CA 02554877 2006-07-28
t~«ck~t #: Bean.R-01 (IDG)
Baby Bath cQc Changing Unit
Background
t . Related Applications: none
2. Field of the Present Disclasure
to This disclosure relates generally to specialty cabinets and mare
particularly to a specialty
cabinet far tending to the care of an infant or small child..
3. Description of Related Art
'I'lie fc~llawing <~rt defines the present state of this field and each
disclasure is hereby
t5 incarparated herein by reference:
Saba, U.S. Des., 17930, discloses an ornamental design for a combined bassinet
and chest.
Sw~zney, I1.S. Des., 19(1951, disclases an ornamental design far an infant"s
combined storage
2o cabinet and convez~tible bed.
Klara, U.S. Des., 214863, discloses an ornamental design far a combined bed,
chest of
drawers <and diaper changizlg szzpport.
25 Somzrzer, U.S. Des., 260$27, discloses an ornamental design for a combined
crib, dressing
table and starage unit.
Riehm, U.S. Des., 2$4531, disclases an arnamental design far a combined
dressing table and
storage unit far an infant.
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
Dctket #: Bean.I~-t)1 (fDG)
Cioertz, LLS. Des., 367105, discloses an ornamental design for a pcartable
sink for pet care.
Levine, L.LS. I:~ev., 37S419, discloses an ornamental design for a baby
changing table with
universal drawer.
Maddux et al., U.S. Des., 4t3~'~32, discloses an ornamental design for a
portable self
contained sink and water storage cart.
tt3 Freedberg, LI.S. Des., 426982, discloses an ornamental design for a
combined dresser and
changing table.
Poi., U.S~. Des., 463646, discloses an ornamental design for a. sink cart.
Underbrink, U.S. Des., 489155, discloses an ornamental design for an outdoor
station with a
sink and fcalciable faucet.
Alxr, L1.~. I4(IL:t330, discloses a cabinet, with the combination of a casing
that in dudes a
rear wall, end walls, and a bottom wall, a horizontally disposed transversely
extending
2.tt partition arranged in the casing terminating short of the upper end
thereof, a vertically
disposed partition arranged transversely in the casing forming a pair of
compartments, a set
of drawers arranged in one of the compartments, a front strip secured to the
end walls
terminating flush with the rear wall, a con~rrlade slidably mounted in the
casing on the
opposite side of the vertical partition from said drawers, hinged doors
secured to the end
walls arranged to hide. said set of drawers and said contrnode, a support
arranged in the upper
end of said casing above said sets of drawers, a tub secured to said support,
end strips
secured to the upper edge of the casing, rind a hinged leaf arranged
intermediate the strips.
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
t)ocker #: Bean.R-t71 (II>G)
Hayward, U.S. ~75261~1, discloses a bassinet in combination with a mounting
comprising a
portable carriage presenting a table-like tap having a longitudinal edge, two
mounting links
of substantially equal lengths, which lengths are approximately not more than
half the width
of the bassinet, a Fair of pivot means on the top fo:r free swinging movement
in a horizontal
plane about a vertical axis, the two vertical axes being spaced apart on a
line substantially
parallel to said longitudinal edge and spaced from that edge by a distance
substantially less
than the lengths of the links, the lengths between that line and the central
longitudinal line of
the table top, and pivot means on vertical axes carried at the outer swinging
end of each
mounting link, said two last mentioned pivot means supportingly connected to
the bassinet
with their axes at points approximately on the longitudinal central line of
the bassinet and
spaced apart an the line a distance approximately equal to the axial spacing
of the two first
mentioned pivot means.
