Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6357462
-
Patent Number
6,357,462
-
Date Filed
Thursday, February 17, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 19, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Levisohn, Lerner, Berger & Langsam
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 135 96
- 135 124
- 135 125
- 135 126
- 135 128
- 135 136
- 135 137
- 135 138
- 135 143
- 135 115
- 135 116
- 135 906
- 135 913
- 256 25
- 005 991
- 005 981
- 005 97
- 052 70
- 052 71
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A portable playpen/mattress for babies is described. The playpen includes a flexible base and a plurality of substantially open walls all consecutively attached to each other. The walls are attachable to the base substantially perpendicular to the base. When the walls are attached to the base, the playpen is in an erected configuration, and when the walls are detached and folded one on top of another, the playpen is a collapsed configuration. The base is attachable to the walls in two configurations. When the corners of the base are curled around the leg portions of the walls, the base is in a rimmed configuration, and when the leg portions are directly attached to an upper surface of the base, the base is in a flat configuration. A reversible roof is selectively attachable to the walls. An outer cover is adapted to enclose the base and the walls in the erected configuration.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to playpens and mattresses for infants and young children, and more specifically to playpens and mattresses that may be easily collapsed, transported, and erected in a different location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Playpens, enclosed structures in which a baby can be safely left alone to play, have been in use for decades. Traditional playpens include a square base and square walls, the base having a soft cushion for the baby's comfort and the walls typically designed to keep the child inside. Although safe, traditional playpens do not look to be very appealing places to leave infants by themselves, owing to their cube-like shapes and sparse appearance. Playpens are only as much fun as the toys parents put in them. However, infants tend to throw toys out of the playpen and then vociferously complain (e.g., scream, cry, etc.) that they have no toys in the playpen. Parents must retrieve the toys and replace them in the playpen. This process is frequently repeated, often to the dismay and irritation of the parents.
Also, traditional playpens have been difficult to erect and collapse, thereby limiting their portability. Further, traditional playpens have been limited primarily for indoor use, owing to the possibility of ground moisture seeping into the bottom of the playpen or from rain or other precipitation falling on the infant from above.
U.S. Pat. No. Design 359,869 to Oren depicts a portable, collapsible baby mattress having a fabric base and two curved supports extending from opposite corners of the mattress and crossing above the center of the mattress. Toys may be attached to the curved supports so that the baby may play with them without throwing them away and forcing his/her parents to retrieve them. The Oren mattress is also easily collapsed and is very portable.
The Oren mattress suffers from a number of the deficiencies of traditional playpens. First, the Oren mattress is completely open above and on the sides to precipitation and insects. Second, Oren does not teach any enclosure to prevent or deter a baby placed thereon from simply crawling away. Third, the Oren device cannot be practically used outside because ground moisture will readily seep through the mattress and leave a soggy play area for the baby. Also, as with conventional playpens, the Oren device does not shield the baby from dangerous exposure to sunlight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a playpen for a baby that is easily collapsible and portable.
It is another object of the invention to provide a playpen for a baby that is usable in both indoor and outdoor settings.
It is another object of the invention to provide an attractive baby mattress that deters babies from crawling away and at the same time prevents toys from rolling away and insects from coming near the child.
It is another object of the invention to provide a playpen or mattress for a baby that prevents babies from hurling toys out of the playpen.
It is another object of the invention to provide a playpen for a baby that will protect the baby from exposure to the sun.
It is another object of the invention to provide a playpen or mattress for a baby that will protect the baby from precipitation and insects in an outdoor setting.
