CA2997584A1 - Insulated child's garment for use with vehicle child safety seats and a method for using same - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments are described herein for an insulated child's garment for use with vehicle child safety seats. The insulating garment comprising separable left and right portions each with respective front and rear panels for surrounding the child's torso and right and left arm apertures for receiving left and right arms of the child, the front and rear panels being releasably coupled to each other by a releasable front and rear fasteners. The method of use comprising at least the steps of: unfastening rear fastener to expose child's back; position child into vehicle child safety seat with back exposed and pressed against the seat; unfasten the front fastener to expose the child's chest; Secure safety straps of restraint over the child; pass left and right front panels of garment below straps and position straps directly over chest.

Description

, TITLE: INSULATED CHILD'S GARMENT FOR USE WITH VEHICLE CHILD
SAFETY SEATS AND A METHOD FOR USING SAME
FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter of the teachings described herein relates generally to outer wear garments, and in particular to insulated outer wear garments worn by children, such as jackets.
BACKGROUND

[0002] Transportation of a young child in automobiles generally requires the use of a child safety seat or "car seat" to prevent injury to the child during automobile collisions. The car seat is equipped with a harness such as a five-point harness or a seatbelt (hereinafter "restraint") that are better suited to provide protection to the child. The restraint is preferably secured as close to the child's body as possible.

[0003] US 9,420,833 (Jenkins) discloses a garment having at least one opening that allows the garment to be opened up such that a restraint mechanism can be easily secured to a user when opened. The at least one opening can include left and right openings that extend from a bottom most periphery of a torso portion and along respective sleeves of the garment. The garment can be worn by a child and used in conjunction with a child seat in a vehicle. Each of the at least one opening can either extend entirely through an outermost portion of a respective sleeve cuff or be stoppable immediately adjacent the cuff such that the cuff remains in annular form during use. A method for using the garment and system includes placing a user into a car seat while the user is wearing the garment and then attaching the restraint mechanism to the user via the at least one opening of the garment.

[0004] US 2007/0118950 (Hogge) discloses a split sports jacket having a pair of mating right and left jacket halves each with dependent sleeves that cover a person's upper torso and arms. The jacket halves include respective halves of a collar around a neck opening and halves of an elasticized waist band around a waist opening thereof. Respective front and rear zippers retain the jacket halves mated together. The front and rear zippers extend vertically and are laterally centered on the person's upper torso. The front zipper is of an upright configuration that zips up from bottom to top. The rear zipper is of an inverted configuration that zips up from top to bottom utilizing gravity to stay closed.
Respective front and rear flaps allow covering of the front and rear zippers and are securable by snap fasteners. The jacket halves are interchangeable with other mating jacket halves having differing external visual characteristics to change an overall look of the sports jacket such as colors, patterns, patches, logos, indicia, or emblems. These visual characteristics preferably include affiliations with sports teams, sports players, schools, religions, and the like.
SUMMARY

[0005] This summary is intended to introduce the reader to the more detailed description that follows and not to limit or define any claimed or as yet unclaimed invention. One or more inventions may reside in any combination or sub-combination of the elements or process steps disclosed in any part of this document including its claims and figures.

[0006] In accordance with one broad aspect of the teachings described herein, a kit may include an insulating garment for a child may include a left portion having a left front panel, a left rear panel and a left arm aperture to receive the child's left arm. A right portion may have a right front panel, a right rear panel and a right arm aperture to receive the child's right arm. A rear fastener may releasably couple the left rear panel and the right rear panel. A front fastener may releasably couple the left front panel and the right front panel. When both the front and rear fasteners are fastened the insulating garment may enclose the child's torso, and when both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions may be detachable from each other. The left and right portions may be sized so that when separated from each other the left portion can be passed beneath a left strap loop of a vehicle child safety seat and the right portion can be passed beneath a right strap loop of the vehicle child safety seat. The kit may also include a supplemental fastener attachable to a vehicle child safety seat, wherein the supplemental fastener is releasably attachable to the rear fastener to selectively fasten the left and right rear panels- of the garment to the vehicle child safety seat.

[0007] The supplemental fastener may be integrally formed with the vehicle child safety seat.

[0008] In accordance with another broad aspect of the teachings described herein, an insulating garment for a child may include a left portion having a left front panel, a left rear panel and a left arm aperture to receive the child's left arm.
A right portion may have a right front panel, a right rear panel and a right arm aperture to receive the child's right arm. A rear fastener may releasably couple the left rear panel and the right rear panel. A front fastener may releasably couple the left front panel and the right front panel. When both the front and rear fasteners are fastened the insulating garment may enclose the child's torso, and when both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions may be detachable from each other. The left and right portions may be sized so that when separated from each other the left portion can be passed beneath a left strap loop of a vehicle child safety seat and the right portion can be passed beneath a right strap loop of the vehicle child safety seat.

