AU2011218656B2 - Partition assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a wall or partition arrangement for an infant enclosure or the like, the wall or partition arrangement comprising an inner wall having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall 5 overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall, and wherein the inner wall and the outer wall are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall. An infant enclosure or cot having a wall of this type is also disclosed.

Description

Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: Britax Childcare Pty Ltd Actual Inventor: Robert Sutherland Address for Service: C/- MADDERNS, GPO Box 2752, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: PARTITION ASSEMBLY The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

TITLE PARTITION ASSEMBLY 5 FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to infant enclosure structures such as cots, bassinets, cribs, playpens, beds and the like, and to partition or wall arrangements therefor. PRIORITY 0 This patent application claims priority from: Australian Provisional Patent Application 2010903871, titled "PARTITION ASSEMBLY", and filed on 30 August 2010. The entire content of this application is hereby incorporated by reference. 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For child safety, it is desirable that a cot have a breathable wall portion in at least the region above the mattress surface and around the periphery of the cot. This is because an infant may work themselves D into a position where their face is against the wall of the cot so that non-breathable wall material may conform around their mouth and nose, potentially causing suffocation. Therefore folding cots walls may employ breathable material, such as mesh or open weave fabric, so as to prevent such occurrences. Such walls may be composed entirely of such material, or the material may extend only a limited distance above the surface of the mattress. Undesirably however, breathable wall materials 25 tend to allow excess light and draft into the cot, potentially disturbing the child's sleep. Non-breathable materials, such as close woven or knitted fabric or a plastic or polymer sheet. provide the advantages of giving the appearance of a solid wall, draft prevention and controlling light permeation into the cot or enclosure. However, these materials do not ensure unrestricted air 30 movement if the child rolls into them, as discussed above. Some cots have a wall comprising a breathable material and a non-breathable fabric side flap that is on the outside of the breathable material. This flap is typically attached to the top of the wall and loosely hung and fastened at the bottom thereof. When it hangs down, the flap is generally in contact with the 35 breathable material and therefore likely to render the wall non-breathable. 2 It is an object of the present invention therefore to ameliorate one or more of the above described difficulties, or at least provide a useful alternative to arrangements of the type discussed above. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken 5 in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, several embodiments of the present invention are disclosed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of this invention, there is proposed a wall arrangement of a cot or the like, the wall 0 arrangement comprising an inner wall having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall, and a support element between the inner and outer walls and/or a spacing element between the inner and outer walls for, ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the 5 outer wall. For the purposes of this specification the term breathable refers to material through which air may pass, and more specifically a material through which a person, including an infant, can breathe, so that this material is therfore non-smothering or suffocating. 0 In one form, the inner wall is formed from a substantially flexible material. In one form, the outer wall is formed from a substantially flexible material. 25 In one form, the wall arrangement further comprises a form giving support element. In one form, the wall arrangement further comprises a spacing element at least a portion of which passes through the space defined between the inner and outer walls. 30 In one form, the wall arrangement further comprises a pair of support elements extending along at least a pair of opposing margins of the wall arrangement. In one form, the support elements extend along at least a pair of opposing vertical margins of the wall arrangement. 35 In one form, the support elements are corner posts of the cot. 3 In one form, the breathable portion of the inner wall is a mesh or open weave fabric or material of a similar nature. In one form, the outer wall is of non-breathable construction, such as a close woven or knitted fabric 5 or a plastic or polymer sheet or material of a similar nature. In one form, at least one portion of the outer wall is removably secured to the wall arrangement. In a further aspect of this invention, there is proposed a cot comprising a rectilinear base, four corner 0 posts, an inner wall comprising at least a breathable portion and an outer wall overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall; wherein the corner posts are located between the inner and outer walls and/or a spacing element is located between the inner and outer walls, for ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is 5 unrestricted by the outer wall. In one form, the inner wall comprises two pairs of opposite and rectilinear side and end walls extending between the corner posts. o In one form, the posts are external to the inner wall, and internal of the outer wall, so as to define the space and air passageway therebetween. In one form, the posts are internal of the inner wall, and spacer elements extend between the inner and outer walls so as to define the space and air passageway therebetween. 