib support  21 , a first peripheral crib fence  23 , a second peripheral crib fence  22 , a crib base  20 , and a hammock portion  10 . The crib support  21 , the first peripheral crib fence  23 , and the hammock portion  10  are also part of the baby hammock according to some embodiments. 
     The crib support  21  may include a support frame  211 , a support foot  212  mounted to a bottom of the support frame  211 , and other appropriate structures. A top end of the support frame  211  is surround by an armrest frame (not shown in  FIG. 1 , wrapped by a top of the first peripheral crib fence  23 ). It should be understood that, the crib support  21  may be a foldable crib support, which will not described in detail herein. 
     The second peripheral crib fence  22  is mounted to the crib support  21 . The second peripheral crib fence  22  has a bottom opening that is covered by the crib base  20 , so as to form a space for accommodating a baby. The space is, for example, an entertainment space applicable to activities of the baby. It should be understood that, the crib base  20  may completely or incompletely cover the bottom opening of the second peripheral crib fence  22 . The second peripheral crib fence  22  and the crib base  20  may be made of fabrics, and are stitched together and mounted to the crib support  21 . In some embodiments, the second peripheral crib fence  22  and the crib support  21  may be detachably mounted together. 
     The first peripheral crib fence  23  is mounted to the crib support  21 . In this embodiment, a top portion of the first peripheral crib fence  23  wraps around the armrest frame on the top end of the crib support  21 . In some embodiments, the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the second peripheral crib fence  22  may be an integral piece or stitched together, then they are fixed to or detachably mounted to the crib support  21 . In some other embodiments, the first peripheral crib fence  23  may be mounted to the crib support  21  by other manners. For example, the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the second peripheral crib fence  22  are independent of each other, the first peripheral crib fence  23  is detachably connected to the crib support  21 , and the second peripheral crib fence  22  is fixedly or detachably connected to the crib support  21 . As such, the first peripheral crib fence  23  may be dissembled for replacement or cleaning, while the mounting of the second peripheral crib fence  22  to the crib support  21  is not affected, and the second peripheral crib fence  22  can still provide the entertainment space for the baby. The first peripheral crib fence  23  has an opening at a bottom thereof, and the opening is located in a space formed by the second peripheral crib fence  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a periphery of the hammock portion  10  is detachably connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  by a first zipper  30  surrounding the first peripheral crib fence  23 . A head end  301  (an end of the first zipper  30  at which zipping starts) is adjacent to a tail end  302  (an end of the first zipper  30  at which zipping ends). The first zipper  30  may include a first chain portion  31  and a second chain portion  32  docked together by a zipper head  33 . In some embodiments, the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the hammock portion  10  may be made of woven fabric. The first chain portion  31  may be connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23 , and the second chain portion  32  may be connected to the periphery of the hammock portion  10 . The zipper head  33  is, for example, located on the second chain portion  32  and may be separated from the first chain portion  31 . When the hammock portion  10  is connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23 , the hammock portion  10  may completely or incompletely cover the opening of the first peripheral crib fence  23 . In addition, the hammock portion  10  is located above the crib base  20 , and the hammock portion  10  and the first peripheral crib fence  23  form a relatively small hammock space for the baby to lie down, such that a caregiver may conveniently take out or place babies or infants. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, the hammock portion  10  includes a bottom  104  and a fence  103  extending upwards from the bottom  104 , and an upper edge of the fence  103  serves as the periphery of the hammock portion  10  for mounting the first zipper  30 . The second chain portion  32  is, for example, disposed on the upper edge of the fence  103 . In some other embodiments, the fence  103  may be omitted. In that case, the hammock portion  10  may include the bottom  104  only, and an outer edge of the bottom  104  serves as the periphery of the hammock portion  10  for mounting the first zipper  30 , while the second chain portion  32  is, for example, disposed on the outer edge of the bottom  104 . 
     It should be noted that, although the first zipper  30  is disposed between the periphery of the hammock portion  10  and the first peripheral crib fence  23  in this embodiment, it should be understood that, the arrangement manner of the first zipper  30  is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the hammock portion  10  may be connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  by a plurality of first zippers  30 . The plurality of first zippers  30  are, for example, spaced from each other in a circumferential direction of the first peripheral crib fence  23 . Therefore, when a part of one certain first zipper  30  is damaged, this first zipper  30  may be replaced without a need of replacing all of the first zippers  30 . As such, the maintenance costs of the baby hammock are reduced. 
