GB2246547A

GB2246547A - Sunshades

Info

Publication number: GB2246547A
Application number: GB9016188A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Keith Loveridge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-07-24
Filing date: 1990-07-24
Publication date: 1992-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 2010-07-24
Also published as: GB9016188D0; GB2246547B

Abstract

An awning-like sunshade that is in essence an oblong sheet of material (11) is mountable at one end on the forward- facing rear upper edge (25) of a baby seat (22) and at the other end on the car seat (23) upon which the baby seat is carried, so as to extend between the two over the seated baby, the sheet preferably having a side flap (12) on and hanging down at that side in use adjacent the nearest car door. <IMAGE>

Description

SUNSHADES This invention concerns sunshades, and relates in particular to awning-type sunshades suitable for protecting a baby sitting/lying in a baby seat carried on board a vehicle like a car.

It is commonplace for babies - very young children - to be transported from one place to another by car (or like vehicle) sitting, reclining or lying in a baby seat mounted on one of the car's seats. A particular type of baby seat used for the purpose is often a rigid seat-like structure pivotally mounted on a base (so that it can be pivoted upright, like a seat, or horizontal, like a hammock, or somewhere in between) and intended to double both as a car seat and as an ordinary baby chair for use in the home. Such a seat is intended, in use in the car, to be placed facing to the rear on one of the car's seats - either a back seat or, preferably, the front passenger seat - strapped down using the car's own seat belt.

This is perfectly satisfactory from the mere mechanical transportation point of view, but it does give rise to one problem, namely that the baby is often exposed to the light (and heat) of the sun streaming in through the side windows and the windscreen. This may be both distressing and dangerous for the child, and the present invention proposes a novel but simple form of sunshade, or awning, that can be supported over the baby seat to shade the child from the sun.More specifically, the invention suggests an awning-like sunshade that is in essence an oblong sheet of material mountable at one end on the forward-facing rear upper edge of the baby seat and at the other end on the car seat upon which the baby seat is carried, so as to extend between the two over the seated baby, the sheet very preferably having a side flap on and hanging down at that side in use adjacent the nearest car door.Such a sunshade provides protection from sunlight shining into the car via the windscreen and the windows in the nearest door, while allowing unrestricted access to the child from the non-flap side, and can be easy to attach and release as and when required, In one aspect, therefore, this invention provides an awning-like sunshade for use with a car-seat-carried rearwardly-facing seat, which sunshade comprises a generally oblong sheet of light-opaque material having at one end first mounting means whereby it can be detachably secured to the upper edge of the baby seat back, and having at the other end second mounting means by which it can be detachably secured to or adjacent the upper edge of the car seat back, so that in use the sheet extends between the two and over the baby seat to shade a baby placed therein.

The invention's sunshade is for use with a baby seat, typically one such as sold by Britax under the name "Babysure", which is said to be suitable for a child up to 9 months (and around 221b (10kg) weight).

The sunshade of the invention includes a generally oblong light-opaque sheet, which may be of any convenient material (and preferably a natural or synthetic woven fabric such as cotton or nylons, and of almost any reasonable degree of opacity (from the total opacity of a thick black substance to the partial opacity of a thin cotton or gauze fabric sheet) provided it does indeed cause shade from the sun's light, will normally be of length and breadth dimensions appropriate to the situation. Thus, it will be as long as the distance from the in-position baby seat's back upper edge to the car seat's back upper edge - usually about three feet Croughly 90cm) - and it will be at least as wide as the baby seat is wide - usually about 18 inches (roughly 45cm). For mainly aesthetic reasons it is preferred that the corners of the sheet be rounded off.

Very preferably the sunshade has a (possibly weighted) side flap that in use will hang down so as to cover the gap extending between the baby and car seats' sides on the side nearest the car door, and so provide shade from sunlight coming in that way (this gap is roughly triangular, and the flap may conveniently be shaped correspondingly). There may also be a corresponding flap, possibly of a see-through, gauze material, on the other side, but preferably that side is kept clear to enhance ease of access to the baby.

In the case where the baby seat is to be carried on a left car seat of a right-hand-drive car (as will usually be the case in the UK) the flap should extend on the left (as viewed from the rear), otherwise on the right. However, provided the mounting means are usable whatever way up the sunshade is (see below) the sunshade can be reversed left to right (and top to bottom) so that it may be employed, the appropriate way up, with the flap adjacent the door, regardless of whether the baby seat is on the left or r ight or. the car.

c'iie end of the sheet are first mounting means for detachably attaching the sheet to the baby seat backs upper edge, and at the other end are means for detachably attaching it to the car seat back's upper edge. In each case these means can take almost any imaginable (but appropriate) form, and so may include elasticated drawstrings or ties, rubber-sucker-like, VELCRO-type or magnetic pads, and POPPER-like studs.

Moreover, these mounting means may be designed to be secured to practically any part of either the seat baby or car - or of the car as a whole, such as the actual seat back upper edges, the smooth rear surface of the baby seat back, the smooth interior surfaces of the car body or window glass, the car seat head rest (or its supports), the car door locking pin, and the car seatbelt mountings. The first mounting means, attaching the sunshade sheet at the baby seat back's upper edge, is preferably a simple sewn-in elasticated drawstring, extending along the oblong's front Cin use) edge, so allowing the whole of the front of the sheet to be "hooked" over the upper edge.The second mounting means, for attaching the sheet at the car seat back's upper edge, is conveniently either a pair of elasticated ties, one at either rear "corner" of the sheet, and allowing the sheet to be "tied" to some fixed part of the car or car seat (or even around the car seat back), or a pair of semi-rigid hook-like elements that simply hook over the back's upper edge.

