WO2011117658A1

WO2011117658A1 - Cot

Info

Publication number: WO2011117658A1
Application number: PCT/GB2011/050625
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nathan Partington
Original assignee: Kooltrade Limited
Priority date: 2010-03-26
Filing date: 2011-03-28
Publication date: 2011-09-29
Also published as: GB201005066D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a travel cot which is collapsible to enable it to be easily stowed away and easily transportable. The collapsible cot is can be placed in a deployed state and a collapsed state. In the deployed state, the cot provides a support for a mattress and provides a top rail spaced a predetermined minimum distance above the support and, in the collapsed state, the cot is smaller than the minimum distance in every dimension. Advantageously, a cot according to the present invention can be adapted to have sufficient clearance between the upper surface of a mattress and the upper boundaries of the cot a height so as to reduce the likelihood of a baby falling out of the cot whilst being sufficiently compact in its collapsed state so as to facilitate transportation of the cot.

Description

Cot

The present invention relates to a cot, for example, a travel cot.

Cots, such as travel cots, are often collapsible to enable them to be easily stowed away and easily transportable. Conventionally, travel cots are rectangular in shape and comprise a leg at each corner to support the cot in an upright, stable position and also to act as anchor points for an enclosure. A supporting body is located at the centre point ^'between the four legs and is connected to the legs via four respective base members. The base members are pivotally attached at each end to the body and a corresponding leg, respectively. When in a deployed state, the pivot point between the base members and the body are locked in place which permits the base members to act as a stable base for a mattress. Each leg extends beyond its respective base member to provide clearance between the base and the floor in the deployed state.

In use, a conventional travel cot is collapsed from a deployed state by releasing the pivot points of the base members and body from their locked state and drawing the body in an upward direction. This upward movement rotates the base members about their pivot points which, in turn, draws the parts of the legs to which the base members are attached toward one another. Thus, by releasing the base members and moving the supporting body in an upward direction, the legs can be gathered into one another, resulting in a compact, collapsed state.

Due to safety regulations, the distance between the upper surface of the mattress in the cot and the upper boundaries of the cot enclosure must be 600mm to reduce the likelihood of a baby falling out which means that the legs must be at least 600mm in length. Since the height of conventional travel cots in the collapsed state is dictated by the length of the legs, they are all in excess of 600mm in height when in a collapsed state. However, due to current size restrictions on aircraft, which require that a piece of carry-on luggage must not exceed 560mm long x 450mm wide x 250mm deep, including side pockets, handles or wheels, conventional travel cots are too big to be carried onto a plane as carry-on luggage.

An object of the invention is to mitigate these difficulties.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collapsible cot operable between a deployed state and a collapsed state, wherein, in the deployed state, the cot provides a support for a mattress and provides a top rail spaced a predetermined minimum distance above the support and wherein, in the collapsed state, the cot is smaller than the minimum distance in every dimension.

Advantageously, a cot according to the present invention can be adapted to have a height of less than 560mm in the collapsed state whilst still having a height, in the deployed state, sufficient to provide a clearance of 600mm between the upper surface of a mattress and the upper boundaries of the cot. A cot according to the present invention may therefore be adapted to meet the size restrictions on aircraft to be classified as carry-on luggage.

The cot may comprise a number of collapsible legs each extending, at least, from the top rail to the support for a mattress. The legs may be retractable. The legs may each comprise two or more pivotally connected sections. At least one pivotal connection of each leg may be disposed between the top rail and the support for a mattress.

The top rail may comprise a plurality of connecting members at least equal in number to the number of legs and wherein each connecting member connects two adjacent legs and is adapted to be collapsed thereby to draw together the legs to which the connecting member is attached. Each connecting member may comprise two elongate sections of substantially equal length that are pivotaily connected together at one end and pivotaily connected to an adjacent leg at the other.

The support for a mattress may comprise at least one base connecting member which connects two or more legs and which is adapted to be collapsed thereby to draw together the legs to which it is attached. The action of collapsing the top rail and the support to draw together the legs may cause the legs to collapse. The or each base connecting member may be pivotaily attached to two or more legs and may be rotated relative to the legs thereby to collapse in toward the legs.

Each base connecting member may comprise two elongate elements of approximately equal length that are pivotaily attached together at one end and pivotaily attached to the legs at their other end.

The cot may comprise two base connecting members whose elongate elements are pivotaily connected at the end remote from the legs to a body and wherein movement of the body relative to the legs rotates the elongate elements in toward the legs thereby to draw together the parts of the legs to which the elongate elements are attached.

