Infant mobile

Abstract

Provided is an infant mobile comprising a base housing, an axially rotatable main drive shaft, a bug body, a bug head and four wings. The main drive shaft extends outwardly from the base housing. The bug body is mounted on an end of the drive shaft. A set of four wing shafts extend laterally outwardly from the bug body. The bug head is connected to the bug body with the bug head and bug body each having a generally bulbous shape. Each one of the wing shafts has one of the wings mounted on a free end thereof. The wings are generally disc-shaped and may include a ribbon mounted on an outer perimeter. The wing shafts are mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted in equal proportion to the wing shafts such that the wings rotate in unison.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/583,814 entitled Wall Mounted Infant Mobile filed Jun. 29, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

(Not Applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to toys for infants and, more particularly, to an infant mobile that may detachably mountable to a wall such as near an infant's bed or crib and which may be quickly and easily removed from the wall such that the mobile may be used as a handheld mobile for entertaining the infant at remote locations. The mobile of the present invention may alternatively be configured to be mountable to a stationary support such as an infant crib or a changing table.

As is well known to parents, commonly found in most nurseries are mobiles which are attachable to an infant's crib. These mobiles are typically attachable to a portion of the crib (e.g., a side rail). Some mobiles are provided with a wind-up musical element or music box component that is operative to play a melody while simultaneously rotating a portion of the mobile. Traditionally, mobiles include elongate plastic arms which are suspended from the music box component with each of the plastic arms including interesting and visually stimulating devices hanging therefrom.

It is common practice to provide such visually stimulating devices (i.e., toys, stuffed animals, etc.) to entertain the infant when temporarily placed in certain confined situations away from the crib such as in a baby chair, a car seat or a play pen. In such confined situations, it is desirable that the chosen device enhances the developmental capabilities of the infant. In addition, it is known that providing a familiar toy or device for the infant may serve to sooth and calm the infant in certain confined situations.

In the interests of economy, the present invention provides a uniquely configured mobile which may be mounted to a wall near a crib or bed or which may be mounted directly on the crib such as on a railing thereof. The mobile of the present invention is also specifically adapted to be removed from the wall or crib such that the mobile may be manually held by a user (i.e., a parent) in order to provide a familiar article to sooth, calm and entertain the infant when the infant is lying in the crib or when moved from the crib and placed in a car seat, a stroller or a play pen. Thus, the present invention provides the attributes of both an infant mobile and a handheld mobile within a single product thereby providing a more economical device that may become familiar to the infant when mounted above the infant's crib and which may be used to sooth and entertain the infant in a variety of remote locations away from the infant's crib.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided is an infant mobile which may be adapted to be detachably mountable to a wall such as near an infant's bed or crib and which may also be quickly and easily removed from the wall for use as a handheld mobile for entertaining the infant at remote locations. The mobile of the present invention may alternatively be configured to be mountable to a stationary support such as an infant crib or a changing table. The infant mobile, which simulates the appearance of a dragonfly, comprises a base housing, a main drive shaft, a bug head and bug body, and a set of four (4) axially rotatable wings respectively mounted on four (4) wing shafts extending outwardly from the bug body.

The main drive shaft extends out of the base housing and terminates at the bug body. The wing shafts extend outwardly from the bug body and are angularly separated by intervals of approximately ninety (90) degrees. Mounted on a distal end of each one of the wing shafts is a wing, which axially rotates with the wing shaft in response to axial rotation of the main drive shaft. The wing shafts are mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft such that rotational motion thereof is imparted in equal proportion to the wing shafts such that the wings rotate in unison. The bug head, which may be fabricated of velour stuffed with polyester batting, may be directly connected to the bug body or the bug head may be connected thereto by a head shaft. On an end of the bug head may be a pair of antennae extending outwardly therefrom. An eye/nose appliqué may be embroidered on a front side of the bug head.

The base housing houses a drive unit comprised of a motor, a gear set, a pulley system, at least one battery and an on/off switch. The drive unit is operative to rotate the main drive shaft such that the wings are rotated. The base housing may comprise a single housing or combination of a lower base housing and an upper base housing which collectively define a hollow housing interior compartment containing the motor, the gear set, the pulley system, the battery, the on/off switch and associated switch hardware. The motor is mounted within an upper portion of the upper base housing. A motor shaft of the motor is non-rotatably coupled to a motor gear which is in turn coupled to a combination gear assembly of the gear set.

Alternatively, the infant mobile may be powered by a wind-up spring assembly that may be housed within the base housing and which imparts rotational motion to the main drive shaft. The wind-up spring assembly may be comprised of a windable spring member that is mechanically coupled to the wing shafts and which may be manually wound by a winding key extending outwardly from the bug body. Upon release of the key, the windable spring member is configured to rotate in an opposite direction and to impart its rotational motion to the wing shafts which are operative to rotate the wings.

For the motorized version of the infant mobile, the battery is mounted within the lower base housing. A battery door in the base housing provides access to the battery for installation or replacement thereof. The lower base housing is connected to the upper base housing via a set of screws. A mounting bracket secured to the base assembly allows for removable attachment of the infant mobile to a wall mount plate. A pair of bracket screws may be used to secure the mounting bracket to the base housing. The wall mount plate may be mounted on a wall via a pair of wall mount plate screws extending into the wall. The wall mount plate may preferably be located above the infant's crib such that the infant mobile extends laterally outwardly from the wall so as to be suspended over the infant's crib.

