GB2270619A

GB2270619A - Child carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2270619A
Application number: GB9319518A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bryan Clifford Sykes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-09-22
Filing date: 1993-09-22
Publication date: 1994-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2013-09-22
Also published as: GB9220021D0; GB2270619B; GB9319518D0

Abstract

A device for carrying a young child comprises a seat unit (10) adapted to rest against a hip while supported by a shoulder strap (12). The seat unit (10) has an upper seat portion (14) shaped like a bicycle saddle, and a downwardly-extending rear portion (16) adapted to bear against the flank of the person using the device. The shape and form of the seat portion (14) enables the child to sit astride with legs straddling the forward part of the seat unit while facing outwards away from the adult. Merely by the adult resting a hand of the front horn part (14a) of the seat unit, the child can readily be kept in position and freedom of movement is not unduly impeded. <IMAGE>

Description

CHILD CARRYING AID The present invention relates to a carrying aid for use by adults in carrying very young children.

For most adults it can be very tiring to carry a young child, even a very young infant, in their arms for any length of time, and although many women can alleviate the problem to some extent by partially resting the child on one hip, the problem can be particularly acute for men whose hips generally do not project as much as those of women.

Although it is known to provide various kinds of bag or sack-like child carriers, for example a rucksack type carrier, these are often not altogether satisfactory and may be suitable only for very young babies rather than for slightly older babies or young children. Other designs of child carrying aids have also been proposed in which a seat type support is provided for the child together with a strap arrangement for attaching to the body of the adult using the device (see for example GB678225, GB2201083 and US1464404). However, in general these other proposed designs also have not been entirely satisfactory, especially insofar as features of comfort, ease and convenience of use, and safety have been concerned, and they do not appear to have been commercially developed to any significant extent.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved design of child carrying aid which, at least potentially, is more versatile and more practical for carrying young children than carriers hitherto available.

According to the present invention, a carrying aid for wearing by adults for use in carrying young children comprises a seat unit connected to opposite ends of a strap that is arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device with the seat unit lying at about hip level on the other side, said seat unit having an upper seat portion which in use projects laterally outwards, away from the user's body, and a downwardly-extending rear portion which provides a load-transmitting pressure surface adapted to rest against the user's body when a child is mounted on said seat portion, characterised in that said seat portion has the general shape of a bicycle saddle, that is with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower forwardly extending horn part, said seat portion thus being adapted to enable the child mounted thereon to sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion, facing outwards with the legs straddling the forwardly extending horn part.

It has been appreciated that from a practical aspect it is important that the child being carried by the adult using the device should be able to sit facing outwards, and that to keep the child in place minimum restraint and attention by the adult should be necessary. This is achievable in embodiments of the present invention.

In preferred embodiments, the seat unit is of cantilever form and comprises a rigid frame of inverted Lshape in longitudinal cross-section which may conveniently be fabricated as a one-piece plastics moulding. In this frame structure, the part which forms the downwardly extending rear portion of the seat unit can be in the form of a plate element that will generally be suitably padded, for example by a resilient foam material bonded thereto, in order to distribute the load. Optionally, it may also be shaped with a shallow transverse concavity to conform more closely with the contour of the side of the user's body.

Preferably, the frame structure will also be enclosed within a padded, washable and removable cover, made of textile material for example, which may also provide a storage space.

The ends of the shoulder strap may be pivotally attached to the seat unit, either directly or indirectly through releasable snap-link connectors, via suitable anchorage means, studs for example, provided at opposite sides of the upper seat portion of the seat unit, towards or adjacent the rear end thereof. The shoulder strap itself will generally be provided with length adjusting buckle means so that it can be adjusted in length to suit different wearers and to allow the height of the seat unit to be altered according to weight of the child. The shoulder strap may also be provided with a shoulder pad, preferably in the form of a slidably-adjustable padded sleeve, for fitting against the user's shoulder and cushioning it against the weight of the child.

In addition, a safety strap may also be provided if desired which is preferably fitted with a quick-release buckle and which is adapted to clip around the child's chest to maintain the child in position, the ends of this safety strap being conveniently secured to appropriate portions of the shoulder strap. Furthermore, if required the seat unit may also be connected to a restraining strap adapted to be fitted around the wearer's waist in order to prevent any tendency of the seat unit to swing away from the body if the wearer should bend or lean over towards one side.