[0009] The front and rear fasteners may be operable independently of each other.

[0010] The rear fastener may be configured to be operable using one hand, whereby the rear fastener can be released to separate the rear right panel and the rear left panel with one hand.

[0011] Each of the left and right portions may include a left sleeve having a tubular body portion extending from the left arm aperture to a left wrist cuff; and a right sleeve having a tubular body portion extending from the right arm aperture to a right wrist cuff. The left sleeve may be movable with the left portion and the right sleeve is movable with the right portion.

[0012] The releasable front and rear fasteners may be spaced apart from the sleeves and at least the body portions of the sleeves remain intact when the front and rear the fasteners are fastened and released.

[0013] When both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions may be moveable away from each other in a lateral direction relative to the child without removing the child's left arm from the left sleeve and without removing the child's right arm from the right sleeve.

[0014] The front fastener may be of a type of fastener that is different from the rear fastener, and the front fastener may be a zipper and the rear fastener may be a hook and loop fastener.

[0015] The insulating garment may include a hood that is partially releasably attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel and partially permanently attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel.

[0016] The left portion and right portion may each include an insulating material layer surrounded by an outer shell layer. The insulating material layer may be compressible when subjected to an external compressive force such that a volume occupied by the insulating material under application of the external compressive force is reduced.

[0017] In accordance with another broad aspect of the teachings described herein, a method of using an insulating garment worn by a child when securing the child to a vehicle child safety seat with a harness comprising a left strap loop and a right strap loop, the insulating garment comprising separable left and right portions each with respective front and rear panels for surrounding the child's torso and right and left arm apertures for receiving left and right arms of the child, the front panels being releasably coupled to each other by a releasable front fastener and the rear panels being releasably coupled to each other by a releasable rear fastener, may include the steps of : a) unfastening the releasable rear fastener and separating the insulating garment's left rear panel and right rear panel to expose at least a portion of the child's back so that the child's back is placed in direct contact with the vehicle child safety seat; b) unfastening the releasable front fastener and separating the insulating garment's left front panel and right front panel whereby the insulating garment is separated into left and right portions that are movable away from each other while the child's left and right arms remain engaged with the left and right arm apertures; c) when the child's back is in contact with the vehicle child safety seat, passing one of the left and right portions of the insulating garment below the left strap loop to position the left strap loop directly against the child's chest; and d) when the child's back is in contact with the vehicle child safety seat, passing one of the left and right portions of the insulating garment below the right strap loop to position the right strap loop directly against the child's chest.

[0018] The method may include extending the left rear panel and right rear panel laterally outwardly so that the entire back of the child is in direct contact with the vehicle child safety seat.

[0019] The method may include positioning the left front panel over the left strap loop and positioning the right front panel over the right strap loop.

[0020] The method may optionally include re-fastening the front fastener to couple the front left front panel to the right front panel so that the insulating garment is draped over the child's torso and held in position with the child's arms engaged with the left and right arm apertures.

[0021] After the harness is unbuckled the method may include passing the left portion and right portion of the insulating garment below their respective strap loops; and upon removal of the child from the seat re-fastening at least the rear fastener to couple the left rear panel and right rear panel.

[0022] Insulating garment sleeves may extend from each of the right and left arm apertures, each sleeve including a tubular body portion and a wrist cuff portion. A left sleeve may be movable with the left portion and the right sleeve may be movable with the right portion.

[0023] The releasable front and rear fasteners may be spaced apart from the sleeves and at least the body portions of the sleeves remain intact when the front and rear fasteners are fastened and released.

[0024] In accordance with yet another broad aspect of the teachings described herein, a method of securing a child wearing an insulating garment in a vehicle child safety seat having a seat bottom, a seat back extending upwardly from the seat bottom and left and right strap loops, may include the steps of:
a) unfastening a rear fastener on the insulating garment to allow left and right rear panels of the garment to be moved to expose a back of the child; b) positioning the child in the vehicle child safety seat such that the back of the child is in contact with the seat back and the child is seated on the seat bottom; c) unfastening a front fastener on the insulating garment to allow left and right rear panels to be moved to expose the chest of the child; d) passing the left strap loop over the left front panel of the garment to position the left strap loop against the chest of the child; e) passing the right strap loop over the right front panel of the garment to position the right strap loop against the chest of the child; f) fastening the left and right strap loop together and tightening the left and right strap loops to secure the child within the vehicle child safety seat.

[0025] The method may also include positioning the left front panel over the left strap loop and positioning the right front panel over the right strap loop.

[0026] The method may also include re-engaging the front fastener to fasten the left and right front panels together over top of the left and right strap loops.

[0027] In at least one embodiment, steps a) to f) are completed while the arms of the child are received within sleeves of the garment.
DRAWINGS

[0028] The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples of articles, methods, and apparatuses of the teaching of the present specification and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taught in any way.

