GB2336323A

GB2336323A - Stimulation of babies

Info

Publication number: GB2336323A
Application number: GB9807953A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Diana Hall; Susan Harris
Original assignee: James Galt and Co Ltd
Current assignee: James Galt and Co Ltd
Priority date: 1998-04-16
Filing date: 1998-04-16
Publication date: 1999-10-20
Also published as: GB9807953D0

Abstract

A stimulation device 2 comprises a rubber sucker 4 from which a bendable stem 6 extends. A flower head 8 is secured to an end of the stem 6 and butterfly objects 10 are suspended from the flower head. The sucker 4 releasably secures the device to a side window 12 of a vehicle. The stem 6 may then be bent into a position so as to maximise the visual stimulation of a baby seated close to the device. The stem may be of a material that will enable it to remain in the configuration that it is bent into, and will remain in other configurations.

Description

STIMULATION W BABIES 2336323 This invention relates to the stimulation of

babies and particularly, although not exclusively, relates to the visual stimulation of babies.

Numerous devices and apparatus are known for stimulating babies. One known means comprises so-called "mobiles" which may be provided in various forms. For example, a decorative mobile for a nursery may comprise an X-shaped frame which is suspended from a ceiling, suitably above a cot of a baby, so that the plane of the "X" is substantially horizontal. Toys or pictures are suspended from the frame and are intended to provide visual interest for the baby.

Another known mobile comprises a hard plastics framework having a clip at one end for releasably securing the mobile to a wall of a cot and, at its other end, the framework defines a suspension point from which is suspended a motor assembly which is arranged to rotate an X-shaped horizontally arranged frame from which toys are suspended.

Disadvantageously, both of the mobiles are arranged to be positioned relatively high above a baby and, since in early months, a baby can see objects best at a range of 20 to 30 cm, the mobiles provide minimum stimulation. Additionally, the mobiles described can only be arranged in certain positions since they must either be suspended from a ceiling or from a structure which is of a suitable shape to cooperate with the clip provided. Furthermore, it would not be safe to use the mobiles in a car (or other vehicle) since, in the event of an accident or if for any other reason the mobiles became detached from their point of securement, they could act as dangerous projectiles.

Stimulation means for cars are known. For example Applicant's U.K. Patent Application No GB 95 21770.9 describes a plaything f or use in a car. However, the plaything described needs to be secured to a vehicle seat and, in view of this, may lack versatility and may not be positionable at the optimum position to stimulate a baby.

It is an object of the present invention to address problems associated with the stimulation of babies.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a stimulation device for a baby comprising a suction means for releasably securing the device to a surface and a support means extending away from the suction means and being movable between first and second configurations in which configurations the device is arranged to be maintained.

The device is preferably arranged to be maintained in said configurations due to the inherent properties of the support means. Thus, the device suitably does not require the use of a body or other component (eg a tether) which is not an integral part of said device to maintain it in position. Preferably, therefore, said device incorporates means for maintaining said support means in said first or second configuration.

Preferably, the device is arranged to be maintained in configurations selectable by an operator - that is, the configurations are not predetermined. Furthermore, said device is preferably arranged to be maintained in a plurality of configurations between said first and second - 3 conf igurations. Said device is pref erably conf igurable in a multiplicity of configurations.

Said support means preferably includes a support member which is preferably self-supporting. Said support member is, however, preferably deformable and arranged to be moved between and maintained in first and second configurations in order to maintain said device in said first and second configurations. Said support member is preferably not resilient.

Said support member is preferably elongate. it preferably has a length which is greater than ten times, more preferably greater than fifteen times, especially greater than twenty times its diameter. Said support member is preferably made substantially of metal. It is preferably a length of wire.

Said support means preferably includes a soft and/or deformable and/or resilient and/or compressible outer region. Said outer region preferably covers and, more preferably, encloses said support member. Said outer region is preferably made out of a foamed material which suitably has a cellular structure which cells define air pockets. Said outer region is preferably made out of a flexible plastics material or rubber.

Said outer region may include a cover means which may comprise a fabric. Said cover means preferably includes a design or other elements for visually stimulating a baby.

