WO2006127634A1

WO2006127634A1 - Projection mobile

Info

Publication number: WO2006127634A1
Application number: PCT/US2006/019795
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph P. Sejnowski; John P. Kearney; Marsha Merianos; Aidan John Petrie
Original assignee: The First Years
Priority date: 2005-05-22
Filing date: 2006-05-22
Publication date: 2006-11-30
Also published as: US20060260663A1

Abstract

A device (10) for entertaining a child including a base (15) configured to attach to a side railing of a crib, a mast (20) positioned above the base and connected thereto by an arm (25, 30), a canopy (40) mounted to the mast including an inner surface directed toward the crib, and a projection device (35) mounted to the mast for rotation and configured to project discrete moving images upon the inner surface of the canopy.

Description

PROJECTION MOBILE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to devices for entertaining and stimulating an infant.

BACKGROUND Devices have been developed and configured to attach to a crib for providing entertainment and stimulation to an infant. A mobile is one such example. Some mobiles project images onto the ceiling surface of the room where the crib is located.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, the mobile includes a device for entertaining a child including a base configured to attach to a side railing of a crib, a mast positioned above the base and connected thereto by an arm, a canopy mounted to the mast including an inner surface directed toward the crib, and a projection device mounted to the mast for rotation and configured to project discrete moving images upon the inner surface of the canopy.

In various implementations the device can include one or more of the following features. The canopy can include a translucent material, wherein the projection device projects images upon the inner surface and a distal surface above the canopy. The canopy can also be mounted to the mast for rotation. The device can include a controller to control at least one of the projection device and the canopy. The controller can include a number of operating modes for controlling at least one of the projection device and the canopy. The device can include motion sensors connected to the controller and/or a sound module for playing a sound when the canopy rotates. The sound module can include a library of songs and/or sound effects. The device can include a remote for wireless communication with the controller.

According to another aspect, a child entertainment device includes a base, an arm extending from the base, a canopy suspended from the arm and having a lower surface; and a projection device carried by the arm and disposed below the canopy, the projection device including a light source projecting moving images onto the lower surface of the canopy, such that the images are viewable by a child positioned below the canopy.

In various implementations the device can include one or more of the following features. The canopy is frusto-conical with a lower surface forming an inner surface of the canopy. The base can be securable to a crib in a manner than positions the canopy above the crib. The projection device can be suspended from the arm and/or rotates with respect to the canopy. The canopy can include a compliant material for folding and packaging. The device can be configured such that the light source is projected substantially onto to the lower surface of the canopy. The projection device can be configured to project a number of discrete images onto the lower surface of the canopy, including multicolored images. The device can include a sound module for playing a sound when the projection device rotates.

In one implementation, the distance between projection device and canopy is fixed and determined, so that the images can be focused and crisp no matter where the device is mounted. This can produce higher resolution images on the insider surface of the canopy and reducing shadows. The images can be projected substantially onto the inside surface of the canopy just above crib, so as not to disturb other children in the room. The canopy can provide a projection surface that is substantially free of discontinuities and imperfections that may be found on some ceilings and/or walls. The canopy can be made of an opaque, compliant and flexible material that can be readily folded for packaging.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. IA is a front view of a mobile. FIG. 1 B is a right side view of the mobile of FIG. 1 A.

FIG. 1C is a top view of the mobile of FIG. IA. FIG. ID is a rear view of the mobile of FIG. IA. FIG. IE is a left side view of the mobile of FIG. IA. FIG. IF is a bottom view of the mobile of FIG. IA.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the upper arm, collar and projection of the mobile of FIG. IA. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the lower arm of the mobile of FIG. IA.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the base of the mobile of FIG. IA. FIG. 5 A is a front view of a remote for control of the mobile of FIG. IA FIG. 5B is a right view of the remote of FIG. 5 A. FIG. 5C is a top view of the remote of FIG. 5 A. FIG. 5D is a rear view of the remote of FIG. 5 A.

FIG. 5E is a left view of the remote of FIG. 5 A. FIG. 5F is a bottom view of the remote of FIG. 5 A. Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 A-IF, a mobile 10 can include a base 15 and a mast 20 connected to the base 15 by upper and lower arms 25, 30, respectively. A image projection ball 35 is rotatably attached to the mast 20 to project images on an inside surface of the canopy 40. The mobile can include a threaded post 50 extending from a back side of the base 15 which engages an attachment nut 55. The mobile can 10 can be attached to the adjacent rails of a crib by positioning the threaded post 50 between adjacent rails of a crib and securing the nut 55 to the rails. The nut 55 can include one or more concavities 60 to permit the nut 55 to be secured to rails of the crib without tools. When attached to the crib, the projection ball 35 and canopy 40 are suspended above the interior of the crib for entertaining and stimulating an infant when the mobile 10 is in use. The base 15, upper and lower arms 25, 30, and the projection ball 35 can be made from any suitable material, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers (ABS plastic), for example.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the projection ball 35 includes a hemispherical upper portion 70 having a translucent surface with a number of shapes such as stars, the moon in various phases and the like. The ball 35 also can include a hemispherical lower portion 75 connected to the upper portion 70 and securing a lens 80 therebetween. The lens 80 is attached to lamp contact 85 which extends through a hole in the upper portion 70. A lamp 90 is disposed within the upper and lower portions 70, 75 of the projection ball 35. The lamp is received by a lamp contact 95 on the contact end of the lamp and by a lamp enclosure 100 at the bulb end of the lamp. The lamp 90 can be user replaceable in some example.

The upper arm 25 includes an upper arm left assembly 102 and a upper arm right assembly 104. In some examples, the projection ball 35 is rotatably attached to a support axle 105 which extends downward from the mast 20 which is attached to the upper arm 25. The support axle 105 is operably connected to a motor 110 by a support axle extension 110, a gear box, including a series of gears 115, 116 and 118, enclosed by a gearbox top housing 120 and a gearbox bottom housing 125. The gear box is received by a gear box support 127 and operably attached to the motor 110. A suspension arm cap 140 encloses the gear box housing 120, 125 and secures washer 145 thereto.

The lamp 90 is electrically connected to a power source, such as one or more batteries, for example (described below) by a contact plate 150 which is biased against the lamp 90 by contact plate spring 155. The contact plate 150 is connected to conduits 160a, 160b which extend through the suspension arm cap 140 and into the mast 20.

The left and right assemblies 102, 104 of the upper arm 25 are supported by a lower arm left assembly 160 and a lower arm right assembly 165 which form the lower arm 30. The upper assemblies 102, 104 enclose a sleeve 170 which is received by an upper arm collar 175. A collar cover 180 engages the upper arm collar 175 and a collar contact pin 185 which is biased by a collar spring 190. The collar contact pin 185 is electrically connected to the conduits 160a, 160b by a wire (not shown) extending between the upper arm left and right assemblies 102, 104 of the upper arm 25.

The upper arm collar 175 is rotatably attached to a lower arm collar 195 which is connected to the lower arm left and right assemblies 160, 165. The lower arm left and right assemblies 160, 165 enclose lock plates 210, 215 which engage and secure a lower portion of the upper arm collar 175. The lower arm left and right assemblies 160, 165 also enclose a contact plates 220, 225 and contact covers 230, 235.

A canopy 250 is supported by a canopy frame 255 which attaches to the left and right assemblies 102, 104 of the upper arm 25. In some examples, the canopy 250 is substantially frusto-conical and is centered over the projection ball 35. The canopy frame 255 can include an upper frame ring 260 and a lower frame ring 265 having a larger diameter than the upper frame ring 260. The rings 260, 265 are attached together by ribs 270 extending therebetween. The upper frame ring 260 is attached to a canopy trim ring 275 along a gasket 280. The trim ring 275 is attached to the left and right assemblies 102, 104 of the upper arm 25.

Referring to now to FIG. 4, the base 15 of the mobile 10 includes a base half front 300 and a base halfback 305. The base half front 300 includes a plurality of buttons to control different functions of the mobile 10 in various shapes, such as a moon 310, a swirl 315, a leaf 320 and a star 325. Some or all the buttons can include lights for illumination. A number of springs 330 bias the buttons 310-325 outward toward an open position. Each of the buttons 310-325 are operably attached to button controllers 340, such as a printed circuit board, by a tack switch 345, for example.

The base 15 can also include a speaker 350 secured to the base 15 at a speaker mount 355. Amain controller 370,. such as a printed circuit board, for example, is operably linked to the button controllers 340 in some examples, controllers the operation of the motor 110 for rotation of the projection ball 35 and the illumination of various lights, such as buttons 310-325, for example and playing of various sounds and songs from speaker 350.

A sensor 400 operably connected to a sensor controller 405 receives wireless signals from a remote described below with respect to FIGS. 5A-5F. A power indication LED 410 that illuminates when the mobile 10 is switched on is operably linked to a power indication controller 415 and is enclosed by a cover 420. A slot 425 is configured to receive a lower portion of the lower arm 30 into a cylindrical contact box 430. The contact box 430 includes a base lock pin 435 and a lock pin spring 440 to bias the lock pins toward the contact box 430. A release button 450 is operably linked to the contact 430 such that depression of the release button against the bias of release spring 455 urges the lock pin 435 against the bias the lock pin spring 440 and permits removal of the lower portion of the lower arm 30. A contact plate 460 is connects the motor 110 via a wire (not shown) extending along the upper arm 25 to a power source 465, such a one or more batteries, for example via battery contact plates 470, 475, and 480. Access to the power source 465 is provided by a removable door 485 which secures to the base halfback 305 along a gasket 490. A slide switch 500, which can be operably connected to the main controller 370 and include multiple detents corresponding to different volume levels for the speaker 350, is covered by a slide switch cover 505. A mode switch 510 which can also operably linked to the main controller 370 and include multiple detents corresponding to different times of day, is covered by the slide switch cover 515. One or more of the internal components can be enclosed by a cover 520.

Referring to now to FIGS. 5A-5F, a remote 550 include a remote base 565, at least one remote switch 570 and an antenna 580. In one embodiment, the antenna is arcuate to serve as a hook for hanging the remote in a convenient location. The remote 550 is configured to wirelessly communicate with the sensor 400 of the mobile 10 by an infrared or radiofrequency signal, for example, hi various examples, the remote 550 can control all or some of the feature of the mobile 10. The base 565 can include an access door 585 to insert and replace a power source (not shown), such as batteries, for example.

In operation and in one example, a user will push any of the buttons 310-325 and the projection ball 35 will illuminate and begin to rotate and the speaker 350 will begin to play one of four songs or a nature sounds theme for a first predetermined length of time, such as 10 minutes, for example. Once the user slides the mode switch from a first mode, such as "day" for example to "night" and repeats the steps described above, the projection ball will begin to rotate and the speaker 350 will begin to play one of four songs or a nature sounds theme for a second predetermined length of time, generally shorter than the first predetermined length of time. Other operating modes are contemplated.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus (10) for entertaining a child, the apparatus comprising: a base (15) configured to attach to a side railing of a crib; a mast (20) positioned above the base and connected thereto by an arm (25, 30); a canopy (40) mounted to the mast including an inner surface directed toward the crib; and a projection device (35) mounted to the mast for rotation and configured to project discrete moving images upon the inner surface of the canopy.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the canopy comprises a translucent material, wherein the projection device projects images upon the inner surface and a distal surface above the canopy.

3. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the canopy is mounted to the mast for rotation.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a controller (370) to control at least one of the projection device and the canopy.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller comprises a plurality of operating modes for controlling at least one of the projection device and the canopy.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 4 to 5, further comprising motion sensors connected to the controller.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a sound module (370) for playing a sound when the canopy rotates.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sound module comprises a library of songs.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 7 to 8, wherein the sound module stores sound effects.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a remote control device (550) for wireless communication with the controller.

11. A child entertainment device comprising: abase (15); an arm (25, 30) extending from the base; a canopy (40) suspended from the arm and having a lower surface; and a projection device (35) carried by the arm and disposed below the canopy, the projection device including a light source projecting moving images onto the lower surface of the canopy, such that the images are viewable by a child positioned below the canopy.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the canopy is frusto-conical, the lower surface forming an inner surface of the canopy.

13. The device of any of claims 11 to 12, wherein the base is securable to a crib to position the canopy above the crib.

14. The device of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the projection device is suspended from the arm.

15. The device of any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the projection device rotates with respect to the canopy.

16. The device of any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the canopy comprises a compliant material for folding and packaging.

17. The device of any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the light source is projected substantially onto to the lower surface of the canopy.

18. The device of any of claims 11 to 17, wherein the projection device projects a plurality of discrete images onto the lower surface of the canopy.

19. The device of any of claims 11 to 18, wherein the projection device projects a plurality of multicolored images onto the lower surface of the canopy.

20. The device of any of claims 11 to 19, further comprising a sound module (370) for playing a sound when the projection device rotates.