IMPROVEMENTS IN CHILD CARRYING AIDS

Abstract: A carrying aid device for wearing by adults for use in carrying young children comprises a seat unit (10) shaped like a bicycle saddle which is adapted to be connected to a support strap (30; 50) arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the user so that in use the seat unit (10) lies at about hip level on the other side with an upper seat portion (11) projecting laterally outwards, and with a downwardly-extending rear portion (12) resting against the user's body. A child mounted on the seat unit (10) can sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion (11), facing outwards with the legs straddling a forwardly-extending horn part (11a) which projects in front of the child. The seat unit (10) is fabricated as a one-piece moulding of a material such as expanded polystyrene and the seat portion (11) thereof is formed towards or adjacent the rear end with a pair of laterally spaced apertures (14, 14) through which is passed a looped strap portion (16; 50) that extends transversely across the seat unit on the underside thereof to provide a sling-type support adapted to form part of, or an extension of, the support strap that is worn by the adult using the device.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS IN CHILD CARRYING AIDS The present invention relates to a carrying aid for use by adults in carrying very young children, and it particularly concerns improvements in the construction of child carrying aids of the kind disclosed in my U.K. Patent No. 2270619. In my aforesaid U.K. Patent No. 2270619 which may be read in conjunction with the present specification, there is disclosed and claimed a carrying aid for wearing by adults for use in carrying young children which comprises a seat unit connected to opposite ends of a strap that is arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device with the seat unit lying at about hip level on the other side, said seat unit having an upper seat portion which in use projects laterally outwards, away from the user's body, and a downwardly-extending rear portion which provides a load-transmitting pressure surface adapted to rest against the user's body when a child is mounted on said seat portion, characterised in that said seat portion has the general shape of a bicycle saddle, that is with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower elongate forwardly-extending horn part, said seat portion thus being adapted to enable the child mounted thereon to sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion, facing outwards with the legs straddling the forwardly-extending horn part which projects in front of the child, and further characterised in that opposite ends of the shoulder strap are connected to the seat portion of the seat unit towards or adjacent the rear end thereof. In embodiments of the invention described in GB2270619 the supporting shoulder strap was connected to the seat unit by way of attachment fittings or anchorages screwed into the body of the seat unit which was fabricated as a hollow shell structure formed of load-bearing material, e.g. fibreglass or other solid plastics material. This form of construction, however, imposes limitations on the material and manner of fabrication of the seat unit, and one object of the present invention is to provide a more versatile arrangement for supporting the seat unit of a child carrying aid of the general kind disclosed in GB2270619 so as more readily to enable the seat unit to be fabricated in alternative materials, such as expanded polystyrene for example, which are less able to support screw-threaded anchorage fittings. Thus, according to the present invention a carrying aid device for wearing by adults for use in carrying young children comprising a seat unit adapted to be connected to a support strap arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device with the seat unit lying at about hip level on the other side, said seat unit having an upper seat portion which in use projects laterally outwards, away from the user's body, and a downwardly-extending rear portion which provides a load- transmitting pressure surface adapted to rest against the user's body when a child is mounted on said seat portion, said seat portion having the general shape of a bicycle saddle, that is with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower elongate forwardly-extending horn part, said seat portion thus being adapted to enable the child mounted thereon to sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion, facing outwards with the legs straddling the forwardly-extending horn part which projects in front of the child, is characterised in that the seat portion of the seat unit is formed towards or adjacent the rear end thereof with a pair of laterally spaced apertures through which is passed a looped strap portion that extends transversely across the seat unit on the underside thereof to provide a sling-type support adapted to form part of, or an extension of, the support strap that is worn by the adult using the device. As pointed out in GB2270619, from a practical aspect it is important that the child being