This invention relates to a portable cot for babies and very t

V young children.

Cots, cribs, hammocks and different types of beds are well-known methods of putting babies and young children to sleep. Some of these have specific advantageous features based on well-known observations such, as a swinging or rocking motion induces most babies to sleep, many babies like being swaddled and prefer close fitting comfort such as a hammock would provide during sleep and a baby usually prefers to sleep in the same bed and tends to suffer disruptions in its sleep pattern if forced to change beds e.g. on holiday.

Traditional methods however, suffer from disadvantages such as lack of portability by way of being either rigid and permanent or being relatively heavy and cumbersome even when dismantled as well as unnecessarily occupying a lot of space when not in use. They tend ,moreover, to be relatively expensive.

The present invention provides a portable cot comprising a collapsible support and a sleeping container swingable therefrom characterised in that the support comprises a collapsible support frame and the sleeping container is a hammock which hangs from the support frame in use and comprises a collapsible frame, which is rigid in an erected

condition, carrying a flexible hammock member therefrom.

The hammock frame is collapsible by detaching component frame members from one another. The component frame members may be connected to one another at joints each made between two frame members at which one said frame member overlies the other and a connecting member passes from the lower frame member through an aperture in he upper frame member and a connection is made therefrom to the support frame to hang the hammock. The hammock frame may have a pair of longer side frame members and a pair of shorter end frame members and is preferably rectangular. The hammock member may have a pair of detachable end panels.

The longest dimension of the support frame or longest component thereof when collapsed preferably does not substantially exceed the length of the hammock member.

The support frame may be collapsible by folding at joints or by detaching component support frame members from one another.

The cot may comprise a removable cover and/or ^a removable hood.

Two specific embodiments of the invention will now be provided by way of example with reference to the

accompanying drawing in which :-

1 Figure 1 shows in perspective, the cot comprising a tubular metal frame with the hammock in position inside the frame.

Figure 2 shows a drawstring bag containing the folded cot.

Figure 3 shows the front elevation of the cot.

Figure 4 details one corner of the hammock.

Figure 5 shows the side elevation of the cot.

Figure 6 shows the metal support frame folded.

Figure 7 shows in perspective, another example of the cot comprising a wooden construction.

Figure 8 details the wooden joint at one end of the frame.

Figure 9 details one corner of the wooden-sided hammock.

Figure 10 shows how each of the two types of assemblies can be rolled inside the hammock.

Figures 11 and 12 illustrate an adaptation of the hammock to facilitate the attachment of a hood and a cover for outdoor use and an attachment for hooking a safety harness.

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Example 1.

Referring to the drawing in Figures 1 to 6 and Figure 10, the cot comprises a rigid-sided hammock 1 , releasably hung

inside a support frame by a nylon chord 3 or similar means attached to a hook 4 or similar device at each end. The frame comprises a central rod 2 and four legs 10 joined together, a pair to each end of the central rod, by a pair of flanges or similar means at each end, one pair of flanges 11 being shorter than the other 12. The frame being held rigid by the combined actions of locking brackets 5 and a retaining cord 6.

In order to fold the cot the hammock is released from the hooks 4 and the shorter sides of the hammock detached at the corner 7, the side flaps 8 unbuttoned and placed inside the hammock and the hammock placed to one side. The support frame is folded by releasing the retaining cord 6 from any one of the leg-hooks 9 thus releasing the tension and enabling the locking brackets 5 to be unlocked by pushing the legs 10 slightly outwards and then folding them inwards beginning with the pair attached to the shorter flanges 11 and followed by the legs attached to the longer flanges 12 folding outside the first pair as illustrated in Figure 6.

The retaining cord may be detached from all four leg-hooks and placed inside the hammock or left hooked into the three legs and wrapped around the folded frame before placing the frame inside the hammock. The hammock is now wrapped around the frame as illustrated in Figure 10 and the whole assembly placed inside the draw-string bag or similar device as shown in Figure 2.

To re-erect the cot the steps described above are followed in reverse sequence.

Example 2.

