US2280913A

US2280913A - Bassinet unit

Info

Publication number: US2280913A
Application number: US369150A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stuart K Hummel; Perry W Swern
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-12-09
Filing date: 1940-12-09
Publication date: 1942-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 1959-04-28

Description

April 28, 1942. s. K. HUMMEL ETA-L ET UNIT Filed Dec. 9, 1940 d m m m k J Q 7%.

Patented Apr. 28, 1942 BASSINET UNIT Stuart K. Hummel, Joliet, and Perry W. Sworn, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 9, 1940, Serial No. 369,150

8 Claims.

This invention relates to bassinet units and related nursery equipment, and, among other objects, aims to provide a bassinet and dressing table unit designed to reduce the hazard of infection and epidemic in nurseries.

The nature of the invention may be readily understood by reference to one unit embodying the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the unit; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the dressing table element drawn out for use.

The illustrative unit is designed to prevent, in a practical way, contact of infants with common equipment in the nurser thereby minimizing the spread of infection and epidemic to which infants are more readily susceptible than other persons. The problem presented by infection and epidemic in nurseries cannot be practically solved merely by multiplying present equipment to provide each infant in the nursery with individual equipment. Lack of space, insufficient isolation, and other considerations preclude this. The illustrative unit not only provides isolated individual equipment but is of such character that it may be employed in existing nurseries without reduction in their capacity or efiiciency.

As here shown, the top of the unit carries a depressed support If) for the bassinet II surrounded by a rail or rim l2 to hold the bassinet in place. The side rails it are located a substantial distance above the bassinet supports to prevent the bassinet from tipping over the side rails or otherwise falling. They are here shown as integral parts of the tubular supporting frame It, which may advantageously be formed of stainless steel tubing or the like. One or both of the end rails 15, extending between the side rails, are located below the level of the side rails to serve as a support for tilting the bassinet at the proper angle. For very young infants the bassinet is generally tilted head down. In such tilted position the higher side rails prevent accidental falling of the bassinet.

Below the bassinet, the structure houses a constituent service element I6 which may be drawn out when in use. At other times it is carried beneath the bassinet and in this condition the unit occupies no more nursery space than the racks or stands heretofore used to support the bassinets.

The service element when drawn out for use comprises a table or upper surface I! on which the infant may be placed, and a subjacent structure for readily accessible compartments l8 for the items required in the care of the infant. A portion of the top of the service element may be depressed to provide a compartment space or well 19 to hold receptacles for talcum powder and other medicaments, applicators, etc., in readily accessible position.

The service element is advantageously supported on guides 28, such as the telescoping roller guides employed for file cabinet drawers, so that it may be easily drawn out and returned to position beneath the bassinet. When drawn out in position for use, the compartments I8 also move out as a unit and are, therefore, just as accessible as in closed position. If desired the service element may be designed to be drawn out of an end instead of a side of the unit as here shown. The compartments in the service element are here shown open at the end but they may be open at the sides, and the tubular supporting frame It is such as to allow access to the compartments whether open at the end or sides in both telescoped and extended positions.

The support It is advantageously open, in this case being formed by a series of bars or rods 22, and permits access to the space H? even when the service element is telescoped below the bassinet. Offsets 23 in rods 22 hold the bassinet to the rear and keep open the space above compartment IS.

The service element advantageously carries a supporting leg 24 to prevent tilting of the entire unit (if it be not otherwise anchored) when the service element has been drawn out. The unit may advantageously be supported on casters 25 so that it may be easily moved about. In that event, the leg 24 may also be provided with a caster. If desired, the leg may be arranged so as to be out of contact with the floor except when the service element has been drawn outwardly fully, thereby making it more easy to move the unit about when closed.

The table I! may advantageously be provided with a low marginal rim or rail 26 to prevent the infant, who generally lies on a pad or other cloth, from slipping or falling oil the table. The rail 26 also serves as a handle for drawing out the service element.

