GB2568969A - A configurable sleeping system - Google Patents

Abstract

The sleeping system has a framework of multi-part end rails 3, 5, interchangeable side rails 15, a multi-part base 19, releasably securable connectors and a conversion kit. The conversion kit has an alternative, third end rail 25 and a base extension 27 having a platform 29. When the conversion kit is in use, the platform 29 extends beyond the side rails 15 and beyond the third end rail 25. The base extension may have an outer barrier 31, which may extend along the outer edge and side edges of the platform to meet with side rails 15. The conversion kit may also include side rails having a chamfered upper, outer edge. The platform may have a fabric barrier with a reticulated portion. Each end rail have ground engaging feet. The sleeping system can be reconfigured between a co-sleeper, a bassinet, a cot and a bed to be used by a new-born up to the time that they are several years old.

Description

This invention relates to a configurable sleeping system. More specifically, this invention relates to a configurable sleeping system that comprehensively addresses a child’s sleeping requirements from the time that they are a new-born up to the time that they are several years old.

A child’s sleeping requirements change depending on their age and size. Generally speaking, a newborn baby would typically be placed in a Moses basket or bassinet for the first few months of life. During this stage of development, it is desirable to have the baby close to the mother as the baby sleeps. Often, the baby will be kept in the Moses basket or bassinet up until they are approximately four to six months old, after which stage they will transition to a cot. It is not uncommon for babies of this age (i.e. 4 to 6 months) to be placed in a raised cot initially and as they grow and develop, they then transition to a lowered cot. Eventually, as the baby grows into a young child of 2 or 3 years of age, they will often be ready to transition into a junior bed equipped with measures to prevent them from falling out of bed during the night and then later into a senior bed.

In the first four years of life, during this period of rapid development, the child may require at least four different sleeping arrangements as they transition from bassinet to cot (raised/lowered), from cot to junior bed and from junior bed to senior bed. There are numerous problems and challenges raised during this period. First of all, the need for several disparate sleeping configurations places a substantial financial burden on the parent. No sooner have they bought a moses basket or bassinet, that the clock is ticking towards the time that it will be obsolete and in need of replacement. Secondly, the need for several sleeping configurations places a substantial space burden on the parent. Often, particularly in apartments or smaller dwellings, space in the dwelling will be at a premium. Due to the rapid nature with which a child will grow out of one sleeping arrangement and require another sleeping arrangement, the next sleeping arrangement is often purchased in advance and is stored in situ until it is needed. This adds to the storage burden caused by other equipment that inevitably arises with a new baby.

-2In addition to the foregoing, from a manufacturing and environmental standpoint, the need to manufacture several disparate pieces of furniture is inefficient and wasteful of valuable natural resources such as wood and therefore is considered by many to be environmentally unfriendly.

Various solutions have been proposed to the above-mentioned problems. For example, US Patent No. US4450597 in the name of Hull, discloses a convertible bed that may take the form of a crib that can be converted into a youth bed when the child outgrows the crib. At the time of filing, a number of similar solutions to the convertible bed shown in US4450597 are available in the marketplace. However, heretofore, none of the existing offerings provide all of the required configurations and cater for all child sleeping requirements. Therefore, additional solutions need to be purchased leading to additional cost, space requirement and adverse manufacturing/environmental impacts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a configurable sleeping system that overcomes at least some of these problems and that comprehensively addresses a child’s sleeping requirements from the time that they are a new-born up to the time that they are several years old.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child comprising:

a first end rail and a detachable first end rail extension piece;

a second end rail and a detachable second end rail extension piece;

a plurality of interchangeable side rails, each of which is configured to be releasably attached to at least one end rail;

a base divided into a plurality of base sections;

a plurality of releasably securable connectors; and

- 3in which there is further provided a sleeping system conversion kit, the sleeping system conversion kit comprising an alternative, third end rail and a base section extension piece having a base section extension piece platform, the base section extension piece being configured to be releasably secured to a free end of one of the plurality of base sections such that when the sleeping system conversion kit is in use and one end of the base section is adjacent one of the end rails, the base section extension piece platform protrudes outwardly from the other end of the base section beyond the side rails and beyond the third end rail.