Operatively engaged to the combination gear assembly is the pulley system for transmitting rotational movement of the motor to the main drive shaft. The pulley system includes a pulley gear and a main drive shaft pulley coupled together by a pulley belt. The pulley gear is engaged to the combination gear assembly via intermeshing teeth. The drive shaft pulley is fixed to the main drive shaft. The pulley belt transfers rotational motion of the motor to the main drive shaft. Activation of the motor may be provided by the on/off switch via an on/off button protruding through an aperture formed in the upper base housing.

Disposed on an end of the drive shaft housing is the bug body which has a generally rounded shape and which is comprised of a bug body front connected to a bug body back. The bug body front and back collectively define a hollow bug body interior compartment for housing a bug body gear assembly to which each one of the wing shafts and the main drive shaft are cooperatively engaged. The bug body gear assembly includes a crown gear engaged to a set of pinion gears disposed on an end of the main drive shaft and on ends of the wing shafts. The crown gear is rotatably mounted on a crown gear axle. The crown gear mechanically couples the main drive shaft to each of the wing shafts in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted in equal proportion to all of the wing shafts such that the wings generally rotate in unison when the motor is activated.

Disposed on distal ends of each one of the wing shafts is a flat, disc-shaped wing, which is rotatable with the wing shaft upon activation of the motor. Each one of the wings may be fabricated of paper, textile or fabric material having different textures, colors, markings, finishes, etc. in order to provide enhanced visual stimulation to the infant. The wings may be directly secured to the wing shafts or the wings may be secured to the wing shaft extending through the wings. A set of multi-colored ribbons may be connected to the wings to provide further stimulation to the infant when the wings are rotating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infant mobile of the present invention in an embodiment which is specifically configured to be detachably mountable upon a wall so as to laterally outwardly extend therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the infant mobile of FIG. 1 wherein the infant mobile is detached from the wall and held by a user in an upright orientation;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the infant mobile illustrating the interconnectivity of a base housing, a drive shaft, a bug head, a bug body and axially rotatable wings mounted on wing shafts extending outwardly from the bug body;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the infant mobile wherein the base housing has a rounded or cylindrical shape;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the base housing showing an on/off button and a mute button protruding through the base housing and speaker holes formed in the base housing;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the base housing showing a battery door that is removably connected to a lower portion of the base housing;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the infant mobile in an alternative embodiment wherein the infant mobile includes a wind-up spring assembly and a manually wound by a windup key and further illustrating an embodiment of the mounting bracket that is clampable to a support structure; and

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the infant mobile of FIG. 7 and illustrating a pin and socket to allow for removal of the infant mobile from the mounting bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the present invention and not for purposes of limiting the same, shown in FIGS. 1-6 is an infant mobile 100 which is specifically adapted to be detachably mountable to a wall such as near an infant's bed or crib and which may also be quickly and easily removed from the wall for use as a handheld mobile for entertaining the infant at remote locations such as in a baby chair, baby stroller, play pen and the like. Furthermore, shown in FIGS. 7-8 is the infant mobile 100 wherein a mounting bracket 25 thereof is configured to allow the infant mobile 100 to be mountable to a support structure 92 such as to a railing 104 of a crib or to a changing table.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, major components of the infant mobile 100 in a motorized version includes a base housing 50, a main drive shaft 20, a bug head 2 and bug body 56, and a set of four (4) axially rotatable wings 48 each being respectively mounted on four (4) elongate wing shafts 6 extending outwardly from the bug body 56. A motor 33 and drive unit 54 may be provided to impart rotational motion to the main drive shaft 20 and, in turn, to the wing shafts 6, as will be described in greater detail below. As may be appreciated, the infant mobile 100 is configured to simulate the appearance of a dragonfly.

As shown in FIGS. 7-8, major components of the infant mobile 100 in a wind-up version thereof include the bug body 56, bug head 2, the set of four axially rotatable wings 48 mounted on the wing shafts 6. A wind-up spring assembly 86 is provided in the bug body 56 and which may be manually wound by a winding key 90 extending laterally outwardly from the bug body 56. A body extension 114 may be extended outwardly from the bug body 56 as shown in FIGS. 7-8. The body extension 114 may be removably connected to the mounting bracket 25 which may be mounted on a support structure 92 such as the railing 104 of the crib or a baby changing table.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-6, the base housing 50 has the main drive shaft 20 extending outwardly therefrom and terminating at the bug body 56. The set of wing shafts 6 extend outwardly from the bug body 56 and are angularly separated by intervals of approximately 90 degrees although any number of wing shafts 6 may be used and may be arranged in any angular spacing. Fixedly disposed at an extreme end of each one of the wing shafts 6 is one of the wings 48, which axially rotates with the wing shaft 6 in response to axial rotation of the main drive shaft 20. In this regard, the wing shafts 6 are mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft 20 in a manner wherein any rotational motion of the main drive shaft 20 is imparted in equal proportion to all of the wing shafts 6 such that the wings 48 generally rotate in unison, as will be described in greater detail below.

The bug head 2 is connected to the bug body 56 by a head shaft 4 extending upwardly therefrom in general axial alignment with the main drive shaft 20, as shown in FIG. 3. The bug head 2 includes a pair of antennae 1 extending outwardly therefrom at an end of the bug head 2. The bug head 2 may also include an eye/nose appliqué 3 disposed on a front side thereof although additional marking or appliqués may be provided thereon such as to simulate a mouth of the dragonfly, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The bug head 2 may be fabricated from a variety of materials such as plastic although velour may preferably be used to form a generally bulbous or rounded outer shape. The velour may be stuffed with polyester batting or other suitable stuffing material after which the velour may be sewn shut in order to contain the batting therewithin.

