GB2430154A

GB2430154A - Blankets and pushchairs with blankets

Info

Publication number: GB2430154A
Application number: GB0612241A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kerry Chatten
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-15
Filing date: 2006-06-21
Publication date: 2007-03-21
Also published as: GB0612241D0; GB2430153B; GB0518796D0; GB2430153A

Abstract

A blanket 10 for use with a pushchair (50, fig.3), baby or infant car seat having a harness with at least one shoulder strap (54, 56, fig.3) and a clasp (62, fig.3) which fastens in front of the child in use. The blanket 10 has at least one strap-receiving hole 16, 18 which the shoulder strap (54, 56, fig.3) of the harness can pass through. The blanket 10 further comprises a fastening means 21 extending from a first edge 40 of the blanket 10 and along adjacent elongate edge portions 43, 44 of first and second elongate portions 19a, 19b which extend away from the first edge 40 of the blanket 10. The elongate edge portions 43, 44 may be joined together using the fastening means 21 to form a closed blanket and, when the fastening means 21 is released, the elongate edge portions 43, 44 may be moved away from each other to form a gap (45, fig. 1b) through which a baby may be moved. The fastening means 21 may be a zip or a series of buttons, poppers and/or hook and eye fabric fasteners. Foot portion securing means (20, fig.4a) may also be provided. Methods of fitting, and removing a baby from, such a blanket are also disclosed.

Description

Improvements Relating to Blankets and Pushchairs With Blankets This

invention relates to blankets, and primarily, but not exclusively, to baby or infant blankets that can be used to keep a baby or infant warm when the baby or infant is in a pushchair, stroller or the like.

An example of a known baby blanket is disclosed in US 4993090 (Ranalli). This document discloses a baby blanket for use in a car seat.

The blanket has a plurality of apertures through which restraining members of a harness can be passed. In use, the child is placed on the blanket, the harness is then fastened, and the blanket wrapped around the child and the harness. The blanket must be wide enough to sufficiently wrap around a baby to keep it warm. There is a risk that the blanket could slip off the baby, or be kicked off by the baby.

CA 2150054 (Hamel Nyhus Paulette) discloses a baby blanket for use in a child seat having a restraint system. The blanket has a receiving compartment located on its front surface, for receiving and holding the legs and torso of an infant or small child. This blanket cannot be put on or taken off a baby without removing the baby from the seat, as the baby must be taken out of the seat to introduce or remove the baby from the compartment in the blanket.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a blanket for use with a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated clasp, the clasp fastening in front of the baby or infant in use, wherein the blanket has at least one strap-receiving hole therein, such that, in use, the size of the blanket and the position of the at least one strapreceiving hole enables the at least one shoulder strap of the harness to pass through the at least one strap-receiving hole in the blanket and locate the blanket such that in

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use substantially all of the body of the baby/infant is covered by the blanket and the blanket is held in place at least in part by the shoulder strap passing through the strap-receiving hole, the blanket further comprising a fastening means extending from a first edge of the blanket, wherein the blanket comprises a first and second elongate portion each having a length that extends away from the first edge of the blanket, the first and second elongate portions having adjacent elongate edge portions, and the fastening means being provided at the adjacent elongate edge portions so as to enable the elongate edge portions to be joined together to form a closed blanket and, when the fastening means is released, the elongate edge portions being movable away from each other to form a gap in the blanket through which a baby may be moved.

The at least one strap-receiving hole provides a region of the blanket that can be affixed to the pushchair to reduce the chances of the baby kicking the blanket off, or the blanket otherwise coming off the baby. The strap passing through the strap-receiving hole holds the blanket in a desired position.

Preferably, the blanket comprises a body portion and a foot portion. The body portion of the blanket may be wider than the foot portion of the blanket.

Preferably, the fastening means extends from an edge of the body portion of the blanket, preferably the top edge. The fastening means is arranged such that when the fastening means is undone, the two elongate portions of the blanket to which the fastening means are attached can be moved away from each other to improve the ease with which the baby can be inserted into, or removed from, the pushchair. When the fastening means is done up, the blanket covers substantially all of the body of the baby.