Caffman, CJ.S. 3192537, discloses a readily portable shampoo device comprising
a cabinet
t5 mounted on a ratatable support means, an upper hot water supply tank and an
upper cold
water supply tank mounted in side-by-side relation interiorly of said cabinet
rearwardly
thereof, a shampoo bowl mounted interiorly of said cabinet forwardly of said
pair of water
supg~ly tanks and extending farwardly and upwardly exteriarly of said cabinet,
a cover hinged
an said cabinet extending rearwardly over said pair of supply tanks, a second
cover hinged
on said cabinet extending forwardly over said shampoo bowl, said cavern in
closed position
providing a substantially flat table surface, a closed tap drainage water
staring tank mounted
in said cabinet underneath said supply tanks and the portion of said shampoo
bowl within
said cabinet, drain means connecting said shampoo bawl to said drain tank
through the
closed top thereof, a spray hose and spray head thereon connected to a mixing
valve mounted
in said shampoo bawl, electric motor operated water pump means mounted within
said
cabinet, and water conduits connected through said water pump means from each
said supply
tank through faucet controls to said mixing valve means, said shampoo bowl
having a neck-
receiving recess in an end ledge in its forward upwardly extending portion
exteriorly of said
cabinet for conveniently supporting the head and neck of a chair occupying
patient.
4
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
F:>c>cket #: Bean.Rs(31 (ID(:,)
Navarra, L).S. 3931ta52, discloses an inl'latable Liner for a standard kitchen
sink has a bottom,
sides, and ends formed from contiguous inflatable ribs. The sides and ends are
formed from
horizontal ribs which extend above the level of the sink. An inflatable pillow
with an air
valve in its lower side extends from one end of the liner to rest an the sink
top. A drain is
formed in the end of the bottom of the liner opposite the pillow. The liner,
when used with a
sink, provides a tub f<>r bathing infants.
Raphael et al., U.S 5181284, discloses an infant bathtub apparatus having a
tub housing
to having an inside including an inside bottom and a plurality of housing
walls for holding bath
writer therein. The tub housing has two slanted walls and a flange art~und the
periphery of the
housing. A plurality of legs are removably attached to the tub housing for
supporting the tub
thereon while a plurality of article containers are farmed in the tub housing
flange around the
periphery of the hauling. A removable support surface is remavably located in
the tub
housing and has an arcuate surface on one end thereof for lapporf an said
flange around the
periphery of the housing. The removable support hal hook and loop material
lacatecl beneath
the other end portion thereof far rernovably attaching the support surface to
the bottom of the
tub housing so that an infant bathtub can support a baby therein.
Allman et al., U.S. 5465438, discloses a mobile nursing home unit that is
farmed by an
upright cabinet containing an assembly of nursing facilities including a sink
anti a
superposed gray water tank and fresh water reservoir selectively supplying
water to and
draining from the sink into the gray water tank. Miscellaneous washcloths,
soaps, lotions,
towels and other desired small items are temporarily stared on the cabinet top
wall and
maintained thereon during rnabile movement of the cabinet by a kitchen rail
extending along
adjacent edge limits of the top wall.
Chaa, LLS. 5926866, discloses a movable bathtub far a baby. The movable
bathtub
comprises a body and a plurality of wheels an the bottom of the body so as to
move the
S
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
l~uct;~c #: Bean.R-OI. (II~G)
bathtub, The body is separated into a bathing spa<:e and a storage space by a
separatcar. The
bathing space is placed with a curve-shaped supporting net in one end of which
a tub drain
and a tub stopper are provided. The storage space is provided with a water-pot
in a front end
thereof and several drawers in the back end thereof. With the stmcture of the
invention, a
parent can pour heated water to the bathtub and bath a baby while standing.
Sauerbrei et al., U.S. ~a256803, discloses a baby changing and washing station
that is
designed as an apparatus to aid in the washing and/or cleansing of an infant.
The present
inventican comprises a frame that is attached to a wall and provides for a
fold down table
to portion, similar in design to a conventional diaper changing station. A
padded vinyl area for
the infant is provided along with restraining straps to hold the infant. A
water bottle is
provided in a heated container to allow the water to be slightly warmed.
Tubing is designed
to carry the water through a release device at the and of the tube to allow
cleansing of the
infant after a diaper change or may be used to wash the entire infant. A drain
system in the
~5 fold down table collects the waste water in a catch basin which may be
removed aIld emptied
after bathing duties are complete.
MeBroom, CI.S. Ei~~.~'~r5, discloses a mobile cooking device that provides a
mobile cart for
cooking and cleaning purposes. The mobile cooking device includes a housing.
The housing
20 has a front wail, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side
wall, and a second side
wall. The second wall leas a door therein. The door is selectively positioned
between an open
position and a closed position. An axle extends through the front and back
walls. The axle is
positioned generally adjacent to the second side wall. Each of a first pair of
wheels is
rotatably coupled to an opposite end of the axle. Each of a pair of brackets
is coupled to the
25 bottom wall and positioned generally adjacent to the first side wall. Each
of a second pair of
wheels is ratatably coupled to one of the brackets. .A sink is positioned in
the top wall of the
housing. Each of a plurality of burners is positioned on the top wall of the
housing. A fuel
supply is fluidly coupled to each of the burners.
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
~,t,c~tr#:l3~an.R-al clad>
Our prior art search with abstracts described above teaches specialty cabinets
of many types
for utility with respect to babies and for infants. It is known to fabricate a
cabinet with
various compartments for active use and for storage of materials used in such
active
coznpartmcnts. It is known to provide such a cabinet to cc~zitain a baby as
with Saba, X15 Des
17893a, for sleeping, bathing, changing and other needs. However, the prior
art fails to
teach such a cabinet that provides the combination of features described
herein which give
rise to beneficial advantages over the prior art.. Tl~e present disclosure
distinguishes over the
prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the
following summary.
t 0 Summary
This disclosure teaches ceztmn benefits in construction and use which give
rise to the
objectives described below.
Infants require special care fixtures that are normally unavailable to them in
a typical
household. Tlzis, the prior art shows many specialty fixtures and cabinets
particularly
designed for infant care. The presently described apparatus is used for
changing and bathing
a baby. The apparatus compz-ises a cabinet having bathing compazrtment, a
nations storage
compartment positioned lateral to the bathing compartment, at Least one drawer
positioned
below the bathing compartment and a water container storage compartment
lateral to the
drawers. The bathing compartment and the storage compartment each provide
hinged
covers, and a water faucet or spray head is positioned for dispending water
into the bathing
coznpartznent and for rinsing the baby. The faucet is engaged with a water
containez° in the
water container storage compazrtment, which may be pressurized using a manual
pump, or
2S may be connected using a hose «r tube to a source caf pressurized water
such as a sink faucet.
A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of
use is to
I~rovide advantages not taught by the prior art.
7
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
t~«ck~t#: Bean.h-(71 (IDC)
Another objective is to conveniently provide all the care essential for
servicing a baby in one
place.
tether features and advantages of the described apparatus and method of use
will becorrre
s apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction
with the
accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of
the presently
described apparatus and method of its use.
Brie. f Description of the Drawings
to
The, acCOnrpanying drawings illustrate at least cue of thL, best mode
etnbodinrecrts of the
present apparatus and method of it use. In such drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus;
Figure ~ is similar thereto showing the means for access to the several
compartments therein;
15 and .
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view showing details of the apparatus and the
position of a
baby for diapering and such.
Detailed Description
2o
Tare above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and
its method of use
in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further
defined in detail in
the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art pray be able
to make
alterations and modifications what is described herein without departing from
its spirit and
25 scope. Therefore, it mast be understood that what is illustrated is set
forth oniy for the
purposes of example and that it should not be takers as a limitation in the
scope of the present
apparatus and method of use.
8
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
Dc~~t,et ~: Bean.R-U 1 (IDG)
An apparatus for caring far a baby includes a cabinet 10 mounted on wheels 2U
far moving
the cabinet 1U on a supporting surface such as a float (not Shawn).
Preferably, two of the
wheels are swivel wheels far improved steering of the apparatus when moving it
fram one
location to another. A bathing compartment 3f~ is mounted within the cabinet
IU and
provides: a baby's bath tub 32, a sprayer 8U and a drain 36. The sprayer 8U is
connected by
a base 8U' to a source of water such as a sink (nit shown) anti such snap-on
intercannectians
are well known in the art so as nit to need further explanation here. The
drain 36 is
connected by a hose 36' within the cabinet iU to a pump 33, and then also to
the sink. The
pump 33 enables drained water to be moved fram hose 36' to the sink which
typically
to requires pumping drain water upwardly. The bathing campartment 3U has a
separate hinged
lid 3 f which serves as a tabfe for placing the baby as spawn in Fig. 3 for
preparing the baby
for bathing and for drying and dressing the baby after bathing. Closing this
lid 31 allows a
drawn bath to maintain temperature while baby is fetched far bathing. This is
considered to
be an impartant novelty in the apparatus. The bathing compartment and the
storage
t5 compartment each are pravided with hinged cavern; and sprayer 80 is
positioned far
dispensing water into the bathing compartment. As shown in Fig. 2, lids 3I and
~2
preferably have pneumatic closets, as are: well known in the art far enabling
soft closure.
A nations storage compartment SU is positioned to one side of the bathing
compartment 3U
as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Items such as talcum powder and baby ail are stared
here within
the immediate reach of the mother when the baby is being tended to as Shawn in
Fig. 3; far
diapering, etc. This compartment SU has a separate cover 52 which may be
closed when the
baby is being bathed so that water cannot splash into compartment 5(?. This is
considered to
be an important novelty in the apparatus.
2s
Preferably, a handle I5, which may be used as a towel bar, is attached to the
apparatus as
shown in Fig. 1.
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
Dc»ket #: F3ea n.R-fll (II~G)
Preferably, a pair of drawers 60 and (~S, are positioned in the cabinet 10
immediately below
the bathing campartment 30 and are mounted so as to be able to be opened like
a typical
dresser drawer for access to what is placed within them, typically diapers,
baby clothing,
towels and other necessities.
A caznpartment 70 is positioned in the catxinet ifl to one side of the drawers
t~U and 6S and
this ccampariznent 7fl stores a diaper pail 40. Compartment 70 provides a
front door 72
adapted for sealing the storage compartment 70, that is, door 72 is of such
size as to cover
the opening to compartment 70 when door 72 is in the closed position as shown
in Fig. 1.
t0 The door 72 providing a rest shelf 74 attached thereto and which extensible
to the front of
the cabinet lfl when the front doer 72 is ajar as shown in Fig. 2.
The spray head 80 is beneficially employed in this apparatus and is engaged
within the
bathing compartment 3fl and enabled, again, by a hose froze a sink or similar
fixture, for
IS spraying water within the bathing compartment 3fl as for spraying the baby
when rinsing
bath water anti s<yap from the baby and the tub 32.
The enablements described in detail above are. considered navel over the prior
art of record
and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the
apparatus and its
2t) method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives.
The words used in
this specification tc) describe the instant embodiments are to be understood
not only in the
sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition
in this
specification: stnzcture, material or acts beyond th.e scope of the commonly
defined
meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this
specification as
z5 including mare titan one meaning, then its use must be understood as being
generic to alI
possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words
describing the
element.
to
CA 02554877 2006-07-28
Ilcxkc:~ #: l3ean.l2-01 (1F3G)
The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to
include not
only tlxe combination of elements which are literally set fortlx, but all
equivalent structure,
material or acts far performing substantially the same function in
substantially the same way
to obtain substantially the satxxe. result. In this sense it is therefore
contemplated that an
equivalent substitution of two or more elements rnay be made for any one of
the elements
described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be
substituted far two or
mare eletxxents in a claim.
C_'hangc;s frotxx the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with
ordinary skill in the art,
now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents
within the
scope incendeci and its v<rriaus embodiments. Therefore, obvious
substifutiarrs now or later
known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope
of the defined
elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is
specifically
illustrated atxci deSCribed above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can
be obviously
tS substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.
The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with
the appended
clairxxs and it is made clear, here, that each named inventc.~r believes that
the claimed subject
matter is what is intended to be patented.
