U.S. patent application number 13/772894 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-21 for strap-on child carrier with support seating element.
The applicant listed for this patent is Steve CHA. Invention is credited to Steve CHA.
Application Number | 20140231472 13/772894 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51350447 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140231472 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHA; Steve |
August 21, 2014 |
STRAP-ON CHILD CARRIER WITH SUPPORT SEATING ELEMENT
Abstract
A child carrier device includes a support seat affixed to a
fastening strap adapted to be worn around a waist area and wherein
the support seat is configured to substantially support the weight
of a child, and a restraining strap detachably coupled above the
support seat and configured to provide upper body support.
Inventors: |
CHA; Steve; (Franklin Lakes,
NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CHA; Steve |
Franklin Lakes |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51350447 |
Appl. No.: |
13/772894 |
Filed: |
February 21, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/160 ;
224/159 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D 13/025
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/160 ;
224/159 |
International
Class: |
A47D 13/02 20060101
A47D013/02 |
Claims
1. A child carrier device comprising a support seat affixed to a
fastening strap adapted to be worn around a waist area and wherein
the support seat is configured to substantially support the weight
of a child; and a restraining strap located above the support seat
and configured to provide upper body support.
2. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the
fastening strap includes a stiffening element.
3. The child carrier device according to claim 2, wherein the
stiffening element is a continuous flat strip along the length of
the fastening strap.
4. The child carrier device according to claim 2, wherein the
stiffing element is plurality of lateral stiffening elements
located at predetermined intervals along the length of the
fastening strap.
5. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the seat
includes a non-slip cover material.
6. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the seat
includes a hollow configured to provide a secure seating
surface.
7. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the
restraining strap is configured to be attached to around a waist
area in a continuous detachable loop fashion.
8. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the
restraining strap is configured to be attached to a user by
shoulder straps.
9. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the
restraining strap is configured to be attached to a user by a
wearable vest garment.
10. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the seat
is adapted to be worn around a waist area in a plurality of
different positions.
11. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the seat
is formed of a rigid material such as one selected from the group
comprising plastic, fiberboard or reinforced cardboard.
12. The child carrier device according to claim 1, wherein the
restraining strap is detachably coupled to the support.
13. The child carrier device according to claim 17, wherein the
support seat further comprising a pocket for storage.
14. A child carrier device comprising a support seat affixed to a
fastening strap adapted to be worn around a waist area, and wherein
the support seat is configured to substantially support the weight
of a child; a carrier compartment integrally coupled above the
support seat, and a strap coupled to the carrier compartment to
fasten around an upper body.
15. The child carrier device according to claim 14, wherein the
strap is configured as a more than one piece.
16. The child carrier device according to claim 14, wherein the
strap is a shoulder strap.
17. The child carrier device according to claim 16, wherein the
strap is a garment vest.
18. A child carrier device for providing a structure for partially
supporting the weight of the child comprising a support seat
affixed to a fastening strap adapted to be worn around a waist
area, wherein the fastening strap includes a stiffing element and
wherein the support seat is configured to substantially support the
weight of a child.
19. The child carrier device according to claim 18, wherein the
seat is adapted to be worn around a waist area in a plurality of
different positions.
20. The child carrier device according to claim 18, wherein the
support seat further comprising a pocket for storage.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a strap on child carrier
that provides both straps for securing the child and an additional
feature of a rigid shelf support structure for assisting in bearing
the load of the secured child.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] It is known to utilize strap on child carriers that hold a
child for an adult, so that the adult can have greater mobility and
flexibility with their arms while holding the child. Such strap-on
carriers typically take the form of a compartment carrier device,
or a sling. Typically, the sling device is configured to completely
wrap the child's body. The sling may include openings placed in
appropriate positions for the child's arms and legs to protrude
through the sling while the child's torso is supported by the
sling, thus allowing the child's arms and legs to move freely.
Alternate versions may completely cover or support the child
without leaving any openings for arm and legs.
[0005] Typically, the sling type child carriers will hold the child
on the front of the adult, and are usually appropriate for small
newborn infants, although there are alternate types which may be
used with larger children. The soft infant carriers are typically
constructed of a fabric material configured as a sling. The sling
will wrap around the adults over one or both shoulders and envelope
the child like a blanket and support the child within the
sling.
