AU3557202A - Portable baby change station - Google Patents

Description

PORTABLE BABY CHANGE STATION Area Of The Invention This invention relates to accessories required for use by parents or carers of babies and in particular to the large array of products and equipment which need to be carried with a baby whenever the baby travels away from home.

Background To The Invention Whenever a baby is away from its home it is necessary for the baby's carer, who for convenience sake here will be referred to as the parent, to carry bags full of nappies and associated products in order to change nappies as required. In addition some blanket or other such device is usually carried to place on a floor or table for the baby to lie upon while being changed.

Of course in the home baby change tables can be provided where all the paraphernalia required is easily accessible.

The problem then with going out with a baby is that a large quantity of items need to be packed in a bag or bags, resulting in a cumbersome load which may not only be difficult to carry but the parent may have difficulty accessing items as required with any degree of ease such as a mat or blanket onto which a baby can be placed while nappy WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002 3 changing takes place. An additional problem is remembering to pack all the items which may be needed.

Summary of The Invention It is an object of this invention to provide what is in effect a portable baby change table which can be easily carried and used.

The invention is a baby changing mat device upon which a baby can be placed to have its nappy changed, which mat device folds to form a carry bag when not in use and is adapted to store whatever items may be used for the baby.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood an embodiment of it will be described by way of non limiting example.

Outline Of The Drawing Figures Fig.1 Shows a plan view of the mat device when open; Fig. 2 Shows a schematic diagram of the mat device when folded to form a carry bag; Brief Description Of The Drawing Figures The changing mat device 10 includes a padded rectangular member 11 suitable for laying a baby upon, which member is provided with a removable liner or towel 12, WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002 which may be preferably vinyl backed, which in this embodiment may be fastened by whichever means is desired, such as buttons 14, press studs, Velcro T M or the like, onto the inner or uppermost face of this mattress or mat.

Two similar, storage flap members 15 are attached at either side of the changing mat and are provided with pockets 16 or other receptacles for holding such baby requirements as spare nappies, wipes, clothing, powder, cleaning devices and whatever else the parent wants to carry for the baby.

When the changing mat device is not in use these storage flap members 15 can be folded closed across the mat device 12 and fastened. They are positioned opposite each other at the sides of the mat such that a lower portion of the mat 20 can be folded up to cover the side flaps and an upper part of the mat 21 folds over to be fastened to the lower outside edge of the mat in the embodiment of the invention shown with buttons 22 although any fastening means could be used.

In one embodiment of the invention press studs are used however it is envisaged that many methods of securing the mat into a bag structure could be used such as Velcro or other fasteners.

Padded adjustable straps 30 are provided on either side of the resultant bag for ease of carrying.

WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002 In this embodiment of the invention the baby changing mat device is made of padded cotton and the liner is of vinyl backed cotton towelling. The padded straps are cotton straps sewn onto the mat as previously described. It is however envisaged that any appropriate materials desired could be used and still fall within the scope of the invention.

The invention basically lies in the provision of a portable baby change station which takes the form of a carry bag/back pack when not in use and is adapted to store whatever apparatus is required for a baby's needs.

The result is that whatever is needed by a parent is as readily accessible when travelling as it would be when a baby's nappy was changed in the home.

In addition the apparatus takes the form of a compact easy to carry bag which does not require constant packing and unpacking such as is done conventionally.

The padded waterproof mat is particularly desirable as it provides a suitable surface on which to place a baby which is preferable to the common practice of placing a rug, mat or other device on a hard table.

While the internal removable towelling liner is not essential to the general concept of the invention its presence is desirable as it can be easily removed for cleaning and/or WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002 washing if necessary. Although in this embodiment of the invention it has been described as Velcroed to the mat it could be affixed by any other appropriate means.

It is further envisaged that other embodiments of the invention will exhibit any number of and any combination of the features of those previously described and whilst we have described herein one specific embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002

Claims (9)

1. A baby changing mat device upon which a baby can be placed to have its nappy changed, which mat device folds to form a carry bag when not in use and is adapted to store whatever items may be used for the baby.

2. A mat device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mat device is cruciform in shape having an elongate rectangular member having upper and lower ends and laterally extending side members.

3. A mat device as claimed in claim 2 wherein pockets are provided in the side members for storage of objects.

4. A mat device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the elongate rectangular member is provided with a removable liner upon which a baby can be placed for changing.

A mat as claimed in claim 4 wherein the removable liner is washable.

6. A mat as claimed in claim 5 wherein the liner has a waterproof backing.

7. A mat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the mat has a waterproof backing. WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002

8. A mat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the laterally extending side members can fold onto the rectangular member and the ends of the rectangular member fold over and attach to one and other to form a carry bag.

9. A mat as claimed in claim 8 wherein the carry bag is provided with handles. A mat substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 19 t h DAY OF APRIL 2002 CAROLINE KOUTS By her Patent Attorneys A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES WP51\SPEC\KOUTS.SPC\BV\19 April, 2002