Patent Publication Number: US-6910993-B1

Title: Device for use in teaching infants to walk

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/503,213, filed Sep. 15, 2003. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to devices for use in assisting infants in learning to walk, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a device for enabling an adult to walk upright while simultaneously teaching an infant how to walk. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In teaching an infant to walk, an adult often leans forwardly and supports the infant by manually supporting the infant underneath its armpits to enable the infant to walk in front of the adult. The adult is, therefore, thereby able to allow the infant to place weight on its feet while restraining the infant from falling. The problem with this walking training mode is that the adult is bent forwardly, and after a period of time, may experience discomfort in supporting the infant while walking in such a position. 
   There have been several attempts to provide devices that can be used by adults to assist in supporting an infant or small child while learning a variety of activities that include teaching balance while in an upright position such as walking. These patents include the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,193,374; 2,108,566; 4,907,972; 4,922,860; 5,120,287; 5,356,355; 6,196,949; 6,325,023; 6,338,699; 6,361,478. 
   While the various patented devices may function satisfactorily for their intended purposes, there is a need for a device that enables an adult to stand in an upright position while supporting an infant to teach the infant to walk while supported in front of the adult. 
   OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
   It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device of the type described that can be used comfortably by an adult, that is straightforward to manufacture, and that is readily launderable. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The features of the present invention should be apparent from the following description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an infant walk-teaching device embodying the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken on line  2 — 2  of  FIG. 1 , 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken on line  3 — 3  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken on line  4 — 4  of  FIG. 3  showing a portion of the circumference of the harness; and 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 4  except that the harness is shown adjusted to a reduced circumference. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a device  10  for use by an adult A to walk an infant I while the adult is standing erect behind the infant. The device  10  comprises a padded harness  12  which supports the infant I from locations below and around the infant&#39;s thorax, or chest, and a pair of vertically-elongate flexible, inverted U-shape straps  14 , 16  extending upwardly from the harness  12  for providing a pair of bights  14   a ,  16   a  that are gripable by the adult&#39;s hands H while standing erect with both the adults&#39; and infants&#39; feet on a common walking surface S. The lower end of the harness  12  has a pair of leg-receiving holes  12   a  and  12   b  for receiving the infant&#39;s legs as illustrated in FIG.  1 . 
   The straps  14  and  16  are identical and consist essentially of a washable, flacid material  16   b  ( FIG. 2 ) connected to the harness in such a manner that the infant&#39;s shoulders extend horizontally through the openings  14   c ,  16   c  provided by the straps below the bights  14   a ,  16   a . Preferably, each of the straps, such as strap  16  ( FIG. 2 ) includes a length of webbing  18  which is connected at its lower end  18   a  to a belt-like web  20  which extends around the thorax of the infant I. At least one, and preferably two, webs  22  ( FIG. 3 ) depend in spaced relation from the belt  20  and extend through the infant&#39;s crotch from front to rear for providing support of the infant&#39;s lower torso. Each of the straps is preferably sewn inside a soft padded material in order to enhance wearing comfort for the infant I and gripping comfort for the adult A. Preferably, the padding material is of a fabric which is readily washable in a conventional home washing machine. 
   As best seen in  FIG. 1 , each of the straps is preferably provided with an adjustable, preferably soft plastic buckle  24 ,  26  to enable the overall lengths of the straps to be adjusted so as to enable the adult A to stand erect while the infant&#39;s feet are on the common support surface S in front of the adult. As illustrated, the straps  14 ,  16  extend upwardly from the harness waist a distance of about two-thirds the overall length of the device  10 . A desirable overall length is close to about 3 feet before lengthwise strap adjustment to shorten the length. 
   Desirably, the peripheral extent of the harness  12  is adjustable circumferentially to accommodate the infant&#39;s girth. In the illustrated embodiment, the means for adjusting the harness  12  includes a pair of straps, or belts,  28  and  30 , secured on opposite lateral sides of the harness  12  as best illustrated in FIG.  1 . Preferably, each strap,  28  and  30 , is made of an elastic material and is permanently secured to the harness via stitching  32  at one end,  28   a  and  30   a , of each strap,  28  and  30 . The opposite end,  28   b  and  30   b , of each strap carries a series of metal or plastic snaps, push buttons, or the like  34  for being removably secured to the harness  12  at various locations along the periphery of the harness  12 . To this end, complimentary snaps, grommets, or the like  36  are permanently secured within the harness  12  at various spaced-apart predetermined distances from stitching  32 . Thus, the strap  30  can be secured to a first set of grommets  36   a  as shown in  FIG. 4 , or can be extended further about the periphery of the harness  12  and secured to a second set of grommets  36   b  as shown in  FIG. 5  causing puckering of the harness  12  to take up excess material and to reduce the overall circumference of the harness  12 . Other means for adjusting the circumference of the harness, such as adjustable belts, straps, etc. utilizing buttons, hook and loop fasteners, buckles, and the like can also be utilized. 
   In use, an infant is placed in the harness  12  which may, or not, also be adjusted circumferentially about the infant&#39;s waist or thorax for comfort purposes. The length of the straps  14 ,  16  is then adjusted by their respective buckles in order to dispose the bights  14   a ,  16   a  at a level which is comfortable for the adult to grasp with the infant&#39;s feet at the same floor level S as the adult. The adult can then support the infant while the adult stands and walks erect behind the infant to teach the infant to walk in front of the adult. 
   The described device has a number of advantages besides being comfortable to use by both the adult and infant. Among these are the fact that it can be laundered readily in a conventional washing machine and dried in a dryer. It can also be folded into a compact configuration for placement in a travel bag. It does not have any hardware such as handles, or the like, in proximity with the infant&#39;s torso or head that might cause injury if not used properly. Moreover, the device uses common materials which can be sewn readily and thereby manufactured economically. 
   While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, various modifications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.