Baby holder

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a baby holder (1) to be worn in the form of a waist pouch, comprising a waist strap (3) which is worn by a wearer on the waist and a support (6) which is mounted on the waist strap (3) and positioned to extend from the wearer's abdomen so that a seat surface (5) for receiving the buttocks of a baby is formed on the support (6). In order to stably hold the baby while keeping it in a good posture, a pad wall (7) uprighted from the seat surface (5) is provided on the support (6) so that this pad wall (7) is applied to the back of the baby who is held backward, or located between the legs of the baby whose is held frontward. The pad wall (7) is rendered T-shaped in front surface, and rotatably mounted on the support (6).

Description: The present invention relates to a baby holder. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-46619 (1992) discloses a baby holder which comprises a support defining a seat surface for receiving the buttocks of a baby, and this support is mounted on a waist strap which is worn by the wearer on the waist. Further, this baby holder comprises a wrist strap extending from the front part of the seat surface so that the wearer wears this strap on the wrist for holding the baby. Thus, the wearer can stably carry the baby with the baby holder while preventing it from falling. In order to implement the state of stably holding the baby and preventing it from falling with the aforementioned wrist strap, however, the wearer must carry the baby while wearing the strap on the wrist. The wrist strap is not self-sustaining and cannot support the baby with no help of the wearer. Consequently, one hand of the wearer is regularly restrained by the wrist strap, and the wearer cannot freely use both hands while holding the baby. Further, the wrist strap relatively readily deforms in an arbitrary direction. Depending on the position of the wearer's hand, therefore, the baby may disadvantageously be forced into an unnatural posture. Each of document US-A-5205450, JP-A-2124107 and EP-A-0480573, which were cited in the prosecution of the present application, discloses a baby holder comprising a waist strap adapted to be worn by a wearer on the waist, and a support defining a seat surface for receiving the buttocks of a baby, said support being mounted on the waist strap and positioned to extend from the abdomen of the wearer, wherein the support is provided with a wall which can be put into a state extending upwardly from the seat surface for preventing the buttocks of a baby from slipping off the seat surface. In the baby holders disclosed in each of the last three cited documents, putting the wall into a state extending upwardly from the seat surface is time-consuming and awkward. The present invention provides a baby holder comprising a waist strap adapted to be worn by a wearer on the waist, and a support, defining a seat surface for receiving the buttocks of a baby, said support being mounted on said waist strap and positioned to extend from the abdomen of said wearer, said support being provided with a pad wall rotatably mounted on said support for selectively assuming a state extending along said seat surface and a state extending upwardly from said seat surface respectively, wherein said holder further comprises an elastic member for urging said pad wall into said state extending upwardly from said seat surface, and a releasable fastener for maintaining said pad wall in said state extending along said seat surface against the elasticity of said elastic member. The pad wall may have a T-shaped front surface. Preferably, the upper surface of said pad wall is so shaped that both end portions thereof are curved in directions for approaching said wearer. Preferably, at least regions coming into contact with said baby's body are charged with a first cushion member, a second cushion member, having a larger elastic coefficient than said first cushion member, being arranged at the back of said first cushion member, and a third cushion member, having a larger elastic coefficient than said second cushion member, being arranged at the back of said second cushion member in said seat surface and said pad wall. Preferably, the support comprises a holding core having an upper surface extending along said seat surface and a rear surface extending along said wearer's abdomen for keeping said support in shape, and said waist strap has a front strap part passing the front surface of said holding core, said front strap part being fixed to said holding core. The waist strap may further have a rear strap part passing said rear surface of said holding core, said front strap part and said rear strap part being coupled with each other on both sides of said holding core. In order that the invention may be well understood an embodiment thereof, which is given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baby holder with a pad wall thereof in a first state extending along a seat surface of a support; Figure 2 