Patent Application
20250160539
The subject matter of the invention relates generally to infant care, and more particularly to an infant support cushion.
An infant's proximity to a parent is crucial for the infant's mental, emotional, and psychological development. Being nestled in the arms, against the chest, and near the parent's face gives the infant a soothing environment. It is also advantageous to provide a comfortable environment for infants that allow an infant to safely visually explore their surroundings and have an intentional space for play.
The current devices that support infants have various drawbacks. In one example, a parent may lay an infant on a blanket. However, the blanket space may be too open, hard, and uncomfortable for the infant. In another example, a parent may lay an infant in a crib. However, cribs may prevent an infant from visual exploration. Additionally, cribs may be overly restrictive, and to heavy/bulky to move around the house or even outside.
Therefore, new approaches are needed with respect to providing a comfortable and safe environment for infants that allow an infant to visually explore their surroundings without overly restricting their movement, and provide an intentional safe space for play that is also light and easy to transport and set up in different locations.
In one embodiment, an infant support cushion is provided. The infant support cushion may include a substantially flat and firm bottom support surface; a sidewall extending about a periphery of the bottom support surface configured to provide a closed configuration defining a recess; and wherein an overall height of the sidewall does not exceed an overall sidewall height threshold value, an inside angle of the sidewall relative to the bottom support surface exceeds an inside sidewall angle threshold value, and a maximum incline angle as measured from one or more certain positions of a top surface of the bottom support surface and a top surface of the sidewall does not exceed a maximum incline angle threshold value. The overall sidewall height threshold value may be 1.9 inches, the inside sidewall angle threshold value may be 90 degrees, and the maximum incline angle threshold value may be 10 degrees. The infant support cushion may further include at least one carry handle disposed on an exterior portion of the sidewall. The infant support cushion may further include one or more accessory attachment points. The one or more accessory attachment points may include two accessory attachment points, the two accessory attachment points may include toy arch loops, and wherein each of the two toy arch loops may be attached to a separate portion of the sidewall on opposing sides of the infant support cushion. The infant support cushion may further include a toy arch, wherein the toy arch may be attached to the infant support cushion via the two toy arch loops. The toy arch may include an end cap disposed at each end of the toy arch, wherein each end cap may be configured to engage its respective one of the two toy arch loops. The toy arch may include one or more toy arch rings, the one or more toy arch rings may be configured for attaching one or more toys/figurines thereto. The infant support cushion may be any of an overall generally square, rectangular, or ovular shape. Either or both of the sidewall and/or bottom support surface may include a closeable opening configurable to provide an opening to allow removal and/or insertion of filler material disposed in an interior region of either or both of the sidewall and/or bottom support surface. The closeable opening of either or both of the sidewall and/or bottom support surface may include any of a zipper, envelope fold, hook and loop, buttons, or snaps. The closeable opening of the sidewall may include a zipper, the zipper extending along a length of the sidewall. Either or both of the sidewall and/or bottom support surface may include filler material. The filler material may include any one or more of fiber, foam, silicone, granular material, 3D mesh/filament, and/or a combination thereof. The infant support cushion may further include one or more tabs disposed within the recess and positioned at an intersection of the sidewall and the bottom support surface. The one or more tabs may include sensory tags and include any of images, shapes, patterns, tactile features, and/or audible features. The sidewall may include a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first end portion may be moveable relative the bottom support surface and the second end portion may be moveable relative to the bottom support surface, and wherein the first end portion may be configured to move from a first position to a second position independent of the second end portion, and the second end portion may be configured to move from a first position to a second position independent of the first end portion, and wherein when the first end portion and the second end portion are in the first position they form a closed periphery at their associated end of the infant support cushion, and when the first end portion and the second end portion are in the second position they form an opening at their associate end of infant support cushion. The maximum incline angle may be measured using a hinged weight gauge. The inside angle of the sidewall relative to the bottom support surface may be measured using a cylindrical probe, wherein the cylindrical probe may be configured to simulate a size and shape of an infant's head, and wherein about a 10 N force is applied to the probe at the intersection of the sidewall and bottom support surface, and if there is contact between the sidewall and a side of the cylindrical probe when a face of the probe is pressed against the sidewall and bottom support surface intersection, then the angle is determined to measure less than 90 degrees and if there is no contact between the sidewall and the side of the cylindrical probe, the angle is determined to measure greater than 90 degrees. The infant support cushion may include an inside width in the range of about 200 mm to about 510 mm and an inside length in the range of about 500 mm to about 680 mm, and wherein the sidewall may include a width in the range of about 60 mm to about 140 mm.