By way of example, the construction of a child carrying aid in accordance with two embodiments of the invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a diagram showing the general form of the device of this invention and indicating the manner in which it is worn by the user; FIGURE 2 is a general arrangement perspective view of a first prototype version of the device, representing a first embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the seat unit of the device of FIGURE 2; FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the seat unit; of this first embodiment; FIGURE 5 is an underside perspective view of the same seat unit with padding material removed for clarity; FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the seat unit of a second embodiment which is a preferred production version and includes a rigid frame structure fabricated as a one-piece moulding; FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the frame structure of the second embodiment shown in FIGURE 6; FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of the frame structure, and FIGURE 9 is an underside perspective view of the frame structure of this second embodiment.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, the child carrying aid illustrated therein comprises a seat unit 10 connected to opposite ends of a shoulder strap 12 which is worn by the user with the strap extending over one shoulder and obliquely across the body so that the seat unit 10 lies at about hip level on the other side, as indicated in FIGURE 1.

The seat unit 10 comprises an upper seat portion 14 which, in this particular prototype embodiment, is provided by the seat shell of a bicycle type saddle that has a substantially triangular shape in plan view with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower forwardly extending horn part 14a. The seat unit 10 also comprises a downwardly extending rear portion which is provided by a back-plate 16 of sheet metal material, such as sheet aluminium, securely bolted through a bracket 18, conveniently formed by a length of aluminium angle strip, to the underside of the seat portion 14 at the rear end thereof, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 5.

The back-plate 16 is also connected in this particular embodiment to the seat portion 14 through a strut 20, conveniently made of aluminium rod, fitted at its forward end in a recessed protrusion 22 towards the front horn part 14a of the seat portion 14 on the underside thereof. At its rearmost end the strut 20 is fitted in a recessed block 24 bolted to the lower part of the backplate 16.

The back-plate 16 itself in this embodiment is also slightly curved so that its rear face presents a shallow transverse concavity towards the side of the wearer's body, matching more closely the contour thereof, and as shown most clearly in FIGURE 4 it is padded with soft cushioning material 26, especially over the rear face which provides a pressure surface that rests against the user's body when in use.

The ends of the shoulder strap 12 in this embodiment terminate in D-rings 28 and are attached to the saddle-like seat part of the seat unit 10 through releasable snap-link connectors 30 anchored to laterally projecting attachment studs 32 fixed to the seat portion 14 at either side, towards the rear end thereof, thereby providing pivotal interconnections. To permit the effective length of the shoulder strap to be adjusted to suit the wearer, an adjusting buckle 34 is provided of a conventional type.

The shoulder strap 12 is also provided with a padded sleeve 36 which can be slidably adjusted to position it to fit against the user's shoulder to form a cushion.

The embodiment illustrated is also provided with a safety strap 40, as shown in FIGURE 2, which is secured at opposite ends to portions of the shoulder strap 12 and which includes a quick-release buckle 42 so that it can readily be clipped around the child's chest to give extra security.

In use, with the device being worn substantially as indicated in FIGURE 1, the young child to be carried is simply mounted astride the saddle type seat unit, facing outwards with legs straddling the seat portion 14. In this position, the child can then readily be carried around and needs only to be held lightly by one arm to maintain bodily contact, the adult's other arm being left entirely free, and since the child's weight is taken mainly by the shoulder strap 12 and by the padded back-plate 16 resting against one hip, very little muscular effort is required to carry the child for relatively long periods.The saddle shape is important not only for making it easy to put the child in position and to face outwards, but also it is generally easy for the adult to keep the child in position merely by resting one hand on the forward horn part 14a of the saddle seat as is also indicated in FIGURE 1.

As mentioned, for extra security, the safety strap 40 may be clipped or fastened around the child's chest during carrying, and also, if desired, the saddle type seat unit 10 could be connected to an additional strap (not shown) adapted to be releasably secured around the wearer's waist so as to keep the seat unit in position if the wearer should bend over or lean to one side.

In the second embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6 to 9, a modified form of seat unit, here designated by the reference numeral 110, comprises an upper seat portion 114 and a downwardly extending rear portion 116 provided by integral parts of a unitary frame structure 115. This frame structure 115 is fabricated as a one-piece fibreglass plastics moulding that forms a fairly rigid load-bearing shell shaped as shown. Again, as in the first embodiment the upper seat portion 114 is of substantially triangular form in plan view, having the general shape of a bicycle saddle with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower forwardly extending horn part 114a towards the front.The downwardly extending rear portion 116 of the frame structure 115 conveniently extends at an angle of about 1000 to 1100 relative to the upper seat portion 114 and it may be moulded so that, in transverse cross-section, the rear face is slightly concave as described in relation to the first embodiment. This rear face of the rear portion 116 is also bonded to a layer of resilient foam padding 117 which acts an cushioning material and spreads the load when in use.