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The fastening means can be a zip, hook and eye fabric fasteners (e.g. VelcroTM), poppers, buttons or any other means for releasably securing one portion of the blanket to another portion of the blanket.

In some embodiments, the baby can be removed from, and/or put into, the pushchair, without removing the at least one shoulder strap from the at least one strap-receiving hole. The fastening means can be undone to insert/remove the baby. Preferably, none of the shoulder straps need to be removed from their associated strap-receiving holes in order to insert a baby into, or remove a baby from, the pushchair.

Preferably, the fastening means extends along the length of the blanket.

In some embodiments that is along the entire length of the body portion and the foot portion such that the blanket can be split into two pieces. In other embodiments, the fastening means may be arranged to extend along the entire width of the blanket. The two pieces of blanket can be moved to either side of the baby whilst still attached to the shoulder straps so that the blanket no longer covers the baby. However, in other embodiments, the fastening means may only extend partway along the length of the blanket whilst still enabling the baby to be easily inserted into, or removed from, the pushchair.

It may be sufficient for the fastening means to extend along a part of the body portion, or extend the length of the body portion and none of the foot portion, or extend along the length of the body portion and a part of the foot portion, whilst still being able to uncover the baby sufficiently for it to be removed from, or inserted into, the pushchair without releasing the straps.

Preferably, the fastening means extends along a region that is substantially near a centre line of the blanket, and more preferably, the fastening means extends along a centre line of the blanket.

The shape and nature of embodiments of the blanket enable the wider body portion to cover the body of the baby/infant, and the narrower foot portion to cover the legs of the baby/infant without substantially extending beyond the confines of the pushchair (or the like), thereby avoiding or ameliorating the possibility that the blanket will become entangled in the wheels and/or other part of the pushchair or the like.

Also, embodiments of the blanket can be put on, or taken off, a baby without requiring cooperation from the baby as the at least one shoulder strap does not have to be removed from the at least one hole when removing the baby from the pushchair/seat.

Preferably, the blanket has two strap-receiving holes. The two strap receiving holes may be equidistant from, and either side of, a centre line of the blanket. Each strap-receiving hole may receive a shoulder strap of the harness. Having two strap-receiving holes enables the blanket to be affixed to the pushchair at two points, which more firmly secures the blanket to the pushchair, and reduces the chances of the blanket twisting or falling to one side of the baby when in use.

Preferably, the strap-receiving holes are in the body portion of the blanket. This enables the body portion of the blanket to be positioned near the shoulder straps of the pushchair, and the foot portion to extend away from the body portion and be positioned over a foot portion of the pushchair.

The blanket may further comprise a foot portion securing means arranged to secure the foot portion of the blanket to the pushchair or the like, when the blanket is in use. This enables the foot portion of the blanket to be secured in position over a baby's legs, and prevents the baby from kicking off the blanket. In some embodiments, the foot portion securing means can remain secured to the pushchair when the baby is removed from, or inserted into, the pushchair, or the like.

The foot portion securing means may comprise two securing means, one on either side of the foot portion, that may be arranged to cooperate with two complementary members present on either side of the pushchair. The complementary members present on the pushchair may be at a lower region of the pushchair, for example near the floor when the pushchair is in an upright position.

The foot portion securing means may be elasticated loops, as these can simply be hooked over a complementary blanket attachment structure, such as a projecting stud, or footrest, or any other part of the pushchair or the like.

The length of the body portion may be substantially the same as the length of the foot portion. Preferably the blanket is a shape that tessellates, such that a plurality of blankets can be placed next to each other without leaving any substantial gaps between the blankets. This enables blankets according to embodiments of the invention to be cut from a sheet of fabric during manufacture without wasting any, or much, fabric that is left in gaps between adjacent blankets.

The blanket may obscure the clasp of the harness when the blanket is in use, in order that the baby/infant cannot easily undo the clasp. Also, the baby/infant may not be tempted to undo the clasp if they cannot see it. In some embodiments, undoing the fastening means can reveal the clasp of the harness such that it can easily be undone by an adult to remove the baby from the pushchair, or the like.

