US2783481A - Baby lifeguard - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. L. MORIARTY BABY LIFEGUARD March 5, 1957 -Filed March 3, 1953 v nip; nlla 1.1-.

March 5, 1957 I I J. L. MORIARTY BABY LIFEGUARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3. 1953 INVENTOR. JOHN L. MORIARTY ATTO BABY LIFEGUARD John L. Moriarty, Kaneohe, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii Application March 3, 1953, Serial No. 339,987

3 Claims. (Cl. 5-93) This invention relates to improvements in childrens cribs and is concerned more particularly with improvements in safety device attachments for such cribs.

Numerous devices have heretofore been provided for preventing children from falling out of bed and suffering injury but all are attendant with disadvantages of one kind or another. For example, crib tops and similar devices usually prevent the child from standing erect and walking within the full confines of the bed and further hamper full observation of the area surrounding the bed. Restraints, such as protective vests, jackets, tapes or straps, and nets induce an undesirable adverse psychological reaction, among other disadvantages. Further, none of such devices provides the infallible safety intended and all on tragic occasions have failed in their protective functions.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a safety device for cribs which avoids the above described disadvantages attendant upon the use of devices heretofore available and which, at the same time, permits full freedom of movement of the occupant within the normal confines of the crib without danger of falling out.

A more specific object and advantage of the invention is to provide a crib top device designed to afford unlimited head room in the crib and constructed and arranged in a novel manner which not only prevents the child from climbing up or over the side walls of the crib but which also tends to unbalance the child when standing close to said side walls thereby to discourage climbing attempts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the foregoing character, when desired, in the form of an attachment adapted to be readily mounted upon and demounted from any existing crib having the usual upright side and end walls and which is capable of adding its full advantages to such conventional cribs.

Still another object is to provide a crib safety device as above described characterized further by the presence of hinged sections capable of being moved entirely out of the way to allow full access to the occupant of the crib. In this connection, it may be mentioned that cribs embodying the invention, while adapted, of course, for home use, are particularly adapted for use in hospitals or nurseries to afford quick and easy access by doctors or nurses and at all other times to provide reliable protection for the occupant.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention has been selected for exemplification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a safety device constructed in accordance with the invention as attached nited States Patent 0 d the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

2,783,481 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 ice to the upper portion of a conventional crib, the lower portion thereof being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing in broken lines the position of one of the hinged side sections when swung upwardly and backwardly to afford access to the interior of the crib;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on Referring now in detail to the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, the numeral 10. in Fig. l

designates in its entirety a safety device of thepresent' invention shown attached to a conventional type of crib having a bottom or bed portion 12 and opposed side and end walls 14 and 16., respectively, the said walls being formed of a tubular frame and a plurality ofupright filler bars, as shown. The frame portions of theseupright side and end walls include upper extremity horizontal bars, 18 and 20, respectively. The side wallsi14 and is not illustrated since the device of the invention is not associated therewith. I

The novel improvement of the present invention, again referring to Fig. 1, comprises a central or body portion having a pair of parallel bars 22 spaced outwardly of the central crib bed area and terminating in outwardly and downwardly curving extremities 24 which are secured to a horizontally disposed channel-shaped member 26 adapt-' ed to engage the upper horizontal bars 20 of the end walls 16 of the crib and to be clamped or otherwise suit ably secured thereto, as shown in detail at 27 in Fig. 3. Cross bars 28 are secured to the horizontal ends of the parallel bars 22 at the junction of the arcuate extremities 24 thereof and similarly arcuate outwardly and downwardly curving filler bars 30 are symmetrically interspersed between the cross bars 28 and the channel-shaped member 26.

Side sections, as contemplated by the present invention, are pivotally secured to each of the central section bars 22 and are adapted to extend therefrom to the side wall upper horizontal bars 18 of the crib in general continuation of the arcuate crib superstructure initiated by the central portion, as shown. Such side sections may be composed of sleeves 32 each rotatably embracing a bar 22 and having secured thereto a plurality of outwardly and downwardly curving filler bars 34 carrying at their free ends channel-shaped members 36 for embracing the upper horizontal bars 18 of the crib side walls 14 when in the lowered position shown in Fig. 1. Pivotedclasps 38 such as shown in detail in Fig. 4 are attached preferably to opposed ends of each channel-shaped member 36 to clamp the side sections to the crib side walls whereby to secure the attachment in safety closure position. Upon release of the clasps 38 of either side section from locking engagement with the upper bar 18 of its respective side wall, such section is adapted to be pivotally swung upwardly and backwardly on the axis of its sleeve 32 and supporting bar 22 to assume the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, whereby to afiord free access to the interior of the crib from its respective side.

It will be apparent that the arcuate portions 30 and 34 of the central and side sections, respectively, curving upwardly and inwardly from the upper end portions of the crib end and side walls, as shown, will tend to unbalance any child occupant of the crib in attempts to climb upwardly of the filler bars of the end or side walls and 28, respectively, of the central section affords free head room for the occupant to traverse substantially'the full area of the crib bed while permitting free access to the side and corner areas thereof in bending or crawling postures to retrieve toys and the like.

The various elements forming the crib superstructure herein contemplated may be constructed of any suitable materials, preferably of relatively rigid but light weight character, among which materials may be suggested, tubular metals, such as, aluminum or steel, synthetic resinous materials, and cellulosic materials, such as rattan.

It will be understood that the present invention is not at all confined to the precise form thereof herein illustrated and described for exemplary purposes but embraces all such modified constructions and arrangements of parts as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: l I

l. A safety attachment for a childs crib having upright side and end walls which comprises, a central section adapted, to extend lengthwise of. the body portion of the crib above the crib sideand end walls, the said central section having an open central area whereby the central bed portion of the crib remains unobstructed from above and outwardly and downwardly curved opposed end portions, means carried by the free extremities of said end portions for attaching said central section to the end walls of the crib, side sections at opposed sides of said central section, at least one of said side sections being pivotally attached to said central section, the said side sections being outwardly and downwardly curved, and means carried by the free extremities of said side sections for detachably securing said side sections to the side walls of the crib.

2. A safety attachment for a childs crib having upright side and end Walls which comprises, a pair of spaced elongated bars adapted to extend lengthwise of the body portion of the crib above the crib side and end walls, spaced transverse end bars extending between said elongated bars, the said elongated and end bars providing an open area above the central bed portion of the crib for free head room for the occupant, the end portions of said elongated bars beyond said end bars being outwardly and downwardly curved toward the crib end walls, outwardly and downwardly curved filler means disposed between said end portions and carried by said end bars, means carried by said end portions forsecuring said elongated bars to the crib end walls, outwardly and downwardly curved side sections carried by said elongated bars and means for securing said side sections to the crib side walls, at least one of said side sections being pivotally carried by its elongated bar and detachably secured to its crib side wall whereby to swing upwardly over said open area.

3. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the side sections are carried by sleeves each rotatably embracing an elongated bar between the end bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 164,071 Stefan e July 24, 1951 183,357 Woodward Oct. 17, 1876 530,858 Shortill Dec. 11, 1894 1,144,075 Spencer June 22, 1915 1,649,754 Summerson Nov. 15, 1927 2,401,605 Boren June 4, 1946 2,566,737 Merdian Sept. 4, 1951 2,682,061 McConnell June 29, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,697 Great Britain of 1898 10,157 Great Britain of 1897 480,231 Germany July 29, 1929 636,411 Germany Oct. 8, 1936

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