Baby monitor receiver having indicator display and dual position clip

• US 5,210,532 A
• Filed: 09/03/1991
• Issued: 05/11/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited), Vernay Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gerry Baby Products Co. (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Renforth, Jack W., Kelley, Ted F., Knoedler, Roy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hill, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US07/753,718
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 340/762, 340/782, 340/815.03, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/573, 455/67.7, 455/89, 455/90, 455/157.2, 455/159.1, 455/159.2, 455/347, 455/351, D14/137-140, D14/155, D14/159, D14/188-193, D14/197, D14/198, D14/248-253, D21/111, D10/104, D10/106, D10/109, 361/380, 361/392, 361/417, 361/419, 361/422, 361/427, 446/26, 446/175, 379/174, 379/446-450, 379/454-457, 379/430, 248/126, 248/691, 248/692, 248/231.8, 248/316.7, 224/197, 224/242, 224/245, 224/252, 224/254, 224/269
• US Class Current: 340/12.55
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/08 Constructional details, e.g. cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/93 Attached to animate bearer

Abstract

A baby monitor receiver is provided for use in combination with a transmitter unit. The receiver includes a plurality of LED'"'"'s positioned along the front upper edge of a housing for providing a visual indication of signals received by the receiver. The LED display is positioned such that they may be easily viewed from a variety of locations relative to the housing of the receiver and ranging from a location directly in front of the receiver to a location directly above the receiver. In addition, a clip member is provided on a rear portion of the housing for supporting the receiver from a person'"'"'s belt as well as for acting as a leg to support the housing in an upright position.

Claims

1. A receiver for use in monitoring a baby, said receiver comprising:

a housing defining front and rear sides,

opposing upper and lower edges and opposing first and second lateral edges connecting said front and rear sides,

means defining a groove in said upper edge adjacent to said front side,

a plurality of light emitting diodes located within said groove,

said groove being formed such that light emitted from said diodes will be transmitted from said housing in a first direction perpendicular to a plane defined by said front side and in a second direction parallel to said plane defined by said front side,

a clip member and pivot means connecting said clip member to said rear side for pivotal movement to move said clip member from a first position with an edge of said clip member adjacent an upper end of said housing to a second position with said edge of said clip member adjacent a lower end of said housing, and

wherein said clip member, in said first position, is adapted to be attached to a belt worn on the waist of a person to locate said front side in a substantially vertical position, and said clip member, in said second position, forms a support leg extending in angular relationship to a portion of said rear side with said edge of said clip member located in spaced relation to said lower edge of said housing such that said edge of said clip member and said lower edge of said housing are positioned to engage a horizontal surface to support said housing with said front side in a substantially vertical position.

2. The receiver of claim 1, including a lens portion extending over said groove, said lens portion including an outer surface and opposing first and second longitudinal edges, wherein a plane tangential to said outer surface adjacent to first longitudinal edge lies substantially perpendicular to a plane tangential to said outer surface adjacent to said second longitudinal edge.

3. The receiver of claim 2, wherein said first and second longitudinal edges extend from said first lateral edge to said second lateral edge.

4. The receiver of claim 2, wherein said lens portion between said first and second longitudinal edges defines an arcuate cross-section.

5. The receiver of claim 1, including a lens portion extending over said groove wherein said upper edge defines an arcuate shape and said lens portion includes opposing first and second longitudinal edges, said first and second longitudinal edges extending parallel to said arcuate upper edge from said first to said second lateral edge.

6. A receiver for use in monitoring a baby, said receiving comprising:

a housing defining front and rear sides,

opposing upper and lower edges and opposing first and second lateral sides connecting said front and rear sides,

upper and lower housing portions located adjacent to said upper and lower edges, respectively, said upper and lower housing portions defining upper and lower non-parallel rear side portions,

a clip member including first and second legs and an arcuate portion joining said legs, and

pivot means connecting said clip member to said upper rear side portion, said clip member being pivotable about said pivot means to a first position wherein said clip member extends substantially adjacent to said upper rear side portion such that said legs and said arcuate portion are located to engage a belt worn on the waist of a person to support said receiver, and a second position wherein said clip member extends substantially adjacent and at an angle to said lower rear side portion such that said arcuate portion and said lower edge of said housing are located to engage a horizontal surface to support said upper portion in a substantially vertical position.

7. The receiver of claim 6, including protrusions formed on said rear side for cooperatively engaging with said clip member to define said first and second positions.

8. The receiver of claim 6, including means defining an aperture in said clip member whereby said receiver may be hung on a fastener extending through said aperture.

9. The receiver of claim 6, including means defining a groove formed in said upper edge adjacent to said front side and a plurality of light emitting diodes located within said groove, wherein said groove is formed such that light emitted from said diodes will be transmitted from said housing in a first direction perpendicular to a plane defined by said front side and in a second direction parallel to a plane defined by said front side.

10. The receiver of claim 6, wherein said upper and lower housing portions are disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other.

11. The receiver of claim 10, including a battery compartment formed in said lower housing portion for receiving a plurality of double A size batteries.

12. A receiver for use in monitoring a baby, said receiver comprising:

a housing defining front and rear sides,

opposing upper and lower edges and opposing first and second lateral edges connecting said front and rear sides,

upper and lower housing portions located to said upper and lower edges, respectively, said upper and lower portions being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other,

said upper edge defining an arcuate shape and including means defining a groove adjacent to said front side,

a plurality of light emitting diodes located within said groove and spaced substantially uniformly across said arcuate upper edge for being sequentially illuminated to indicate the strength of a signal received by said receiver,

a lens portion covering said groove, said lens portion having opposing first and second longitudinal edges and defining an arcuate cross-section between said front side and said upper edge such that an outer surface of said lens portion adjacent to said first longitudinal edge lies substantially tangential to said front side of said housing and said outer surface of said lens portion adjacent said second longitudinal edge lies substantially tangential to an outer surface of said upper edge,

a clip member having first and second legs extending substantially parallel to each other, and an arcuate portion connecting said first and second legs,

pivot means attached to said rear side at said upper portion, said pivot means connecting said clip member to said housing for pivotal movement between two positions in a plane substantially parallel to said rear side at said upper portion, and wherein said clip member may be positioned in a first position extending substantially adjacent to said upper portion whereby said clip member may support said transmitter on a belt, and said clip may be positioned in a second position extending substantially adjacent to said lower portion whereby said clip operates as a support leg for cooperating with said lower edge to support said transmitter on a horizontal surface with said upper portion in a substantially vertical position.

13. A receiver for use in monitoring a baby, said receiver comprising:

a housing defining upper and lower edges,

an elongated clip having opposing first and second ends,

a connection point connecting said first end of said clip to said housing, and

wherein said clip is movable relative to said housing between a first position where said clip extends in an upward direction from said connection point with said second end adjacent to said upper edge of said housing, and a second position where said clip extends in a downward direction from said connection point opposite from said upward direction.

14. The receiver of claim 13 wherein said clip includes a first leg located adjacent to said housing attached to said connection point and a second leg connected to said first leg at a location on said first leg distal from said connection point.

15. The receiver of claim 13 wherein said connection point defines a pivot axis extending in a direction away from said housing and passing through said clip, said clip pivoting about said pivot axis during movement between said first and second positions.

16. The receiver of claim 13 wherein said second end of said clip moves through approximately 180°

of movement in moving from said first to said second position.

17. The receiver of claim 13 including means for positively locating said clip in said first and second positions whereby movement of said clip out of each of said first and second positions is inhibited.