Abstract:
A modular child&#39;s harness and knapsack is disclosed having a waist belt, two shoulder straps, and gear that attaches to the waist belt and shoulder straps. The lower ends of the shoulder straps are foldable so that they may be folded up for use by a smaller child, and later unfolded as the child grows taller.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a knapsack harness, and more particularly to a modular child&#39;s harness with adjustment features that allow the harness to be continued to be used as a child grows. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     Many different types of backpacks, daypacks, knapsacks, bookbags, and waistpacks exist for camping, hiking, sports, recreation, travel, and other needs. Most are specifically designed for adults, and some are designed for children. Although prior art packs for children typically have adjustments to allow them to fit a range of children, they are optimized for a particular size child and designed for a specific activity. One pack may be appropriate for camping, another for picnicking, another for hiking, another for school and sports, etc. This requires that several packs be purchased for a child, and as the child grows, larger equipment must be purchased. 
     What is needed and not provided by the prior art is a simple child&#39;s pack that can grow with the child, and be adapted for many different uses over the course of many years. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a modular pack system that can be configured for many different uses, and can expand as a child grows larger and participates in more activities. 
     In its simplest form, a pack system constructed according to the present invention starts with a simple waist belt and a clip attached to a loop for sliding onto the belt. The clip can be used to attach a favorite toy or other object to the child&#39;s belt. The belt is adjustable and releases with a plastic buckle. 
     Other small items can be attached to the belt, such as a water bottle pouch (first small capacity, then large.) A small pouch can later be added to the belt to hold a snack, sunglasses or other small items. A larger pouch can be added by itself or in conjunction with the previous items to hold such things as a camera or jacket. 
     To the same waist belt a pair of shoulder straps can be added to provide the next modular platform. In the preferred embodiment plastic loops are arranged along the outside of the back of the shoulder straps for attaching gear such as a ground cloth, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, bag for food &amp; clothes, fishing pole, tent, etc. These items can be added one by one to the shoulder strap and waist belt combination as the child is able to carry more. In this way a child can begin to participate at an early age in an activity such as backpacking. As the child progresses, new components can be added and/or subtracted without having to purchase the entire pack at the outset or having to repurchase entirely new gear at every stage of development. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the disclosed pack system is modular as described above. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the rearward lower ends of the shoulder straps are provided with a hingable section adjacent to where the shoulder straps slidably attach to the waist belt. The end portion is initially folded up and secured in a retracted, J-shaped position when the child is small. After the child has grown, the end portion is released and extended, thereby expanding the distance between the waist belt and the attachment points on the shoulder straps. This allows the same harness to be used and fit properly over the course of many more years. 
     In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a pack bag is provided that may be alternately carried by a handle, a single shoulder strap, or attached to the knapsack harness system. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the rigidity of the knapsack is provided mainly by the attached gear rather than by the shoulder straps, waist belt, or a frame. This allows the knapsack to be extremely lightweight, a feature particularly important for smaller children. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view showing a pack apparatus constructed according to the present invention for a small child and having a sleeping bag and snack pouch. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view similar to FIG. 1 for a small child and having a sleeping bag, pad and water bottle. 
     FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view similar to FIG. 1 for a large child and having a backpack bag, sleeping bag and pad. 
     FIG. 4A is a front perspective view showing a waist belt. 
     FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a clasp for attaching to the waist belt. 
     FIG. 5A is an upper front perspective view showing a pack harness constructed according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 5B is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the detail of a chest strap connection. 
     FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 C— 5 C in FIG.  5 A. 
     FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 D— 5 D in FIG.  5 A. 
     FIG. 6A is a lower rear perspective view showing a pack harness constructed according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6B is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the detail of an attachment loop connection. 
     FIG. 7A is a side elevation view showing a pack harness constructed according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 7B is a fragmentary side elevation view showing a shoulder strap with its proximal end portion in a retracted position. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a pack bag, shoulder belt, and water bottle. 
     FIG. 9 is a front perspective view showing a configuration with shoulder straps, pack bag, and no waist belt. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a pack system  10  constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. Pack system  10  is highly modular, and can be assembled in a variety of configurations. The simplest configuration for a small child starts with a waist belt  12 , shown by itself in FIG.  4 A. Single item, can be added to waist belt  12  using clip  14  which is attached to belt  12  with hook and loop type fastener  16 , as shown in FIG.  4 B. As shown in FIG. 1, items such as a snack pouch  18  can be attached by sliding over belt  12 . 
