GB2133976A

GB2133976A - Cot for attachment to a bed

Info

Publication number: GB2133976A
Application number: GB08300864A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald Hugh Garrow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-01-13
Filing date: 1983-01-13
Publication date: 1984-08-08
Also published as: GB8300864D0

Abstract

A cot, for attachment removably to a side runner of a bed structure to facilitate handling of an infant by its mother lying in the bed, has a frame portion 1 with a bracket 6, 7 for engaging the side runner, a horizontal support 10, 11, 12, 13 and a boundary rail 16a, 16c above the support but not extending across the side adjacent the bed, a liner 17 being seated removably on the support and rail, the liner being open at the side adjacent the bed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cot for attachment to a bed This invention relates to a cot intended primarily to receive a newly born infant whilst the mother is confined to bed.

During the immediate post-natal period when amother may be confined to a bed, such as a hospital bed, for at least part of the day as well as at night-time, it is desirable for her to have easy and immediate access to the infant but without imposing strain such as might result from long periods of holding the infant, and without encumbrance of the bed clothing and any risk of the infant falling from the bed.

It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide an improved form of cot constructed to be attachable, easily and releasably, to a conventional bed in such a manner that an infant in the cot is at all times very readily accessible to the mother lying in the bed, in a convenient position at the side of the bed, whilst nevertheless being safely supported without encumbrance to the bedclothes or to its occupant.

According to the present invention a cot, for attachment to a longitudinal side runner of a bed structure, comprises a frame portion including (i) a bracket constructed to engage with the bed side member and to project therefrom as a cantilever, (ii) a support carried by or incorporating the bracket and which is substantially horizontal (when in use), and (iii) an enclosure above the support and providing a boundary about the support with the exception of an opening directed towards the bed on which the bracket is engaged when in use, and a liner for seating removably on the support and including a wrapper wall having an opening corresponding to the opening of the enclosure.

With such a construction, the attachable cot may be positioned on, and engaged with, a side runner of the bed such that the bracket extends laterally from the bed and the openings of the enclosure and of the liner are both directed inwardly towards the bed and preferably with substantially no gap formed between the side of the bed and the adjacent side of the cot. An infant can thus be placed in the liner, with clothing and cot linen, etc. and is then safely supported against falling out whilst nevertheless being immediately and readily accessible, to the mother lying in bed, because of the openings directed towards the bed.

In a preferred construction, the support is itself a sub-frame which is carried on the bracket, and may be spaced upwardly from the bracket.

The enclosure may be a simple rail which runs about all of the cot structure, with the exception of the opening therein, at a level above that of the support, and in an advantageous construction, the enclosure rail is taken downwardly, at each side of the opening, to a level adjacent that of the support and then continues integrally across the cot structure below the front opening.

The bracket conveniently includes two similar "L" shaped bracket members each having a short arm and a longer arm arranged at about 900, the shorter arm being used for providing means for attachment to the side member of the bed, and the longer arm being disposed beneath the support portion of the cot structure.

Means for attachment of the bracket to the bed side member may be spaced surfaces bounding a gap which can receive the polygonal cross section of the bed side member with a small clearance. Where the bed side member is circular in section or is otherwise unsuitable for simple engagement into a slot of the bracket, any other simple attachment means may be used, including a separable securing element which can itself be mounted firmly, but removably, on the bed side member and which has means, such as tenons, slots, apertures or other keying formations which will permit the bracket to be engaged with and disengaged from the securing element by preferably simple lifting and lowering movements.

The liner preferably has a base and side wall without discontinuities, but one or both may likewise be of perforated or grid-like nature, with apertures of a suitably small size adapted to retain the contents of the liner in safety.

In a preferred form, the liner is so shaped and dimensioned in relation to the shape and dimensions of the internal surface of the frame portion, as to form a fit therein with only a small clearance laterally, such that the liner may be slid out forwardly, or lifted out vertically, but will otherwise be substantially immovably retained within the frame portion.

The frame portion, as a whole, may conveniently be constructed of metal tubing welded or brazed appropriately, and the liner may conveniently be a single-piece injection moulding or vacuum-formed moulding of a suitable substantially rigid washable plastics material.

In order that the nature of the invention may be readily ascertained, an embodiment of attachable cot in accordance therewith is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a frame portion of the cot; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the frame portion of the cot; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the frame portion of the cot; Fig. 4 is a perspective elevation of the frame portion and liner of the cot assembled together; Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a detail, to an enlarged scale, to show the manner of engagement of feet of the frame portion with a side rail of a bed.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the frame portion 1 of the cot comprises a bracket of generally "L" shape constituted by two similar "L" shaped structures having (when in use) a horizontal leg 4 and a vertical leg 5. As illustrated, these legs are or square section metal. At the forward end of each horizontal leg 4 there is a depending finger 6 spaced from another similar finger 7, the two fingers 6, 7 between them defining a gap 8 for a purpose to be explained later herein. The free end of the finger 6 is chamfered, as at 9, to provide a lead-in to the gap 8. A gusset 4a strengthens the joint between legs 4 and 5.

On the bracket there is mounted a support in the form of a substantially rectangular structure constituted by a rear cross-member 10, two side elements 11, 12, and a front cross-member 13 all in the same plane. The support is spaced above the plane of the horizontal arms of the bracket by two short upright lugs 14 at the front of the frame, and by two short upright lugs 1 5 at the rear of the frame. As illustrated, the rear cross member 10 is of square section metal, and the two side elements are of circular section metal.

