Abstract:
Apparatus for securing a child safely in a cart seat. A seat belt has a connected attachment belt which is used to attach the apparatus to the rear bars of a cart seat. A position strap, which is attached to the attachment belt, extends around the top of the cart seat to restrict the vertical displacement of the seat belt and belted child with respect to the seat cart. A second embodiment provides a planar display located at the rear of the cart seat as part of the apparatus.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention deals with restraint of a child seated in a grocery shopping cart in a manner which will prevent injury. 
         [0003]    2. Descriptions of Related Art 
         [0004]    Current seat belts for children in shopping carts are secured only at the extremities adjacent to the peripheral boundaries of the cart. A child is thereby enabled to slide laterally providing room for the child to slip from the belt and stand up. This can result in the cart tipping and consequent injuries to the child. 
         [0005]    There are a number of warnings related to the safety of children riding in shopping cart seats. As examples, the American Academy of Pediatrics in an August 2006 committee report noted how common shopping cart injuries resulting from carts tipping are. The report also noted how often this resulted in serious head and neck injuries. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has noted the number of shopping cart injuries to children and is launching a safety program to reduce such injuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics in a recent report even recommended that parents consider alternatives to placing children in shopping carts to reduce the potential for injury. 
         [0006]    It would be desirable if a seat belt could be configured to make it more difficult for a child to escape from a seat belt and to prevent a belted child from standing up. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]    The present invention provides a seat belt which is attached to vertical bars at the back of a shopping cart seat and arranged to closely encircle the waist of a seated child. Seat belt length adjustments permit a close encirclement of the child&#39;s waist to substantially eliminate the possibility of the child escaping from the seat belt. The seat belt is restrained to move only a predetermined distance upward with respect to the cart to reduce the distance a child can raise himself when restrained by the seat belt. Such a combination greatly minimizes the possibility of a child either being able to escape the belt restraint and stand up and tip the cart over, or being able to rise up sufficiently without escaping the belt, to tip the cart over. 
         [0008]    The apparatus includes a first embodiment which employs a seat belt formed from two seat belt straps, each having a length adjustment. A first connector is provided to enable connecting one end of the two seat belt straps together. The first connector is used to attach the seat belt around a child seated in a cart seat, and the seat belt length adjustment permits tightening the belt to effect a secure attachment around the child. 
         [0009]    The end of the seat belt straps opposite the first connector are attached near the opposite ends of an attachment strap. A second connector is arranged to connect the opposite ends of the attachment strap together. The attachment strap is sized to fit around spaced apart rods forming the rear of a child&#39;s cart seat to secure the attachment strap in place. This also secures the seat belt in place. 
         [0010]    One end of a position strap is attached perpendicular to the attachment strap between the seat belt attachment points. The opposite end of the position strap is formed into a loop sized to fit around the outside of the second connector. 
         [0011]    The position strap is extended from the attachment strap over the top of the cart seat, and the end loop is placed around the female end of the second connector before the second connector is closed. With the position strap loop around the second connector before it is closed, closing the connector will both connect the attachment strap around the vertical rear seat rods and also secure the position strap over and around the horizontal top of the cart seat. With this arrangement the position strap limits both the vertical translation of the seat belt and a belted child with respect to the cart seat. 
         [0012]    Such an apparatus, which can be connected and disconnected easily and rapidly, comprises a first embodiment of the apparatus that can be used at multiple locations. 
         [0013]    A second embodiment obtains the same results with a similar apparatus connected together in a similar way as the first embodiment. However, with the second embodiment, the seat belt straps are connected to the attachment strap by means of a pair of grommets which extends through a planar display. The planar display is sized to overlie the area at the rear of the cart seat. The apparatus is arranged to locate the display immediately in front of and aligned with the rear area of the cart seat. 
         [0014]    In this embodiment, a ring connector attaches two loops at the ends of the attachment strap and a loop at the end of the position strap. This arrangement also attaches the apparatus to the rear of the cart seat and limits the vertical translation of the seat belt with respect to the cart. 
         [0015]    Since the second embodiment is more difficult to connect to a cart because of use of the ring connector, and the inclusion of a display suitable for advertising, this apparatus is more likely to be used by a store because of the permanent attachment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0016]    The objects and features of the present invention will become more manifest to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and wherein: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a cart with a child seated in the cart seat and secured by the first embodiment of the apparatus; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is an end portion of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of apparatus  1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the back portion of a cart seat with apparatus  1  attached; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of apparatus  2 ; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the back portion of a cart seat with apparatus  2  attached. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]    A first embodiment of the apparatus is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . Apparatus  1  has a seat belt  10 , formed by two equal length seat belt straps  10 A, an attachment strap  12  and a vertical position strap  14 . Attachment strap  12  attaches seat belt  10  to the back of cart seat  16 A of cart  16 . Position strap  14  positions the vertical location of seat belt  10  with respect to cart seat  16 A and limits the vertical translation of the seat belt with respect to the seat. Connector  10 B is preferably a conventional rapid release connector with a male part having a pair of flexible extensions each having an outer directed projection arranged to engage opposed outer openings in a mating receptacle in a female part. The male and female parts of connector  10 B are connected by extending a pair of opposed flexible extensions each having a centered outward projection from the male part into mating receptacles in the female part until the two outer directed projections oppose two mating outer openings in the female receptacle where they can spring outward and lock the two parts together. The male and female parts of connector  10 B are separated by pressing both male extensions inward together until the centered outer projections clear the mating openings in the female part which permits the parts to be separated. While this is the preferred connector for this apparatus, any other connector that provides rapid connection and disconnection of the parts will suffice. 