The antennae 1 may be fabricated as generally arcuately shaped elongate members having mushroomed or bulbous tips formed on respective ends of the antennae 1. Knotted and sewn tricot tubular material may be used to fabricate the antennae 1 although there are a variety of alternative materials including any natural and manmade materials that may be used to form the antennae 1. Similarly, the eye/nose appliqué 3 may also be fabricated from tricot material having embroidery incorporated therein to simulate a pair of eyes and a nose of the dragonfly. Similar embroidery may be sewn into the velour material of the bug head 2 to simulate other features of the dragonfly.

For the embodiment of the infant mobile 100 shown in FIGS. 7-8, the drive unit 54 may be configured as the wind-up spring assembly 86 that may be housed within the bug body 56 and which may be configured to impart rotational motion to the wing shafts 6. The wind-up spring assembly 86 may include a windable spring member 88 mounted within the bug body 56 and which may be mechanically coupled to the wing shafts 6.

The windable spring member 88 may be configured as a torsion spring that may be wound by an exteriorly accessible winding key 90 protruding from a back side of the bug body 56 as shown in FIGS. 7-8. The winding key 90 is operative to wind up the windable spring member 88 in one direction in order to increase the potential energy stored within the windable spring member 88. At completion of the winding operation or upon manual release of the winding key 90, the potential energy in the windable spring member 88 is released such that the windable spring member 88 rotates in a direction opposite that from which it is wound. In this manner, the windable spring member 88 imparts its rotational motion to the wing shafts 6 which is transmitted through the wing shafts 6 to rotate the wings 48.

Although the torsion spring is mentioned above as an embodiment of the windable spring member 88, it is recognized herein that the windable spring member 88 may be configured in a wide variety of alternative devices such as a band spring, a tension spring, or a combination of other spring or spring-like devices that cooperate to impart rotational motion to the wing shafts 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the winding key 90 may extend laterally outwardly from the bug body 56 such that a user may easily grasp and rotate the winding key 90 to wind up the windable spring member 88. However, the winding key 90 may be located at any position on the infant mobile 100.

For the embodiment of the infant mobile 100 shown in FIGS. 1-6, the base housing 50 may be configured to house a drive unit 54 comprised of the motor 33, a gear set 70, a pulley system 68, at least one battery 40 and an on/off switch 30. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the base housing 50 may be rectangularly configured. However, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the base housing 50 may be configured to have a cylindrically or slightly conically shaped side wall 78 extending between a slightly convex top wall 76 and a generally planar bottom wall 84. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the side wall 78 may have a rib 74 extending circumferentially therearound. It should be noted that the specific configurations of the base housing 50 shown in FIGS. 1-6 and described above are exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limitations on the geometric characteristics of the base housing 50 as there are an infinite variety of shapes and sizes for configuring the base housing 50.

Furthermore, the base housing 50 as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and FIGS. 4-6 may optionally include a musical element (not shown). The musical element is preferably operative to play a soothing melody while the motor 33 simultaneously rotates the wings 48, as will be described in greater detail below. The musical element may include a tape recorder, a sound chip or any other alternative device configured to produce the melody when the on/off button 29 is depressed (i.e., when the infant mobile 100 is activated). As shown in FIG. 5, speaker holes 80 may be formed in the base housing 50 to allow sound (i.e., the melody) to be transmitted from a speaker (not shown) that may be disposed within the base housing 50. As shown in FIG. 5, a mute button 82 may be included with base housing 50 so that while the wings 48 are rotating, the musical element may be selectively activated or deactivated.

For the motorized version of the infant mobile 100, the drive unit 54 is selectively operative, via the manually activatable on/off switch 30, to rotatably drive the main drive shaft 20 such that the wing shafts 6 and wings 48 are rotated. The base housing 50 shown in FIG. 3 comprises a lower base housing 39 and an upper base housing 24 which collectively define a hollow housing interior compartment 52. Disposed inside the housing interior compartment 52 is the motor 33, the gear set 70, the pulley system 68, and three (3) of the batteries 40 interconnected on opposing ends by a pair of metallic battery contacts 41, 42. Also disposed within the housing interior compartment 52 is the on/off switch 30 and associated switch hardware.

For the base housing 50 having the cylindrical configuration shown in FIG. 5, the interior compartment 52 may be collectively defined by the side wall 78, top wall 76 and bottom wall 84. Components such as the motor 33, gear set 70, pulley system 68, batteries 40 and switch hardware installed in the base housing 50 of FIGS. 1-3 may also be installed in the base housing 50 of FIGS. 4-6 although the specific arrangement of the components may differ. Additionally, for the base housing 50 shown in FIGS. 4-6, the on/off button 29 may be located adjacent to the mute button 82 on the top wall 76. The speaker holes 80 may be formed through the base housing 50 on a side of the main drive shaft 20 opposite that on which the on/off button 29 and mute button 82 are located although a variety of alternative locations for the speaker holes 80 and on/off button 29 and mute button 82 are contemplated.

