Foldable Travel Cot Ventilation for Infant Oxygen Supply

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing children's travel cots with foldable bases lack sufficient ventilation, leading to increased carbon dioxide levels and reduced oxygen supply, which can be detrimental to infants and small children, especially during sleep.

Innovation Solution

A children's travel cot with a foldable base body and insert floor featuring ventilation openings and recesses that allow for airflow, ensuring a consistent oxygen supply by overlapping areas for efficient carbon dioxide discharge and oxygen intake, while maintaining stability through a breathable material and reinforcement structures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a plastic film is used to form the side walls and floor of the travel cot to achieve water-repellency and light weight, then the cot becomes water-repellent and lightweight, but the supply of oxygen is limited and carbon dioxide content increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater-repellencyVSAvoidoxygen supply
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous breathable material instead of impermeable plastic film for the floor and side walls. This material allows air permeability while maintaining water-repellency, solving the contradiction between water protection and oxygen supply by enabling gas transmission through the material structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite material construction combining breathable fabric layers with waterproof coatings or membranes. This creates a material that simultaneously provides water-repellency and air permeability, resolving the contradiction between waterproofing and oxygen supply requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the floor is made of a closed fabric layer to ensure water-repellency, then the cot becomes water-repellent, but the floor lacks the necessary stability to accommodate a child

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater-repellencyVSAvoidfloor stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines flexible breathable fabric with rigid reinforcement elements (such as metal or plastic grid structures, ribs, or tension members) to create a composite floor system. The fabric provides water-repellency and flexibility, while the reinforcement structure provides the necessary stability and load-bearing capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Volume of moving object

If the travel cot is designed to be foldable to reduce volume, then the cot becomes compact and transportable, but the construction complexity increases with multiple segments and joints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecot volumeVSAvoidconstruction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the cot into modular segments (frame sections, panel units, leg assemblies) that can be folded or collapsed relative to each other. This segmentation enables compact folding while maintaining structural integrity through standardized connection mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs nested folding mechanisms where smaller components are positioned within or between larger components during folding. The segmented panels and frame elements nest together to minimize overall volume while simplifying the folding sequence and reducing the number of external connections required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design ensures a stable and well-ventilated sleeping environment, reducing the risk of oxygen deprivation and associated developmental issues in infants, while also being transportable and easy to assemble.

Implementation Method 1

air can flow into and/or out of the cavity of the base body through the ventilation opening of the support base and the ventilation recess of the shelf

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAirflow: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3260019B1Travel bed for children
Publication Date: 2018.11.28 SKLENARZ JOHANNES
  • EP3260019B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3260019B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3260019B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a travel cot (1) with a foldable base body (2) which comprises a hollow space (5) framed by side walls (3) and closed off by a supporting base (10) on the bottom side, and an insert base ( 11) which is inserted into the cavity (5) of the base body (2) and held by the support base (10). According to the invention, the support base (10) has at least one ventilation opening (21), so that air can enter the cavity (5) of the base body (2nd ) can flow in and/or flow out of this.