         [0024]    Seat belt straps  10 A each have one end attached to connector  10 B. Slide adjusters  10 C are provided for each strap  10 A to permit changing the length of seat belt  10  to fit each child. 
         [0025]    The ends of seat belt straps  10 A opposite connector  10 B are attached equal distances from opposite ends of attachment strap  12 . The ends of attachment strap  12  are connected together by connector  12 A which has a male part  10 A 1  and a female part  12 A 2  and is the same type of connector as connector  10 B. However, any other connector which can connect and disconnect the straps readily will suffice. 
         [0026]    Position strap  14  has one end attached perpendicularly to attachment strap  12  between the connection points of seat belt straps  10 A. Straps  14  and  10 A are attached together in the same plane by being sewed together. Position strap  14  has a loop  14 A formed in the end opposite attachment strap  12  which is sized to fit around the outside of female part  12 A 2  of connector  12  to secure the position strap to the attachment strap. This is accomplished by placing apparatus  1  as shown in  FIG. 2  with the ends of attachment straps  12  extending between vertical seat rods  16 B with position strap  14  extending upward. Position strap  14  is extended over and around horizontal seat top  16 C. Loop  14 A is positioned around female connector  12 A 2  and male connector  12 A 1  inserted to complete connecting the attachment strap  12  to cart  16  and position strap  14  around horizontal seat top  16 C. 
         [0027]    With apparatus  1  connected to cart  12  in this manner, a child  18  can be placed on cart seat  16 A and seat belt  10  attached around the child  18  by connecting the two parts of connector  10 B together. Size adjustment is then made using slide adjustors  10 C to fit seat belt  10  snugly around the child. A snug fit will prevent the child from escaping the seat belt  10 . In addition, position strap  14  will result in seat belt  10  being secured above the waistline. In this location, strap  10  will prevent the child from standing because of the engagement of the strap with the horizontal seat top  16 C. This will eliminate the danger of the child standing and tipping the cart. 
         [0028]    Apparatus  2 , shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , are second embodiments of apparatus used to safely restrain a child seated in a grocery cart. As described earlier, apparatus  2  uses a number of the same elements and arrangements of the first embodiment. Apparatus  2  has a seat belt  20 , formed by two seat belt straps  20 A, an attachment strap  22  and a position strap  24 . In addition, apparatus  2  has a planar display sheet  21  with a pair of grommets  21 A extending through the sheet. Display sheet  21  can be formed from a plurality of sheets including a transparent outer sheet, an adjacent advertising sheet, and a support sheet. Rivets  21 B around the periphery connect the various sheets of display sheet  21  together. 
         [0029]    Straps  20 A each have one end connected to connector  20 B. Slide adjusters  20 C are provided for each strap  20 A to permit changing their length to fit each child. The ends of seat belt straps  20 A opposite connector  20 B are each attached equally offset from the ends of attachment strap  22  through grommets  21 A of sheet  21  to attachment strap  22 . Seat belt straps  20 A are attached to attachment strap  22  in the same plane by sewing them together. The ends of attachment strap  22  each terminate in an end loop  22 A. 
         [0030]    Position strap  24  has one end attached perpendicularly to attachment strap  22  between the attachment points of seat belt straps  20 A. Position strap  24  and attachment strap  22  are again attached together in the same plane by sewing them together. Position strap  24  has a loop  24 A formed in the end opposite attachment strap  22 . 
         [0031]    End loops  22 A of attachment strap  22  and end loop  24 A of position strap  24  are all connected together by ring connector  22 B with apparatus  2  position with respect to cart seat  26 A as shown in  FIG. 6 . This arrangement locates display sheet  21  adjacent to the back of cart seat  26 A with position strap  24  around horizontal seat top  26 C and attachment strap  22  around vertical seat rods  26 B. In this position sheet  21  is displayed without interfering with any of the safety features of the apparatus. Attaching both end loops  22 A and end loop  24 A together completes the connection of apparatus  2  to cart seat  26 A. The adjustments to fit a particular child and the resulting restrictions to the movement of the child with respect to the cart seat are the same for embodiment 2 as for embodiment 1. 
         [0032]    The above are just two examples of the modifications and changes that are possible and would occur to one skilled in the art, therefore it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
         [0033]    It will be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, material, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is as defined in the language of the appended claims.