1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to baby monitors, and more particularly, to two-way communication baby monitors with a soothing unit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Two-way communication baby monitors are known. Additionally, crib entertainment devices are also known. Parents frequently wish to monitor their child""s activity while not within an audible range of the child. Baby monitors have been used to provide such a function. Baby monitors have been developed that allow two-way communication so that a parent may talk to the infant being monitored to reassure or soothe the infant. Entertainment devices, such as mobiles, have also been configured to provide a one-way monitoring function as well as to provide remotely operated entertainment features.
These two-way monitoring devices and entertainment devices typically exist as separate units in a child""s room. For example, the baby unit of the monitor is typically located in the child""s room in some area near the crib, while the entertainment device is typically a separate unit that is attached to the crib.
Because these units are separate, parents are required to maintain the operation of each unit and to keep track of the various monitors and controllers that are associated with each product. Moreover, infant""s rooms often have limited space and multiple devices create unwanted clutter. Whereas there have been attempts to overcome this problem by placing monitors and entertainment devices in cribs or suspended above cribs, there is a need for a baby monitor capable of providing two-way communication as well as having soothing features that are part of a single baby unit.
A baby monitor system with a parent unit communicable with a baby unit having a soothing unit is provided. In an embodiment for the baby monitor system of the present invention, the baby unit is responsive to receiving a signal representative of an audible sound transmitted from the parent unit and the parent unit is responsive to receiving a signal representative of an audible sound transmitted from the baby unit.
In an embodiment for a method of the present invention, a method for monitoring a baby is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving a signal representative of an audible sound at a baby unit from a parent unit, receiving a signal representative of an audible sound at a parent unit from a baby unit, and actuating a soothing unit included in the baby unit.