Abstract:
A child carrier and swimming aid allows a caregiver to carry a child in pressing relation to the caregiver&#39;s torso and allows the device to be used in the water. The adult dons a harness and places the child into a vest, which vest is a personal flotation device. The vest is attached to the harness in order to facilitate normal carrying of the child by the adult. In a body of water, the vest can be detached from the harness allowing the child to float free of the adult, with the vest being tethered to the harness for safety.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a child carrier wherein the child is carried proximate an adult&#39;s torso area and wherein the child holder doubles as a personal flotation device. 
     2. Background of the Prior Art 
     Child carriers, wherein the child is held within a carrier that is attached to a harness worn by an adult such that the child is carried proximate the adult&#39;s torso region, are used and loved by millions of moms and dads. These devices allow the caregiver to be able to hold the child using the caregiver&#39;s body to support the child instead of predominately the arms and shoulders. These carriers hold the child securely and in a pressing relation with the adult while allowing the adult to have arms and hands free for other activities such as shopping or attending to other chores such as banking. If a child is simply being carried, then when the adult desires to perform an act such as cashing a check, the adult must either place the child on the ground and struggle to make sure that the child does not run off or otherwise get into trouble (as children are famous for), or, if the child is too small, the adult must awkwardly fumble around with one hand while holding the child with the other. This is not only uncomfortable and time-consuming, but gives the caregiver a lessened sense of security in the hold on the child. Additionally, some functions require the use of both hands to perform, which functions the adult must forego should the child need to be constantly held. 
     The present day child carriers, which come in a variety of styles, give the caregiver both security in the knowledge that the child is being securely held and freedom to do activities that would be difficult, if not impossible, if the child were simply being free carried. These devices also give the caregiver a more intimate interaction with the child then can be experienced if the child is carried in a stroller or other walker. 
     Many modern child carriers have features that facilitate the device&#39;s immersion in water so that the caregiver can take the child into a body of water such as a swimming pool or the ocean while maintaining secure contact with the child. Such features include the use of waterproof materials and meshing to release any water that may accumulate between the device and either the adult or the child. By giving the carriers the ability to be used effectively in water, the adult can swim or otherwise interact with the child in a manner that is not possible if the adult needs to use her arms to support the child in the water. While such water friendly features give the adult and child enhanced freedoms in a body of water, room exists to give even more water borne freedom and versatility within a body of water. 
     Therefore, the exists a need in the art for a child carrier wherein the child is held within the carrier and carried about by an adult that dons a harness, which child carrier not only gives the adult maximum freedom in carrying the child about, but also allows the device to be used in a body of water and that gives maximum flexibility and versatility to both child and adult while using the device in the body of water. Ideally, such a child carrier must be of relatively simple design and construction and be easy to use and maintain. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The child carrier and swimming aid of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs the art. The child carrier and swimming aid allows a child to be held within the carrier and carried about by an adult in the usual way, giving the adult the various freedoms in so carrying a child. The child carrier and swimming aid can also be used in a body of water giving maximum flexibility and versatility to both child and adult over and on top of the freedoms enjoyed by prior art child carriers that are water friendly. The child carrier and swimming aid is of relatively simple design and construction, relying on standard methods of manufacturing to construct, and is easy to use and maintain. 
     The child carrier and swimming aid of the present invention is comprised of a harness that is worn by an adult or other appropriate caregiver (older sibling, baby-sitter, etc.), the harness has a belt for extending around a waist of caregiver, the harness also having a pair of straps connected to the belt, the pair of straps passing over shoulders of the caregiver. A vest is worn by a child such that the vest acts as a personal flotation device when worn by the child so that the child floats in a body of water while donning the vest. The vest is removably attached to the harness by at least one quick-disconnect clip, which clip attaches to a back of the vest. A tether connects the harness with the vest. A grab loop may be located on a top of the vest. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the child carrier and swimming aid of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the child carrier and swimming aid being used to carry a child. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the child carrier and swimming aid wherein the child carrying vest is detached from the adult&#39;s harness. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the child carrier and swimming aid of the present invention, generally denoted by reference numeral  10 , is comprised of a harness  12  and a vest  14 . The harness  12  is any appropriate harness that is worn about the torso of a caregiver A such as the illustrated harness  12  which has a belt  16  that extends about the waist of the caregiver A and a pair of straps  18  that attach to the belt  16 , either directly, or as illustrated via a stomach patch  20 , which may or may not be padded as desired. The straps  18  pass over the shoulders of the caregiver A and attach to the back of the belt  16 . The pair of straps  18  may attach directly to the belt  16  at the back of the belt  16 , or as illustrated, may meet at a Y-connector,  22 , with a single strap  18 ′ extending between the Y-connector  22  and the back portion of the belt  16 . The Y-connector  22  may be padded for increased user comfort while wearing the harness  12 . The ends of the belt  16  may be connected to each other in appropriate fashion such as using the illustrated quick-disconnect clip of any appropriate design known in the art, which clip has a male portion  24  that is removably received within a female portion  26 . An adjustment mechanism  28  is provided on the clip for adjusting the size of the belt  16 . Similar size adjustment mechanisms  30  are provided on the shoulder straps  18  for adjusting the length of each of the shoulder straps  18 . A D-ring  32  is provided on the harness  12 . 