In the deployed state, the top rail may be substantially rectangular and a leg may be attached to each corner and a base connecting member may connect one leg to its diagonally opposite counterpart.

The height of the cot in the collapsed state may be less than or substantially equal to the maximum dimension for carry-on aircraft luggage. The maximum dimension may be 560mm. In order that the invention may be more clearly understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is perspective view of the framework of a travel cot according to the invention in a deployed state;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the framework shown in Fig. 1 in a partially collapsed state;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the framework shown in Figs 1 and 2 in a fully collapsed state;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of the foot of a leg of the framework shown in Figs

1 to 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a mattress used with the framework shown in Figs

1 to 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the mattress shown in Fig. 5 in a folded condition; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a foot thai may be used as part of the cot shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 8(a) is a side view of the foot shown in Fig. 7 in a deployed position; and

Fig. 8(b) is a side view of the foot shown in Fig. 7 in a collapsed position.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a rectangular travel cot framework 10 comprising four elongate legs 12 made from mild steel that are linked together at one of their ends by four connecting members 14, via corner brackets 16. Each leg 12 has a foot 18 which is pivotally attached to the end remote from the brackets 16 and which comprises an upper part 20 and a lower part 21. The lower part 21 of the foot 18 of each leg 12 is connected to a central core section 24, located at the mid point between the legs 12, by a base member 26.

Each connecting member 14 comprises a first section 30 and a second section 32, both of equal length and made from mild steel, and an intermediate linking bracket 34. The first section 30 and second section 32 are pivotally connected at one end to the linking bracket 34 which is made from injection moulded plastics material and comprises a hollow, inverted U-shaped section. The pivot connection between the first and second sections, respectively, and the linking bracket 34 are chosen such that, when in a collapsed state (as shown in Fig. 3), the length of each section beyond the respective pivot points does not extend beyond the open end of the U-shaped bracket 34. A portion 40 of the closed end of the linking bracket 34 above the points of connection with the two sections 30, 32 is removed to enable the two parts to extend in a direction substantially parallel to one another in the collapsed state. However, the removed portions 40 are short enough such that, when in a deployed state (shown in Fig. 1), the ends of each section 30, 32 beyond the respective pivot points abut the underside of the linking bracket 34 to thereby hold each section 30, 32 in a stable, substantially coplanar position. One or more of the brackets 34 also comprises a releasable locking mechanism which serves to hold each section 30, 32 in place when brought into abutment with the underside of the bracket 34. Each section 30, 32 is pivotally connected at its other end to a corresponding corner bracket 16.

Each comer bracket 16 is made from injection moulded plastics material and comprises two hollow, triangular side portions 42 which are substantially perpendicular to one another and are linlced together by a central hollow, cylindrical section 44 and oriented so that a closed side of each triangular portion extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The end of the section of a corresponding connecting member 14 is pivotally attached to the upper region of a triangular section 42 such that, in the deployed position, the connecting member 14 abuts the underside of the triangular section 42 and is held in a stable, substantially horizontal position. The connecting member 14 may be rotated to extend in a downward direction which is substantially perpendicular to the underside of the triangular section 42 corresponding to a collapsed state.

An end of each leg 12 extends into the cylindrical section 44 of a corresponding bracket 16 and is held firmly in place by a nut and bolt (not shown). The other end of each leg 12 is pivotally attached to the upper part 20 of the foot 18 by a nut and bolt (not shown) which is, in turn, pivotally attached to the lower part 21 of the foot 12. A bar 46 extends across the upper part 20 of the foot 18 at a region below the pivot point between the upper part 20 and the leg 12 when in a deployed state and serves to provide an abutment for the foot 18 against the leg 12 in both the deployed and collapsed state. The bar 46 therefore prevents the foot 18 from over- rotating in the deployed state and maintains it in a stable, supporting position. The bar 46 also prevents the over-rotation of the foot 18 when in the collapsed state so that, when the bar 46 abuts the leg 12, rotation of the upper part 20 relative to the leg 12 is brought to a halt.

A lip 50 protrudes from the outer facing side of the lower part 21 of the foot

18 and is positioned such that, in the deployed state, the lip 50 abuts the bottom edge of the upper part 20 of the foot 18. The lip 50- therefore acts as a further stabilising means to keep the cot firmly upright in the deployed state. The side of the lower part 20 above the lip 50 extends into the upper part 21 a distance sufficient such that, when the lower part 20 is pivotally rotated relative to the upper part 21, there is no gap between the lower part 20 and the upper part 21 in which skin or a finger (or other body part) may become trapped.

