EP1089896A1

EP1089896A1 - Carrier for children, for securing in cars

Info

Publication number: EP1089896A1
Application number: EP00921188A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ann-Kristin Bjerkan
Original assignee: BJERKAN ANN KRISTIN
Current assignee: BJERKAN ANN KRISTIN
Priority date: 1999-04-28
Filing date: 2000-04-17
Publication date: 2001-04-11
Also published as: NO992020D0; AU4153100A; NZ509114A; NO308695B1; CN1302264A; CA2336097A1; NO992020A; JP2002542980A; WO2000066391A1; BR0006055A

Abstract

Device for securing a carrier (1) for children, shaped as a box or basket, in a car with seat belts in the rear seat (7). At, or close to, an elongated side of the carrier (1), bands (2) are fastened. The bands (2) have fastening devices (4) that may be secured in reciprocal locking mechanisms (5) from the existing seat belts in a car. The carrier (1) preferably has a permanent set of harness (11) for securing the child, preferably a five-point harness.

Description

Carrier for children, for securing in cars.

The present invention relates to a device for securing a carrier, specially for children, in a car, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Background

Today, most baby carriages have a carry cot which can be removed from the carriage, and it is becoming more and more common for children to stay in the cot when being transported in a car. This is because it is convenient for parents and comportable for children, as the child can lie down and be free to move. During a drive, children often fall asleep, and if they fall asleep in a carry cot, they can be moved without changing the position of the body, which avoids that at least the older children, wake up.

A well-known way to secure carry cots, is to use a safety-net. This net is fastened around the cot, and to seat belts that are already in the rear seat of most cars. However, this is a rather bothersome system, because first the net has to be fastened to the car, then the cot must be positioned correctly, and finally, the net must be pulled over. There are no harness around the child in the cot, meaning that in a collision, the child will be catapulted towards the sides of the cot.

US 1,263,097, from 1918, shows a carrier which is to be secured to the roof and floor of a car with reins, and to the back side of the front seat with hooks. The bottom of the carrier is hanging in the air. US 1,363,667 from 1920, shows another carrier hanging in the air. It is secured with reins to the upper back part of both the rear seat and the front seat, and also to the floor. Both carriers are bothersome to install, and require installation of extra equipment in the car, and besides, they are not suited for the cars and speeds of today. EP 363,556 shows a two-part carrier, where the back may be manipulated, and the carrier transformed into a car seat. This carrier is secured to the car, by threading the seat belt through recesses in the upper part of the carrier, and under the bottom to finally be secured in the locking mechanism. The recesses represent a possible squeezing danger for the child, and the carrier itself is bothersome to install, because the belt has to be thread under the carrier itself.

Today there are no approved solutions for securing a carry cot in a car. If children are to be transported in an approved way, they have to sit in a child seat. This is a troublesome situation for both parents and children, because the child will have limited movability, and therefore be more impatient. It is also ergonomically undesirable for new-born babies to have to sit upright for a long period of time.

Object The main object of the invention is to provide a box- or basket shaped carrier for securing in a car. Another object is that it should be easy to use, and not demand installation of extra equipment in the car.

Invention The object is fulfilled with a device according to the characteristic part of claim 1. Further advantageous features are given in the dependent claims.

The device according to the present invention is particulately useful for securing a box- or basket shaped carrier, having bands with fastening devices that can be secured in the fastening mechanisms that are already in the rear seat of a car. Different cars often have different locking mechanisms, and it will therefore be necessary to change the fastening devices on the bands. This can be done in several ways, e.g. the whole band be may changed, or it can be provided with an adapter. Then the carrier may simply be clipped tightly after it is lifted into position. This is substantially easier than the installation of the aforementioned safety nets. The device according to the present invention preferably also includes harness for securing the child in the carrier, so that the child will not be thrown towards or over a side wall, in the event of a collision, and the child can not get up. Any known type of harness may be used, e.g. two- three- or five-point. However, it is an advantage to use as many points as possible, because in a collision, there will be more points to distribute the pressure to. With a simple two-points harness, the whole pressure will be in the stomach region of the child, and this may be dangerous.

Example

The invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the figures, where Figure 1 is a plan view of a carrier for children, without a mattress, with bands for securing in a car,

Figure 2 is an end elevation view of the carrier in Figure 1, installed in the rear seat of a car, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the carrier in Figure 1, with a double mattress and five-points harness for securing the child.

