Bassinet

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/873,160, filed on Jul. 26, 2022, which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/908,767, filed on Jun. 23, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/867, 479, filed on Jun. 27, 2019, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/873, 358, filed on Jul. 12, 2019. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

The invention relates to a bassinet and, more particularly, to a bassinet capable of being adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

Bassinets are often rigid in their construction and lack the ability to be adjusted to various heights for a given situation. Caregivers desire a bassinet that is portable, can be used in a play yard, and can be used at bedside height. Bassinets that can achieve these features typically require a separate frame which the bassinet is placed on when used in bedside mode. The additional components, cost and complexity of such bassinets are undoubtedly a disadvantage to the caregiver.

The invention provides a bassinet capable of being adjusted to various heights for a given situation, so as to solve the aforesaid problems.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a bassinet comprises a rail structure, a first support member, a second support member and a latch mechanism. The first support member is connected to the rail structure. The second support member is telescopically connected to the first support member. The latch mechanism is configured to lock or unlock the first support member and the second support member. When the latch mechanism locks the first support member and the second support member, a height of the bassinet is fixed. When the latch mechanism unlocks the first support member and the second support member, the first support member and the second support member are able to slide with respect to each other to adjust the height of the bassinet.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a bassinet comprises a rail structure, a sleeping surface, a pivot hub, and a first support member. The sleeping surface is located below the rail structure. The pivot hub is selectively located on a perimeter of one of the rail structure and the sleeping surface. The first support member is pivotally connected to the pivot hub. The first support member is able to rotate to adjust a height of the bassinet.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a bassinet comprises a rail structure, a first support member and a second support member. The first support member is in an inverted U-shape connected to the rail structure and has a handle above the rail structure. The second support member is telescopically connected to the first support member. The first support member and the second support member are able to slide with respect to each other to adjust a height of the bassinet.

As mentioned in the above, in an embodiment, the invention may telescopically connect the first support member and the second support member together and utilize the latch mechanism to lock or unlock the first support member and the second support member, so as to adjust the height of the bassinet by sliding the first support member and the second support member with respect to each other. In another embodiment, the invention may pivotally connect the first support member to the pivot hub on the bassinet, so as to adjust the height of the bassinet by rotating the first support member. Accordingly, the bassinet of the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation. For example, the height of the bassinet may be shortened to be close to the ground or be lengthened to achieve bedside height. Furthermore, the bassinet may be adjusted to a desired height and then placed in a play yard without requiring additional components. Since the bassinet of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

Referring to,is a perspective view illustrating a bassinetaccording to an embodiment of the invention,is a perspective view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing adjusted to another height,is a perspective view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing adjusted to another height, andis a sectional view illustrating the latch mechanismshown in.

As shown in, the bassinetcomprises a rail structure, a first support member, a second support member, a latch mechanism, a sleeping surfaceand a base. In practical applications, the bassinetmay be further equipped with a canopy, a softgoods clothing and/or other accessories. The sleeping surfacemay be accommodated in the softgoods clothing attached to the rail structure.

In this embodiment, the rail structuremay comprise two U-shaped railsand two rail sockets. The U-shaped railsare inserted into the rail socketsand attached with snap buttonsof the rail sockets. A user may press the snap buttonsto detach the U-shaped railsfrom the rail sockets. The first support memberis connected to the rail structure. In this embodiment, the first support membermay be in an inverted U-shape and both ends of the first support memberare attached to the rail sockets. Accordingly, the first support membermay have a handleabove the rail structurefor a user to carry the bassinet. The latch mechanismmay be disposed on the bottom of the first support member. In this embodiment, the bassinetmay comprise two latch mechanismsdisposed on both bottoms of the first support member.

In this embodiment, the second support membermay comprise two vertical tubes connected to the basewith snap buttons. A user may press the snap buttonsto detach the second support memberfrom the base. The second support memberis telescopically connected to the first support memberand the latch mechanismis configured to lock or unlock the first support memberand the second support member. When the latch mechanismlocks the first support memberand the second support member, a height of the bassinetis fixed. When the latch mechanismunlocks the first support memberand the second support member, the first support memberand the second support memberare able to slide with respect to each other to adjust the height of the bassinet. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be lengthened to achieve bedside height. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be shortened to be close to the ground. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be adjusted to an intermediate height betweenand. Accordingly, the bassinetof the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

In this embodiment, the latch mechanismmay comprise a housing, a latch member, an operating memberand an elastic member, as shown in. The housingis attached to the bottom of the first support member. The operating memberis movably disposed on the first support memberand one end of the operating memberis accommodated in the housing. The elastic memberis disposed in the housing, wherein opposite ends of the elastic memberabut against the operating memberand the housing.

The first support membercomprises a first slotand the second support membercomprises a plurality of second slots. Each of the second slotscorresponds to one height shown in. The latch memberis movably disposed in the housing. As shown in, the latch memberpasses through the first slotof the first support memberand engages with one of the second slotsof the second support memberso that the height of the bassinetis fixed.