Having thus described the subject matter in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The subject matter of the invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The subject matter of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the subject matter of the invention set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the subject matter of the invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the subject matter of the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
The infant support cushion disclosed herein is light and easy to transport (as opposed to, for example, a crib), around a house or take outside. The infant support cushion disclosed herein may provide an “extra set of arms”, when, for example, a parent/care giver, while close by, may be busy and needs/wants to set the infant down in a safe and comfortable space for play. The infant support cushion disclosed herein provides a safe and comfortable space to play for an infant's use during awake time.
In some embodiments, the subject matter of the invention provides an infant support cushion. The infant support cushion may include, but is not limited to, an infant play mat, infant lounger, and/or any other infant product designed, intended, and/or capable to support an infant's weight or any portion of an infant while reclining or in a supine, prone, or recumbent position.
In some embodiments, the infant support cushion may include a bottom mat, a raised periphery sidewall around the perimeter of the bottom mat, and may further include at least one hand or carry loop.
In some embodiments, the infant support cushion may include a bottom mat, a raised periphery sidewall around the perimeter of the bottom mat, at least one hand or carry loop, and a toy arch for holding toys in hanging fashion above the bottom mat and accordingly above any infant laying therein.
In some embodiments, the infant support cushion may include a bottom mat and a raised periphery sidewall that are made or filled with a resilient filler material, such as fiber or foam.
In some embodiments, the infant support cushion may include a bottom mat and a raised periphery that are filled with eco-friendly fibers having biodegradability, such as REMOTION® fiber products or other like material.
With reference to the figures, infant support cushion 100 may be an infant play mat, infant lounger, and/or any other infant product designed, intended, and/or capable to support an infant's weight or any portion of an infant, for example, while reclining or in a supine, prone, or recumbent position.
In one example embodiment, infant support cushion 100 may include an infant support surface, i.e., bottom mat 110, sidewalls, i.e., raised periphery 112, and may further include one or more hand or carry loops 114, wherein hand or carry loop 114 may allow a user to carry the infant support cushion 100. For example, there may be a hand or carry loop 114 at one end only of infant support cushion 100 or at both ends of infant support cushion 100, and/or on one or more sides of infant support cushion 100. Bottom mat 110 may be substantially flat and firm, and may further, for example, be, or include, a quilted (or non-quilted) mat, mattress, cover, and/or pad, and may be of any pattern or may include no pattern. Raised periphery 112 may be padded sidewall extending around the perimeter of bottom mat 110. For example, raised periphery 112 may be a fiber-filled or foam structure. Raised periphery 112 may be a densely fiber-filled or foam structure. In one example, raised periphery 112 may be adjacent the outer most perimeter of bottom mat 110, that is, the bottom mat 110 may be positioned such that it is entirely within the recess defined by the raised periphery 112, e.g., the bottom mat 110 does not extend under the raised periphery 112. In another example, the bottom mat 110 may be positioned such that at least some portion of the outer periphery of bottom matt 110 extends underneath a portion of the raised periphery 112.
In infant support cushion 100, the bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112 may be permanently attached together, or attachable and/or separable from one another. The bottom mat 110 may be made from a separate pad that may or may not be removable (e.g., for washing), from, for example, a cover. Alternatively, the bottom mat 110 may form an integral part of the total shape of the infant support cushion 100 with no removable pad portion. Bottom mat 110 may or may not include a zipper (e.g., zipper 200). Bottom mat 110 may include an envelope fold (e.g., overlapping textile), hook and loop, buttons, snaps, or other suitable type fastener mechanism for allowing of removal of a removable pad of the bottom mat 110, if present.
Raised periphery 112, in one example, may include a cloth shell that is filled with a filler material, for example, fiber, foam, or the like. Bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112 may be configured in, for example but not limited to rectangular, square, circular, ovular, and/or the like. Further, bottom mat 110 may have rounded or squared outer corners.
