GB2192340A - Collapsible cot - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible cot comprising a single sheet of board which is folded to an erect form in which it defines a base panel (2), two side panels (3,4) and two end panels (5, 8, 9; 6, 7, 10). Each end panel is secured by flaps of board (12, 13) which engage in slots (11) and are locked in engagement by further flap(s) of board (14) so as to resist any force tending to move the side panels apart. Carrying handles may be provided in the form of straps which extend through holes (18) in the side panels and beneath the interior of the cot. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A collapsible cot The present invention restates to a collapsible cot.

It is conventional practice to provide small cots for babies and young children which can be easily transported. For example carry cotes are used which can be mounted on a pram frame, placed on the back seat of the car dr simply placed on the floor.

Cots of this type take up a considerable amount of space and it would be highly advantageous if they could be collapsed forstorageEand transport. It is known to provide collapsible cots in-the form of a tubular steel frame with a suspended fabric body but these cannot be used for transport purposes as the occupant would be exposed to injury if the soft fabric body was swung into contact with a hard obstruction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible cot which can be used for transporting a baby or child.

According to the present invention there is provided a collapsible cot comprising a single sheet of board which is foldable to an erect form in which it defines a base panel, two side panels, and two end panels, each end panel being secured to the adjacent ends of the side panels by flaps of board which engage in slots and are locked in engagement by a further flap of board so as to resist any force tending to move the side panels apart.

Preferably relatively short intermediate corner panels are defined between adjacent side and end panels to provide on eight-side outline in lan.

Each end panel may be defined by a pair of side panel end flaps and a base panel end flap, one of each pair of side panel end flaps defining a slot into which a folded tongue defined by the other side panel end flap may be inserted. After insertion, the tongue may be unfolded to prevent its removal from the slot and locked in its unfolded form by the base panel-end flap.

The top edge of the side and end panels is preferably folded over to improve rigidity and to provide a fold into which the base panel end flap can be pushed.

Preferably a reinforcing panel is provided which extends internally across the base panel and up each side panel.

Carrying handles may be provided in the form of straps which extend through holes in the side panels and any reinforcing panel and beneath the interior of the cot.

Preferably a fabric liner is provided, the fabric liner having an elasticated edge which can be pulled over the rim of the cot.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. lisa plan view of a blank from which a collapsible cot in accordance with the present invention may be formed; Figs. 2 to 9 illustrate the way in which the blank illustrated in Fig. 1 can be erected to form an assembled cot; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a cot assembled from the blank of Fig. 1 by following the various steps illustrated in Figs. 2 to 9; and Fig. 11 illustrates, a portion of the cot of Fig. 10 after an elasticated lining has been snapped over the cot rim.

Referring to Fig. 1, fhe illustrated blank is made from corrugated board formed from a plastics material which is waterproof. The structure of such -a board material is essentially the same as conventional cardboard but instead of being fabricated from paper materials which are weakened when wet the various components of the corrugated board are formed from plastics sheet.

The illustrated blank is formed from a single sheet of material the cut perimeter of which is indicated by the peripheral line 1. All the lines shown in the drawing within the perimeter 1 are fold lines along which various panels of the blank may be folded relative to each other. The fold lines define a base panel 2, side panels 3 and 4, base panel end flaps 5 and 6 and side panel end flaps 7,8,9 and 10. The side panel end flaps 7 and 9 have slots 11 cut out from them and the side panel end flaps 8 and 10 comprise tongues 12 and 13 with end sections 14 that may be extended as shown in Fig. 1 or folded flat over the central portion of the tongue.