[0029] In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 is a front view of an insulated outerwear garment;

[0031] Figure 2 is a rear view of the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1;

[0032] Figure 3 is a front view of the left and right portions of the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1;

[0033] Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a vehicle child safety seat and a child wearing the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1 to be placed in the vehicle child safety seat;

[0034] Figure 5 is a front perspective view of a vehicle child safety seat and a rear perspective view child wearing the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1 with rear panels separated;

[0035] Figure 6 is a front perspective view of a child seated in the vehicle child safety seat of Figure 4 with the front panels of the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1 separated;

[0036] Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a child seated in the vehicle child safety seat of Figure 4 with the front panels of the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1 separated;

[0037] Figure 8 is a front perspective view of a child secured to the vehicle child safety seat of Figure 4 with the front panels of the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1 fastened; and

[0038] Figure 9 is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method to manipulate the insulated outerwear garment of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Various apparatuses or processes will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover processes or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses described below. It is possible that an apparatus or process described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus or process described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.

[0040] During colder times of the year, children often wear insulating outer garments such as jackets, parkas or snow suits that can include layers of insulating material and/or relatively compressible materials (e.g. plush linings, outer shells, etc.). The insulating materials may make these outer garments bulkier and generally more compressible than typical clothing worn by a child, such as single-layer, fabric shirt or sweater.

[0041] When travelling in a car or other vehicle, small children are often placed in a specialized vehicle child safety seat (also referred to as a car seat for convenience) that is secured inside the vehicle. The style of car seat may range from carrier-style seats for infants to car seats designed to accommodate toddlers and older children. A car seat may include a seat bottom, a seat back extending upwardly from the seat bottom and may optionally include side bolsters or other such side members. The car seat may also include a restraint system to hold the child within the seat when the vehicle is in motion. Restraint systems can have a variety of configurations, but typically include one or more straps and corresponding buckles (or other latching mechanisms) to releasably secure the straps over the child. One example of such a restraint system is known as a 5-point harness, and includes two strap loop portions (extending from a position proximate the child's shoulder to another position proximate the child's hips) and a central strap that projects upwardly between the legs of the child when seated.
The straps are releasably fastened together using a suitable buckle or latching mechanism and tightened to securely restrain the child. Tightening is often done via a synching strap or other such mechanism.

[0042] When a child is secured to a car seat wearing an outer, insulated jacket and the strap loops are positioned over the jacket (i.e. such that portions of the jacket are positioned physically between the car seat straps and the child), the bulkiness of the insulating material layers occupying the inside of the garment can create a space between the body of the child and the straps. Providing layers of insulating material between the straps can further increases the relative distance between the child's body and the restraint straps. In such a configuration, it can be difficult for a parent or other user to sufficiently tighten the restraint straps.
Further, even if the restraint may appear tight under normal conditions, the insulating layers of the jacket, and/or other compressible portions of the jacket may compress during a car crash or other significant impact event which may cause the restraint straps to become looser and/or have extra slack. In such circumstances, a child may not be properly restrained by the straps and may be prone to ejection from the car seat or other injuries in the event of a crash.

[0043] To help reduce the likelihood of the straps becoming ineffective in a crash, parents and care givers may be advised to place the car seat restraint straps in close proximity, and preferably in direct contact with the child's chest and for the child's back to be in direct contact with the seat back. It is understood that the child will likely be wearing other layers of clothing, such as a shirt and/or sweater beneath the winter jacket. This may help ensure the straps remain sufficiently tight in the event of a crash. For the purposes of this description, placing the seat back and/or safety straps in "direct contact" with the child is understood to mean without portions of the outer jacket being positioned between the restraining straps and the child and/or between the child's back and the seat back of the car seat, but that the child's shirt and/or sweater may remain in place.
That is, direct contact need not require direct skin contact, but merely the absence of intervening portions of the jacket. When using conventional jackets, parents and caregivers may remove any bulky outwear worn by the child prior to securing the child to a car seat to help ensure the restraining straps can be properly positioned.

[0044] However, insulating jackets are commonly worn in the cold weather and removing a child's jacket when placing them into a car seat may tend to expose the child to the cold environment. This can be uncomfortable and unpleasant for the child.

[0045] Various strategies have been developed to help the child remain warm during cold-weather travel. For example, extra time can be allocated to allow the interior of the automobile to reach a desirable temperature prior to securing the child to the car seat without the outer garment. Alternatively, blankets or the outer garment itself can be draped over the child after being secured the car seat for warmth. It may be appreciated that these strategies are cumbersome and time consuming, requiring the parent or caregiver to remove the outerwear completely (and having to subsequently redress them) and/or wait for the car to warm up.