The operating memberhas a guiding grooveand the latch memberhas a guiding portiondisposed in the guiding groove. In this embodiment, the guiding groovemay be inclined with respect to a direction of movement of the operating memberindicated by arrows Aand A.

As shown in, when the operating memberis operated to move towards the direction of arrow A, the guiding groovedrives the guiding portionto move towards the direction of arrow Aso that the latch memberdisengages from the second slotof the second support memberand the elastic memberis compressed by the operating member. At this time, the user can slide the first support memberwith respect to the second support memberto adjust the sleeping surfaceof the bassinetto a desired height. When the desired height is reached, the first slotis aligned with one of the second slotsand the operating member is released, the elastic memberforces the operating memberto move towards the direction of arrow A, so as to return the latch memberinto the second slottowards the direction of arrow A. Accordingly, the sleeping surfaceof the bassinetis fixed at the desired height.

Referring to,is a perspective view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing placed in a play yard. As shown in, the bassinetmay be placed in a play yard. For example, the bassinetmay be adjusted to the desired height and placed on an elevated mattressof the play yard, such that the sleeping surfaceof the bassinetmay be flush with or higher than a top frameof the play yard. The bassinetplaced on the mattressof the play yardcan provide a higher position of use, such that a caregiver can easily monitor a baby or child sleeping in the bassinet. Since the bassinetof the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinetof the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Referring to,is a perspective view illustrating a bassinet′ according to another embodiment of the invention,is a perspective view illustrating the bassinet′ shown inbeing adjusted to another height,is a perspective view illustrating the bassinet′ shown inbeing placed in the play yard, andis a perspective view illustrating the bassinet′ shown inbeing hung on the top frameof the play yard.

As shown in, the first support memberof the bassinet′ may comprise four upper tubes and the second support membermay comprise four lower tubes. In this embodiment, the second support memberis also telescopically connected to the first support member, but the latch mechanismis disposed on the second support member. In this embodiment, the bassinet′ may comprise four latch mechanismsdisposed on the tops of four lower tubes of the second support member. The latch mechanismis configured to lock or unlock the first support memberand the second support member. It should be noted that the configuration and operation of the latch mechanismhave been mentioned in the above and those will not be depicted herein again. As shown in, the height of the bassinet′ may be lengthened to achieve bedside height. As shown in, the height of the bassinet′ may be shortened to be close to the ground. Accordingly, the bassinet′ of the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

As shown in, the bassinet′ may be placed in the play yard. For example, the bassinet′ may be adjusted to the desired height and placed on the elevated mattressof the play yard, such that the sleeping surfaceof the bassinet′ may be flush with or higher than the top frameof the play yard. The bassinet′ placed on the mattressof the play yardcan provide a higher position of use, such that a caregiver can easily monitor a baby or child sleeping in the bassinet′.

In this embodiment, the rail structureof the bassinet′ may comprise two hanging membersdisposed on opposite sides. As shown in, the hanging membersare configured to hang the bassinet′ on the top frameof the play yardto provide a lower position of use, such that the caregiver can easily put a baby or child into the bassinet′ or take the baby or child out of the bassinet′. Since the bassinet′ of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet′ of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Referring to,is a perspective view illustrating a bassinet″ according to another embodiment of the invention. The main difference between the bassinet″ and the aforesaid bassinet′ is that the rail structureof the bassinet″ further comprises a socketand the first support memberof the bassinet″ is detachably connected to the socket. Accordingly, the first support membertogether with the second support membercan be removed from the bassinet″. Furthermore, the second support memberof the bassinet″ may comprise two U-shaped tubes instead of four individual tubes. Needless to say, the bassinet″ can also be placed on the elevated mattressof the play yardshown into provide a higher position of use and the bassinet″ can also be hung on the top frameof the play yardby the hanging membersto provide a lower position of use. Since the bassinet″ of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet″ of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Referring to,is a perspective view illustrating a bassinetaccording to another embodiment of the invention,is a side view illustrating the bassinetshown in,is a side view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing adjusted to another height, andis a side view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing adjusted to another height.

As shown in, the bassinetcomprises a rail structure, a first support member, a second support member, a link member, a sleeping surfaceand a pivot hub. In practical applications, the bassinetmay be further equipped with a canopy, a softgoods clothing and/or other accessories. The sleeping surfacemay be accommodated in the softgoods clothing attached to the rail structure. The sleeping surfaceis located below the rail structure.