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 1 with the pad wall thereof in a second state extending upwardly from the seat surface; Fig. 3 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 1, with the pad wall in said second state and a support strap drawn out; Fig. 4 illustrates a state of holding a baby backward on the baby holder with the pad wall in the first state shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 4, illustrating a state of holding the baby backward on the baby holder with the pad wall in the second state shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 4, illustrating a state of holding the baby frontward on the baby holder with the pad wall in the second state shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 4, illustrating a state of holding the baby 4 backward on the baby holder with the pad wall in the second state and the support strap shown in Fig. 3 drawn out; Fig. 8 is a side elevational view showing the internal structure of a support of the baby holder and the pad wall; Fig. 9 is a side elevational view corresponding to Fig. 8, showing the pad wall extending upwardly from the seat surface; Fig. 10 is a front elevational view showing a holding core stored in the support and a waist strap; Fig. 11 is a top plan view showing the holding core and the waist strap; Fig. 12 is an end view showing a section taken along the line XII - XII in Fig. 9; Fig. 13A is an illustrative side elevational view showing a state of the backbone of a baby supported by the pad wall 7; Fig. 13B is an illustrative side elevational view showing a state of the backbone of the baby not supported by the pad wall; Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a part of a seat surface of a support provided on a baby holder according to a modified embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 15 is a side elevational view showing a pad core and a cover member in a baby holder according to another modified embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 1 to 12 are adapted to illustrate a baby holder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 1 to 3 are perspective views of the overall appearance of the baby holder 1, illustrating typical states assumable by the baby holder 1 respectively. On the other hand, Figs. 4 to 7 show typical methods of using the baby holder 1 respectively. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 and 4 to 7, the baby holder 1 comprises a waist strap 3 which is worn by a wearer 2 on the waist, and a support 6, defining a seat surface 5 for receiving the buttocks of a baby 4, which is mounted on the waist strap 3 and positioned to extend from the abdomen of the wearer 2. Further, a pad wall 7 to be uprighted, or extend upwardly, from the seat surface 5 is provided on the support 6. According to this embodiment, the pad wall 7 has a T-shaped front surface. This pad wall 7 is rotatably mounted on the support 6. Thus, the pad wall 7 can selectively assume a state extending along the seat surface 5 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and a state uprighted from the seat surface 5 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 to 7 respectively. The pad wall 7 is uprighted from the seat surface 5 at an angle of about 100°, for example. With reference to Figs. 1 to 7 as well as to Figs. 8 to 12, the baby holder 1 is now described in more detail. Figs. 8 and 9 are side elevational views showing the internal structure of the support 6. The support 6 is preferably covered with a bag 8. This bag 8 defines a proper space 9 in its interior, so that a holding core 10 for providing the support 6 with an arbitrary shape is stored in this space 9. The holding core 10 is formed by a molding of foam resin, for example, for providing sufficient rigidity despite its lightness. The holding core 10 forms an upper surface 11 extending in parallel with the seat surface 5 and a rear surface 12 extending along the abdomen of the wearer 2, so that a substantially horizontal plane can be retained on the seat surface 5 when the support 6 comes into contact with the abdomen of the wearer 2. Preferably, the upper surface 11 and the rear surface 12 of the holding core 10 intersect with each other at an obtuse angle of about 100°, for example. Figs. 10 and 11 also illustrate the holding core 10. A cover member 13 which is made of hard resin, for example, is fixed to the upper surface 11 of the holding core 10. A bracket 14 is formed on the front end of the cover member 13, so that an axle 15 passing through this bracket 14 rotatably supports a pad core 16 for keeping the pad wall 7 in shape. When the pad wall 7 is uprighted, a part of the pad core 16 comes into contact with a part of the bracket 14, thereby defining the terminal end of rotation of the pad core 16. The pad core 16, which is adapted to supply the pad wall 7 with sufficient rigidity, is made of hard resin, for example. Thus, the pad wall 7 is rotatably held with respect to the support 6. The cover member 13 may be integrally molded