25 In a further aspect of this invention, there is proposed an infant enclosure having a wall arrangement comprising an inner wall having at least a breathable portion and an outer wall overlapping at least a portion of the inner wall and a support element and/or a spacing element between the inner and outer walls for ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated sufficiently to create an air passageway. 30 In a further aspect of this invention, there is proposed an infant enclosure having a wall arrangement comprising an inner wall panel having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall panel overlapping at least a portion of the inner wall panel, and a support element between the inner and outer wall panels and/or spacing element between the inner and outer wall panels for ensuring that the inner and outer 4 wall panels are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall panel, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the outer wall panel. 5 In another aspect of this invention, there is proposed a folding cot adapted to be folded between an in use configuration and a collapsed configuration, having a wall arrangement comprising an inner wall of flexible construction having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall of flexible construction overlapping at least a portion of the inner wall, and a support element between the inner and outer walls and/or spacing element between the inner and outer walls for ensuring that the inner wall and 0 outer wall separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the outer wall. In another aspect of this invention, there is proposed a partition arrangement comprising an inner wall 5 having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall, and a support element and/or a spacing element between the inner and outer walls for ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall. o In another aspect of this invention, there is proposed an infant enclosure having a partition assembly comprising a first wall having at least a breathable portion and a second wall overlapping at least a portion of the first wall, and a support element and/or a spacing element between the first and second walls for ensuring that the first and second walls are separated sufficiently to create an air passageway. 25 In another aspect of this invention, there is proposed an infant enclosure having at least one side wall comprising first and second layers and a support element and/or a spacing element between the first and second layers for ensuring that the first and second layers are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to a breathable portion in one of the layers. 4a In another aspect of the present invention, there is proposed a barrier for an infant enclosure or bed comprising a first wall having at least a breathable portion and a second wall overlapping at least a portion of the first wall such that the first wall and second wall are separated sufficiently to create an air passageway. 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of this disclosure it will now be described with respect to one or more exemplary embodiments, which shall be described herein with the assistance of drawings wherein: 0 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a top view of the wall arrangement illustrated in Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a corner detail of the top view illustrated in Figure 2; FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a second 5 illustrative embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 5 is a top view of the wall arrangement illustrated in Figure 4; FIGURE 6 is a top view of the wall arrangement illustrated in Figure 4, with removable fastening; FIGURE 7 is a top view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a third illustrative embodiment of the present invention; 0 FIGURE 8 is a top view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a fourth illustrative embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 9 is a top view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a fifth illustrative embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 10 is a detail top view of a storage configuration; 25 FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of the storage configuration illustrated in Figure 10; and FIGURE 12 is a top view of a folding cot having a wall arrangement according to a sixth illustrative embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout 30 the several views of the drawings. DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS Referring now to Figure 1, where there is illustrated a folding cot 10 (which is collapsible for portability reasons) having a wall arrangement according to a first embodiment of the present 35 invention. The folding cot 10 comprises a base 1 supporting a mattress (not shown), an inner wall 30 of breathable material, the inner wall 30 comprising side panels 32 and end panels 34, four corner posts 12, collapsible top rails 18 (covered) and a cross brace 17 beneath the base 11. 5 The four corner posts 12 are rigid and typically made from aluminium or steel tube. The collapsible top rails 18 (not shown) span along the perimeter of the top edges of the cot 10 and are connected to the corner posts 12 by moulded top corner attachments 13. For rigidity and folding purposes, the cross 5 brace 17 spans beneath the base 11 of the cot 10 and is also connected to the corner posts 12 by moulded bottom corner attachments (14, 15). The moulded bottom corner attachment 14 has a foot to contact the ground, while bottom corner attachment 15 is adapted to house a caster wheel 16 to assist manoeuvrability. o For purposes of structural rigidity and strength, a layer of non-breathable fabric 19 is folded over the top rails 18. The folding cot 10 also has non-breathable fabric corners 20 for strength, which are sewn between the breathable side panels 32 and the breathable end panels 34 along join lines 21. As illustrated more clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the corner posts 12 have a periphery that is sufficiently large such that at least a portion of the post 12 protrudes outwardly from the inner wall 30. 