US20100138991A1

US20100138991A1 - Playpen and related playpen set

Info

Publication number: US20100138991A1
Application number: US12/633,733
Authority: US
Inventors: Curtis M. Hartenstine; Esther R. Saint
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Priority date: 2008-12-09
Filing date: 2009-12-08
Publication date: 2010-06-10
Also published as: CN101744476A; DE102009057555A1; DE102009057555B4; GB2466116A; GB0921531D0; GB2466116B; CN101744476B

Abstract

A playpen for assembling with at least one of a diaper changing table and a bassinet is disclosed. The playpen includes an enveloping part and a foldable bedstead. The enveloping part covers around the foldable bedstead. The playpen can be folded with the diaper changing table or the bassinet when the diaper changing table or the bassinet is installed thereon.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/121,174, which was filed on Dec. 9, 2008 and is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a playpen and a related playpen set, and more particularly, to a playpen capable of folding with a diaper changing table or a bassinet when the diaper changing table or the bassinet is installed thereon and a related playpen set.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a playpen usually includes a bedstead for support of the playpen and an enveloping part disposed on the bedstead for protection of the playpen, so as to allow a user to put a baby on the playpen. Besides, the playpen usually has a bedstead folding mechanism installed thereon so that the user may utilize the bedstead folding mechanism to fold up the playpen into a folded object with a smaller volume when there is no need to use the playpen.
Furthermore, for meeting user needs, many additional accessories may be disposed on a playpen to increase flexibility of the playpen in use, such as a bassinet and a diaper changing table. However, the aforementioned accessories may cause a user great inconvenience in folding of the playpen since these accessories can not be folded with the bedstead. For example, if a user wants to fold up the playpen, the user needs to remove the diaper changing table or the bassinet from the playpen first before performing the folding process of the playpen. On the other hand, when the user wants to use the diaper changing table or the bassinet, the user needs to unfold the playpen first before installing the diaper changing table or the bassinet on the playpen. Thus, assembly of the playpen with the diaper changing table or the bassinet may not only be time-consuming and strenuous, but may also cause a user great inconvenience in use of the playpen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a playpen for assembling with at least one of a diaper changing table and a bassinet, the playpen comprising a foldable bedstead; and an enveloping part covering around the foldable bedstead; wherein the playpen can be folded with the diaper changing table or the bassinet when the diaper changing table or the bassinet is installed thereon.
The present invention further provides a playpen set comprising a playpen comprising a foldable bedstead, an opening being formed on the foldable bedstead; and an enveloping part covering around the foldable bedstead; and a diaper changing table comprising a diaper-changing-table cloth body, a plurality of first connecting parts being formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body corresponding to the foldable bedstead for connecting to the foldable bedstead so as to dispose the diaper-changing-table cloth body at a side of the opening, the diaper-changing-table cloth body being capable of folding with the playpen when being mounted on the playpen.
The present invention further provides a playpen for holding an infant placing device, wherein the infant placing device can be folded with the playpen after the infant placing device is mounted on the playpen.
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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a playpen set according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a diaper changing table in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a back view of the playpen set in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a supporting rod in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the playpen set in FIG. 1 in a folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a diagram of a playpen set 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the playpen set 10 includes a playpen 12 and a diaper changing table 14. The playpen 12 includes a foldable bedstead 16 and an enveloping part 18. The foldable bedstead 16 may be a bedstead mechanism commonly applied to a playpen for supporting the playpen and folding up the playpen to a folded object with a smaller volume by its folding design. The related folding design used in the foldable bedstead 16 may be commonly seen in the prior art, and it is therefore omitted herein. Furthermore, an opening 20 is formed on the foldable bedstead 16 so that a user may put a baby or install additional accessories on the playpen 12 through the opening 20. The enveloping part 18 is provided on the foldable bedstead 16 and covers around the foldable bedstead 16 (as shown in FIG. 1). The enveloping part 18 and the foldable bedstead 16 form a space for allowing the baby therein to do some activities. The enveloping part 18 is preferably made of cloth material. Thus, when performing the folding process of the playpen 12, the enveloping part 18 can be directly folded with the foldable bedstead 16 without being removed from the foldable bedstead 16.