carried by the adult using the device should be able to sit facing outwards, and that to keep the child in place no more than minimum restraint and attention by the adult should be necessary. This is achievable in embodiments of the present invention. In preferred embodiments, the seat unit including the seat portion is fabricated as a one-piece moulding of a rigid foam plastics material, preferably expanded polystyrene, which provides an extremely lightweight structure with some degree of resiliency and cushioning characteristics. Although such material is generally too weak to be used to anchor screw-threaded inserts or like fixing means, the sling-type support provided by the looped strap portion fitted to the seat unit in accordance with the present invention enables the seat unit, and the weight of a child seated thereon, to be safely supported without risk of damage to the material. Preferably, the looped strap portion is accommodated on the underside of the seat unit in a transverse channel or recess formed in the body of the unit. Also, this looped strap portion will generally be formed by a separate length of webbing provided with connector fittings for attachment by way of complementary releasable snap-link connectors or the like to opposite ends of the main portion of the support strap that is intended to extend over a shoulder of the wearer. Conveniently, the length of webbing forming the looped strap portion is doubled so as to thread through the above-mentioned connector fittings above the seat portion of the seat unit, and the free ends of the webbing are joined by a buckle-type clip which is also accommodated in the transverse channel or recess on the underside of the seat unit. However, it is also envisaged that the support strap and looped strap portion may be formed from a continuous length of material. The opposite sides of the support strap are preferably joined by a buckle-type clip which may also be accommodated in the transverse channel or recess of the seat units. In preferred embodiments the seat unit is also formed with another aperture, conveniently centrally located, which receives a safety strap of which the lower end may be connected and anchored to the looped strap portion within the aforesaid transverse channel or recess on the underside of the seat unit whilst the upper end may be releasably attached to or form part of a harness adapted to be fitted around the body of the child being carried by the device. As with the child carrying aids of GB2270619, the downwardly- extending rear portion of the seat unit may be shaped with a shallow transverse concavity to conform more closely with the contour of the side of the user's body, and if desired the seat unit could be enclosed within a padded, washable and removable cover, made of textile material for example, which may also provide a storage space. Also, the shoulder portion of the support strap may be provided if desired with length adjusting buckle means to facilitate adjustment in length to suit different wearers and to allow the height of the seat unit to be altered according to weight of the child. The shoulder strap portion may also be provided with a shoulder pad, preferably in the form of a slidably-adjustable padded sleeve, for fitting against the user's shoulder and cushioning it against the weight of the child. If required, the seat unit may also be connected to a restraining strap adapted to be fitted around the wearer's waist in order to prevent any tendency of the seat unit to swing away from the body if the wearer should bend or lean over towards one side. By way of example, the construction of a child carrying aid in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings, which are not to scale, FIGURE 1 is a diagram showing a top plan view of the seat unit of a first embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 2 is a underside plan view of the seat unit of FIGURE 1 ; FIGURE 3 is a side view of the seat unit connected to its associated support strap and a safety strap as when in use, with the outline of an internal recess and strap portions being indicated in broken lines; FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on line IV-IV of FIGURE 2 with a looped strap portion being shown in position, and FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a seat unit strap support arrangement or harness in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4, the child carrying aid illustrated therein comprises a seat unit 10 that includes an upper seat portion 11 and a downwardly extending rear portion 12. The seat portion 11 has the general shape of a bicycle saddle providing a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower elongate forwardly-extending horn part 11a. This seat 10 unit is fabricated as a one-piece moulding of expanded polystyrene which is a rigid foam plastics material that provides a lightweight structure having a certain amount of resiliency and cushioning characteristics. This seat unit 10 forms part of a child carrying aid device for wearing by adults in a manner similar to that described in GB2270619 with the seat unit connected to a support strap arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device so that the seat unit 10 lies at about hip level on the other side, in which position the seat portion 11 projects laterally outwards away from the user's body and the downwardly extending rear portion 12 rests against the user's body when a child is mounted on the seat portion 11. In accordance with the present invention, the seat unit 10 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced apertures in the form of narrow slots 14, 14 through which is passed a length of webbing providing a loop strap portion 16 that extends transversely across the seat unit on the underside thereof to provide a sling type support. This loop strap portion 16 is accommodated on the underside of the seat unit 10 in a transverse channel or recess 18 cut away in the body of the seat unit, and above the seat portion 11 the webbing forming the strap portion 16 is threaded through slotted a ring type connector fitting 20 at each side. Beneath the seat portion 11 within the channel like recess 18 the free ends of the webbing forming the looped strap portion 16 are joined or connected by a buckle 24 as indicated in the diagram of FIGURE 4, this buckle 24 being accommodated in a wider portion 22 of the channel or recess 18. The ends of the looped strap portion 16 are connected by way of the ring connectors 20 and complementary releasable snap-link connectors 26 to opposite ends of a main support strap 30 which is intended to extend over a shoulder of the wearer when in use. The connection at one side of the device to one end of this strap 30 is illustrated in the diagram of Figure 3. The embodiment illustrated is also provided with a safety strap 32 which is anchored at one end to the looped strap portion 16 within the channel or recess 18 on the underside of the seat unit, and the other end passes through a third slot 34 in the seat portion 11 which is located on the centre line of the seat unit forwardly of the slots 14, 14. The free end (not shown) of the safety strap 32 which is passed through the slot 34 is adapted to pass between the legs of the child positioned on the seat unit and to be clipped to a body harness strap similar to the strap 40 described in GB2270619 fitted around the chest or lap of the child so that it is impossible for the child to fall off the carrier. To allow the end of the body harness strap to be attached to the main support strap 30 while still allowing the latter to be adjusted, the attachment of strap 30 to the strap portion 16 via ring connector 20 permits the strap 30 to be adjusted by the buckle 24 so as to alter the position of the harness strap to fit the child. As described in GB2270619, the main support strap 30 that passes over the shoulder of the wearer may be provided with a padded sleeve which can be slidably adjusted to fit against the user's shoulder to form a cushion, if so desired. Alternatively, the strap 30 could be completely padded throughout its length. As will be noted from the diagram of FIGURE 1, the rear face 36 of the seat unit 10 is formed with a shallow transverse concavity which in use is presented towards the side of the wearer's body, thereby to match more closely the contour of the latter and providing a load transmitting pressure surface when a child is mounted on the seat portion 11. It will be seen that the looped strap portion 16, by providing a sling- type support extending around the underside of the seat unit 10, enables the weight of a child safely to be transmitted to the main shoulder support strap 30 in a manner that does not involve any fixing means screwed into the body of the seat unit and it is thus possible to use a relatively weak non-load bearing material such as expanded polystyrene for fabricating the seat unit. Referring to FIGURE 5, the device of this embodiment incorporates a continuous strap 50 as opposed to the two-part arrangement of strap 30 shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. This negates the requirement for buckles 20 and 26 (shown in FIGURE 3). The strap 50 is connected to the seat (not shown) and adjusted by means of a buckle 58 accommodated in the transverse channel on the underside of the seat (not shown) in a manner similar to that described in connection with the first embodiment. In this embodiment, however, a transverse adjustable strap 55 is attached at each of its ends to the support strap 50 by quick release buckles 52 which are connected to sliding hoops 53 that are slidable along the main strap. The downwards movement of the hoops is prevented by adjustable slides 51. A vertical safety strap 56 is also attached, via sliding hoops 54, between the transverse strap 55 and the lower portion of the support strap 50 which in use lies within the transverse channel beneath the seat unit. When in use, the vertical safety strap 56 also passes between the child's legs before passing through the slot 34 of the seat (not shown), and it is attached to the transverse strap 55 via a quick release buckle 56a which also allows for length adjustment of the vertical strap 56. A patch of "Velcro" (or like material) 57 is sewn underneath the strap 50 close to the adjustment buckle 58 