The body portion and/or foot portion of the blanket may be rectangular, square or trapezium shaped, and the body portion need not be the same shape as the foot portion.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, and a blanket according to the first aspect of the invention, the arrangement being such that a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated first clasp member releasably coupleable with a complementary clasp member of the harness, the shoulder strap having a fastened condition in which it is closed in front of the baby or infant in use and a released condition, and the blanket having a body portion and foot portion, the body portion having at least one strap-receiving hole therein, the shoulder strap extending through the hole in the blanket so that first and complementary clasp members are disposed beneath the blanket, the blanket being retained to the harness by the interaction of the shoulder strap and the area of the blanket that surrounds the hole.

The first and complementary clasp members may be disposed beneath the body portion of the blanket in embodiments where the blanket has a body portion and a foot portion.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of fitting a blanket according to the first aspect of the invention to a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated first clasp member releasably coupleable with a complementary clasp member of the harness, the method comprising: undoing the fastening means of the blanket; passing the shoulder strap through the at least one strapreceiving hole in the blanket; securing the first clasp member to the complementary clasp member; and fastening the fastening means of the blanket.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a kit comprising a blanket according to the first aspect of the invention, and instructions to use the blanket in accordance to the method of an aspect of the invention.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided in a combination of a pushchair having two shoulder straps, clasp under blanket, and a blanket overlying a baby in the pushchair, a method of removing the baby from the pushchair comprises, undoing the fastening means of the blanket, undoing one of the straps from the clip, or preferably both straps from the clip, and folding or moving at least one of the sides of the blanket away from the baby and towards the side of the pushchair with the shoulder strap still engaged with the blanket, and extracting the baby from the pushchair through a gap made by folding or moving the blanket towards the side of the pushchair with the engaged shoulder strap.

Embodiments of the invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:- Figure la shows a front view of a blanket of a first embodiment of the present invention with the fastening means done up; Figure lb shows a front view of the blanket of Figure la with the fastening means undone; Figure 2 shows a sheet of fabric that can be cut into blankets of the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a prior art pushchair with which a blanket of an embodiment of the present invention can be used; Figures 4a and 4b show the blanket of Figure 1 in use on the pushchair of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows the blanket of Figure 1 in use on the pushchair of Figure 3 in an alternative configuration; Figure 6 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention with the fastening means done up; Figure 7 shows a front view of a blanket of the blanket of Figure 6 with the fastening means undone; Figure 8 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 shows a front view of a blanket of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 shows a foot portion securing means of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 14 shows a foot portion securing means of another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 15 shows a kit for attaching a blanket to a pushchair of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure la shows a front view of a blanket 10 of an embodiment of the present invention with a fastening means 21 done up, and Figure lb shows the same blanket 10 with the fastening means 21 undone. The blanket 10 comprises a body portion 12 and a foot portion 14. The body portion 12 and the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 are both rectangular in shape. The body portion 12 is wider than the foot portion 14.

The blanket has a first edge, which in this embodiment is a top edge 40 of the body portion 12. Extending away from the top edge 40 are a first and a second elongate portion 19a, 19b. The first and the second elongate portions 19a, 19b have adjacent elongate edge portions 43, 44. A fastening means, which in this embodiment is a zip 21, extends along the length of the elongate edge portions 43, 44 and is arranged to join the two elongate edge portions 43, 44 together when the zip 21 is done up, and to enable the two elongate edge portions 43, 44 to be movable away from each other when the zip 21 is undone. The zip 21 is located on a centre line 13 of the blanket 10. Completely undoing the zip 21 causes the blanket to be separated into the first elongate portion 19a and the second elongate portion 19b as shown in Figure lb. Separating the first and second elongate portions 19a, 19b provides a gap 45 between the first and second elongate portions l9a, 19b through which a baby may be moved.

The body portion 12 has a central region ha (in line with the foot portion 14) and wings or flaps lib and llc to either side of the central portion ha.