     According to the baby crib and the baby hammock provided in the above embodiments, the hammock portion  10  of the baby hammock is connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  by the first zipper  30 . The hammock portion  10  is simple in structure and easy to disassemble from the first peripheral crib fence  23  and fold, and occupies less space after being folded, thus facilitating storage and transport of the baby crib  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, a shielding edge  231  configured to shield the first zipper  30  may be further provided on the first peripheral crib fence  23 . In this way, the first zipper  30  which is rough can be prevented from getting into contact with skins of babies or infants. Referring to  FIG. 4 , in order to avoid the shielding edge  231  from being turned up, the shielding edge  231  is connected to the hammock portion  10  by a first engagement structure  5 . In some embodiments, the first engagement structure  5  may include a bonding structure, for example, may include a first adhesive strap  51  and a second adhesive strap  52  that are bonded together. The first adhesive strap  51  is, for example, disposed on the shielding edge  231 . The second adhesive strap  52  is, for example, disposed on the fence  103  of the hammock portion  10 . In other embodiments, the first engagement structure  5  may further be a snap-fastener structure, where male fastener and a female fastener of the snap-fastener structure are respectively connected to the shielding edge  231  and the fence  103 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, in order to guarantee the reliability of the connection between the hammock portion  10  and the first peripheral crib fence  23 , the hammock portion  10  may be further connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  by a plurality of safety members  4 . Each safety member  4  allows the hammock portion  10  to be separated from the first peripheral crib fence  23 . In some embodiments, when the hammock portion  10  is connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the first peripheral crib fence  23  is provided with the shielding edge  231 , the safety members  4  may be shielded by the shielding edge  231 . 
     For example, in some embodiments, the safety member  4  may include a first buckle  41  (a female buckle) and a second buckle  42  (a male buckle). The first buckle  41  is connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23  by a first webbing  410 . The second buckle  42  is connected to the hammock portion  10  by a second webbing  420 . The first buckle  41  and the second buckle  42  can be detachably buckled together. 
     In some embodiments, the safety member  4  may include a first tie  43  and a second tie  44 . The first tie  43  is connected to the first peripheral crib fence  23 . The second tie  44  is connected to the hammock portion  10 . The first tie  43  and the second tie  44  can be tied together. 
     In some embodiments, the safety member  4  may include a hook  45  and a hooking strip  46 . The hook  45  may be connected to one of the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the hammock portion  10  by a third webbing  450 . The hooking strip  46  may be connected to the other one of the first peripheral crib fence  23  and the hammock portion  10 . The hook  45  can be hooked with the hooking strip  46 . 
     It should be understood that, the above implementations of the safety member  4  may or may not exist in the same baby hammock simultaneously. In addition, the implementation of the safety member  4  is not limit to the above examples, as long as double protection or multi-protection can be achieved for the connection between the hammock portion  10  and the first peripheral crib fence  23  by the mating of the safety member with the first zipper  30 . 
     In order to enable the hammock portion  10  to support babies or infants more effectively, in some embodiments, the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10  is provided with a first support structure  6 . For example, referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , in some embodiments, the first support structure  6  may include a first support plate  61 . The first support plate  61  corresponds to an ideal lying region  109  (see  FIG. 3 ) for babies and infants defined by the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 . The first support plate  61  may be a hard support plate, or may be a soft support plate. A first accommodating bag  101  may be disposed on a rear surface (a surface facing the ground) of the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 . The first support plate  61  is located in the first accommodating bag  101 . 
     In some embodiments, the first accommodating bag  101  may be stitched to the rear surface of the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 . The first accommodating bag  101  has a first bag opening  108  configured to place and take out the first support plate  61 . The first bag opening  108  may be, for example, sealed by a second zipper (not shown). Alternatively, referring to  FIG. 5 , in some other embodiments, the first bag opening  108  may be sealed by a first flipping cover  102  connected to the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 . The first flipping cover  102  is connected to the first accommodating bag  101  by a second engagement structure (not shown). The second engagement structure may be, for example, a zipper structure, a bonding structure, a snap-fastener structure, or the like. 
     In some embodiments, referring to  FIG. 6 , a plurality of vent holes  610  may be provided in the first support plate  61  to facilitate ventilation and reduce the weight of the first support plate  61 . A width of a head portion  611  of the first support plate  61  is less than a width of a tail portion  612  of the first support plate. Left and right side edges  613  of the first support plate  61  are flipped upward, so as to support the babies or infants more effectively. 