Said support means is preferably secured to the suction means, preferably substantially permanently, so that the support means and suction means cannot readily be detached by a baby. Preferably, a force of greater than 50, more preferably 60 Newtons is required to pull the support means away from said suction means. Preferably, said support means defines a male or female element which cooperates with the other one of a male or female element provided by said suction means. Preferably, securement means is provided for securing the male and female elements together. Said securement means preferably mechanically secures said elements together.

Preferably, said support means defines said male element and said suction means defines said female element. In one preferred embodiment wherein said support means includes an elongate support member as described above, a part of said support member extends within an opening in said suction means in which it is secured, suitably by deforming a part of said support member. In another preferred embodiment an end region of said support means may be in a compressed state when engaged in a female element of said suction means, suitably so that said support means and suction means are fixed together, at least in part by a compressive force exerted by said support means on said suction means. A mechanical fixing means, for example an annular band, may be arranged to apply a further compressive force for securing the suction means and support means together.

Said support means preferably includes a structure at or towards one end which structure extends traversely to the elongate extent of said support means. Said structure is preferably bulbous. It suitably has a diameter which is at least four times, preferably at least eight times, more preferably at least ten times, the diameter of the support means.

Said structure preferably is substantially soft and/or deformable and/or resilient and/or compressible. It may incorporate a padded region. It preferably includes a self-supporting element arranged to maintain the shape of the structure. It is preferably brightly coloured and visually stimulating.

Said structure may be movable, for example pivotable relative to said support means.

Said structure preferably supports one or more movable members. Said member(s) is/are preferably suspended from said structure, suitably by a length of flexible, preferably non-self -supporting, material, for example cord (or the like). Said members are preferably soft and/or deformable and/or resilient and/or compressible.

Said support means can preferably be folded so that first and second parts thereof lie substantially parallel to one another.

Said support means may have a length of at least 10cm, suitably at least 15cm, preferably at least 20cm, more preferably at least 25cm, especially at least 30cm. Said length may be less than 60cm, suitably less than 55cm, preferably less than 50cm, more preferably less than 45cm, especially less than 40cm.

Said support means suitably has a diameter (preferably along the majority of its length) of at least 5mm, preferably at least 1Omm, more preferably at least 15mm, especially at least 20mm. Said diameter is suitably less than 60mm, preferably less than 50mm, more preferably 35 less than 40mm, especially less than 30mm.

6 - Where the device includes a support member as described, said member may have a diameter of lmm or more, suitably 2mm or more. Said diameter is suitably less than 1Omm, preferably less than Smm, more preferably less than 4mm, especially less than 3mm.

Said device may have a weight of at least 50g, suitably at least 75g, preferably at least 100g.Said weight is suitably less than 250g, preferably less then 200g, more preferably less than 175g, especially less than 150g.

Said suction means preferably comprises a flexible suction member which is arranged to be urged against a surface to thereby become secured to the surface by a suction force. Said suction means is substantially circular preferably in front view and preferably includes a part-spherical wall. It suitably has a diameter of at least 40mm, preferably at least SOmm, more preferably at least 60mm, especially at least 70mm. The diameter is preferably less than 150mm, more preferably less than 10Omm. In a preferred embodiment, the diameter is about 8Omm.

Said device preferably includes no pivotable and/or rotatable and/or hinged parts.

Said device may be secured to any flat, smooth surface. It is preferably arranged to be secured to an upright surface. Such a surface may define an angle of less than 600, preferably less than 45', more preferably less than 30' especially less than 150 to the vertical.

Said device is preferably arranged to be secured to a substantially vertically arranged surface.

- 7 According to a second aspect, there is provided a stimulation device for a baby comprising a suction means for releasably securing the device to a surface and a support means extending away from the suction means.

The invention extends to a method of securing a stimulation device as described according to said first or said second aspect to a surface, comprising urging said suction means of the device against the surface to create 10 a suction force which retains the device in position.

