Abstract:
A child&#39;s outerwear garment is disclosed that facilitates quickly and properly putting a child into a child&#39;s safety car seat and fastening them therein with the seat&#39;s restraint system according to NHSTA recommendations. The outerwear garment also facilitates quickly and easily removing a child from the safety seat. The outerwear garment has a rear portion that is worn like a vest but does not cover the chest area of the child so that the belts of the safety seat may be properly positioned and adjusted on the front of a child in the seat without the presence of the front portion. A front portion of the garment is then attached to the rear portion and it helps retain the position of the belts of the safety seat and helps prevent a child from wiggling out of the belts.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This utility patent application claims rights under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/482,728 entitled “Child&#39;s Outerwear Garment”, and filed Jun. 26, 2004. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to children&#39;s garments and, in particular, to a child&#39;s outerwear garment designed for maximum safety when used with the restraint belts of a car seat. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In 1998, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that every day an average of 7 children die and 866 are injured in automobile crashes. Used correctly, child safety seats are 71% effective in reducing infant deaths and 54% effective in reducing toddler deaths while reducing the need for hospitalization after a crash by 69%. A study in 1996 determined that 62% of the child restraint systems examined were found to be used incorrectly. Specifically, (1) the restraint system was improperly secured to the vehicle, or (2) the child was improperly secured in the child restraint, or (3) both errors occurred. 
     Incorrect use of the child&#39;s car seat has been a growing focus of the NHSTA, to the extent that the automobile industry was asked to comply to new regulations that required every passenger car made after September of 2002 to have a LATCH system whereby the car seat can be placed in the car without any fear of improper attachment of the car seat to the car. The remaining problem with improper car seat restraint is now that of unsafe harness use. In fact, misuse of restraints was observed in 79.5% of the systems studied. According to the NHTSA, for the harness to protect a child properly, the straps should be routed over the child&#39;s shoulders and pulled tight over the chest with only enough room for one adult sized finger to fit between the strap and the chest. This poses a problem in the winter, when, bulky outerwear makes it impossible to achieve the degree of tightness in the harness necessary for the child to be safe. 
     To solve this problem, the NHSTA recommends that parents remove bulky outerwear before putting children and infants in their car seats and using a blanket to keep them warm. This recommendation is highly impractical. First, it is sometimes difficult to get children into outerwear to begin with, as children are often resistant to the process. Further, a typical trip taken by a parent with a child might require multiple stops (e.g. at the store, the bank, the dry cleaners, etc). It is complicated enough to buckle children in and out of car seats multiple times, but adding the time and effort required to also repeatedly bundle children in, and out of outerwear as well would make such trips prohibitive. There is also a high likelihood that a child will get chilled during the time when the outerwear is being removed and the car seat buckled, as well as of the child either not being willing to use the prescribed blanket to stay warm during travel or losing the blanket and not being able to retrieve it (making it necessary for the driver to stop the car in order to retrieve it). The likely result of such problems is the continued misuse of harness straps. 
     What has been needed, therefore, is a child&#39;s outerwear garment that can be used safely with a car seat harness system while retaining convenience of use and the ability to keep the child warm at all times. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a child&#39;s outerwear garment that will allow use of the garment in conjunction with a car seat in a manner that is both safe and convenient. 
     A particular object of the invention is to provide a child&#39;s outerwear garment that will allow parents to correctly secure and fit a car seat harness belt across a child&#39;s or infant&#39;s chest and lap, thus securing the child properly to the restraint system. 
     A further particular object of the present invention is to provide an outerwear garment that makes it possible to correctly use a car seat harness system without removing the outerwear garment completely. 
     Yet another particular object of the present invention is to provide an outer wear garment that allows correct use of a car seat harness system without the child getting cold. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 a    is front view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1 b    is a front view of the rear portion of a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1   a;    
         FIG. 1 c    is a front view of the front panel of a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1   a;    
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of a child in a typical car seat restraint system wearing a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment having an attachment panel between the front panel and rear portion that may be used with the garment; and 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment having a decorative element on the front panel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description element numbers are assigned as per the following examples. The outwear garment has a front panel that is designated  110  in  FIGS. 1 a   – 1   c , is designated  210  in  FIG. 2 , is designated  410  in  FIG. 4  and so on. There is a rear portion that is designated  120  in  FIGS. 1 a   – 1   c , is designated  220  in  FIG. 2 , is designated  320  in  FIG. 3  and so on. When the second and third digits are the same they represent the same element. 
     The present invention is a child&#39;s outerwear garment that can be used safely with a car seat harness system. The garment is comprised of a rear portion that covers the child&#39;s back and arms and a front panel that is detachable along the shoulders and sides. The front panel is secured to the rear portion by any type of fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. The garment is made from any material suitable for use in outerwear garments including, but not limited to, water-resistant or waterproof nylon or polyester, fleece, wool, cotton, and combinations thereof. It may optionally include a lining made of any suitable material, and may further optionally be filled with any of the many types of filling materials known in the art including, but not limited to, down, feathers, polyester, Thinsulate™ or combinations thereof. It may be fabricated using any of the many methods known in the art for garment construction, or combinations thereof. 