The length of the body portion 12 as indicated by arrow 15, is substantially the same as the length of the foot portion 14 as indicated by arrow 17.

The body portion 12 is arranged to wrap around and cover the torso and the arms of a baby when in use. The body portion 12 is wide enough to tuck in between the baby's sides and the seat of the pushchair when in use. For some babies (small ones) it may be possible to tuck the wings lib and lic at least partially behind the baby's back.

The foot portion 14 is arranged to cover the legs of a baby when in use.

The foot portion 14 is wide enough to cover the baby's legs, and yet is not so wide that it has much chance of getting caught up in the wheels, or any other part, of a pushchair to which it is attached.

Two strap-receiving holes or slits 16, 18 are provided in the central region ha of the body portion 12. The strap-receiving holes are positioned equidistant from, and either side of, the central line 13 of the blanket. The holes 16, 18 are positioned such that, in use, straps of a pushchair are located through the holes 16, 18 and the central region ila of the blanket 10 is held by the straps in a position that covers substantially all of the baby's body, and more particularly, substantially all of the baby's torso.

Having one hole 16, 18 per strap helps prevent the blanket 10 from slipping off a baby when it is in-use. Particularly, in embodiments having two or more straps, and hence two or more holes, the blanket is securely held in place as more than one securing point prevents the blanket from slipping from side to side and/or rotating.

In this embodiment the body portion 12 of the blanket 10 is about 75cm by 30cm, and the foot portion 14 is about 30cm by 45cm. The two holes 16, 18 are about 14cm from the top edge of the body portion 12. The dimensions of the blanket can be chosen so that the blanket 10 fits as many different types of pushchairs (or the like) as possible. It will be appreciated that these dimensions are illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, and that a blanket with other dimensions could be used to fit pushchairs or the like with different harness configurations, and for babies/infants of different sizes.

In other embodiments, the dimensions of the blanket can be selected so that the body portion 12 of the blanket 10 tucks under a baby's arms, and the baby's shoulders and arms are not underneath the blanket 10. In further embodiments still, the baby's mother can fold the blanket down under the arms of a baby.

In some embodiments the blanket can be manipulated without requiring cooperation from the baby, for example this can provide an advantage when the baby is asleep. The baby does not need to be woken up for the blanket to be manipulated on or around the baby.

In some embodiments of the invention, the body portion 12 wraps around the back of the baby/infant, as may the foot portion 14.

Figure 2 illustrates a sheet of fabric 30 that can be cut into blankets 10 as illustrated in Figure 1. Adjacent blankets 10 fit together without leaving any gaps between the blankets 10, and this can provide efficient manufacturing costs as material is not wasted from between adjacent blankets 10. It will be appreciated that other shaped blankets could be designed that would fit together without leaving gaps between the blankets. The symmetry and shape of the blanket 10, allows the blankets to tessellate.

The sides of the body and foot portions of the blankets could be tapered as is discussed below, and still allow the blanket to tessellate.

Figure 3 shows an example of a prior art pushchair 50 with which a blanket of an embodiment of the present invention can be used. The pushchair 50 has a seat portion 52 and a footrest 64.

Attached to the seat portion 52 are four straps 54, 56, 58, 60 that together form a harness for securing a baby within the pushchair 50. The four straps consist of a first shoulder strap 54, a second shoulder strap 56, a first waist strap 58 and a second waist strap 60. The four straps 54, 56, 58, 60 all connect to an attachment point housing that may be a clasp or buckle 62 to hold the straps in position. It will be appreciated that other harness and buckle arrangements are known in the art, and that the details of the harness and buckle are not essential to the invention.

It will be appreciated that the invented blanket is not limited to use with pushchairs or strollers, and can equally be used with other baby/infant carrying devices that have a harness for securing the baby/infant. For example, car seats, baby carriers etc. may all be used with embodiments of the invention.

Figure 4a shows a baby 80 in the prior art pushchair shown in Figure 3, with the blanket 10 of Figure 1 placed over the baby 80 with the fastening means 21 of the blanket 10 done up. The blanket 10 has been secured to the pushchair 50 as discussed in more detail later.

