GB1560260A

GB1560260A - Slings for carrying babies

Info

Publication number: GB1560260A
Application number: GB32072/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MOTHERCARE Ltd
Current assignee: MOTHERCARE Ltd
Priority date: 1978-04-26
Filing date: 1978-04-26
Publication date: 1980-01-30

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SLINGS FOR CARRYING BABIES (71) We, MOTHERCARE LIMITED, a British Company, of Cherry Tree Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WDZ 55H, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to slings for carrying babies.

According to the invention, there is provided a sling, for carrying a baby, comprising a seat portion and a single carrying shoulder strap, which strap extends continuously between, and is permanently secured at, two attachment locations therefor provided on the seat portion.

In order that the invention may be well understood, an embodiment thereof, which is given by way of example only, will now be described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic pictorial view of a sling; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional plan view of a strap of the sling; and Figure 3 illustrates the sling in use.

The sling which is referenced 1 in the drawing has a seat portion 2 formed by a single piece of textile material which is pleated so as to pack into the form of a multi-layer strip when not in use (not illustrated) and to take a generally concave shape (shown in Figure 1) when opened out for use.

A single one-piece carrying shoulder strap 3 is fastened at, and extends continuously between attachment locations 4 and 5 at each respective end of the multi-layer pleated strip formed by the seat portion when in a packed condition and is of a width substantially equal to that of the pleats of the seat portion so that the whole sling may be packed away when not in use. One end 6 of the strap 3 is permanently secured, for example by sewing, at location 4, and the strap is permanently secured to the seat portion at the other attachment location 5 by means of a loop 7 formed in the strap and passing through a loop member 8 for example a ring, secured to the seat portion.

The effective length of the carrying shoulder strap in the embodiment is adjustable by means which enable the length of the loop 7 to be adjusted. As illustrated, the length of the loop is adjusted by means of an adjusting buckle 9 having a centre prong (see Figure 3) to which the end 11 of the strap remote from end 6 is secured.

The strap is then woven back through the buckle in the manner illustrated in Figure 3 to form the loop 7. The buckle will not slip when the strap is under tension in use but the effective length of the strap can be easily adjusted when the strap is not under tension by feeding the woven part of the strap through the buckle.

As will be appreciated, the above described strap arrangement is of simple design and provides a safety feature in that it cannot become unfastened in use (illustrated in Figure 3) unlike, for example, an arrangement where two shoulder straps which buckle together are provided.

The illustrated sling is also provided with a safety shoulder strap 12 which extends between opposite portions of the seat portion 2 over the baby's shoulder when the baby is in the sling (Figure 3). The safety strap 12 is releasably fastenable and includes a snap hook 13 which fastens on a D-ring 14 or similar member in a conventional manner. The effective length of the safety strap is adjustable by means of a loop 15 between the snap hook 13 and an adjusting buckle 16 in a similar manner to that described in connection with strap 3.

Advantageously, the seat portion and straps of the sling are made in an easily washable material, for example a material comprising nylon.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A sling for carrying a baby. comprising

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. (54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SLINGS FOR CARRYING BABIES (71) We, MOTHERCARE LIMITED, a British Company, of Cherry Tree Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WDZ 55H, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to slings for carrying babies. According to the invention, there is provided a sling, for carrying a baby, comprising a seat portion and a single carrying shoulder strap, which strap extends continuously between, and is permanently secured at, two attachment locations therefor provided on the seat portion. In order that the invention may be well understood, an embodiment thereof, which is given by way of example only, will now be described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic pictorial view of a sling; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional plan view of a strap of the sling; and Figure 3 illustrates the sling in use. The sling which is referenced 1 in the drawing has a seat portion 2 formed by a single piece of textile material which is pleated so as to pack into the form of a multi-layer strip when not in use (not illustrated) and to take a generally concave shape (shown in Figure 1) when opened out for use. A single one-piece carrying shoulder strap 3 is fastened at, and extends continuously between attachment locations 4 and 5 at each respective end of the multi-layer pleated strip formed by the seat portion when in a packed condition and is of a width substantially equal to that of the pleats of the seat portion so that the whole sling may be packed away when not in use. One end 6 of the strap 3 is permanently secured, for example by sewing, at location 4, and the strap is permanently secured to the seat portion at the other attachment location 5 by means of a loop 7 formed in the strap and passing through a loop member 8 for example a ring, secured to the seat portion. The effective length of the carrying shoulder strap in the embodiment is adjustable by means which enable the length of the loop 7 to be adjusted. As illustrated, the length of the loop is adjusted by means of an adjusting buckle 9 having a centre prong (see Figure 3) to which the end 11 of the strap remote from end 6 is secured. The strap is then woven back through the buckle in the manner illustrated in Figure 3 to form the loop 7. The buckle will not slip when the strap is under tension in use but the effective length of the strap can be easily adjusted when the strap is not under tension by feeding the woven part of the strap through the buckle. As will be appreciated, the above described strap arrangement is of simple design and provides a safety feature in that it cannot become unfastened in use (illustrated in Figure 3) unlike, for example, an arrangement where two shoulder straps which buckle together are provided. The illustrated sling is also provided with a safety shoulder strap 12 which extends between opposite portions of the seat portion 2 over the baby's shoulder when the baby is in the sling (Figure 3). The safety strap 12 is releasably fastenable and includes a snap hook 13 which fastens on a D-ring 14 or similar member in a conventional manner. The effective length of the safety strap is adjustable by means of a loop 15 between the snap hook 13 and an adjusting buckle 16 in a similar manner to that described in connection with strap 3. Advantageously, the seat portion and straps of the sling are made in an easily washable material, for example a material comprising nylon. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A sling for carrying a baby. comprising a seat portion and a single carrying shoulder strap, which strap extends continuously between, and is permanently secured at, two attachment locations therefor provided on the seat portion.

2. A sling as claimed in claim 1, wherein the effective length of the strap extending between said attachment locations is adjustable.

3. A sling as claimed in claim 2, wherein said effective length of the strap is adjustable by means of a loop formed in the strap and'passing through a loop member secured to the seat portion at one of said attachment locations, the length of which loop is adjustable.

4. A sling as claimed in claim 3, wherein the length of the loop is adjustable by means of an adjusting buckle to which one end of the strap is secured and through which the strap passes.

5. A sling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seat portion is formed of a single piece of material which is pleated so as to pack into the form of a multi-layer strip.

6. A sling for carrying a baby substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.