GB2409970A

GB2409970A - Baby carrier having at least one wheel mounted on a carriage wherein the carriage is movable between an open and a closed position

Info

Publication number: GB2409970A
Application number: GB0500664A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fiona Lutz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-01-13
Filing date: 2005-01-13
Publication date: 2005-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2025-01-13
Also published as: GB0400739D0; GB2409970B; GB0500664D0; WO2005068275A2; WO2005068275A3

Abstract

A baby carrier 1 is provided with a seat 2, a handle 3, a carriage 4 and one or more wheels 5, wherein at least one wheel(s) is mounted on the carriage and the carriage is movable between an open position, wherein the wheel(s) on the carriage extend beyond the base or back of the seat, and a closed position (Fig.2), wherein the wheel(s) on the carriage are closer to the seat. The carriage may include one or more legs 9,10 which may be telescopic, folding or collapsible to be movable between their retracted (Fig.2) (closed) position and extended (Fig.3) (open) position. When the carriage of the carrier is in the closed position, the carrier may be used as a car safety seat for an infant. The carrier may be fitted with a detachable hood (12,Fig.4).

Description

Baby Carrier The present invention relates to baby carriers.

Babies under the age of six months are often transported using a multifunction baby carrier. The carrier acts as a seat and a car safety seat as well as a carrier for the baby. Modern baby carriers are adapted so that the carrier may be attached to buggies and prams to form a so-called travel system. Thus, a baby may be transferred from a buggy or pram to a car or other vehic Without removing the baby from the carrier. The Mamas & Papas=LPrimo Viaggio_ Infant Carrier is an example of a typical baby carrier.

Baby carriers are fitted with a handle to allow the carrier to be lifted into and out of cars, prams and so on. The handle also allows the carrier to be carried by the parent whilst on foot. However, lifting and moving the carrier is a struggle as the occupied carrier can be heavy and is uncomfortable to carry. Lifting and carrying baby carriers is undoubtedly a contributing factor to back injuries in mums having recently undergone childbirth. There is a need for a device that allows the transportation of baby carriers with minimal effort without causing injury, pain or discomfort to the parent or guardian.

Such a device is also required to preserve the comfort of the baby seated or lying within the carrier.

According to the present invention there is provided a baby carrier having a seat, a handle, a carriage and one or more wheels, wherein at least one wheel is mounted on the carriage and the carriage is movable between an open position, wherein the wheel or wheels on the carriage extend beyond the underside (e.g. the base or the back) of the seat, and a closed position, wherein the wheel or wheels on the carriage are closer to the seat.

The placement of the carriage in the closed position allows the baby carrier to be used as a conventional carrier e.g. as a seat that can be lifted or carried and in particular allows the carrier to be placed on the seat of a car or other vehicle, where it can be secured and used as a car safety seat. In the closed position, therefore, the wheels are preferably retracted to a position in which they do not protrude below the underside of the seat (or at most partially protrude) in order that they do not prevent the carrier from sitting securely on the vehicle seat.

The baby carrier of the present invention can preferably also be used as a seat, a car seat, used in combination with a pram or buggy, as with known multi-function baby carriers, when the carriage is in the closed position.

When the carriage is in the open position, with the wheel or wheels on the carriage extended beyond the underside of the seat to support the seat above, the baby carrier may be moved along by pushing or pulling on the seat or handle. The parent is not required to lift and carry the full weight of the baby carrier.

In a preferred embodiment, the carriage extends below and forward of the seat at the opposite end of the seat to the handle. In use, with the carriage in the open position, the seat is thus supported at one end by the wheel or wheels of the carriage on the ground and at the other end by a person holding the handle above the ground. Unlike a conventional buggy or pram, in this preferred form the carrier is not self supporting because the support provided by the carriage is only to one end of the seat, so it relies also on support from a person to hold the seat off the ground. Whilst this still requires some effort on the part of the person, much of the weight of the seat and the baby is borne by the carriage, alleviating the problems discussed above, whilst keeping the complexity, bulkiness and weight of the carrier to a minimum.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the carriage is retractable into the handle. The handle provides a convenient storage space for the carriage in the closed position. When the carriage is retracted into the handle it insures that the carriage does not interfere with the use of the carrier as a car safety seat, a seat, a carrier or as part of a travel system. The carriage is also protected from damage when retracted into the handle.

As with conventional baby carriers, the handle of the present baby carrier is preferably rotatable about or extendable away from the seat. The adjustment of the handle is preferably not prevented by the placement of the carriage in the closed position. It is a preferred feature of the present invention that when the carriage is in the open position, the handle may be rotated about the seat without rotating the carriage relative to the seat. Thus, it is possible to adjust the position of the seat and therefore the positioning of the baby relative to the ground. The carrier can therefore be used to move a baby placed in a lying or sitting position as required.

It is preferred that the baby carrier of the present invention has a plurality of wheels. It is further preferred that at least two carriage wheels are spaced from one another by a distance sufficient to prevent rolling of the carrier when the carriage is manoeuvred in the open position. The susceptibility of the carrier to rolling is dependent on the carrier's centre of gravity. The height of the seat from the ground when the carriage is in the open position, the weight of the unoccupied and occupied seat are among some of the factors that affect the centre of gravity and therefore the rolling susceptibility of the carrier. The distance between the wheels is therefore related to the configuration of the carrier and its components.

