The present invention relates to a device for providing a resting place for children while traveling by various means of transport, as stated in the preamble of claim 1.

Background

For many families with children, from time to time there will be a need for a travel cot for the children. Many people love to travel, whether it is on long or short trips and vacations, or visiting friends and family.

For children from about 1-2 years and up, the market for such products is much dominated by inflatable solutions. There are many variants and manufacturers of these, but one of the great common features of these solutions is that they are typically made of PVC. This is not ideal, as PVC is a material that is not very environmentally friendly. In products for children, many manufacturers have also chosen to move away from the use of PVC, due to chemicals.

The inflatable solutions currently on the market are in principle not very suitable for travel, despite the fact that they are marketed as travel cots. In rolled-up form, they take up a lot of volume, and have a typical weight between 3.5 - 4.0 kg. If you are going to travel by plane, weight and size are an important factor, and these products are therefore not well suited for this.

Another common feature is that existing solutions often require an external pump, which in turn requires additional space available. Some of these pumps, which are supplied with current solutions, are also electrically powered from the mains, which can also present problems if you travel to places where there is other voltage on the mains.

When it comes to comfort, the present solutions are not ideal either. Lying directly on an inflatable bed tends to become clammy during a night. A regular sheet will help somewhat, but is often not enough to avoid it.

Safety is another factor and can be a problem with the mentioned solutions. The very youngest children, typically under 1 year of age, may have a greater risk of suffocation if they come to lie on their stomachs, with their face down in the PVC material, as this is not a breathable or ventilating material. In the USA, for example, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has issued a warning about this, and recommends a minimum age of 15 months for the use of these beds.

Objective

It is an object of the present invention to provide equipment which will improve the comfort and safety of young children sleeping on an inflatable mattress.

There is another purpose to doing this with designs that are so simple, light and compact that they are well suited for travel.

The present invention

The above objects are achieved through the present invention as defined by claim 1. Preferred embodiments appear from the dependent claims.

In the following, the invention is explained and exemplified in relation to use when traveling, and for children, but a person skilled in the art will understand that the same principle can be used in one's own or others' homes, as well as for adults.

The device according to the present invention comprises an inflatable base with an integrated, manual pump and a replaceable, washable cover, the inflatable base having raised side walls, and the cover having an upper side of a breathable and ventilating fabric. Together this forms a mattress. The breathable and ventilating fabric preferably has a thickness of 2-7 mm, more preferably 2-5 mm and is most typically a so-called 3D-mesh fabric, also called sandwich-mesh fabric base. Briefly explained, the 3D mesh fabric according to the present invention consists of two outer layers separated by an intermediate layer, all the layers being ventilating. At least one of the outer layers has a mesh structure.

The mattress is inflated by pressing on the area where the pump is located in the base, air then being sucked in through the 3D-mesh fabric, and into the base. The pump in the base only lets air into the mattress, using two one-way valves. At the air intake in the pump, there is preferably an end piece that can be put on after the mattress has been inflated with air, to form a double protection against air leakage via the pump. The pump is typically located at the foot end of the mattress.

The present invention preferably has a dual functional valve at the underside of the mattress. It is primarily used to release air from the mattress after use, but can also be used to inflate the mattress using an external pump, if desired. The present invention also has raised side edges, intended to prevent the child from rolling out during use.

A unique feature of the present invention is the composition and individual elements, in an inflatable design, constituting an easy, comfortable and safe resting place for the user.

In contrast to many of today's existing solutions, which use PVC in the inflatable base, more environmentally friendly polymers are used in the present invention, mainly polyamide and polyurethane (TPU).

The cover of the present invention can be removed and washed as needed.

The device according to the invention provides a very light, portable resting solution for children, with a typical weight of 900 - 1600 grams, more preferably 1000 to 1500 grams which prevents clamminess, thus providing increased comfort for the user. The present invention may also, if unintentionally used by children under 15 months, provide increased safety for these children compared to existing inflatable solutions, by reducing the risk of suffocation even if the face is facing the surface.

It is preferred that the side of the cover which in a use situation will face down towards the surface, is different from the breathable and ventilating fabric which will face up and that it is typically water- repellent. The advantages of this are obvious, as water can sometimes accumulate on the surface, from shoes or luggage or leaks from bottles or the like.

According to some embodiments, the invention comprises a compression bag which makes it easy to repack the inflatable base with the cover after use so that the whole occupies the least possible volume. The compression bag is a very light-weight bag with a zipper that opens and closes to the inner cavity of the bag and a further, outer zipper arranged to contract two of the opposite sides of the bag, so that the cavity is thereby reduced and the contents correspondingly compressed. It is in the nature of things that the last remnants of air, that may be left in the inflatable base, are forced out by this compression, of course provided that it has an open valve for the purpose.

A compression bag as mentioned above will typically have a weight of about 100 grams so that the total weight of the device according to the invention in this embodiment is 1000 to 1700 grams, more preferably 1100 to 1600 grams. Further details of the present invention

In the following, the present invention is described in more detail in the form of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in perspective an embodiment of the outer part of a device according to the present invention

Figure 2 shows a section of an element of the present invention

Figure 3 shows in perspective an embodiment of an inner element of a device according to the present invention

Figure 4 shows in perspective an embodiment of a part of the underside of a device according to the present invention

Figures 5 to 8 show an element of a particular embodiment of the present invention in different states

Figure 9 shows in perspective generally the same as Figure 1, but with an inner element partially pulled out from the outer element.

Figure 1 shows the present invention in a fully inflated condition with the cover 3 on. The side walls la, lb are raised for the purpose of preventing the child from rolling out. In the mattress front there is a zipper 2, which can be opened to enable access to the integrated pump 4 in the inflatable base 13 inside the mattress, as well as to remove the entire cover 3 if necessary.

Figure 2 shows a coil of the breathable and ventilating 3D mesh 7 fabric used for the upper side of the cover 3. It is to be understood that Figure 2 is drawn in a different scale than Figure 1, the thickness of the fabric being a few millimetres thick.

Figure 3 shows the cover 3 when it is opened at the mattress front, for accessing the integrated pump 4 in the inflatable base 13. On the valve 5 in the pump 4, there is an end piece 6 that can be put on the valve 5 after the mattress is pumped up with air, to form a double protection against air leakage from the pump 4. While the upper side of the cover 3 consists of a breathable and ventilating 3D-mesh 7 textile, the underside of the cover 3 is preferably made of a water-repellent material 8.

Figure 4 shows a valve 9, at the underside of the mattress, in the open condition, where it releases air from the mattress. The underside 8 of the cover 3, which preferably is water-repellent, has an opening for the valve 9. Figure 5 shows the compression bag 10 in which the mattress is packed after use, in the open position. The compression bag 10 has a primary zipper 11 which opens and closes the compression bag 10, and a secondary zipper 12 which is used to contract the compression bag 10, thereby compressing the mattress. Figure 6 shows the compression bag 10 in the closed position and uncompressed condition, where the primary zipper 11 is pulled close while the secondary zipper 12 is open.

Figure 7 shows the compression bag 10 in a partially compressed state, where the secondary zipper 12 is partially (halfway) pulled close. The bag is shown from the opposite side in relation to Figures 5 and 6. Finally, Figure 8 shows the compression bag 10 in the compressed state, where the secondary zipper 12 is fully pulled close and the content is compressed.

Figure 9 shows the cover 3, partially removed from the inflatable base 13. The inflatable base 13 has raised side walls la, lb, and as mentioned an integrated, manual pump 4.

The constructive features mentioned and described above satisfy the objects of the invention and are as far as known not taught by or obvious in view of any prior art.