Abstract:
A swing covering accessory. The accessory is used to cover an outdoor infant/toddler swing and is designed to be placed into the swing and around the outside of it, providing both entertainment and sanitary purposes for infants and toddlers using the swing. The accessory is sized and shaped to wrap completely around a swing seat and also has separate pieces that are designed to cover the rods at the top of the swing seat and the pair of handles that are within reach of an infant or toddler using the swing seat. The swing covering accessory also has at least one external pocket for holding infant/toddler toys such as a rattler, a teether, squeak toy, or similar items.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a new and improved swing covering accessory. The accessory is used to cover an outdoor infant/toddler swing and is designed to be placed into the swing and around the outside of it, providing both entertainment and sanitary purposes for infants and toddlers using the swing. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,699, issued to Rundle et al., discloses an inflatable safety cushion for a child constructed of a one-piece inflatable structure that allows for the customization of various restraining mechanisms such as swings, car seats, airplane seats, and amusement park rides to accommodate the size of the child. 
   U.S. application No. 2001/0048235 A1, filed by Hartranft, discloses a cover for child safety seats, and more specifically, to child seat covers that are releasably attached to a child safety seat attached to a shopping cart in order to provide a sanitary and cushioned seating surface for a child. 
   U.S. application No. 2002/0150714 A1, filed by Digangi, discloses a protective, sanitary cover for use on a shopping cart, infant seat and similar child seating devices. 
   U.S. application No. 2005/0012366 A1, filed by Cohen-Fyffe, discloses a high chair clean seat for use as a seat cover on a restaurant high chair for the purpose of protecting babies and toddlers from the dirt and bacteria left on the restaurant high chair. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,998 B1, issued to Aprile, discloses a shopping cart seat cover having a shopping cart seat cover body made from flexible sheet material. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a new and improved swing covering accessory. The accessory is used to cover an outdoor infant/toddler swing and is designed to be placed into the swing and around the outside of it, providing both entertainment and sanitary purposes for infants and toddlers using the swing. The accessory is sized and shaped to wrap completely around a swing seat and also has separate pieces that are designed to cover the rods at the top of the swing seat and the parts of the chains that are within reach of an infant or toddler using the swing seat. The swing covering accessory also has at least one external pocket for holding infant/toddler toys such as a rattler, a teether, or similar items. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of a swing covering accessory that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the swing covering accessory that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the swing covering accessory in detail, it is to be understood that the swing covering accessory is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The swing covering accessory is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present swing covering accessory. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a swing covering accessory which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a swing covering accessory which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a swing covering accessory which is of durable and reliable construction. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a swing covering accessory which is economically affordable and available for relevant market segment of the purchasing public. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the swing covering accessory as it would appear in use attached to a swing seat. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the swing covering accessory and a swing seat, highlighting the mechanism as to how the swing covering accessory would be placed on the swing seat. 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the swing covering accessory as it would appear in use attached to a swing seat prior to the handle coverings have been attached. 
       FIG. 4  shows a perspective close-up view of the side flaps that are designed to removably attach the swing covering accessory to the swing seat before the side flaps have been secured. 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective close-up view of the side flaps that are designed to removably attach the swing covering accessory to the swing seat after the side flaps have been secured. 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective close-up view of the side flaps that are designed to removably attach the swing covering accessory to the swing seat before the side flaps have been secured, highlighting the hook and loop attachments that they use to be secured to each other. 
       FIG. 7  shows a rear perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a swing covering accessory as it would appear prior to being attached to a swing seat. 
       FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a handle covering that is part of the swing covering accessory. 
       FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a potential add-on component to the swing covering accessory. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 9  thereof, a new swing covering apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  2  will be described. 
   As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 9 , the swing covering apparatus  2  comprises a seat  4  that is placed in a swing  3 . The seat  4  comprises a base  6  which has two cutouts comprising a right cutout  8  and a left cutout  10 . The two cutouts are designed to be used for insertion of a child&#39;s legs when the swing covering apparatus  2  is in use with a swing  3 . 
   The swing  3  that is used in conjunction with the swing covering apparatus  2  needs to have an upper edge  5  to work properly with the swing covering apparatus  2 . In addition, the swing  3  also has a pair of cutouts comprising a right cutout  21  and a left cutout  23 . The right cutout  8  on the base  6  is designed to overlap the right cutout  21  on the swing  3 , while the left cutout  10  on the base  6  is designed to overlap the left cutout  23  on the swing  3 . Furthermore, the swing  3  preferably has a pair of handles comprising a left handle  7  and a right handle  9 , with these handles being connected to lengths of holding chain  11 . 
