Patent Publication Number: US-6701548-B2

Title: Stackable cot and corner element for such a cot

Description:
The present invention relates to a stackable cot, as well as to a corner element for a stackable cot. 
     Stackable cots of this type are often used in childcare centers, daycare centers and nursery schools. They generally comprise a cloth stretched over a generally rectangular frame formed by longitudinal and transverse elements connected to each other by corner elements. 
     Each corner element is, on its lower surface, provided with a foot, and on its upper surface provided with a recess aligned with this foot and constituting a recess for reception of a similar foot of another couch to be stacked on the first couch. In a known couch, the feet have an overall cylindrical shape and the recesses also have an overall cylindrical shape and have a slight play relative to the contour of the feet so as to permit easy stacking of the cots on each other. 
     This structure is generally satisfactory, but the holes formed by these recesses present a certain danger for young children which could introduce a hand or an object that could wound them. If the hand remains blocked in the hole and the infant loses balance and falls, there is a real risk of a fracture. For this reason, it would be desirable to avoid the formation of such holes on the corner elements. 
     There is known a cot of this type in which the corner elements are in two portions, an upper portion and a lower portion connected together. In each corner element of this cot, the recess for reception of the foot of an upper cot stacked on the cot is essentially formed by the hollow foot of the lower portion opening upwardly and by a hole in the upper portion aligned with the rest of the recess. 
     This cot has the drawback mentioned above, and moreover, the corner elements comprise over all their periphery directed outwardly an undesirable joint because if the assembly surfaces are not perfectly aligned, there is necessarily an edge which projects slightly and thus can constitute a risk. Moreover, this presence of a joint can also tempt children to introduce a blade therein to and to wound themselves seriously when playing. 
     There are also known other cots in which the corner elements comprise on their outer surface quite simply a shoulder against which the foot of a cot comes into abutment when stacked. In this case, the feet are not individually blocked in position when the cots are stacked. They are in effect blocked together because of the fact that they are connected by elements forming the frame of the cot. 
     A drawback of this type of cot resides in the fact that the corner regions have an interstice or even an elongated hole formed between the sheet metal and the corner elements. This is also to be avoided for the same reasons as given above. 
     The object of the invention is to provide a cot and a corner element which overcome the drawbacks of the known cots and which moreover permit less expensive production because there is no machining of the pieces and no metallic inserts conventionally necessary for assembly. The invention also permits simplified assembly of the constituent elements of the cot. 
     The invention has for its object a stackable cot comprising a sheet of cloth stretched between elongated longitudinal and transverse elements connected to each other by corner elements, each corner element being provided with two horizontal holes for the reception and securement of said longitudinal and transverse elements to form together an overall rectangular frame, each corner element being on its lower surface provided with a foot, and on its upper surface provided with a vertical recess aligned with said foot and constituting a recess for the reception of a similar foot of another cot of the same type to be stacked on said cot, each corner element having an upper portion and a lower portion connected to each other, characterized by the fact that said recess for reception of a foot is formed in said upper portion and that it comprises a lateral opening in the form of a vertical slot opening outwardly and extending over substantially over all the height of said recess while opening upwardly. 
     According to other characteristics of the invention: 
     the width of said lateral opening is such that a foot of an upper cot will be held laterally immobilized in said recess ( 7 ) without the possibility of outward displacement; 
     said upper portion and said lower portion are made of a single piece; 
     said upper portion and said lower portion are in two separate pieces connected to each other during assembly of the cot; 
     said reception recess is provided in a male member of said upper portion coacting shape-matingly with a female member of said lower portion comprising a lateral opening corresponding to the lateral opening of said recess; 
     said foot is hollow, and said male member of the upper portion is at its lower end provided with a transverse element forming a bottom enclosing said foot upwardly when said upper and lower portions are assembled; 
     said upper portion and said lower portion comprise an upper lip respectively a lower lip disposed on opposite sides of the cloth sheet in a corner region; 
     the upper lip comprises on its lower surface means for retaining said cloth sheet coacting with retaining means disposed on the upper surface of said lower lip; 
     the upper lip is inclined toward the lower lip so as to form with this latter said retaining means for said cloth sheet when the first and second portions are assembled; 
     said upper portion comprises a skirt extending on opposite sides of said lateral opening of said recess so as to constitute a guide means during assembly of the two portions, and a protection means when the two portions are assembled; 
     said upper and lower portions of said corner element are fixed to each other by screw connection means; 
     each foot comprises at its free end a hole for securement of a roller. 