Structural design of the diaper changing table 14 is described in detail as follows. Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the diaper changing table 14 as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a back view of the playpen set 10 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the diaper changing table 14 includes a diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 and a supporting rod 24 (depicted by a dotted line in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a plurality of first connecting parts 26 is formed on positions of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 where are adjacent to the foldable bedstead 16. That is, besides a side having the supporting rod 24 installed thereon, all other sides of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 adjacent to the foldable bedstead 16 as shown in FIG. 1 may have the first connecting parts 26 formed thereon. A plurality of second connecting parts 28 as shown in FIG. 2 are formed on the enveloping part 18 of the playpen 12 corresponding to the plurality of first connecting parts 26. The plurality of first connecting parts 26 is used for connecting to the plurality of second connecting parts 28 respectively. The structural design applied to the first connecting part 26 and the second connecting part 28 may be a male-female hook design as shown in FIG. 3. In such a manner, via engagement of the first connecting parts 26 and the second connecting parts 28, the corresponding sides of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may be connected to the foldable bedstead 16 (as shown in FIG. 3) so that the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may be disposed at a side of the opening 20 as shown in FIG. 1.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one hook 27 (two shown in FIG. 2) and at least one extending cover 29 (two shown in FIG. 2) are formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22. The hook 27 is used for connecting to the foldable bedstead 16 for providing a supporting function to the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22. The extended cover 29 is extended from a position of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 corresponding to the first connecting part 26 for covering the first connecting part 26 and the second connecting part 28 when the first connecting part 26 is connected to the second connecting part 28, so as to achieve the purpose of enhancing the external appearance of the playpen set 10.
Next, please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram of the supporting rod 24 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 4, the supporting rod 24 is detachably disposed through a side of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 which is not adjacent to the foldable bedstead 16 as shown in FIG. 1. The supporting rod 24 is provided on the foldable bedstead 16 for providing supporting force to the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22, so that the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may be disposed on the opening 20 more steadily. In this embodiment, the supporting rod 24 may be preferably a telescopic U-shaped rod (as shown in FIG. 3), but is not limited thereto. That is, all rod structures which can be disposed through the side of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 and can be used for supporting the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may fall within the scope of the present invention.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the playpen 12 further includes a bag 30 connected to a side of the enveloping part 18. The bag 30 is used for providing a containing space to contain the supporting rod 24 or the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 when the supporting rod 24 or the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 is removed from the playpen 12.
Next, please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4. More detailed description for folding of the playpen set 10 is provided as follows. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, when a user wants to change a baby's diaper on the diaper changing table 14, the user needs to dispose the supporting rod 24 through the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 first. Subsequently, the user may use the first connecting parts 26 on the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 to engage with the second connecting parts 28 on the enveloping part 18 respectively (as shown in FIG. 4). Finally, after disposing the supporting rod 24 to be provided on the foldable bedstead 16, assembly of the playpen 12 and the diaper changing table 14 may be finished accordingly. In such a manner, via engagement of the first connecting parts 26 and the second connecting parts 28 and assembly of the supporting rod 24 and the foldable bedstead 16, the diaper changing table 14 may be disposed at a side of the opening 20 of the foldable bedstead 16 steadily (as shown in FIG. 1), so that the user can change a baby's diaper on the diaper changing table 14.