[0046]
Removing a jacket prior to entering a car seat can also require the child to withdraw his/her arms from the jacket sleeve. Withdrawing the child's arms from the sleeves in this manner may require the child to also remove his/her gloves/mittens. This can expose the child's hands to the cold environment, and may also be inconvenient as it may require the child to get substantially re-dressed when exiting the car (i.e. having to put on the coat and mittens) and may increase the chances that a glove/mitten may be dropped, lost or otherwise misplaced during the transition.
Even if mittens/gloves are not a factor, compelling a child to withdraw his/her arms from his/her sleeves when requested, and to re-insert his/her arms into his/her sleeves when arriving at the intended destination may be challenging and/or time consuming.

[0047]
The inventor has realized that it may be desirable for an outer garment, such as jacket, to be configured such that it can be used in a way that provides comfort and safety to the child that is also efficient and convenient for the caregiver. For example, it may be desirable for the jacket to be sufficiently openable at the front to allow the restraint straps to be positioned adjacent the chest of the child, and to be sufficiently openable at the back so as to allow the child's back to be placed directly against the seat back. Preferably, the jacket may be configured such that the front and back portions can be opened in this manner without requiring the child to withdraw his/her arms from the sleeves.
It may also be preferable for the jacket to otherwise function as a normal jacket, and for the jacket to be useable without having to extend portions of the jacket over the face and/or head of the child.

[0048] Described herein is one exemplary embodiment of an outer wear garment for a child and a method of using the jacket to allow a care giver to efficiently secure the child to a car seat while maintaining comfort for the child.
The garment includes left and right portions that can be detached from each other without requiring the child to withdraw his/her arms from the sleeves. The rear portion of the garment can be opened such that the back of the child can be placed against the seat back, and the front portion of the garment can be opened ¨ and the left and right portions of the garment be passed beneath the left and right strap loops ¨ to allow the restraint straps to be placed on the child's chest. If desired, the front portion of the garment can be re-fastened after the straps have been secured to help keep the child warm.

[0049] Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, one example of an insulated, outer-wear garment in the form of a jacket 100 includes a left portion 102 and a complementary right portion 104. The illustrated garment may be a winter jacket that includes at least one layer of insulating material enclosed by an outer shell layer. The insulating layer may be formed from any suitable material, including down, wool and other synthetic or natural materials. The outer shell may be any suitable material, including wool, nylon, canvas, cotton and the like. The insulating material for a winter jacket is generally "puffy" and compressible to enable entrapment of air within the insulating layer. As such, the insulating layers, and the jacket overall, may tend to be relatively compressible and may compress by about 50% or more of its thickness when subjected to the forces of a car crash.

[0050] Each of the left portion 102 and right portion 104 may be of any suitable configuration, and may include a front panel configured to overlie at least a portion of the chest of the child and an opposing rear panel configured to overlie at least a portion of the back of the child. The front and rear panels may be stitched together using any suitable material to form seams (not shown) along the side of the garment. Alternatively the front and rear panels on a given side of the jacket may be integrally formed with each other. When connected to each other, the left and right portions 102 and 104 co-operate to generally surround the torso of a wearer (i.e. the child).

[0051] Each portion 102 and 104 of the jacket may also include a suitable arm aperture to receive an arm of the child. The arm apertures may be connected to respective sleeves, which have generally tubular body portions extending along the length of the child's arms, and terminating in respective cuff portions that are configured to receive the wrists of the child.

[0052]
Referring to Figure 1, in the illustrated example the jacket 100 includes a left front panel 106 and a right front panel 108. The front panels and 108 may be connected to each other using any suitable, releasable fastener.
In the illustrated example, the front panels 106 and 108 are connectable to each other using a front fastener 110 that is provided in the form of a zipper.
While shown as a zipper in the present example, the front fastener may be any suitable fastener including, but not limited to, zippers, hook and loop fasteners and buttons.

[0053]
The front fastener may be provided at any suitable location on the garment. In the illustrated example the zipper 110 is generally centered in the left/right direction. In the present embodiment, the front fastener 110 may be provided along a central axis of the garment away from the sleeves so that the corresponding front left and right panels 106 and 108 are of substantially same dimension along their longitudinal or lateral axes. In some other embodiments, the front fastener 110 may be provided away from the central axis so that its position is biased to one side of the central axis, but away from the sleeve.

[0054] In some cases, the garment may include other heat retaining features such as a hood attached to the garment 100. In some embodiments, the hood may be removable and can be attached with a corresponding releasable hood fastener. Such a fastener may include, but not limited to, a zipper, buttons and hook and loop fasteners. Such a hood may be removed completely or partially (i.e. remaining attached to one of the left and right portions 102 and 104) as the garment is separated to facilitate securing the child to the car seat as described in greater detail subsequently. In some other embodiments, the hood may be permanently attached to one of the left and right portions 102 and 104 and releasably attached to the other portion using a releasable fastener.