Provided that the chosen securing means allow it and this will be the case for most varieties, including drawstrings and ties/hooks - the sunshade will be reversible.

An embodiment of the invention is now described, though by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying Drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sunshade of the invention, laid out flat; and Figure 2 is a side elevation Cpartly in see through) of a sunshade like that of Figure 1 in use.

The sunshade in each of the Figures is a rounded cornered trapezium-shaped sheet of material (generally 10) which, as clearly shown, has an oblong piece (11) and, extending from and integral with one long side thereof, a triangular piece (12). On the right side of the sheet 1O are tasselled beads (as 13), to weigh down the sides/edges, and keep the baby amused.

The front edge C14; the top edge as shown) of the oblong portion 11 has an elastic drawstring (15; not shown in Figure 2) sewn thereinto, while attached to the rear edge C16; the bottom edge as shown) are, in Figure 1, a pair of elasticated ties Cas 17V, one at each "corner", and in Figure 2, a pair of semi-rigid "hooks" C18; only one is shown), also one at each corner.

The sunshade 10 of Figure 2, where it is shown actually in situ over a car baby seat (generally 21) and a car seat (generally 22), is much the same as the Figure 1 shade save for- the car seat attachment means (ties 17 in Figure 1, hooks 18 in Figure 2). As will be seen, the baby seat 21 stands on the car seat 22 against the latter's back C23) and facing to the rear, with its own back C24) projecting up and to the front. In normal use the baby seat will be held in place at least by the car's own seatbelt (not shown). The sunshade (or canopy) 10 extends, awning-like, between the upper edge C25) of the baby seat's back and the upper edge (26) of the car seat's back. At the former it is mounted by being "hooked" over the upper edge (the elastic drawstring 15 renders it easy and secure), while at the latter it is held in place by the two hook members 18 reaching over and onto the upper edge.

It will be clear that the oblong and triangular portions 11 and 12 provide shade from light coming into the car through the windscreen and side door window.

The "version" shown in the Figures is oriented, and used, for shading a baby sitting in a lefthand seat of the car, and it will be appreciated that the "triangular" gap on the right hand side Cas viewed facing from the rear towards the front of the car) is unobstructed, so a person sitting in the adjacent right hand seat can easily see, and reach, the baby.

Claims

1. An awning-like sunshade for use with a car-seatcarried rearwardly-facing baby seat, which sunshade comprises a generally oblong sheet of light-opaque material having at one end first mounting means whereby it can be detachably secured to the upper edge of the baby seat back, and having at the other end second mounting means by which it can be detachably secured to or adjacent the upper edge of the car seat back, so that in use the sheet extends between the two and over the baby seat to shade a baby placed therein.

2. A sunshade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the light-opaque sheet is made of a natural or synthetic woven fabric.

3. A sunshade as claimed in either of the preceding Claims, wherein the oblong sheet is as long as the distance from the in-position baby seat's back upper edge to the car seat's back upper edge and as wide as the baby seat is wide.

4. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the corners of the oblong sheet are rounded off.

5. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the sheet has a side flap that in use will hang down so as to cover the gap extending between the baby and car seats' sides on the side nearest the car door.

6. A sunshade as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the flap is roughly triangular.

7. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the first mounting means, attaching the sunshade sheet at the baby seat back's upper edge, is a simple sewn-in elasticated drawstring, extending along the oblong's front (in use) edge.

8. An awning-like sunshade as claimed in any ef the preceding Claims and substantially as described hereinbefore.

8. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the second mounting means, for attaching the sheet at the car seat back's upper edge, is either a pair of elasticated ties; one at either rear "corner" of the sheet, or a pair of semi-rigid hook-like elements that in use simply hook over the back's upper edge.

9. An awning-like sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims and substantially as described hereinbefore.

AMENDS NITS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE EEEN FILED AS FOLLO1'IS 1. An awning-like sunshade for use with a car-seatcarried rearwardly-facing baby seat, which sunshade comprises a generally oblong sheet of light-opaque material having at one end first mounting means whereby it can be detachably secured to the upper edge of the baby seat back, and having at the other end second mounting means by which it can be detachably secured to or adjacent the upper edge of the car seat back, so that in use the sheet extends between the two and over the baby seat to shade a baby placed therein, wherein the first mounting means, attaching the sunshade sheet at the baby seat back's upper edge, is a sewn-in elasticated drawstring, extending along the oblon's front (in use) edge.

2. A sunshade as claimed in Claim I, wherein the light-opaque sheet is made of a natural or synthetic woven fabric.

5. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the sheet has a side flap that in use will hang down so as to cover the gap extending between the baby and car seats' sides on the side nearest te car door.

6. A sunshade as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the flap is roughly triangular.

7. A sunshade as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the second mounting means, for attaching the sheet at the car seat back's upper edge, is either a pair of elasticated ties, one at either rear "corner" of the sheet, or a pair of semi-rigid hook-like elements that in use simply hook over the back's upper edge.