If the user wants to fold up the playpen set 10, the user just needs to extract the supporting rod 24 from the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 first. Subsequently, the user may put the supporting rod 24 into the bag 30 disposed at a side of the enveloping part 18 for convenience of storage and use. Furthermore, since the supporting rod 24 is a telescopic U-shaped rod as shown in FIG. 4, the user may retract the supporting rod 24 to shorten its length before putting the supporting rod 24 into the bag 30, so as to reduce space occupied by the supporting rod 24.
After putting the supporting rod 24 into the bag 30, the user may utilize a folding mechanism (not shown in figures) on the foldable bedstead 16 to fold up the playpen 12 into a folded object with a smaller volume as shown in FIG. 5, which is a diagram of the playpen set 10 as shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state. During folding of the playpen set 10, since the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 is made of cloth material, the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 can directly be folded with the playpen 12 even if the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 is not removed from the playpen 12. In such a manner, not only the folding process of the playpen set 10 may be simplified greatly, but convenience of the playpen set 10 in use may also be increased.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the playpen set 10 further includes a bassinet 32. The bassinet 32 includes a bassinet cloth body 34 and a mattress 36. The bassinet cloth body 34 is hung on the foldable bedstead 16 for holding the mattress 36. Since the bassinet 32 can be hung at a higher position than the playpen 12, a user may take care of a baby more conveniently when the baby is put on the bassinet 32. As for the method for hanging the bassinet cloth body 34 on the foldable bedstead 16, it may be similar to that for disposing the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 on the foldable bedstead 16 (i.e. utilizing engagement of the first connecting parts 26 and the second connecting parts 28) and is therefore omitted herein.
In folding of the bassinet 32, since the bassinet cloth body 34 is also made of cloth material, the bassinet cloth body 34 may be directly folded with the foldable bedstead 16, the enveloping part 18 and the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 after removing the mattress 36 from the bassinet cloth body 34.
It should be mentioned that disposal of the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 and the bassinet cloth body 34 on the foldable bedstead 16 is not limited to the said embodiment utilizing engagement of the first connecting parts 26 and the second connecting parts 28. For example, the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may be hung on the foldable bedstead 16 instead, and so is the bassinet cloth body 34. In other words, the plurality of first connecting parts 26 on the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 may also be a hook respectively and the plurality of second connecting parts 28 may be omitted correspondingly. In such a manner, the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 can only utilize the plurality of first connecting parts 26 to be hung on the foldable bedstead 16 without the plurality of second connecting parts 28, so as to simplify the assembly process of the playpen set 10. Furthermore, number and configuration design of the first connecting part 26 and the second connecting part 28 may also be not limited to the said embodiment, meaning that it may vary with practical application of the playpen set 10. For example, as far as configuration design of the plurality of first connecting parts 26 is concerned, some of the first connecting parts 26 may be a hook respectively to directly hang on the foldable bedstead 16, and the other may be engaged with the corresponding second connecting parts 28 instead.
Furthermore, the supporting rod 24 and the hook 27 may be an omissible part respectively. That is, the diaper-changing-table cloth body 22 can be disposed at a side of the opening 20 only by engagement of the first connecting parts 26 and the second connecting parts 28. Besides, the bassinet 32 may also be an omissible part for simplifying structural design of the playpen set 10. In addition, application of the playpen provided by the present invention is not limited to the diaper changing table and the bassinet mentioned in the said embodiment. In other words, all the playpens capable of directly folding with an infant placing device after the infant placing device is mounted thereon may fall within the scope of the present invention.
Compared with the prior art, in which a diaper changing table or a bassinet needs to be removed from a playpen first before folding up the playpen, the present invention utilizes the cloth material properties of a diaper-changing-table cloth body and a bassinet cloth body to make a playpen capable of being directly folded and unfolded with a diaper changing table and a bassinet without performing additional disassembly and assembly steps. Thus, the present invention may not only simplify the folding process of the playpen, but may also increase convenience of the playpen in use.
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.