However, it may be preferable to position the on/off button 29 and mute button 82 as shown in FIG. 5 such that when the infant mobile 100 is mounted upon a wall, the on/off button 29 and mute button 82 are located above the main drive shaft 20 to facilitate accessibility by a user (i.e. parent) of the infant mobile 100. Furthermore, when the infant mobile 100 is mounted on the wall, the speaker holes 48 are preferably located near the infant so that the infant may readily hear the melody or sounds transmitted out of the base housing 50.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the motor 33 is preferably fixedly mounted within an upper portion of the upper base housing 24. Extending downwardly from the motor 33 is a motor shaft, which is non-rotatably coupled to a motor gear 34 of the gear set 70. A combination gear 35 assembly is also included with the gear set 70 and is engaged to the motor gear 34. The combination gear 35 assembly and the motor gear 34 are preferably configured and arranged in such a manner as to achieve the desired rotational characteristics of the main drive shaft 20 and, ultimately, the rotational characteristics of the wings 48 in accordance with the particular torque and speed characteristics of the motor 33. Likewise, the battery 40 is also preferably selected to be compatible with the particular power requirements of the motor 33.

As shown in FIG. 3 which illustrates the base housing 50 having the rectangular configuration, the battery 40 is preferably fixedly mounted within the lower base housing 39. A battery door 43 is removably connected to a lower portion of the lower base housing 39. As shown in FIG. 6 which illustrates the base housing 50 having the cylindrical configuration, the battery door 43 is preferably removably attached to the side wall 78 by means of a mechanical fastener such as a screw 44 extending into the side wall 78. For either the rectangular or cylindrical configurations of the base housing 50, removal of the battery door 43 provides access to the battery 40 for installation or replacement thereof.

Referring to FIG. 3, the lower base housing 39 is connected to the upper base housing 24 via a set of mechanical fasteners such as screws 44 extending upwardly through apertures formed in the lower base housing 39 and into corresponding apertures formed in the upper base housing 24. Removal of the screws 44 allows for removal of the lower base housing 39 in order to provide access to the housing interior compartment 52 for maintenance of the drive unit 54. The lower base housing 39 may be reinstalled via threadable engagement of the screws 44 into the lower and upper base housing 24.

For the rectangular configuration of the base housing 50 shown in FIGS. 1-3 or the cylindrical configuration of the base housing 50 shown in FIGS. 4-6, a mounting bracket 25 may be fixedly secured to the base housing 50 to allow for removable attachment of the infant mobile 100 to a wall mount plate 27. Mechanical fasteners may be used to secure the mounting bracket 25 to the base housing 50. Although shown in FIG. 3 as being mounted to a side of the base housing 50 adjacent the upper base housing 24, the mounting bracket 25 may be mounted on the lower base housing 39 over the battery door 43 by extending a pair of bracket screws 26 through apertures formed in an upper portion of the mounting bracket 25 and into corresponding apertures formed in the lower base housing 39.

For the base housing 50 having the cylindrical configuration shown in FIGS. 4-6, the mounting bracket 25 may be mounted to the bottom wall 84 which may, in turn, be secured to the base housing 50 by means of mechanical fasteners such as screws. It is contemplated that the base housing 50 shown in FIGS. 4-6 may be configured such that the base housing 50 may be rotated about a longitudinal axis A indicated by the letter A in FIGS. 4 and 6.

More specifically, the wall mount plate 27 may be configured to cooperate with mounting bracket 25 to allow for rotating the base housing 50 and, hence, the infant mobile 100, about the longitudinal axis A when the infant mobile 100 is mounted on the wall. By configuring as such, the infant mobile 100 may be selectively oriented to directly face the infant lying below the infant mobile 100 regardless of the relative position of the infant.

For example, if the infant is lying in the crib and is oriented in manner opposite its usual or conventional orientation, a parent may simply grasp the base housing 50 and rotate the infant mobile 100 to face the infant's head. Such rotational motion of the base housing 50 may be facilitated by configuring the mounting bracket 25 to include a rotating member (not shown) that is fixedly secured to the bottom wall 84 but which is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket 25. For example, a pin (not shown) protruding from the bottom wall 84 may be extended through and axially rotatable within a receiving bore formed in the mounting bracket 25.

The wall mount plate 27 may be securely mounted on the wall via mechanical fasteners such as a pair of wall mount plate screws 28 extending through apertures in the wall mount plate 27 and threadably engaged to the wall. Although mountable in any location, the wall mount plate 27 may preferably be located above the infant's crib such that when the mounting bracket 25 is cooperatively engaged to the wall mount plate 27, the infant mobile 100 extends laterally outwardly from the wall. In this manner, the infant mobile 100 of the present invention may be suspended over the infant's crib for the enjoyment and entertainment of the infant lying therebelow.

Advantageously, the disengagement of the mounting bracket 25 from the wall mount plate 27 allows for quick and easy removal of the infant mobile 100 from the wall for use as a handheld mobile. The wall mount plate 27 and the mounting bracket 25 may include complementary engagement features. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the wall mount plate 27 may include a pair of flanges extending outwardly from opposing lateral sides of the wall mount plate 27. A pair of receiving slots 45 may be integrally formed in the mounting bracket 25 on opposing sides thereof such that direct engagement of the mounting bracket 25 to the wall mount plate 27 may be effected by positioning the mounting bracket 25 above the wall mount plate 27 and simply aligning the flanges with the slots 45 prior to extension thereinto by moving the infant mobile 100 downwardly relative to the wall mount plate 27. Removal of the infant mobile 100 from the wall for use as a handheld mobile is achieved by reversing the above-described mounting steps.

Referring briefly now to FIGS. 7-8, shown is the infant mobile 100 having a mounting bracket 25 that is specifically configured to allow for mounting of the infant mobile 100 to a support structure 92 such as to the railing 104 of a baby crib. The mounting bracket 25 may be removably coupled to the infant mobile 100 through a pin 110 and socket 112 configuration as shown in FIG. 8 wherein the pin 110 extends from the body extension 114 of the infant mobile 100. The socket 112 is formed in the mounting bracket 25. The pin 110 is sized and configured to be insertable into the socket 112 to allow the user to selectively attach and detach the infant mobile 100 from the mounting bracket 25.

