Collapsible infant bed

Abstract

An infant bed includes multiple base panels and multiple side and end panels extending therefrom, with the side and end panels typically including removable boards. Each of these panels is connected to adjacent of the panels along respective fold lines that enable the adjacent panels to be folded over on each other. By folding the panels in various ways, they can be converted from a flat configuration for use as an infant play mat to a receptacle configuration for use as an infant bed and/or to a collapsed configuration for transport. Various attachments, flaps, and/or other features can be included for securing the panels in the bed and/or transport configurations, and handles can be included for carrying the bed in the transport configuration. Also, the bed can be nested within a bassinet for use, and upon removal of the bed the bassinet can be collapsed to a transport configuration.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An infant bed, comprising:
 a plurality of panels including at least one base panel, at least two side panels extending from sides of the base panel at side divider fold lines, and at least two end panels extending from ends of the base panel at it end divider fold lines, wherein the panels are convertible from a flat configuration for use as an infant play mat to a receptacle configuration for use as the infant bed and to a collapsed configuration for transport by folding the side and end panels about the side and end divider fold lines.   
     
     
         2 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein in the receptacle configuration the side panels and the end panels are positioned generally upright, removably connected by fastening components, together form a peripheral retaining wall, and include rigid boards. 
     
     
         3 . The infant bed of  claim 2 , wherein the rigid boards are removable from the respective side and end panels. 
     
     
         4 . The infant bed of  claim 3 , wherein the side and end panels define slots through which the rigid boards can be inserted and removed and include openable closures for selectively securing the rigid boards in the respective panels. 
     
     
         5 . The infant bed of  claim 3 , wherein the at least two side panels includes at least four side panels, with two side panels on each of the respective sides of the base panel and with each of the side panels including a respective one of the rigid boards, and wherein the two rigid boards on each side are connected together by an attachment so that they are not separable when removed from the respective side panels. 
     
     
         6 . The infant bed of  claim 5 , wherein the attachment is positioned adjacent to outer edges of adjacent ones of the rigid boards, wherein an intermediate divider fold line between adjacent ones of the side panels defines a gap adjacent to an outer edge of the side panels, and wherein the attachment is received in the gap when the boards are received in the side panels. 
     
     
         7 . The infant bed of  claim 2 , wherein the base panel includes a resilient material, and in a compressed state the resilient material of the base panel and the rigid boards of the side and end panels have substantially the same thickness. 
     
     
         8 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one base panel includes three base panels interconnected by intermediate divider fold lines, and wherein in the collapsed transport configuration the three base panels form a triangular shape and house the side and end panels therewithin. 
     
     
         9 . The infant bed of  claim 8 , further comprising fastening components positioned on a bottom side of the base panels that mate and engage each other to retain the base panels in the collapsed transport configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The infant bed of  claim 9 , further comprising at least one handle positioned on the bottom side of at least one of the base panels for carrying the bed in the collapsed transport configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , further comprising at least four corner panels each one positioned between two of the side and end panels, wherein the corner panels each contain a resilient material. 
     
     
         12 . The infant bed of  claim 11 , wherein the corner panels each have a diagonal centerline about which they fold when converting from the flat play-mat configuration to the receptacle bed configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The infant bed of  claim 1 , wherein the corner panels extend from and are attached to the adjacent side panel along the end divider fold line, but are separated from the adjacent end panel by a slit, wherein a tab extends from a free end of the adjacent end panel and extends through a slot in one of the panels or divider fold lines when the side, end, and corner panels are folded up into an upright position in the receptacle bed configuration, and wherein the tab includes a fastener for securing it to one of the panels. 
     
     
         14 . The infant bed of  claim 13 , wherein the tab stays in the slot and stays fastened to the respective panel when the bed is folded from the flat play-mat configuration to the receptacle bed configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The infant bed of  claim 1  in combination with a bassinet, wherein the bassinet holds the infant bed in a nested arrangement when the infant bed is in the receptacle bed configuration, and wherein the bassinet is convertible between a receptacle configuration for holding the infant bed in the nested arrangement and a collapsed configuration for transport. 
     
     
         16 . An infant bed, comprising:
 three base panels interconnected by intermediate divider fold lines and collectively defining opposing sides and opposing ends, the base panels each containing a resilient material;   six side panels extending from the sides of the base panels at side divider fold lines, three side panels on each side interconnected by the intermediate divider fold lines, the side panels each containing a rigid board;   two end panels extending from the ends of the base panels at end divider fold lines, the end panels each containing a rigid board; and   four corner panels each one positioned between two of the side and end panels, the corner panels each containing a resilient material,   
       wherein the panels are convertible from a flat configuration for use as an infant play mat to a receptacle configuration for use as the infant bed and to a collapsed configuration for transport by folding the base, side, end, and corner panels, wherein in the receptacle configuration the side panels and the end panels are positioned generally upright forming a peripheral retaining wall, and wherein in the collapsed transport configuration the three base panels form a triangular shape and house the side and end panels therewithin. 
     
     
         17 . The infant bed of  claim 16 , wherein the rigid boards are removable from the side and end panels, wherein the side and end panels define slots through which the rigid boards can be inserted and removed and include openable closures for selectively securing the rigid boards in the respective panels. 
     
     
         18 . The infant bed of  claim 17 , wherein adjacent ones of the rigid boards on each side are connected together by an attachment so that they are not separable when removed from the respective side panels, wherein the attachment is positioned adjacent to outer edges of adjacent ones of the rigid boards, wherein the intermediate divider fold line between adjacent ones of the side panels defines a gap adjacent to an outer edge of the side panels, and wherein the attachment is received in the gap when the boards are received in the side panels. 
     
     
         19 . The infant bed of  claim 16 , wherein the corner panels each extend from and are attached to the adjacent side panel along the end divider fold line, but are separated from the adjacent end panel by a slit, wherein a tab extends from a free end of the adjacent end panel and extends through a slot in the end divider fold line between the corner panel and the adjacent side panel when the side, end, and corner panels are folded up into an upright position in the receptacle bed configuration, and wherein the tab includes a fastener for securing it to one of the panels. 
     
     
         20 . The infant bed of  claim 16 , further comprising fastening components positioned on a bottom side of the base panels that mate and engage each other to retain the base panels in the collapsed transport configuration, and at least one handle positioned on the bottom side of at least one of the base panels for carrying the bed in the collapsed transport configuration. 
     
     
         21 . The infant bed of  claim 16 , further comprising fastening components that mate and engage each other to retain the side and end panels in the upright position of the receptacle bed configuration. 
     
     
         22 . An infant bed, comprising:
 three base panels interconnected by intermediate divider fold lines and collectively defining two opposing sides and two opposing ends, the base panels each containing a resilient material;   six side panels extending from the sides of the base panels at side divider fold lines, three side panels on each side interconnected by the intermediate divider fold lines, the side panels each containing a removable rigid side board, wherein the side panels each define a slot through which the respective rigid side board can be inserted and removed;   two end panels extending from the ends of the base panels at end divider fold lines, the end panels each containing a removable rigid end board, wherein the end panels each define a slot through which the respective rigid end board can be inserted and removed; and   four corner panels each connected to two of the side and end panels by the side and end divider fold lines, the corner panels each containing a resilient material,   
       wherein the panels are convertible from a flat configuration for use as an infant play mat to a receptacle configuration for use as the infant bed and to a collapsed configuration for transport by folding the base, side, end, and corner panels, 
       wherein the corner panels each have a diagonal centerline about which they fold when converting from the flat play-mat configuration to the receptacle bed configuration, 
       wherein in the receptacle configuration the side and end panels are positioned generally upright forming a peripheral retaining wall with fastening bed components mating to retain the side and end panels in the upright position and with each end panel including a flap positionable covering the end panel and the fastening bed components, and 
       wherein in the collapsed transport configuration the three base panels form a triangular shape housing the side and end panels therewithin with fastening transport components mating to retain the base panels in the collapsed transport configuration.