The blanket 10 shown in Figure 4 differs from the blanket 10 shown in Figure 1 in that it also includes two foot portion securing means 20 attached to the corners of the foot portion 14 that are furthest from the body portion 12. In this embodiment the foot portion securing means are elasticated loops 20, and one end of each loop 20 is releasably attached to a bottom corner 19a or 19b of the blanket 10 by mechanical fastening means, such as poppers, hook and eye fabric fasteners (e.g. VELCROTM), adhesive regions, or the like.

In use, the poppers, or other fasteners, can be undone, the loop 20 passed around a part of the pushchair that is near the baby's feet, for example a footrest or lower part of a front leg of the pushchair, and then the poppers done up to secure the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 in a desired position when it is in use. It will be appreciated that one end, or both ends, of the loops 20 could be releasably attached to the blanket by any means, for example poppers, buttons, Velcro etc. In other embodiments, both ends of the loops 20 can be permanently attached to the blanket 10, and the loops can be looped over a region of the pushchair to hold the foot portion 14 of the blanket in the desired position. The loops could have regions which attach to themselves, rather than to the blanket as such.

Further alternatives and more details of the foot portion securing means are discussed below with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

It will be appreciated that the foot portion securing means do not necessarily need to be on the corners of the foot portion 14 in order to perform their function of holding the foot portion 14 in a desired position. The foot portion securing means could be on the side and/or bottom of the foot portion 14.

In this embodiment the loops 20 on the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 are secured to the footrest 64 by passing the free end of the ioop 20 around the junction between the footrest 64 and a front leg of the footrest and attaching the free end of the ioop to the blanket/restrained end of the loop.

The loops 20 on the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 are secured to the footrest 64 by passing the free end of the loop 20 around the junction between the footrest 64 and a front leg of the footrest and attaching the free end of the loop to the blanket/restrained end of the ioop.

The stepped difference in width between the body portion 12 and the width of the foot portion 14 can help the blanket 10 be wrapped around the sides of baby 80 when the baby 80 is in the pushchair 50.

First shoulder strap 54 passes over the baby's right shoulder and over the top of the blanket 10, into hole 16, and continues underneath the blanket until it reaches buckle 62.

Second shoulder strap 56 passes over the baby's left shoulder, over the top of the blanket 10, and through hole 18 in the blanket 10, and under the blanket 10 from hole 18 to the buckle 62.

The buckle 62 and the regions of the first and second shoulder straps 54, 56 that are underneath the blanket 10 are obscured by the blanket 10 and are shown in dotted outline in the embodiment shown in Figure 4a. A further advantage of some embodiments of the blanket 10 according to the invention is that the buckle 62 of the harness is obscured from the view of the baby 80 when the zip 21 is done up. Obscuring the buckle 62 from the view of the baby 80 reduces the chance that the baby 80 is tempted to try and undo the buckle 62. Furthermore, it will be difficult for the baby 80 to undo the buckle 62 even if they are tempted to do so, because the blanket is held in the way by the harness straps 54, 56.

A further advantage is that although the buckle 62 is concealed when the zip 21 is done up, the buckle 62 can be exposed by an adult undoing the zip 21 when it is desired to remove the baby 80 from the pushchair 50.

In this embodiment, the two waist straps 58, 60 pass underneath the blanket 10 and releasably connect to the buckle 62, and the waist straps 58, 60 are not used to hold the blanket 10 in position. In other embodiments the blanket 10 can have further holes in order to accommodate one or more waist straps 58, 60 (or any other straps) of a pushchair 50 when the blanket 10 is in use, the waist straps passing over the blanket 10 until it reaches the holes and under the blanket 10 after it has reached the holes.

An advantage of the blanket 10 is that the harness can be released, that is the shoulder straps 54, 56 can be uncoupled from the buckle 62, without the blanket 10, or one, or both, of the two halves 19a, 19b of the blanket becoming detached from the pushchair 50.

The two loops 20 on the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 are looped around the footrest 64 of the pushchair 50 in order to hold the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10 in position and prevent the baby from kicking off the foot portion 14 of the blanket 10.

