Portable device for sleep-inducing and pacifying crying infants

Abstract

A portable manually or mechanically manipulated child pacifying and sleep-inducing device is disclosed for use which comprised of two parallel posts, a square stand and a horizontal bar jointly connected to one another. The device includes a set of springs and safety cords connected to the horizontal bar and to the adjustable longitudinal hard plastic hanger support means by two sets of stationary clips, one set attached near both ends of the horizontally positioned bar, and the other set centrally positioned on the longitudinal adjustable hard plastic hanger support means. A breathable fabric hangs from the longitudinal adjustable hard plastic support means to accommodate therein infants of different heights and sizes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] A provisional patent application was filed in Aug. 16, 2001 consisting of a series code jc872 v.c. PTO and serial No. 60/312,862.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] “Not Applicable”

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0003] “Not Applicable”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to a device and method for sleep-inducing and pacifying a crying infant. More particularly to a portable device which can be manually or mechanically manipulated to provide a soothing and calming upwardly and downwardly motions which gives to the crying infant the same feeling of security experienced inside the mother's womb.

[0005] Parents are well aware of the general discomfort experienced by infants as they are developing as a fetus inside the mother's womb to becoming a baby in the outside world. This discomfort usually exist during the six months or more of the new baby's life is commonly believed to be caused by abrupt transition from inside the womb to the new environment outside the womb. It becomes common for all infants to cry while on the adjustment stage to a new life outside the womb.

[0006] It has been found that soothing crying infants outside of the womb can be achieved by creating an environment that simulates the condition inside the womb. The most practical and effective way to do this is to put the infant in a condition the same as being suspended in the mother's womb by the amniotic fluid and through movement.

[0007] Infants who cry normally and colicky infants who cry more than normal need soothing now and then. This invention is purposely intended for them. It is true that attempts to remedy discomfort of these infants have been made over the years which include holding, cuddling infant in an adult's arm, and also by using rocking cribs or chairs and the swing. However, these devices are bulky thus, difficult to transport and requiring adult supervision during use. The disadvantages for these attempts are obvious especially when the parents maybe pre-occupied.

[0008] A review of the prior art reveals some U.S. Patents to this effect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,912 to Hughes is concerned with baby sleep-inducer and baby calmer which simulates an environment for the benefit of the baby as similar as possible to that just prior to the birth of the baby. The sound produced by self-contained sound developer having the characteristic of a sound heard by a baby in a womb during the last four months of pregnancy that gives a soothing, calming and sleep-inducing effect on a newborn infant.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,832 to Blitzer is concerned with apparatus for treating or relieving colicky infants by simulating an intra-uterine environment experienced prior to birth by an unborn child in a womb comprising a frame for use in a bed adapted for having a mattress positioned therefor on which an infant with colic can be rested, a series of upwardly and downwardly movable elements, said elements being arranged along the longitudinal direction of said frame, and distributed drive means acting on said movable elements for producing repetitive and sequential upward and downward motion by said movable elements of about 6 mm to about 10 mm for producing regular, repetitive predetermined uniformly advancing traveling sine-wave like motion in the longitudinal direction of the frame and having frequency in the range of about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,096 to Cuervo is concerned primarily with efforts to artificially simulate an automobile motion and sound which discloses a child pacifying device having an electric motor mounted to a base of a housing. The device is considered to have quite limited utility, and that the housing can only be attached to the springs of the infant's crib. Cuervo further discloses and claims the need for a random noise sound generator providing frequency between 200 and 4000H2 at intensities of 60 and 80 db as necessary to complete the simulation of an automobile traveling 45 to 55 mph.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] According to the invention, a device and method are provided to induce an infant to sleep and to pacify a crying or colic infant. The device comprises of two parallel tube posts supported by a square tube stand laying opposite the horizontally positioned tube connected to both upper ends of the two parallel tube posts. A set of stationary clips are attached one each near both ends of the horizontally positioned tube connected to both upper ends of the two parallel tube posts. A set of springs and safety cords means enclosed in a casing for access protection of which the upper ends are attached to the set of stationary clips near both ends of the horizontally positioned tube connected to both upper ends of the two parallel tube posts.

[0012] The lower ends of the set of springs and safety cords are attached to a separate set of stationary clips attached to a longitudinal adjustable hard plastic support means for providing hanger for the breathable fabric where an infant is put to rest therein. A self-contained housing means with switches for providing energized musical lullaby and a resiliently upwardly and downwardly motions of the breathable fabric is attached to one of the two parallel tube posts and to the lower ends of the spring and safety cord. After adjusting the adjustable longitudinal hard plastic support means for providing hanger for the breathable fabric according to the infant's height, the infant is put to rest longitudinally along the longitudinal direction of the breathable fabric.