Toward this end, a detent button 108 may be provided with the body extension 114 which may be engaged to a receiving aperture in the mounting bracket 25, as shown in FIG. 8. Engagement of the detent button 108 to the receiving aperture prevents unwanted axial or rotational motion of the infant mobile 100 motion such as may occur of an infant grabs and pulls downwardly on the infant mobile 100. Disengagement of the pin 110 from the socket 112 is effectuated by depressing the detent button 108. The detent button 108 is preferably spring biased to an outer position such that depression of the detent button 108 allows for slidable removal of the pin 110 from the socket 112. Using the mounting bracket 25, the infant mobile 100 may be easily affixed to a support structure 92 such as the baby crib railing 104. The infant mobile 100 may be used as a handheld mobile by removal from the mounting bracket 25 to allow use of the infant mobile 100 at remote locations away from the baby crib such as in a living room or kitchen or in an automobile during travel.

In order to provide flexibility regarding types of support structure 92 to which the infant mobile 100 may be mounted, a spaced pair of outwardly extending prongs 94 can be seen in FIGS. 7-8. The prongs 94 are generally spaced apart to provide a slot 45 or gap 96 therebetween into which various structural members may be inserted such as the aforementioned railing 104 of the baby crib. A clamp mechanism 98 may be included with one of the prongs 94 to clamp the mounting bracket 25 to the support structure 92 or railing 104. The clamp mechanism 98 may include a threaded shaft 46 that extends through one of the prongs 94 and which may terminate in a clamp pad 102.

As shown in FIG. 7, rotation of the threaded shaft 46 may be effectuated by means of a rotating knob 106 such as a thumbwheel. In this manner, a user may clamp the support structure 92 between the prongs 94 wherein the clamp pad 102 may be clamped against the support structure 92 to rigidly secure the mounting bracket 25 thereto. A clamp shim (not shown) may be provided on an interior of the gap 96 to provide flexibility in the geometries of support structure 92 to which the mounting bracket 25 may be clamped. Protective material may be provided around the prongs 94 to prevent damage to articles (i.e., furniture, wooden railing 104 of a baby crib, etc.) to which the mounting bracket 25 may be affixed.

Regarding materials from which the base housing 50 and associated hardware may be fabricated, it is contemplated that the upper and lower base housing 24, 39, battery door 43 and mounting bracket 25 may be formed of a polymeric or plastic material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin via an injection molding process although metallic materials may be used in any suitable process to form such components. The mounting bracket 25 is preferably fabricated of plastic in order to adequately transmit loads from the infant mobile 100 into the wall. Likewise, the bug body 56 and bug head 2 as well as body extension 114 and mounting bracket 25 may be fabricated of plastic material. Alternative materials such as metal may be used to fabricate any of the components.

Referring now to drive unit 54 shown in FIG. 3, operatively engaged to the combination gear 35 assembly is the pulley system 68 for transmitting rotational motion of the motor 33 to the main drive shaft 20. The pulley system 68 is comprised of a pulley gear 36 and a drive shaft pulley 38 mechanically coupled together by a pulley belt 37. The pulley gear 36 is engaged to the combination gear 35 assembly via intermeshing teeth (not shown). The drive shaft pulley 38 is non-rotatably fixed to an end of the main drive shaft 20, which extends from the housing interior compartment 52 and outwardly toward the bug body 56.

The pulley belt 37 drivingly connects the pulley gear 36 to the drive shaft pulley 38 such that any rotational movement of the motor 33 is transferred to the main drive shaft 20. Although a variety of materials may be utilized to fabricate components of the pulley system 68 and gear set 70, it is contemplated that any suitable polymeric material, preferably Delrin, may be used. It may be preferable to fabricate the pulley belt 37 of shock-absorbing material such as rubber in order to reduce or minimize stresses that may be induced in the pulley system 68 and the gear set 70 during repeated starting and stopping of the motor 33.

Selective activation of the motor 33 may be facilitated by switching the on/off switch 30 which electrically interconnects the motor 33 with the battery 40 via the battery contacts 41, 42. Manual switching of the on/off switch 30 is facilitated by an on/off button 29 that is connected to the on/off switch 30. As can be see in FIG. 3, an on/off switch 30 aperture is formed in the upper base housing 24 through which the on/off button 29 protrudes. An on/off switch mount bracket 31, which may be formed of ABS plastic, rigidly mounts the on/off switch 30 and the on/off button 29 to the upper base housing 24. The aperture through which the on/off button 29 protrudes is offset to a side of the upper base housing 24 in general alignment to an aperture through which the main drive shaft 20 protrudes which is also offset towards an opposite side of the upper base housing 24.

Extending between the bug body 56 and the base housing 50 is an elongate drive shaft housing 21, which is configured to house the main drive shaft 20. Preferably fabricated as a tubular structure of extruded ABS plastic, the drive shaft housing 21 has the main drive shaft 20 disposed therewithin such that the main drive shaft 20 may freely rotate without contacting the drive shaft housing 21. The drive shaft housing 21 is further configured to rigidly connect the bug body 56 to the base housing 50 in spaced relation to one another. A tubular foam sleeve 22 may be concentrically disposed about the drive shaft housing 21 along a length thereof and may include a covering comprising a fabric outer sleeve 23 formed of printed fabric and wrapped about the foam sleeve 22. The printed fabric may include markings or indicia that roughly simulate a tail of the dragonfly.