In a preferred embodiment for putting a baby 80 into the pushchair 50, the zip 21 of the blanket 10 is completely undone such that the blanket 10 consists of two separate portions; the left portion 19a and the right portion 19b as discussed in relation to Figure 1.

Before the baby 80 is placed in the pushchair 50, the first shoulder strap 54 is passed through the strap-receiving hole 16 in the left portion 19a of the blanket 10, and the second shoulder strap 56 is passed through the strap-receiving hole 18 in the right portion 19b of the blanket 10.

The first and second shoulder straps 54 and 56 (with their associated left and right portions 19a and 19b of the blanket) are then pulled to each side of the pushchair 50 to expose the seat 52 of the pushchair 50.

The baby 80 is then placed into the seat 52 of the pushchair 50 (as shown in Figure 4b), and the two waist straps 58, 60 and the first and second shoulder straps 54 and 56 are connected to the buckle 62. The left and the right portions 19a, 19b of the blanket 10 are then brought together and the zip 21 is done up. The baby 80 is now restrained in the pushchair 50, and the blanket 10 covers substantially all of the baby's body, as shown in Figure 4a.

When it is desired to remove the baby 80 from the pushchair 50, the zip 21 of the blanket 10 is completely or partially undone. This exposes the buckle 62 of the pushchair 50 with the fours straps, 54, 56, 58 and 60, still attached to the buckle 62. At least some of the straps 54, 56, 58 and can be removed from the buckle 62 in order to free the baby from the harness of the pushchair 50. In the example illustrated in Figure 4b, first shoulder strap 54 and first waist strap 58 have been removed from the buckle 62.

After at least one of the straps 54, 56, 58 and 60 have been removed from the buckle 62, the straps, with their associated halves of the blanket 19a, 19b still attached, are pulled to either side of the pushchair 50. This reveals the baby 80 from underneath the blanket 10, and also frees the baby 80 from the harness of the pushchair 50.

The baby 80 can then be removed from the pushchair 50 without removing any of the straps 54, 56, 58 and 60 from the blanket 10.

This can provide access to the baby 80, without having to worry about the blanket 10 falling off the pushchair 50 onto the ground, possibly getting dirty and/or getting lost. The baby 80 can be put into the pushchair 50, or taken out of the pushchair 50, without completely releasing the blanket from the pushchair 50.

In some embodiments, the blanket 10 can be put onto the baby 80, and taken off the baby 80, while it is still asleep without requiring any cooperation from the baby 80. Therefore it is not necessary to wake the baby 80 when putting the blanket 10 on, or taking the blanket 10 off, the baby 80, and there is a greater chance of being able to put the blanket 10 on the baby 80 /take it off the baby 80 without waking the baby 80.

Another advantage of some embodiments of the blanket 10 is that it can be attached to a pushchair 50 (by one shoulder strap 54, 56, or by both) when a baby 80 is not in the pushchair 50, and the pushchair 50 can befolded-up (as is known in the art) with the blanket 10 still attached to the pushchair 50.

It will be appreciated that blankets of embodiments of the invention can be used with a baby/infant that is sitting up or lying down. Also, blankets of some embodiments can enable the angle of the back of the pushchair (or the like) to be altered without the blanket interfering with the mechanisms of the pushchair (or the like).

Figure 5 shows the blanket 10 shown in Figure 4 fitted to the prior art pushchair of Figure 3 in a different way to that illustrated in Figure 4.

In Figure 5, the shoulder straps 54, 56 have been passed through the strap-receiving holes 16, 18 from a back surface of the blanket 10 towards a front surface of the blanket 10. The shoulder straps 54, 56 emerge from a front surface of the blanket 10 and attach to the buckle 62 on top of the blanket 10. The waist straps 58, 60 also attach to the buckle 62 on top of the blanket 10. This enables a top portion of the body portion 12 of the blanket 10 to be folded down to expose the baby's arms. The waist straps 58, 60 on top of the blanket 10 also help to secure the blanket 10 in position. In some embodiments, the folded down portion of the blanket 10 may obscure the buckle 62 from the baby, as discussed earlier.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the shoulder straps 54, 56 could be passed through the strap-receiving holes 16, 18 in the blanket from front-to-back as shown in Figure 4, and a top portion of the body portion 12 of the blanket 10 could be folded down towards the inside of the blanket 10 to expose the baby's arms.

