Multi-Function Infant Pillow and Mat
The Armapillow is a continuous section of material having a first, second, third, and tail section. Each section is separated by a foldable seam. The first and second sections are folded over onto each other to form a pillow cavity and an arm cavity. Armapillow can be used as a pillow and mat for a child by placing the child's head on the pillow and body on the tail section. A caretaker can pass their arm through the arm cavity to provide support and control of the child. In certain embodiments, the tail section is used to provide a privacy screen when the child is nursing in public. Tail section may be used as a blanket. Arm cavity has thumb straps for a caretaker's fingers to provide enhanced control and stability while holding a child. Fastening devices hold Armapillow closed when folded or in place when being used.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/117,559,entitled “Multi-Function Infant Pillow and Mat”, filed on Feb. 18, 2015, and currently co-pending.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention pertains generally to infant care devices for use in feeding and caring for an infant. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a multi-function support sleeve and cover for a mother to increase the amount of time a person can hold a baby and to provide a cover for privacy when breast feeding or the baby is sleeping. The Present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful as a head and neck support for an baby when being held in a person's arm, as well as providing a pillow and blanket for a child to play and sleep on.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMothers and caregivers of infants and small children have carried and cradled children since the earliest recordings of human history. When a child is carried, the person carrying the child must support the weight of the child while keeping the child in a comfortable position. For instance, a person may carry a child across theft front with the child being in the supine position. In this situation, the child's head is typically resting in the elbow area of the person's arm. In another situation, the baby may be carried in the upright position while facing the person such that the baby's head lies on the person's shoulder. While carrying a child, a caregiver typically becomes uncomfortable from constantly supporting the child, which may lead to arm pain, tiredness, numbness, or even a pinched nerve, resulting in a shorter period of time a child may be supported.
Typically, a mother or caregiver needs to carry several items to support caring for a child. For instance, a caregiver will typically carry a nursing shawl or cover, a mat for napping or changing, a blanket, and a pillow. To aid in carrying a child, a caregiver may use a baby sling or a backpack-like device to hold the baby while it is being carried. However, this results in the caretaker still being required to carry several separate items to care for the child. What is missing in the industry is a device that serves multiple functions for a caregiver thereby reducing the number of individual items required to be carried by the caregiver.
Over time, others have developed items to aid in the carrying and caring of a child. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,148, issued to Auxilla on Jul. 19, 2005, discloses an arm pillow for holding a child. The pillow has an elastic support sleeve located behind it to allow a user to slide their arm through it to better support the child. The pillow works to support the child's head when nursing or when the child is just being held, including during sleep. Auxilla's invention only addresses the issue of supporting a child while it is being held. If a child needs a blanket or the mother needs a cover to breast feed, a separate item is needed. Further, Auxilla's invention fails to address the need to transfer some of the child's weight from the mother's arm to other parts of the body, such as the shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,156, issued to Walker-Craft on Nov. 7, 2006, discloses a multipurpose pillow for use in caring for a child. The pillow includes a tubular body with a central channel for a user's arm to go through. When in use, a child's head is supported by the tubular body. Walker-Craft's invention also includes a cover extending from the tubular body, where the cover can be used as a blanket while the child is held and as a privacy screen when breast feeding in public. When the cover is not in use, it is stored between an outer an inner layer of the pillow. However, this invention also fails to address the need to transfer some of the child's weight from the arms to other parts of the body, such as the shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,245, issued to Franco on Feb. 12, 1991, discloses a portable pillow/lounge set that folds into a tote bag for carrying items. The pillow/lounge set consists of a single piece of material, either cloth or plastic, that can be used as a pillow and matt. When in use, the pillow/lounge set is unfolded to create a pouch where a pillow may be inserted and a mat to lie upon. Following use, the set is folded such that a tote bag is formed capable of holding various items. In some embodiments, a second mat is attached to the end of the first mat to either create a longer mat for a tall person or to be used as a blanket by puffing to extra mat over the person lying on the first mat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,786, issued to Taniguchi on Jan. 17, 1978, discloses a shoulder bag having a fold out mat and a harness with leg holes to place a baby when being carried. When being used as a mat, the bag portion can be used as a pillow. However, this invention also fails to address the needs of a nursing mother when nursing in public. The shoulder bag does not have any accommodations to support a baby's head when being nursed nor does it have any type of cover that can be used to provide privacy with breast feeding in a public area.