[0006] In the compartment carrier type, typically the child is
supported in a front or rear facing orientation using a device that
is strapped to the adult's body using a number of straps, usually
over the shoulder and around the waist. These carriers that are
intended for larger children typically are constructed with
additional support structure and may include a more rigid carrier
that can be faced toward the adult or away from the adult so that
the child can be held in either orientation. The supports may
include any type of lateral or longitudinal stiffeners which assist
in making a more structurally sound compartment for carrying the
child. These carriers, typically provide a capsule or compartment
that the child may be placed into, the compartment is usually a
separate structure that can be separated from the straps that
retain the carrier to the adult. In this way the carrier can be
removed from the adult user without removing the child from the
carrier compartment. These carriers also typically are held onto
the adult wearing the unit by way of shoulder while the child is
suspended with most of weight of child extending from the shoulder
straps, and sometimes a waist strap is added for stability.
[0007] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical prior art type
carrier depicting the child carrying compartment 100, and shoulder
straps 102 and a waist strap 104. The compartment as depicted in
FIG. 1 shows opening for both arms and legs, however not all such
prior art designs incorporate such openings. The compartment 100
may completely encase the child. Also, the shoulder straps 102 are
depicted, which carry the majority of the child's weight in prior
art designs, while the waist strap merely provides stability for
the lower portion of the compartment 100.
[0008] These types of carriers however, both have drawbacks in
terms of usability and functional flexibility. First, all of the
typical prior art child carriers predominantly rely upon shoulder
strap support for support. This can cause a problem for the typical
user during extended wear due to the fact that support is provided
through the users shoulders and back and thus fatigue and pain can
result. Also, according to prior art designs, the majority of the
load bearing is carried through the shoulder straps, leading to a
concentration of force on the shoulder straps. By concentrating
force on the shoulder straps, not only is all the child's weight
supported by the adult's torso, thus resulting in pain or injury,
but there can also be pain caused by the localization of force and
weight on the adult's shoulders. Further, some infants are bigger
than their peers so the conventional carriers have limited usage as
they grow out quickly at the age of 6 month to 8 month old.
[0009] Additionally, due to the design of the prior art carriers,
there is little flexibility in how the child can be carried once
the child in placed in the sling or compartment. Therefore, it is
very difficult to alter the child's position once they are placed
in the carrier. Because the child position cannot be altered
easily, muscle fatigue and pain for the adult may result and
additionally discomfort may result for the child. Moreover, due to
complex strap mechanism, it is not intuitive and easy to strap the
baby by a user, and even requires two people to strap the baby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is therefore an objective of the present invention to
provide a child carrier that provides an alternate support
structure for the child, which more evenly distributes the child's
weight over the adult's body, mainly the waste and hip area.
[0011] It is therefore a further objective of the present invention
to provide a child carrier that provides more flexibility for
positions in which the child can be carried and also makes it
easier to load the child onto the carrier.
[0012] It is therefore a further objective of the present invention
to provide a child carrier that provides for the ability of the
adult to easily change the positions and also for one adult to
easily load the child onto the carrier.
[0013] It is therefore a further objective of the present invention
to provide a child carrier that minimizes strain on the adult's
shoulders and upper torso.
[0014] It is therefore a further objective of the present invention
to provide a less bulky and easy to use child carrier.
[0015] There is therefore provided a child carrier comprising a
child carrier device comprising a support seat affixed to a
fastening strap adapted to be worn around a waist area and wherein
the support seat is configured to substantially support the weight
of a child. The child carrier further includes a restraining strap
located above the support seat and configured to provide upper body
support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The above and other exemplary aspects, features and
advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the STRAP-ON CHILD
CARRIER WITH SUPPORT SHELF according to the present invention will
become more apparent to a person or ordinary skill in the art from
the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art carrier depicted in use
on an adult.
[0018] FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2B is side perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2C is a front perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention having
a child placed on the carrier.
[0021] FIG. 2D is a perspective view of straps for securing a child
using the inventive child carrier according to the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of the inventive child carrier
according to an embodiment of the present invention having a child
placed on the carrier.
[0023] FIG. 4A is a rear view of the inventive child carrier
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 4B is a rear view of the inventive child carrier
according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 4C is a rear view of the inventive child carrier
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 4D is a rear view of the inventive child carrier
according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an alternate embodiment of the present
invention.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the inventive child
carrier according to an alternate embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a side view of the inventive child carrier
according to another alternate embodiment of the present
invention.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a front view of the inventive child carrier
according to another alternate embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be
described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, well-known functions or constructions
may not be described in detail when they would obscure appreciation
of the present invention by a person of ordinary skill in the art
with unnecessary detail of the well-known functions and structures.