Raised periphery 112 may be raised from bottom mat 110 to form a recess where a subject (e.g., a human infant) may be placed. Additionally, bottom mat 110 and/or raised periphery 112 may be filled with filler material, such as, but not limited to, fiber (e.g., lose, wadded, or the like), foam, silicone (e.g., mold-produced), natural fiber (e.g., coconut, or other suitable fiber), and/or any other suitable material. In another example, bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112 may be formed as a unitary structure. In another example, bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112 may be formed of and/or filled with the same material or different material. When raised periphery 112 is formed as a separate structure from bottom mat 110, raised periphery 112 and bottom mat 110 may be fastened to each other in a variety of ways, such as, but not limited to, hook and loop, buttons, snaps, or any other suitable type fastener mechanism. More details of bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112 are described below. In another example, the filler material of bottom mat 110 and/or raised periphery 112 may be removable or non-removeable.
In one embodiment, the raised periphery 112 at one end of infant support cushion 100 may include a first leg portion and a second leg portion. The first leg portion may extend from a first side of an end of the infant support cushion 100 and second leg portion may extend from a second opposing side of the end of the infant support cushion 100. The first leg portion may be configured to move from a first position to a second position independent of second leg portion, and the second leg portion may be configured to move from a first position to a second position independent of first leg portion, wherein when the first and second leg portion are in the first (closed) position they form a closed periphery at their associate end of infant support cushion 100, and when the first and second leg portions are in the second (open) position they form an opening at their associate end of infant support cushion 100. The first leg portion and second leg portion may include a mechanism for attaching/connecting an end of the first leg portion and an end of the second leg portion together when in the first (closed) position.
In one example, infant support cushion 100 may be designed to receive various accessories, such as for example, a toy arch 150, as shown, for example, in
Infant support cushion 100 may further include an arrangement of one or more sensory tabs/tags, i.e., tabs 118, which may include one or more images thereon. For example, one or more tabs 118 may be made of cloth, or other suitable material, and may be sewn into infant support cushion 100, for example, along the intersection of bottom mat 110 and raised periphery 112.
Referring now to
The inner wall of raised periphery 112 may be angled, for example, at an angle of greater than about 90 degrees relative to the bottom mat 110. In one non-limiting example, the sidewall angle between the raised periphery 112 and bottom mat 110 of infant support cushion 100 may be measured, for example, using a sidewall angle test method, such as, outlined in 16 CFR § 1243.5(i), for example, using a side of a probe (e.g., a cylindrical three inch probe designed to simulate the size and shape of an infant's head as detailed, for example, in CFR § 1243), and by applying about a 10 N (about 2.25 pounds) force to the probe at the intersection of the raised periphery 112 and bottom mat 110, wherein the probe may be designed to simulate the size and shape of an infant's head, and may be used to determine whether there is any contact between the raised periphery 112 and the probe's side (i.e., cylindrical part of the probe) when the “face”, or top portion, of the probe is pressed against the raised periphery 112 and bottom mat 110 intersection, and if there is such contact, the sidewall angle may be determined to be less than 90 degrees and if there is no contact between the raised periphery 112 and the side of the probe, the sidewall angle may be determined to be greater than 90 degrees. In other examples, the sidewall angle between the raised periphery 112 and bottom mat 110 may be measured using any other suitable/acceptable technique or mechanism.
Generally, infant support cushion 100 may be of any suitable size and/or shape to accommodate an infant. In one non-limiting example, infant support cushion 100 may have an overall width w in the range of about 550 mm to about 600 mm and an overall length l in the range of about 600 mm to about 800 mm. Infant support cushion 100 may have an inner width w(i) in the range of about 200 mm to about 510 mm and an inside length l(i) in the range of about 500 mm to about 680 mm. In one non-limiting example, total thickness t of bottom mat 110 may be equal to or less than about 38 mm. Total thickness t of bottom mat 110 may be, in one non-limiting example, less than about 25 mm. Total thickness t may be the thickness of the uncompressed bottom mat 110 including all filler material 120, fabric layers, and/or any structural members such as wood, hardboard, or the like that may be part of the bottom mat 110 structure.
