GB2200539A

GB2200539A - Drop sided cot

Info

Publication number: GB2200539A
Application number: GB08629368A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael William Lusty
Original assignee: Baveystock & Co Ltd A
Current assignee: Baveystock & Co Ltd A
Priority date: 1986-12-09
Filing date: 1986-12-09
Publication date: 1988-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2006-12-09
Also published as: GB8629368D0; GB2200539B

Abstract

A drop sided cot comprising four corner posts 10, 11 positioned substantially at the corners of a generally rectangular mattress support frame having two longitudinal side frame members 20, 21 and two lateral frame members 13, cot sides extending between said corner posts and extending upwardly from said mattress support frame, at least one of said sides 16 being a drop side which can be moved vertically downwardly from a raised position to a lowered position. interengaging means 23 on the drop side and adjacent frame member interengage as the drop side is moved upwardly into its raised position substantially to preclude movement of the lower part of the drop side towards and away from the asociated frame, member. <IMAGE>

Description

DROP SIDED COT The present invention relates to drop sided cots.

Traditionally such cots comprise four corner post positioned substantially at the corners of a generally rectangular mattress support frame having two longitudinal side frame members and two lateral end frame members. One or sometimes more of the sides are drop sides enabling one to gain easy access to the child in the cot. It has recently become a British Standards Institute requirement that, for the safety of the child, if one applies a force of 150N laterally outwardly of the drop side, a gap of no more than 25mm should appear between the bottom rail of the drop side and the adjacent frame member of the mattress support frame.

In order to ensure that this situation prevails along the whole length of the drop side, it is necessary to make the drop side of very robust material so that it cannot flex laterally. This adds significantly to the expense of the cot.

It is now proposed, according to the present invention, to provide a drop sided cot comprising four corner post positioned substantially at the corners of a generally rectangular mattress support frame having two longitudinal side frame members and two lateral end frame members, cot sides extending between said corner posts and extending upwardly from said mattress support frame, at least one of said sides being a drop side which can be moved vertically downwardly from a raised position to a lowered position, and interengaging means on said at least one drop side and the adjacent frame member, said means interengaging as the drop side is moved upwardly into its raised position, substantially to preclude movement of the lower part of the drop side towards and away from its associated member.

With such a construction, the interengaging means interengage with one another as the drop side is moved to its raised position, the interengagement ensuring that the lower part of the drop side cannot move laterally outwardly from the bottom rail of the mattress support. The tolerancing and initial dimensioning can be so chosen that the gap between the lower part of the drop side and the adjacent mattress support frame member can be significantly less than 25mm thereby reducing the possibility of a child's fingers becoming caught.

The interengaging means can take many forms. For example theyXcan comprise at least one L-shaped bracket having a horizontal arm attached to the lower edge of the drop side and an upwardly extending substantially vertical arm spaced from the inner face of the drop side by the width of the associated frame member, so that the latter is snugly accommodated between the substantially vertical arm and the inner face of the drop side.

Additionally, or alternatively, the drop side can include upper and lower horizontal rails and spaced vertical bars and interengaging means can comprise at least one L-shaped bracket having a horizontal arm attached to the upper surface of the associated frame member and a downwardly extending substantially vertical arm spaced from the outer face of said frame member by the width of the lower rail, so that the latter is snugly accommodated between the substantially vertical arm and the outer face of the frame member.

A further possibility is that the interengaging means should comprise a channel section member having a web and two upstanding flanges, one flange being secured to the inner face of the lower part of the.drop side, the width of the channel being substantially equal to the width of the associated frame member whereby the latter is accommodated in the channel when the drop side is raised to its upper position.

Similarly, again with the drop side including upper and lower horizontal rails and spaced vertical bars, the interengaging means may comprise at least one inverted channel section member having a web and two downwardly extending flanges, one flange being secured to the outer face of the associated frame member and the width of the channel being substantially equal to the width of the bottom rail whereby the latter is accommodated snugly within the channel.

A further possibility is that they should comprise a L-shaped pin, such as a cup hook, threaded into the inner face of the lower part of the drop side and a co-operating aperture in the associated frame member into which the upstanding arm of said pin is engaged.

In order that the present invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of drop sided cot according to the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing the bottom rail of the drop side, the adjacent frame member and interengaging means of the construction of Figure 1; and Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure 2 of three further arrangements of interengaging means.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings there is illustrated a drop sided cot in which are shown two of the four upstanding corner posts 10, 11, and upper and lower rails 12 and 13 of the fixed shorter cot side. Also shown in section are the upper and lower rails 14 and 15 of a longer fixed cot side and extending between these rails are shown the conventional vertical bars I of the cot sides.