5 The non-breathable fabric corners 20, in addition to joining the breathable side panels 32 to the breathable end panels 34, also fold around the corner posts 12, thereby facilitating a connection between the corner posts 12 and inner wall 30. 0 The first embodiment of the invention as shown in Figures 1-3, shows a wall arrangement with an outer wall 40 consisting of a single non-breathable end panel 44 with a pocket 46. The non-breathable end panel 44 stretches around two of the corner posts 12 and is secured to the cot 10 at corner joins 22. In this manner, the non-breathable end panel 44 is sufficiently tight and is held in tension between the corner posts 12 such that a separation sufficient to create an air passageway A between the breathable 25 end panel 34 and the non-breathable end panel 44, so that breathable end panel 34 has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the non-breathable end panel 44. Each corner join 22 may be a permanently sewn attachment or alternatively may facilitate removal of the outer wall 40 in which case the fastening is achieved by press stud, Velcro, zipper, hooks or by 30 other appropriate means. The inner wall 30 is made from a breathable material, typically a mesh or open weave fabric such that if an infant's mouth and nose conforms around the material they can still breathe. The outer wall 40 is made from a non-breathable material, typically a close woven or knitted fabric or a plastic or polymer sheet. Both the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 are flexible to allow the enclosure to be folded between an in use configuration and a collapsed configuration (not shown). 35 Referring now to Figure 4, where there is shown a folding cot 10 having a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 spaced apart from an outer wall 40 according to a second embodiment of the present 6 invention. In this second embodiment, the folding cot 10 has a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 consisting of two breathable side panels 32 and two breathable end panels 34 and an outer wall 40 consisting of two non-breathable end panels 44 and a non-breathable side panel 42. As shown in Figure 4, the non-breathable end panels 44 and non-breathable side panel 42 are contiguous in the 5 corner regions, although it shall be understood that the panels may also be formed in discrete sections. Figure 5 provides a top view of the second embodiment of the invention and shows the attachment of the outer wall 40 to the cot 10. In this embodiment, the comer joins 22 occur in the corner regions adjacent the side of the cot that has no outer wall 40 covering. From these joins, the outer wall 40 is stretched around the outside of the corner posts 12 such that a separation sufficient to create an air 0 passageway A is created between the inner wall 30 and the outer wall 40. Preferably the outer wall 40 is held in tension such that the separation between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 is generally uniform and constant across the overlapping portions of each. Referring now to Figure 6, where there is shown the same wall arrangement as in Figures 4 and 5 5 differentiated by the corner joins 22 attaching the outer wall 40 to the cot 10 which facilitate removal of the outer wall 40. The corner joins 22 may be achieved by press studs, Velcro, zippers, hooks or by other appropriate means to facilitate a removable attachment. If one corner join 22 remains permanently fastened (e.g. sewn) while the other facilitates removal then it is possible to roll up the outer wall 40 and store it along the corner post 12 associated with the permanent corner join 22 in a 0 manner as depicted in Figures 10 and 11. Storage straps 48 may be used to effectively restrain the rolled up outer wall 40 from unravelling. Referring now to Figure 7, where there is shown a folding cot 10 having a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 spaced apart from an outer wall 40 so as to create air passageways A, according to a 25 third embodiment of the present invention. In this third embodiment, the folding cot 10 has a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 consisting of two breathable side panels 32 and two breathable end panels 34 and an outer wall 40 consisting of two non-breathable end panels 44 and two non breathable side panels 42. In this embodiment, the non-breathable end panels 44 and non-breathable side panels 42 are contiguous in the corner regions, although it shall be understood that the panels may 30 also be formed in discrete sections. One non-breathable end panel 44 may be permanently attached to the cot 10 along a corner join 22 such as by a sewn attachment. From this attachment point, the outer wall 40 is stretched around the outside of the corner posts 12 such that a separation sufficient to create an air passageway A between 35 the inner wall 30 and the outer wall 40 so that the breathable panels 32 and 34 of inner wall 30 have unhindered access to atmospheric air. Preferably the outer wall 40 is held in tension such that the separation between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 is generally uniform and constant across the 7 overlapping portions of each. In order to hold the outer wall 40 together in this arrangement there is provided means of removable attachment at end join 23 where two sections of the outer wall 40 are joined to each other. This end join 23 is a removable connection and may be achieved by press studs, Velcro, zippers, hooks or by other appropriate means. 5 It is to be understood in this embodiment that it is not necessary for the outer wall 40 to be permanently attached to any portion of the cot 10. The outer wall 40 may just be attached to itself in one location at end join 23 which provides for a removable connection. In this manner, the outer wall 40 may be completely removable as it need not be permanently secured to any section of the cot 10. 