In one non-limiting example, the height of raised periphery 112, as measured to the top surface of the bottom mat 110, is such that at a maximum incline angle θ from a top surface of the raised periphery 112 to an area on the top surface of the bottom mat 110, e.g., in an area where an infant's head may be positioned, (maximum incline angle) does not exceed a threshold value as set forth in 16 CFR § 1243, currently 10 degrees. In one non-limiting example, the maximum incline angle θ may be measured, for example, using the maximum incline angle test method outlined in 16 CFR § 1243.5(d), for example, using a hinged weight gauge 300 (e.g., a newborn hinged weight gauge) and positioning the hinged weight gauge 300 at different positions on bottom mat 110, in particular in areas where an infant's head may, or would likely, be positioned (as shown for example in
Again, in one example, bottom mat 110 (and/or raised periphery 112) may be formed of quilted/patterned or non-quilted/non-patterned material. Further, bottom mat 110 and/or raised periphery 112 may be filled with a filler material 120, such as, but not limited to, fiber, foam, granular, 3D mesh/filament, silicone, and/or any other suitable filler material. For example, filler material 120 may include, but is not limited to, cluster fibers, foam, recycled foam, thermobonded (poly) fiber, wadding, 3D mesh filling, BREATHAIR® 3D cushion filling, and/or the like or other suitable material. In one non-limiting example, the filler material 120, within an uncompressed bottom mat 110, may have, for example, a thickness in the range of about 25 mm. In another non-limiting example, the thickness of filler material 120, within uncompressed bottom mat 110, may be equal to or less than 25 mm. Filler material 120 may have antimicrobial properties. In another example, filler material 120 may be eco-friendly fibers having biodegradability. In one example, the fibers may be made from recycled ocean-bound plastic bottles, and may breakdown in marine environments to prevent/reduce microplastic pollution of the oceans (e.g., REMOTION® fiber products).
Referring now to
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Infant support cushion 100 may include a removable cover (or covers) for removal from the raised periphery 112 and/or bottom mat 110. The removable cover (or covers) may be removable by use of a zipper 200 (see for example
Bottom mat 110 of infant support cushion 100 may have any pattern, quilted or otherwise, or may include no particular pattern or quilted design.
Referring now to
In one embodiment, bottom matt 110 may have a certain firmness, such as for example, when a 3-inch diameter hemispherical head probe, such as that in 16 CFR § 1243.5, is applied, e.g., according to the test method for bottom matt 110 firmness described in 16 CFR § 1243.5(f), the force required for a one inch displacement is greater than 10 Newtons (N). In one embodiment, raised periphery 112 may have a certain firmnesss, such as for example, when a 3-inch diameter hemispherical head probe, such as that in 16 CFR § 1243.5, is applied, e.g., according to the test method for raised periphery 112 firmness described in 16 CFR § 1243.5(g), the force required for a one inch displacement is greater than 10 Newtons (N). In one embodiment, the intersection of bottom matt 110 and raised periphery 112 may have a certain firmnesss, such as for example, when a 3-inch diameter hemispherical head probe, such as that in 16 CFR § 1243.5, is applied, e.g., according to the test method for firmness at the intersection of bottom matt 110 and raised periphery 112 described in 16 CFR § 1243.5(h), the force required for a one inch displacement is greater than 10 Newtons (N). The entirety of 16 CFR § 1243 is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring now to
Bottom mat 110 of infant support cushion 100 may have any pattern, quilted or otherwise, or may include no pattern or quilted design. All the dimensions referenced herein and in the figures are exemplary only and are understood to be non-limiting. It is understood that the dimensions may be less than or more than those listed herein, depending on the actual size desired and/or as required by regulation (current of future), and are deemed to be within the scope of the disclosure herein.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes a plurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary (e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.
The terms “comprise,” “comprises,” “comprising,” “include,” “includes,” and “including,” are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that may be substituted or added to the listed items.
Terms like “preferably,” “commonly,” and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments or to imply that certain features are critical or essential to the structure or function of the claimed embodiments. These terms are intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present invention.
The term “substantially” is utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation and to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
Various modifications and variations of the disclosed methods, compositions and uses of the invention will be apparent to the skilled person without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the subject matter has been disclosed in connection with specific preferred aspects or embodiments, it should be understood that the subject matter as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific aspects or embodiments.
For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions, proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, quantities, characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter. For example, the term “about,” when referring to a value can be meant to encompass variations of, in some embodiments ±100%, in some embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods or employ the disclosed compositions.
Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or more numbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all such numbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers, e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within that range (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like) and any range within that range.
Although the foregoing subject matter has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.
This application is related and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.: 63/601,859, filed on Nov. 22, 2023 the application of which is incorporate herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63601859 | Nov 2023 | US |