Referring to the drawing in Figures 7 to 10 the cot comprises a rigid-sided hammock 20 similar to the one described in example 1 but held rigid _ø by wooden rods instead of metal tubing or similar material, the' sides of the hammock being detachable at the corner junctions 21 illustrated in Figure 9 and the hammock hung releasably inside the wooden frame by nylon cords 25 and hooks 31 as illustrated in Figure 7 and similar to the means described in example 1.

The wooden support frame comprises five wooden rods, four as legs 22 and one as the central rod 23. The central rod is attached at each end to one pair of legs by means of a wooden joint 24 which has three holes at specific angles and of sufficient depth into which one end of the central rod and the top ends of one pair of legs are pushed home as illustrated in Figure 8. The joint also has a hook 31 or similar device to facilitate one end of the hammock to be hung by a nylon cord 26 or similar means.

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The support frame is held rigid and the legs prevented from slipping out of the joints by the tension in the retaing cord which is hooked tense into the four legs by means of

leg-hooks 27 at the bottom of each leg such that the tension locks the legs and the central rod into the joints.

In order to dismantle the cot the hammock is released from the support frame and the shorter sides 28 of the hammock are detached at the corners by threading the hanging cord 25 through the holes 29 in the shorter sides and unbuttoning the side flaps 30. The flaps are pla_ced inside the hammock and the hammock placed to one side.

The frame is dismantled by releasing the retaining cord from any leg-hook thus releasing the tension in the joints and enabling the legs and central rod to be pulled out of the joints. The legs and central rod are then bundled together and placed inside the hammock along with the joints, the retaining cord bein*} either removed and placed separately inside the hammock or left hooked into three legs. The hammock is now wrapped around the bundle as illustrated in Figure 10 and placed inside a bag or similar device to the one described in example 1.

The hammock may also be adapted to have attachments, as illustrated in Figure 11 and Figure 12, to fit a hood 40 and a cover 41 for outdoor use and an attachment 47 for a child's safety harness to prevent a child if necessary, from climbing out.

Referring to the drawing in Figures 11 and 12, press sluds

42 or similar means are provided whereby a hood 40 and a cover 41 may be attached such that when detached they can be rolled inside the hammock along with the rest of the assembly as described in the two examples above.

The hood 40 consists of a fabric in the shape of a trapezium with press studs 42 or similar means on three sides. ^' The fourth and longest side is adapted to, have a flexible plastic strip 43 or similar device attached such that it can be bowed to form a hood and may have protruding extensions 46 at each end to prevent the hood springing loose by insertion inside the sides of the hammock. The hood is held in place by a spacer bar 45 one end of which can hook into the plastic strip at the cut-out 43 and the other end into the side 48 of the hammock at the cut-out in the side-flap. The attachment 47 consists of a strap sewn into the hammock with a ring or similar device at its end to allow an ordinary child's safety harness to be hooked into it.

There has been described above with reference to each of the embodiments, a rigid-sided rectangular hammock with detachable sides, means for releasably hanging the hammock such that it can swing freely inside a stable frame, the frame being adapted to fold or be dismantled enabling it to

~ be rolled inside the hammock such that the whole assembly takes the form of a tight bundle which can be placed inside a bag or similar device for easy carriage.

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The range of lengths for the hammock members may vary according to the age group that a particular size may be made for with an upper range of 105 cms (3* 6") and a lower range of 60 cms (2').

The preferred ideal size may be closer to between 95cms and 100 cms (3'2" to 3'4") to cater for children of upto 95 cms (3'2") in height.

The support frame has been designed in stich a way that all the members are largely under compressive stresses and facilitate the hammock when loaded, to have a low centre of gravity for greater stabilty even under vigorous swinging whilst putting a baby to sleep. The height range for the support frame, in order to cater for the range of hammock sizes mentioned above, may vary between 60 cms (2') and 90 cms (3 ¹ ) with a preferred ideal of 75 cms (2*6").

The present design within the preferred size ranges has, when constructed in 16mm external diameter 1.5mm thick aluminium tubing, been shown to be capable of carrying the weight of an average adult and should therefore provide an adequate margin of safety for children.