   Attached to the base  6  portion of the seat  4  is a front overlap  12 . When the seat  4  is placed within the swing  3 , the front overlap  12  is designed to be placed “up and over” the upper edge  5  of the swing  3 . The front overlap  12  preferably has at least two pockets  14  and has two surfaces comprising a front surface  48  and a rear surface  50 . Furthermore, the front overlap  12  has two sections comprising a left section  52  and a right section  54 . Also, a rear overlap  90  covers the rear of an exemplary swing  3 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   When the seat  4  is first placed over a swing  3 , the first thing that should be done is to cover the areas in which the handles  7  and  9  connect to the seat  4 . Therefore, left upper flap  15  is folded down and subsequent to this, left front flap  16  and left rear flap  18  are joined together. Left front flap  16  is connected to the left section of the front overlap  12 , while left rear flap  18  is connected to the base  6  of the seat  4 . 
   Left front flap  16  and left rear flap  18  each have two surfaces comprising a front surface and a rear surface. The rear surface of left front flap  16  has patch  20  on it, while the rear surface of left rear flap  18  has patch  22  on it. Patch  20  comprises a first plurality of attachment objects  24 , while patch  22  comprises a second plurality of attachment objects  26 . Between the first plurality of attachment objects  24  and the second plurality of attachment objects  26 , one of these pluralities comprises a plurality of hooks and the other plurality comprises a plurality of loops. To properly attach these to one another, the left rear flap  18  is folded forward first over left upper flap  15 , and then, left front flap  16  is folded backward until patch  20  makes contact with patch  22 . These two patches and their two pluralities of attachment objects together make a “hook and loop” attachment system. 
   Next, right upper flap  27  is folded down and subsequent to this, right front flap  28  and right rear flap  30  are joined together. Right front flap  28  is connected to the right section of the front overlap  12 , while right rear flap  30  is connected to the base  6  of the seat  4 . 
   Right front flap  28  and right rear flap  30  each have two surfaces comprising a front surface and a rear surface. The rear surface of right front flap  28  has patch  32  on it, while the rear surface of right rear flap  30  has patch  34  on it. Patch  32  comprises a first plurality of attachment objects  36 , while patch  34  comprises a second plurality of attachment objects  38 . Between the first plurality of attachment objects  36  and the second plurality of attachment objects  38 , one of these pluralities comprises a plurality of hooks and the other plurality comprises a plurality of loops. To properly attach these to one another, the right rear flap  30  is folded forward first over right upper flap  27 , and then, right front flap  28  is folded backward until patch  32  makes contact with patch  34 . These two patches and their two pluralities of attachment objects together make a “hook and loop” attachment system. 
   In addition, there must also be attachment means for attaching the rear surface of the front overlap  12  to the base  6  of the seat  4 . Therefore, the front overlap  12  has a plurality of internal front patches  40  that are attached to the rear surface  50  of the front overlap  12 , and furthermore, the base  6  of the seat  4  has a plurality of attached external front patches  42  which are designed to “match up” with each of the internal front patches  40  that are present. Each of the internal front patches  40  has a first plurality of attachment objects  44  on it, while each of the external front patches  42  has a second plurality of attachment objects  46  on it. 
   Between the first plurality of attachment objects  42  and the second plurality of attachment objects  44 , one of these pluralities comprises a plurality of hooks and the other plurality comprises a plurality of loops. Each set of matching patches  40  and  42  together make a “hook and loop” attachment system. There are preferably at least two sets of these systems in use in the swing covering apparatus  2 . 
   Also in use with the present invention is a pair of handle coverings comprising a left handle covering  56  and a right handle covering  58 . These handles coverings are used to cover the left handle  7  and right handle  9 , respectively, and are designed to provide additional security and sanitary control to the swing covering apparatus  2 . 
   The swing covering apparatus  2  also further comprises a teether  80  and a rattler  82  which are located within the pockets  14 . Furthermore, a bottle covering  84  is preferably placed within a pocket  14  to allow an infant or toddler to cover a drinking bottle when it is in use and to keep an infant&#39;s hands from becoming cold or wet as the infant holds the bottle. Bottle covering  84  further comprises a squeak toy  92 . Said squeak toy  92  may appear in various forms appealing to an infant, such as a boy&#39;s face, girl&#39;s face, and animal or the like. 
   Said swing covering apparatus  2  may be provided in either a non-disposable version or a disposable version, such disposable version being formed of thin cotton material and without pockets  14 , bottle covering  84 , teether  80 , rattler  82 , or squeak toy  92 . 
   With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
   Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.