Suspended Infant Sleeper for Easier Playard Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing infant sleeping apparatuses are not convenient for caregivers to use, as they require strenuous bending or reaching to place or retrieve infants, and often do not provide a soothing or safe sleeping environment, especially when attached to playards or cribs.
Innovation Solution
A sleeping apparatus that attaches to the top rails of a playard or crib, creating a 'womb-like' environment with a hammock-like design, supported by a bassinet that acts as a safety net below, allowing easy installation and access for caregivers while providing a comfortable and secure sleeping surface for infants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sleeping apparatus is placed on the bottom surface of the playard, then the infant can be contained, but the caregiver must reach over the side wall all the way down to place or retrieve the infant, which is difficult and strenuous
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping apparatus is elevated from the bottom surface to the top rail level of the playard, changing the vertical dimension of placement. This allows the infant to be accessed at caregiver height rather than requiring reaching down to the bottom, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and caregiver strain.
2Ease of operation
If a box-shaped bassinet is used, then the infant can be suspended above the bottom surface, but the rectangular shape does not provide a soothing or comforting sleeping environment
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping apparatus uses a curved, hammock-like fabric surface instead of a rigid rectangular box shape. This curved configuration creates a more soothing and comforting environment for the infant while maintaining suspension above the bottom surface, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and soothing environment.
3Ease of operation
If a hammock-like sleeping surface with tie connectors is used, then the infant can be suspended, but the connectors require unobstructed top rails and significant installation time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The installation complexity is extracted and transferred to a bassinet component that is attached once to the playard, rather than requiring multiple individual connectors to be installed on the sleeping surface itself. This allows the sleeping apparatus to be easily attached to the bassinet without complex connector installation, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A child containment system has a child containment structure with a bottom, a perimeter side wall surrounding the bottom, and a connector part carried on each of two opposed inward facing surfaces of the perimeter wall. The system has an infant sleeping apparatus with a fabric panel having a top surface, a perimeter edge, a frame structure carrier near the perimeter edge, and an exposed portion of the frame structure positioned near each opposed end of the fabric panel. The infant sleeping apparatus is removably mounted to the child containment structure with the fabric panel suspended above the bottom of the child containment structure by connecting each exposed portion of the frame structure to a corresponding one of the connector parts of the child containment structure.