US2876459A - Device for holding infants - Google Patents

Description

M r h 1 1959 M. o. ACKERSON 2,876,459

DEVICE FOR HOLDING INFANTS Filed May 7, 1956 v INVENTOR. MILDRED 0. Aczseso/v I flrrOQA/EX United States Patent DEVICE FOR HOLDING INFANTS Mildred 0. Ackerson, Upland, Calif. Application May 7, 1956, Serial No. 583,039

2 Claims. (Cl. 4-185) The present invention relates to a device which effectively holds an infant during a bathing operation.

The device of the invention is adapted for placement in a tub or other location, the tub being filled to a certain level with water, the said device being supported within the tub in such a manner as to hold the infant elevated above the water level. The device is so constructed that the likelihood of the infant falling into the tub or otherwise injuring itself is reduced to a minimum.

As generally known, infants are difiicult to handle during a bathing operation. However, with the present invention, the operator or attendant need not hold the infant during a bathing operation, as the device effectively holds the infant so that both hands of the attendant or operator are released.

The invention has for an object the provision of a device for holding infants which is attractive in appearance, efiicient in actual use, inexpensive in cost of manufacture, and generally superior to devices now known to the inventor.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device of the invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view ure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view on ure 1, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view ure 1.

Referring now with particularity to the drawing, I have provided a one piece structure which may be formed of any material desired, such as a molded plastic, and which may or may not be transparent. The holder 1 is of hollow convex form and provided with a base flange 2 which lies in a single plane. The top or upper surface of the holder is provided with downwardly dished concavities 3 and 4, with a convex portion 5 separating said concavities. The major concavity 3 is for receiving the body and arms on the line 2-2 of Figthe line 3-3 of Figon the line 4-4 of Figof the infant, while the minor concavity 4 receives and holds the head. The major concavity is about twice as long longitudinally as the minor concavity 4. The convex portion 5 forms a ridge which supports the neck. The crest of the ridge is smoothly curved longitudinally and also transversely with the ridge sloping downward from both sides to a lower center portion. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the torso supporting concavity 3 is formed by providing a plane surface 6 which slopes from the convex portion 5 toward one end 7 of the holder, and bounding the plane surface 6 are side walls 8 and 9, which commence with the convex portion 5 and then curve outwardly and divergently diminishing in wall height toward end 7. It will be observed that the greatest height of the side wall is at 10 and 11, and between these portions the shoulders of the infant are placed. The convex portion 5 is curved downwardly, as shown at 12, to accommodate the general curvature of the back of the neck and so as to be comfortable to the infant. The degree of are at the neck portion is sufficient to fit the infants neck, and assist in holding the infants head, as well as an aid in preventing the infant from slipping endwise.

The head rest, which consists of the portion 4, is in the form of a hollow oval or of spoon form and slopes downwardly or at an inclination from the portion 5 to end 13 of the holder. The end 13 is a portion of the upwardly and inwardly sloping wall of the holder rising from the base on at least three sides, and preferably, as illustrated, on all four sides. This outer wall of the holder merges with the side portions 8 and 9 of the major concavity 3 and with the margin of the minor concavity 4. At the zone of greatest depth of concavity, I have provided a series of holes 14 to permit water drainage there from. I may or may not provide holes in the portion 6, as this portion slopes downwardly toward end 7 and will drain water back into the tub. Portion 5 may be provided with drainage holes, as shown.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention just described are as follows:

The device of the invention is placed in a tub and water of a given temperature surrounds the device to a given depth. The device will rest evenly within the tub due to the base flange 2, which lies in a horizontal plane. The attendant then places the infant on the device, the head being received in the rest 4, the neck at the portion 5, and the body and limbs on portion 3. The weight of the infant upon the holder prevents the latter from moving about in the tub. All of these portions tend to hold the infant in a defined position so that the infant will not fall or slip from the device, and the usual squirming movement of the infant is restricted, to the end that the operator may bathe the infant without holding the infant with one hand, both hands of the attendant being free for this purpose. The depth of the side walls 8 and 9 at the zones 10 and 11 allows the shoulders of the infant to be placed therebetween and to prevent movement without injury or discomfort to the infant. The nature of the neck portion 5 is such as to assure that the infants head, together with the shoulders, is so held as to aid in preventing the infant from slipping from the device. As water and soap are applied to the body of the infant, the soap and water are prevented from entering the infants eyes due to the fact that drainage is provided by the holes 14 so that the head-rest portion is substantially free of water and soap at all times, while the body and limbs are free from resting in the water by the slope of the portion 6 which allows drainage.

As has been previously stated, the device may be formed of any material desired, such as a transparent plastic, which renders a device of this character quite light, easy to handle, and sanitary.

It is evident that there will be no slipping of the infant lengthwise as the head and the torso supporting portions are angularly related. 1

I claim:

1. A device for holding an infant during bathing in a manner to minimize the possibility of slipping and therefore to relieve the attendant of manually restraining the infant, comprising a holder having its upper surface generally convex both longitudinally and transversely but dished downwardly to provide two longitudinally spaced concavities, one a minor concavity shaped generally like the bowl of a spoon in order to receive and support the head of the infant and the other a major concavity having a bottom longitudinally sloping downward from proximate the minor concavity and being generally horizontal in transverse cross section to support the torso of the infant and to drain water from the major concavity, said holder having an inwardly and upwardly sloping outer wall rising from the bottom of the holder on at least three sides to form a portion of said convex surface, and a Patented Mar. 10, 1959 sloping downward from both sides, to a central portion,

said major concavity having side portions rising from its bottom on both sides to receive and confine the shoulders of the infant, said outer wall of the holder merging with the side portions of the major concavity and with the margin of the minor concavity.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the entire holder is of a single molded piece of plastic of uniform thickness, the holder outer wall has its bottom in a single plane and extends all around the device with the portion thereof at the foot end of the holder merging with the bottom of the major concavity, and the longitudinal dimension of the major concavity is roughly twice that of the. minor concavity, whereby when the device is placed in a bathtub partially filled with warm water the weight of the infant upon the holder will prevent the latter from moving about in the tub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,315,643 Schwartz Sept. 9, 1919 1,512,068 I Thornburg Oct, 21, 1924 1,546,536 Black July 21, 1925 1,962,076 Iadkowski June 5, 1934 2,505,252 Langley Apr. 25, 1950 2,531,724 Cevasco Nov. 28, 1950 2,548,301 Gibson Apr. 10, 1951

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