BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A illustrates an isometric view of an embodiment of a container of the invention.
FIG. 1B shows an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 1C shows an alternative embodiment of the container of the invention.
FIG. 2 depicts a top view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the invention, in which a wet wipes container has been positioned in a flexible compartment.
FIG. 4A shows a side view of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4B depicts an alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention, shown in use as holding items used for diaper changes and baby hygiene care.
FIG. 6 illustrates a stitched embodiment of the liner of the present invention, shown from the bottom exterior to depict the seams created.
FIG. 7 depicts a bottom exterior view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, depicting that the dividers need not be stitched to the bottom of the liner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention encompasses various embodiments of an apparatus for assisting in the overall process of baby care, including but not limited to changing baby diapers, cleaning the diapering area, performing breast milk pumping, and providing other care to an infant, or possibly to an elderly person or person with physical impairments that requires similar care. For the sake of convenience only, the remainder of this disclosure will discuss the various embodiments in terms of diaper changing and childcare.
FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of the apparatus 100 of the invention. The apparatus 100 comprises a container 102 including an interior space 104 and a handle 106. The container 102 can be made of any material suitable for creating an interior space wherein the interior space will be lined, as disclosed below. In one embodiment, the container 102 is a woven basket. Other embodiments can comprise a container 102 made of other materials, including but not limited to metal, plastic, cardboard, paper mâché, and the like. The container 102 can have any shape and size that is convenient for lining and storing a variety of baby care items in pockets and/or compartments in the lining, as disclosed below in greater detail. In one embodiment, the container 102 is rectangular with rounded corners, or oval shaped (e.g., FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2). However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the container 102 can be round, square, regular geometric shape, or irregular geometric shape. In another embodiment, the size of the container 102 is substantially eleven inches wide by seventeen inches long by six inches deep. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the disclosure includes any size that is sufficient to accommodate an assortment of care items. The size may also depend on the number and extent of items contemplated for a particular type of container 102.
The handle 106 that is mounted on or integral with the container 102 can be placed so that the apparatus is portable to the caregiver. In one embodiment, the handle 106 can be contoured and smooth, so that it is comfortable to hold from over the opening to the interior space 104 of the container 102. The handle can be connected with the container by hinges 108 on the outside of the container 102 (best seen in FIGS. 1A, 4A). The hinge 108 allows the handle 106 to be pushed out of the way, i.e., toward a side from over the opening to the interior space 104. The ability to move the handle 106 out of the away provides easy access to baby care items contained in the apparatus (described below in greater detail); for re-stocking the baby care items; and/or for ease in shipping, for example in commerce or as a gift. (See FIGS. 1A and 1B, 2, 4A and 4B.) Alternatively, hinges 108 can be located on the inside of the container 102, and the handle 106 can be fashioned to fit inside the rim 110 of the container when it is pushed out of the way on hinges 108. Alternatively, the handle 106 with hinges 108 in the interior 104 of the container 102 need not be fashioned to fit fully inside, but may instead simple be pushed partially out of the way. As a further alternative, hinges 108 can connect a handle 106 to a rim 110 of the container 102. As a further alternative, the handle 106 can be rigidly connected with the container 102. Handles 106 also can be positioned along the sides of the container 102, parallel with the rim 110 of the container 102 so that the container 102 either can be grasped by one handle with a hand and, for example, braced against a carrier's body, or grasped with both hands on different handles 106.
It will be appreciated that the invention contemplates that the handle 106 can be connected flexibly with the container 102 by other means (see FIG. 4B) that are known in the art. For example, a first set of loops 312 can be positioned on the container 302 and adapted to accept, or be accepted by, a compatible second set of loops 314 at the ends of the handle 306. Each of the second set of loops 314 on the ends of the handle 306 is looped about or interconnected with each of the first set of loops 312 on the container 302, to allow the handle 306 to move flexibly. Other flexible connections are also contemplated by the current disclosure of the present invention.
The handle 106 need not be made of the same material as the container 102. For example, the handle 206 can be made of a cord, rope, chain, plastic strap, leather, vinyl, or other flexible material (see FIG. 1C). The advantage is that the flexible handle 206 simply falls aside for easy access to the interior 204 of the container 202, once the container 202 is set down. This flexible material can be connected with the container 202 by any means that secures the handle 206 to the container. For example, the ends of the handle 206 can be tied around loops 207 or other means on the container 202 and knotted, sewn, fastened, clamped, etc. Alternatively, the ends of the handles 106 can be tied through apertures through opposite sides of the container 102.