with the holding core 10, or may be inserted in a mold for molding the holding core 10. A torsion spring 17 is arranged around the aforementioned axis 15. This torsion spring 17 urges the pad wall 7 for rotating and uprighting the same from the seat surface 5. The torsion spring 17 may be replaced with a coil spring, or another elastic member such as a rubber member, for example. A pair of hooks 18 and 19 are provided for maintaining the pad wall 7, which is urged by the torsion spring 17 to be uprighted as described above, in the state extending along the seat surface 5 against the elasticity of this torsion spring 17. The hook 18 is mounted on an end portion of a strap 20 extending from the pad wall 7, while the other hook 19 is mounted on an end portion of another strap 21 extending from the support 6. When the hook 18 engages with the hook 19 as shown in Fig. 8, the pad 7 is maintained in the state extending along the seat surface 5, regardless of the elasticity of the torsion spring 17. The hooks 18 and 19 may be replaced with other stop members such as velcro fasteners, for example. The aforementioned space 9 in the bag 8 is sized to be capable of storing articles other than the holding core 10. This space 9 can be used for storing small articles such as a handkerchief, tissue paper and the like, for example. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, openable slide fasteners 22, 23 and 24 are provided on the bag 8, for giving facility in taking such small articles in and out. The baby holder 1 further comprises a support strap 25, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. This support strap 25 is stored in the space 9 of the bag 8 when the same is not used. On the other hand, the support strap 25 is drawn out from an opening 26 between the slide fasteners 22 and 23. The support strap 25 forms a loop as a whole, and a pad part 27 having a relatively wide area is provided on its base portion. Further, a bridge strap part 28 is formed in the vicinity of the pad part 27, for coupling respective side portions of the support strap 25 with each other. The effective length of the support strap 25 is preferably rendered adjustable, and a length adjusting mechanism 29 is provided for this purpose, although this mechanism is not illustrated in detail. Figs. 10 and 11 are a front elevational view and a top plan view for illustrating the relation between the support 6, particularly the holding core 10, and the waist strap 3 respectively. The waist strap 3 comprises a front strap part 30 and a rear strap part 31 passing the front and rear surfaces of the holding core 10 respectively. The front and rear strap parts 30 and 31 are coupled with each other on both sides of the holding core 10. The front strap part 30 is fixed to a relatively upper position of the front surface of the holding core 10. This fixation is attained by an adhesive or rivets (not shown), for example. Thus, the holding core 10 is fixed by the front strap part 30 on its front side, whereby the attitude of the holding core 10 is stabilized for inhibiting the seat surface 5 from being so inclined that its front part is undesirably lowered. Thus, the seat surface 5 can be properly kept in a horizontal state. On the other hand, the rear strap part 31 may or may not be fixed to the holding core 10. A buckle 32 and a tip 33 which are engageable with each other are mounted on respective end portions of the waist strap 3, to be coupled with each other when the wearer 2 wears the waist strap 3 on the waist. As shown in Fig. 10, the tip 33 can be mounted on an arbitrary position of the waist strap 3, thereby also serving a function of adjusting the effective length of the waist strap 3. Alternatively, the buckle 32 and the tip 33 may be replaced with other types of strap coupling members. While the rear strap part 31 forms the principal part of the waist strap 3 so that the buckle 32 and the tip 33 are mounted on the end portions of the rear strap part 31 and both end portions of the front strap part 30 are connected to the rear strap part 31 in this embodiment, the front strap part 30 may alternatively form the principal part of the waist strap 3 so that the buckle 32 and the tip 33 are mounted on the end portions of the front strap part 30 respectively and both end portions of the rear strap part 31 are connected to the front strap part 30. Further, both of the front and rear strap parts 30 and 31 may extend toward the positions of the buckle 32 and the tip 33. Further, the waist strap 3 may be formed only by the front strap part 30 with no rear strap part 31, so that the buckle 32 and the tip 33 are mounted on the end portions of the front strap part 30 respectively. Referring again to Figs. 8 and 9, cushion members 34, 35 and 36 are charged to cover the upper surface of the cover member 13 and both surfaces of the pad core 16 respectively. These cushion members 34, 35 and 36 are made of urethane foam or cotton, for example. The cushion member 34 is covered with the bag 8, and supplies the seat surface 