CANOPY SEAL FOR INFANT CARE APPARATUS

• US 20040034273A1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Boris, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 6,699,173 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/002 height-adjustable patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/003 height-adjustable heater
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/006 by pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/009 with hand insertion windows, e.g. in the walls

Abstract

An infant care apparatus having a canopy movable vertically with respect to an infant platform. The canopy has a lower edge mating with upper peripheral edges of a plurality of vertical walls forming an infant compartment. At least one of the vertical walls is a door pivotally affixed to the infant platform and rotates between open and closed positions. A seal is located on the lower edge of the canopy to seal against the upper peripheral edge of the vertical walls. An elongated flange of the seal is affixed to the canopy by hardware and a cover flap extends downwardly from the upper edge of the flange to cover the hardware. A sealing flap extends downwardly and inwardly toward the infant compartment from the lower edge of the flange. A flexible material is co-extruded with the seal for the sealing flap and a hinge between the flange and the cover flap.

Claims

1. An infant care apparatus, said infant care apparatus comprising an infant platform, a plurality of vertically oriented walls extending upwardly from said infant platform forming an infant compartment having an upper peripheral edge, a canopy having a lower edge, said canopy being vertically movable with respect to said infant platform between a lower position where said lower edge of said canopy seals against said upper peripheral edge of said walls and an upper position where said canopy is displaced upwardly from said upper peripheral edge of said walls, and a seal adapted to seal between the lower edge of said canopy and the upper peripheral edge of said canopy when said canopy is in said lower position, said seal having an elongated rigid flange having an inner surface affixed to said lower edge of said canopy and having an outer surface, said seal having a sealing flap constructed of a material more flexible than said rigid flange and said sealing flap extending downwardly from a lower edge of said elongated flange and inwardly toward said infant compartment, said seal having a flexible cover flap extending downwardly from an upper edge of said elongated flange to enclose the outer surface of said elongated flange.

2. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said walls is pivotally affixed to said infant platform to open outwardly and downwardly with respect to said infant compartment.

3. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover flap has a distal edge adapted to be releasable affixed to said elongated flange.

4. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover flap is integrally hingedly affixed to the upper edge of said flange.

5. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said cover flap is hingedly affixed to said upper edge of said flange by means of a material more flexible than said material of said elongated flange

7. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said sealing flap is a flat, planar surface integrally molded to said elongated flange.

8. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said sealing flange is comprised of flexible material of about an 80A Shore durometer.

9. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said sealing flap extends inwardly at an angle of from about 120 degrees to about 150 degrees with respect to the plane of said elongated flange.

10. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said sealing flap extends inwardly at an angle of about 135 degrees

6. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said intermediate material is a polyolefin material identified as Alcryn and having a flexibility of about 80A Shore durometer.

11. A seal adapted to be affixed to the lower edge of a canopy that fits over an upper peripheral edge, said seal comprising an elongated rigid flange having a front surface and a rear surface, said flange being adapted to be affixed to the lower edge of the canopy with said rear surface facing the lower edge, said flange being comprised of a unitary piece construction and having a lower portion and an upper portion, a sealing flap of a flexible material that extends downwardly and angularly from said lower portion of said flange, said seal further having a flexible cover flap extending from said upper portion of said flange and adapted to enclose the front surface of said flange.

12. A seal as defined in claim 11 wherein said seal includes a hinge coextruded into the one piece seal and located between said cover flap and said rigid flange.

13. A seal as defined in claim 11 wherein said hinge is constructed of a more flexible material than the rigid elongated flange.

14. A seal as defined in claim 13 wherein said elongated flange is constructed of polyvinyl chloride and said hinge is constructed of a polyolefin material identified as Alcryn.

15. A seal as defined in claim 11 wherein said cover flap has a distal end that is adapted to be locked to said lower portion of said flange.

16. A seal as defined in claim 15 wherein said lower portion of said flange has a groove formed therein, and said distal end of said cover flap is adapted to be interfitted with said groove to lock said distal end of said cover flap to said lower portion of said flange.

17. A seal as defined in claim 16 wherein said distal end of said cover flap comprises a tab adapted to be interfitted into said groove.

18. A seal as defined in claim 11 wherein said sealing flange is comprises of a material having greater flexibility than said elongated flange.

19. A seal as defined in claim 18 wherein said elongated flange is comprised of PVC and said sealing flange is a polyolefin material known as Alcryn.