By having such a configurable sleeping system, the sleeping system can be configured into six different configurations according to the child’s sleeping requirements including a co-sleeper, a bassinet, a lowered cot, a raised cot, a junior bed and a senior bed. This significantly reduces the cost of providing for the sleeping requirements of the child and also reduces the storage requirement and waste. Highly advantageously, the configurable sleeping system according to the invention can be configured into a cosleeper, which was heretofore not possible with the known arrangements. Many parenting guides now extol the virtues of co-sleeping. That is, sleeping in very close proximity to the new born baby so that if the baby wakes, they are effectively at eye level and readily able to see or detect the presence of their mother close by. One way in which parents have achieved this is to have the baby in the adult bed with them however this is dangerous and not advisable. As an alternative, the parent can purchase a cosleeper thereby further adding to the cost of providing for their child’s sleeping requirements. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a configurable sleeping system that can morph with relative ease from the smallest configuration of a co-sleeper all the way up to a senior bed.

In addition to the foregoing, it will be understood that there are numerous other advantages to the configurable sleeping system for a child outlined above. First of all, it is possible to reuse the components of the co-sleeper in the bed. This results in less waste and less storage required. Secondly, the configuration effectively extends the life of the product from co-sleeper all the way through to bed, resulting in less purchases being required by the parent and also less frequent purchases being required.

-4In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the base section extension piece comprises a barrier wall along its outermost edge extending upwardly perpendicular to the plane of the base section extension piece platform. In this way, a secure barrier will be provided between the child and the parent thereby obviating the possibility of injury to the child.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the barrier wall comprises a pair of side barrier wall sections, each side barrier wall section extending rearwardly from the main barrier wall back towards the nearest side rail, thereby forming an extension of the side rail. Again, this will provide a secure sleeping environment for the child. The child will be contained on all sides in the co-sleeper configuration.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the sleeping system conversion kit further comprises a pair of conversion kit side rails, each of which is configured to be attached to the first end rail along one edge of the conversion kit side rail and to the third end rail along the opposite edge of the conversion kit side rail, the pair of conversion kit side rails having a chamfered edge at the upper, outer end thereof.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the base section extension piece platform is dimensioned to protrude outwardly from the other end of the base section beyond the side rails by a distance of between 0.10m and 0.30m. This is seen as a particularly advantageous aspect of the present invention, by protruding outwardly by this distance, the gap between the adult bed and the child’s co-sleeper will be bridged, thereby providing a quasi-continuous sleeping platform for the parent and child.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which each of the end rails is provided with a pair of ground engaging feet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the plurality of interchangeable side rails are provided in pairs, each pair being of different length to the other pair. This is seen as an advantageous aspect of the

- 5invention. By having a plurality of side rails, the length of the bed may be varied by supplying a different set of side rails.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which at least one of the interchangeable side rails comprises a multi-part side rail, the multi-part side rail comprising a side rail bracing member and a side rail extension piece. This is seen as another advantageous aspect of the invention that will allow a configurable sleeping system to be transitioned very quickly from a cot to a junior bed and from a junior bed to a senior bed as required.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a second configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece, a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece, a pair of side rails, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends, a pair of base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors. In this way, the configurable sleeping system may be configured as a bassinet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a third configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece, a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece, a pair of side rails, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends, three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors. In this way, the configurable sleeping system may be configured as a cot.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a fourth configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece; a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece; a side rail, one end of which is connected to the first end rail and the other end of which is connected to the second end rail; a side rail bracing member, one end of which is connected to the first end rail and the other end of which is connected to the second end rail; three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors. In this way, the configurable sleeping system may be configured as a junior infant bed.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a configurable sleeping system for a child in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a fifth configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece; a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece; a pair of side rail bracing members, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends; three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors. In this way, the configurable sleeping system may be configured as a senior infant bed.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1(a) is a perspective view of the configurable sleeping system according to the invention in a first configuration;

Figure 1(b) is an exploded view of the configurable sleeping system of Figure 1(a);

Figure 2(a) is a perspective view of the configurable sleeping system according to the invention in a second configuration;

Figure 2(b) is an exploded view of the configurable sleeping system of Figure 2(a);

Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the configurable sleeping system according to the invention in a third configuration;

Figure 3(b) is an exploded view of the configurable sleeping system of Figure 3(a);

- 7Figure 4(a) is a perspective view of the configurable sleeping system according to the invention in a fourth configuration;

Figure 4(b) is an exploded view of the configurable sleeping system of Figure 4(a);

Figure 5(a) is a perspective view of the configurable sleeping system according to the invention in a fifth configuration;

Figure 5(b) is an exploded view of the configurable sleeping system of Figure 5(a);

Figure 6(a) is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the configurable sleeping system in the first configuration; and

Figure 6(b) is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of the configurable sleeping system in the first configuration with a barrier guard in place.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a configurable sleeping system for a child, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The configurable sleeping system 1 comprises a first end rail 3 and a detachable first end rail extension piece 5, a second end rail 7 and a detachable second end rail extension piece 9, a plurality of interchangeable side rails 11, 13, 15, each of which is configured to be releasably attached to at least one end rail 3, 7. The configurable sleeping system 1 comprises a base 17 divided into a plurality of base sections, 19, 21 and a plurality of releasably securable connectors (not shown).

Referring specifically to Figures 1(a) and 1(b), there is shown a configurable sleeping system for a child in a first configuration, namely a co-sleeper configuration. The configurable sleeping system for a child further comprises a sleeping system conversion kit 23 which in turn comprises an alternative, third end rail 25 and a base section extension piece 27 having a base section extension piece platform 29. The base section

- 8extension piece 27 is configured to be releasably secured to a free end of one of the plurality of base sections 19 such that when the sleeping system conversion kit 23 is in use and one end 20 of the base section 19 is adjacent one of the end rails 3, the base section extension piece platform 29 protrudes outwardly from the other end 22 of the base section 19 beyond the side rails 15 and beyond the third end rail 25.

The base section extension piece platform 29 protrudes outwardly by a distance of the order of 0.20m from the end 22 of the side rail 15. The base section extension piece platform 29 terminates in an upstanding barrier wall 31 and there are provided a pair of side barrier wall sections 33, 35 extending rearwardly from the barrier wall to provide a substantially continuous barrier around the sleeping surface of the baby and to hold the mattress 37 in place. The side rails 15 in this embodiment are chamfered around a top, outer edge thereof. Advantageously, the base section extension piece platform 29 is able to bridge the gap from the baby’s sleeping surface across to the parent’s bed without fear of the baby rolling off the co-sleeper, getting a hand or foot trapped in the gap or otherwise coming to harm. This will allow the parent to co-sleep with their child.

Referring specifically to Figures 2(a) and 2(b), there is shown the configurable sleeping system for a child in a second configuration, in this case, a bassinet configuration. The components of the sleeping system conversion kit 23 from Figures 1(a) and 1(b) have been removed and the third end rail 25 has been replaced with the second end rail 7 and the second end rail extension piece 9. In addition to the foregoing, a second base section 19 is provided for end to end engagement of the first base section 19, thereby providing a larger sleeping platform, and a pair of alternative side rails 11 are provided for connection intermediate the first end rail 3 and the first end rail extension piece 5 at one end and the second end rail 7 and the second end rail extension piece 9 at the other end. The height of the base 17 is determined by the position of rails 39, 41 which are mounted on the inner face of the first end rail 3 and the second end rail 7 respectively. The rails 39, 41 may be raised or lowered as appropriate on the end rail by fixing the rails 39, 41 to appropriate holes in the end rails (these holes are illustrated, for example, in Figure 3(b)).

It will be appreciated that as the baby grows, they will transition from needing a cosleeper to needing the bassinet. In order to convert the co-sleeper to a bassinet, the

- 9components of the sleeping system conversion kit 23 and the side rails 15 are removed from end rail 3, the end rail extension piece 5 and the base section 19. One of the base sections 19, which has been acting as a shelf in the co-sleeper configuration below the sleeping surface, is removed from the first end rail 3 and is placed end to end to the other base section 19. The base sections 19 may be connected together or may simply abut against each other. The second end rail 7 is connected to the second end rail extension piece 9. The side rails 11 are substituted for the side rails 15 and the side rails 11 are connected to the first end rail 3 and the first end rail extension piece 5 at one of their ends and connected to the second end rail 7 and the second end rail extension piece 9 at their other end. The base sections 19 are then placed in position on the rails 39, 41. The bassinet is now ready for use by the child.

