US3545012A - Infant's shampoo accessory - Google Patents

Description

. Dec. 8,-1970 c. A. ESPIN INFANTS SHAMPOO ACCESSORY Filed Jan. 6, 1969 v INVENTOR. CARLos A. Esp: N

ATTORNEY-S United States Patent 3,545,012 INFANTS SHAMPOO ACCESSORY Carlos Alfonso Espin, 1016 Ilseworth Ave., Charlotte, N.C. 28200 Filed Jan. 6, 1969, Ser. No. 789,235 Int. Cl. A47k 3/12 US. Cl. 4-159 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An infants shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and a lavatory for facilitating the washing of an infants hair including a body support member for supporting an infants body, a positioning member carried by one end portion of the body support member and extending downwardly therefrom, and a head and neck rest member carried by said one end portion of said body support member and extending upwardly therefrom with a concave portion in the upper portion thereof to receive the back of the neck of an infant therein.

This invention relates to a shampoo accessory and more particularly to an infants shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and a lavatory for supporting an infants head in position over the lavatory to facilitate washing an infants hair while obviating the likelihood of injury to the infants neck.

It is desirable during the shampooing of an infants hair to prevent soap, Water and the like from coming in contact with the infants eyes, and to position the infants head so that all portions of his hair are readily accessible for shampooing. This may be accomplished by placing the infant on a countertop adjacent a lavatory in a supine position with his head suspended over the lavatory. However, while all portions of the infants hair are accessible and may be shampooed without soap and water coming into contact with the infants eyes, extreme difliculty has been heretofore encountered in properly supporting his head, usually with one hand, so as to avoid possible injury to his neck while attempting to shampoo his hair with the other hand.

Further, most countertops become quite slippery when wet and the danger of the infant falling therefrom has been a major concern. The splashing water has also been a messy problem since no provision has heretofore been made for such water to drain back into the lavatory.

Thus, an object of this invention is the provision of a shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and a lavatory to facilitate the shampooing of an infants hair wherein the infants body is supported in a supine position on a countertop with his head suspended over a lavatory and wherein the aforementioned problems heretofore encountered with supporting an infant in such a position are obviated.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of a shampoo accessory wherein the infant is supported comfortably with his head freely suspended over a lavatory for free access to all portions of the infants hair without any appreciable likelihood of his falling from the countertop or of injury to the infants neck.

According to the present invention, these objects are accomplished by providing an infants shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and a lavatory comprising a body support member adapted to rest on a countertop adjacent a lavatory for supporting an infants body, a positioning member carried by one end portion of the body support member and extending downwardly therefrom, and adapted to extend down- 3,545,012 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 wardly into the lavatory and to engage one side thereof to anchor the shampoo accessory in position for shampooing of an infants hair, and a head and neck rest member carried by said one end portion of said body support member and extending upwardly therefrom and having a concave portion in the upper portion adapted to receive the back of the neck of an infant for supporting the neck with the head freely suspended over the lavatory so that all portions of the hair are readily accessible for shampooing without substantial likelihood of injury to the infants neck.

The above and more desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by the invention, together with a more complete understanding of the invention will be comprehended upon reading the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an infants shampoo accessory according to this invention when in use with a countertop and a lavatory;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the infants shampoo accessory of this invention looking in the opposite direction from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of embodiment of an infants shampoo accessory.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, there is illustrated an infants shampoo accessory, generally indicated at 10 which is preferably formed of a waterproof or non-moisture absorbing material that is attractive in appearance and easy to clean. Preferably, the accessory 10 is of one-piece molded construction and is formed of expanded polystyrene because of the economy of manufacture, its high coeflicient of friction and its cushioning effect when supporting an infants body. However, any other suitable plastic or other material may be utilized without departing from the present invention.

The infants shampoo accessory 10 comprises a body support member 11 adapted to rest on a countertop C adjacent a lavatory L for supporting an infants body. A positioning member 12 is carried by one end portion of the body support member 11 and extends downwardly therefrom and is adapted to extend into lavatory L to engage one side thereto to anchor the shampoo accessory in position and prevent the same from slipping away from the lavatory L. A head and neck rest member 13 is carried by the same end portion of the body support member 11 and extends upwardly therefrom, member 13 has a concave portion 14 in the upper medial portion thereof which is adapted to receive and support the back of the neck of an infant whereby the head may be freely suspended over the lavatory L.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the body support member 11 is a relatively thin rectangular tray having a substantially flat bottom surface adapted to rest on the fiat countertop C and a top body support surface 15 which is declined toward the head and neck rest member 13 for reasons which will soon become readily apparent. An upwardly extending flange 16 is disposed along the sides and the end opposite the rest member 13 of body support surface 15, and a groove 17 extends around the sides and end of the body support surface 15 parallel to and adjacent the flange 16. Head and neck rest member 13 has drainage means comprising a pair of holes 20 therethrough which communicate with groove 17 at one end thereof and with lavatory L at the other end thereof so that water may drain along groove 17 through holes 20 and into the lavatory L.

