Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Carrier for person
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-30
2001-02-06
Vidovich, Gregory M. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Carrier for person
C229S160000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182873
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a soft-type, side positioning infant carrier.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Various kinds of carriers have been devised for enabling an adult to carry an infant on the hip. Such prior art has been limited by problems of comfort and adjustability for the infant and adult.
The first problem of comfort has been partially solved by utilizing two regions of the adult's body for weight distribution. The weight of the infant has typically been distributed to the shoulder and/or the waist regions. For example, the following patents only utilize one strap to either the shoulder or the waist. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,389,005; 4,790,459; 4,901,898.) All of the infant carriers disclosed in these patents do not have the advantages of using an additional weight distribution strap.
Infant carriers that utilize both a shoulder strap and a waist strap can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,233; 4,487,346; 4,724,987; 4,915,277; 4,986,458; 5,441,186. These infant carriers attempt to take advantage of the hip position and the combined attributes of a shoulder strap(s) and a waist strap. However, these carriers have narrow shoulder straps which cause neck and shoulder pain.
The adult carries a large portion of the infant's weight on the shoulder strap. Generally, prior art has focused on placing the shoulder strap over the clavicle bone. The bone has little muscular padding and becomes sore quickly. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,389,005 and 4,724,987 have begun to address this issue, but were unable to fully solve other infant carrier issues and U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,005 did not have a waist strap.
Child comfort has also been addressed in prior art, but there are still significant problems with providing a seat which fully supports the child. When the child is sitting upright there needs to be a large surface area to support the child's hips and thighs. This ensures that the child remains comfortable and his/her back and hips are not unnecessarily stressed (for example, the seat portion of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,233, 4,915,277 and 4,901,898 only support the infants hips.)
An additional area not addressed in prior art is full torso support for the child. The child carrier must fully wrap around the child's sides and extend up the child's back to ensure against the possibility of falling backwards or out the sides. The seat portion of the aboverientioned U.S. Pat. Nos. only have lower back support and the sides do not fully wrap around the child. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,487,346, 4,389,005 and 4,915,277 have added separate back or side straps for support. However, these can slip and leave large portions of the child's body unsupported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An infant carrier with a fabric seat surrounded by an adjustable soft frame made of strap material. The seat is supported by a waist belt and a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap contains a padded shoulder wrap that covers the shoulder area, distributing the infant's weight evenly across the adult's shoulder region. The carrier seat is surrounded by two straps to support and accommodate changes in infant size. The seat's straps also allow the infant's seat to be adjusted separately from the adult's shoulder strap. This is accomplished by using separate straps to adjust the infant's seat and the adult's shoulder strap. The straps surrounding the seat are also wide enough not to constrict blood flow or decrease infant comfort.
The main object of the invention is to create an infant carrier with improved comfort for the infant. This is accomplished by creating a seat with: a high back, wrap around sides, an extended seat for thigh support and an adjustable soft frame made of strap. The seat utilizes a large surface area to support an infant and can be individually adjusted to tailor fit each infant.
Another object of the invention is to create an infant carrier that is of improved comfort to the adult wearer. This is accomplished by the dual factors: a wide waist belt coupled with the shoulder strap means. The portion of the carrier weight borne by the wearer's waist is spread over a broad area Lo dissipate the forces, and the portion of the carrier weight borne by the wearer's shoulder is distributed over the upper humerus bone, shoulder joint and the clavicle bone. The adult is also able to adjust the shoulder strap separately to individualize adjustments for both their infant and themselves. The middle region of the shoulder strap termed—shoulder wrap—is padded with a foam like material. The shoulder wrap gives the adult wearer comfort, while allowing the arm to move freely.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2056925 (1936-10-01), Kimbrough
patent: 4389005 (1983-06-01), Cable et al.
patent: 4492326 (1985-01-01), Storm
Christopher Peter A.
Lorenzini Ann L.
Brevard Maerena
Vidovich Gregory M.
LandOfFree
Infant carrier does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Infant carrier, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Infant carrier will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2565976