AU772185B2

AU772185B2 - Bedding assembly

Info

Publication number: AU772185B2
Application number: AU44861/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Betty Kinal; Leon Kinal
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-08-28
Filing date: 1999-08-30
Publication date: 2004-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2019-08-30
Also published as: AU4486199A

Description

"BEDDING ASSEMBLY" Field of Invention: This invention is in the field of bedding for infants and small children. In particular, the invention relates to a bedding assembly that may assist in reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Background of the Invention: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a major concern for parents and carers of infants and small children. The risk of SIDS is greatest in infants of up to 12 months of age but the risk can continue, to some degree, in children of up to 3 to 4 years of age.

Death occurs whilst a child is asleep. Although many contributing factors are involved, clinical research has identified two significant factors related to the child's sleeping position and sleep behaviour that are believed to contribute towards the aetiology of the syndrome.

The National SIDS Council of Australia has issued literature that outlines precautions to help to reduce the risk of SIDS in sleeping children.

The following excerpts from Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome .oe outline the measures recommended by the Council. (The scientific evidence to support those recommendations is found in the above publication and is included herein by reference.) Make sure your baby's head remains uncovered during sleep.

If baby's head becomes covered during sleep, the risk of SIDS is increased. Loose bedding can cover your baby's head. Tuck your baby in securely so that he or she can't slip under the bedclothes. Quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows, soft toys and cot bumpers should not S.be placed where your baby sleeps during the first year." Put your baby on the back to sleep.

The risk of SIDS is increased if babies sleep on their tummies. The best position for babies to sleep is on their backs. Research shows that healthy babies placed to sleep on their backs are no more likely to regurgitate their feed and choke on vomit. If you choose to sleep your baby on the side, make sure that his or her lower arm is well forward to stop rolling on the tummy. The side position is unsafe for babies if they roll onto their tummies during sleep." Thus, there is a perceived need to provide a device or assembly that can assist in meeting these recommendations.

There is a relatively large amount of prior art in relation to bedding materials and the fixing of the materials to a bed. Such art includes patent specifications: GB 2,023,419, (Malordean); AU-A-48633/93 and AU-A-48634/93, (Etherington); AU-A-36876, (Wauchope); and AU-A-22494/95, (Bremner).

Malordean discloses a duvet (or similar) which is attachable to a bed to retain the duvet in place and to stop the duvet from moving or slipping from the bed during the night.

The duvet is attached to the bed along at least a portion of the edge (or adjacent to the edge) by means of flaps that are tucked under the mattress. The disclosure suggests that the attachment means may also be "touch and close" fastenings such as press-studs or filamentous loop and hook (VelcroTM) fastenings.

Similarly, Bremner provides a bed cover which includes at least one releasably attachable securing means affixed along only a portion of each side of the cover, which can be releasably attached to complementary securing means affixed along each side of other bedding material to retain the cover in place. To achieve a similar effect, Etherington discloses a duvet having a flap of material fastened across the foot end of the duvet having releasable fastening means to releasably attach the duvet to the foot of the bed.

Wauchope discloses a bed covering having an elasticised body section around a S. mattress with a cover section to provide a sleeping cavity and adapted to extend down the sides and ends of the mattress and at least partially under the mattress.

The only prior art, of which the applicant is aware, that specifically addresses the above expressed needs is in the patent AU-B-48496/85 (581466) by Eichenberger. That patent relates to a blanket that includes an upper part adapted to fit either over or under a pillow, and a lower part adapted to cover the legs and abdomen of an infant. There is an opening in the centre of the blanket, separating the upper and lower parts, that allows the upper body of the infant to protrude through the blanket and into an attached jacket secured to the blanket around the periphery of the opening.

None of the above prior art adequately meets the needs outlined above in a manner that is effective and simple to manufacture. Nor does any of the above prior art effectively solve the problem of providing a bedding assembly that can control the position of an infant on a bed in which the primary purpose is to restrict the infant from moving under the bed covering and the secondary purpose is to limit the movement of the infant from the supine position. A further problem, not yet overcome, is to provide a bedding assembly that meets the above needs and is able to be adjusted to allow for the growth of an infant so that the infant's position on the bed can be maintained in the correct location.

