Child's knapsack harness and method of use therefor

A modular child'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.

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'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'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'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 & 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.

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. 4A. 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. 4B. 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'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 5C--5C in FIG. 5A. 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 5D--5D in FIG. 5A. 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. 7B. 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. 7B 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. 6B. 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.