Given the characteristics of a typical baby carrier on the market, it is preferred that the distance between at least two carriage wheels is at least 50 cm. Most preferably the distance is 60 cm.

When the carriage is in the open position, it is preferred that the height of the height the seat is held above the ground by the carriage in the open position is sufficient to ensure that the height of the handle is at a comfortable level for the parent to push or pull the carrier. In one embodiment of the invention a wheel or wheels of the carriage extends beyond the base or the back of the seat by at least 20 cm. Most preferably the wheel or wheels extends a distance of 30 cm from the base or back.

In one embodiment of the invention the carriage of the baby carrier comprises one or more legs. It is preferred that the carriage comprise two legs, one to either side of the seat.

Optionally, the legs of the carriage may be connected with one or more crossbars.

The legs may be telescopic, folding or collapsible to be movable between their retracted (closed) position and extended (open) position. In the extended position, the legs preferably protrude below and forward of the seat, with the handle extending generally in the opposite direction.

It is preferred that the carriage is made of a material light enough to allow the carrier to be carried, yet strong enough to support the weight of the occupied carrier when in use e.g. plastic, aluminium or an aluminium alloy.

The wheel or wheels include, amongst others, standard wheelchair, pram and buggy wheels as well as rollers, balls and tracks. Optionally, there can be a suspension system for each wheel.

The preferred features may be used alone or in any combination with one another.

An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure l is a perspective view of a baby carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention with the carriage in the open position; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the baby carrier of figure l with the carriage in the closed position; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the baby carrier of figure l illustrating the movement of the handle when the carriage is in the open position; and Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of the baby carrier of figure l fitted with a rain cover.

Figure l shows a baby carrier l having a seat 2, a handle 3, a carriage 4 and wheels 5. As is conventional, the seat has safety straps 6 and elements 7 for the positioning and attachment of a removable hood. The carriage is shown in an extended, open position. The handle, which is tubular and has a general U-shape configuration, is attached to the seat by a hinge 8 about which the handle may be rotated. The carriage of the carrier comprises a pair of legs 9 and lo shown extending beyond and forward of the base of the seat. The legs are connected by a crossbar ll. The wheels are mounted at the foot of each leg. In this configuration the carrier may by be pushed or pulled by the parent without the need for carrying. More specifically, the parent uses the handle to hold the rear of the carrier above the ground whilst the wheels and carriage support the front end and take a majority of the weight of the carrier and baby.

Figure 2 shows the carrier with the carriage in the closed position. The legs of the carriage are partially retracted into the handle of the carrier. The carriage wheels do not extend beyond the base of the seat. In this configuration, the carrier may be used as a conventional baby carrier, and in particular can be secured in the seat of a vehicle without the wheels interfering so that the carrier can be used as a car safety seat.

Figure 3 shows the baby carrier with the legs of the carriage in the fully extended position. The handle can be rotated around the baby carrier when the legs are fully extended and may be adjusted independently of the fully extended legs. This allows the occupant to be from a sitting to a lying position and vice versa.

Figure 4 shows the seat of the baby carrier fitted with a detachable hood 12. The detachable hood is attached to the seat by clip elements 13 and 14. The hood includes a rain cover 15 that may be drawn over the seat to enclose the occupant.

Alternatively the rain cover can be stowed in a rolled configuration using tapes 16.

It will be appreciated that the embodiment described above is given by way of example only and various modifications can be made to it within the scope of the invention claimed herein.

Claims

Claims 1. A baby carrier having a seat, a handle, a carriage and one or

more wheels, wherein at least one wheel is mounted on the carriage and the carriage is movable between an open position, in which the wheels on the carriage extend beyond the underside of the seat, and a closed position, in which the wheels on the carriage are closer to the seat.
2. A baby carrier according to claim 1, wherein with the carriage in the closed position, the carrier can be used as a car safety seat for an infant.
3. A baby carrier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein with the carriage in the open position, one end of the seat is supported above the ground by the carriage and the other end of the seat can be supported above the ground by the handle.
4. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage is retractable into the handle.
5. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims having a plurality of wheels mounted on the carriage.
6. A baby carrier as described in claim 5, wherein at least two carriage wheels are spaced apart by a distance sufficient to prevent rolling of the carrier when the carriage is in the open position.
7. A baby carrier as described in claim 6, wherein the at least two carriage wheels are spaced apart by at least 50 cm when the carriage is in the open position.
8. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the wheels of the carriage extend by at least 20 cm from the base or back of the seat when the carriage is in the open position.
9. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is adjustable relative to the seat and the carriage when the carriage is in the open position.
lo. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage comprises one or more legs.
ll. A baby carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage comprises a pair of legs, one to either side of the seat.
12. A baby carrier as described in claim ll, wherein the pair of legs are joined by a cross bar.
13. A baby carrier substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.