The present invention seeks to overcome or reduce the disadvantages noted in the prior art.

Summary of the Invention: With the foregoing in mind this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a bedding assembly comprising, in combination: '20 a mattress-covering, such as a fitted sheet, adapted to be removably attached to a mattress; and, *a pouch of suitable dimensions adapted to enclose an infant while leaving at least the infant's head exposed, the pouch having adjustment means to allow adjustment in size of the pouch in length and/or width; and the pouch and mattress-covering having complementary attachment means arranged such that the pouch can be removably attached to the mattress-covering at any desired one of S. a plurality of predetermined attachment positions. Advantageously, the pouch can be attached or secured to the mattress cover at a selected position to suit an infant or child of a particular size, so that the child cannot wriggle the pouch into a dangerous position under the blankets or other bed clothes.

Preferably, the pouch is sufficiently narrow or tight to limit movement of the infant from the supine position within the pouch and, in particular, to restrict the infant from rolling or moving onto its side or stomach. Thus it will be appreciated that the pouch restrains the

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infant and the pouch in turn is restrained by the complementary attachment means which prevent the infant wriggling himself and the pouch to dangerous positions.

Preferably the attachment means are located at or close to the head end of the pouch thus preventing the pouch gathering down on itself.

Preferably, the bedding assembly also includes a bed cover, such as a blanket having attachment means for removable attachment to the mattress-covering at least at one point, whereby in use, the bed cover does not reach above the infant's head while the infant is enclosed in the pouch. It is preferred that the attachment means be at or near the foot end and the mattress-covering be provided with complementary fastening means also located at or near the foot end. Although many forms of attachment means would be suitable, such as zips, buttons, loops, hooks and toggles, it is believed that "touch and close" fastenings such as press-studs and filamentous loop and hook fastenings (Velcro T M do offer more convenience and are generally safer.

In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a method of controlling the position of an infant in a bed comprising:providing a mattress-covering, such as a fitted sheet, adapted to be removably eeeee 20 attached to a mattress, and a pouch of suitable dimensions adapted to enclose an infant while ee.* leaving at least the infant's head exposed, the pouch having adjustment means to allow adjustment in size of the pouch in length and/or width and the pouch and mattress-covering -having complementary attachment means arranged such that the pouch can be removably attached to the mattress-covering at any desired one of a plurality of predetermined attachment positions; fitting the mattress-covering to the mattress; locating and attaching the pouch at a desired position on the mattress-covering by engaging the complementary attachment means; and placing the infant in the pouch and adjusting the pouch for size in length and/or width so that the pouch is sufficiently narrow or tight to limit movement of the infant within the pouch to such an extent that movement from the supine position is prevented or at least significantly restricted thereby reducing the likelihood of the infant rolling or moving onto its side or stomach.

Preferably the method also includes the steps of: providing a bed cover, such as a blanket, having means for removable attachment to the mattress-covering at least at one point and a mattress-covering having attachment means complementary to said attachment means on the bed cover; and locating and attaching the bed cover at a desired position on the mattress-covering by engaging the complementary attachment means so that, in use, the bed cover does not reach above the infant's head while the infant is enclosed in the pouch.

Brief Description of the Drawings: In order that the invention may be more readily understood, specific embodiments of a baby pouch bedding assembly will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 is a sectional view, from one side, of a bedding assembly according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, from above, of the pouch used in the bedding assembly of Fig. 2 in a flattened, unassembled configuration; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mattress covering used in the bedding assembly of Fig. 1 as fitted on a mattress; Fig. 4 is an end view of the mattress-covering of Fig. 3 as fitted; "20 Fig. 5 is a plan view, from below, of the bed cover used in the bedding assembly of Fig. 1 as fitted; Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of the bedding assembly of Fig. 2 adjusted to "accommodate an infant of a larger size.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, from one side, of another bedding assembly according to the invention; Fig. 8 is a plan view, from above, of the pouch in a flattened, unassembled configuration; o :*Fig. 9 is a pictorial view of the mattress-covering used in the bedding assembly ofFig. 7 as fitted on a mattress; Fig. 10 is an end view of the mattress cover of Figure 9 as fitted; Fig. 11 is a plan view, from above, of a pouch which could be used in a bedding assembly according to the invention, in a flattened, unassembled configuration with an alternative form of size adjustment means; Fig. 12 is a plan view, from above, of a pouch similar to that shown in Figure 11 with another alternative form of size adjustment means; Fig. 13 is a plan view, from above, of a pouch which could be used in a bedding assembly according to the invention, in a flattened, unassembled configuration with size adjustment means for adjusting the width of the pouch; Fig. 14 is a plan view, from above, of a pouch which could be used in a bedding assembly according to the invention, in a flattened, unassembled configuration with size adjustment means for adjusting both the width and length of the pouch.

