In America alone, there were approximately 4 million babies born in 1994. Many of today's parents are particularly concerned about every aspect of their baby's well being, from safety and nutrition to physical fitness, and many such parents are looking for the next generation of products that are safe, convenient, practical and beautifully designed, and which give parents the peace of mind they are demanding. With a concern for economics as well, a baby bed/carrier system which is convertible and multi-functional would meet these needs in a way not yet satisfied by existing products.
The baby bed and carrier system of this invention includes, at its core, a fully supported (semi-rigid) collapsible, lightweight combination baby bassinet style bed and hand-held baby carrier which is also convertible into a backpack style carrier. The system of this invention makes use of additional modular attachments, including a rocker support unit to create a rocking baby bed, a wheel support unit to create a stroller, and a car seat unit to create a baby car seat.
The overall baby bed and carrier system of this invention is flexible and convertible, comfortable, durable, and modular. It achieves these benefits by using an integrated structure and a combination of features not previously appreciated by other workers in the field, and not shown in any prior product of which the inventors are aware. Prior efforts in this field are illustrated by the following prior patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 385,633 of Kelly et al. shows a rigid baby basket or cradle having a set of rockers on the bottom. The rockers are collapsible against the bottom of the baby basket.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,917 of Gudiksen discloses a collapsible baby basket having an upper frame including a rigid rectangle formed by metal tubing, a lower frame including a rigid rectangular board, and downwardly folding side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,862 of Mairs shows a combination bassinet, baby carrier and diaper bag. The Mairs bag includes a collapsible shell which can be partially closed for use as a tote bag and which can be expanded to a fully open position, including the use of a pair of removable rods to impart a degree of rigidity to the open position, for use as a baby basket. A sheet doubles as both a liner for the baby basket when the structure is used for that purpose, and as a body pack to strap a baby to the torso of an adult wearer when used as a baby carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,056 of Carmichael describes a soft-sided infant carrier including a cloth shell having a bottom which curves downwardly and a foam rubber piece of a semi-oval shape which, together with a plastic insert in the front portion of the shell, helps to support the inside of the shell along the bottom and sides of the shell and helps to hold the cloth shell away from the baby's face.
Other collapsible or folding baby baskets, cribs, cradles or beds are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 823,321 of Dejonge; U.S. Pat. No. 1,412,177 of Glaum; U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,250 of Coles (a collapsible baby crib with a wire frame stand, a removable rigid bottom piece, a pair of rigid rods with one each disposed along each of the two long top sides, and two rigid end pieces at either end to receive the rods); U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,634 of Hesketh et al. (a baby carriage convertible to a cradle having collapsible wire rockers under the wheels of the carriage/cradle); U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,260 of Hagerstrom; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,520 of Milliken.
Despite all the prior efforts, no one has yet developed a baby bed and carrier system which includes a fully supported (semi-rigid) collapsible, lightweight combination baby bassinet style bed and hand-held baby carrier which is also convertible into a backpack style carrier. Nor has such a combination bed and carrier been incorporated into a modular system including a rocker support unit and a wheel support unit so that the same bed and carrier may also become an integrated part of the baby's rocker and stroller. It would be highly desirable to create such a product. Moreover, it would be desirable if such a combination bassinet style baby bed and carrier were also:
lightweight and easily portable so that the bed function does not sacrifice the baby carrier function (that is, the desirable product should be under 3 pounds in weight, properly balanced for carrying, and supported so that the child's mother can carry it by the handle, free swinging at her side or over her shoulder with the baby inside); PA1 comfortable and inviting to the infant as a semi-rigid bed so that the baby carrier function does not sacrifice the baby bed function (that is, the bed should be framed and supported with sufficient rigidity that the baby would be happy and content inside it for extended periods of time, including not only at home, but on airplanes, in restaurants, in offices, in hotels, in churches and other public places, and in the homes of friends and relatives; in short, the desirable product should be a "real" rigidly supported bed in which an infant can comfortably rest for extended periods of time); PA1 durable and long lasting so that the light weight carrier function does not sacrifice the heavy duty materials that would make the product last (that is, the product should not be of flimsy construction, but should be one which a baby could use almost constantly for at least the first 12 months of life and on occasion during the next several years; in short, the desirable product should be of solid construction built to last under constant use for at least the infant's first year, and should still serve as a bed or napping place for the growing toddler and young child up to 60 pounds); PA1 convertible from one mode of use to another so that the benefits of the product are not sacrificed to cost and a single system can accomplish multi-purpose use for the family (that is, the desirable product should be not only a combination bassinet bed and baby carrier, but it should be flexible and convertible so that with an included harness system which properly supports the infant, the hand-held carrier converts to a backpack style carrier); and PA1 modular and multifunctional further to reduce the overall cost and duplication of using separate products for similar functions (that is, the desirable product should be part of a system that can be used with available accessories as the focal point of the parent's needs for several products, thereby helping to eliminate duplicative purchases of several products; the desirable system should be multifunctional and have "clip on" compatibility to a range of accessories, including rockers, wheels, stands, car seats and others so that a single core product and system can be the foundation upon which, by modular attachments, such multi-purpose uses as strollers, rockers, cribs, and car seats can be added on at a savings relative to buying a completely separate product for each use, and without wasteful duplication of production resources).
The lightweight, collapsible and convertible combination baby bed and carrier system of this invention uses fiberglass rods to impart rigidity, yet collapses to 30 inches by 12 inches by 3 inches and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds. It uses adjustable-length, ergonomically engineered handles for balance in the hand-held carrier mode and for ease of carrying in a free swinging manner at an adult's side, or over the shoulder.
The bed and carrier system is semi-rigid, and the fiberglass frame and fabric structure allows it to carry up to 60 pounds. The system converts from a hand-held (or over the shoulder) style to a baby backpack style carrier, using a harness system for proper support. The bed and carrier system of this invention is modular, and has clip-on compatibility with a number of other accessories so that it can function as rocker, stroller, or car seat. The bed and carrier, although semi-rigid, is soft sided to create a comfortable womb-like environment for an infant and, in a preferred embodiment, includes such comfort features as a sheepskin lining and reversible fitted colored and patterned sheets.
It is, thus, the intent of this invention to solve the problems not yet addressed by the prior art in a combination baby bed and carrier which is at the same time lightweight, comfortable, durable, convertible, modular and multifunctional. These and other advantages of the convertible combination baby bassinet bed and carrier system of this invention will be described in more detail in the description which follows.