Abstract:
A personal weight-bearing harness that is worn over at least one shoulder of a wearer and that comprises at least one handle attached to the front of a strap of the harness provides an improved means of carrying an infant or other item in at least one arm of the wearer. The hand of the arm carrying the infant or item can grasp the handle, which results in at least some of the weight of the carried item(s) being transferred to the shoulder and/or back of the wearer. The harness is worn over, under, or incorporated into an outer garment, such as a coat, jacket, vest, shirt, sweatshirt, and the like; in the latter two cases, a handle is accessed through an opening in the outer garment disposed over the handle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/215,878, filed May 11, 2009, and titled “Personal Carrier Harness. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a personal weight-bearing harness which facilitates the wearer in carrying items in the wearer&#39;s arms, and in particular to outer garments such as coats, jackets, blazers, vests, shirts, sweatshirts, and the like, worn with or incorporating the harness which assists the wearer in carrying children such as infants and toddlers, or other items, in the wearer&#39;s arms. 
         [0003]    Many methods are used to carry infants and toddlers by their caregiver. One popular type of device is a baby carrier; these carriers are fashioned to be worn over a caregivers clothing, and support a baby either at the caregiver&#39;s front or back, with the baby facing inward or outward. However, while useful in many situations, these types of carriers are cumbersome to use, in that the carrier must first be donned by the caregiver, adjusted for proper fit, and then fastened securely to the caregiver&#39;s body; next, the baby must be carefully and securely placed into the carrier. The process is reversed to put the baby down. Also, these carriers are typically limited to use with a baby of a particular size or small size range, with front carriers generally limited to use with younger babies, and rear or back-pack carriers for use with older babies or toddlers. 
         [0004]    An easier and traditional method is for the caregiver to simply pick up and carry the baby in the caregiver&#39;s arms. However, this method is limited for any other than short term carrying, due to eventual fatigue of the caregiver&#39;s arms. 
         [0005]    Thus, what is needed is a means to carry an infant or toddler that is less cumbersome than a baby carrier but that also avoids or decreases fatigue in the caregiver&#39;s arms. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A personal weight-bearing harness that is worn over shoulders of a wearer and that comprises at least one handle attached to the front of the harness provides an improved means of carrying a child or other item in at least one arm of the wearer. The harness comprises at least one strap to be worn over a wearer&#39;s shoulder and attached at its ends in the front and in the back of the wearer to a second strap to be worn encircling the wearer at about the wearer&#39;s waist, with at least one handle attached to the front of at least one of these straps. The hand of the wearer&#39;s arm carrying the child or other item can grasp the handle, which results in at least some of the weight of the carried child or other item(s) being transferred to the shoulder and/or back of the wearer, thereby resulting in less weight carried by the wearer&#39;s arm and avoiding or decreasing resulting muscle fatigue in the arm carrying the child or other item(s). 
         [0007]    Although it is anticipated that many items can be usefully carried with the assistance of the weight-bearing harness, it is believed that the harness is especially useful for carrying infants and young children. 
         [0008]    The weight bearing harness can be worn over an outer garment, or it can worn under an outer garment, or it can be incorporated into an outer garment, preferably on the inside of the outer garment, and if the outer garment has a lining, preferably under the lining. When worn under an outer garment, or incorporated into an outer garment, the handles are accessed by discreet openings in the outer portion of the garment such that a handle can be hidden from view when not in use, and may be pulled through an opening to be grasped by the wearer&#39;s hand when in use. 
         [0009]    The weight-bearing harness worn under or incorporated into an outer garment allows the wearer to maintain a fashionable look when the harness is not in use, and to still appear quite fashionable when the harness is in use for carrying at least one item in at least one arm of the wearer. As part of an outer garment, the weight-bearing harness is easy to use, easily accessible, and always available. It allows the wearer to carry items such as babies, toddlers, books, bags, tools and the like closer to the wearer&#39;s center of gravity. And it avoids or decreases arm muscle fatigue when carrying such items “by hand” for any other than short periods of time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view from the front of an embodiment of a weight-bearing harness with one shoulder strap. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the front of an embodiment of a weight-bearing harness with two shoulder straps as worn. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view from the back of an embodiment of a weight-bearing harness with two shoulder straps as worn. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view from the front of an embodiment of a weight-bearing harness with two shoulder straps comprising additional features. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is an illustrative view of an embodiment of a weight-bearing harness incorporated into the interior an outer garment, as viewed from the front. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of an outer garment with an incorporated interior weight-bearing harness and as worn by a wearer and in use for carrying a young child, as viewed from the front. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    With reference to the drawings, in  FIG. 1 , a weight-bearing harness ( 10 ) to be worn by a person (the “wearer”) over at least one shoulder of the wearer is shown in perspective view from the front. 