Also, the terms used herein are defined according to the functions
of the present invention as would be understood by a person of
ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the terms may vary depending on
user's or operator's intention and usage. That is, the terms used
herein must be understood based on the descriptions made herein in
view of the ordinary level of skill in the art. In all figures, the
substantially same elements are given the same reference number,
and overlapping descriptions are omitted.
[0033] The present invention described hereinafter provides a strap
on child carrier of improved design that provides a support shelf
seat as a load bearing component together with a plurality of
straps that may be configured in a variety of manners for holding
the child securely as well as for providing an improved way to
adjust how the adult can hold the child. The seat is attached to a
fastening strap or belt which is worn by the adult user around the
waist and can be positioned on the front or side of an adult so
that the child can be shifted into a variety of positions.
Additionally, the child can be placed on the seat in either a front
or rear facing orientation. There are also provided a variety of
straps and restraining bands to assist in holding the child close
to the adult's body and securely supported on the seat.
Alternately, the adult can utilize only the seat portion without
the straps or bands. In this embodiment the seat acts to minimize
the weight that the adult must hold with their arms as some of the
load bearing is performed by the support seat coupled to a waste
belt so that the weight can be more effectively distributed around
the waste and hip area when compared to the conventional art. In
this embodiment it is particularly easy for the adult to move and
re-position the child, and also without the need of another
person's help, while still minimizing the stress and strain on the
adult's arms and torso by providing the addition load bearing
support seat. In this configuration, the present invention is
particularly useful for short term use, when a full carrier is not
needed or when the adult does not need their arms free for other
tasks, but still desires or needs the additional support that the
seat provides so as to avoid fatigue and strain on their arms and
back.
[0034] The support seat can be held on the adult by a band or strap
around the adult in a location approximately at the waist such as a
belt, and may be made of a lightweight rigid material with
sufficient strength to support a child's weight without deformation
such as plastic, fiberboard, reinforced cardboard or other such
material. Additionally the seat and straps may be covered with a
soft fabric, cloth or cloth-like material to provide a comfortable
surface that is not abrasive or irritating to the skin while still
providing sufficient friction so that the child does not slip off
the seat. The material should also be durable and easy to clean.
Non-limiting examples include natural and blend textile cloths such
as wool, cotton, polyester and nylon or leather or imitation
leather fabric. One skilled in the art will however realize that
the choices for the exterior covering are not limited to the
examples giving herein, but may also include other equivalent
fabrics and materials. Padding may also be added for extra comfort.
In addition, the seat may be shaped to more securely hold the child
by providing a depression or hollow in the seat into which the
child can be seated. This depression or hollow will align the child
on the seat and maintain the child within the seat edge
boundaries.
[0035] The strap for holding the support seat to the adult may
typically be wide to provide adequate support and even distribution
of the load. The seat strap may also include stiffeners in the area
where the support seat is attached to the strap to prevent the
strap from folding or twisting and to prevent the support seat from
pivoting downward under the weight of the child.
[0036] The child support straps or bands can include a variety of
shapes and configurations that will be described hereinafter which
can be used to provide support for the child and thus leave the
adults arms free for other tasks, while still providing the
additional load bearing support of the seat, so that pressure and
force on the adults torso is minimized.
[0037] Turning now to FIG. 2A, there is shown a front perspective
view of the inventive child carrier according to an embodiment of
the present invention. In the view shown in FIG. 2A the child
carrier 200 is shown having a seat component 202 and a restraining
strap component 204. The seat component 202 and restraining strap
component 204 are preferable attached together into a single unit
behind the adult user (not seen in this view) although the child
carrier may also be implemented in two pieces where the seat
component 202 and the restraining strap component 204 are two
separate units. The seat component preferably comprises two parts,
the seat 206 and the seat fastening strap 208. As stated above, the
seat may be made of a lightweight rigid material with sufficient
strength to support a child's weight without deformation such as
plastic, fiberboard, reinforced cardboard or other such material.
Additionally the seat and straps may be covered with a soft cloth
or cloth like material. The seat 206 is attached to the fastening
strap 208 such that the two components are securely attached and
may not be separated or torn apart. The attachment can be carried
out by stitching or bonding the two sections together or using
other techniques and method known in the art.