The body support member 11 may take on various sizes and shapes as desired. [In thisrespect, body support member 11 may have a planar top body support surface 15' for use with various sized infants or children as shown in FIG.:5.

Depending on the material used to form body support member 11, it may be desirable to provide a friction or nonslip surface as by a pad of rubber, sponge or the like (not shown), on the top surface 15 or 15' on which the infants body is supported to increase the stability of the infant in relation to the body support member 11. In like manner the bottom surface of the body support member 11 may be provided with a friction or nonslip surface as by a pad of rubber, sponge or the like (not shown) to prevent relative movement between the accessory and the countertop C and to minimize marring of the surface of the countertop C.

As already indicated, it is preferable to form the shampoo accessory 10 from molded expanded polystrene which has a high coefficient of friction and thus, would inherently have the aforementioned friction or nonslip surfaces and the infants weight usually is sufficient to hold the accessory 10 in position. In addition molded expanded polystyrene may be made reltaively soft and would not mar the countertop C.

Positioning member 12 may extend perpendicular to body support member 11, but preferably has a beveled surface 21 for engaging the beveled surface of one side of the lavatory L. Also, the amount of downward extension of the positioning member 12 may vary as desired.

The concave portion 14 in head and neck rest member 13 has a thickness and curvature suitable for receiving and supporting an infants neck and the lowermost portion of concave portion 14 is preferably elevated slightly from the top surface 15 of the body support member 11 to provide a comfortable support whereby the head of the infant is comfortably supported and freely suspended over the lavatory L. The surface of the concave portion 14 is preferably oval and without sharp extrusions which would cause discomfort to the infant.

In the use of the shampoo accessory 10, the body support member 11 is positioned on a countertop C as shown in FIG. 1, with the positioning member 12 extending downwardly into the lavatory L with beveled surface 21 engaging the surface of one side of the lavatory L. An infant is placed in a supine position with the infants neck supported in the concave portion 14 of the head and neck rest member 13 and with the head freely suspended over the lavatory L so that all portions of the hair are readily accessible for shampooing without any substantial likelihood of injury to the infants neck. Accordingly, both hands of the person shampooing the infants hair are free and may be used for this purpose while the infant remains comfortable without likelihood of injury and with very little danger of receiving soap and water in the eyes.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An infants shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and a lavatory for facilitating the washing of an infants hair comprising a body support member adapted to rest on a countertop adjacent a lavatory for supporting an infants body thereon, a positioning member carried by one end portion of the body support member and extending downwardly therefrom and adapted to extend downwardl into the lavatory and to engage one side thereof to anchor the shampoo accessory in position during shampooing of an infants hair, and a head and neck rest member carried by said one end portion of said body support member and extending upwardly therefrom, said head and neck rest member having a concave portion in the upper portion adapted to receive the back of the neck of an infant therein for supporting the neck ond head of the infant with the head freely suspended over the lavatory so that the hair is readily accessible for shampooing without any substantial likelihood of injury to the infants neck.

2. An infants shampoo accessory according to claim 1 wherein the shampoo accessory is formed from a nonmoisture absorbing material.

3. An infants shampoo accessory according to claim 1 wherein the body support member has a top body support surface declining toward the head and neck rest member and wherein the head and neck rest member includes drainage means for draining water from the body support member into the lavatory.

4. An infants shampoo accessory according to claim 3 wherein the body support member has a groove in the top body support surface extending around and adjacent the edges of the body support member and wherein the head and neck rest member includes drainage means comprising open passages in communication with said groove and lavatory for drainage of water from the body support member into the lavatory.

5. An infants shampoo accessory for use in conjunction with a countertop and lavatory for facilitating the washing of an infants hair comprising a body support member adapted to rest on a countertop adjacent a lavatory for supporting an infants body thereon and having an upward extending flange around the edges thereof and a groove between the flange and the remainder of the body support member extending around the body support member and adjacent the flange for drainage of water from the remainder of the body support member, a positioning member carried by one end portion of the body support member and extending downwardly therefrom and adapted to extend downwardly into the lavatory and to engage one side thereof to anchor the shampoo accessoryin position for shampooing of an infants hair and a head and neck rest member carried by said one end portion of said body support member and extending upwardly therefrom and having drainage means in communication with said groove and lavatory, said head and neck rest member also having a concave portion in the upper portion adapted to receive the back of the neck of the infant therein for supporting the neck and head of the infant with the head freely suspended over the lavatory so that the hair is readily accessible for shampooing without any substantial likelihood of injury to the infants neck.

6. An infants shampoo accessory according to claim 5 wherein the shampooing accessory is of one piece molded construction and formed from expanded polystyrene.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,313 7/1909 Lovett 4l59 2,474,572 6/1949 Brose et a1. 4l59 2,599,217 6/1952 Artman 4l59 2,658,512 11/1963 Tcheong 4-159X 3,026,537 3/1962 Schnell 4l59 3,428,361 2/1969 Reynolds 4l59 MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner L. I. PAYNE, Assistant Examiner I

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