5 with a soft touch. Fig. 12 also shows the cushion members 35 and 36 and the pad core 16. Fig. 12 is an end view showing a cut portion taken along the line XII - XII in Fig. 9. The cushion members 35 and 36 are covered with a surface sheet 37 of the pad wall 7, and supply both surfaces of the pad wall 7 with soft touches. As clearly understood from Fig. 12, the upper surface of the pad wall 7 is so shaped that both end portions thereof are curved to approach the wearer 2. Thus, the pad wall 7 can further fit the body of the baby 4, for more stably supporting the baby 4. While the aforementioned curved shape is provided by the cushion members 35 and 36 in this embodiment as shown in Fig. 12, both end portions of the pad core 16 may alternatively be curved thereby providing the pad wall 7 with the curved shape. A method of using this baby holder 1 is now described. Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate typical use modes of the baby holder 1 respectively. The baby holder 1 is in any one of the states shown in Figs. 1 to 3 when the same is in each of the modes shown in Figs. 4 to 7. The state shown in Fig. 1 is employed when the wearer 2 simply wears the baby holder 1. In this state, the pad wall 7 is inclined to extend along the seat surface 5, to reduce the bulk of the baby holder 1. The hooks 18 and 19 engage with each other as shown in Fig. 8, to maintain the pad wall 7 in this state. In the aforementioned state, the support 6 may be employed as a temporary stay for holding the baby 4 backward. While the buttocks of the baby 4 are placed on the pad wall 7 in this case, the pad wall 7 which is charged with the cushion member 36 along its outer surface can provide a soft touch for the baby 4. When the hooks 18 and 19 disengage from each other, on the other hand, the pad wall 7 is uprighted from the seat surface 5, as shown in Fig. 2. In this state, the support 6 is employed as a stay for holding the baby 4 backward as shown in Fig. 5 or frontward as shown in Fig. 6. In this case, the pad wall 7 provides a backrest surface for the baby 4 in the state shown in Fig. 5, or serves as positioning means between the legs of the baby 4 in the state shown in Fig. 6. The pad wall 7, which has a T-shaped front surface as described above, can provide a relatively wide surface for supporting the baby 4 on its upper portion, while allowing a natural arrangement of both legs of the baby 4 who is seated to face the pad wall 7 as shown in Fig. 6. Each of the aforementioned modes shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is preferably limited to a relatively short time. When this baby holder 1 is employed for supporting the baby 4 over a relatively long time, the support strap 25 is drawn out from the support 6 as shown in Fig. 3, and the baby 4 is placed on the support 6 backward as shown in Fig. 7, so that the wearer 2 wears the support strap 25 on the shoulder. Thus, the baby 4 can be stably held over a relatively long time with the help of the support strap 25 as well as the pad part 27 and the bridge strap part 28 provided thereon in addition to the pad wall 7. In any of the states shown in Figs. 4 to 7, it is advisable to lay at least one hand of the wearer 2 on the body of the baby 4, in order to improve safety for the baby 4. Figs. 13A and 13B are illustrative side elevational views showing states of the backbone 38 of the baby 4 supported by the pad wall 7 (Fig. 13A) and supported by no pad wall (Fig. 13B) respectively. When no pad wall is provided as shown in Fig. 13B, the backbone 38 of the baby 4 may be abnormally curved to exert a bad influence on the health of the baby 4 unless the wearer 2 or the baby's protector sufficiently pays attention to the baby's posture. When the back of the baby 4 is supported by the pad wall 7 as shown in Fig. 13A, on the other hand, the backbone 38 can be protected against abnormally curvature, and the baby 4 can be readily kept in a good posture. Further, the pad wall 7 also functions to prevent the buttocks of the baby 4 from slipping off the seat surface 5, thereby stably positioning the buttocks of the baby 4 on the seat surface 5. Figs. 14 and 15 show two modifications to the embodiment of the present invention described above. Referring to Figs. 14 and 15, elements corresponding to those shown in Figs. 1 to 13 are denoted by similar reference numerals, to omit redundant description. Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a seat surface 5 and parts of structures related thereto. In place of the cushion member 34 in the aforementioned embodiment, a three-layer structure consisting of a first cushion member 39, a second cushion member 40 which is arranged at the back thereof, and a third cushion member 41 which is further arranged at the back thereof is applied in this embodiment. The second cushion member 40 has a larger elastic coefficient than the first cushion member 39, while the third cushion member 41 has a larger elastic coefficient than the second cushion member 40. In more concrete terms, materials employed for the first, second and third cushion members 39, 40 and 41 respectively may be in a combination of urethane foam, urethane chips and a polyethylene bead foam, a combination of cotton, urethane foam and polystyrene foam, a combination of cotton, urethane foam and urethane chips, or the like. According to such a cushion structure including the three layers of cushion members 39, 40 and 41, substantially only the first cushion member 39 deforms in an ordinary state so that a preferable touch can be supplied to the baby while the second and third cushion members 40 and 41 successively serve as shock absorbers against a strong shock, whereby high reliability can be expected with respect to shock absorptivity and the safety of the baby holder can be further improved. The aforementioned three-layer structure can also be applied to the cushion members 35 and 36 which are charged in the pad wall 7 (see Figs. 8, 9 and 12) so that an effect similar to the above can be expected, although this structure is not shown. As shown in Fig. 15, a tension belt 42 for coupling a pad core 16 and a cover member 13 with each other may be provided for further reliably and strongly define the terminal end of rotation of the pad core member 16 to be uprighted. Ends of the tension belt 42 are mounted on the pad core 16 and the cover member 13 by rivets 43 and 44 respectively. While the present invention has been described with reference to an embodiment and some modifications thereto shown in the drawings, further modifications are available within the scope of the claims appended hereto. While the support 6 is covered with the bag 8 so that the holding core 10 is stored in this bag 8 in the illustrated embodiment, for example, the holding core itself may alternatively form the support, with provision of no bag. While the pad wall 7 has a T-shaped front surface, the same may alternatively have another shape. Although the pad wall 7 is selected in the T shape to be applicable to both of the states of holding the baby 4 backward as shown in Figs. 5 and 7 and frontward as shown in Fig. 6 respectively, the pad wall 7 may alternatively have a relatively large uniform width when the baby holder is dedicatedly employed for holding the baby backward. When the baby holder is dedicatedly employed for holding the baby frontward, on the other hand, the pad wall 7 may have a relatively small uniform width. By way of summary it will be appreciated that the illustrated embodiment has a pad wall which can be uprighted from the seat surface whereby the buttocks of the baby can be prevented from slipping off the seat surface. Further, the pad wall can be charged with a core having sufficient rigidity or the like to be self-sustaining, thereby exhibiting the aforementioned function with no help of the wearer. Thus, the wearer can freely use both hands to quickly cope with a danger, for example, thereby improving the safety. Due to the presence of the pad wall, further, the baby's backbone can be protected against abnormal curvature, whereby the baby can be regularly kept in a good posture. Thus, it is possible to provide a baby holder which can contribute to the baby's health. The pad wall is rotatably mounted on the support to be capable of selectively assuming a state extending along and being uprighted from the seat surface respectively. Due to this structure, the bulk of the baby holder can be reduced by bringing the pad wall into the state extending along the seat surface when the baby is not received on the support, whereby the portableness of the baby holder can be further improved. In case of using the pad wall, on the other hand, it is possible to immediately bring the pad wall into a usable state by simply rotating the same. The baby holder comprises an elastic member for urging the pad wall and rotating the same to be uprighted from the seat surface and a releasable fasther for maintaining the pad wall in the state extending along the seat surface against the elasticity of the elastic member. Due to this structure, the pad wall can be automatically uprighted when engagement by the engaging member is canceled, whereby the operability of the baby holder can be improved. The pad wall in the illustrated embodiment has a T-shaped front surface. In this case, it is possible to implement both of a state of holding the baby frontward toward the pad wall so that the baby has its back to the wearer and a state of holding the baby backward against the pad wall so that it faces the wearer, with no problem. In other words, such a T-shaped pad wall provides a relatively wide surface for supporting the baby on its upper portion, while allowing natural arrangement of the baby's legs when the baby is seated toward the pad wall. Further, both end portions of the pad wall are curved to approach the wearer on the upper surface. In this case, the pad wall can further fit the baby's body, for further stably supporting the baby. In the seat surface and the pad wall, at least regions coming into contact with the baby's body