which, when the device and harness is assembled, connects with a second patch of "Velcro" (or like material) attached with adhesive to the seat unit (not shown), this second patch of "Velcro" (or like material) having a complementary texture so that the two "Velcro" portions stick together. The support strap 50 also carries a shoulder pad 60 which is slidable thereon for positional adjustment. Together, the vertical and transverse straps co-operate to provide a safety harness of simple construction which is convenient to use and affords safe transport of the young passenger. It will be appreciated that the above embodiments are described purely by way of example of the improved construction of child carrying aid device, and many detail modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A carrying aid device for wearing by adults for use in carrying young children comprising a seat unit adapted to be connected to a support strap arranged to be worn so as to extend over one shoulder and obliquely across the body of the adult using the device with the seat unit lying at about hip level on the other side, said seat unit having an upper seat portion which in use projects laterally outwards, away from the user's body, and a downwardly-extending rear portion which provides a load-transmitting pressure surface adapted to rest against the user's body when a child is mounted on said seat portion, said seat portion having the general shape of a bicycle saddle, that is with a relatively wide seating surface towards the rear and a narrower elongate forwardly- extending horn part, said seat portion thus being adapted to enable the child mounted thereon to sit comfortably in a stable position astride the seat portion, facing outwards with the legs straddling the forwardly-extending horn part which projects in front of the child, characterised in that the seat portion of the seat unit is formed towards or adjacent the rear end thereof with a pair of laterally spaced apertures through which is passed a looped strap portion that extends transversely across the seat unit on the underside thereof to provide a sling-type support adapted to form part of, or an extension of, the support strap that is sown by the adult using the device. 2. A device according to Claim 1 in which the seat unit including the seat portion is fabricated as a one-piece moulding of a rigid foam plastics material. 3. A device according to Claim 2 in which the rigid foam plastics material is expanded polystyrene. 4. A device according to any preceding claim in which the looped strap portion is accommodated on the underside of the seat unit in a transverse channel or recess formed in the body of the unit. 5. A device according to any preceding claim in which the looped strap portion is formed by a separate length of webbing provided with connector fittings for attachment by way of complementary releasable snap-link connectors to opposite ends of the main portion of the support strap that is intended to extend over a shoulder of the wearer. 6. A device according to any of Claims 1 to 4 in which the support strap and looped strap portion are formed from a continuous length of material. 7. A device according to Claim 5 in which the length of webbing forming the looped strap portion is doubled so as to thread through the above-mentioned connector fittings above the seat portion of the seat unit, and the free ends of the webbing are joined by a buckle-type clip which is also accommodated in the transverse channel or recess on the underside of the seat unit. 8. A device according to any preceding claim in which the seat unit is also formed with another aperture, conveniently centrally located, which receives a safety strap of which the lower end is connected and anchored to the looped strap portion within the aforesaid transverse channel or recess on the underside of the seat unit whilst the upper end is releasably attached to or forms part of a harness adapted to be fitted around the body of the child being carried by the device. 9. A device according to any preceding claim in which the downwardly- extending rear portion of the seat unit is shaped with a shallow transverse concavity to conform more closely with the contour of the side of the user's body. 10. A device according to any preceding claim in which the seat unit is enclosed within a padded, washable and removable cover made of textile material which also provides a storage space. 11. A device according to any preceding claim in which the shoulder portion of the support strap is provided with length adjusting buckle means to facilitate adjustment in length to suit different wearers and to allow the height of the seat unit to be altered according to weight of the child. 12. A device according to any preceding claim in which the seat unit is connected to a restraining strap adapted to be fitted around the wearer's waist in order to prevent any tendency of the seat unit to swing away from the body if the wearer should bend or lean over towards one side.

Inventors: SYKES BRYAN, SYKES, BRYAN
Applicants: SYKES BRYAN, SYKES, BRYAN
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A47D13
IPC codes: A47D13