[0055]
Referring to Figures 2 and 5, in the illustrated example the jacket 100 also includes a left rear panel 112 that opposes the left front panel 106 and a complementary right rear panel 114 that opposes the right front panel 108. A
rear fastener may be used to releasably couple the left and right rear panels 112 and 114 together. In this example, the rear fastener is a hook and loop fastener 116, but alternatively may be any suitable fastener to permit fastening and unfastening including, but not limited to, zippers, hook and loop fasteners and buttons.
Using a hook and loop fastener for the rear fastener 116 may help facilitate one-handed operation of the rear fastener 116, including one-handed re-fastening of the rear fastener 116. One-handed operation may be preferable as a parent may be holding the child with one arm while attempting to release the rear fastener when placing the child in the car seat, and may be holding the child with one arm while attempting to engage the rear fastener 116 when removing the child from the car seat. Using a hook and loop fastener may allow the rear fastener 116 to somewhat automatically re-engage when the two halves of the fastener are brought into proximity with each other (as compared to a zipper, snaps and the like that require active manipulation and engagement by the user). Another advantage of the hook and loop fastener may be that it is relatively soft and flexible when fastened and when released. This may help increase the comfort of the child when wearing the jacket with the rear fastener 116 closed, and in particular when sitting in other seats in which the rear fastener 116 would be positioned between the child's back and the seat back. The flexibility of hook and loop fasteners may also be useful when positioning the rear panels 112 and 114 when placing the child in the car seat.

[0056] Optionally, the jacket 100 may include a rear fastener cover to overlie and cover the rear fastener 116 when the rear fastener 116 is engaged.
Providing a rear fastener cover may help inhibit accidental disengagement of the rear fastener 116 and may help visually obscure the rear fastener 116, which may help the jacket 100 visually resemble a conventional jacket when the rear fastener 116 is engaged. A rear fastener cover may help protect the rear fastener 116 from damage and/or protect other seating surfaces from being damaged by the rear fastener 116 when the jacket 100 is being worn with the rear fastener 116 engaged. One example of a suitable rear fastener cover is the cover flap 119 provided in the illustrated example of Figure 2.

[0057] Preferably, the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116 are operable independently of each other, such that a user can independently open the front and back of the jacket 100. Also preferably, both the front and rear fasteners and 116 are operable while the jacket 100 is being worn by the child. If the front fastener 110 is opened while the rear fastener 116 remains closed, the jacket may be used like a conventional, single fastener jacket.

[0058] Optionally, the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116 may be of the same type. For example, they may both be zippers or buttons. Alternatively, as illustrated in the present example, the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116 may be of different types. For example, the front fastener may be a zipper while the rear fastener may be a hook and loop fastener to provide for quick release and re-fastening at the rear that may be accomplished with one hand by a care giver.
It may be noted that when both the front and rear fasteners are fastened, the jacket encloses or surrounds the child's torso.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the rear fastener 116 is provided along the central axis of the jacket 100, generally opposite the front zipper 110.
Alternatively, the rear fastener 116 may be provided in another location, and need not be opposite the front fastener 110.

[0060] Optionally, the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116 can be operated independently of each other. Referring again to Figure 1, the front fastener 110 can be released while the rear fastener 116 is fastened, and as illustrated in Figures 2 and 5 the rear fastener 116 can be released while the front fastener 110 remains engaged. When either the front or the rear fasteners 110 and 116 are released, the corresponding left and right panels 102, 104, 112 and 114 of the jacket 100 may be moved to expose the child's back or front. For example, Figure 3 shows the jacket 100 with both front and rear fasteners 110 and 112 unfastened When both fasteners are unfastened, the left and right portions 102 and 104 may be detachable from each other, and may be movable relative to the right portion 104 in the left/right (i.e. lateral) direction, shown using arrows 117. It may be noted that upon detaching the left and right portions and 104 from each other, for example by simultaneously unfastening the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116, a care giver may be able to move or manipulate the front and rear panels of any of the left and right portions 102 and 104 around while the child is seated in the car seat to secure the straps of the car seat restraint below the garment so that the straps and the child's body are not separated by the garment.

[0061] In the illustrate example, the jacket 100 is configured as a "long sleeve" jacket with left and right sleeves 118 and 120 that extends outwardly from each of the left and right arm apertures 112 and 124 provided in the left and right portions 102 and 104, respectively. In this example, each sleeve may comprise an elongated tubular body portion 126 that is configured to surround the child's arm. The body portions 126 may terminate in respective cuff portions 128 that are positioned proximate the wrists of the child. In this arrangement, the sleeves and 120 may cover substantially the entire length of the child's arms.
Optionally, the child may wear additional clothing on his/her hands, including gloves or mittens, as illustrated by mittens 130 in Figure 4. In some configurations, the mittens 130 may be clipped or otherwise attached to the sleeves 118 and 120. .