     The invention is suitable for use with all commonly used car seat restraint systems including, but not limited to, 3-point harnesses, 5-point harnesses, overhead shields, and T-shields. By providing for the removal of the bulky front portion of the child&#39;s garment, the present invention makes it possible for a parent to position a car seat&#39;s harness safety belts within the guidelines mandated by the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). 
       FIG. 1 a    is a front view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 a   , detachable front panel  110  is attached to rear portion  120  of garment  100  by fasteners  130 . Fasteners  130  may be any fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. It is particularly important to the present invention that front panel  110  be detachable from rear portion  120  high up on the shoulders  140  of garment  100 , in order that the advantages of the invention may be fully realized. It is removal of front panel  110  all the way to shoulders  140  that allows a car seat harness to be properly and safely secured over a child wearing garment  100 , as this removal prevents the puffing and bunching at the shoulder that prevents the car seat harness from being properly and safely used with conventional outwear garments. 
     The rear portion  120  of garment  110  is shown as having sleeves  121  which are not critical to the present invention. When garment  100  is used in the winter sleeves  121  are useful for warmth, but may be dispensed with in the summer. 
     Garment  100  as shown in  FIG. 1  further has an optional collar  150  and center fastener  160 . Optional center fastener  160  may be any type of fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. Use or non-use of optional collar  150  and center fastener  160  is a decision based on comfort, style, and utility of the outerwear garment; and such use or non-use does not affect the utility of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1 b    is a front view of the rear portion  120  of the child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 a    with front panel  110  removed. The parallel lines represent the inside of the rear portion  120 . In  FIG. 1 b   , rear portion  120  has fasteners  180 ,  182  and  184  suitable for mating with fasteners  130  on front panel  110  of  FIG. 1 a   . Fasteners  180 ,  182  and  184  may be any fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. As shown in  FIG. 1 b   , fasteners  182  and  184  are at the shoulder  140  of rear portion  120 , which is important for properly securing front panel  110  of  FIG. 1 a    when front panel  110  is in use. As previously emphasized, it is removal of front panel  110  all the way to shoulders  140  that allows a car seat harness to be properly and safely secured over a child wearing garment  100 . Rear portion  120  as shown in  FIG. 1 b    further has optional collar  150 . Use or non-use of optional collar  150  is a decision based on comfort, style, and utility of the outerwear garment; and such use or non-use does not affect the utility of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1 c    is a front view of the front panel  110  of the child&#39;s outerwear garment  100  according to the embodiment shown  FIG. 1 a   . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 c   , front panel  110  has fasteners  130 ,  132  and  134  suitable for mating with respective fasteners  180 ,  182  and  184  of  FIG. 1 b   . Fasteners  130 ,  132  and  134  may be any fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. As shown in  FIG. 1 c   , fasteners  132  and  134  are designed to secure front panel  110  to the shoulder  140  of rear portion  120  shown in  FIG. 1 b   , which is important for properly securing front panel  110  when it is in use. Front panel  110  as shown in  FIG. 1 c    further may have an optional center fastener  160 . Optional center fastener  160  maybe any type of fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. Fastener  160  may be used to open the front of front panel  110  after it is attached to rear portion  120  if a child wearing garment  110  is too hot, or to perform additional adjustments to the restraining belts of the safety seat harness. Use or non-use of optional center fastener  160  is a decision based on comfort, style, and utility of the outerwear garment; such use or non-use does not affect the utility of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , detachable front panel  210  is attached to rear portion  220  of the garment at shoulders  240  by fasteners  232  and  234  on either shoulder. Fasteners  232  and  234  may be any fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. It is particularly important to the present invention that front parcel  210  be detachable from rear portion  220  high up on the shoulders  240  of the garment, in order that the advantages of the invention may be fully realized. In  FIG. 2 , inner attachment area  242  and outer attachment area  244  of rear portion  220  are shown as extending from beneath attached front panel  210 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the garment further has optional collar  250  and center fastener  260 . Optional center fastener  260  may be any type of fastener known in the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. Use or non-use of optional collar  250  and center fastener  260  is a decision based on comfort, style, and utility of the outerwear garment; such use or non-use does not affect the utility of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a view of a child in a typical car seat restraint system wearing a child&#39;s outerwear garment  310  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a child  302  is restrained in a typical car seat  304  by 3-point harness  306  so that buckle  308  lays flat against the child&#39;s chest with only enough room for one adult sized finger to fit between the buckle and the chest. While a 3-point harness is illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the invention may be advantageously used with any form of car seat harness or car seat known in the art. In  FIG. 3  child  302  is shown wearing only rear portion  320  of an outerwear garment according to the present invention over a shirt  325 . As shown, the front panel of the garment has been detached from the garment by the detaching fasteners  380 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , car seat harness  306  lies only over the child&#39;s shirt  325 , rather than over rear portion  320  of the outerwear garment. This eliminates the problem of the bulky outerwear garment preventing tightening of car seat harness  306  to the standard specified by the NHTSA. This advantage is made possible by the construction of shoulder  340  of rear portion  320 , which is cut so as to minimize contact between car seat harness  306  and shoulder  340 . As shown, the tops  390  of car seat harness  306  leave car seat  304  and begin contact with child  302  just below inner attachment area  342  of shoulder  340 . This configuration prevents the puffing and bunching at the shoulder that prevents a car seat harness from being properly and safely used with conventional outerwear garments. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that the front panel of the garment may be re-attached to rear parcel  320  by means of fasteners  380  once car seat harness  306  is secured. This allows exposure of the child to cold temperatures to be minimized, and eliminates the problem of the child refusing to use or otherwise losing a blanket or other means provided for warmth. In addition, when the front portion is attached to the rear portion it helps retain the position of the belts of the safety seat and helps prevent a child from wiggling out of the belts. 