In this embodiment, the pivot hubis located on a perimeter of the rail structure. As shown in, there are two pivot hubslocated on the perimeter of the rail structureand opposite to each other. The first support memberis pivotally connected to the pivot hub, the second support memberis pivotally connected to the first support member, and the link memberis pivotally connected to the pivot huband the second support member. Furthermore, the pivot hubmay have an actuating memberconfigured to unlock the first support member. When the actuating memberis depressed, the first support memberis able to rotate to adjust a height of the bassinet. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be lengthened to achieve bedside height. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be shortened to be close to the ground. As shown in, the height of the bassinetmay be adjusted to an intermediate height betweenand. Accordingly, the bassinetof the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

In this embodiment, the first support membermay comprise two U-shaped upper tubes and the second support membermay comprise two U-shaped lower legs. The upper end of the first support memberis pivotally connected to the pivot hubvia pivot axis A and can rotate when the actuating memberis depressed. The second support memberis pivotally connected to the lower end of the first support membervia pivot axis C. The link memberis pivotally connected to the pivot hubvia pivot axis B and pivotally connected to the second support membervia pivot axis D. Accordingly, the first support member, the second support member, the link memberand four pivot axes A-D create a four-bar linkage, such that the second support membercan be maintained in a vertical orientation by the four-bar linkage between the pivot hub, the first support member, the second support memberand the link memberwhile the first support memberrotates. Therefore, the second support membercan always support the bassineton a plane after rotating the first support memberto adjust the height of the bassinet.

Referring to,is a side view illustrating the bassinetshown inbeing placed in the play yard. As shown in, the bassinetmay be placed in the play yard. For example, the bassinetmay be adjusted to the desired height and placed on the elevated mattressof the play yard. The bassinetplaced on the mattressof the play yardcan provide a higher position of use, such that a caregiver can easily monitor a baby or child sleeping in the bassinet. Since the bassinetof the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinetof the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Referring to,is a side view illustrating a bassinet′ according to another embodiment of the invention,is a side view illustrating the bassinet′ shown inbeing adjusted to another height, andis a side view illustrating the bassinet′ shown inbeing placed in the play yard.

The main difference between the bassinet′ and the aforesaid bassinetis that the bassinet′ only comprises the first support memberwithout the second support memberand the link membermentioned in the above. Furthermore, the pivot hubis located on the perimeter of the sleeping surface. The first support memberis pivotally connected to the pivot hub, such that the first support membercan rotate between an upward position (as shown in) and a downward position (as shown in). The pivot hubmay have a locking mechanism (not shown) that allows the first support memberto rotate 180 degrees and locked at the upward position and the downward position.

As shown in, when the first support memberrotates to the upward position, the first support membercan be served as a handle for carrying the bassinet′ and the height of the bassinet′ can be shortened to be close to the ground. At this time, the bassinet′ can function similar to a carry-cot. As shown in, when the first support memberrotates to the downward position, the first support membercan be served as a stand for supporting the bassinet′ on a plane and the height of the bassinet′ can be lengthened to achieve bedside height. Accordingly, the bassinet′ of the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

As shown in, the bassinet′ in the carry-cot mode may be placed in the play yard. For example, the bassinet′ may be placed on the elevated mattressof the play yard. The bassinet′ placed on the mattressof the play yardcan provide a higher position of use, such that a caregiver can easily monitor a baby or child sleeping in the bassinet′. Since the bassinet′ of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet′ of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Referring to,is a side view illustrating a bassinet″ according to another embodiment of the invention,is a side view illustrating the bassinet″ shown inbeing adjusted to another height, andis a side view illustrating the bassinet″ shown inbeing placed in the play yard.

The main difference between the bassinet″ and the aforesaid bassinet′ is that the pivot hubof the bassinet″ is located on the perimeter of the rail structure. The first support memberis pivotally connected to the pivot hub, such that the first support membercan rotate between an upward position (as shown in) and a downward position (as shown in). The pivot hubmay have a locking mechanism (not shown) that allows the first support memberto rotate 180 degrees and locked at the upward position and the downward position.

As shown in, when the first support memberrotates to the upward position, the first support membercan be served as a handle for carrying the bassinet″ and the height of the bassinet″ can be shortened to be close to the ground. At this time, the bassinet″ can function similar to a carry-cot. As shown in, when the first support memberrotates to the downward position, the first support membercan be served as a stand for supporting the bassinet″ on a plane and the height of the bassinet″ can be lengthened to achieve bedside height. Accordingly, the bassinet″ of the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation.

As shown in, the bassinet″ in the carry-cot mode may be placed in the play yard. For example, the bassinet″ may be placed on the elevated mattressof the play yard. The bassinet″ placed on the mattressof the play yardcan provide a higher position of use, such that a caregiver can easily monitor a baby or child sleeping in the bassinet″. Since the bassinet″ of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet″ of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

As mentioned in the above, in an embodiment, the invention may telescopically connect the first support member and the second support member together and utilize the latch mechanism to lock or unlock the first support member and the second support member, so as to adjust the height of the bassinet by sliding the first support member and the second support member with respect to each other. In another embodiment, the invention may pivotally connect the first support member to the pivot hub on the bassinet, so as to adjust the height of the bassinet by rotating the first support member. Accordingly, the bassinet of the invention can be adjusted to various heights for a given situation. For example, the height of the bassinet may be shortened to be close to the ground or be lengthened to achieve bedside height. Furthermore, the bassinet may be adjusted to a desired height and then placed in a play yard without requiring additional components. Since the bassinet of the invention can be used alone and can also be used with the play yard, the bassinet of the invention is more flexible in use than a conventional bassinet.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.