Detailed Description of the Drawings: The bedding assembly 10 illustrated in Fig. 1, includes a mattress-covering in the form of a fitted sheet (12) which is fitted to a mattress A pouch adjusted for size by selecting desired ones of complementary VelcroTM strip pairs (14a) and (14b), is attached to the head end of the fitted sheet by connecting one VelcroTM half (17a) located on the fitted sheet to one of a plurality of a complementary VelcroTM halves (15) located on the pouch as more clearly shown in Fig. 2. A blanket (16) is attached to the fitted sheet at the foot of the bed also by means of complementary Velcro T M strip halves (17b) and (18) as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. It will be seem that the VelcroTM strip halves (17a) and (17b) are located in corresponding positions at the head and foot ends of the sheet, with one engaging with the 20 pouch and the other the blanket. Thus the sheet can be reversed end to end and still serve the same purpose.

The position of an infant's head in relation to the bedding assembly is schematically illustrated in Fig. 1 by an The pouch may be adjusted in length by unfolding and refastening the complementary VelcroTM halves (14a) and (14b) at a different point. Further, the pouch can be located at different positions in the bed by fastening any one of the three different VelcroTM halves (15) to the complementary Velcro

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M strip half (17a).

As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, complementary VelcroTM strip halves (14a) and (14b) allow for adjustment of the size of the pouch. The pouch is formed by folding in the S general region of the line-A-A and overlapping and engaging the complementary VelcroTM strip halves with each other. The overall length of the pouch can be varied by overlapping the VelcroTM strip halves by different amounts.

As can be seen in Fig. 6, the pouch can be positioned further down in the bed to accommodate an infant of a larger size. In this case, the pouch (13) is attached by connecting the outermost VelcroTM half (15) with complementary VelcroTM half In addition, the pouch (13) is increased in length by fastening the VelcroTM half (14) at a different position. The infant's head (shown by the remains clear of the top of the bed cover (16).

The bedding assembly illustrated in Fig. 7 is very similar to that of Fig. 1 and corresponding components will be referenced by the same numbers except where differences occur differs from that of Fig. 1 in the manner of attachment of the pouch (13) to the mattress-covering In this case, two VelcroTM strips halves (21) oriented lengthways on the pouch as shown in dashed lines in Fig. 8 and positioned to engage with the strip halves (19) on the fitted sheet which are also oriented lengthwise as more clearly shown in Fig. 9.

In the pouch shown in Fig. 11, complementary male and female zips halves (22) of known type are located at each side of the pouch (13) instead of the VelcroTM strip halves.

In the pouch of Fig. 12, four rows (23) of complementary press-studs of known type are used instead of VelcroM strip halves, the spacing between the press-studs being equal to allow adjustment in length by engaging the studs at different, chosen positions along the rows.

suitable for attachment to a mattress-covering (12) as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, these pouches (13) could alternatively be provided with VelcroTM strip halves in a similar fashion to that illustrated in Fig. 7, 8 and 9.

The pouch (40) shown in Fig. 13 is adapted for adjustment in width. Complementary VelcroTM strip halves (14a) and (14b', 14b", 14b'", together with complementary halves (14c) and (14d) allow for the adjustment of width. Velcro T M strips (15) on the underside of the pouch allow for attachment of the pouch to a suitable mattress-covering.

The pouch is formed by folding in the general region of the line A-A and overlapping and engaging the complementary VelcroTM strip halves with each other. The pouch is decreased in width by progressively fastening the Velcrom half (14a) to the inner complementary half either of the middle complementary halves (14b", 14b"') or the outermost complementary half The bottom of the pouch is sealed by fastening VelcroTM half (14c) with complementary half (14d). It should be noted that half (14d) is longer than half (14c) to allow for the width adjustment.

The pouch (50) shown in Fig. 14 is similar to the pouch (40) of Fig. 13 but is adapted for adjustment in both width and length. Adjustment in width is by the same means as pouch Adjustment in length is achieved by folding in the general region of B-B and by engaging VelcroTM strip half (14d) with one of its complementary strip halves (14c', 14c", 14c'") mounted on the underside of the unassembled pouch. Pouch length is decreased by progressively fastening strip half (14d) with the lower complementary half the middle complementary half (14c") or the uppermost complementary half It will be appreciated that the assembly is specifically designed to help parents ensure that their babies are sleeping in conditions as recommended by the National SIDS Council of Australia. The assembly has been designed to keep the infant's head exposed at all times and to prevent the infant from slipping under the covers whilst also encouraging the infant to sleep in the supine position. In line with the Council's recommendations, the assembly is intended for use without a pillow or similar device.

To provide further versatility, the pouch can be made in various sizes or proportions from small to accommodate premature infants up to large for older children.

Adjustment to the assembly can be made in three different manners; i) The pouch has different fastening points at which it can be attached to the mattresscovering which can be used to ensure that the infant and pouch are centred in the bed through different growth stages. The infant is thus kept away from the sides and ends of the bed.

ii) The pouch itself can be to adjusted suit the size of the infant, ensuring that the pouch fabric is kept away from the infant's head.

iii) The bed cover, being a blanket, duvet, quilt, or other suitable cover, can be fastened to the mattress-covering to ensure that it does not reach above the infant's upper chest.

9 When a baby is enclosed in the pouch and is placed in a supine position, the pouch will gently restrict the baby from moving to sleep on its side or front. The pouch also restricts the baby from moving towards the side of the bed and from moving further under the cover.

Various other modifications of the invention are contemplated which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, and which can be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Also, it should be noted that the term "comprising" (and variations thereof), as used in this specification, is not intended to be exhaustive and does not exclude other integers or features.

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Claims

2. A bedding assembly according to Claim 1 in which the pouch is sufficiently narrow or tight to limit movement of the infant from the supine position and, in particular, to restrict the infant from rolling or moving onto its side or stomach.
3. A bedding assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the pouch includes the oeoee use of releasable attachment means to allow for the said adjustment in size. :eee
4. A bedding assembly according to Claim 3 in which the attachment means are located at or near the head end of the pouch. A bedding assembly according to any preceding Claims and further including a bed cover having means for removable attachment to the mattress-covering at least at one point whereby, in use, the bed cover does not reach above the infant's head while the infant is Senclosed in the pouch.
6. A bedding assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the releasable attachment means of the bed cover are located at or near the foot end.
7. A method of controlling the position of an infant in a bed comprising: providing a mattress-covering, such as a fitted sheet, adapted to be removably attached to a mattress, and a pouch of suitable dimensions adapted to enclose an infant while leaving at least the infant's head exposed, the pouch having adjustment means to allow adjustment in size of the pouch in length and/or width and the pouch and mattress-covering having complementary attachment means arranged such that the pouch can be removably attached to the mattress-covering at any desired one of a plurality of predetermined attachment positions; fitting the mattress-covering to the mattress; locating and attaching the pouch at a desired position on the mattress-covering by engaging the complementary attachment means; and placing the infant in the pouch and adjusting the pouch for size in length and/or width so that the pouch is sufficiently narrow or tight to limit movement of the infant within the pouch to such an extent that movement from the supine position is prevented or at least significantly restricted thereby reducing the likelihood of the infant rolling or moving onto its side or stomach.
8. A method according to Claim 7, including the steps of: providing a bed cover, such as a blanket, having means for removable attachment to the mattress-covering at least at one point and a mattress-covering having attachment complementary to said attachment means on the bed cover; and locating the bed cover at a desired position on the mattress-covering and attaching them together by engaging the complementary attachment means so that, in use, the bed cover does not reach above the infant's head while the infant is enclosed in the pouch. 20 9. A bedding assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the *drawings. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. .25 Dated this 4 th day of February, 2004 LEON KINAL AND BETTY KINAL By their Patent Attorneys PIPERS