On the left of Figure 1 there is shown a drop side indicated by the reference numeral 16 having upper and lower rails 17, 18 and vertical bars 19.

A mattress frame is shown as having a front frame member 20 and a rear frame member 21, the latter being secured by a hinge 22 to the vertical corner post 10. The construction so far described is entirely conventional, with the drop side being guided for vertical sliding movement by rods (not shown).

According to the present invention, interengaging means indicated by the general reference numeral 23 are provided to be associated with the bottom rail 18 of the drop side and the adjacent frame member 20 of the mattress support frame. This construction is shown in more detail as being an L-shaped bracket having a horizontal arm 24 and a substantially vertical arm 25, the horizontal arm being secured to the bottom rail 18 by a screw 26. It will be appreciated that as the drop side is lifted to its raised position, the outer surface (with respect to the cot) of the vertical arm 25 slides into abutting engagement with the adjacent inner surface 28 of the frame member 20. With the frame member 20 fitting snugly between the upstanding arm 25 and the rail 18 it will be substantially impossible to move the drop side outwardly significantly.

Figure 3 shows a similar, but modified construction. Here the L-shaped bracket has a horizontal arm 29 secured by a screw 30 to the frame member 20 and a vertical arm 31 engagable with the outer surface of the bottom rail 18 of the drop side.

Figure 4 shows a further interengaging element which comprises a channel section member having a web 32 and two upstanding flanges 33 and 35, the flange 33 being secured by a screw 34 to the bottom rail 18, the width of the flange being slightly larger than the width of the frame member 20 so that the latter can fit snugly therein. The channel member could, in an alternative arrangement, be secured to the frame member 20 in an inverted state and accommodate the bottom rail 18.

Figure 5 shows an even simpler construction in which the frame member 20 has had cut out a groove 36 and a bore 37 so as to accommodate a simple cup hook 38 screwed into the bottom rail 18 and having an arm 39 extending into the groove and a vertical arm 40 engagable in the aperture or bore 37.

All of these constructions prevent the bottom rail of the drop side from moving laterally outwardly relative to the adjacent frame member 20.

Claims

1. A drop sided cot comprising four corner post positioned substantially at the corners of a generally rectangular mattress support frame having two longitudinal side frame members and two lateral end frame members, cot sides extending between said cornet posts and extending upwardly from said mattress support frame, at least one of said sides being a drop side which can be moved vertically downwardly from a raised position to a lowered position, and interengaging means on said at least one drop side and the adjacent frame member, said means interengaging as the drop side is moved upwardly into its raised position, substantially to preclude movement of the lower part of the drop side towards and away from its associated member.

2. A cot according to claim 1, wherein said interengaging elements comprise at least one L-shaped bracket having a horizontal arm attached to the lower edge of the drop side and an upwardly extending substantially vertical arm spaced from the inner face of the drop side by the width of the associated frame member, so that the latter is snugly accommodated between the substantially vertical arm and the inner face of the drop side.

3. A cot acccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drop side includes upper and lower horizontal rails and spaced vertical bars and wherein said interengaging means includes at least one L-shaped bracket having a horizontal arm attached to the upper surface of the associated frame member and a downwardly extending substantially vertical arm spaced from the outer face of said frame member by the width of the lower rail, so that the latter is snugly accommodated between the substantially vertical arm and the outer face of the frame member.

4. A cot according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said interengaging means comprise a channel section member having a web and two upstanding flanges, one flange being secured to the inner face of the lower part of the drop side, the width of the channel being substantially equal to the width of the associated frame member whereby the latter is accommodated in the channel when the drop side is raised to its upper position.

5. A cot according to any preceding claim, wherein the drop side includes upper and lower horizontal rails and spaced vertical bars and wherein said interengaging means comprise at least one inverted channel section member having a web and two downwardly extending flanges, one flange being secured to the outer face of the associated frame member and the width of the channel being substantially equal to the width of the bottom rail whereby the latter is accommodated snugly within the channel.

6. A cot according to any preceding claim, wherein said interengaging means includes a L-shaped pin, such as a cup hook, threaded into the inner face of the lower part of the drop side and a co-operating aperture in the associated frame member into which the upstanding arm of said pin is engaged.

7. A drop sided cot substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A drop sided cot according to claim 7, modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 3, Figure 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.