An end of each base member 26 is pivotally attached to the lower part 21 of a corresponding foot 18 and the other end is pivotally attached to the central core 24 which comprises a centre piece from which extends four arms 60. The arms 60 are substantially coplanar and extend out from the centre piece at equally spaced intervals toward a corresponding comer of the cot frame 10. Each arm 60 takes the form of an inverted U-shape which provides a channel into which the end of a base member 26 may be inserted and pivotally attached. Each base member 26 extends into a corresponding aim 60 such that, in a deployed state, a sufficient portion of the base member 26 abuts the underside of the arm 60 to hold it in a stable, substantially horizontal position. The central core 24 further comprises a releasable locking mechanism (not shown) which holds each base member 26 in place when they abut the underside of their respective arms 60. The length of each base member 26 is chosen to extend between a foot 18 in the deployed position to a corresponding arm 60 of the central core 24 located at the mid point between the respective legs 12. Thus, when the base members 26 are locked out, the legs 12 and feet 18 are held in an expanded, deployed state. In this deployed state, the substantially coplanar base members 26 and central core 24 provide a stable base upon which a mattress may be placed.

The combined side members 14, brackets 16, legs 12, feet 18 and base 24, 26 constitute the framework to which is attached an enclosure comprising four side panels and a base panel made from nylon material. The volume of the enclosure corresponds approximately to the volume defined by the framework of the cot 10. Each interface between adjacent side panels is attached to a corresponding leg 12 and the base panel is attached at intervals to the base members 26. Thus, the material enclosure collapses and expands with the framework and provides a taut, secure enclosure for the baby when the cot 10 is in a deployed state.

A foldable mattress 70 which is sized and shaped to fit securely across the base of the framework of the cot 10 is provided which has three substantially parallel folds along its length at regularly spaced apart intervals. The mattress 70 also has a fold 74 across its width toward one end and is located such that the distance between the other end and the fold 74 is approximately equal to the height of the cot 10 in the collapsed state. The four panels 76 of the mattress 70 beyond the cross fold 74 are each linked by an elastic piece of material (not shown) which permits the panels 76 to be stretched apart from one another. Thus, the mattress 70 can be folded along its longitudinal folds 72 to form a cuboidal shape and, due to the elastic connections, the panels 74 can be folded and splayed over and around the folded sides as shown in Fig. 6. The elastic connections also serve to draw the panels 74 back together when placed unfolded state.

In use, the cot 10 is placed in a deployed state by first pulling the brackets 16 at the top of the legs 12 away from their diagonally opposite counterparts. The central core 24 is then urged down toward the ground which causes the base members 26 to pivot outwardly. This outward pivoting motion also urges the corresponding foot 18 to which the members 26 are attached in an outward direction causing it to rotate relative to the corresponding leg 12 until the bar 46 of the foot 18 abuts the base of the leg 12. At this point, the foot 18 is locked out and the outward pivoting motion of the base members 26 urges the bottom of the legs 12 in an outward direction. The central core 24 is urged in a downward direction until the base members 26 abut the underside of the arms 60 of the central core 24 at which point the base members 26 are locked in place. The deployment procedure is completed by pressing the linking brackets 34 in a downward direction until the sections of the connecting members 30, 32 abut the underside of the brackets 34 and become locked in place such that the connecting members 14 are substantially coplanar thereby forming the upper boundaries or top rail of the cot 10. In this deployed position, the connecting members 14 and base members 26 are substantially parallel to one another and the legs 12 and feet 18 are substantially perpendicular to the base 26 and connecting members 18. The mattress 70 is then unfolded and placed onto the upper surface of the enclosure's base panel.

The cot 10 is collapsed by releasing the sections 30, 32 of the connecting members 14 from the linking brackets 34 and also by releasing the base members 26 from the central core 24. With the connecting members 14 and base members 26 free to move, the central core 24 is pulled upwardly which causes the base members 26 to pivot inwards which in turn causes the feet 18 to rotate inwardly until the bar 46 of each foot 18 abuts the corresponding leg 12. The locking of the feet 18 against the legs 12 combined with the upward movement of the central core 24 and inward movement of the base members 26 pulls the bottom of the legs 12 in toward one another. The corner brackets 16 are also pulled in toward one another which cause the sections 30, 32 of the connecting members 18 to pivot inwardly toward the corresponding legs 12 thereby urging the link brackets 34 in a downward direction. As shown in Fig. 3, in the collapsed state, the upper ends of a corner bracket 16 meet those of an adjacent bracket 16 to give rise to a substantially square profile with the central core 24 located at its centre. The mattress 70 is then folded around the collapsed frame 10 and the four mattress panels 74 are splayed out and pulled back down around the rest of the mattress 70 to reduce its overall height and retain the mattress 70 in position. The collapsed apparatus can then be placed in a zip-up bag for easy transport.