         [0017]    In some embodiments, the harness ( 10 ) comprises at least a first strap ( 12 ) which, when worn, is positioned over one shoulder of the wearer, where the strap ( 12 ) descends downwardly from the wearer&#39;s shoulder in the front (“front strap” ( 14 )) and in the back (“back strap” ( 16 )) of the wearer to a lower second strap which encircles the wearer at about the wearer&#39;s waist or hip region (“waist strap” ( 18 )); the front strap ( 14 ) is attached at its front end ( 20 ) and the back strap ( 16 ) is attached at its back end ( 22 ) to the waist strap ( 18 ) in the front region ( 24 ) and back region ( 26 ) of the waist strap ( 18 ), respectively. In particular embodiments, the front strap ( 14 ) and back strap ( 16 ) descend about vertically from the wearer&#39;s shoulder to the waist strap ( 18 ); in other particular embodiments, the front strap ( 14 ) and back strap ( 16 ) descend at an angle from the wearer&#39;s shoulder, such that the strap ( 12 ) is worn over one shoulder, and attached at its front end ( 20 ) and back end ( 22 ) to the waist strap front region ( 24 ) and waist strap back region ( 26 ) at positions somewhere under the wearer&#39;s opposite shoulder. 
         [0018]    In other embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , the weight-bearing harness ( 110 ) comprises two straps, a first strap  112  and a third strap  113  which when worn are positioned one over each of the wearer&#39;s shoulders, where each strap descends downwardly in the front (“front straps”  114 ,  115 ) and in the back (“back straps”  116 ,  117 ) of the wearer from each of the wearer&#39;s shoulders to a lower second strap which encircles the wearer at about the wearer&#39;s waist or hip region (“waist strap”  118 ); the straps  112 ,  113  are attached at their front ends  120 ,  121  and at their back ends  122 ,  123  to the waist strap  118  in the front region of the waist strap  124  and in the back region of the waist strap  126 , respectively. In particular embodiments, the back straps  116 ,  117  may descend straight down the wearer&#39;s back from the wearer&#39;s shoulders to the back region of the waist strap  126 ; in other particular embodiments, the back straps  116 ,  117  may cross each other at the back of the wearer before continuing down to the back region of the waist strap  126 ; in another embodiment, the back straps  116 ,  117  may be attached to each other at the back of the wearer at least one point, from which they then descend vertically to the back region of the waist strap  126  either jointly, as one strap, or as two separate straps. The two back straps  116 ,  117  may be joined to each other by at least a fourth strap (a “horizontal back strap,” not shown) or by a back brace (not shown) or by other means to provide greater comfort and back support. In other particular embodiments, the back straps  116 ,  117  comprise one piece from the wearer&#39;s shoulders to the wearer&#39;s waist (a “back piece,” not shown), and are thus connected to the front straps  114 ,  115  at about the wearer&#39;s shoulders and to the back region of the waist strap  126  at the bottom of the back piece of the wearer&#39;s back; and in yet other particular embodiments, the back straps  116 ,  117  may extend downward from the wearer&#39;s shoulders some length before being connected to a single back piece, which is then connected to the back region of the waist strap  126 . 
         [0019]    The straps  12 ,  112 ,  113  may be of any suitable width and length, and may further comprise means to adjust their length to more snugly fit the wearer; such means are well known and include but are not limited to ties, cinches, buckles, VELCRO, and the like. The harness may further comprise means to adjust the position of the straps  12 ,  112 ,  113  relative to the wearer, to improve fit and comfort; such means are well known and include but are not limited to ties, cinches, buckles ( 38 , as shown in  FIG. 4 ), VELCRO, and the like. 
         [0020]    The waist strap  18 ,  118  has two ends at the wearer&#39;s front toward the center of the wearer  30 ,  32 ,  130 ,  132 , and when worn are generally fastened together by any well known means, which include but are not limited to ties, cinches, buckles, VELCRO, and the like. The waist strap  18 ,  118  may also be of any suitable width and length, and may further comprise means to adjust their length to more snugly fit the wearer; such means are well known and include but are not limited to ties, cinches, buckles, VELCRO, and the like. 
         [0021]    At least one handle  34  is attached to at least one front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115  or to a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124 . In some embodiments, two handles  34  are attached one to each front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 , and in other embodiments, four handles  34  are attached to the front straps  114 ,  115 , two to a strap. In other embodiments at least one handle  34  is attached to a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124 , preferably toward the ends of the waist strap  31 ,  32 ,  130 ,  132 , and in other embodiment two handles  34  are attached to a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124 , preferably toward the ends of the waist strap  31 ,  32 ,  130 ,  132 , one handle  34  on either side of the center line of the wearer and on either side of the two ends of the waist strap  31 ,  32 ,  130 ,  132  at the front of the wearer. And in other embodiments at least one handle  34  is attached to a front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115  and at least one handle  34  is attached to a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124  in any of the configurations as described above. The handles  34  are positioned on a front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115  or on a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124  so that when the harness  10 ,  110  is worn and a handle  34  is grasped by the hand of the wearer either on the same side as or opposite to location of the handle  34  on a front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115  or on a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124 , the arm is either perpendicular to the ground, or slightly angled up away from perpendicular or angled slightly downward from perpendicular. The handles  34  may be attached to a front strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 , or a front region of a waist strap  24 ,  124  at one or more points. 
         [0022]    A handle  34  may be any configuration which is comfortably grasped by the wearer&#39;s hand and which when grasped provide support for the wearer&#39;s arm. Exemplary handles include but are not limited to: a strip of material attached at both of its ends to a strap; a strip of material fashioned into a loop attached at one end to a strap; a circular or oval shaped handle; a knob in any shape easily grasped by a hand, where the knob may further comprise a slight flange at its lower end for further supporting the hand grasping it. 
         [0023]    A handle  34  may be attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  in a fixed fashion, such that the handle  34  does not generally reorient itself with respect to the strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124 , or a handle  34  may be attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  in such a fashion such that it can rotate to different angles with respect to the strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124 , to accommodate different angles of the hand grasping it. A handle  34  may also be attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  in a retractable fashion, such that the handle  34  can be pulled out to a certain length, and then retracted close to or into a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  when not in use. Alternatively, a handle  34  may be removably attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124 , by means including but not limited to by ties, snaps, buttons, clips, buckles, and the like, such that a handle  34  may be removed from a harness  10 ,  110  and later again removably attached. A handle  34  may also be attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  by means of a knob which fits into a groove or slot, where the groove or slot is located on a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  and the knob on the handle  34 , or vice versa; in these embodiments, the handle  34  is attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  by sliding the knob into the groove or slot. 
         [0024]    The front straps  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  may further comprise additional means for removably securing items to the front straps. Such means include but are not limited to ties, loops, snaps, buttons, VELCRO, buckles, hooks, rings (such as a D ring  36  as shown in  FIG. 4 ), clips and the like, attached to the front straps  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  to which items may be clipped or otherwise secured. Exemplary items that may be secured to the harness  10 ,  110  via these means include but are not limited to baby items such as pacifiers, toys, bibs, bottles, and in certain embodiments, baby carriers, such as baby carrier pouches. A baby carrier may be securely and removably fastened at several points to the front of the harness  10 ,  110  by such means as described above; alternatively, additional straps may be securely fastened to the front of the harness  10 ,  110 , either permanently or removably such as with zippers, buckles, and the like, where these additional straps comprise means by which a baby carrier may be securely and removably fastened to the front of harness  10 ,  110 . 
         [0025]    Harness straps  12 ,  112 ,  18 ,  118  may be made of any conventional material suitable for this use, including nylon, webbing, leather, rubberized material and the like. Harness straps  12 ,  112 ,  18 ,  118  may further comprise padded sections for increased comfort during wear, such as over the shoulders, and at the back. Likewise, handles  34  may also be fashioned of any material suitable to this particular use, including strapping material, rubber, foam, tubing, padded webbing, mixed materials such as plastic and foam, and the like. 
         [0026]    The harness  10 ,  110  may be worn over an outer garment of the wearer, where an outer garment is worn outside of all other garments; exemplary outer garments include but are not limited to coats, jackets, blazers, vests, shirts, sweatshirts, and the like; m these embodiments, the ends of the waist strap  30 ,  32 ,  130 ,  132  include a means to securely fasten the harness to the wearer, as described above. 
         [0027]    The harness  10 ,  110  may also be incorporated into an outer garment of the wearer. An exemplary embodiment is shown in  FIG. 5 , in which weight-bearing harness  110  is incorporated into the interior of a vest  140 . The harness  110  is incorporated into the interior portion  142  of the garment, such as within a lining  144 . The harness  110  may be attached to the interior  144  of a garment  140  by the straps  112 , such as at the shoulder seams of either the underside of the lining  144  (that side which faces the interior  142  of the garment  140 , and thus faces away from the wearer) of the garment  140 , or to the seams or shoulder region of the interior  142  of the garment  140  itself. The waist strap  118  may be attached to the garment  140 , either at the garment interior  142  or to the underside of the lining  144  of the garment  140 , for a portion of the back region of the waist strap  126  (which would then be attached to the back of the garment  146  or to the back of the garment lining  144 ) up to the entire length of the waist strap  118  from the back region of the waist strap  126  to the front region of the waist strap  124  (where the front region of the waist strap  124  would be attached to the front of the garment  148  or to the front of the garment lining  144 ). The harness  110  may be even more securely attached to a garment  140  by attaching either the back straps  116 ,  117 , the front straps  114 ,  115  or both sets of straps  116 ,  117 ,  114 ,  115  and for portions of their length up to their entire length, to the interior  142  of the garment  140  itself or to the underside of the lining  144 . 
