Child containment system with multiple infant support modes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child containment systems, such as playards and bassinets, are inconvenient for caregivers to use with newborns and infants due to the need to reach over tall sides to place or retrieve infants, and current solutions like hammock-like sleeping devices are cumbersome to install and lack stability.
Innovation Solution
A child containment system with a bassinet mounted to a playard, featuring a frame-supported bed that can be elevated above the playard's bottom surface, using clips or connectors to secure the bassinet to the playard's perimeter wall, allowing for easy attachment and detachment while providing a stable and soothing sleeping environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bassinet is suspended from the top rails of a playard, then the infant support surface is elevated above the bottom surface, but the installation is cumbersome and requires significant time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The bassinet is divided into modular components that can be easily assembled and attached to the playard. The connection mechanism is segmented into discrete attachment points that simplify the installation process, allowing caregivers to quickly secure the bassinet without complex procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
A bassinet adapter serves as an intermediary component between the playard frame and the bassinet. This adapter simplifies the connection process by providing pre-configured attachment mechanisms that easily interface with both the playard structure and the bassinet, eliminating the need for complex individual connector installations.
2Reliability
If connectors are used to attach the bassinet to the playard, then the bassinet can be securely mounted, but the connectors require unobstructed top rails while playards have fabric obstructing the rails
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring connectors to attach to the top rails from above, the attachment mechanism is inverted to connect from the interior side of the playard. The bassinet adapter attaches to the inner surface of the playard walls, reversing the traditional attachment approach and eliminating the need for unobstructed top rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The bassinet adapter acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the bassinet and the playard's fabric-obstructed structure. It provides alternative attachment points on the playard's interior surfaces that are not blocked by fabric, enabling reliable mounting while maintaining compatibility with standard playard designs.
3Ease of operation
If the bassinet is elevated above the bottom surface, then caregiver strain is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bassinet adapter is designed as a universal component that serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for elevation, enables secure attachment to the playard, and offers easy-release mechanisms for retrieval. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex mechanisms for each operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bassinet adapter incorporates quick-release features that allow for easy discarding (removal) and recovering (reattachment) of the bassinet. The design enables caregivers to quickly detach and reattach the bassinet without complex procedures, maintaining simplicity despite the elevated position.
Data Source
AI summary
A child containment system has a child containment structure with a bottom and a perimeter wall surrounding the bottom. A bassinet has an infant support surface and a surrounding wall around the infant support surface. The bassinet can be mounted to the child containment structure with the infant support surface elevated above the bottom of the child containment structure. An infant support unit can have a frame, a bed supported by the frame, and legs that extend from one end of the infant support unit to the distal second end. The infant support unit is configured for use in a first operational mode in which the infant support unit at least partially positioned within the child containment structure with the bed overlying the bassinet's infant support surface, and with a portion of the legs contacting the bassinet's infant support surface.