       FIG. 4  is a view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment having an attachment panel  405  between the front panel  410  and rear portion  420  according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , optional attachment panel  405  connects one side of the back of front panel  410  to one side of the front of rear portion  420 . Attachment panel  405  provides the advantage that it prevents front panel  410  from being completely separated from rear portion  420 , thereby preventing potential loss of front panel  410  during non-use or through deliberate or accidental removal by the child when the garment is being worn. 
     In  FIG. 4 , front panel  410  is attached to rear portion  420  but is being viewed from the rear. The parallel lines represent the inside of the rear portion  120 . In this configuration, when front panel  410  is attached to rear portion  420 , the back of fastener  430  (shown) mates with fastener  480  and the back of fastener  436  (shown) mates with fastener  486 . Similarly, the back of fastener  432  (shown) mates with fastener  482 , the back of fastener  434  (shown) mates with fastener  484 , the back of fastener  438  (shown) mates with fastener  488  and the back of fastener  439  (shown) mates with fastener  489 . As before, fasteners  430 ,  432 ,  434 ,  436 ,  438 ,  439 ,  480 ,  482 ,  484 ,  486 ,  488 ,  489  may be any fastener known run the art including, but not limited to, clasps, hooks, snaps, buttons, zippers, Velcro™, or any combination thereof. 
     In this embodiment of the invention, attachment panel  405  is attached slightly inward from the outer edges of front panel  410  and rear portion  420 , allowing attachment panel  405  to be pulled neatly and completely out of the way of the car seat harness straps. This configuration allows attachment panel  405  to fold neatly between front panel  410  and rear portion  420  when front panel  410  is attached to rear portion  420  with fasteners  430 ,  432 ,  434 ,  436 ,  438 ,  439 ,  480 ,  482 ,  484 ,  486 ,  488  and  489 , presenting a neat appearance while the garment is being worn. Attachment panel  405  is comprised of a relatively sturdy yet thin material, such as water-resistant or waterproof nylon or polyester, so that it does not present too much bulk when folded between front panel  410  and rear portion  420 . However, attachment panel  405  may be fabricated of any suitable material including, but not limited to, water-resistant or waterproof nylon or polyester, fleece, wool, cotton, elasticized materials, and combinations thereof. 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of a child&#39;s outerwear garment having a decorative front panel  510  according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , detachable front panel  510  is shown attached to rear portion  520  of garment  100  by fasteners  530 . In this embodiment, there is no center fastener. This embodiment is particularly suitable for adding an optional, decorative element  570 , such as a school or team; logo, cartoon, television, or movie character, motto, or any other suitable decorative device known in the art. As shown, optional decorative effect  570  is positioned in the middle of front panel  510 . Optional decorative effect  570  may of course be any size or shape suitable for use with the garment, and may optionally extend beyond front panel  510  onto rear portion  520 . While this embodiment is particularly suited for use with an optional decorative effect, any embodiment of the invention may advantageously employ such an effect. Use or non-use of optional, decorative effect  570  is a decision based on comfort, style, and utility of the outerwear garment; such use or non-use does not affect the utility of the present invention. 
     The present invention, therefore, provides a child&#39;s outerwear garment that allow use of the garment in conjunction with a car seat in a manner that is both safe and convenient, allowing parents to correctly secure and fit a car seat harness belt across a child&#39;s or infant&#39;s chest and lap, thus securing the child properly to the restraint system. This child&#39;s outerwear garment makes it possible to correctly use a car seat harness system without removing the outerwear garment completely and without the child getting cold. Each of the embodiments of the invention described above may be combined with any of the other embodiments in order to provide multiple features. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number of separate embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention, what has been described herein is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements, methods, modifications, and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are therefore also considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the claims that follow.