Apparatus and method for treating or relieving colicky infants

• US 4,947,832 A
• Filed: 11/23/1987
• Issued: 08/14/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Varta Geratebatterie GmbH
• Original Assignee: Avrum H. Blitzer
• Inventors: Blitzer, Avrum H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Huong Q.
• Application Number:
  US07/123,928
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 128/33, 128/1, 128/34, 128/36, 128/24 R, 128/44, 128/51, 128/52
• US Class Current: 601/56
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0142 Beds
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1418 Cam
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1463 Special speed variation means, i.e. speed reducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5048 Audio interfaces, e.g. voice or music controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0254 with rotary motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0061 Simulated heartbeat pulsed or modulated

Abstract

A colicky infant'"'"'s vestibular and auditory centers are stimulated mechanically to simulate womb conditions to ease the transition from womb to postgestational life. In this soothing method an infant is placed in a crib with a mattress and having padded protective sides assuring appropriate positioning on the mattress, to which is imparted a regular, repetitive low frequency sine wave motion progressively traveling longitudinally thereof with simultaneous vibrations, whereby the infant experiences gentle, low frequency, regular, progressive, traveling sine wave motion plus hearing and sensing subdued vibrations like sensations previously experienced in the womb. The protective padded sides encircling the infant offer a warm enclosure while subduing or muffling exterior sounds. The illustrative apparatus includes an upper, mattress-supporting layer having a longitudinal series of transverse slats, gently moved up and down by motor-driven cams providing a distributed drive producing regular, repetitive, progressively traveling sine wave motion simulating peristalsis effects of an intenstine near a uterine wall. This support layer is also driven by vibrators simulating inter-uterine pulsations of a mother'"'"'s blood, heartbeat, body movements, etc. A one-inch thick foam mattress covering the slats provides the longitudinally traveling sine wave motion undulating up and down about 2 to 7 millimeters (preferably 3.5 to 6.5 mm) at about 7 to 20 cycles per minutes, optimally about 8 to 12 cycles per minute, with wave length from about 24 inches to about 3 inches, and presently preferred from about 18 inches to about 4 inches.

Claims

1. Apparatus for treating or relieving colicky infants by simultating an intra-uterine environment experienced prior to birth by an unborn child in a womb comprising:

a frame for use in a bed adapted for having a mattress positioned thereon on which an infant with colic can be rested,

said frame having a longitudinal direction,

a series of upwardly and downwardly movble elements,

said elements being arranged along the longitudinal direction of said frame, and

distributed drive means acting on said movable elements for producing repetitive and sequential upward and downward motion by said movble elements of about 6 mm to about 10 mm for producing regular, repetitive, predetermined, uniformly advancing traveling sine-wave-like motion progressive in the longitudinal direction of said frame and having frequency in the range of about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which:

a mattress is positioned on said series of upwardly and downwardly movable elements, and

the upper surface of said mattress is moved up and down by an amount in the range from about 2 millimeters to about 7 millimeters by said movble elements, and

said traveling sine-wave-like motion has a predetermined wave length in the range from about 24 inches to about 3 inches.

3. The apparatus as claimed is claim 2, in which the upper surface of said mattress is moved up and down in the range from about 3.5 to about 6.5 mm.

4. The method for treating or relieving a colicky infant in an age range from age zero to six months comprising the steps of:

placing the colicky infant on a support having a longitudinal direction with the infant'"'"'s body extending generally horizontally longitudinally along the support,

imparting a low frequency, repetitive regular and predetermined traveling sine-wave-like motion to said support traveling longitudinally along said support in a frequency range between 7 and about 20 cycles per minute with the amplitude of said traveling sine-wave-like motion being less than about 10 mm,

whereby the colicky infant so positioned on said support will experience a gentle, longitudinally traveling continuous sine-wave-like motion, similar to a sensation which the infant previously experienced in the womb prior to birth.

6. The method for treating or relieving a colicky infant as claimed in claim 4, in which:

said repetitive, regular, predetermined traveling sine-wave-like motion has a predetermined wave length in the range from abut 24 inches to about 3 inches.

5. The method for treating or relieving a colicky infant as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said frequency range is from about 8 to 12 cycles per minute.

7. The method for treating or relieving a colicky infant less than seven months old comprising the steps of:

placing the colicky infant an a support having a surface in supporting relation to the infant and having a longitudinal direction and with the infant'"'"'s body being positioned generally horizontally longitudinally of said support, and

producing in said surface a repetitive predetermined traveling sine-wave-like motion traveling in said longitudinal direction and having a frequency in the range from about 7 to about 20 cycles, and

said repetitive predetermined traveling sine-wave-like motion having a predetermined wave length in the range from about 24 inches to about 3 inches.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, in which:

said repetitive predetermined traveling sine-wave-like motion has an up and down amplitude of motion in the range from about 3.5 mm to about 6.5 mm.