     The invention also has for its object a corner element for a stackable cot, comprising on its lower surface a foot, and on its upper surface a vertical recess aligned with said foot and constituting a recess for reception of a similar foot of another corner element of the same type, and two horizontal holes for reception and securement of elongated longitudinal transverse elements ( 3 ,  4 ) to form a frame, said corner element having an upper portion and a lower portion connected to each other, characterized by the fact that said recess is formed in said upper portion and that it comprises a lateral opening in the form of a vertical slot opening outwardly and extending over substantially all the height of said recess by opening upwardly. 
     According to other characteristics of the invention: 
     said recess is made in a male member of said upper portion coacting shape-matingly with a female member of said lower portion comprising a lateral opening corresponding to the lateral opening of said recess. 
    
    
     Other characteristic and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the upper portion of a corner element according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a rear side view of the upper portion of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the lower portion of a corner element according to the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear side view of the lower portion of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the corner element according to the invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the corner element according to the invention, after assembly of the upper and lower portions; 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the assembly of a cot according to the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cot according to the invention, after assembly; 
     FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the stacking of several cots according to the invention, of which the lowermost cot is provided with rollers. 
    
    
     In the figures, identical or equivalent elements will have the same reference numerals. 
     The cot  1  supports corner elements  2  interconnected by longitudinal and transverse elements  3 ,  4  which are generally constituted by metallic tubes. These elements form together an overall rectangular frame on which a cloth sheet  5  is stretched as will be described later with reference to FIG.  7 . 
     The cot is thus provided with four corner elements  2 . Each corner element comprises on its lower surface a foot  6  and on its upper surface a vertical reception recess  7  aligned with this foot so as to receive a foot of corresponding shape of a similar cot to be stacked on the immediately lower cot. 
     Each corner element  2  moreover comprises two horizontal holes for reception and securement,  8 ,  9  respectively, adapted to receive one end of a longitudinal element  3  and one end of a transverse element  4 . These reception holes  8 ,  9  extend substantially perpendicularly to each other in a horizontal plane. 
     According to the invention, the corner elements are comprised by an upper portion  10  and a lower portion  11 . The upper portion  10  and the lower portion  11  can be of a single piece and have the overall appearance shown in FIG. 5, or else can be in at least two individual and separate pieces which are connected to each other during assembly of the cot, as will be explained in detail later. Independently of the embodiment in one or two pieces, the reception recess  7  is integrally formed in the upper portion  10  and comprises a lateral opening in the form of a vertical slot  12  opening outwardly and extending over substantially all the height of the recess  7  and opening upwardly. 
     The width of the lateral opening  12  is such that a foot of an upper cot will be held laterally immobilized in the recess  7  without the possibility of outward movement. 
     The recess  7  has a cylindrical shape in the embodiment shown in the figures and is made from a body  13  that is also cylindrical. This body  13  constitutes a male member (see FIG. 2) adapted to coact with a recess  14  (see FIG. 3) on the upper surface of the lower portion constituting a female member. This female member  14  matches in shape the male member  13  and also comprises a lateral opening  15  corresponding to the lateral opening  12  of the upper portion  10 . These male and female members here preferably have a circular shape. 
     In the illustrated example, the foot  6  is hollow and the male member  13  of the upper portion  10  is at its lower end provided with a transverse element  16  forming a bottom and which closes the foot  6  upwardly when the upper and lower portions are assembled (see FIG.  5 ). 
     In the embodiment shown in the figures, the end of the male member  13  is provided with a protuberance  17  of reduced cross-section, received in a recess  18  at the lower end of the female member  14  when the two upper and lower portions are assembled. 
     This protuberance  17  is on its upper surface preferably provided with longitudinal ribs  19  coacting with the wall of the recess  18  so as there to retain this protuberance. 
     The upper and lower portions  10 ,  11  of the corner member  2  comprise an upper lip respectively a lower lip  21  adapted to be disposed on opposite sides of the cloth sheet  5  in a corner region  22  (see FIGS.  8  and  9 ). Retaining means for the cloth sheet are formed on the lower surface of the upper lip  20  and on the upper surface of the lower lip  21 . These retaining means are preferably constituted by lips themselves and to obtain improved gripping force, the upper lip  20  is inclined toward the lower lip  21  such that the lips form a clamp. 