         [0028]    In an embodiment, when weight bearing harness  110  is incorporated into a garment  140 , a portion of the waist strap  118  may remain unattached from the garment  140 , such as is shown in  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, the ends of the waist strap  130 ,  132  as shown in  FIG. 5  may then be fastened together by any of the means as described above, thus securing the waist strap to the body of the wearer of the garment  140 . In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the ends of the waist straps  130 ,  132  are attached to a garment  150  at the front of the garment  152 , such that the each end of the waist strap  130 ,  132  ends at and is attached to one side  156 ,  158  of a front center closure  154  of the garment  150 . In  FIG. 6 , closing the garment  150  (such as by a zipper or buttons or snaps or the like positioned on the front center closure  154 ) results in closing the waist strap  18 ,  118  securely around the body of the wearer of the garment  150 . 
         [0029]    At least one handle  34  (and/or additional attachment means, if present, such as D ring  36 ) is accessed by at least one discreet opening  160  in the outer portion of the garment  150 , where the opening extends through the outer portion of the garment  150 , and if necessary the garment lining  144 , to provide access to a handle  34 . The opening is disposed over a handle  34 , such that the handle  34  can be hidden from view when not in use, and may be pulled through the opening  160  to be grasped by the wearer&#39;s hand when in use. At least one opening  160  may also be disposed over any at least one further attachment means (such as D ring  36 ) attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  such that the attachment means may be accessed when the garment  150  is worn by a wearer. An opening  160  may simply be a slit in the outer garment  150 , or it may further comprise flaps, zippers, buttons, snaps, hooks, VELCRO, and the like, or any combination of these, to close the opening  160  and further conceal and/or pad the handles  34  and any other attachment means present. 
         [0030]    The harness  10 ,  110  may also be worn under an outer garment of a wearer. In these embodiments, the outer garment is configured as described above, with at least one opening  160  in the outer portion of the garment  150  disposed over at least one handle  34  such that a handle  34  can be hidden from view when not in use, and may be pulled through the opening  160  to be grasped by the wearer&#39;s hand when in use. When necessary, an opening  160  extends through an outer garment and into the interior, and through a garment lining  144  if present, so that a handle  34  of a harness  10 ,  100  may be accessed when the garment is worn over the harness  10 ,  110 . At least one opening  160  may also be disposed over any at least one further attachment means (such as D ring  36 ) attached to a strap  14 ,  114 ,  115 ,  24 ,  124  such that the attachment means may be accessed when the garment  150  is worn by a wearer. 
         [0031]    To carry a child  162  or other item with a harness  110  in place, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the wearer simply places the child  162  or other item on a forearm and then reaches across the chest with the hand attached to the forearm to a handle  34  on a front strap  114  on the side opposite the carrying arm, as shown in  FIG. 6 . As described previously, the wearer may grasp a handle  34  on the opposite side or the same side as the arm carrying a weight; the wearer&#39;s arm may be perpendicular to the ground, or angled slightly up or down. The harness  110  is designed to fit the wearer snugly, transfer some of the weight of the child  162  or other item carried in the wearer&#39;s arms to the wearer&#39;s shoulders and back, and to properly distribute the weight of a carried child  162  or other item over the wearer&#39;s shoulders and back. The back support provided by a harness  10 ,  110  further assists the wearer in maintaining good posture when carrying a child  162  or other item. 
         [0032]    A harness  10 ,  110  is particularly useful in carrying infants and young children, such as toddlers and older, by the arms of the wearer of the harness  10 ,  110 . Many other items can also be carried in the arms of the wearer of the harness, including but not limited to books, bags (containing other items such as groceries), boxes, and the like, which are carried on the arm, as well as items with handles which can be carried suspended from the wearer&#39;s arms. Additional items may be carried by attaching them to the handles or to any additional attachment means which may be part of the harness. If a harness  10 ,  110  is incorporated into an outer garment  150 , the wearer accesses a handle  34  by reaching through an opening  160  (after first opening it, if necessary). A harness incorporated into an outer garment allows the wearer to maintain a fashionable look when the harness is not in use, and to still appear quite fashionable when the garment is in use for carrying at least one item in at least one arm of the wearer. The harness is easy to use, easily accessible, and always available. It allows the wearer to carry items such as babies, books, bags, tools and the like closer to the wearer&#39;s center of gravity. And it avoids or decreases arm muscle fatigue when carrying such items “by hand” for any other than short periods of time. 
         [0033]    It is understood that this invention is not confined to the particular structures herein illustrated and described, but embraces such modified forms hereof as come within the scope of the following claims.