Disposed on an end of the drive shaft housing 21 is the generally rounded or bulbous-shaped bug body 56. The bug body 56 may be configured as a pair of joined bulbous elements to more realistically emulate the shape of an insect such as the dragonfly. As best seen in FIG. 3, the bug body 56 may be comprised of two halves including a bug body housing front 18 and a bug body housing back 15 rigidly attached to each other via a bug body housing screw 19. The bug body housing screw 19 may extend into at least one bug body boss 60, which may be generally centrally located and integrally formed with at least one of the bug body housing back 15 and/or the bug body housing front 18.

The bug body housing front 18 and bug body housing back 15 collectively define a generally hollow bug body interior compartment 58 for housing a bug body gear assembly 72 to which each one of the wing shafts 6 and the main drive shaft 20 are cooperatively engaged. The bug body housing front 18 and bug body housing back 15 are preferably formed of polymeric or plastic material such as ABS plastic using an injection molding process. The bug body boss 60 may be integrally molded into the bug body housing front 18 and bug body housing back 15.

Included with the bug body gear assembly 72 is a crown gear 16 directly engaged to a set of pinion gears 5 disposed on ends of the main drive shaft 20 and the wing shafts 6. The crown gear 16 may be rotatably mounted on a crown gear axle 17, which may be supported by or mounted on the bug body boss 60. The crown gear 16 mechanically couples the main drive shaft 20 to each of the wing shafts 6 in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft 20 is imparted to all of the wing shafts 6. As was earlier mentioned, the infant mobile 100 may include the wind-up spring assembly 86 instead of the motor 33 componentry. The winding key 90 may be positioned on the back side of the bug body 56 to allow a user to wind up a windable spring member 88 to effectuate rotation of the wing shafts 6 and, hence, the wings 48.

The main drive shaft 20 as well as each one of the wing shafts 6 has one of the pinion gears 5 fixedly mounted on an end thereof. Optionally, the head shaft 4 may be included with the bug body gear assembly 72. As shown in FIG. 3, the head shaft 4 may include one of the pinion gears 5 mounted on an end thereof and mechanically engaged to the crown gear 16 via intermeshing teeth such that rotational motion is additionally imparted to the head shaft 4 for rotating the bug head 2.

Regardless of whether the head shaft 4 is included with the bug body gear assembly 72 or whether the head shaft 4 is rotatable, each one of the pinion gears 5 is engaged to the crown gear 16 in spaced relation to one another about the crown gear 16. The crown gear 16 may include radially oriented teeth that mesh with axially oriented teeth of the pinion gears 5. In this manner, rotation of the main drive shaft 20 pinion gear 5 when the motor 33 is activated causes the crown gear 16 to rotate which in turn causes each one of the wing shaft 6 pinion gears 5 and, hence, the wing shafts 6 to also rotate. For the embodiment of the infant mobile 100 having the wind-up spring assembly 86 (FIGS. 7-8), the structural arrangement of the wing shafts 6 may be similar to that for the motorized embodiment of the infant mobile 100 (FIGS. 1-6) in that the wing shafts 6 are rotatingly coupled to the wind-up spring assembly 86 and are configured to rotate in unison and hence, cause the wings 48 to rotate in unison.

As shown in FIG. 3, each one of the wing shafts 6 and the main drive shaft 20 extend out of the bug body interior compartment 58 through bug body apertures 60 formed in the bug body 56 at a joining plane of the bug body housing front and back 18, 15. The bug body apertures 60 through which the wing shafts 6 extend are shown as being angularly separated by intervals of approximately 90 degrees. The aperture in the bug body 56 through which the main drive shaft 20 extends is angularly oriented to generally bisect a spacing between an adjacent pair of bug body apertures 60 through which the wing shafts 6 extend. However, the wing shafts 6 may be provided in any number and may be oriented relative to one another and to the main drive shaft 20 at any angular spacing. If included, the head shaft 4 extends out of the bug body interior compartment 58 in general alignment to the main drive shaft 20 on an opposite side of the bug body 56.

Regarding materials from which the bug body gear assembly 72, wing shaft 6 and main drive shaft 20 are fabricated, it is contemplated that hollow metallic tubing may preferably be used such as steel or stainless steel tubing. However, it is recognized that metal or polymeric rod (i.e., solid) material may be used. In order to provide high wear resistance, it is further contemplated that the crown gear 16, crown gear axle 17 and pinion gears 5 that make up the bug body gear assembly 72 may also be fabricated of metallic material such as steel of stainless steel material, although any suitable material having the desired wear and strength properties may be utilized.

Referring still to FIG. 3, disposed on distal ends of each one of the wing shafts 6 is the generally planar, oval-shaped or disc-shaped wing 48, which is rotatable with the wing shaft 6 upon activation of the motor 33. Each one of the wings 48 may be fabricated of a variety of alternative material including, but not limited to, plastic material, paper material and textile material. The wings 48 may each include a wing shaft 6 bore extending axially therethrough along a longitudinal axis A of the wings 48. The wing shaft bore 64 of each of the wings 48 is preferably aligned with the wing 48 in the planar direction.