     According to another modification (not shown), these retaining means for the cloth  5  are constituted by lugs disposed on the upper surface of the lower lip  21  and coact with recesses provided on the lower surface of the upper lip  20 , or vice versa. 
     Preferably, the upper portion  10  comprises moreover a skirt  23  extending on opposite sides of the lateral opening  12  of the recess  7 . This skirt constitutes a guide means during assembly of the two portions  10 ,  11  of the corner element  2  by sliding against the external surface of the lower portion  11  at the same time that the male member  13  of the upper portion penetrates the female member  14  of the lower portion  11 . When the upper and lower portions  10 ,  11  are assembled, the skirt serves also as a protection hiding the joint plane between these two portions when the corner element is made of two pieces as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     For the securement of the longitudinal and transverse elements  3 ,  4  of the frame of the cot, each hole for reception and securement  8 ,  9  is formed by a groove  8 A,  9 A provided in the upper surface of the lower portion  11  and disposed facing an analogous respective groove  8 B,  9 B provided in the lower surface of the upper portion  10  (see FIG.  6 ). 
     So as to immobilize the longitudinal and lateral elements within the reception and securement holes  8 ,  9  during assembly of the cot, pairs of transverse pins  24 ,  25  extend from the bottoms of the grooves  8 A,  8 B respectively  9 A,  9 B. The pins of each pair of pins  24 ,  25  pass through opposite securement holes  26  provided in the longitudinal and transverse elements. The pins of each pair of pins  24 ,  25  are disposed in facing relation so as to permit the introduction of a securement screw  27  through a securement hole  28  by which the pins of the lower portion open downwardly. 
     The foot  6  of the corner element  2  preferably comprises a central hole  29  constituting a securement hole for a roller  30  by simple snapping in of the axle of the roller into this hole. The rollers remain removable and can preferably be provided with a brake. 
     The assembly procedure for the cot comprising corner elements in two pieces is schematically shown in FIG.  7 . 
     The cloth sheet  5  is first cut out to obtain the desired shape permitting obtaining tubular edges  31  by bending and welding or stitching. Each corner of the cloth sheet is cut out to receive a corner element  2 . 
     Then the cloth sheet  5  is turned over and the longitudinal and lateral elements  3 ,  4  are introduced into the corresponding tubular edges  31 . The ends of each element project from the two sides of the tubular edge so as to permit the introduction of the pins  25  of the upper portions  10  into the holes  26  of the longitudinal and lateral elements  3 ,  4  which thus remain blocked. The lower portions  11  of the corner elements are thus closed over the upper portions  10  by introducing the corresponding pins  24  into the holes in the longitudinal and lateral elements  3 ,  4 . Securement screws  27  are then introduced through holes  28  in the lower surface of the lower portion  11  and the corner element to unite the latter with the upper portion  10  by being screwed into the pins  25 . 
     The assembly of the cot is thus particularly easy and rapid to practice and there is no need for metallic inserts so as to stretch the cloth sheet from one side. The obtained cot is shown in FIG.  8 . It is very solid and the longitudinal and lateral elements  3 ,  4  are entirely blocked in the securement holes  8 ,  9  of the corner elements and cannot escape. 
     In the embodiment of the corner elements in a single piece, the assembly of the cot is similar. Of course, the pins  25 ,  26  within the reception and securement holes  8 ,  9  of the longitudinal and transverse elements  3 ,  4  are omitted and replaced by more conventional securement means comprising quite simply a set screw by passing through a transverse hole communicating with the interior of the reception holes  8 ,  9  to bear directly against the corresponding element  3 ,  4  or again traversing a passage provided in the wall of this latter. 
     FIG. 9 shows several cots according to the invention stacked on each other. There is no longer need for a storage accessory especially designed for stacking because the obtained stack is entirely rigid and can moreover be easily moved if the lower cot is provided with rollers  30 . This latter can also be used without difficulty if the rollers are provided with brakes to immobilize it. 
     Thus is obtained a cot which is particularly safe to be used without danger for children of a tender age. 
     Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples shown and described, but also comprises all modifications within the scope of those skilled in the art without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.