are preferably charged with a first cushion member, a second cushion member, having a larger elastic coefficient than the first cushion member, which is arranged at the back of the first cushion member, and a third cushion member, having a larger elastic coefficient than the second cushion member, which is arranged at the back of the second cushion member. Due to such a cushion structure including three layers of cushion members, substantially only the first cushion member can deform to provide a preferable touch for the baby in an ordinary state while the second and third cushion members successively serve as shock absorbers against a strong shock, whereby high reliability for shock absorptivity can be expected and the safety of the baby holder can be further improved. When the support comprises a holding core having an upper surface extending along the seat surface and a rear surface extending along the wearer's abdomen for keeping the support in shape in the present invention, the waist strap preferably has a front strap part passing the front surface of the holding core, so that this front strap part is fixed to the holding core. In this case, the front strap part raises the front portion of the holding core not to go down, whereby the seat surface can be maintained in a substantially horizontal state without strongly bringing the rear surface of the holding core into contact with the wearer's abdomen. Thus, the wearer can be effectively prevented from being pressed or being inhibited from free movement. The waist strap in the illustrated embodiment comprises a rear strap part passing the rear surface of the holding core in addition to the front strap part, so that the front and rear strap parts are coupled with each other on both sides of the holding core. Due to this structure, stability of the holding core is increased while the position of the front strap part can be further stabilized, whereby the front strap part can effectively exhibit the aforementioned function. Further, the height of the front strap part on the front surface of the holding core is selected to be lower than that of the rear strap part on the rear surface of the holding core in the present invention. Due to this structure, the function of the front strap part can be further effectively applied to the holding core for raising its front portion.

Claims: A baby holder comprising a waist strap (3) adapted to be worn by a wearer on the waist, and a support (6), defining a seat surface (5) for receiving the buttocks of a baby, said support (6) being mounted on said waist strap (3) and positioned to extend from the abdomen of said wearer, said support (6) being provided with a pad wall (7) rotatably mounted on said support (6) for selectively assuming a state extending along said seat surface (5) and a state extending upwardly from said seat surface (5) respectively, wherein said holder further comprises an elastic member (17) for urging said pad wall (7) into said state extending upwardly from said seat surface (5), and a releasable fastener (18, 19) for maintaining said pad wall (7) in said state extending along said seat surface (5) against the elasticity of said elastic member (17). A baby holder in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pad wall (7) has a T-shaped front surface. A baby holder in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper surface of said pad wall (7) is so shaped that both end portions thereof are curved in directions for approaching said wearer. A baby holder in accordance with claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein at least regions coming into contact with said baby's body are charged with a first cushion member (39), a second cushion member (40), having a larger elastic coefficient than said first cushion member (39), being arranged at the back of said first cushion member (39), and a third cushion member (41), having a larger elastic coefficient than said second cushion member (40), being arranged at the back of said second cushion member (40) in said seat surface (5) and said pad wall (7). A baby holder in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said support (6) comprises a holding core (10) having an upper surface (11) extending along said seat surface (5) and a rear surface (12) extending along said wearer's abdomen for keeping said support (6) in shape, and said waist strap (3) has a front strap part (30) passing the front surface of said holding core (10), said front strap part (30) being fixed to said holding core (10). A baby holder in accordance with claim 5, wherein said waist strap (3) further has a rear strap part (31) passing said rear surface (12) of said holding core (10), said front strap part (30) and said rear strap part (31) being coupled with each other on both sides of said holding core (10).

Inventors: KAKIMOTO YUKIO, KATAOKA SACHIYO, KAKIMOTO, YUKIO, KATAOKA, SACHIYO
Applicants: APRICA KASSAI KK, APRICA KASSAI KABUSHIKIKAISHA
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A47D13
IPC codes: A47D13