The above and other objects are achieved by the invention, which is a portable playpen/mattress for newborns, infants and young children. The invention includes a flexible padded base and a plurality of substantially open walls all preferably consecutively attached to each other. The walls are attachable to the base substantially perpendicular to the base. When the walls are attached to the base, the playpen is in an erected configuration, and when the walls are detached from the base and folded one on top of another, the playpen is a collapsed and thus easily transported configuration. The base is attachable to the walls in two configurations. When the corners of the base are curled around the leg portions of the walls, the base is in an upturned or rimmed configuration, and when the leg portions are directly attached to an upper surface of the base, the base is in a planar or flat configuration. A reversible roof is selectively attachable to the walls. The roof will shield the baby from direct sunlight. Toys may be attached to or suspended from fabric sheet portions of the walls and/or hooks on the roof so as to prevent the baby from throwing them out of the playpen. All of the components which may be selectively attached and detached may be done so by any conventional attaching means, such as micro-hook fasteners (e.g., VELCRO), a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and/or a hook. The walls are substantially open, arc-shaped flexible rods covered with fabric to form an open archway. In the preferred embodiment, four walls are secured together to form a dome-like structure by attaching one leg of a wall element to a leg of an adjacent wall element. In the preferred embodiment, all four walls may have their legs permanently sewn together. Nevertheless, the structure can be folded with one wall on top of another wall so that the collapsed configuration is four stacked wall sections.
An outer cover is adapted to enclose the base and the walls in the erected configuration. The outer cover preferably includes an upper water-resistant roof portion positionable over the roof of the playpen. This upper portion prevents rain or other precipitation from striking the baby and wetting the base. The outer cover may also preferably include a central porous or mesh portion positionable in front of the walls, or at least in front of the open portions of the walls. The mesh allows air to circulate through the interior of the playpen but keeps insects out of the interior and away from the baby. The outer cover may also preferably include a lower water-resistant base portion positionable below the base adapted to keep ground moisture from seeping up and into the base. A zipper may be provided as an easy mechanism to open and close the cover, as desired. In an alternate embodiment, small fabric loops can be suspended from the center of the fabric covering the wall sections to provide support for toys, e.g., hand manipulatives and/or mobile articles. In an alternate embodiment, C or O-shaped connector elements interconnect between the fabric loops, just mentioned, and the hand manipulatives and/or mobile articles. These connector elements can, in an alternate embodiment, be teething rings, pacifiers and/or rattles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of an assembled portable playpen according to the invention with the base in a flat configuration.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of an assembled portable playpen according to the invention with the base in a rimmed configuration.
FIG. 3
is a side elevation view of the walls of a portable playpen according to the invention in the dissembled configuration prior to the walls being folded for transport or prior to the walls being connected in assembly.
FIG. 4
is a perspective, slightly exploded view of the walls of a portable playpen according to the invention as it is being assembled.
FIG. 5
is an enlarged, detailed view of portion V of
FIG. 4
with the top rim of the foot everted.
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of a cover for the playpen.
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of a cover for the playpen, covering the playpen.
FIG. 8
is top view of the inventive playpen in a collapsed configuration.
FIG. 9
is a side elevational view of one wall of the inventive playpen.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND THE DRAWINGS
A description of the invention will now be given with reference to
FIGS. 1-9
. These figures should be considered merely exemplary and in no way limit the scope of the invention.
The inventive playpen
5
is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
in two slightly different erected configurations. Like parts are shown with like reference numerals. Playpen
5
includes a plurality of walls
10
. In the preferred embodiment, four walls
10
are provided, however any number of walls greater than two is contemplated as within the scope of the invention. Because the invention is intended to be easily collapsible and portable, three or four walls
10
are believed optimal. Generally, walls
10
are selectively attached to base
20
, and roof
30
is selectively attached to the tops of walls
10
.
FIG. 9
is a schematic of one of the walls
10
of playpen
5
. Preferably, wall
10
includes an arch-shaped support bar
11
which provides structural support for the wall. Support bar
11
is preferably tubular and made of plastic or other similar lightweight material. Fabric sheet
12
is formed with a seam to create a tubular pocket which surrounds support bar
11
. The fabric sheet essentially makes up the flat “wall” portion of wall
10
. As shown in
FIG. 4
, fabric sheet
12
is preferably provided with one printed pattern on one side (e.g., dots) and a different printed pattern on the other side (e.g., stripes), for reasons which will be made clear below. On the upper rim of wall
10
an attachment
13
is provided for securing the roof (discussed below) onto the playpen
5
. The ends of support bar
11
terminate in leg portions
16
of wall
10
. Between leg portions
16
and beneath fabric sheeting
12
lies an open space A, which enables a child to look outside of the playpen as well as enter and egress. Since each wall is provided with an open space A, the playpen
5
, when erected, has an open, airy structure like a small gazebo.
At a lower portion of fabric sheeting
12
, a band
14
of Velcro-attachable fabric (i.e., the micro-loop portion) is provided. Small toys (not shown), such as stuffed animals, rattles, squeak toys, etc. may be affixed via the corresponding hook Velcro component to band
14
. These toys will thus dangle within reach of the child; the child will be able to see and play with the toys, however the child will not be able to throw the toys away from the playpen. Similarly, loops
17
are also (or alternatively) provided for attaching toys. Other types of fastening devices such as a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook may also be provided for the purpose of attaching or affixing toys to the bottom portion of arch-shaped walls
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the preferred embodiment of playpen
5
is provided with four walls
10
A-D. Each wall
10
is substantially identical to the other three walls, although each wall may be provided with a different printed pattern than the other walls. The walls are preferably attached to each other at their fabric sheetings
12
at connection points or seams
18
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, for example, sheet
12
A is attached to sheet
12
B at connection seam
18
A, sheet
12
B is attached to sheet
12
C at connection seam
18
B, and sheet
12
C is attached to sheet
12
D at connection seam
18
C. Wall
10
A is not necessarily permanently connected to wall
10
D. Rather, wall
10
A is provided with attachment flap
15
A which is matingly engageable with attachment flap
15
B disposed on wall
10
D. Preferably, flaps
15
A-B are made from corresponding hook and loop Velcro components, however any fastening structure, such as a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, a hook, or any other known conventional fastening mechanisms could be used in conjunction with or instead of attachment flaps
15
A-B. When walls
10
A and D are attached to one another via flaps
15
A and B, the walls are erected and configured as shown in FIG.
4
. The walls are substantially open, arc-shaped flexible rods covered with fabric to form an open archway. In the preferred embodiment, four walls are secured together to form a dome-like structure by attaching one leg of a wall element to a leg of an adjacent wall element. In the preferred embodiment, all four walls may have their legs permanently sewn together. Nevertheless, the structure can be folded with one wall on top of another wall so that the collapsed configuration is four stacked wall sections.
By consecutively attaching walls
10
A-D while leaving one end of first wall
10
A and the other end of last wall
10
D free, the walls may be selectively erected with either side facing outwards. That is, the wall arrangement shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
are reversible. By providing a different pattern on one side of the walls than the other, the appearance of the playpen (when viewed from either the inside or the outside) can be significantly altered merely by reversing the walls.
The mechanism that connects the walls
10
to base
20
includes feet
28
. As shown in
FIG. 3-5
, feet
28
have a roughly tubular pocket portion
27
affixed or sewn to a base portion
29
. The upper rim of pocket portion
27
includes a flap
27
A; one of Velcro hooks or loops
27
B is preferably disposed in the interior of pocket portion
27
B. Leg portions
16
of two adjacent walls
10
are placed into feet
28
. Flap
27
A facilitates the placement of leg portions
16
within pocket portion
27
. The ends of the leg portions
16
are provided with the other Velcro component to complement Velcro hooks or loops
27
B. Base portion
29
is provided with Velcro
29
A (e.g., the hooks, see
FIG. 4
) or similar attachment structure for securing foot
28
to base
20
(which possesses the corresponding loops) when base
20
is in its flat configuration.
Roof
30
is attachable to the tops or upper rims of walls
10
to block sunlight from impinging directly on a child in the interior of the playpen. Roof
30
is provided with attachment stays
33
which matingly engage with attachments
13
disposed on the upper rims of walls
10
(see FIGS.
1
and
2
). Preferably, stays
33
and attachments
13
are made with Velcro components, however zippers, ties, laces, snaps, buckles, magnets, adhesive, and/or hooks would also function adequately and fall within the scope of the invention. Roof
30
is also designed so that it may be attached to less than all of the upper rims of the walls
10
at the same time. That is, instead of attaching roof
30
to all four walls
10
as in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, roof
30
might only be selectively attached to one wall or two adjacent walls, thereby enabling the unattached part of roof
30
to be folded over the attached part. This configuration provides additional ventilation. Preferably, roof
30
is made of flexible fabric and has one pattern printed on one side and a different pattern printed on the other side. Loop
34
is preferably provided on at least one side of roof
30
and can be provided on both sides of roof
30
. On the top side, loop
34
can function as a handle for parents to lift the playpen and move it without collapsing it. On the bottom side, loop
34
can be used to secure a toy or toys in the same fashion as loops
17
.
As mentioned above, open spaces A in walls
10
allow a child (if the child is walking or crawling) to enter or exit the playpen. The inventive playpen
5
includes two child retention mechanisms. First, as shown in
FIG. 2
, base
20
is preferably provided with stays or straps
25
on the bottom of the base near the perimeter and/or corners of the base. These straps
25
are preferably made with velcro components but could also be any of a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, a hook, etc. Straps
25
wrap around pocket portions
27
of feet
28
, causing the corners of base
20
to curl around leg portions
16
. If all of the corners of the base
20
are so curled around all of the leg portions
16
of the walls
10
, the entire perimeter of base
20
is curled upwards forming a rim
21
(see FIG.
2
). Rim
21
will deter children who are beginning to crawl from leaving the interior of the playpen
5
. Rim
21
should also deter crawling bugs and small animals from entering.
A second child-retaining mechanism is shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
in the form of cover
40
. Cover
40
is an outer covering which surrounds and encloses all or part of playpen
5
when the playpen is in one of its erected configurations. Cover
40
includes an upper roof portion
42
, a central portion
44
, and a lower base portion
46
. Preferably, roof portion
42
sits atop roof
30
when cover
40
is disposed over playpen
5
and if roof
30
is attached. Roof portion
42
is preferably water-resistant or waterproof and prevents rain or other precipitation from making the interior of the playpen soggy. Without roof portion
42
, rain would strike roof
30
; since roof
30
is preferably made of fabric or padding, eventually the rain would soak through. The bottom corners of the side with zipper
45
may be provided with Velcro portions to allow that side to be folded back and maintained in an open position. The Velcro portions should adhere to the fabric of the walls or to Velcro components located there.
Central portion
44
is preferably made of a mosquito netting or a mesh material such as nylon. Central portion
44
covers walls
10
and specifically open spaces A of walls
10
. Central portion
44
is adapted to allow air to flow through the playpen while keeping bugs away from the child. Central portion
44
also prevents the child from escaping the playpen. One pane of central portion
44
is preferably provided with a zipper
45
which separates to allow a parent to remove a child from the playpen without removing cover
40
from the playpen.
The bottom of cover
40
is provided with a preferably water-resistant or waterproof base portion
46
. Base portion
46
is disposed between base
20
and the ground when cover
40
encloses playpen
5
. Base portion
46
is preferably larger in surface area than base
20
and prevents ground moisture from seeping into base
20
and helps to keep the child dry within. Thus, with cover
40
disposed around playpen
5
, a child inside will remain dry and protected from the elements. This feature is particularly advantageous for parents who like to go hiking, camping, or the like and who want to bring their newborns or toddlers along with them.
The invention is further appealing to parents because of its collapsibility and portability. As shown in
FIG. 8
, when walls
10
are removed from base
20
, they may be folded one on top of the other, owing to connection points
18
being made preferably of pliable fabric. Since base
20
can also be folded upon itself, and since roof
30
is a flat piece of padding, the entire playpen can be dissembled into a nearly flat package. Also, because the components are all lightweight, the collapsed invention is easy to pick up and move from place to place. In one embodiment, the entire device can be transported in a carrying case.
The assembly of the device is very simple and is described here. The parent wishing to erect the playpen removes it from its packaging and begins with the collapsed configuration shown in FIG.
8
. Feet
28
preferably remain secured to leg portions
16
; however, it is also possible that the assembler will have to place feet
28
onto leg portions
16
. In either case, walls
10
are unfolded to face each other as shown in FIG.
4
. Flaps
15
A and
15
B are made to engage each other to secure wall
10
A to wall
10
D. Walls
10
bearing feet
28
are placed on top of base
20
. Owing to the Velcro component
29
A (or other fixing structure) on the bottom of feet
28
, walls
10
stick to base
20
and remain substantially perpendicular to the base. The assembler has several options at this point. Straps
25
may be secured around the bottom of leg portions
16
to create rim
21
. Toys having Velcro strips or pads may be affixed to fabric portions
14
of walls
10
or by hooks onto loops
17
. In an alternate embodiment, small fabric loops can be suspended from the center of the fabric covering the wall sections to provide support for toys, e.g., hand manipulatives and/or mobile articles. In an alternate embodiment, C or O-shaped connector elements interconnect between the fabric loops, just mentioned, and the hand manipulatives and/or mobile articles. These connector elements can, in an alternate embodiment, be teething rings, pacifiers and/or rattles. Roof
30
may be secured to the upper rims of walls
10
. Finally, the entire playpen
5
may be placed inside cover
40
. There are many options and configurations. After the child is placed inside, the parent may close zipper
45
to protect the child from insects. Breaking down the invention and collapsing it back to a form suitable for storage and transportation entails the same or similar steps listed here but in reverse and will not be discussed further.
The invention is not limited to the above description but rather is defined by the claims appearing hereinbelow. Modifications to the above description that include that which is known in the art are well within the scope of the contemplated invention. For example, the base is shown in the figures as being square, however a base of any shape (round, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, heart-shaped, irregular, etc.) is contemplated as being within the scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A portable playpen for infants and young children, comprising:a plurality of walls, each of said walls having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, each of said walls being connected to another of said walls on at least one of said first and second ends at connection points, each of said walls having leg portions at the bottoms of said walls; and a base, detachably connected to said leg portions of said walls, wherein said walls are foldable at said connection points into a collapsed, relatively flat configuration.
- 2. A portable playpen according to claim 1, wherein a first end of a first of said walls is detachably connected to a second end of a last of said walls.
- 3. A portable playpen according to claim 1, each of said walls comprising a support bar and fabric sheeting at least partially surrounding said support bar, wherein adjacent said walls are attached to each other at said connection points by their respective said fabric sheetings.
- 4. A portable playpen according to claim 3, wherein at least some of said fabric sheetings of adjacent said walls are sewn together.
- 5. A portable playpen according to claim 4, wherein a first end of a first of said walls is not sewn to a second end of a last of said walls, said first end of a first of said walls and said second end of said last end of said walls being selectively detachable by at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
- 6. A portable playpen according to claim 3, further comprising feet, each of said feet having a base pad and a pocket, wherein said leg portions of adjacent of said walls are removably fittable within said pockets, and wherein said base pad is detachably connectable to said base, said leg portions being removably fittable to said feet via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
- 7. A portable playpen according to claim 3, wherein said support bar is arch-shaped and said fabric sheeting does not fully extend from one of said leg portions of said walls, each of said walls thereby forming an open arch structure, each of said walls having an upper rim.
- 8. A portable playpen according to claim 7, further comprising a detachable roof selectively attachable to said upper rims of said walls via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
- 9. A portable playpen according to claim 8, wherein said roof is made of a flexible material and is foldable and selectively attachable to fewer than all of said upper rims of said walls at a given time.
- 10. A portable playpen according to claim 1, further comprising feet, each of said feet having a base pad and a pocket, wherein said leg portions of adjacent of said walls are removably fittable within the same said pockets, and wherein said base pad is detachably connectable to said base.
- 11. A portable playpen according to claim 10, wherein said base pads are detachably connectable to said base via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook.
- 12. A portable playpen according to claim 10, wherein said leg portions are selectively connectable to said pockets via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook.
- 13. A portable playpen according to claim 12, said walls each including fabric sheeting covering said leg portions, said pockets each including a flap for opening and closing a side of said pocket, said pocket having an interior into which said leg portions are selectively disposable.
- 14. A portable playpen according to claim 13, wherein said interior portions comprise at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook for securing said leg portions in said interiors of said pockets.
- 15. A portable playpen according to claim 13, wherein each of said pockets is adapted to receive two of said leg portions, one each from adjacent said walls.
- 16. A portable playpen according to claim 3, said walls each having a first flat side and a second flat side, wherein said fabric sheetings have a first pattern on said first flat side of said walls and a second pattern on said second flat side of said walls.
- 17. A portable playpen according to claim 8, wherein said roof is made of fabric, a first side of said roof having a first pattern and a second side of said roof having a second pattern.
- 18. A portable playpen according to claim 1, wherein said base is flexible and further comprises attaching means, disposed on a bottom surface of said base near a perimeter of said base, for selectively attaching said base to said leg portions of said walls by curling up corners of said base around said leg portions, thereby providing said base with a raised rim.
- 19. A portable playpen according to claim 18, wherein said attaching means includes at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
- 20. A portable playpen according to claim 1, further comprising a removable outer cover disposable around said playpen when said playpen is in an erected configuration that at least partially surrounds said playpen.
- 21. A portable playpen according to claim 20, wherein said outer cover totally surrounds and encloses said playpen.
- 22. A portable playpen according to claim 21, wherein said outer cover further comprises:an upper, water-resistant roof portion, positionable above tops of said walls; a central, porous portion positionable in front of said walls and adaptable to allow air to circulate through an interior of said playpen but adapted to keep insects out of said interior; and a lower, water-resistant base portion positionable below said base adapted to keep ground moisture from seeping into said base.
- 23. A portable playpen according to claim 20, wherein said outer cover is shaped to conform to an exterior of said playpen in said erected configuration.
- 24. A portable playpen according to claim 22, wherein said central porous portion includes an opening to allow entry or egress from said interior of said playpen when said outer cover is disposed around said playpen, said opening being selectively closable via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook.
- 25. A portable playpen according to claim 3, said support bar and said fabric sheeting being arch-shaped, wherein toys may be selectively attached to said fabric sheeting via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, and a hook.
- 26. A portable baby mattress, comprising:a flexible base; and a plurality of walls consecutively attached to each other, a first of said walls being attachable to a last of said walls, said walls being attachable to said base substantially perpendicular to said base, wherein when said walls are attached to said base, said baby mattress is in an erected configuration, and when said walls are detached and folded one on top of another, said baby mattress is in a collapsed configuration, and wherein said base is attachable to said walls via a means selected from hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
- 27. A portable baby mattress according to claim 26, said walls having leg portions at the bottoms of said walls, said base further comprising attaching means, disposed on a bottom surface of said base near a perimeter of said base, for selectively attaching said base to said leg portions of said walls by curling up corners of said base around said leg portions, wherein when said corners of said base are curled around said leg portions, said base is in a rimmed configuration, and when said leg portions are directly attached to an upper surface of said base, said base is in a flat configuration.
- 28. A portable baby mattress according to claim 26, further comprising a roof selectively attachable to upper portions of said walls.
- 29. A portable baby mattress according to claim 28, wherein said roof is flexible and may be selectively attached to fewer than all of said walls.
- 30. A portable baby mattress according to claim 26, further comprising an outer protective cover adapted to enclose said base and said walls in said erected configuration.
- 31. A portable baby mattress according to claim 30, said outer cover comprising:an upper roof portion, positionable above tops of said walls; a central mesh portion, positionable in front of said walls; and a lower base portion, positionable below said base.
- 32. A portable baby mattress according to claim 31, wherein said roof and base portions of said outer cover are water-resistant.
- 33. A portable baby mattress according to claim 26, said walls further each comprising a support bar and fabric sheeting, said support bar and said fabric sheeting being arch-shaped, wherein dangling toys may be selectively attached to said fabric sheeting via at least one of hook-and-loop fastening means, a zipper, a tie, laces, a snap, a buckle, a magnet, adhesive, and a hook.
US Referenced Citations (20)