The size of the component parts of the cot framework 10 are chosen such that, in the collapsed condition, the height of the cot is less than 560mm. Each leg is therefore chosen to be 556mm in length. In view of the current requirement for a clearance of 600mm between the upper surface of the mattress and the upper boundaries of the cot framework 10, the pivot point between the foot 18 and the leg 12 is above the upper surface of the mattress in the deployed state. The point of attachment between the foot 18 and the base member 26 is therefore chosen so that the base members 26 support a mattress from a position at which the distance between the upper surface of the mattress 70 and the upper boundaries of the cot framework is 600mm, taking into account the thickness of the mattress 70. The lower part 21 of each foot 18 extends a distance below the pivot point between the base members 26 and the foot 18 to provide clearance between the base and the floor on which the cot is supported.

Referring to Figs 7 to 8(b), in an alternative embodiment, the foot 100 comprises just one piece of injection moulded plastics material which is pivotally attached to the leg 12 and which is fixedly attached to a base member 26. A bar 46 is positioned between the point of attachment with the leg 12 and the base member 26 and is arranged to abut the leg 12 in either the collapsed state or the deployed state to prevent over-rotation of the foot 100. In all other aspects the cot framework 10 is similar to the above described embodiment.

The foot 100 comprises a flat side remote from the point of attachment with the leg 12 so as to provide a flat, stable support for the cot in the deployed position. In this embodiment the clearance between the base member 26, which provides a support for a mattress, and the supporting surface on which the cot is placed is not as great as the above embodiment due to the lack of the second pivoting section of the foot. In this embodiment, the height of the foot, and hence the clearance between the base member 26 and the supporting surface, is chosen to be shorter than the above embodiment due to the requirement to keep the distance to a minimum between the point of attachment of one foot with the leg and the point of attachment between its diagonally opposite counterpart and a corresponding leg in the collapsed state.

It is of course to be understood that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only and that many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A collapsible cot operable between a deployed state and a collapsed state, wherein, in the deployed state, the cot provides a support for a mattress and provides a top rail spaced a predetermined minimum distance above the support and wherein, in the collapsed state, the cot is smaller than the minimum distance in every dimension.

2. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cot comprises a plurality of collapsible legs each extending, at least, from the top rail to the support for a mattress.

3. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 2 wherein the legs are retractable.

4. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein each of the legs comprises two or more pivotal ly connected sections.

5. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 4 wherein each of the legs comprises at least one pivotal connection which is disposed between the top rail and the support for a mattress .

6. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the top rail comprises a plurality of connecting members.

7. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 6 wherein the number of connecting members from which the top rail is comprised is at least equal in number to the number of legs and wherein each connecting member connects two adjacent legs and is adapted to be collapsed thereby to draw together the two legs to which the connecting member is attached.

8. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 7 wherein each connecting member comprises two elongate sections of substantially equal length that are pivotally connected together at one end and pivotally connected to an adjacent leg at the other.

9. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the support for a mattress comprises at least one base connecting member which connects two or more legs and which is adapted to be collapsed thereby to draw together the legs to which it is attached.

10. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 9 wherein the action of collapsing the top rail and the support to draw together the legs causes the legs to collapse.

Π. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the or each base connecting member is pivotally attached to two or more legs and can be rotated relative to the legs thereby to collapse in toward the legs.

12. A collapsible cot as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein each base connecting member comprises two elongate elements of approximately equal length that are pivotally attached together at one end and pivotally attached to the legs at their other end.

13. A collapsible cot as claimed in claim 12 wherein the cot comprises two base connecting members whose elongate elements are pivotally connected at the end remote from the legs to a body and wherein movement of the body relative to the legs rotates the elongate elements in toward the legs thereby to draw together the parts of the legs to which the elongate elements are attached.

14. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein in the deployed state the top rail is substantially rectangular, a leg is attached to each corner thereof and a base connecting member connects each leg to its diagonally opposite counterpart.

15. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the minimum distance is of order 600mm.

16. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein in the collapsed state the cot is smaller than 560mm in every dimension.

17. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein in the collapsed state the cot is smaller than the following dimensions: 560mm long x 450mm wide x 250mm deep.

18. A collapsible cot as claimed in any preceding claim wherein in the collapsed state the cot is less than or substantially equal to the maximum dimension for carry-on aircraft luggage.