     When the child has grown some, shoulder straps  20  and  22  can be added to belt  12  to allow more gear, such as sleeping bag  24 , to be attached to the modular harness system. Shoulder straps  20  and  22  include attachment loops  26  so that straps  28  can be used to attach a variety of gear to shoulder straps  20  and  22 . Preferably, attachment loops  26  are provided every 2 inches so that attached items can be adjusted (raised or lowered) or re-positioned for best fit and most comfort. Attaching gear to shoulder straps  20  and  22  provides rigidity to pack  10 , as there is no frame or pack bag built in. Releasable chest straps  30  and  32  span across the front of shoulder straps  20  and  22  to provide further positioning thereof. Chest straps  30  and  32  are slidable along shoulder straps  20  and  22 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a larger pack  10 ′ can be configured by adding sleeping pad  34  to shoulder straps  20  and  22 , and adding water bottle  36  to waist belt  12 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, an even larger pack  10 ″ can be configured by adding pack. bag  38 . Pack bag  38  has two upper attachment fittings  40  (shown in FIG. 6B) and two lower releasible cl ps  42  (shown in FIG. 8) that mate with attachment loops  26  and adjacent webbing  60 , respectively, to attach bag  38  to shoulder straps  20  and  22 . In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, shoulder straps  20  and  22  are lengthened for a larger child by unfolding and extending the lower portions of shoulder straps  20  and  22 , as will be more fully described below. In all of the configurations, it is preferable to locate the heaviest items as low as possible on shoulder straps  20  and  22 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 4A, waist belt  12  is shown. Mating halves  44  and  46  of a plastic buckle are provided on opposite ends of waist belt  12  to allow belt  12  to be releasible and fully adjustable over a wide range of children&#39;s waist sizes. Preferably, a second layer of webbing  48  is sewn to waist belt  12  in the rear region thereof to provide extra rigidity there. 
     Referring to FIGS. 5A and 6A, detailed views of the harness are shown. Shoulder straps  20 ′ and  22 ″ each include a main padded portion  50  and  52 , respectively, and a lower connecting portion  54  and  56 , respectively. The upper ends of connecting portion  54  and  56  are adjustably connected to main padded portions  50  and  52  by plastic buckles  58 . Buckles  58  are permanently attached to webbing  60 , which runs along the outer length of padded portions  50  and  52  and secures attachment loops  26  thereto. 
     The lower ends of connecting portions  54  and  56  have loops  61  that are permanently connected to fabric loops  62 , which in turn are sewn into the bottom portions of main padded portions  50  and  52 . Preferably, loops  61  slidably receive waist belt  12  and are maintained just to the outside of waist belt loops  68  by fabric loops  62 . 
     The lower ends  64  and  66  of main padded portions  50  and  52 , respectively, are provided with waist belt loops  68  for slidably receiving waist belt  12 . Although not required, hook and loop type fastening elements (not shown) can be employed within loops  68  and/or on waist belt  12  to prevent the lower ends  64  and  66  of shoulder straps  20  and  22  from sliding once properly positioned on waist belt  12 . 
     Hinge portions  70  are provided horizontally across main padded portions  50  and  52  just above waist belt loops  68 . Hinge portions  70  are preferably created by removing padding along this line or compressing the padding with stitching. Hinge portions  70  allow lower ends  64  and  66  to be folded up against adjacent portions  72  and  74 , respectively, to shorten main padded portions  50  and  52 , as will be further described below. 
     Referring to FIG. 5B, a detailed view of the connection between chest strap  32  and shoulder strap  22  is shown (main padded portion  52  of shoulder strap  22  is removed for clarity.) Cross buckle  76  is slidably captivated by shoulder strap webbing  60 . Chest strap  32  is wrapped around main padded portion  52 , stitched to itself to form a loop therearound, and is also slidably captivated by cross buckle  76  at a right angle to webbing  60 . Chest strap  32  may slide up and down main padded portion  52  for adjustment when being worn, but is prevented from sliding too easily by the friction therebetween. Opposite chest strap  30  is connected to shoulder strap  20  in a similar fashion. 
     Referring to FIG. 5C, a cross-section of the front of main padded portion  52  is shown, taken along line  5 C— 5 C in FIG.  5 A. Preferably, main padded portion  52  is constructed by surrounding closed cell foam padding  78  with fabric  80 , such as nylon. Preferably a layer of heavy nylon webbing (“scuba webbing”)  81  is located between padding  78  and fabric tube  80  to provide more structure and durability to padded portion  52 . Webbing  60  is attached to the outside by stitching through both sides of main padded portion  52 . The front of main padded portion  50  is constructed in the same manner. 
     Referring to FIG. 5D, a cross-section of the rear of main padded portion  52  is shown, taken along line  5 D— 5 D in FIG.  5 A. Preferably, an extra layer of webbing  82  is provided between webbing  60  and fabric  82 , having a width in between that of webbing  60  and main padded portion  52 . The extra layer of fabric  82  provides a more solid and stronger surface on the rear of shoulder straps  20  and  22  where attachment loops  26  are connected. The rear of main padded portion  50  is constructed in the same manner. 
