PLAY YARD OBSCUREMENT SYSTEM
Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for at least partially obscuring a child's vision outside of a play yard. An obscurement system may include a flexible body to be positioned over walls of a play yard. A window may be formed in the flexible body. A window covering portion may selectively configure the window between an open position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially permitted and a closed position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially obscured. An obscurement system may include a panel to be secured to a play yard. The panel may at least partially obscure vision outside the play yard when the panel is secured to the play yard.
Play yards have been used to confine infant and toddler children, for example, during active or sleep times. Play yards may offer children the ability to lie down, stand up, or move around within a prescribed area and may offer parents and other caregivers the security of knowing where their children are located.
An aspect of the security of play yards is the ability to monitor children while they are active or sleeping. This may be achieved, for example, through the use of walls that are at least partially transparent. For example, mesh materials may be used to form play yard walls. Mesh materials may facilitate viewing of children within the play yard. In addition, mesh materials may facilitate collapsing the play yard for storage or transportation.
Mesh materials may also facilitate viewing of the outside environment by children within the play yard. While such visual stimulation may be desirable during active times, it may be counterproductive when parents or caregivers are attempting to put children to sleep. For example, children may be more interested in receiving visual stimuli than in falling asleep. This issue may be exacerbated in new environments, for example, hotel rooms or relatives' homes.
SUMMARYSystems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for at least partially obscuring a child's vision outside of a play yard. An obscurement system may include a flexible body to be positioned over walls of a play yard. A window may be formed in the flexible body. A window covering portion may selectively configure the window between an open position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially permitted and a closed position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially obscured.
An obscurement system may include a panel to be secured to a play yard. The panel may at least partially obscure vision outside the play yard when the panel is secured to the play yard.
A detailed description of illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the various Figures. Although this description provides a detailed example of possible implementations, it should be noted that the details are intended to be exemplary and in no way limit the scope of the application.
As shown in
It will be appreciated that the obscurement system 200 may have multiple windows 202, for example, located proximate to multiple walls of the play yard 100. One or more such windows 202, e.g., all of the windows 202, may be obscured as disclosed herein by one or more window covering portions 205 proximate the windows 202.
When open, the window 410 may be empty or may be covered, for example, by a mesh material. The mesh material may partially obscure the view of a child in the play yard, even when the window is open. The window 410 may be closed using buttons 412 and corresponding buttonholes 414 formed in the window 410 or in the panel 402.
The fixation structures 604 may be implemented, for example, as buttons or protrusions formed integrally with the body of the play yard 602. The fixation structures 604 may be implemented, for example, as buttons or protrusions secured, e.g., fastened or attached, to the body of the play yard 602 after manufacture. The fixation structures 604 may be implemented, for example, as magnets attached to or sewn into material surrounding the window 606.
A panel 700, shown by way of example in
With the panel 700 secured to the play yard 602, the window 606 may be obscured. Accordingly, the view of a child through the window 606 may be obscured, reducing the visual stimuli that may be presented to the child while the child is being put to sleep.
It will be appreciated that if the play yard 602 has multiple windows 606, for example, on multiple walls of the play yard 602, the play yard obscurement system 600 may incorporate multiple panels 700 to obscure the windows 606.
While numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments have been set forth in this disclosure, together with the structure and function of various embodiments, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, for example, in matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles described herein to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Claims
1. An obscurement system comprising:
- a flexible body to be positioned over walls of a play yard;
- a window formed in the flexible body; and
- a window covering portion to selectively configure the window between an open position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially permitted and a closed position in which vision outside the play yard is at least partially obscured.
2. The obscurement system of claim 1, the flexible body being formed from a translucent or opaque material.
3. The obscurement system of claim 1, the window comprising at least one of a mesh material or a transparent vinyl material.
4. The obscurement system of claim 1, the window covering portion comprising a translucent or opaque material.
5. The obscurement system of claim 1, further comprising a closure system to selectively at least partially attach or at least partially detach the window covering portion from the flexible body.
6. The obscurement system of claim 5, the closure system comprising at least one of a button, a snap, a zipper, a hook-and-loop fastening system, or a magnet.
7. The obscurement system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of windows formed in the flexible body; and
- a plurality of window covering portions, each window covering portion proximate a corresponding window.
8. An obscurement system comprising a panel to be secured to a play yard, the panel at least partially obscuring vision outside the play yard when the panel is secured to the play yard.
9. The obscurement system of claim 8, the panel comprising a fixation structure to be secured to a corresponding structure of the play yard.
10. The obscurement system of claim 9, the fixation structure comprising at least one of a button, a protrusion, or a magnet.
11. The obscurement system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of panels to be secured proximate a plurality of windows of the play yard, the panels at least partially obscuring vision outside the play yard when the panels is secured to the windows.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 17, 2015
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2016
Inventor: Marc Russell Giveans (Minnetrista, MN)
Application Number: 14/689,233