Figure 1 shows a carrier 1 for children according to the present invention, with two bands 2 extending from each long side of the carrier 1. The carrier 1 , shown as a carry cot, may also have bands 2 along just one side. It is also possible that the carry cot has only two bands 2 provided, going all the way across the carrier 1 , this possibility is shown dotted in detail, in Figure 1, and the bands 2 are thread through the floor 3 of the carrier 1. The bands 2 have fastening devices 4 so that they can be secured in two or three receiving locking mechanisms 5 that are already in the car, and tighteners 6 so that the carrier 1 will be lying steady towards the back of the rear seat 7. The bands 2 may also be thread through the same side, so that when the carrier is mounted, only one band 2 will be used, as both ends 8, 9 are secured in one locking mechanism 5 each.

In the case where the bands are going all the way through the carrier, it is necessary to tighten the bands 2, and to stop or lock them, so that they are not displaced after installation. This may be solved simply by e.g. installing a stopper on the bands 2, so that when one end 8 is pulled, the stopper will be pressed against the carrier 1 , and prevent the other end 9 of the band being pulled in. On the other side, there must then be a tightener 6, preventing band 2 from becoming slack. It is also possible that the tightener and the stopper are preformed in one piece.

Figure 2 shows the carrier in Figure 1 from the short end, installed in a rear seat 7. With bands 2 on both sides, the carrier 1 , and thus the child, may be turned, so that the head can point towards both transversal directions of the car. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the carrier 1 is provided with a double mattress, where the upper 10 is divided lengthwise, and shown in upraised position. The carrier may also be provided with a double floor, or with one mattress and one floor, where the harness 11 for securing the child, is positioned between the mattress and the floor 3. The carrier illustrated has a five-point harness 11. In the embodiment comprising one floor and one mattress, the floor may have recesses wherein the harness 11 can lie when they are not in use. The harness 11 may upon use, simply be brought out through slots 12 in the mattress.

Both the harness 11 and the bands 2 are provided with tighteners 6, so that the carrier 1 will be lying steady towards the rear seat 7 of the car, and the harness 1 1 around the child is tightened so that the child can not remove the harness itself. Because the bands 2 and harness 11 must be fastened safely to the carrier, it is an advantage if the carrier is made of a hard and constant material, e.g. plastic. The band 2 can be fastened to the carrier with any known method, but the fastening must be so strong that it does not unfasten when subjected to the force that may occur during a collision. In the embodiment with two mattresses, the child is normally lying on the upper mattress 10, when the carrier 1 is fastened to the rest of a carriage. When the child is to be transported in a car, the upper mattress is removed, and the harness 11 become visible. The mattress may be formed so that it can just be flung apart, e.g. by being divided lengthwise. Parts of the mattress may then protrude above the sidewall of the carrier 1, and partly prevent anything falling down into the carrier. If desirable, the child can be secured to the carrier at all times, even when the carrier is fastened to the carriage. This will then replace the types of harness 11 being on the market today, which prevent children from getting up in the carriage.

As mentioned, the harness 11 for securing the child to the carrier are either between the mattresses, or between the mattress and the floor 3, in such a way that they are not visible upon normal use with a carriage. In all cases, the mattress, on which the child shall rest when secured to the harness 11, must have recesses/holes 12 in order to bring up the harness 11. It is often an advantage that the mattress has several recesses 12 for each part of the harness, so that the harness 11 may be adjusted according to the size of the child. The carrier may be provided with pockets/slits on the outside, to hide the bands 2 when they are not used. It is also possible to make small holes in the carrier, in order to pull the bands inside. In this last case, small flaps may be made, in order to pull over the holes so that these are not visible. There are several ways to do this, and it is not a part of the invention, but merely a detail concerning appearance.

Claims

Claims:

1. Carrier for children, comprising a main section (1) shaped as a box or basket, preferably with harness (11) to prevent the child from getting/falling out of the main section, and with fastening devices for securing the carrier in a car, as it comprises bands (2) at the lower edge of the main section, which may be secured to fastening devices in a car, characterized in that the bands (2) at the lower edge of the main section (1) are connected to two fastening devices (4) for securing to two reciprocal locking mechanisms (5), that are secured to the back end of the rear seat (7), as part of an existing seat belt, the length of the bands being adjustable to maintain the main section (1) toward the back of the rear seat (7), and where the two fastening devices are arranged at a distance from each other.

2. Carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that it has two bands (2) on each elongate side of the main section.

3. Carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that the bands (2) have tighteners (6), so that they may be tightened against the locking mechanisms (5) in the rear seat (7) of the car.

4. Carrier according to claim 1 , characterized in that the harness (11) for securing the child, preferably is five-points.

5. Carrier according to claim 4, characterized in that the harness (11) for securing the child, may be hidden in recesses in a lower mattress, or in a floor (3), when the carrier (1) is not secured in a car.