[0001] The invention concerns a canopy for baby cots or child's beds, where the canopy hangs
down from the ceiling or hangs over a sky rod on the outside of the head and side
panels of the cod or child's bed, where the head and side panels are built from a
rectangular frame with in between vertical bars or pins at equidistant intervals,
in which the canopy is mostly made of a light net or lace curtain.
[0002] A canopy has the function to offer a baby or child safety and hangs as a covering
over a cot or child's bed. In popular speech it is also called a mosquito net. A mosquito
net though serves to keep insects away. The shape of a canopy is tapering, of which
the narrow top can be hanged from the ceiling or on a sky rod by means of a hook.
The remaining fabric of the canopy hangs down at both sides and head side on the outside
of the cot or child's bed.
[0003] Described canopy is well known, but is dangerous as such because a baby or child
lying in the cot or child's bed can pull the fabric of the canopy towards him/herself
through the bars or pins of the cot or child's bed. The baby or the child could become
entangled when he or she has pulled the fabric through the bars or pins and subsequently
holds on to the fabric and would start turning around with her/his body. Then the
baby or child could suffocate.
[0004] Known from patent literature is the American patent
US D605,869S, titeld: "Baby Cot with Canopy", from inventors: Hakan BERGKVIST (SE) and Lisen ELMBERG
(SE). This known invention has the afore mentioned disadvantage, that no provisions
have been made to prevent pulling the fabric through the bars of pins of the cot.
Cots with canopies as available in the trade have the same drawbacks.
[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved or modified safe canopy
or net for cots or child's beds, which do not have the mentioned disadvantages and
which design and construction can be put on the market in an economically responsible
manner.
[0006] For this purpose the canopy for cots or child's beds according to the invention is
further developed or modified in such an inventive way, characterised in that for
protection against suffocation of the baby, who can pull the light net fabric of mentioned
canopy into the cot, mentioned canopy at equidistant intervals is provided with long
bending stiff elements, which are attached to insertion elements at the canopy.
[0007] The advantage is that the baby or child cannot or hardly pull the fabric or the material
of the canopy into the cot or child's bed. Therefore, there is no more danger for
suffocation.
[0008] Furthermore, the canopy according to the invention is developed in such a way that
mentioned long bending stiff elements are elongated vertically applied bending stiff
elements with a length larger than the vertical height of the head and side panels
of the cot or the child's bed.
[0009] The advantage is that the elongated vertically applied bending stiff elements behave
as a beam on two supporting positions with executed on it a roughly in the middle
concentrated load, so that sufficient mechanical strength can be obtained by mechanical
calculation. This determines the dimension of the cross section and the material used
for the elongated bending stiff elements.
[0010] Then the canopy according to the invention is developed in such a way that the heart-to-heart
distance of mentioned equidistant intervals of the elongated vertically applied bending
stiff elements lies between 50 mm and 150 mm, preferably circa 75 mm.
[0011] The advantage is, that the load executed by the baby or the child is spread over
a pair of elongated vertically applied bending stiff elements, by which the load on
one elongated vertically applied bending stiff element will be about half.
[0012] Furthermore can be stated that applying the bending stiff elements in a different
direction than the direction of the bars or pins of the cot or child's bed is not
useful when trying to provide for a more effective solution of the problem.
[0013] The invention is further described hereinafter, according to a preferred embodiment,
by way of example only, by way of accompanying drawings, in which;
figure 1 shows an elevation or view in oblique projection of the canopy with bending
stiff elements with baby cot or child's bed according to a preferred embodiment of
the invention;
figure 2 shows an elevation in oblique projection of the bending stiff elements of
figure 1; and
figure 3 shows an oblique projection of a sky rod for erection of the canopy according
to the invention.
[0014] In figure 1 an elevation in oblique projection is shown of canopy 1 with elongated
bending stiff elements 2 in elongated stitched on bags 3 on the fabric of the canopy
1, according to the invention. The canopy 1 hangs across the head and side panels
4 of the cot or child's bed 5. De indicated side panels 4 are provided with bars or
pins 6. The height h2 of the elongated bending stiff elements 2 is larger than the
height h1 of mentioned side panels 4 (e.g. h2 > 1,2 h1). The canopy 1 is supported
by a sky bar, which is not shown. The heart-to-heart distance X of the elongated vertical
bending stiff elements 3 lies between 50 mm and 150 mm, preferably circa 75 mm. The
material of the elongated vertical bending stiff elements 3 can consist of wood, plastic,
glass fibre, carbon or plexiglass.
[0015] In figure 2 an elevation in oblique projection is shown of the elongated bending
stiff elements 2 in the elongated stitched on bags 3. On top, the elongated stitched
on bags 3 are provided with a lock-up provision 7 as an extension of the elongated
stitched on bags 3.
[0016] In figure 3 the sky bar 10 with cuppling 13 is fixed with a screw 14 into a tube
11, which is placed on a flooring 8 and is fixed under a pair of bed legs 12. So,
the sky bar 10 can still be adjusted by screw 13 in vertical sense and fixed by screw
14.
[0017] Finally, it has to be emphasized that above a preferred embodiment of the invention
has been described and that further modifications and such are possible without leaving
the scope of this patent specification.
1. Canopy for baby cots or child's bed, in which the canopy hangs down from the ceiling
or hangs over a sky rod on the outside of the head and side panels of the cod or child's
bed, where the head and side panels are built from a rectangular frame with in between
vertical bars or pins at equidistant intervals, in which the canopy is mostly made
of a light net or lace curtain, characterised in that, for safety reasons in order to prevent suffocation of the baby, who can pull the
light net fabric of mentioned canopy (1) into the cot or child's bed (5), mentioned
canopy is provided with elongated bending stiff elements (2) a equidistant intervals,
which are attached to inserting elements of the canopy (1).
2. Canopy according to claim 1, wherein mentioned elongated bending stiff elements (2) are elongated vertically applied bending
stiff elements with a length larger than the vertical height of de head and side panels
(4) of the cot or the child's bed (5).
3. Canopy according to claim 2, wherein the elongated vertically applied bending stiff elements (2) are strips, which are
applied in elongated stitched up bag shapes (3) on mentioned net fabric of the canopy
(1).
4. Canopy according to claim 3, wherein mentioned elongated stitched up bag shapes (3) are provided with lock-up provisions
(7) at the top.
5. Canopy according to claim 1 - 2, wherein the bending stiff elements (2) are made of wood, preferably pine or oak.
6. Canopy according to claim 1 - 2, wherein the bending stiff elements (2) are made of plastic, preferably polypropylene.
7. Canopy according to claim 1 - 4, wherein the heart-to-heart distance of mentioned equidistant intervals of the elongated vertically
applied bending stiff elements (2) lies between 50 mm and 150 mm, preferably 75 mm.
8. Canopy according to claim 1, wherein mentioned bending stiff elements (2) are applied horizontally at an angle to the
horizontal.
9. Canopy according to claim 1, wherein mentioned sky rod (10) for suspending the canopy (1) is mounted to the floor (8)
on a bending stiff plate (9) with sufficient dimensions and on which one or two legs
of the baby cot or the child's bed are placed.
10. Canopy according to claim 1, wherein, as a mosquito net, the canopy (1) covers the complete cot or child's bed.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description