The invention extends to an assembly comprising a stimulation device as described secured to a surface. The surface may be a part of a vehicle, for example a window 15 thereof.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembly comprising a stimulation device secured to a vehicle window; Figure 2 is an exploded view, in cross-section, of part of a support structure and a sucker of the stimulation device; Figure 3 is a cross-section through a part of an 30 alternative support structure of a stimulation device; Figure 4 is a side view of a part of another alternative support structure of a stimulation device; 8 Figure 5 is a side view of the part of f igure 4 rotated through an angle of 90' about its elongate axis; and Figure 6 is cross-section of a part of a further support structure and sucker arrangement.

In the figures, the same or similar parts are annotated with the same reference numerals.

The stimulation device 2 of figure 1 comprises a rubber sucker 4 from which a bendable stem 6 extends. A f lower head 8 is secured to an end of the stem 6 and butterfly objects 10 are suspended from the flower head. The sucker 4 releasably secures the device to a side window 12 of a vehicle. The stem 6 may then be bent into a position so as to maximise the visual stimulation of a baby seated close to the device.

The device 2 is described in greater detail below.

Referring to figure 2, the sucker 4 is flexible and suitably made out of rubber. It has a suction head 20 having a diameter of 8Omm which is arranged so that when urged against a flat surface air is forced out of the head thereby to cause a partial vacuum in the head which is sufficient to retain the device 2 in position. Inwardly of the head 20, the sucker 4 defines a frusto-conical collar 22 which substantially corresponds in shape to that of an end 24 of a support structure 16. A wall 26, having an opening 28 therein, is defined between head 20 and collar 22.

The support structure 16 comprises a flexible wire 30 having a diameter of 2mm. The wire defines a T-shape by suitable bending, with points 32 of the "T" being defined by wire which is bent back on itself so that the points are rounded rather than sharp.

The wire is enclosed by a closed-cell lightweight (i.e. low density) selfskinning foamed rubber (or by another suitable plastic material) cover 23. At end 24 the rubber is stepped inwardly for engagement in conical collar 22 as described above.

Prior to assembly, a short length 34 of wire 30 protrudes beyond end 24 and is arranged so that when the end 24 is engaged within collar 22, the wire extends through opening 28. The sucker and support structure 16 is may then be secured together by suitable means. For example, the end 34 may be engaged within a washer 38 and then fixed mechanically in position, by swaging over the end of the wire.

It should be appreciated that the sucker and support structure are secured togethe so that they cannot easily be pulled apart and, furthermore, there are no sharp parts which could be accessed by a baby playing with the device.

The support structure 16 is suitably provided with a decorative fabric cover which fits over the structure 16 and is wedged at one end between structure 16 and collar 22 of sucker 4. The cover comprises the flower head 8 as an integral part thereof. The head comprises a plastic sheet material which provides a support for padding which defines the shape of the head.

The head 8 may be arranged to pivot slightly relative to the stem from which it extends.

- 10 The flower head 6 supports butterfly objects 10 which are suspended by means of lengths of cord (or the like) of 10 to 15cm. The f lower head includes a mirror on its underside and the butterflies include high contrast stripes and dots for visually stimulating a baby.

whilst the dimensions of the device 2 can be varied, the dimensions shown in figure 2 are as follows: x 340mm; y = 25mm, z = 290mm; and q = 1Omm.

The alternative support structure 50 shown in figure 3 is similar to the support structure 16 of figure 1; however, it has a spherical end 52 and wire 54 is turned back on itself adjacent end 52 so that end 56 of the wire is not sharp. The structure 50 may cooperate with a flower head 8 (or the like) as shown in figure 1.

The support structure 60, shown in figures 4 and 5, is similar to structures 16, 50, except that end 62 is "spoon-shaped". This may aid securement and/or orientation of the end relative to a flower head 8 (or the like).

The device 2 may have a weight of about 145g.

An alternative arrangement for securing a sucker 70 to a support structure 72 is shown in figure 6. Referring to the figure, sucker 70 includes a 74 having three annular spaced apart lips 76 which define two adjacent annular grooves 78,80. The support structure 72 comprises aluminium stiffening rod 82 and a foamed rubber cover 23.