[0038] The fastening strap 208 is preferably constructed of a soft
flexible material such that it may easily be wrapped around the
user and fastened to the user's body in the same manner as a belt.
Typical materials known in the art for such straps may include
nylon, polypropylene, canvas or other materials known to one
skilled in the art. While the fastening strap 208 is constructed of
a soft material, there are also provided stiffeners 210 to prevent
the seat from being pushed or pivoted downward under the weight of
a child. Alternatively, the stiffeners 210 may be provided inside
the fabric of the fast strap 208 and the seat 206 as a single piece
or two pieces. The stiffeners 210 may typically be plastic, metal,
reinforced cardboard, fiberboard or any material providing adequate
rigidity and stiffness to counteract the weight of an infant, a
toddler, or a child. The stiffeners 210 may be either a single
piece that extends the full length of the fastening strap 208 and
is flexible in the longitudinal direction so that the fastening
strap 208 can bend to wrap around the user while also being rigid
in the lateral direction to prevent bending, folding or twisting of
the fastening strap. Alternatively, the stiffeners 210 may be a
single piece inside the seat 206 and the strap 208. Alternately the
stiffeners 210 may be comprised of a plurality of stiffening
columns that are arranged vertically along the length of the
fastening strap 208. In either configuration, the stiffeners 210
are positioned to prevent the fastening strap 208 from rolling or
folding over due to the force applied to the seat component 206 by
the weight of the child and to prevent the seat component 206 from
pivoting down due to the weight of the child. In addition the
stiffener piece or columns act to evenly distribute the force
applied to the seat by the weight of the child along the length of
the belt and in that way provides a structure that is both
comfortable for the user to wear as well as provide adequate
support for the seat 202. The stiffeners 210 may be located on the
exterior of the fastening strap 208 or may be installed within the
fastening strap 208 and covered by the exterior material.
[0039] Further, the fastening strap 208 can be fastened around the
waste or hip area of a user using a releasable attachment
mechanisms, which may include but are not limited to hook and loop
fasteners, buckle, snaps, buttons, laces, belt type fastener,
zippers, velcro, and the like know to those stilled in this art or
any combination thereof. Similarly, the restraining strap component
204 can use any of the aforementioned attachment means or any
combination thereof.
[0040] In FIG. 2B, there is shown a side view of the inventive
carrier positioned and fastened to an adult user. In the depiction
of FIG. 2B, the inventive carrier is shown positioned on the users
side. In other words, the support seat component 202 can be rotated
around the users hip. In this position, the user may optionally
hold the child with one arm while the child is seated facing the
user or facing outwardly, leaving the other arm free, or may use
the restraining strap 204 to secure the child, leaving both arms
free. In the depiction of FIG. 2A the inventive carrier is shown
without a child carried on the seat component 202, while FIG. 2C
depicts a front view of the inventive carrier with a child placed
on the support seat and secured against the adult's body by the
restraining strap 204. As shown in FIG. 2D, the restraining strap
204 may be comprised of one strap or two or more straps. In either
configuration the straps may be used by wrapping them around the
user's body and around the child as shown in FIG. 2C. Depending on
the design, the thickness of the retraining strap 204 can varied.
The restraining strap may be further affixed by any attachment
mechanism known in the art for attaching or closing open ends of
material together. These releasable attachment mechanisms, which
may include but are not limited to hook and loop fasteners, buckle,
snaps, buttons, laces, belt type fastener, zippers, velcro, and the
like know to those stilled in this art or any combination
thereof.
[0041] Turning now to FIG. 3 there is shown a close-up side view of
the inventive child carrier depicting the seat component 206 and
seat fastening strap 208 and the restraining strap component 204.
Also seen in this view is the back portion of the restraining strap
component 204 which wraps around the adult user and also around the
child to securely restrain the child. Thus the combination of the
restraining strap 204 and the seat component 202 securely hold the
child against the user's body without placing any pressure on the
adult's shoulders and the child's back. By having a seat component
206 as a load bearing surface the weight of the child is mostly
supported on the seat, while the restraining strap acts to prevent
the child from falling forward and also further supports the weight
of the child to reduce the back pressure when mounted on the seat
component 206. The strap provides extra support by holding the
child against the adult user sufficiently to add a component of
vertical support in addition to preventing the child from tipping
forward (horizontal support). However, because the seat component
206 provides most of the load bearing capacity (vertical support),
the restraining strap 204 need not be tighten excessively such that
it would place excessive force on the child or adult user. It
should be further noted that the baby can be fastened in a reverse
direction to face the adult while fastened by the strap 204.