9. Method as claimed in claim 7, in which:

said low frequency traveling sine-wave-like motion has an amplitude of movement up and down of a point on said support surface in the range of about 2 mm to about 7 mm.

10. Apparatus for treating or relieving a colicky infant having an age in the range from zero to six months after birth of such infant, said apparatus comprising:

support means having a support surface against which a body and head of a colicky infant can be rested,

said support surface having a predetermined direction for resting the colicky infant'"'"'s body and head against said support surface with the colicky infant'"'"'s body and head extending generally horizontally along said predetermined direction,

distributed drive means in driving relationship with said support surface,

said driving relationship of said distributed drive means extending along said support surface in said predetermined direction for a distance at least equal to a typical distance from a middle of a colicky infant'"'"'s stomach to the top of the head, and

said distributed drive means producing predetermined movement of said support surface in a regular repetitive traveling sine wave motion having a wave length in the range from about 24 inches in said directions to about 3 inches.

11. The method as claimed is claim 10, in which:

said traveling sine-wave-like motion has a frequency in the range from about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute.

12. The method as claimed is claim 10, in which:

said traveling sine-wave-like motion has a frequency in the range from about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute, and

said traveling sine-wave-like motion has a predetermined wave length in the range from about 18 inches to about 4 inches.

13. Apparatus for treating or relieving a colicky infant as claimed is claim 10, in which:

distributed drive means produce motion having an amplitude between about 2 mm and 10 mm, and

said predetermined movement of said support surface in a regular repetitive traveling sine wave motion having a frequency in the range from about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute.

14. Apparatus for treating or relieving a colicky infant as claimed in claim 10, including:

means for producing vibration of said support surface with accompanying sound having a sound signature in a frequency of 80 to 12,500 Hertz and an intensity of about 40 to 60 Decibels in the "A weighted mode" reference standard of sound frequencies representing a bell-shaped curve representing average human auditory spectrum.

15. Apparatus for treating or relieving a colicky infant as claimed in claim 14, in which:

said distributed drive means produce motion having an amplitude between about 2 mm and 10 mm, and

said predetermined movement of said support surface in a regular repetitive traveling sine wave motion having a frequency in the range from about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute.

16. Apparatus for treating or relieving colicky infants by simulating an intra-uterine environment experienced prior to birth by an unborn child in a womb comprising:

a frame for use in a bed adapted for having a mattress positioned thereon on which an infant with colic can be rested,

said frame having a longitudinal direction,

a series of upwardly and downwardly movable elements,

said elements being arranged along the longitudinal direction of said frame,

distributed drive means acting on said movable elements form producing repetitive and sequential upward and downward motion by said movable elements of about 6 mm to about 10 mm for producing regular, repetitive traveling sine-wave-like motion progressive in the longitudinal direction of said frame and having frequency in the range of about 7 to about 20 cycles per minute,

said frame including a stiffly flexible layer,

said elements being integral strips of said layer,

said strips of said layer extending transversely relative to the longitudinal direction of said frame,

said strips being separated from one another by spaced slots extending transversely relative to the longitudinal direction of said frame for permitting resilient, individual up and down movement of each respective strip,

said distributed drive means including a motor having a drive shaft,

speed-reduction torque-increasing transmission means coupled to said drive shaft,

a plurality of wave-motion cams,

said cams being rotated about a common axis by said transmission means, and

respective cams being positioned beneath mid-portions of respective ones of said strips for causing movement of the individual strips up and down in predetermined sequence for imparting a traveling sine-wave-like motion to said strips and thus to a mattress positioned thereon.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

said wave motion cams are eccentrically offset with respect to their common axis of rotation in a predetermined pattern for imparting a distributed traveling sine-wave-like motion to said strips,

whereby said strips and the mattress positioned thereon move with a regular, repetitive traveling sine-wave-like motion.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which:

said regular, repetitive traveling sine-wave-like motion has a predetermined wave length in the range from about 24 inches to about 3 inches.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which:

said regular, repetitive traveling sine-wave-like motion has a frequency in an optimum frequency range of about 8 to about 12 cycles per minute.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, in which:

said regular, repetitive, predetermined uniformly advancing sine-wave-like motion has a wave length in the range from about 18 inches to about 4 inches, and

means for producing a sound signature having a frequency of 80-12,500 Hertz and an intensity of about 40-60 decibels in the "A weighted mode".