Claims

1. A playpen for assembling with at least one of a diaper changing table and a bassinet, the playpen comprising:

a foldable bedstead; and

an enveloping part covering around the foldable bedstead;

wherein the playpen can be folded with the diaper changing table or the bassinet when the diaper changing table or the bassinet is installed thereon.

2. The playpen of claim 1, wherein an opening is formed on the foldable bedstead, the diaper changing table comprises a diaper-changing-table cloth body, a plurality of first connecting parts is formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body corresponding to the foldable bedstead, and the plurality of first connecting parts is used for connecting to the foldable bedstead so as to dispose the diaper-changing-table cloth body at a side of the opening.

3. The playpen of claim 2, wherein the plurality of first connecting parts is a hook respectively.

4. The playpen of claim 2, wherein a plurality of second connecting parts is formed on the enveloping part, and the plurality of second connecting parts is used for connecting to the plurality of first connecting parts respectively so as to dispose the diaper-changing-table cloth body at the side of the opening.

5. The playpen of claim 4, wherein an extended cover is formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body, and the extended cover is used for covering the first connecting part and the second connecting part when the first connecting part is connected to the second connecting part.

6. The playpen of claim 2, wherein a hook is formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body, and the hook is used for connecting to the foldable bedstead.

7. The playpen of claim 2, wherein the diaper changing table further comprises a supporting rod detachably disposed through a side of the diaper-changing-table cloth body, and the supporting rod is provided on the foldable bedstead to support the diaper-changing-table cloth body when the diaper-changing-table cloth body is disposed at the side of the opening.

8. The playpen of claim 7, wherein the supporting rod is a retractable U-shaped rod.

9. The playpen of claim 7 further comprising a bag connected to a side of the enveloping part.

10. The playpen of claim 9, wherein the bag is used for containing the supporting rod or the diaper-changing-table cloth body.

11. The playpen of claim 1, wherein an opening is formed on the foldable bedstead, the bassinet comprises a bassinet cloth body and a mattress, the bassinet is used for holding the mattress, and the playpen can be folded with the bassinet cloth body when the bassinet is disposed on the foldable bedstead and the mattress is removed from the foldable bedstead.

12. A playpen set comprising:

a playpen comprising:

a foldable bedstead, an opening being formed on the foldable bedstead; and

an enveloping part covering around the foldable bedstead; and

a diaper changing table comprising:

a diaper-changing-table cloth body, a plurality of first connecting parts being formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body corresponding to the foldable bedstead for connecting to the foldable bedstead so as to dispose the diaper-changing-table cloth body at a side of the opening, the diaper-changing-table cloth body being capable of folding with the playpen when being mounted on the playpen.

13. The playpen set of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first connecting parts is a hook respectively.

14. The playpen set of claim 13, wherein a plurality of second connecting parts is formed on the enveloping part, and the plurality of second connecting parts is used for connecting to the plurality of first connecting parts respectively so as to dispose the diaper-changing-table cloth body at the side of the opening.

15. The playpen set of claim 12, wherein an extended cover is formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body, and the extended cover is used for covering the first connecting part and the second connecting part when the first connecting part is connected to the second connecting part.

16. The playpen set of claim 12, wherein a hook is formed on the diaper-changing-table cloth body, and the hook is used for connecting to the foldable bedstead.

17. The playpen set of claim 12, wherein the diaper changing table further comprises a supporting rod, the supporting rod being detachably disposed through a side of the diaper-changing-table cloth body and being provided on the foldable bedstead so as to support the diaper-changing-table cloth body at the side of the opening.

18. The playpen set of claim 17, wherein the supporting rod is a retractable U-shaped rod.

19. The playpen set of claim 18 further comprising a bag connected to a side of the enveloping part for containing the supporting rod or the diaper-changing-table cloth body.

20. The playpen set of claim 19 further comprising:

a bassinet comprising:

a mattress; and

a bassinet cloth body hung on the foldable bedstead for holding the mattress, the bassinet being capable of folding with the playpen when the mattress is removed from the playpen.

21. A playpen for holding an infant placing device, wherein the infant placing device can be folded with the playpen after the infant placing device is mounted on the playpen.