As there are many inventions that cover a foldable mat that can be folded to create an area for a pillow, there are no inventions that provide a foldable and storage friendly mat forming an area for a pillow and a separate area parallel to the pillow area for a user's arm to pass through. Further, there are no inventions that combine these characteristics also having an extended mat area that can be used as a blanket as well as a nursing shawl.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary use of the present invention is to provide comfort and head/neck support to a baby while feeding, sleeping, or relaxing in a caretaker's arms. Another use is to provide relief and comfort to the caretaker. Since the present invention provides support to a baby, a caretaker may relax their arm while holding the baby as well as the caretaker will not feel the direct pressure from the child's head resting directly on the caretaker's arm. A result of this is the caretaker can hold the child for a longer period of time thereby providing an enhanced bonding experience between the child and the caretaker. This may also allow a child to sleep for a longer period of time without being disturbed. The invention is ambidextrous in that a user can insert either their right or left arm through the arm area behind the pillow, thereby allowing the invention to be used as a pillow and blanket or as a privacy shawl regardless of which arm the user puts through the arm area. Further, the ambidextrous nature of the invention allows it to be used by a nursing mother when feeding from either breast. The present invention is also useful when either setting down or picking up a child since the present invention allows a caretaker's arm to pass behind the pillow and child's head thereby minimizing any disturbance felt by the child, This will allow the child to sleep longer and more confortable.
The present invention is a foldable mat made from a rectangular soft and comfortable fabric. In certain embodiments, the mat is bound by a satin or satin-like ribbon around the edge of the fabric. In use, a caretaker may use the invention to provide a sleeping surface and a blanket, to help in holding a child in the caretaker's arms, and to provide a privacy cover if a mother needs to nurse in a public area. The mat can be folded upon itself at predetermined locations to form two pass through areas: one for a pillow, the other to allow a user's arm to pass through parallel to the pillow thereby providing support for a child's head. The fabric used to make the invention is plush, soft, gentle, and comforting to a child's sensitive skin. The fabric can be used as a blanket to keep the child warm. The fabric can also be used as a barrier to block perspiration transfer between the child and the caretaker. The fabric also minimizes heat transfer between the caretaker and the child, thereby providing a more comfortable and relaxing environment for a child to sleep.
After a period of extended use, or if the present invention becomes soiled, it can be machine washed and dried. If a pillow was inserted into the pillow area, it may be removed before being washed. If the pillow is a washable type, it may be washed and dried with the present invention.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, the mat also consists of one or more fastening devices to allow a user to secure the invention around them when being used as a privacy shawl. The fastening devices may be attached directly to the caretakers clothing to allow the caretaker flexibility in orienting the present invention to maximize its use. The fastening devices can also be used to aid in storage of the invention when the mat is folded or rolled up. In practice, the fastening device consists of two clasps/clips/fasteners, one at each end of a ribbon. When attached to the present invention, the fastening device can be used as a handle to carry the invention when it is closed up.
Certain embodiments also consist of finger straps or loops strategically located around the invention. The straps or loops allow a user to put a finger or thumb through the loop during use to provide enhanced support, stability, and control of the invention.
When a child is asleep in the present invention, the design of the invention allows for the child to be transferred from the arms of a caretaker to a crib with minimal impact on the comfort of the child. The present invention is configured such that there is minimal head jostling when the caretaker slides an arm into or out of the invention. If a child is asleep, the present invention minimizes that chance that the child will be awoken during the transfer to the crib. This may also be used in reverse when it is desired to pick the child up from the crib with jostling the child. Another advantage of the present invention is that the fabric will retain the scent of a caretaker thereby providing consistency and comfort to a child.
The present invention has additional features that make it novel and unique. Since people hold babies in different ways, the present invention provides a constant and uniform feel to a child being held. The present invention also provides confidence to a caretaker less experienced with a child in that it provides a feeling that the child is secure in the caretakers arms thereby reducing apprehension on the part of the caretaker. The present invention also acts as a barrier to prevent the spread of germs between the child and the caretaker since adults come into daily contact with a broad variety of germs, bacteria, and viruses. Since a child may have a weak immune system, minimizing the child's exposure can have positive effects on the child's overall health. In addition, if a child is sick, the present invention will act as a barrier to minimize the spread to the caretaker holding the child.