0 Referring now to Figure 8, where there is shown a folding cot 10 having a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 spaced apart from an outer wall 40 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the folding cot 10 has a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 consisting of two breathable side panels 32 and two breathable end panels 34, an outer wall 40 5 consisting of a non-breathable end panel 44, and a plurality of spacer elements 36. The spacer elements 36 may be attached to either the inner wall 30 or the outer wall 40 by fastening means such as rivets, screws, sewing or adhesive. The outer wall 40 as shown in Figure 8 is attached to the cot 10 at corner joins 22 which may be either permanent or removable and stretched around the outside of corner posts 12. The spacer elements 36 extending between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40, 0 contact both the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 and ensure that a separation sufficient to create an air passageway A is created between the walls. Referring now to Figure 9, where there is shown a folding cot 10 having a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 spaced apart from an outer wall 40 according to a fifth embodiment of the present 25 invention. In this fifth embodiment, the folding cot 10 has a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 consisting of two breathable side panels 32 and two breathable end panels 34, an outer wall 40 consisting of two non-breathable end panels 44 and a non-breathable side panel 42, and a plurality of spacer elements 36. The spacer elements 36 may be attached to either the inner wall 30 or the outer wall 40 by fastening means such as rivets, screws, sewing or adhesive. The outer wall 40 as shown in 30 Figure 9 is attached to the cot 10 at corner joins 22 which may be either permanent or removable, and stretched around the outside of corner posts 12. The spacer elements 36 extending between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40, contact both the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 and ensure that a separation sufficient to create an air passageway or passageways A is created between the walls. 35 Referring now to Figure 12, where there is shown a folding cot 10 having a wall arrangement including an inner wall 30 spaced apart from an outer wall 40 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this sixth embodiment, the folding cot 10 has a wall arrangement including an 8 inner wall 30 consisting of two breathable side panels 32 and two breathable end panels 34, an outer wall 40 consisting of a non-breathable end panel 44, and a plurality of spacer elements 36. In this embodiment, the corner posts 12 are disposed wholly within the inner wall 30. In this style of folding cot 10 without protruding corner posts 12, it is necessary to use spacer elements 36 to create a 5 separation between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40. The spacer elements 36 may be attached to either the inner wall 30 or the outer wall 40 by fastening means such as rivets, screws, sewing or adhesive. The outer wall 40 as shown in Figure 12 is attached to the cot 10 along join lines 24 which may be either permanent or removable. The spacer elements 36 extending between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40, contact both the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40 and ensure that a separation 0 sufficient to create an air passageway A is created between the walls. Although several illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing description, it shall be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed. The outer wall 30 may have one or two non-breathable side panels 42 in combination with 5 one or two non-breathable end panels 44. Numerous rearrangements of these panels is possible, including having just a single non-breathable side panel 42 with no end panels, two non-breathable side panels 42 with no end panels or two non-breathable end panels 44 with no side panels. In addition, it will be understood from this description that there are numerous methods of attaching the outer wall 40 to the cot 10. The attachment method may allow the outer wall 40 to be fully removable 0 from the cot 10, may permanently fix the outer wall 40 to the cot 10 or may have a combination of fixed and removable panels and accompanying means to retain the outer wall 40 in a stored position when not in use. In terms of height, the outer wall 40 may be the full height of the inner wall 30 or may be less. It is also possible for the outer wall 40 to be attached along the top and bottom of the cot 10 instead of being attached around the corner posts 12. It will be understood that in such a 25 configuration that spacer elements 36 would be necessary to achieve the required spacing between the inner wall 30 and outer wall 40. The outer wall 40 may also have panels that may include pockets, clear sections or windows designed into their construction. The window may have a curtain or other means of closing the window to direct light. 30 While the embodiments disclosed have been for a folding cot, the invention may be applied to numerous other infant enclosures and beds which have walls that may present breathing hazards for infants and young children. The invention may also be applied to partition assemblies and barriers which may prevent young children from rolling out of a bed while simultaneously creating a possible breathing hazard. 35 Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words "comprise" and "include" and variations such as "comprising" and "including" will be 9 understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an 5 acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment 0 with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all such modifications in its scope. 10