As shown, in FIG. 3, each one of the wings 48 has a generally elliptically shaped perimeter although the wings 48 may be formed in a variety of alternative shapes and sizes. Each one of the wings 48 may be formed of two layers of textile material disposed in back-to-back arrangement and being separated from one another at a middle portion of the wing 48. Optionally, each one of the wings 48 may be provided with a wing shaft bore 64 formed between the two layers. More specifically, a pair of generally parallel seams may be sewn into the wing 48 along the longitudinal axis A of the wing 48 in order to form the wing shaft bore 64. The two layers of fabric may also be sewn together at the wing 48 perimeter, although any other suitable method such as gluing may be used to connect the two layers of textile material.

Referring briefly now to FIG. 4, each one of the wings 48 may preferably be provided without a wing shaft bore 64. In such an arrangement, each one of the wings 48 may be directly attached to the bug body 56 such as by a respective one of the wing shafts 6 wherein the wing shaft 6 does not extend through the wing 48. It is contemplated that the wing shaft 6 may be fabricated of plastic material and may further be configured to include structural features or load-carrying members to rotatably support the wing 48 and allow the wing 48 to axially rotate relative to the bug body 56.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, each one of the wings 48 may be fabricated of material having different textures, colors, markings, finishes, etc. in order to provide enhanced stimulation to the infant. For example, four of the wings 48, namely wing one 7, wing two 12, wing three 13 and wing four 14, are shown in FIGS. 1-3. Wing one 7 may be fabricated of sewn tricot material having a checkerboard pattern printed thereon. Wing two 12 may be also fabricated of tricot material but may have a geometric design printed thereon. In contrast, wing three 13 may be fabricated of sewn tricot material and may include a concentric circle design printed thereon. Wing four 14 may alternatively be fabricated of sewn metallic Mylar in order to provide a shiny or reflective surface for reflecting light in order to provide enhanced visual stimulation to the infant.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, each one of the wings 48 may be secured on a respective one of the wing shafts 6 using a wing shaft ball end 11, which may include a self-locking feature (not shown) configured to grip the wing shaft 6 as the wing shaft ball end 11 is pressed onto the wing shaft 6. The wing shaft ball ends 11 may be fabricated of ABS plastic. However, in a preferable arrangement shown in FIG. 4, the wing shaft ball ends 11 may be eliminated for configurations where the wings 48 are directly attached to the bug body 56. As was earlier mentioned, the wing shaft 6 may not extend through the wing 48 but may connect to an end of the wing 48. Furthermore, the wing shaft 6 may be configured to rotatably position the wing 48 directly adjacent to the bug body 56.

As shown in FIG. 4, set of multi-colored ribbons 66 may preferably be connected directly to each one of the wings 48. The ribbons 66 may be secured to the wings 48 by a variety of means such as by sewing. However, as shown in FIG. 1-3, illustrating a configuration of the infant mobile 100 wherein the wing shaft 6 extends through the wing 48, the set of multi-colored ribbons 66 (red, green and purple satin ribbon 8, 9, 10) may be secured to each one of the wing shaft ball ends 11. Regardless of the manner in which they are secured, the ribbons 66 are included with the infant mobile 100 to provide further stimulation to the infant when the wings 48 are rotating. Although any textile or fabric material may be used to fabricate the ribbons 66, it is contemplated that polyester satin material may be used in a variety of colors such as red, green and purple. Although the red, green and purple ribbon 8, 9, 10 are shown mounted on each of the wings 48, any number of ribbons 66 may be provided and in any color or color combination.

The operation of the infant mobile 100 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-6. The infant mobile 100 may be detachably mounted on the wall, such as above the infant's crib, at a sufficient height to prevent the infant from downwardly pulling on any component such as the ribbons 66. The infant mobile 100 is initially mounted on the wall by engaging the mounting bracket 25 to the wall mount plate 27. If configured as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of receiving slots 45 of the mounting bracket 25 may be initially aligned above the pair of flanges of the wall mount plate 27.

Direct engagement of the mounting bracket 25 to the wall mount plate 27 may then be effected by moving the infant mobile 100 downwardly relative to the wall mount plate 27 such that the flanges directly engage an entire length of the receiving slots 45. When so mounted, the infant mobile 100 extends laterally outwardly from the wall such that the eye/nose appliqué 3 of the bug head 2 faces downwardly and preferably toward the infant's crib. In such a position, the wing shafts 6 define a generally horizontally disposed plane.

If the infant mobile 100 is configured as shown in FIGS. 4-6, mounting to the wall may be effected in the same manner as was described above for the configuration shown in FIGS. 1-3. However, if the infant mobile 100 is configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis A via a rotating member, the base housing 50 and, hence, the infant mobile 100 may be rotated at any angle to face the infant. Such rotational capability may enhance the utility of the infant mobile 100 if the infant is oriented in manner opposite its usual orientation in the crib.

The infant mobile 100 may be activated such that the wings 48 are rotated by manipulation of the on/off button 29 to an “ON” position which causes the on/off switch 30 to be activated allowing power to flow from the battery 40 to the motor 33. Through the cooperation of the gear set 70 and the pulley system 68, rotational motion is transmitted from the motor 33 to the main drive shaft 20. The crown gear 16 is operatively coupled to the pinion gears 5 of each one of the wing shafts 6 such that the rotational motion of the main drive shaft 20 is simultaneously transmitted to each one of the wing shafts 6 and, hence, the wings 48. Rotation of the wings 48 and ribbons 66 in combination with the decorative features and markings of the infant mobile 100 may provide entertainment and stimulation to the infant viewing the infant mobile 100 from the crib. Rotational motion of the wings 48 may be stopped by simply switching the on/off button 29 to an “OFF” position, which halts the operation of the motor 33.