     The vest  14  is any appropriate vest that acts as a personal flotation device known in the art. The illustrated vest  14  is typical of personal flotation devices for use by children and includes a body member  34  that is split down the middle with the two split portions coming together by providing a zipper  36  on the front of the vest  14 . An encircling strap  38  wraps about the vest  14  when worn and uses an appropriate clip  40  to connect its two ends together, the clip  40  having a sizing mechanism  42  thereon. A safety strap  44  extends from the back of the vest  14  and passes between a child&#39;s legs and attaches to the encircling strap  38  by an appropriate clip  46 , this clip  46  also having a size adjust mechanism  48 . The encircling strap clip  40  and the safety strap clip  46  can be of any appropriate design known such as the illustrated quick-disconnect clips. A child&#39;s head passes through an opening  50  on the vest  14  such that once through the upper portion  52  of the body member  34  is located behind the child&#39;s head and acts as a head rest for the child C. A D-ring  54  is also located on the vest  14  as is a grab loop  56  located on the upper portion  52  of the body member  34 . The vest  14  is filled with an appropriate buoyancy material, such as closed cell foam so that a child C wearing the device floats in water. Advantageously, although not necessarily, the vest  14  is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard as a personal flotation device for the specific weight category of the vest  14 , and specifically as a near-shore buoyant vest. In such regard the front of the vest  14  is orange in color. 
     The vest  14  is removably attached to the harness  12  by providing at least one quick-disconnect mating clip and attaching the male portion  58  of the clip on the vest  14  and the female portion  60  on the harness  12  (or vice-versa). In use, the caregiver A dons the harness  12  by passing the belt  16  around her waist and passing the shoulder straps  18  over her shoulders. The belt  16  is closed by receiving the male portion  24  of the belt clip within the female portion  26  of the belt clip. The size of the belt  16  is adjusted using the sizing mechanism  28  on the belt clip. Similarly, the size of each of the shoulder straps  18  is adjusted using their respective sizing mechanisms  30 . The vest  14  is placed on the child by placing the child&#39;s head through the opening  50 . The zipper  36  is zipped closed in order to bring the two halves of the body member  34  together. The encircling strap  38  is encircled about the child C and is closed at the front of the vest  14  by its clip  40 . The sizing mechanism  42  is used to adjust the length of the encircling strap  38 . The safety strap  44  is brought between the child&#39;s legs and is attached to the encircling strap  38  via its clip  46 . The sizing mechanism  48  is used to adjust the length of the safety strap  44 . The vest  14  is attached to the harness  12  by receiving the male portion  58  of each mating clip within its respective female portion  60  of the mating clip. Once all clips are connected, the vest  14  is attached to the harness  12  and allows the caregiver wearing the harness  12  to carry a child C within the vest  14  in normal child carrying fashion. Sufficient amounts of clips are used in order to be able to bear the load presented by the child C and the vest  14 . When a body of water W is entered, the mating clips can be disconnected and a tether  62 , having clips  64  on either end, tethers the vest  14  with the harness  12  by having one of the clips  64  attach to the D-ring  32  on the harness  12  while the other clip  64  attaches to the D-ring  54  on the vest  14 . The child C can now play in the water W without being firmly attached to the caregiver A. As the vest  14  is a personal flotation device, the child C is kept safely above the water&#39;s surface. The tether  62  prevents the child C from straying too far from the caregiver A. If necessary, the caregiver A can pull the child C through the water w or pull the child C out of the water W by grabbing the grab loop  56 . 
     Use of quick-disconnect clips for all clipping functions allows the device  10  to be used in very quick and efficient manner including donning and removal of the harness  12  and the vest  14 , vest attachment to and detachment from the harness, and tether  62  attachment and detachment. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.