This invention relates to a bath ring for supporting an infant and, more particularly, to a bath ring for supporting an infant in an upright sitting position wherein the bath ring may be collapsed to a compact configuration for storage when not in use.
Several devices have been proposed for supporting infants while taking a bath in a conventional bathtub. Such devices have typically included a ring or support rail for surrounding the infant and support posts for supporting the ring at a predetermined height. The post may be supported by a base forming a seat for the infant or may be attached directly to the bathtub bottom by means of suction cups. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,010,606 to Bernstein et al and Design 288,118 to Boucher.
Other known bath seat structures have consisted of a seat structure which incorporates straps for holding the infant in position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,299 to Symbaluk discloses a seat in the form of a shell for surrounding the infant wherein a cross bar extends between opposing sides of the seat and a central crotch belt extends from the cross bar to the seat to retain the infant behind the cross bar. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,331 to Fotre et al discloses an infant bath and lounging seat designed to support an infant in a lounging position and including straps for retaining the infant to the seat. The device may be folded in half to form a carrying case when the seat is not in use.
While the known bath seats are effective for their designed purpose for supporting infants in a bath tub, these devices have proven to be difficult to store in that the raised sides for forming a support around the infant must be spaced a predetermined distance from the seat portion and therefore necessarily take up an inordinate amount of storage space when the bath seat is not in use. Although the device of Fotre et al discloses a lounge seat which may be folded into a carrier configuration when not in use, this seat does not include the structure required to support an infant in an upright sitting position and therefore does not address the particular problems associated with bath seats incorporating a ring for surrounding and supporting an infant in a sitting position.
Accordingly, there is a need for a bath seat or ring which is adapted to support an infant within a bathtub in an upright sitting position wherein the bath ring may be collapsed to a compact configuration for storage purposes.