[0042] Turning now to FIG. 4A, there is shown a rear view of an
adult user wearing the inventive child carrier. There is shown the
seat component fastening strap 208 and the restraining strap
component 204. The seat component fastening strap 208 includes a
locking or buckling device 402 for connecting the ends of the
fastening strap 208 together. The locking device 402 may be a hook
and loop fastener, a buckle such as is commonly used on a belt,
buckle, snaps, buttons, velcro, or a zipper, although other types
of locking or attaching devices as are known in the art may also be
used. The locking device 402 also may include an adjusting
mechanism as is known for such devices so that the user may
lengthen or shorten the fastening strap as needed to conform to
their body. By adjusting the fastening strap the user can conform
the fastening strap tightly and securely to their body and waste
and thus provide support for the seat component 202. For example,
one such means of adjustment would be hook and loop fastener
segments which can be overlapped to effectively length or shorten
the fastening strap depending on the length of the overlapped
segment, alternately a belt buckly type device may also be
used.
[0043] Also depicted in FIG. 4A is the restraining strap 204 which
is wrapped around the user and as previously described, provides
extra support by holding the child against the adult user
sufficiently to add a component of vertical support in addition to
preventing the child from tipping forward (horizontal support). The
restraining strap 204 may be comprised on a single piece that is
wrapped around the user and affixed using an attachment mechanism
as previously described. In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 4A, the
restraining strap 204 may be long enough to wrap around not only
the user but the child as well as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3. In
another embodiment the restraining strap may be comprised of two
pieces as shown in FIG. 4D which may be connected to both wrap
around the user as well as the child. Here, both the restraining
strap 204 and the fastening strap 208 is integrated as one single
unit, but it can be detachable separated from each other in
according to another embodiment. Any configuration of two
restraining straps may be utilized to provide adequate length to
wrap around both the adult user and the child. In other words, one
longer strap may be used to wrap around the user, while a shorter
strap is also provided that can be used to hold the child and
provide both horizontal and vertical support. Both of the straps
may be provided with attachment mechanisms as described above.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 4B there is shown an alternate
embodiment of the present invention wherein the restraining strap
204 may be configured to attach as an over the shoulder strap 412
arrangement. In this alternate embodiment, which may be worn in any
number of over the shoulder configurations as shown in FIGS. 4B and
4C, there are provided straps 412 that go over the users shoulders
and can be used to restrain the child. In this arrangement the
shoulder straps 412 may be attached to a restraining strap 204 to
hold the child as will be depicted in FIG. 5. While this alternate
embodiment provides over the shoulder straps for the user, the
child carrier of the present invention minimizes the force on the
user's shoulders by including the seat component 202 which provides
most of the load bearing support for the child. Thus, according to
the present invention, the load of the child is more evenly
distributed over the adult user's body, in particular to the waste
and hip area and fatigue and pain can be minimized.
[0045] Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown an alternate
embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 depicts the child
carrier 200, having shoulder straps 412 which are attached to a
restraining strap 204. The restraining strap 204 may be adjustable
so that it can be lengthen or shorted in order to provide adequate
room for the child, but also be tight enough to secure the child
and prevent falling. The restraining strap 204 can be detachably
released from the shoulder strap using any of the fastening
mechanism mentioned throughout the specification. Additionally this
embodiment further includes the seat component 202 attached to the
seat component fastening strap 208.
[0046] Turning now to FIG. 6, there is shown a further alternate
embodiment of the inventive child carrier 200 which includes a
wearable vest or garment, 602, a detachable restraining strap 204,
a seat component 202 and a seat component fastening strap 208. The
vest 602 may be formed as an integral piece with the seat component
fastening strap 208 and seat component 202. Alternately in this
embodiment the vest 602 may be a separate component from the
fastening strap 208 and seat component 202. Likewise, the
restraining strap may be a separate piece that is detachable from
the vest 602 or may be integrally connected to the vest 602.