The present invention can also be used as a mat upon which a baby can be changed. It is also usable as a soft and comfortable place for an infant to do Tummy Time exercises to strengthen their head, neck, and backside. Also, the present invention can be placed into a stroller behind a child to provide additional support and comfort. The present invention also provides an easier way to put a child in or take a child out of a stroller or crib.
The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
Referring initially to
Referring now to
Also shown in
In alternative embodiments of the present invention, an additional section may be attached to tail section 108 using fastening points 128 to create a longer tail section 108. It is to be appreciated by someone skilled in the art that the additional section may be attached to tail section 108 by any means known in the industry, including, but not limited to, hook and loop, clips, and zippers. A longer tail section 108 may be needed when a child 130 is sleeping on tail section 108 of Armapillow 100 and a blanket is needed for the child 130. A longer tail section 108 may also be needed when tail section 108 is not long enough to provide sufficient privacy when a caretaker 136 is breast-feeding in a public place.
Moving to
The detachable nature of tail section 208 from pillow section 232 allows for different pillow and tail sections 232 and 208 to be attached to each other. For example, a user may require a longer tail section 208 as a child grows. Another example is detaching pillow section 232 from tail section 208 so a child may use pillow section 232 as a pillow and tail section 208 as a blanket.
Alternative to using a longer tail section 208, a user may attach an extension to tail section 208 by attaching the extension using fastening points 228. Fastening points 228 may be any means of fastening known in the industry, which includes snaps, cups, hooks, and hook and loop. Alternatively, fastening points 228 may be replaced with a bi-directional zipper, thereby allowing an extension to be zipped together with tail section 208.
Similar to Armapillow 100, Armapillow 200 is folded along folds 210 and 212 to form pillow section 232 having pillow area 216 and arm area 218. If a pillow is inserted into pillow area 216, snaps 124 are used to hold the pillow in pillow area 216. Tail section 208 is then attached to pillow section 232. When not in use, Armapillow 200 may be unfolded then rolled up and secured using fastening device 226 (see
Tail section 208 is connected to pillow section by attaching snaps 214, It is to be appreciated by someone skilled in the art that alternative attachment methods, such as hooks, clips, hook and loop, and zippers may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Lastly,
It is to be appreciated by someone skilled in the art that the items identified in the preferred embodiments and the alternative embodiments may be combined to form additional embodiments of the present invention. The designation of a preferred embodiment and alternative embodiments is not to be considered limiting.
While there have been shown what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. An Armapillow, comprising:
- a pillow section comprising; a first section; a second section; and a third section, wherein the first section is connected to the second section along a first fold, and wherein the second section is connected to a third section along a second fold;
- a tail section connected to the third section along a third fold; and
- a plurality of thumb straps attached to the corners of the first section.
2. The Armapillow of claim 1, further comprising a fastening device connected proximate to the lower edge of the tail section and configured to secure the Armapillow in a rolled-up condition.
3. The Armapillow of claim 1, further comprising:
- the formation of a pillow area between the first section and the second section by folding along the first fold; and
- the formation of an arm area between the first section and the third section by folding along the second fold.
4 The Armapillow of claim 3, further comprising a means to hold closed the pillow area.
5. The Armapillow of claim 1, further comprising a means for connecting an extension to the tail section.
6. The Armapillow of claim 1, further comprising a clip located along an edge of the tail section to removably attach the tail section to a person.
7. An Armapillow, comprising:
- a pillow section having a first section, a second section, and a third section;
- a tail section; and
- a means for attaching the tail section to the pillow section.
8. The Armapillow of claim 7, further comprising a fastening device connected proximate to the lower edge of the tail section and configured to secure the Armapillow in a rolled-up condition.
9. The Armapillow of claim 7, further comprising:
- the formation of a pillow area between the first section and the second section; and
- the formation of an arm area between the first section and the third section.
10. The Armapillow of claim 9, further comprising a means to hold closed the pillow area.
11. The Armapillow of claim 7, further comprising a means for connecting an extension to the tail section.
12. The Armapillow of claim 7, wherein the means for attaching the tail section to the pillow section includes a bi-directional zipper.
13. The Armapillow of claim 7, further comprising a clip located along an edge of the tail section to removably attach the tail section to a person.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 18, 2016
Publication Date: Aug 18, 2016
Inventors: Eric Einhorn (San Diego, CA), Doriana Einhorn (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 15/046,892