In other embodiments, the distance of the strap-receiving holes 16, 18 from the top of the blanket 10 can enable the blanket 10 to be tucked underneath a baby's arms without the need to fold the blanket 10 down.

Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of a blanket 90 of the invention. In this embodiment the zip 96 extends from the top edge of the body portion 92, and only extends partially along the length of the body portion 92. The zip 96 does not extend into the foot portion 94 at all.

The zip 96 splits the blanket 90 into a first elongate portion 93 and a second elongate edge portion 95. The first and second elongate portions 93, 95 extend away from the top edge of the body portion 92. One half of the zip 96 is affixed to a first elongate edge portion 97 of the first elongate portion 93, and a second half of the zip 96 is affixed to a second elongate edge portion 98 of the second elongate portion 95.

The zip 96 extends far enough from the top edge of the body portion 92 of the blanket 90 to enable a baby to be removed from a pushchair without removing the blanket 90 from the pushchair. The zip 96 may extend far enough to expose the buckle/clasp of the harness of the pushchair such that undoing the zip 96 makes it easier for an adult to remove the baby from the pushchair.

Figure 7 shows the blanket 90 of Figure 6 with the zip 96 undone. The first and second elongate portions 93, 95 have been moved away from each other to form a gap 99 through which a baby can be moved/passed when removing the baby from a pushchair, or putting a baby into a pushchair.

Figure 8 shows an alternative embodiment of a blanket 170 of the invention. In this embodiment the fastening means 170 runs horizontally across the width of the blanket 170, and is located near a boundary between a body portion and a foot portion of the blanket 170.

Figure 9 shows an alternative embodiment of a blanket 180 of the invention. In this embodiment, the fastening means 181 is offset from the central axis of the blanket 180. Offsetting the fastening means from the central axis of the blanket may more easily facilitate moving/passing a baby through the gap provided by opening the fastening means.

Figure 10 shows an alternative embodiment of a blanket 190 of the invention. In this embodiment the fastening means 191 is not parallel with the central axis of the blanket 190. Providing such a fastening means may increase the ease with which a baby is passed through the gap in the blanket in some embodiments.

It will be appreciated that the fastening means need not necessarily extend from any particular edge of the blanket. In some embodiments, the fastening means could extend from a bottom surface of the foot portion of the blanket. In further embodiments still, the fastening means could extend from a side surface of the body portion, or foot portion, or a region near the boundary between the body portion and the foot portion, of the blanket. In further embodiments still, the fastening means may or may not be located in a central region of the blanket. The fastening means may or may not run in a direction that is parallel to a central axis of the blanket. In some embodiments, the fastening means may not necessarily run in a straight line. Having a fastening means that runs in a curved direction, or having part of the fastening means running in a curved direction and part in a straight direction, may more easily facilitate moving a baby through the gap in the blanket.

The location and length of the fastening means does not matter as long as undoing the fastening means can enable a baby to be more easily removed from, or inserted into, a pushchair.

Figure 11 shows an alternative embodiment of a blanket 110 of the invention. In this embodiment, the fastening means are buttons or poppers 121 on blanket 110.

In this embodiment the foot portion 114 is trapezium shaped, and is particularly useful for pushchairs/buggies that get narrower towards the foot end of the pushchair/buggy, for example a three-wheeled buggy. In other embodiments the body portion 112 could also be trapezium shaped in order that blankets 100 could tessellate without leaving any substantial gaps between them as illustrated in Figure 2. In further embodiments still, the foot portion 114 could be generally triangular.

In this embodiment, the foot portion securing means are ties 120, and are located at the corners of the foot portion 114 that are furthest from the body portion 112. The ties 120 are used for affixing the foot portion 114 of the blanket 110 to a pushchair.