The handle 106 also might be made of a rigid material that is different from the material of the container 102. For example, a container 102 made of a woven basket material might have a rigid plastic handle 106, or other rigid material known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The handle 106 may be functionally connected with the container 102 with or without hinges 108.
FIG. 2 depicts a top view of an embodiment of the invention. In particular, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the liner 116 that is placed so that it lines the interior 104 of the container 102. The liner 116 in position substantially rests along the base of the container 102.
The liner 116 is made of a flexible material, such as a fabric, and includes a plurality of flexible pockets 118 and/or compartments 120. (See also FIG. 1A for isometric view of liner 116 in container 102.) It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the liner can be made of any material that can be fashioned to function as the lining 116 as described in greater detail below. For example, the liner 116 can be made from any one or any combination of materials including, by way of example only, cotton, flannel, cotton blends, vinyl, oilcloth, GORE-TEX®, fleece, wool, polyester, washable materials, and any other fabric-like materials. In an embodiment, the liner 116 is made of cotton and is washable either by hand or in a washing machine. In other embodiments, the liner 116 is washable and/or stain-resistant. In other embodiments, the liner 116 need not be washed but can be wiped clean. The liner 116 can be made from a fabric or other material, as discussed above, that is a solid color or a print, according to the preference of the caregiver and/or manufacturer of the caddy. The liner 116 also can have a backing material for reinforcement, such as interfacing material that is well known in the art and need not be described herein in any further detail.
As noted above, the liner 116 has a plurality of flexible pockets 118 and/or flexible compartments 120. It will be appreciated that any number of pockets 118 and/or compartments 120 may be created according to the needs of a caregiver and/or the preference of a manufacturer.
At least one of the compartments is adapted to accept and maintain a wet wipes box, a cleansing material box, or other bulky and/or heavy item, such as a personal use breast milk pump. The bulky item compartment 122 centers the item so that it is balanced in the container 102, so that the container is stabilized to avoid spills. For the sake of convenience only, this particular compartment 122 will be referred to in terms of a wet wipes box. This wet wipes compartment 122 (see FIG. 3) includes at least two flexible parallel dividers 124 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that can be attached to the sides and/or base of, the liner 116 by means of stitching, gluing, stapling, and the like. The choice of sewing, etc. likely will depend upon the material used to create the liner 116. This wet wipes compartment 122 is centered in the liner 116 and thus also in the container 102 so that the bulky item that occupies this compartment 122 is balanced in the liner 116 and container 102. Balancing the bulkiest and/or heaviest item allows the caregiver more safely to carry a baby while carrying the caddy, for example, walking from the bathroom to family room area with baby and caddy. The balance of the bulkiest and/or heaviest item also decreases the likelihood that the container 102 will tip in one direction or completely over when a user lifts it. Avoiding such imbalance is expected to decrease wasting items that must be disposed of, if dirtied; resorting to otherwise unnecessary cleaning and/or sterilization; breaking items; and damaging items, among other things.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is possible but not necessary to connect the dividers 124 with the base or bottom of the liner 116. See FIG. 7, showing a view of the liner from the exterior and bottom. The liner in FIG. 7 contains no seams in the bottom or base of the liner 116; instead, the dividers 124 are functionally connected with the substantially vertical sides of the liner 116. The various care items still can be kept organized and separate in this way, and less fixing or sewing is necessary to create the end product. FIG. 6 depicts an alternative embodiment of the bottom of the exterior of the liner 116, showing that the dividers 124 can be sewn or otherwise attached to the bottom of the liner 116.
Other compartments 120 can be created in the liner 116 by adding other dividers 124 as needed and attaching them to the sides of the liner 116 (see FIGS. 1A-3, 5). For example, only one additional divider 124 may be needed to create two more compartments 120, as seen for example in FIGS. 1A-3. The additional compartments 120 can be used to organize a variety of items so that they are found quickly and are within easy reach for the caregiver. See, e.g., FIG. 5. Such items might include, by way of example only, diapers, diaper cream, baby lotion, baby powder, nasal bulb, nail clippers, toys, and pacifiers. In one embodiment, four additional compartments 120 can be created by adding two more dividers 124: one perpendicular to a first divider 124 that is used to make the wet wipes box compartment 122, and another perpendicular to a second divider 124 that is used to make the wet wipes box compartment 122. These dividers 124 used to make the additional four compartments 120 can be sewn, glued, stapled, etc. to the sides of the liner 116 and the dividers 124 of the wet wipes box compartment 122, as disclosed above in connection with the dividers 124 used to create the wet wipes box compartment 122. Five compartments 122, 120 are created in this embodiment, but any number is contemplated by the present disclosure.
