Abstract:
A container, for carrying an infant in a supine position, having an open top which is covered by a flexible cover of resilient perforate material, provided with seat belt retention means such that it can be retained to the rear seat of a vehicle having seat belts therein, and in the event of vehicle impact, an infant is supported over a large area of its body.

Description:
This invention relates to an infant carrier which is useful for protecting an infant in a motor vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the problems which is encountered is finding adequate protection for a young baby up to six months old when carried in a motor vehicle, and various proposals have been put forward for carrying a young baby under safe conditions. However, serious injury can occur in the case of vehicle impact if a young baby is held in position by a seat belt, and one of the objects of this invention is to provide an infant carrier wherein there is less hazard of serious injury to a young baby in the case of a vehicle impact. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In this invention a container, for carrying an infant in a supine position, has an open top which is covered by a flexible cover of resilient perforate material. The container is provided with seat belt retention means such that it can be retained to the rear seat of a vehicle having seat belts therein. In the event of vehicle impact, an infant is supported over a large area of its body. 
     More specifically, in this invention an infant carrier comprises a wall structure defining a container for carrying an infant in a supine position, and having an open top, means on the walls enabling the container to be anchored with respect to a vehicle seat, sheet retention means on the container wall structure, and a flexible cover of resilient perforate material arranged to be retained to said container walls over said open top. 
     For example the perforate cover may be a sheet of rubber or other flexible elastomeric material and may be retained to retention lugs by a plurality of retention straps, so arranged that upon impact of a vehicle a baby within the container will be displaced only the distance from the container walls to the perforate sheet before deceleration occurs, and the deceleration will be applied as uniformly as possible over a much larger area of the baby&#39;s body than would be the case if restraining straps or harness were used. 
     Another difficulty which is encountered by parents and children is that heretofore they have required an infant carrier of one size and type to carry a baby, and of another size and type to support a small child. Further in this invention the infant carrier container comprises a seat and seat back portion and a seat frame extension, and means securing the seat frame extension to the seat and seat back portion to thereby complete the wall structure so as to form the container for containing a baby, said securing means being releasable so that the seat frame extension can be removed and the container walls can then constitute the side walls, base wall and back for a seat for an older child. 
     When a child reaches the age of from, say six months to three years, the child frequently expresses a wish to sit upright in a vehicle and to see out of the window. Still further in this invention, there are provided securing means on the wall structure of the infant carrier to secure the seat frame extension to the seat wall in a locality whereby the seat level is raised from the vehicle seat thereby enabling the child to be supported at a higher level than if it is strapped to the seat of a vehicle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an infant carrier when in the seating mode, 
     FIG. 2 is a section on plane 2-2-2 of FIG. 1, and 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the infant carrier when in the supine mode. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In this embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the infant carrier in a seating mode, and FIG. 3 illustrates the carrier in a supine mode, that is, capable of use as a container for supporting a small body in the supine position. 
     In the seating mode, a seat and seat back portion 10 of an infant carrier comprise a short limb 11 and a long limb 12. An end of the long limb is provided with securing clasps 13, and a seat frame extension 14 is secured to that end by complementary securing clasp receivers. Alternatively, the securing means comprise screws and nuts, and when interengaged extend the long limb of the seat frame. The extension 14 has an upstanding end wall 15 and converts the carrier into an open top container-like structure for use in a bassinet type supine mode. The container walls are all lined with (or formed integrally with) ribs 17 and apertures 18, of resilient energy absorbing material in this embodiment polyurethane foam, to allow breathing and drainage. The frame and extension walls comprise securing lugs 19 which are engaged by enlarged ends of retaining straps 20 which extend outwardly from the periphery of a perforate rubber sheet 21 (FIG. 3). The seat frame extension 14 and the seat frame itself are provided with seat belt recesses 23 arranged to receive an existing seat belt adjacent a vehicle seat and retain an infant carrier with respect to the vehicle seat. 
     When it is desired to use the infant carrier for a larger child, say a child beyond the age of six months, the seat frame extension 14 is removed from the end of the long limb 12, the infant carrier is rotated so that the long limb is upright, and screw threaded means 25 interconnect the seat frame extension to the underside of the short limb, so that the seat and seat back portion are elevated by the extension, for use in a seating mode. Again a seat belt recess 23 is available for retaining the seat frame with respect to the vehicle seat by passing the vehicle seat belt over the seat belt recess walls. In this case the short limb becomes the seating portion of the carrier, and the long limb becomes the seat back portion. In order to be of convenient shape in both instances, the edge side walls are so shaped that they provide arm rests in each one of the two positions, and the arm rests are themselves padded. 
     When used in the seating mode, the lower part of the device is restrained within the vehicle by passing an adult seat belt (not shown) around the base of the device through appropriate seat belt guide recesses 23. The top of the device may also be restrained by passing the upper strap of the adult seat belt through an appropriate guide, or by use of an independent strap attached to the vehicle frame. A suitable harness (not shown) is attached to the seat and the seat back to restrain the child within the device. In the supine mode the device is restrained within the vehicle by passing an adult seat belt around each end of the device through appropriate webbing guide recesses 23, and being joined together with suitable catches, preferably attached to the body of the device. 
     The invention has a number of advantages over prior art. The example the risk to a young baby is much reduced by use of a perforate sheet. The carrier, being convertible from supine to seating mode, is useful for supporting a child over several years of his life, and in many instances until he is ready to use the vehicle seat belts with some degree of safety, that is, he is of sufficient size to not &#34;submarine&#34; beneath the seat belt on vehicle impact. If desired, use may be made of extending lugs in addition to the seat belt recesses defined above, so that for example the infant carrier can be supported by both lap and sash belts. The walls of the seat frame can conveniently be formed from thermoplastics and/or thermoset material by injection or other moulding. 
     In another embodiment not illustrated, links join the extension to the seat frame (in the seating mode), providing crank means which upon rotation allows the seat portion to translate relative to the base portion, from an upright seating attitude to a reclined seating attitude.