The front cross-member 13 is formed by a portion of an enclosure rim 1 6 which, from the ends of the cross-member portion 13, is curved through 900 in a first vertical plane to pass upwardly at 1 6a, then curved again through 900 in another vertical plane to pass rearwardly at 1 6b, and then curved again through 900 in a horizontal plane to provide the rear portion 1 6c which is attached to the upper end of the two vertical legs 5.

Referring to Fig. 4, the frame portion 1 serves to receive and carry, in horizontal position, a liner 1 7 having a base 18, a rear wall 19, and two side walls 20, 20, the rear wall 19 and the two side walls 20, 20 forming a wrapper surmounted by a rim flange 21. This construction without a front wall is thus wholly open at the front face for access to the interior of the liner and for ease of movement of the infant into and out of it.

The cot is intended primarily for simple attachment to a horizontal side runner of a conventional hospital bed. Referring to Fig. 5, there his shown such a side runner 22, seen in vertical cross-section. The runner 22 is received, with small clearance, in the gap 8 defined between the fingers 6 and 7 of the bracket, at each end of the bracket. Due to the rectangular cross-section of the runner 22 and the gap 8, the simple seating of the bracket onto the runner results in the cot as a whole being sustained firmly in the correct horizontal position.

Where the cot is to be used with a runner 22 of other cross-section, for example a round tube, the front end of each L-shaped portion of the bracket may be modified accordingly, e.g. with the addition of a simple integral or separate tightening device for clamping onto the runner.

The cot can thus receive an infant, plus its clothing blanket etc., in the liner 17, with the infant remaining immediately and directly accessible to the mother lying in the bed to which the frame is attached. The open front face of the liner is without any projection which might impede movement into and out of it, and there is no risk of catching up of clothing etc. on the liner.

The liner and contents can easily be lifted out and placed elsewhere when required, and the frame 1, or the entire cot consisting of frame 1 and liner 17 assembled together, can be readily lifted onto and off the runner 22 of the main bed frame.

The cot hEs the further advantage that it may also be supported, e.g. adjacent to a divan bed, on a simple stand, due to the flat underside presented by the two arms 4, 4 of the frame.

Claims (Filed on 12.1.84) 1. A cot, for attachment to a longitudinal side runner of a bed structure, comprising: (i) a frame portion including a bracket constructed to engage with the bed side member so as to project laterally therefrom as a cantilever, a support carried by or incorporating the bracket and which when in use is substantially horizontal, and an enclosure above the support and providing a boundary about the support with the exception of an opening towards the same side as the bracket, and (ii) a liner seated removably on the support within the enclosure and including a wrapper wall having an opening in the same direction as the opening of the enclosure.

2. A cot, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support is a sub-frame carried on the bracket.

3. A cot, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support is spaced upwardly from the bracket.

4. A cot, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the enclosure is a rail running about all of the cot structure with the exception of the opening of the enclosure.

5. A cot, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rail passes downwardly, at each side of the opening, to a level adjacent that of the support and passes across the cot structure below the opening of the enclosure.

6. A cot, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said bracket includes two laterally spaced similar "L" shaped bracket members each having a short arm and a longer arm arranged at 900, said short arm serving for attachment of the frame portion to the side runner and said longer arm lying beneath said support.

7. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein means for engagement with said side runner are spaced surfaces of the bracket bounding a gap to receive, with small clearance, a side runner of polygonal cross-section.

8. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said liner has a base and a side wall which merge without discontinuities.

9. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said liner is perforated or of gridlike nature.

10. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said liner is so shaped and dimensioned, in relation to the shape and dimensions of the internal surface of said frame portion, as to fit therein with only a small clearance laterally, such that the liner may be slid

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. structures having (when in use) a horizontal leg 4 and a vertical leg 5. As illustrated, these legs are or square section metal. At the forward end of each horizontal leg 4 there is a depending finger 6 spaced from another similar finger 7, the two fingers 6, 7 between them defining a gap 8 for a purpose to be explained later herein. The free end of the finger 6 is chamfered, as at 9, to provide a lead-in to the gap 8. A gusset 4a strengthens the joint between legs 4 and 5. On the bracket there is mounted a support in the form of a substantially rectangular structure constituted by a rear cross-member 10, two side elements 11, 12, and a front cross-member 13 all in the same plane. The support is spaced above the plane of the horizontal arms of the bracket by two short upright lugs 14 at the front of the frame, and by two short upright lugs 1 5 at the rear of the frame. As illustrated, the rear cross member 10 is of square section metal, and the two side elements are of circular section metal. The front cross-member 13 is formed by a portion of an enclosure rim 1 6 which, from the ends of the cross-member portion 13, is curved through 900 in a first vertical plane to pass upwardly at

1 6a, then curved again through 900 in another vertical plane to pass rearwardly at 1 6b, and then curved again through 900 in a horizontal plane to provide the rear portion 1 6c which is attached to the upper end of the two vertical legs 5.

out of said opening in the enclosure and may be lifted out vertically but is otherwise substantially immovably retained within said frame portion.

11. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame portion is constructed of metal tubing.

12. A cot, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said liner is a singlepiece moulding of a substantially rigid plastics material.

13. A cot, for attachment to a longitudinal side runner of a bed structure, substantially as described herein with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawing.