JP7591255B2 - Air mat for infants - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air mat for infants that is placed on a bed, examination table, chair, etc., for example, during X-ray or ultrasound examinations of infants.

Prior to this application, the applicant proposed an infant support device for the convenience of X-ray and ultrasonic examinations of infants (Patent Document 1). As shown in Figure 6, this infant support device is a combination of a support mat 51 and a receiving frame 52. The support mat 51 is made of a cloth bag filled with foam beads, so that an infant laid on it is enveloped in a soft embrace, while the receiving frame 52, made of a flexible synthetic resin material, appropriately supports the support mat 51 from below and on both the left and right sides, so that the infant can be kept in a firm and stable sleeping position.

Patent No. 6207772

However, the baby carrier is bulky, especially the support mat 51, and there is room for improvement in terms of storage and portability.

The present invention was made with the above in mind, and its purpose is to provide an air mat for infants that allows infants to maintain an appropriate sleeping position according to their height and build, while also improving storage and portability.

In order to achieve the above object, the air mat for infants of the present invention is an air mat for infants that can be used by lying an infant on it when it is filled with air, and has a pillow section at the front for the infant's head to rest on and a main body section at the rear for the infant's body to rest on, and the main body section has a valley section extending in the front-to-rear direction and two peak sections that sandwich the valley section from both the left and right sides, and between the two peak sections there is only one valley section that is narrower in width from left to right than the peak section, and the valley section and the peak section do not communicate with each other internally, and when air is filled in, the valley section and the peak section each become thicker from both the left and right sides towards the center and have raised upper surfaces, and the top and bottom thicknesses of the peak sections can be made thicker than the valley sections, and the two peak sections are internally connected to each other via the pillow section (Claim 1).

In the above-mentioned air mat for infants , the pillow portion has a donut-shaped portion which has an elongated donut shape as a whole, and two upper and lower membrane portions which close the central hole of the donut-shaped portion, the two upper and lower membrane portions being spaced apart from each other vertically, the lower membrane portion having an opening, and the donut hole space surrounded by the donut-shaped portion and the upper and lower membrane portions being configured so that air from the external space is naturally filled through the opening, and the air pressure in the valley portion can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected through an air injection port provided near the rear end of the underside of the valley portion, and the air pressure in the pillow portion and the two peak portions can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected through an air injection port provided near one longitudinal end of the underside of the donut-shaped portion (Claim 2).

The present invention provides an air mat for infants that allows infants to maintain a proper sleeping position according to their height and build while also improving storage and portability.

In other words, in the air mattress for infants according to the inventions claimed in each claim of this application, the air inside the air mattress flows appropriately when pressure is applied from an infant lying on it, and the air in the valleys and peaks acts to gently embrace the infant, wrapping both hands, the left and right sides of the chest, down to the sides and thighs, so that the infant is in a position that is easy to position for ultrasound examination.

At this time, the weight of the infant presses the valleys downward more strongly than the two peaks, and as a reaction the left and right peaks move closer to each other. This deformation of the air mattress keeps the infant in a firm and stable sleeping position.

What's more, if you let the air out of the air mat, it becomes compact, making it easier to store and carry.

In the air mattress for infants of the invention according to claim 1 , the air pressure (degree of inflation) of the valleys and peaks can be made different; for example, if the infant's body is relatively small, the air pressure in the valleys can be made higher and the air pressure in the peaks can be made lower; and if the infant's body is relatively large, the air pressure in the valleys can be made lower and the air pressure in the peaks can be made higher, making it possible to adjust the sleeping position of the infant according to their height and build.

1 is a front view (photograph) showing the configuration of an air mat for infants according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view (photograph) showing the configuration of the air mat for infants. FIG. 2 is a side view (photograph) showing the configuration of the air mat for infants. FIG. 2 is a top view (photograph) showing the configuration of the air mat for infants. FIG. 2 is a bottom view (photograph) showing the configuration of the air mat for infants. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a conventional baby receiving device.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention.

The air mat for infants (hereafter referred to as the air mat) 1, which assumes the shape shown in Figs. 1 to 5 when inflated, is used by having an infant lie on it (in a lateral or supine position, etc.) during an ultrasound examination for congenital hip dislocation, and is equipped with a pillow section 2 on the front for the infant's head to rest on and a main body section 3 on the rear for the infant's body to rest on.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pillow section 2 has a donut-shaped portion 4 that is an elongated donut shape as a whole, and two upper and lower membrane portions 5 and 6 that close the central hole (donut hole) of the donut-shaped portion 4. The two upper and lower membrane portions 5 and 6 are spaced apart from each other, and as shown in Fig. 2, an opening 7 is provided in the lower membrane portion 6 (center in the illustrated example).

In the pillow 2 constructed in this way, the doughnut-shaped portion 4 is sealed (not connected to the outside space), while the doughnut hole space surrounded by the doughnut-shaped portion 4 and the upper and lower membrane portions 5 and 6 is connected to the outside space through the opening 7 and is not sealed. Therefore, when an infant's head is placed on the pillow 2, the upper membrane portion 5 surrounding the unsealed doughnut hole space is more likely to deform due to the weight of the infant's head than the sealed doughnut-shaped portion 4. However, since the doughnut hole space is naturally filled with air from the outside space through the opening 7, the upper membrane portion 5 does not deform suddenly due to the weight of the infant's head, but rather deforms gradually as the air in the doughnut hole space is discharged from the opening 7 to the outside space.

By slowing down the deformation speed of the upper membrane portion 5 in this way, it is possible to prevent the baby's head from being violently shaken when placed on the pillow portion 2, and thus to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. The size of the opening 7 can be appropriately determined with this effect in mind.

Here, if the opening 7 is provided in the upper membrane portion 5, there is a risk that the opening 7 will be blocked by the baby's head when the baby places his or her head on the pillow portion 2. However, in this example, the opening 7 is provided in the lower membrane portion 6, so there is no risk of this happening.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the main body 3 has a valley portion 8 extending in the front-rear direction and two peak portions 9 sandwiching the valley portion from both the left and right sides.

As shown in FIG. 5, the valleys 8 and peaks 9 are each configured so that their thickness increases from both the left and right sides toward the center, and their upper surfaces rise up. The peaks 9 are larger than the valleys 8 in both left-right width and top-to-bottom height.

When the air mattress 1 is constructed as described above, the air inside the air mattress 1 flows appropriately under pressure from the infant laid on it, and the air in the valleys 8 and peaks 9 acts to gently embrace the infant, wrapping both hands, the left and right sides of the chest, down to the sides and thighs, making it easier for the infant to be positioned for ultrasound examination.

At this time, the weight of the infant presses the valleys 8 more strongly downward than the two peaks 9, and as a reaction, the left and right peaks 9 move closer to each other. This deformation of the air mattress 1 keeps the infant in a firm and stable sleeping position.

In addition, in the air mattress 1 of this example, the pillow part 2 (doughnut-shaped part 4) and the two peaks 9 are internally connected, but the valley part 8 is not internally connected to them. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the air pressure (degree of expansion) of the valley part 8 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected from the air injection port 10 provided near the rear end of the underside of the valley part 8, and the air pressure (degree of expansion) of the pillow part 2 (doughnut-shaped part 4) and the two peaks 9 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected from the air injection port 11 provided near one end of the underside of the doughnut-shaped part 4 of the pillow part 2.

And because the valleys 8 and peaks 9 are not internally connected, the air pressure (degree of inflation) of the valleys 8 and peaks 9 can be made different. For example, if the baby's body is relatively small, the air pressure of the valleys 8 can be made higher and the air pressure of the peaks 9 can be made lower, and if the baby's body is relatively large, the air pressure of the valleys 8 can be made lower and the air pressure of the peaks 9 can be made higher. This allows the baby to maintain an appropriate sleeping position according to their height and build.

In addition, if the air inside the air mat 1 is released through the air inlets 10 and 11, the air mat 1 becomes compact, improving storage and portability.

The constituent materials of the air mat 1 in this example may be appropriately selected taking into consideration the above-mentioned uses, and as long as they do not interfere with the inspection, it is possible to use materials used in commercially available vinyl swim rings and air injection ports (which are buried inside the air mat 1 when air is not being pumped in or out, but can be pulled out when air is being injected, and which have a check valve to prevent the injected air from leaking out, and the check valve can be stopped by pressing the base of the port appropriately when the air is released).

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications can be mentioned:

In the above embodiment, the air mattress 1 has been described as being used during ultrasound examinations for congenital hip dislocation in infants, but the invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it can be used as an examination aid (receiving device) for examinations that require infants to be placed in a stable position, such as X-ray examinations, dental examinations, internal medical examinations, and surgical examinations, and can also be used as a simple bed for naps at home, in nurseries, kindergartens, etc.

In the above embodiment, the air mat 1 is divided into two spaces (the valley portion 8 and the rest), and the air pressure (inflation level) of each can be adjusted, but this is not limited to the above, and the air mat 1 may be divided into three or more spaces (in this case, an air inlet corresponding to each compartment can be provided). For example, in the above embodiment, the pillow portion 2 and the two peak portions 9 are connected to each other, but they may be separate compartments. Also, while only one valley portion 8 is provided, multiple valley portions 8 may be arranged between the two peak portions 9 in the longitudinal or lateral direction. Of course, each of the two peak portions 9 may be divided into two or more compartments (spaces). Conversely, the air mat 1 may only have a continuous space.

In addition, the air mat 1 may be filled with a liquid such as water or a solid such as foam beads (such as those used to fill commercially available pillows) instead of air.

It goes without saying that the variations described in this specification may be combined as appropriate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air mat for infants 2 Pillow section 3 Main body section 4 Donut-shaped section 5 Membrane section 6 Membrane section 7 Opening 8 Valley section 9 Peak section 10 Air inlet 11 Air inlet 51 Support mat 52 Receiving frame

Claims (2)

An air mat for infants that can be filled with air and used by an infant lying on it,
The seat is provided with a pillow section on the front side for placing the baby's head and a main body section on the rear side for placing the baby's body.
the main body portion has a valley portion extending in the front-rear direction and two peak portions sandwiching the valley portion from both left and right sides, and only one valley portion having a width smaller in the left-right direction than the peak portion is present between the two peak portions;
The valleys and the peaks are not internally connected,
When air is pumped into the troughs and peaks, the troughs and peaks are configured so that their thicknesses increase from both the left and right sides toward the center and their upper surfaces rise, and the peaks are configured so that their vertical thicknesses are greater than those of the troughs,
The two peaks are internally connected to each other via the pillow portion . The pillow portion has a doughnut-shaped portion that has an elongated doughnut shape as a whole, and two upper and lower membrane portions that close a central hole in the doughnut-shaped portion, the two upper and lower membrane portions being spaced apart from each other vertically, and an opening being provided in the lower membrane portion, and the doughnut hole space surrounded by the doughnut-shaped portion and the upper and lower membrane portions is configured so that air from the external space is naturally filled through the opening,
2. An air mat for infants as described in claim 1, wherein the air pressure in the valley portion can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected through an air injection port provided near the rear end of the underside of the valley portion, and the air pressure in the pillow portion and the two peak portions can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air injected through an air injection port provided near one longitudinal end of the underside of the donut-shaped portion.