Portable Child Cot Frame With Hammock Bedding for Tip Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art cots have a high center of gravity, tend to flip when a child rolls or sits on the edge, and have independent legs that provide structural weakness and an uneven surface, with fabric chosen for aesthetics rather than strength and not integrated to enhance the mechanical frame.
Innovation Solution
A portable child bed with a collapsible and expandable frame of interconnected legs and hubs, featuring interlocking legs and flexible bedding anchored to upper hubs, providing a low sleeping surface, low center of gravity, and a sturdy structure that compensates for uneven surfaces, with the bedding folding in and out as the frame expands and collapses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sleeping surface is raised to a comfortable height, then ease of operation is improved, but stability deteriorates and the center of gravity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical height adjustment to a horizontal base expansion. The legs spread outward to create a wider base of support, lowering the center of gravity while maintaining accessible sleeping surface height through the horizontal dimension rather than vertical elevation
2Device complexity
If independent legs are used to simplify structure, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to structural weakness and uneven surface amplification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the independent legs into an interconnected framework where legs are structurally coupled through hubs and cross-bracing. This integration allows the structure to function as a unified system that distributes loads and compensates for surface unevenness, improving reliability while maintaining reasonable complexity
3Shape
If fabric is chosen for aesthetics rather than strength, then appearance is improved, but strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material qualities to different functional zones: strong, durable fabrics with high tensile strength are used in load-bearing areas where the fabric engages the frame structure, while aesthetic considerations can be applied to non-structural portions. This localized material selection ensures both strength and appearance are optimized where needed
Data Source
AI summary
A portable child bed in the nature of a cot. The cot includes a frame having a network of interconnected legs such that the frame is collapsible and expandable between open and closed configurations. The frame includes a stop to halt the expansion of the frame at a certain position. Flexible bedding depends from the frame in the nature of a hammock, with the flexible bedding being anchored at six positions about the frame. The frame of interconnected legs includes legs that are shaped to be out-of-the-way of the depending flexible bedding such that a child rests on the flexible bedding, not on the frame. Flexible straps run on an underside of the bedding and run to and between hubs of the frame.