     Referring to FIG. 6B, attachment loops  26  are connected to main padded portions  50  and  52  by loops  83  formed in webbing  60  and secured by stitching  85 . Because of the orientation of loops  83 , an excessive load is not put on stitching  85  from the weight of the attached gear, making for a strong attachment point for the gear. Lower clips  42  on bag  38  can attach to webbing  60  at loops  83  or in between the stitching of adjacent loops  83  through gaps  87 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the folding feature of shoulder straps  20  and  22  will be described (for simplicity, only shoulder strap  20  is shown and described, although shoulder strap  22  is constructed and functions in the same manner.) As previously described above, a hinged portion  70  is provided between the lower end  64  of shoulder strap  20  and adjacent portion  72 . Hinged portion  70  allows lower end  64  to be folded up from the extended position shown in FIG. 7A to a retracted position as shown in FIG.  7 B. In the retracted position, lower end  64  preferably lies flat against the outside of adjacent portion  72 . Lower end  64  has an attachment loop  26  that can be fastened to an adjacent attachment loop  26  with a short fastening strap  84  to hold lower end  64  in the retracted position against adjacent portion  72 . Fastening strap is preferably made of hook and loop type fastening material. 
     The inventive pack harness system is initially used for a small child with the lower ends  64  in the retracted position shown in FIG.  7 B and the lower connecting portions  54  and  56  of shoulder straps  20  and  22  tightened up at buckles  58 . As the child grows, connecting portions  54  and  56  are gradually loosened at buckles  58  to make shoulder straps  20  and  22  longer. Eventually, fastening straps  84  are released and the lower ends  64  and  66  of shoulder straps  20  and  22  are extended into the non-retracted position shown in FIG. 7A to fit the larger child. At this time, waist belt  12  can be rotated with respect to waist belt loops  68  so that waist belt buckle member  44  and  46  remain in the proper orientation. It will be noted that the same amount of padding exists between waist belt  12  and the child regardless of whether lower ends  64  and  66  are in the retracted or non-retracted positions. 
     In the preferred embodiment, two different size harnesses are used to cover the range of children between toddler and teenager. With the smaller harness, the main padded portions  50  and  52  of the shoulder straps  20  and  22  are approximately 24.5 inches long, and with the larger harness they are approximately 32.5 inches long. The lower ends  64  and  66  of both harnesses are approximately 3.5 inches long. The padded portions  50  and  52  of both harnesses are about 2.25 inches wide and 0.63 inches thick. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, a detailed view of pack bag  38  is shown. In the preferred embodiment, pack bag  38  includes a main compartment and a side compartment each closed by conventional zippers  86 . Bag  38  is provided with a handle  88  on top for carrying bag  38  by hand when it is removed from the pack harness. A removable shoulder strap  90  may he attached to bag  38  to carry just bag  38  over one shoulder. Strap  90  is connected to loops  92  on opposite sides of bag  38  using releasible clips  94 , or other suitable connection device such as clips with swivels. Strap  90  can also be used with water bottle carrier  36  in a similar manner. 
     Pack bag  38  is connected to back pack  10 ″ (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7A) by two plastic fittings  40  and two releasible clips  42 . Plastic fittings  40  are slid into attachment loops  26  and then rotated so they anchor in place, as shown in FIG.  6 B. Each clip  42  fastens around webbing  60  at the base of an attachment loop  26 . In this way, bag  38  is attached to pack  10 ″ at four points. Bag  38  can alternately be used with pack  10 ″, separately with shoulder strap  90 , or carried by handle  88 . 
     Pack bag  38  is also provided with laterally spaced tie down pads  96 , two on the top and two on the bottom. Tie down pads  96  can be used in conjunction with attachment straps  28  to attach additional gear to bag  38 , or further secure the gear that is attached to shoulder straps  20  and  22 . Preferably, compression straps (shown in FIG. 3) are also provided across the outside of bag  38  over the side compartment to attach additional items if desired and hold internal contents in place. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, another configuration of the inventive harness system is shown. Shoulder straps  20  and  22  may be used what pack bag  38  and without a waist belt, much like a traditional book bag. For illustration purpose, only, left shoulder strap  20  is shown with its lower end  64  folded up and secured against adjacent portion  72  for use by a smaller child, while the right shoulder strap  22  is shown with its lower end  66  in the extended position for a larger child. 
     Pack bag  38  provides lateral stability to shoulder straps  20  and  22  when connected therewith. Because bag  38  is removable and reconnectable in a plurality of locations as described above, bag  38  can always be located in an optimal position, even after the child has grown. For example, after lower ends  64  and  66  are extended, bag  38  can be placed in a lower position to keep the weight of the pack as low as possible. 
     When no waist belt is used, loops  61  at the bottom of connecting straps  54  and  56  are anchored to the lower ends  64  and  66  of padded portions  50  and  52  solely by loops  62 . 
     The above descriptions and drawings are for illustrative purposes only. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above and illustrated herein, but encompasses any and all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims.