A New or Improved Appliance for Carrying Infants.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1896
A New or Improved Appliance for Carrying Infants.
Communicated from abroad by HELEN MARY EDITH SHIELDS-ASLAChsen,
of New York, United States.
I, ROBERT CLEGHORN THOMSON, of the Firm of W. R. M. Thomson & Co.
Patent Agents and Consulting Engineers, of 96 Buchanan Street, in the County of
the City of Glasgow, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to a new or improved appliance to be used by
nurses and others for carrying babies, or young infants, which consists essentially
of a species of sling or receptacle to hold the infant, and means for attaching the
same to the user's body and supporting it, all in a manner to permit of the infant
being carried with great ease, at same time allowing the free use of the hands for
any emergency and obviating the risk of the nurse allowing the child to fall.
The appliance consisting of the sling and its securing and supporting straps may
be made either in separate parts, or as a connected whole ready for use, and is
constructed all as follows:—
The sling part is made preferably of two layers of cloth securely stitched
together and approximately octagonal in shape, or as a parallelogram having the
corners cut off but the shape may be considerably modified, and one or more
layers of cloth may be used or it may be made of leather, waterproof or other
suitable material. The sling so made has a broad casing formed along one of its
sides to enable it to be secured to the person using the appliance by passing an
ordinary waist belt through said casing and buckling or otherwise securing it
round the waist. The sling may however be permanently secured to the waist
belt by stitching or otherwise.
Two bands or straps, of textile fabric, leather, or clastic material, which may
be connected by a cross strap near their back ends, are formed with loops at their
back ends through which the waist belt is also passed, but these ends may also be
permanently secured to the back part of the waist belt. These bands or straps,
which when in use are passed over the shoulders to the front, are fitted with
buckles such as are used on ordinary braces or suspenders, but which are each
fitted with a spring hook or other clipping device at its lower part. The spring
hooks or other devices, when the appliance is used, hook on to rings secured to the
two outmost or front angles of the sling and the length of the supporting bauds
being adjusted by means of the buckles the sling is formed into a receptacle
to receive the infant. instead of using said rings and buckles on the shoulder
straps, buckles without hooks may be used, and be attached to the front side of
the sling by short straps and the shoulder straps be passed through the buckles to
adjust their length.
A small cushion or pillow is preferably fitted to the interior of the sling, and
may be formed of a wedge shape thicker at the outer end tapering to an edge at
the inner end by which it is secured across the sling by stitching or otherwise.
This arrangement allows the cushion to be turned to either end of the sling as
desired, and it can be secured in either position by button holes and buttons on the
end angles or equivalent fastenings. The front or outer side of the sling may be

page_text: fitted with one or more pockets to contain the baby's feeding bottle or other
articles such as a purse or handkerchief.
Dated the 19th November 1895
Communicated from abroad by HELEN MARY EDITH SHIELDS-ASLACHSEN,
of New York, United States.
I, ROBERT CLEGHORN THOMSON, of the Firm of W. R. M. Thomson & Co.,
Patent Agents and Consulting Engineers, of 96 Buchanan Street, in the County
of the City of Glasgow, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing that is to say :-
This invention has reference to a new or improved appliance to be used by
nurses and others for carrying babies or infants; which consists essentially of a
species of sling or receptacle to hold the infant and means for attaching the same
to the users body and supporting it, all in a manner to permit of the infant being
carried with great ease, at same time allowing the free use of the hands for any
emergency and obviating the risk of the nurse allowing the child to fall.
And in order that the said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended two sheets of explanatory drawings in which Figures 1 to 5 on
Sheet 1 illustrate one arrangement of the appliance, and Figures 6 to 8 on Sheet 2
a slightly modified form.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the appliance laid out flat.
Figure 2 is side view of same with the pillow lifted to the vertical position.
Figure 3 shows the formation of the shoulder straps.
Figure 4 is a front view and Figure 5 is a back view of a nurse carrying a child
in the appliance.
Figure 6 on Sheet 2 is a plan view of a modified form.
Figure 7 is a view of another arrangement of shoulder straps as made in one
with a back piece and
Figure 8 is a view of the pillow as made removable.
The appliance consisting of the sling and its securing and supporting straps
may be made either in separate parts or as a connected whole ready for use and is
constructed all as follows:-
As illustrated by Figures 1 to 5 on Sheet 1, the sling part A is made preferably
of two layers of cloth securely stitched together and approximately octagonal in
shape, or as a parallelogram having the corners cut off; but the shape may be
considerably modified, and one or more layers of cloth may be used or it may be
of leather, waterproof or other suitable material. The sling A so made has a
broad casing A' formed along one of its sides to enable it to be secured to the
person using the appliance by passing an ordinary waist belt. B through said
casing A¹ and buckling or otherwise securing it round the waist. The sling A
may however be permanently secured to the waist belt B by stitching or otherwise,
as shown in Figure 6 on Sheet 2.
Two bands or straps C of textile fabric, leather, or elastic material, which may
be connected by a cross strap C' near their back ends are formed with loops C²
at their back ends through which the waist belt B is also passed, but these ends
may also be permanently secured to the back part of the waist belt B.
bands or straps C, which when in use are passed over the shoulders to the front,
These

page_text: are fitted with buckles D such as are used on ordinary braces or suspenders, but
which are each fitted with a spring hook D¹ or other clipping device at its lower
part which may however be secured to the front of the sling A as shown. The
spring hooks or other devices when attached to the buckles D. when the appliance
is used, hook on to rings secured to the two outmost or front angles of the sling
and the length of the supporting bands being adjusted by means of the buckles
the sling A is formed into a receptacle to receive the infant as shown in Figure 4.
Instead of using said rings and buckles on the shoulder straps, buckles without
hooks may be used, and be attached to the front side of the sling by short straps
and the shoulder straps be passed through the buckles to adjust their length.
A small cushion or pillow E is preferably fitted to the interior of the sling A
and may be formed of a wedge shape thicker at the outer end tapering to an
edge at the inner end by which it is secured across the sling by stitching or
otherwise.
As shown in Figure 8 it may be furnished with a flap E' having button holes E
by which it may be buttoned to buttons A³, on the sling A so as to be capable of
some adjustment in position. The pillow may be enclosed in a slip or case
attached to the sling so that it can be removed when it is desired to wash the
sling part. These arrangements allow the cushion E to be turned to either end of
the sling A as desired, and it can be secured in either position by buttonholes E³
and buttons A on the end angles or equivalent fastenings. The front or outer
side of the sling may be fitted with one or more pockets a to contain the baby's
feeding bottle or other articles such as a purse or handkerchief.
As shown in Figure 6 the sling A may be secured by stitching to the waist
belt B which would be passed through a casing F¹ formed at the lower part of a
back piece F made in one piece with the shoulder straps C as ghown in Figure 7,
and a strap G secured to the back piece F may be passed under the pillow and
be secured by buttoning to buttons to assist in supporting the child's head when
resting in the appliance, the amount of support being regulated by that one of the
button g to which the strap may be attached. Figures 6 and 7 also illustrate
another form of book and clasp for attaching the straps C to front of sling A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. An appliance for holding and carrying babies or infants constructed and
supported from the user's body all substantially as herein described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
Second. An appliance for holding and carrying babies or infants consisting of
a sling fitted with a pillow and supporting shoulder straps and waist belt all
substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Third. In an appliance for holding and carrying babies and infants the fitting
of same with an adjustable pillow all substantially as herein described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 12th day of August 1896.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.