In order to assemble a cot from the blank illustrated in Fig. 1, rim portions 15 and 16 which are attached to the side panels and to the end flaps and are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are double folded so as to define the rim as shown in Fig. 3. The base panel end flaps are then folded inwards so as to overlie the base panel 2 and the side end flaps are then pulled towards each other at the same time as the side panels 3 and 4 are folded upwards through 90" so that the ends of the structure have the appearance shown in Fig. 4. The portions 14 of the tongue 12 are then folded inwards as shown in Fig. 5 and the folded tongue is inserted through the slot 11 to assume the position as shown in Fig. 6. The folded tongue is then opened out so that the portions 14 prevent the tongue from being pulled out of the slot 11.The outside end of the cot then has the appearance as shown in Fig. 7. The final assembly step is achieved by folding the base panel end flaps 5 and 6 outwards and over the rim of the end of the cot. The ends of the base panel end flaps are then tucked under the cot rim so as to effectively lock the tongue portions 14 in an orientation in which they cannot be folded down to enable the tongue 12 to escape from the slot 11.

The structure which results from the erection process as described above is extremely robust and gives good protection to any child placed within it.

The structure may be strengthened by for example inserting a reinforcing panel the general shape of which is indicated by dotted line 17 in Fig. 1 which is simply folded up with the base panel 2 and side panels 3 and 4. By arranging for the corrugations in the reinforcing panel to run perpendicular to those in the base and side panels a very considerable increase in strength is obtained at very little cost.

In order to enable the cot to be picked up easily, suitalSslë handles can be secured by for example rivets to the side panels. It is preferable however to provide carrying straps which extend through the series of slots 18 as shown in Fig. 1. The straps extend from looped upper portions which may be gripped easily by the hand down the outside of the cot rim, through into the cot interior via the upper slot in the side panel, out to the exterior of the cot again through the lower slot in the side panel, underneath the corner defined between the side panel and the base panel, back into the interior of the cot through the first slot in the base panel, out to the exterior of the cot through the second slot in the base panel, and then in and out through the two slots in the other side panels.This means that the strap effectively forms a sling around the cot and beneath any child occupying the cot. One side of one such strap 19 is illustrated in Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 also shows a loose fabric liner 20 which is shaped to fit the interior of the cot which has an elasticated open top 21. This open top may be snapped over the cot rim as shown in Fig. 11 and no other fixing device is required to maintain the lining in position. The lining may be easily removed for washing.

As shown in Fig. 10, an additional plastic handle 22 could be provided on each side panel of the cot to provide a temporary carrying mechanism.

The mechanism for securing the cot in its erect form avoids the need for any catches or hooks secured to the body of the cot and uses the inherent strength of the material from which the cot is assembled to resist any forces which might tend to pull the side panels apart. It also makes it possible to fabricate the cot relatively cheaply. It is virtually impossible for the cot to come apart unexpectedly, particularly when the cot is supported by the slinglike handles.

The cot in its erect form could have a simple rectangular section in plan but the illustrated eight sided formation is visually more appealing and can be achieved without any loss of dimensional stability.

Claims (9)

1. A collapsible cot comprising a single sheet of board which is foldable to an erect form in which it defines a base panel, two side panels, and two end panels, each end panel being secured to the adjacent ends of the side panels by flaps of board which engage in slots and are locked in engagement by a further flap of board so as to resist any force tending to move the side panels apart.

2. A collapsible cot according to claim 1, comprising relatively short intermediate corner panels defined between adjacent side and end panels to provide an eight-side outline in plan.

3. A collapsible cot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each end panel is defined by a pair of side panel end flaps and a base panel end flap, one of each pair of side panel end flaps defining a slot into which a folded tongue defined by the other side panel end flap may be inserted.

4. A collapsible cot according to claim 3, wherein the tongue is arranged to be unfolded to prevent its removal from the slot and to be locked in its unfolded form by the base panel end flap.

5. A collapsible cot according to any preceding claim, wherein the top edge of the side and end panels may be folded over to improve rigidity and to provide a fold into which the base panel end flap can be pushed.

6. A collapsible cot according to any preceding claim, comprising a reinforcing panel which may be positioned to extend internally across the base panel and up each side panel.

7. A collapsible cot according to any preceding claim, comprising carrying handles in the form of straps which extend through holes in the side panels and beneath the interior of the cot.

8. A collapsible cot according to any preceding claim, comprising a fabric liner having an elasticated edge which can be pulled over the rim of the cot.

9. A collapsible cot substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.