As here shown, the compartment space is divided into four compartments for convenient separation of various accessories. One of the upper compartments may advantageously house a basin 2'! carried on a swinging support mounted at 28 to permit the basin to be swung out of the compartment for use. The arrangement and number of compartments may be varied if desired. They provide ample space to carry in convenient arrangement every item required in the care of the infant, thereby making unnecessary any use whatever of common equipment. Regardless of the care exercised in sterilization, it has heretofore been impossible by this means to check nursery epidemics. The only effective method is the use of completely individual equip-- ment and supplies. The present unit makes this practically possible.

Additional nursery floor space per infant is not required inasmuch as this service element when extended only temporarily occupies additional floor space required for aisles, etc.

The illustrative unit is shown formed of metal fabricated by conventional methods. Wood and other materials may, however, be used with equal effectiveness. Whether made of metal or wood, the unit is quite light and may be easily moved about.

This application is a continuation in part of and a substitute for our copending application, Serial No. 252,354, filed January 23, 1939.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrative construction since these may be variously modified. It is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly since various features may be employed to advantage in difierent combinations andsubcombinations.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like comprising in combination a generally rectangular frame having a top provided with an opening therein and having bassinet supporting means adjacent said top, a rim comprising side and end members extending about said top for retaining a bassinet in place between said side members and permittingtilting of the bassinet by support of one end portion thereof on an end member of said rim, a service element telescopically connected to said frame and retractible to a position within the frame beneath said supporting means, the top of said service element having a dressing table member provided with an. upstanding rim along its front or outer edge and having an adjacent depressed space open, at the top adapted to contain articles used while caring for an infant and positioned, while the service element is retracted within said frame, below the opening in the top of the frame so that said articles are accessible through said opening, said service element being slidable outwardly to an extended position exposing said dressing table member for use and having below its top a compartment movable with the dressing table memher and accessible through an opening in a vertical wall of the service element for storing additional articles, and means supporting the front side of the service element against tilting when in its extended position.

2. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like comprising in combination a generally rectangu lar frame having a top provided with an opening therein and having bassinet supporting means adjacent said top, a rim comprising side and end members extending about said top for retaining a bassinet in place between said side members and permitting tilting of the bassinet by support of one end portion thereof on an end member of said rim, a service element telescopically oonnected to said frame and retractible to a position within the frame beneath said supporting means, the top of said service element having a dressing table member provided with an upstanding rim along its front or outer edge andhaving an adjacent depressed'space open at the top adapted to contain articles used while caring for the infant and positioned, while the service element is retracted within said frame, below the opening in the top of the frame so that said articles are accessible through said opening, said service element being slidable outwardly to an extended position exposing said dressing table member for use and having below its top an additional article storage compartment movable with the dressing table member and open at its front so as to be accessible from the front side of th unit whether the service element is extended from the frame or retracted therein, and. means supporting'the front side of the service element against tilting when in its extended position.

3. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like comprising in combination a generally rectangular frame having bassinet supporting means adjacent its top, a rim comprising side and end members extending about the top of the frame for retaining a bassinet in place between said side members and permitting tilting of the bassinet by support of one end portion thereof on an end member of said rim, a service element telescopically connected to said frame and retractible to a position within the frame beneath said supporting means, said service element having a top and having below said top a plurality of superposed compartments movable as a unit-and all open at a common side, the top of said service element having a dressing table member provided with an upstanding rim along its front or outer edge and having an adjacent depressed space open at the top for articles used while caring for an infant, said service element being slidable outwardly to an extended position exposing said dressing table member for use and said plurality of compartments being accessible through an opening in a vertical wall of the service element for storing additional articles, and means supporting the extended side of the service element against tilting when in its extended position.

4. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like comprising in combination an outer framework formed of tubular frame members provided adj acent its top with a bassinet support, said frame having a rim comprising side members and end members extending about said support and above the level thereof, at least one of said end members being depressed below the level of said side members and being at a height to support an end of the bassinet in endwise tilted position, said side members being of sufiicient height above the depressed end member to hold the bassinet against accidental displacement when tilted on said end member, an extensible service element below said bassinet support and within said frame structure, said service element comprising a top and integral subjacent open compartments for accessories, the top of said service element having a dressing table, means for slidably mounting said service element in said framework to permit the dressing table together with said subjacent compartments to be drawn as a unit from beneath said bassinet support to expose the dressing table for use, a rail along the front side of said service element to serve as a guard for said dressing table and as a handle for sliding said service element, and means for slidably support ing the front end of said service element inextended position against tilting of the unit.

5. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like comprising in combination a generally skeletonized outer frame substantially rectangular in plan having generally open skeletonized bassinet supporting means in its upper portion wider from front t rear than the bassinet to be supported thereon and including end rails above the plane of said means for optionally tilting the bassinet supported on said means and one of said end rails, a pair of side rails connecting said end rails and having portions disposed above the level thereof, a service element telescopically connected to said frame and retractible to a position within the frame beneath the supporting means, the top of said service element having a dressing table member provided with a depressed space open at the top adapted to contain articles used while caring for an infant and readily accessible from the top while the service element is extended, means connected with the bassinet supporting means for maintaining said bassinet spaced from one of the side rails whereby the depressed space in the table member is accessible through the skeletonized supporting means and between the bassinet and the last named side rail when the service element is retracted, and a rail extending along the front of said dressing table member and above the level thereof adapted to serve as a guard for the edge of the table when the service element is extended and adapted to be spaced from said last named side rail of the frame, when the service element is retracted, to serve as a handle by which the service element may be extended.

6. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like including in combination a plurality of end legs forming an outer framework, a bassinet support at the upper portion of the framework and means connecting the legs at the lower portion of the framework, said framework having a relatively deep open space extending from the support substantially to said connecting means and having end and side rim members connecting the legs above the level of the support for confining a bassinet thereon, a relatively deep service unit movable in said open space of the framework and comprising a unitary structure including a plurality of superposed compartments all open at a common side and surmounted by a top adapted to serve as a dressing table, said service unit substantially filling the open space of the framework, means comprising cooperating guide and support members mounted on the framework and on the service unit for supporting the service unit on the framework for extension and retraction of said compartments as a unit from and into said open space, a leg depending from the service unit for supporting the same upon the floor when the unit is in extended position, and an elevated rail disposed along the outer side of the top of the service unit serving as a guard for said top when used as a dressing table and as a handle for moving the service unit to retracted and extended positions.

7. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like including in combination a plurality of end legs, each having a caster, forming an outer framework having at its upper portion a bassinet support and having beneath said support a relatively deep open space extending from the support to the lower portions of said legs, said framework having end and side rim members connecting the legs above the level of the bassinet support for confining a bassinet thereon, a relatively deep service unit movable in said open space of the framework and comprising a unitary structure including a plurality of superposed compartments all open at a common side and surmounted by a top adapted to serve as a dressing table, said service unit substantially filling the open space of the framework, means connecting the service unit to the framework for sliding movement into and out of said open space, an elevated rail disposed along the outer side of the top of the service unit serving as a guard for said top when used as a dressing table and as a handle for moving the service unit to retracted and extended positions, and a leg depending from the service unit and having a caster adapted to engage the fioor and support the unit when extended and adapted to be disposed above the floor when the unit is retracted, thereby facilitating movement of the bassinet unit on the first named casters.

8. A bassinet unit for nurseries and the like including in combination an outer framework having side rim members in its upper portion, a plurality of spaced bars connecting the side rim members and providing a skeletonized support for a bassinet, said bars being offset adjacent one of the side rim members for positioning a bassinet on the skeletonized support closer to the other side rim member, a service unit mounted in the framework beneath said skeletonized support for extension therefrom and retraction thereinto, and a table member comprising the top of the service unit provided with an open well for holding articles used while caring for an infant and positioned, when the service unit is within the framework, below the bassinet support, whereby when a bassinet which is narrower than the distance between the side rim members is mounted on said skeletonized support said well is accessible through the space between the bassinet and the adjacent side rim member and between two of the offset portions of said bars. STUART K. HUMMEL. PERRY W. SWERN.