[0062] Preferably, the sleeves 118 and 120 are configured such that they do not need to be reconfigured or otherwise modified when placing the child in a car seat as described herein. Further, it is also preferable that the child need not withdraw his/her arms from the sleeves 118 and 120 in order to be secured within the car seat. This may eliminate the need to remove the mittens 130.
Optionally, the jacket 100 may be configured such that both the front and rear fasteners and 116 can be actuated without changing the status or configuration of the sleeves 118 and 120¨ i.e. so that the sleeves can remain intact while placing or removing the child from the car seat. In the illustrated example, both the front and rear fasteners 110 and 116 are, spaced apart from, and do not engage or involve any portion of the sleeves 118 and 120

[0063] The sleeves 118 and 120 may be permanently attached to the left and right portions 102 and 104, or alternatively may be detachable. In some embodiments the garment may be provided in the form of a vest or other garment such that the sleeves 118 and 120 are not included. Optionally, the sleeves and 120 may be fabricated using the same insulating material as the left and right portions 102 and 104 to provide warmth to the arms, or may be formed from different materials.

[0064] Optionally, the jacket 100 may include a hood.
In such embodiments, the hood may be detachable from the jacket 100 to help facilitate separation of the left and right portions 102 and 104, or optionally may be at least partially releasably attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel, and optionally partially permanently attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel, whereby the hood can be movable with one of the left and right portions 102 and 104 to facilitate use of the jacket 100 as described herein.

[0065] Referring to Figure 4, the illustrated jacket 100 is being worn by a child who is to be secured in a car seat 200. The car seat 200 may be of any suitable configuration, and a representative, schematic drawing of a car seat is included in the drawings for explanation purposes. In this example, the car seat 200 includes a seat bottom 202, a seat back 204 extending upwardly from the seat bottom 202 and side bolsters 206 or other such side members. The car seat 200 also a restraint system to hold the child within the seat. In this example, the restraint system is a 5-point harness 208 that includes a left strap loop 210, a right strap loop 212 (each extending from a position proximate the child's shoulder to another position proximate the child's hips) and a central strap 214 that projects upwardly between the legs of the child when seated. The straps are releasably fastened together using a buckle 216 and optional chest latch 218.

[0066] When the jacket 100 is being worn by a child, a parent (or care giver) may utilize a suitable series of steps to manipulate the jacket 100 when positioning the child within the car seat 200. One example of a suitable method 900 is described in Figure 9, and is described with reference to Figures 4-8.
To secure the child wearing the jacket 100 to the car seat 200, the parent may first unfasten the rear fastener 116 and separate the left and right rear panels 112 and 114 to expose the child's back prior to placing the child to the seat as shown in , FIG. 5 (step 902). With the left and right rear panels 112 and 114 held out of the way, the child may then be placed into the car seat 200 with his/her back exposed and pressed directly against the seat back 204 (step 904), such that the left and right rear panels 112 and 114 are opened and extended laterally outwardly so as not to be positioned between the child and the seat back.

[0067] At steps 906-910, once the child is placed into the seat 200, the safety straps of the restraint may be secured over the front of the child's torso. To do so, the front fastener 110 may be unfastened to expose the portions of the front of the child's torso as shown in Figure 6. With the front fastener 110 released, the left and right portions 102 and 104 of the jacket 100 can be separated from each other. The left portion 102 can then be passed beneath the left strap loop 210 and the right portion 104 can be passed beneath the right strap loop 212, preferably while the child's left and right arms remain fully inserted into left and right sleeves 118 and 120, respectively, with the child's hands through cuff portions 128 (and optionally without having to remove the mittens 130).
With the chest area exposed, at least one of the safety straps 210 and 212 of the restraint may be moved over the top of one of the left and right front panels and 108 as shown in Figure 6. These steps may be performed in any desired order. The strap loops 210 and 212 can then be placed directly upon the chest of the child. In this position, there are no portions of the jacket 100 positioned between the child and the seat back 202, or between the child and the straps 210, 212 and 214..

[0068] The tightness of the safety straps 210, 212 and 214 may be adjusted to remove any excess slack (step 912). As shown in Figure 7, the adjusted straps 210, 212 and 214 may be pressed directly against the chest area of the child being secured into the car seat 200. The left and right portions and 104 of the garment 100 in this case are fully separated, with the child's arms through the sleeves 118 and 120 of one corresponding half. The left and right front panels 106 and 108 may be draped over the safety straps to provide warmth to the child. Optionally, the front fastener 110 may be fastened partially along its length to conceal the lower portions of the harness or fully to join the left and right front panels 106 and 108 as shown in Figure 8.

[0069] Optionally, the car seat 200 may be provided with supplemental fasteners that can be configured to engage with fasteners on the jacket 100 (i.e.
may have a complementary design to whatever type of fastener is used in the rear fastener 116). This may help secure the jacket in a desired location while the child is seated in the car seat 200 and the rear fastener 116 is released.

