Infant bed for co-sleeping

Abstract

An infant bed construction for co-sleeping in the same bed as an adult is comprised of a frame that includes a head end wall, two side walls, and a base panel. A safety bar to protect the area of the head of the infant includes an arched member having opposed ends secured in a pair of mounting brackets on opposed side walls. The legs of the safety bar are releasably joined to the mounting brackets, and the safety bar may be pivoted from a generally vertical protective placement over the head of the infant, to a forward storage position that is adjacent to the head end wall of the infant bed. A safety bar key/keyway mounting arrangement is oriented so that the safety bar will pull out of the mounting brackets if the safety bar is pulled upwardly. As a result, the construction of the infant bed prevents using the safety bar as a handle for lifting the infant bed.

1 . An infant bed, comprising:
 a frame structure including a base panel, a pair of side panels extending upwardly from opposed lateral edges of said base panel, a head end wall spanning like proximal edges of said side panels and base panel;   safety bar means for protecting an infant sleeping in the infant bed from falling objects.   
   
   
       2 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein said safety bar means is disposed to protect the head area of the bed which corresponds to the expected location of the head of the infant, the head area being generally disposed adjacent to said head end wall. 
   
   
       3 . The infant bed of  claim 2 , wherein said safety bar means includes an arched member having opposed ends, and means for securing said opposed ends to said side panels. 
   
   
       4 . The infant bed of  claim 3 , wherein said means for securing includes mounting brackets disposed generally adjacent to said head end wall. 
   
   
       5 . The infant bed of  claim 3 , wherein said safety bar means including a pair of mounting brackets for supporting said arched member, said mounting brackets secured to opposed outer surface portions of said side panels. 
   
   
       6 . The infant bed of  claim 5 , further including a slot formed in each mounting bracket, each of said opposed ends of said arched member having a spade lug formed thereat, said spade lug dimensioned to be received in said slot. 
   
   
       7 . The infant bed of  claim 6 , further wherein each mounting bracket includes a keyway extending in said slot, and each spade lug includes a key protruding therefrom and dimensioned be slidably received in said keyway with said arched member in one predetermined angular orientation. 
   
   
       8 . The infant bed of  claim 7 , wherein said one predetermined angular orientation of said arched member corresponds to said arched member extending generally vertically and extending over said head area of the bed in a protective disposition. 
   
   
       9 . The infant bed of  claim 7 , wherein said one predetermined angular orientation of said arched member corresponds to the position of said arched member extending generally upwardly, whereby upward lift will draw said spade lugs from said mounting bracket slots and separate said arched member from said frame structure. 
   
   
       10 . The infant bed of  claim 7 , wherein each of said mounting brackets further include an interior space communicating with said slot and disposed to enclose said key of the respective spade lug, said interior space configured to permit rotation of said key through a limited arcuate movement about an axis that passes through said pair of mounting brackets. 
   
   
       11 . The infant bed of  claim 10 , further including ball detent means for releasably securing said spade lug at said one angular orientation in said slot. 
   
   
       12 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , further including a fabric cover for enclosing said base panel, side panels, and head end wall, said fabric cover spanning the distal ends of said base panel and side panels and defining thereby a foot end wall, said base panel and side panels and head end wall and foot end wall defining together a coffer-like protected space for receiving the infant. 
   
   
       13 . The infant bed of  claim 12 , wherein said base panel, side panels, and head end wall are formed as a unitary and integral component. 
   
   
       14 . The infant bed of  claim 13 , wherein said side panels are foreshortened with respect to said base panel, and further including a pair of side panel extensions disposed to extend from the distal ends of said side panels. 
   
   
       15 . The infant bed of  claim 14 , wherein said fabric cover encloses said side panel extensions, and said fabric cover maintains the assembly of said side panel extensions to said base panel, side panels, and head end wall. 
   
   
       16 . The infant bed of  claim 14 , wherein said side panel extensions are hingably secured to said base panel. 
   
   
       17 . The infant bed of  claim 14 , wherein said side panel extensions are disposed to telescopically extend from said respective side panel. 
   
   
       18 . The infant bed of  claim 17 , wherein said side panel extensions include at least one edge clamp fitting for releasably securing a portion of a side edge of said base panel. 
   
   
       19 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein said safety bar means include lighting means for illuminating the face of the infant resting in said bed. 
   
   
       20 . The infant bed of  claim 2 , further including means for rotating said safety bar means between a first, protective position in which it is disposed above said head area of said bed, to a second, storage position in which it is disposed adjacent to an outer surface of said head end wall. 
   
   
       21 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein said base panel slopes downwardly from its conjunction with said head end wall toward a foot end of said bed.