The diameter of structure 72 is larger than the internal diameter of the boss. The assemble the arrangement, the end of structure 72 is manually compressed and inserted into the boss 70. Thereafter, it relaxes and is thereby retained in the boss by a compression force. A cable tie 90 (or other means) may then be engaged with groove 78 and tightened, to secure the structure 72 in position. The fabric cover may be slid over the boss 70 and an elasticated end thereof allowed to become seated within groove 80. In tests, it has been found that the force required to pull the support structure 72 away from sucker 70 is greater than 60 Newtons.

The stimulation device 2 can be secured to a window of a vehicle or another generally flat surface, for example a mirror or a wall. The stem 6 can then be bent into a position so that flower 8 is close to a baby. For babies of age up to about 4 months it is suitably positioned to within 20-30cm of the baby's eyes so that the baby can see the bright colours of the device. At 4-6 months, it may be positioned 40- 50cm away from the eyes. It will be appreciated that the support structure 16 is such that the stem 6 remains in any configuration into which it is bent. Thus, th e structure 16 is suitably deformable but not substantially resilient.

1 The device 2 is particularly useful as a means for stimulating a baby in a car, since its lightweight soft construction is such that, even if it becomes disengaged from a vehicle's window, it is unlikely to be projected with any considerable force or cause any injury if it hits the baby. Whilst it is secured in position, the movement of the vehicle causes movement of objects 10.

Additionally, the device is readily portable by simply bending the stem 16 in half to provide a reasonably compact arrangement. Thus, the device does not need to be disassembled and subsequently reassembled.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are f iled concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of-the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

1 The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

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Claims

1. A stimulation device for a baby comprising a suction means for releasably securing the device to a surface and a support means extending away from the suction means and being movable between first and second configurations in which configurations the device is arranged to be maintained.

2. A device according to Claim 1, which is arranged to be maintained in said configurations due to the inherent properties of the support means.

3. A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, which is arranged to be maintained in a plurality of configurations between said first and second configurations.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means includes a support member which is self-supporting.

5. A device according to Claim 4, wherein said support member is deformable and arranged to be moved between and maintained in first and second configurations in order to maintain said device in said first and second configurations.

6. A device according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein said support member is elongate and has a length which is 30 greater than ten times its diameter.

7. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means includes a soft and/or deformable and/or resilient and/or compressible outer region.

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8. A device according to Claim 7, when dependent upon any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein said outer region covers said support member.

r is

9. A device according to Claim 8, wherein said outer region is made out of a foamed material.

10. A device according to Claim 8 or Cl-aim 9, wherein said outer region is made out of a flexible plastics material or rubber.

11. A device according to any of Claims 7 to 10, wherein said outer region includes a cover means which comprises a fabric.

12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means is substantially permanently secured to said suction means.

13. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein a force of greater than 50 Newtons is required to pull the support means away from said suction means.

14. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means defines a male or female element which co-operates with the other one of a male or female element provided by said suction means.

15. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means includes an elongate support member a part of which extends within an opening in said suction means in which it is secured.

16. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means includes a structure at or towards one is - end, which structure extends transversely to the elongate extent of the said support means.

17. A device according to Claim 16, wherein said structure has a diameter which is at least four times the diameter of the support means.

18. A device according to Claim 16 or Claim 17, wherein said structure is substantially soft and/or deformable and/or resilient and/or compressible.

19. A device according to any of Claims 16 to 18, wherein said structure is movable relative to said support means.

20. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means is arranged to be folded so that first and second parts thereof lie substantially parallel to one another.

21. A device according to any preceding claims, wherein said support means has a length of at least 10cm and a diameter of at least Smm.

22. A stimulation device for a baby comprising a suction means for releasably securing the device to a surface and a support means extending away from the suction means.

23. A method of securing a stimulation device according to any of Claims 1 to 22 to a surface, comprising urging said suction means of the device against the surface to create a suction force which retains the device in position.

24. An assembly comprising a stimulation device according to any of Claims 1 to 22, secured to a surface.

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25. An assembly according to Claim 24, wherein the surface is a part of a vehicle.

26. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

27. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

28. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.