       FIG. 7  to  FIG. 9  are schematic perspective views of another baby crib  100  according to some embodiments. The difference between the baby crib  100  and the baby crib  100  shown in  FIG. 3  lies in an implementation of the first support structure  6  and a connection relationship between the first support structure and the hammock portion  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the first support structure  6  may include a pivotal base  601  and a plurality of support arms  602 . The plurality of support arms  602  are pivotally connected to the pivotal base  601  spokewise. The plurality of support arms  602  may be gathered together or separated relative to a center line of the pivotal base  601 . In this embodiment, four support arms  602  are provided. In other embodiments, the number of the support arms  602  is not limited to four. The first support structure  6  is supported on a top surface (a surface facing the sky) of the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 . A plurality of sleeve bags  105  for inserting the plurality of support arms  602  are disposed on the top surface of the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 , so as to fix relative positions of the first support structure  6  and the bottom  104 . In some embodiments, the pivotal base  601  may have a center hole  6010 . A user can conveniently remove the first support structure  6  from the bottom  104  through the center hole  6010 . 
     In some embodiments, referring to  FIG. 9 , a first mattress  7  may be further disposed in the baby crib  100 . The first mattress  7  lies on the first support structure  6 . In addition, in order to fix relative positions of the first mattress  7  and the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10 , the first mattress  7  is connected to the top surface of the bottom  104  of the hammock portion  10  by a third engagement structure (not shown). The third engagement structure is, for example, a bonding structure. 
       FIG. 10  to  FIG. 12  are schematic perspective views of another baby crib  100  according to some embodiments. The difference between the baby crib  100  and the baby crib  100  shown in  FIG. 3  lies in that the first support structure  6  may be not disposed at the bottom of the hammock portion  10 , instead, a second mattress  8  is provided on the top surface of the bottom of the hammock portion  10 . 
     A second support structure may be disposed in the second mattress  8 . In some embodiments, the second support structure may include a second support plate  91 . The second support plate  91  corresponds to an ideal laying region  800  for babies or infants on a top surface  81  (a surface facing the sky) of the second mattress  8 . For example, a second accommodating bag  801  may be disposed on a bottom surface  82  (a surface facing the ground) of the second mattress  8 . The second support plate  91  is located in the second accommodating bag  801 . In some embodiments, the structure of the second support plate  91  may be substantially the same as the structure of the first support plate  61  described above. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , the second accommodating bag  801  may be stitched to the bottom surface  82  of the second mattress  8 . The second accommodating bag  801  has a second bag opening  803  for placing and taking the second support plate  91  out. In some embodiments, the second bag opening  803  is sealed by a third zipper (not shown). Alternatively, in some embodiments, the second bag opening  803  is sealed by a second flipping cover  802  connected to the bottom surface  82  of the second mattress  8 . The second flipping cover  802  is connected to the second accommodating bag  801  by a third engagement structure  804 . In some embodiments, the third engagement structure  804  may be a bonding structure or a snap-fastener structure. In order to fix relative positions of the second mattress  8  and the bottom of the hammock portion  10 , the second mattress  8  is connected to the top surface of the bottom of the hammock portion  10  by, for example, a bonding structure. 
       FIG. 13  to  FIG. 15  are schematic perspective views of another baby crib  100  according to some embodiments. The difference between the baby crib  100  and the baby crib  100  shown in  FIG. 10  lies in the structure of the second mattress  8 . In addition, the structure of the second support structure may be different. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , the top surface  81  of the second mattress  8  may include an accommodating portion  80 . The accommodating portion  80  can accommodate the second support structure (not shown). When the second support structure is accommodated in the accommodating portion  80 , the accommodating portion  80  protrudes out of the top surface  81 , such that an ideal lying region for the babies or infants can be defined. 
     In some embodiments, the second support structure may be a third support plate. The third support plate may be manufactured into any appropriate shape according to design requirements. The third support plate may be a hard support plate or a soft support plate. Of course, the implementation of the second support structure is not limited to the third support plate. 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , in some embodiments, the bottom surface  82  of the second mattress  8  has an opening  820 . The second support structure may be mounted in the second mattress  8  through the opening  820 . The opening  820  may be sealed by a zipper structure, a bonding structure, a snap-fastener structure, or the like. In addition, appropriate fillers such as detachable soft foam may be further filled in the second mattress  8  through the opening  820 . 
     Although the respective embodiments have been described one by one, it shall be appreciated that the respective embodiments will not be isolated. Those skilled in the art can apparently appreciate upon reading the disclosure of this application that the respective technical features involved in the respective embodiments can be combined arbitrarily between the respective embodiments as long as they have no collision with each other. For example, the second mattresses  8  in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 14  may be placed on the hammock portion  10  in  FIG. 7 . Of course, the respective technical features mentioned in the same embodiment can also be combined arbitrarily as long as they have no collision with each other. 
     The foregoing descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention shall all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the appended claims.