Additionally, the restraining strap 204 may be adjustable such that
the height of the strap 204 relative to the seat component 202 may
be varied. In this way the child carrier 200 may be adapted for use
with children of varying heights by moving the restraining strap
lower for smaller children and higher for larger children. As
previously described with respect to other embodiments the
restraining strap 204 may be adjustable in length in order to
account for use with different size children. In accordance with
this embodiment, the restraining strap 204 may be adjustable by
providing an attachment mechanism which has a plurality of
attachment points. The variable height attachment mechanism may
include a hook and loop fastener strip, buttons, snaps or other
similar attachment means which can be varied so that the
restraining strap can be attached at different heights.
[0047] Turning now to FIG. 7, there is show a further alternate
embodiment of the inventive child carrier 700. In the embodiment
depicted, there is provided a seat component 202, a fastening strap
component 208 and a flip up restraining shield 702. In the
embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, the flip up shield 702 is attached
beneath the seat component 202. The shield 702 is configured in
such as way as to provide room for the child's legs to comfortably
extend beyond the seat component 202 when the shield is folded into
the up position. Once placed in the up position the shield 702 can
be held in the upright position by fastening components 704 such as
buckles, snaps, button or hook and loop fasteners which can engage
with complementary fastening components provided on the user (not
shown) for anchoring and holding the restraining shield 704 in an
upright position. The complementary fastening components can be
provided on the user on a wearable vest, or on a wrap around strap
or over the shoulder strap which can be worn by the user. In this
way the fastening components 704 can engage with complementary
fasteners to hold the restraining shield in an upright position and
thus secure the child against the users body. Similarly to other
embodiments described earlier, by having a seat component 202 as a
load bearing surface the weight of the child is mostly supported on
the seat, 206 while the restraining shield 704 acts to prevent the
child from falling forward and also further supports the weight of
the child. The strap provides extra support by holding the child
against the adult user sufficiently to add a component of vertical
support in addition to preventing the child from tipping forward
(horizontal support) and minimize the back pressure when mounted on
the seat 206. However, because the seat component 202 provides most
of the load bearing capacity (vertical support), the restraining
shield need not be tightened excessively such that it would place
too much force on the child or adult user.
[0048] The restraining shield 702 may preferably be made from a
soft fabric material that is both durable and soft, thereby
providing a secure and comfortable restraining device. Such fabrics
may include cloths such as wool, cotton, polyester and nylon,
although the choices are not limited to such materials.
[0049] Turning now to FIG. 8, there is shown a further alternate
embodiment of the present invention where in the seat component 202
may be utilized with a prior art child carrier compartment or be
integrated into the prior art type carrier as a single piece thus
providing a seat support according to the teachings of the present
invention. In this embodiment the seat component may be placed
under the child in a location such that additional load bearing
support is provided by the seat component 202, thereby minimizing
the force on the prior art child carrier shoulder straps. In this
way the force on the adult user's shoulders and torso is minimized
and fatigue and strain can be lessened.
[0050] Turning now to FIG. 9, there is shown a further alternate
embodiment of the present invention where in the seat component 202
may be utilized separately without any other restraining device
optionally. In this embodiment, the adult user will hold the child
with one or two hands. In this embodiment the seat component is
placed under the child in a location such that additional load
bearing support is provided by the seat component 202, thereby
minimizing the force on the user's arms and torso and fatigue and
strain can be lessened. In this embodiment the seat 206 acts to
minimize the weight that the adult must hold with their arms as
some of the load bearing is performed by the seat 206. In this
embodiment it is particularly easy for the adult to move and
re-position the child, while still minimizing the stress and strain
on the adult's arms and torso by providing the addition load
bearing support seat 206. In this configuration, the present
invention is particularly useful for short term use, when a full
carrier is not needed; when the child may be alternately carried or
set down repeatedly; or when the adult does not need their arms
free for other tasks but still desires or needs the additional
support that the seat 206 provides so as to avoid fatigue and
strain on their arms and back. In this embodiment, the seat 206 can
be further provide with a pocket or sealable pocket for storing
items.
[0051] While the invention has been described in connection with a
presently preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art
will recognize that many modifications and changes can be made
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention,
which accordingly is intended to be defined solely by the appended
claims. For example, the strapping mechanism around the shoulder
area can be achieved by any known combination of strap means known
to artisians as long as the seating element 202 and seat 206 are
used in conjunction. Also, the size of the seat 206 can be varied
depending on the design preference.
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