The load bearing characteristics of the moulded frame structure 115 are enhanced by an inturned integral peripheral flange, and the mechanical strength is such that no strut beneath the cantilever-like projecting seat portion 114 is considered to be necessary in this embodiment. The seat unit 110 is completed as indicated in FIGURE 6 by enclosing the frame structure 115 within a padded and washable removable cover 119 that may be tied in place by tapes 123. As shown, the padding within the cover 119 is preferably arranged so as to provide a storage space, such as cavity 121, which may be used for example for storing a spare nappy or other small items.

For attaching the shoulder strap 112 in this embodiment, a pair of laterally projecting attachment studs 132 are fixed to the frame structure 115, one at each side, adjacent the rear end of the upper seat portion thereof.

These studs 132 may be releasably connected to the respective ends of the strap 112 by engagement within keyhold shaped slots 131 in end portions of the latter, as indicated in FIGURE 6.

Again, as with the first embodiment, a safety strap equivalent to the safety strap 40 shown in FIGURE 2 may be provided if desired, as well as an additional strap adapted to be secured around the wearer's waist.

It will be appreciated that many other detail modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, the above embodiments being described purely by way of example. In particular, especially for large scale production, a range of different materials may be employed, and in one other possible alternative construction the seat portion and the downwardly-extending rear portion may be formed of separate parts adapted to be hinged or releasably connected together to permit the device to be folded or packaged into a compact condition when not in use.

Claims

1. A carrying aid device for use by adults in carrying young children, said device comprising a seat unit connected to opposite ends of a strap that is arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device with the seat unit lying at about hip level on the other side, said seat unit having an upper seat portion which in use projects laterally outwards, away from the user's body, and a downwardly-extending rear portion which provides a loadtransmitting pressure surface adapted to rest against the user's body when a child is mounted on said seat portion, characterised in that said seat portion has the general shape of a bicycle saddle, that is with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower forwardly extending horn part, said seat portion thus being adapted to enable the child mounted thereon to sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion, facing outwards with the legs straddling the forwardly extending horn part.

2. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein opposite ends of the shoulder strap are connected to opposite sides of the seat portion of the seat unit towards or adjacent the rear end thereof.

3. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the opposite ends of the shoulder strap are detachably connected to the seat portion of the seat unit through stud and slot connecting means.

4. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said stud and slot- connecting means comprise a pair of attachment studs projecting laterally outwards from said seat portion, one at each side.

5. A carrying aid device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the seat portion of the seat unit is of cantilever form and comprises a moulded structure of generally triangular form in plan view.

6. A carrying aid device as claimed in any of the preceding claims further characterised in that the seat unit comprises a rigid load-bearing frame structure.

7. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the load-bearing frame structure is of inverted L-shape in longitudinal cross-section and is fabricated as a one-piece plastics moulding so that the downwardly-extending rear portion is integral with the part of the frame structure that provides the upper seat portion.

8. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 6 or 7 wherein the downwardly-extending rear portion of the seat unit is provided by a part of the load-bearing frame structure to which is secured or bonded a layer of resilient cushioning material.

9. A carrying aid device as claimed in any of Claims 6 to 8, further characterised in that the load bearing frame structure of the seat unit is enclosed within a removable padded outer cover.

10. A carrying aid device as claimed in Claim 9 wherein said outer cover when in position provides an accessible storage space for small items beneath the upper seat portion.

11. A carrying aid device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein an additional safety strap is secured at opposite ends to the shoulder strap and includes releasable fastening means that enable it to be fastened around the child's body during use so as to give extra security.

12. A carrying aid device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the saddle type seat unit is connected to an additional strap adapted to be releasably secured around the waist of the adult person using the device.

13. A carrying aid for use in carrying young children, constructed and arranged substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1 to 5, or Figures 1 and 6 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of carrying a young child comprising the steps of putting on and wearing a carrying aid device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, and then placing the child on the saddle type seat unit so as to sit astride facing outwards with legs straddling the seat portion.