[0013] Previous referenced approaches such as Blitzer believes that colicky infants are unprepared to make the sudden transition from inside the womb to post-gestational life and that the purpose of his invention is to aid the infant in making a gradual transition from inside the womb to the outside world. Further, he believes that the colicky symptoms of the infant result in an inability of the newborn to integrate all of the novel environment and sudden physical stimuli of this abruptly new extra-uterine habitat. That the infant's crying and apparent discomfort result from an inability to understand and adopt to the infant's own incompletely developed nervous system and it's responses to the suddenly imposed new world outside of the amniotic fluid and the sounds and motions experiences while safely supported within this liquid during maturation in the womb. Furthermore, he believes that recreating the uterine environment and allowing the newborn infant to regress into that secure experience in effect enables the newborn infant's nervous system to bridge the drastic changes in environment occurring on birth, with which the colicky infant is unable to cope.

[0014] All of the above Blitzer's statements maybe correct, however, he is solely concerned to colicky infants. It is an object of this invention to provide a new device and method to relieve the apparent physical and psychological suffering not only of the colicky infants but also of a normal crying infants as well, and of the parents and care-givers of the infant.

[0015] Another object of this invention is to provide a portable, effective, safe and inexpensive child sleep-inducing and soothing device.

[0016] Still another object of this invention is to alleviate the burden and stress experienced by the parents and care-givers in the performance of the task of baby-sitting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0017] “Not Applicable” To be filed later.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] “Not Applicable” To be filed later.

Claims

1. A device for inducing infants to sleep and pacifying crying infants; said device comprising of two parallel tube posts each lower ends connected to a joint supported by tubes connected jointly to form a square stand positioned opposite said horizontally positioned tube jointly connected to both upper ends of said two parallel tube posts; a set of stationary clips are attached one each near both ends of said horizontally positioned tube jointly connected to both ends of said two parallel tube posts; a set of springs and safety cords means enclosed in a casing providing access protection, said upper ends of said springs and safety cords are attached to said set of stationary clips near both ends of said horizontally positioned tube connected to both upper ends of said two parallel tube posts; said lower ends of said springs and safety cords are attached to a separate set of stationary clips centrally positioned on the longitudinal adjustable hard plastic support means for providing hanger for said breathable fabric where an infant is put to rest therein, which gives said infant a feeling of being cuddled by a mother's arm and thus, a feeling of security that produces a soothing and calming effect; a self-contained housing means with switches for providing energized musical lullaby and said resiliently upwardly and downwardly sequential and repetitive motions of said breathable fabric which gives said infant a feeling experienced as if being suspended in an amniotic fluid inside said mother's womb which produces a sleep-inducing effect, is attached to one of said two parallel tube posts; and it's arm to said lower ends of said spring and safety cord.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which: a breathable fabric is hanged on said longitudinal adjustable hard plastic hanger support means wherein an infant is put to rest by manually manipulating downwardly said top of said hard plastic hanger support means producing a resiliently upwardly and downwardly sequential and repetitive motions of about 4 to about 8 inches and having a frequency in the range of about 40 to about 60 sequences per minute which gives said infant a feeling experienced as if being suspended in an amniotic fluid inside the mother's womb which produces a sleep-inducing effect.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which: a breathable fabric is hanged on said longitudinal adjustable hard plastic hanger support means where an infant is put to rest therein, and said self-contained housing means with switches is switched on producing a resiliently upwardly and downwardly sequential and repetitive motions of about 4 to about 8 inches and having a frequency in the range of about 40 to about 60 sequences per minute which give said infant a feeling of being cuddled by a mother's arm and thus, a feeling of security that produces a soothing and calming effect; likewise, gives said infant's feeling experienced as if being suspended in an amniotic fluid inside the mother's womb which produces a sleep-inducing effect.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, including: an adjustment button means in one side of said longitudinal hard plastic hanger support means for providing proper height adjustment of said breathable fabric according to said height of said infant as said infant is put to rest therein.

5. A method for pacifying and inducing an infant in an age range from zero to eight months comprising of placing said infant in said breathable fabric having a longitudinal direction with said infant's body extending longitudinally along said breathable fabric; manually manipulating said top of said hard plastic hanger support means producing a repetitive, sequential and resiliently upwardly and downwardly motions of about 4 to about 8 inches and having a frequency of about 40 to about 60 sequences per minute.

6. A method for pacifying and inducing an infant of less than nine-month old comprising of placing said infant in said breathable fabric having a longitudinal direction with said infant's body extending longitudinally along said breathable fabric; switching on said self-contained housing means with switches, for producing energized musical lullaby and repetitive, sequential and a resiliently upwardly and downwardly motions of about 4 to about 8 inches and having a frequency in the range of about 40 to about 60 sequences per minute.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said joint means are tee joint and elbow joint.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parallel tube posts are connected at the middle.

9. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing means includes an arm which moves along said spring and safety cord casing slit to move said set of springs on a downwardly motion, producing a repetitive, sequential and a resiliently upwardly and downwardly motions.

10 A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two sets of stationary clips are hard plastic.