[0070] Referring to Figure 5, the car seat 200 is illustrated with an optional supplemental fastener 220 provided on an upper portion of the side bolster 206 (as indicated using dashed lines), and a corresponding supplemental fastener may be provided on the opposing right side bolster 206 or at any other suitable location on the car seat 200. In this example, the supplemental fastener 220 is a strip of hook-and-loop material that is configured to engage with the hook-and-loop material used in the rear fastener 116. Fastening the rear panels 112 and 114 to the car seat 200 when the jacket 100 is in use may help prevent portions of the jacket 100 from protruding beyond the edges of the car seat, and may help prevent the rear panels 112 and 114 from folding behind the child when they are being placed in the seat 200. This may, in some configurations, help keep the child warm when seated, as sealing the rear panels 112 and 114 to the car seat 200 may help prevent drafts and cold air from reaching the child's back.

[0071] The supplemental fasteners 220 may be integrally formed with the car seat 200, or alternatively may be provided as separate members that may be affixed to a car seat, or car seat cover, etc., to allow existing car seats to be retrofitted to include suitable supplemental fasteners. For example, supplemental fasteners 220 may be included in a kit with the jacket 100, whereby parents purchasing the jacket 100 would also be provided with the optional supplemental fasteners 220 and would have the option of affixing the supplemental fasteners 220 to their existing car seat. In some other examples, the jacket 100 and car seat 200 may be offered as a kit, where the car seat 200 (or a suitable car seat cover) comes equipped with the supplemental fasteners.

[0072] If supplemental fasteners 220 are provided, supplemental covers 222 may also optionally be provided to cover the supplemental fasteners 220 when not in use. For example, the covers 222 may be positionable to cover the supplemental fasteners 220 if a child is seated in the seat 200 but is not wearing the jacket 100 (for example in the warm weather). The covers 222 may help prevent the supplement fasteners 220 from being damaged or soiled (for example, preventing hook-and-loop members from being coming blocked with lint and other debris and thereby becoming less effective). The covers 222 may also help prevent the supplemental fasteners 220 from engaging/ damaging a child's clothing (i.e. an exposed hook-and-loop member may snag on a child's shirt or sweater), and covering the supplemental fasteners 220 may help improve the comfort of the seat back. For example, the covers 222 may include some cushioning material. If the supplemental fasteners 220 are provided as separate members, they may be provided with suitable covers 222 as a single unit.

[0073] What has been described above has been intended to be illustrative of the invention and non-limiting and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims (24)

CLAIMS:

1. A kit comprising:
a) an insulating garment for a child, the garment comprising:
i. a left portion having an insulating left front panel, an insulating left rear panel and a left arm aperture to receive the child's left arm;
ii. a right portion having an insulating right front panel, an insulating right rear panel and a right arm aperture to receive the child's right arm;
iii. a rear fastener to releasably couple the left rear panel and the right rear panel;
iv. a front fastener to releasably couple the left front panel and the right front panel;
v. wherein, when both the front and rear fasteners are fastened, the insulating garment encloses the child's torso; and when both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions are detachable from each other, and wherein the left and right portions are sized so that when separated from each other the left portion can be passed beneath a left strap loop of a vehicle child safety seat and the right portion can be passed beneath a right strap loop of the vehicle child safety seat; and b) a supplemental fastener attachable to a vehicle child safety seat, wherein the supplemental fastener is releasably attachable to the rear fastener to selectively fasten the left and right rear panels of the garment to the vehicle child safety seat.

2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the supplemental fastener is integrally formed with the vehicle child safety seat.

3. An insulating garment for a child, the garment comprising:

a left portion having an insulating left front panel, an insulating left rear panel and a left arm aperture to receive the child's left arm;
a right portion having an insulating right front panel, an insulating right rear panel and a right arm aperture to receive the child's right arm;
a rear fastener to releasably couple the left rear panel and the right rear panel; and a front fastener to releasably couple the left front panel and the right front panel;
wherein:
when both the front and rear fasteners are fastened, the insulating garment encloses the child's torso; and when both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions are detachable from each other, and wherein the left and right portions are sized so that when separated from each other the left portion can be passed beneath a left strap loop of a vehicle child safety seat and the right portion can be passed beneath a right strap loop of the vehicle child safety seat.

4. The insulating garment of claim 31, wherein the front and rear fasteners are operable independently of each other.

5. The insulating garment of claim 3 or 4, wherein the rear fastener is configured to be operable using one hand, whereby the rear fastener can be released to separate the rear right panel and the rear left panel with one hand.

6. The insulating garment of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein each of the left and right portions further comprising a) a left sleeve having a tubular body portion extending from the left arm aperture to a left wrist cuff; and b) a right sleeve having a tubular body portion extending from the right arm aperture to a right wrist cuff, wherein the left sleeve is movable with the left portion and the right sleeve is movable with the right portion.