Claims (18)

1. A wall arrangement of a cot comprising an inner wall comprising at least a breathable portion; an outer wall overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall; and a support element between the inner and outer walls and/or a spacing element between the inner and outer walls, for ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the outer wall.

2. The wall arrangement of claim 1, wherein the inner wall is formed from a substantially flexible material.

3. The wall arrangement as in either of the claims 1 or 2, wherein the outer wall is formed from a substantially flexible material.

4. The wall arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein this further comprises a form giving support element.

5. The wall arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein this further comprises a pair of support elements extending along at least a pair of opposing margins of the wall arrangement.

6. The wall arrangement of claim 5, wherein the support elements extend along at least a pair of opposing vertical margins of the wall arrangement.

7. The wall arrangement of claim 6, wherein the support elements are corner posts of the cot.

8. The wall arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the breathable portion of the inner wall is a mesh or open weave fabric or material of a similar nature.

9. The wall arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer wall is of non breathable construction, such as a close woven or knitted fabric or a plastic or polymer sheet or material of a similar nature.

10. The wall arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one portion of the outer wall is removably secured to the wall arrangement. 11

11. A cot comprising a rectilinear base; four corner posts; an inner wall comprising at least a breathable portion; and an outer wall overlapping at least part of the breathable portion of the inner wall; wherein the corner posts are located between the inner and outer walls and/or a spacing element is located between the inner and outer walls, for ensuring that the inner and outer walls are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the outer wall.

12. The cot of claim 11, wherein the inner wall comprises two pairs of opposite and rectilinear side and end walls extending between the corner posts.

13. The cot of claim 11, wherein the posts are external to the inner wall, and internal of the outer wall, so as to define the space and air passageway therebetween.

14. The cot of claim 11, wherein the posts are internal of the inner wall, and spacer elements extend between the inner and outer walls so as to define the space and air passageway therebetween.

15. The cot of any of claims 11 through 14, wherein the cot is collapsible and portable.

16. A folding cot adapted to be folded between an in use configuration and a collapsed configuration, the folding cot comprising a wall arrangement comprising an inner wall of flexible construction having at least a breathable portion, an outer wall of flexible construction overlapping at least a portion of the inner wall, and a support element between the inner and outer walls and/or spacing element between the inner and outer walls for ensuring that the inner wall and outer wall are separated by a space sufficient to create an air passageway to the breathable portion of the inner wall, so that the breathable portion has access to atmospheric air that is unrestricted by the outer wall.

17. A wall arrangement of a cot as defined in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A cot as defined in claim 11 or 16 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 12