Referring now to Figures 3(a) and 3(b), there is shown the configurable sleeping system for a child in a third configuration, in this case, a cot configuration. In the cot configuration, the configurable sleeping system for a child 1 comprises alternative side rails 13 and an additional base section 21, positioned intermediate the other two base sections 19. The alternative side rails 13 are in fact multi-part side rails that are longer than the side rails 11 used in the bassinet configuration of Figures 2(a) and 2(b). The multi-part side rails 13 comprise a side rail bracing member 43 and a side rail extension piece 45. The side rail bracing members 43 are connected to the first end rail 3 at one of their ends and the second end rail 7 at the other of their ends as well as to the side rail extension piece 45 along an upper edge thereof. The side rail extension pieces 45 are connected to the side rail bracing members 43 along a lower edge of the side rail extension piece 45 and are connected to the end rails 3, 7 and the end rail extension pieces 5, 7 along side edges of the side rail extension piece 45.

In order to convert the configurable sleeping system for a child from the bassinet configuration shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b) to the cot configuration shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the side rails 11 are detached from the end rails 3, 7 and end rail extension pieces 5, 9. In the embodiment shown, the base supporting rails 39, 41 are removed from the end pieces 3, 7 respectively. The side rails 11 are replaced by the multi-part side rails 13 and the multi-part side rails are connected to the first end rail 3 and first end rail extension piece 5 at one of their ends and to the second end rail 7 and second end rail extension piece 9 at their other end. An additional base section 21 is

- 10placed intermediate the two other base sections 19. It can be seen from Figure 3(b) that the side rail bracing member 43 has a base supporting flange 47 protruding inwardly along a portion of its length. This flange 47 provides additional support to the base sections 19, 21.

It can be seen from Figure 3(a) that the cot is a lowered cot with the base 17 in a lowered position. It will be understood that the cot could quite easily be provided as a raised cot with a higher base 17. In order to achieve this, the rails 38, 41 are kept in situ and if required, additional intermediate base support members (not shown) could be provided along the side rails 13. It can be seen from Figure 3(b) that there are provided a plurality of holes 49 in the side rail extension piece 45 and the base support members could be connected to these or indeed the base sections could, if desired be connected to the side rail extension piece directly.

Referring now to Figures 4(a) and 4(b), there is shown the configurable sleeping system for a child in a fourth configuration, in this case, a junior bed configuration. The junior bed configuration is essentially identical to the cot configuration shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) with the exception that one of the side rail extension pieces 45 has been removed. In this way, an access route for the child is provided along one side of the bed. This configuration is particularly suitable for young children that are become more independent and self-sufficient.

Referring to Figures 5(a) and 5(b), there is shown the configurable sleeping system for a child in a fifth configuration, in this case, a senior bed configuration. Again, this configuration is similar to both the cot and the junior bed configuration however in this case, both the side rail extension pieces 45 have been removed and the first and second end rail extension pieces 5, 9 have also been removed. This configuration is particularly suitable for older children that do not need the security of a built-up side along one side of the bed as in the case of the junior bed configuration.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the base section extension piece platform 29 terminates in an upstanding barrier wall 31. It is envisaged that instead of or in addition to a barrier wall, an alternative or additional barrier could be provided for safety. This would obviate the possibility of a child rolling out of the co-sleeper or from

- 11 other objects like a parents arm entering the baby’s sleeping area unintentionally during the night and causing harm to the baby. For example, a reticulated barrier such as a net could be provided that would extend across the width of the base section extension piece and extend upwardly to hooks or other connectors (not shown), located higher up on each of the side rails 15. The reticulated barrier would still allow the baby to see their parent and the parent to see the baby with ease.

Referring to Figures 6(a) and 6(b), there is shown an alternative embodiment of the configurable sleeping system in the first configuration, namely the co-sleeper configuration, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. The configurable sleeping system, indicated generally by the reference numeral 61, comprises a base section extension piece 29 with a pair of side barrier wall sections 63. It will be noted that the side barrier wall sections 63 travel further up the side rails 15 than the side barrier wall sections 33, 35 as shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b). Referring specifically to Figure 6(b), there is shown a fabric barrier 65 in position on the base section extension piece 29 and side barrier wall sections 63. The fabric barrier comprises a reticulated mesh portion 65 through which the parent may see their child and the child may see their parent.