7. The insulating garment of claim 6, wherein the releasable front and rear fasteners are spaced apart from the sleeves and at least the body portions of the sleeves remain intact when the front and rear the fasteners are fastened and released.

8. The insulating garment of claim 6 or 7, wherein when both the front and rear fasteners are released, the left and right portions are moveable away from each other in a lateral direction relative to the child without removing the child's left arm from the left sleeve and without removing the child's right arm from the right sleeve.

9. The insulating garment of any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the front fastener is of a type of fastener that is different from the rear fastener.

10. The insulating garment of claim 9, wherein the front fastener is a zipper and the rear fastener is a hook and loop fastener.

11. The insulating garment of any one of claims 3 to 10 further comprising a hood that is partially releasably attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel and partially permanently attached to one of the left rear panel and right rear panel.

12. The insulating garment of any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the left portion and right portion each comprise an insulating material layer surrounded by an outer shell layer, the insulating material layer being compressible when subjected to an external compressive force such that a volume occupied by the insulating material under application of the external compressive force is reduced.

13. A method of using an insulating garment worn by a child when securing the child to a vehicle child safety seat with a harness comprising a left strap loop and a right strap loop, the insulating garment comprising separable left and right portions each with respective front and rear panels for surrounding the child's torso and right and left arm apertures for receiving left and right arms of the child, the front panels being releasably coupled to each other by a releasable front fastener and the rear panels being releasably coupled to each other by a releasable rear fastener, the method comprising:
a) unfastening the releasable rear fastener and separating the insulating garment's left rear panel and right rear panel to expose at least a portion of the child's back so that the child's back is placed in direct contact with the vehicle child safety seat;
b) unfastening the releasable front fastener and separating the insulating garment's left front panel and right front panel whereby the insulating garment is separated into left and right portions that are movable away from each other while the child's left and right arms remain engaged with the left and right arm apertures;
c) when the child's back is in contact with the vehicle child safety seat, passing one of the left and right portions of the insulating garment below the left strap loop to position the left strap loop directly against the child's chest; and d) when the child's back is in contact with the vehicle child safety seat, passing one of the left and right portions of the insulating garment below the right strap loop to position the right strap loop directly against the child's chest.

14. The method of claim 13 the method further comprising extending the left rear panel and right rear panel laterally outwardly so that the entire back of the child is in direct contact with the vehicle child safety seat.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14 the method further comprising positioning the left front panel over the left strap loop and positioning the right front panel over the right strap loop.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising re-fastening the front fastener to couple the front left front panel to the right front panel so that the insulating garment is draped over the child's torso and held in position with the child's arms engaged with the left and right arm apertures.

17. The method of any one of claims 13 to 16, after the harness is unbuckled the method further comprising passing the left portion and right portion of the insulating garment below their respective strap loops; and upon removal of the child from the seat re-fastening at least the rear fastener to couple the left rear panel and right rear panel.

18. The method of any one of claims 13 to 17 wherein, insulating garment sleeves extending from each of the right and left arm apertures, each sleeve including a tubular body portion and a wrist cuff portion, wherein a left sleeve is movable with the left portion and the right sleeve is movable with the right portion.

19. The method of any one of claims 13 to 18 wherein, the releasable front and rear fasteners are spaced apart from the sleeves and at least the body portions of the sleeves remain intact when the front and rear fasteners are fastened and released.

20. A method of securing a child wearing an insulating garment in a vehicle child safety seat having a seat bottom, a seat back extending upwardly from the seat bottom and left and right strap loops, the method comprising:

a) unfastening a rear fastener on the insulating garment to allow left and right rear panels of the garment to be moved to expose a back of the child;
b) positioning the child in the vehicle child safety seat such that the back of the child is in contact with the seat back and the child is seated on the seat bottom;
c) unfastening a front fastener on the insulating garment to allow left and right rear panels to be moved to expose the chest of the child;
d) passing the left strap loop over the left front panel of the garment to position the left strap loop against the chest of the child;
e) passing the right strap loop over the right front panel of the garment to position the right strap loop against the chest of the child;
f) fastening the left and right strap loop together and tightening the left and right strap loops to secure the child within the vehicle child safety seat.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising positioning the left front panel over the left strap loop and positioning the right front panel over the right strap loop.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising re-engaging the front fastener to fasten the left and right front panels together over top of the left and right strap loops.

23.The method any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein steps a) to f) are completed while the arms of the child are received within sleeves of the garment.

24. The method of any one of claims 20 to 23, further comprising attaching the rear fastener to a supplemental fastener on the vehicle child safety seat while the child is secured within the vehicle child safety seat, whereby left and right rear panels are fastened to the vehicle child safety seat.