If included with the infant mobile 100, the musical element may be operative to play a soothing melody or any variety of sounds. It is contemplated that the musical element is activated when the on/off button 29 is switched to the “ON” position so that the melody is transmitted through the speaker holes 80 while the motor 33 simultaneously rotates the wings 48. As was earlier mentioned, the mute button 82 may be included with the infant mobile 100 to allow the user (i.e., parent) to deactivate the musical element while the wings 48 are rotating.

Deactivation of the musical element may be facilitated by simply depressing the mute button 82 although there are numerous configurations of the infant mobile 100 that provide the feature of selective activation or deactivation of the musical element. For example, the mute button 82 may be configured as a toggle switch. A voice-activation feature may alternatively be included in order to automatically deactivate the music element upon detection of a human voice such as may occur when the infant awakens and begins crying.

Advantageously, the infant mobile 100 may be easily removed from the wall for use as a hand held mobile by simply lifting upwardly on the base housing 50 in order to disengage the flanges of the wall mount plate 27 from the receiving slots 45 of the mounting bracket 25. Once removed, the infant mobile 100 may be held in view of the infant in the manner shown in FIG. 2. Activation and deactivation of the infant mobile 100 may be effected in a manner identical to that described above by digital manipulation of the on/off button 29 so as to selectively start and stop rotation of the wings 48.

The operation of the infant mobile 100 as shown in FIG. 7-8 is similar to that described above to the extent that the body extension 114 may be coupled and decoupled from the mounting bracket 25 by means of the detent button 108 to allow for insertion and removal of the pin 110 from the socket 112. Rotation of the wings 48 is effectuated by means of the wind-up spring assembly 86 wherein a user may rotate the winding key 90 to wind up the spring member 88 in one direction similar to the winding of wind-up toys such as toy cars. Following winding to the desired tension in the spring member 88, release thereof causes the wing shafts 6 to rotate which results in rotation of the wings 48.

Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An infant mobile, comprising:

a bug body mounted on an end of the drive shaft and having at least one axially rotatable wing shaft extending laterally outwardly therefrom, the wing shaft being axially rotatable in response to axial rotation of the drive shaft;

a bug head connected to the bug body; and

a wing fixedly mounted on the wing shaft and being rotatable therewith.

2. The infant mobile of claim 1 further comprising:

a base housing; and

an axially rotatable main drive shaft extending outwardly from the base housing; wherein:

the bug body is mounted on an end of the main drive shaft;

the wing shaft being axially rotatable in response to axial rotation of the main drive shaft.

3. The infant mobile of claim 2 wherein the base housing includes a drive unit housed therewithin, the drive unit comprising:

a motor;

a gear set operatively coupled to the motor and being rotatable in response to rotation of the motor;

a pulley system operatively coupled to the gear set and being mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft;

a battery electrically connected to the motor; and

an on/off switch electrically connected to the battery and being operative to activate the motor for effectuating axial rotation of the main drive shaft such that the wing shaft is rotated.

4. The infant mobile of claim 2 wherein the bug body has four of the wing shafts extending outwardly therefrom.

5. The infant mobile of claim 4 wherein the wing shafts are oriented at an angular spacing of about ninety degrees relative to one another.

6. The infant mobile of claim 5 wherein the wing shafts are mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted in equal proportion to the wing shafts such that the wings rotate in unison.

7. The infant mobile of claim 2 wherein the bug body includes a bug body gear assembly housed therewithin and including:

a crown gear; and

a plurality of pinion gears directly engaged to the crown gear and being disposed on an end of the main drive shaft and on an end of the wing shaft;

wherein the crown gear is configured to mechanically couple the main drive shaft to the wing shaft in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted to the wing shaft.

8. The infant mobile of claim 1 further comprising:

a drive unit housed within the bug body, the drive unit comprising a wind-up spring assembly configured to impart rotational motion to the wing shaft.

9. The infant mobile of claim 8 wherein the wind-up spring assembly includes:

a windable spring member housed within the bug body and being mechanically coupled to the wing shaft; and

an exteriorly accessible winding key mounted on the bug body and being operatively coupled to the wind-up spring member for manual winding thereof.

10. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the wing is generally disc-shaped.

11. The infant mobile of claim 1 further comprising at least one ribbon affixed to the wing.

12. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the bug head includes a pair of antennae extending outwardly therefrom and having a pair of bulbous tips formed on ends of respective ones of the antennae.

13. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the bug head and bug body each have a bulbous shape.

14. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the bug head includes an eye/nose appliqué disposed on a front side thereof.

15. The infant mobile of claim 2 further comprising a mounting bracket affixed to the base housing and being configured to allow for removable attachment of the infant mobile to a wall.

16. The infant mobile of claim 15 further including:

a wall mount plate mounted on a wall;

wherein the mounting bracket includes a slot sized and configured to removably engage the wall mount plate.

17. The infant mobile of claim 1 further comprising:

a body extension extending outwardly from the bug body;

a mounting bracket affixed to the body extension and being configured to allow for clamping of the infant mobile to a support structure.

18. The infant mobile of claim 17 wherein the mounting bracket includes:

a spaced pair of outwardly extending prongs defining a gap therebetween for insertion of the railing thereinto; and

a clamp mechanism having a threaded shaft extending through one of the prongs and terminating in a clamp pad configured to clamp the support structure between the prong and the clamp pad.

19. The infant mobile of claim 17 wherein:

the mounting bracket includes a socket formed therewithin;

the body extension having a pin sized complementary to the socket and being insertable therewithin to allow for removal of the infant mobile from the mounting bracket.

20. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the infant mobile is configured to simulate the appearance of a dragonfly.