Preferably, there will be complementary fasteners (not shown) on both the fabric barrier and the frame of the co-sleeper in order to allow the fabric barrier to be at least partially removed from the frame of the co-sleeper. Alternatively, or in addition, the fabric barrier may be provided with one or more cuts along the height thereof with zips and/or Velcro (registered trade mark ®) to allow at least portion of the fabric barrier to be lowered when desired. It is envisaged that there may be provided means to secure the cosleeper in position relative to the parents bed. For example, a bracket or a strap may be provided that may be connected to the co-sleeper frame at one of its ends and to the parents bed at the other of its ends. This will help to maintain the position of the cosleeper relative to the parents bed and can be detached when no longer required.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the configurable sleeping system for a child advantageously caters for the all-important co-sleeper stage but also allows transition to the other stages of bassinet, cot and bed. In this way, the parents will only have to purchase the one sleeping system for the first five years or so of the child’s life and they

- 12can simply configure the sleeping system to match the stage of development of the child. This results in significant cost and space savings. Furthermore, the familiar sleeping environment of the co-sleeper is carried into the cot, resulting in less change and disruption for the baby. Additionally, it has been proven that the safest place for a newborn baby is in the parent’s room. The configurable sleeping system for a child according to the invention extends the life of co-sleeping from 6 months to 2 years by converting into a bedside crib (also known as a bassinet) that is compact enough to sit adjacent to the parent’s bed.

In addition, many of the components of the system are used in each of the configurations and the minimum number of additional components are required to achieve all of the different configurations required. This results in a configurable sleeping system that is efficient from a manufacturing standpoint and environmentally friendlier than other solutions. Advantageously, the simplicity of the frame and components provides for a system that can be assembled and reconfigured in a matter of minutes, thereby saving time and reducing the difficulty of reconfiguration. Preferably, the configurable sleeping system will be constructed predominantly from wood which is a renewable source for construction materials.

In this specification the terms “comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising” and the terms “include, includes, included and including” are all deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. (1) A configurable sleeping system for a child comprising:

   a first end rail and a detachable first end rail extension piece;

   a second end rail and a detachable second end rail extension piece;

   a plurality of interchangeable side rails, each of which is configured to be releasably attached to at least one end rail;

   a base divided into a plurality of base sections;

   a plurality of releasably securable connectors; and in which there is further provided a sleeping system conversion kit, the sleeping system conversion kit comprising an alternative, third end rail and a base section extension piece having a base section extension piece platform, the base section extension piece being configured to be releasably secured to a free end of one of the plurality of base sections such that when the sleeping system conversion kit is in use and one end of the base section is adjacent one of the end rails, the base section extension piece platform protrudes outwardly from the other end of the base section beyond the side rails and beyond the third end rail.
2. (2) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in claim 1 in which the base section extension piece comprises a barrier wall along its outermost edge extending upwardly perpendicular to the plane of the base section extension piece platform.
3. (3) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in claim 2 in which the barrier wall comprises a pair of side barrier wall sections, each side barrier wall section extending rearwardly from the main barrier wall back towards the nearest side rail, thereby forming an extension of the side rail.
4. (4) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which the sleeping system conversion kit further comprises a pair of conversion kit side rails, each of which is configured to be attached to the first end rail along one edge of the conversion kit side rail and to the third end rail along the opposite edge of the conversion kit side rail, the pair of conversion kit side rails having a chamfered edge at the upper, outer end thereof.
5. (5) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which the base section extension piece platform is dimensioned to protrude outwardly from the other end of the base section beyond the side rails by a distance of between 0.10m and 0.30m.
6. (6) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which the base section extension piece platform is provided with a fabric barrier dimensioned to extend across the width of the base section from one side rail to the opposite side rail.
7. (7) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in claim 6 in which the fabric barrier has a reticulated portion.
8. (8) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which each of the end rails is provided with a pair of ground engaging feet.
9. (9) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which the plurality of interchangeable side rails are provided in pairs, each pair being of different length to the other pair.
10. (10) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least one of the interchangeable side rails comprises a multi-part side rail, the multi-part side rail comprising a side rail bracing member and a side rail extension piece.
11. (11) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any preceding claim in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a second configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece, a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece, a pair of side rails, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends, a pair of base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors.
12. (12) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a third configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece, a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece, a pair of side rails, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends, three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors.
13. (13) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a fourth configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece; a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece; a side rail, one end of which is connected to the first end rail and the other end of which is connected to the second end rail; a side rail bracing member, one end of which is connected to the first end rail and the other end of which is connected to the second end rail; three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors.
14. (14) A configurable sleeping system for a child as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 in which the configurable sleeping system comprises, in a fifth configuration, a first end rail and a first end rail extension piece; a second end rail and a second end rail extension piece; a pair of side rail bracing members, each of which is connected to the first end rail at one of its ends and the second end rail at the other of its ends; three or more base sections and a plurality of releasably securable connectors.