Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Carrier for person
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-06
2001-04-10
Vidovich, Gregory M. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Carrier for person
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213362
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to soft, sling-type infant carriers designed to be worn across the user's front upper body.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Human survival can in part be attributed to the ability of adults to carry infants using their hands. This ability has allowed our species to protect our vulnerable children in the event of predation or other dangers. As humans became involved in foraging and eventually agriculture the necessity to carry children in other ways became paramount. Women as primary care takers needed to be able to use their hands and perform necessary tasks while carrying their infants. In order for work to be accomplished mothers needed to be able to have hands free. The infants needed the security and the ability to nurse as this work was being accomplished.
Today, the ability to carry infants is seen as an opportunity for adults to do necessary tasks, while also nurturing their child. Adults have work to do and infant carriers enable this work to be accomplished with both hands. Infants genetically are still living in the distant past and emotionally need the direct connection to parental security that carrying offers.
Prior art for carrying infants has been primarily broken into two approaches: vertical carriers and horizontal or sling-type carriers. Research today suggests that horizontal carriers are best for young infants that have not yet acquired the musculature to remain seated. Vertical carriers place a large amount of stress on the vertebral column of young infants. The infant's muscular development is simply not able to support the head and upper torso.
The alternative to this approach is a sling-type carrier. Being a more womb-like environment weight is distributed to a larger surface area. Early approaches to slings have focused on relatively wide blankets of fabric that wrap around the wearer's torso. These slings are bulky and difficult to wear and young infants tend to get lost inside the large cloth sling.
These slings have tended to utilize a pair of rings or the like to fasten the sling about the upper body of the wearer. This approach to fastening the sling has allowed the slings to use large fabric blanks, but has tended to keep the slings bulky and blanket-like. The full body wrapping effect of these slings is difficult to wear and unappealing to many adults.
Recently, an approach has been made to increase the usability of slings for both infants and adults (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,925). There are several limiting factors in this approach as well: the fabric is woven so that the sling size and shape is still on the large and bulky side, the shoulder pad is narrow creating ineffective weight distribution, the baby carrier does not offer structural padding at the upper edges of the sling.
Prior art has been forced by design to use woven fabrics that do not offer stretch. This forces the manufacturer to produce a sling that is of a maximum size. This has made them very large for newborn infants who tend to appear lost in the large fabric blanks.
The present invention's use of stretch fabrics has allowed for a sling that starts out small and expands with the infant. As the infant grows the sling is able to stretch in the cradle area beneath structural straps allowing the sling to get larger. This sling supports the infant's development with the stretchable fabric by allowing the newborn to be in a fetal position and still be in visual contact with the adult. As the infant develops they are able to sit up and look out, observe and participate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A sling-type infant carrier with the shoulder pad fixedly attached to the sling body and to an adjustable strap. The sling body assembly consists of a body, two bands, two structural straps and batting. The two bands are differing in length with the band positioned closest the wearer shorter in length than that surrounding the infant. This provides a tailored fit for the adult and a cradle for the infant.
The top bands are fixedly attached surrounding the batting material or the like. The padded top bands offer the infant's head support and protection. In addition the padded bands and the structural straps give the sling body assembly a structure not found in prior art. The structural straps offer the sling body assembly rigidity along the upper horizontal margin to both limit the amount of stretch for the sling body and also to create a solid structure for carrying the infant.
The sling body assembly's shorter back top band and sewn in gathering creates a sling that contains a shorter uppermost length adjacent the wearer's body. The longer front top band allows for a bow shaped cradle while the short top band forms a tailored fit on the adult. The bow shaped cradle creates room for the infant. The tailored fit about the adult facilitates for unobstructed contact with the infant. The sling body and bands are constructed of fabrics capable of stretching that are soft, strong and flexible. For colder climates and weather fabrics, such as, polyester fleece can be used to impart the ideal combination of strength, stretch and warmth. Warmer regions or seasons can utilize thinner, cooler fabrics. The fabric's stretch characteristics can be accommodated by varying the sling body size. Very stretchy fabrics require a smaller sling body size.
The sling body assembly is fixedly attached to a substantially wide shoulder pad assembly. The direct attachment of the sling body assembly to the substantially wide shoulder pad allows for greater weight distribution than can be accomplished by using the Knittel method (Pat. No. 4,757,925) of mounting a shoulder pad onto a strap. The pad is designed for the left shoulder to place the infant's head close to the wearer's heart. The pad can also be designed to be for use on the right shoulder if needed. Future possibilities can be to use hardware to allow for removably fixing the shoulder pad for either right or left shoulder usage. Hardware can be used that also allows for front strap length adjustment and front buckling/unbuckling.
The shoulder pad cover can be constructed of a fabric that is strong and flexible. The shoulder pad contains a padding material. The shoulder pad assembly is fixedly attached on its rear side to an adjustable strap. The adjustable strap is adjustably attached to the rear side of the sling body assembly. Future possibility is a strap adjustment that offers the option of using either shoulder for support.
The main object of the invention is to create a sling-type infant carrier that is of improved fit and comfort for the infant and the adult wearer. The preferred embodiment of the infant sling contains: a soft, stretch fabric for the sling body, padded upper bands and structural straps for comfort and support.
Improved fit for the infant is achieved by the use of stretch fabrics, differing length padded top bands and gatherings of the sling. The stretch of the fabric is controlled by the combination of the fabric blank size, the padded top bands, the gatherings, and the structural straps. The top bands and the structural straps do not allow for significant stretch to occur along the top margin of the sling body. Thus, the sling body has expansion ability below the top margin and the sling has the necessary amount of strength and integrity.
The body of the sling starts out small and expands as the infant develops from a fetal position to a sitting position as the infant's musculature is able. The newborn is held comfortably in a womb type position and the adult can see and connect with the infant. As the infant grows the sling is able to stretch in the cradle area beneath the structural straps, allowing the sling to comfortably support a larger infant in seated positions.
Another object of the present invention was to create an infant carrier in which the infant and adult can be in visual contact with each other. The bow shaped cradle and padded top bands create a carrier that is open along the top edges to allow for eye contact
Christopher Peter A.
Lorenzini Ann L.
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