The dividers 124 can include the material used to make the liner 116, sewn around interfacing material, which is well known in the art. In one embodiment, the dividers 124 comprise interfacing material inside a liner 116 fabric made of 100% cotton. The dividers are thus flexible, allowing items of different sizes to be organized within the liner 116 in the interior of the container 102. The present disclosure further contemplates that the dividers 124 can be made of any flexible material, such as thin and flexible plastic cards, stiff fabric, rubber, and the like. The dividers 124 need not be covered with the material used for the liner 116, but instead may remain uncovered, or covered with a material different than that used for the liner 116.
Pockets 118 provide a different sort of organizational space that can be included in the liner 116 to organize baby care items. See FIGS. 1A-3, 5. At least one pocket 118 may be one of sewn, glued, stapled, etc. along the vertical sides of the liner 116. The pockets 118 may be made of the same sort material as the liner 116. Alternatively, the pockets 118 may be made of the same material(s) as the dividers 124 are made, as disclosed above. Whether a pocket 118 is made of the liner 116 material or the divider 124 material can be determined according to the preferences of the caregiver and/or the manufacturer, depending upon the level of flexibility desired. The pocket 118 material is connected as disclosed above to the vertical sides of the liner 116 to leave an opening at the top of the pocket 118 and the liner 116, so that items may be stored therein. It will be appreciated that at least one pocket 126 can be less deep than the other pockets 118 to allow smaller items, such as cotton swabs, to be stored and easily retrieved. See FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the pocket 126 that is less deep is substantially one-half as deep as the other pockets 118.
The liner 116 can be secured to the container 102 but also can be removable from the container 102. In one embodiment, the liner 116 can be folded over the rim 110 (FIG. 1B) of the container 102 and tied with ribbon 128 (best seen in FIGS. 1B and 4A). In another embodiment, the liner 116 can be folded over the rim 110 in order to secure it to the basket, if the liner 116 is sufficiently fitted to the container 102, or elasticized around its rim. In another embodiment, ribbon 128 ties under the hinges 108 so that the movement of the handle connected with the container 102 via the hinges is not hampered. The ribbon 128 can be affixed to the liner 116, so that it cannot be removed. For example openings or notches 130 can be created at opposite sides of the rim 132 of the liner, and segments of ribbon 128 can be sewn on opposite sides of the openings 130, so that two segments of ribbon 128 are attached to each opening 130 on opposite sides of each opening 130. The ribbon 128 segments can be tied to secure the liner 116 to the container 102 around the outside of the container 102.
Alternatively, a ribbon 128 can be sewn into a fold of the material all of the way around the rim 132 of the liner 116. The ribbon 128 thus acts as a drawstring used to secure the liner 116 outside the container 102. To remove the liner 116, as for washing or wiping clean, the ribbon 128 can be untied and the liner 116 slipped out of the container 102. The liner 116 can be re-positioned after washing/cleaning, and the ribbon 128 re-tied to fasten the liner 116 into the container 102.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the ribbon 128 can be any material suitable for securing the liner 116 to the container 102. For example, elastic material can be embedded in the rim 132 of the liner 116, as disclosed above for ribbon 128, and the liner 116 can be removed and re-positioned by stretching the elastic material. Other materials that can be used in place of ribbon 128 include, without limitation, string and other fabric that can be cut into strips and can be tied. Also, as a further alternative, snaps, hooks, velcro® and similar fasteners can be sewn or otherwise fastened to the liner at the openings 130 and used to secure the liner 116 to the container 102.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the liner 116 also can be decorated in any pattern or color of material selected for the liner 116. Moreover, the rim 132 of the liner also can be decorated, for example with scalloping, embroidery, or patches. Such decorations may be extended to other portions of the liner 116, such as the dividers 124 and pockets 118.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20070257041