In this embodiment, the blanket 110 has one elongate slot, or hole, 116 in the body portion 112 of the blanket 110. This enables one or more straps of the harness of a pushchair to pass through the hole 116 when the blanket 110 is in use (it is wide enough for both shoulder straps to pass through).

Figure 12 shows a blanket 210 of a further embodiment of the invention.

The fastening means is a hook and eye fabric fastening system 221 (e.g. Velcro7M) in this embodiment of the invention. The edges of the elongate portions 219a, 219b may overlap to enable the hook and eye fastening means 221 to be brought together. One half of the hook and eye fabric fastening system may be wider than the other half such that the fastening system can be done up with the elongate portions 219a, 219b in different positions relative to each other. This can provide an adjustable blanket that can be fitted snugly around babies of different sizes.

Indeed, in some embodiments there may be provided a range of separate fastening means (or one fastening means with a variety of positions of use) on one, or both, of the elongate portions of the blanket such that a different fastening means may be used for different sized babies. It will be appreciated that the fastening means need not necessarily be at the very edges of the elongate portions 219, 219b.

The blanket 210 has tapered sides, is trapezium shaped, and there is not a distinct boundary between the body portion 212 and the foot portion 214.

Nonetheless, the foot portion of 214 of the blanket 210 is narrower than the body 212 of the blanket 210.

In this embodiment there are a number of holes 216 in the body portion 212 of the blanket 210. This enables the blanket 210 to be used with pushchairs with different harnesses, as the shoulder straps of the harness can pass through whichever holes 216 best line-up with the dimensions of the harness.

Figure 13 shows a part of a foot portion 314 of a blanket 310 that is an embodiment of the present invention. The blanket 310 has a foot portion securing means shown generally as 320. The foot portion securing means 320 comprises a length of flexible material 302 that is fixed to the blanket 310 at one end and has a distal end that is not fixed to the blanket 310.

The flexible material may be elasticated so that it can be stretched to fit around a part of a pushchair in use. The foot portion securing means 320 also comprises first and second mutually engaging snap fasteners/poppers 304, 306 that can be fastened together to form a loop to engage a part of a pushchair.

In this embodiment, the blanket 310 comprises a front and a back sheet of fabric, and the two sheets of fabric are sewn together to form the blanket 310. The flexible material 302 is sewn into the seam between the front and back sheets of fabric.

In other embodiments the flexible material 302 may be otherwise attached to the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310. The flexible material 302 may be sewn, glued, stapled or otherwise attached to either side of the blanket or to a seam in the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310. In further embodiments still, the flexible material 302 may be releasably attached to the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310 at both ends of the flexible material 302. The flexible material 302 may be releasably attached to the foot portion 314 by VelcroTM, poppers, buttons, etc. Returning to the embodiment shown in Figure 13, the first popper 304 is provided on the distal end of the flexible material 302 and the second popper 306 is provided near a corner of the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310. The flexible material 302 can be wrapped around a part of a pushchair and then folded back on itself so that the first popper 304 can be secured with the second popper 306 thereby securing the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310 to the pushchair.

Figure 13a shows the foot portion securing means 320 in an open position with the poppers 304, 306 not fastened together so that the flexible material 302 can be wrapped around a part of the pushchair.

Figure 13b shows the foot portion securing means 320 in a closed position with the poppers 304, 306 fastened together. The flexible material 302 has been wrapped around a leg 360 of the pushchair, and then the poppers 304, 306 have been fastened together to secure the foot portion 314 of the blanket 310 to the leg 360 of the pushchair.

The flexible material 302 may be wrapped around the leg 360 of the pushchair at a region below a footrest of the pushchair such that the chances of the foot portion of the blanket riding up are reduced.

In other embodiments both the first popper 304 and the second popper 306 may be provided on the flexible material 302.

Figure 14 shows an alternative embodiment of a part of a foot portion 414 of a blanket 410 according to the present invention, and a part of a pushchair 450 to which the blanket 410 can be attached. The pushchair 350 has a front left leg 451 with a wheel 453 at the bottom of the leg 451.

The pushchair also has a footrest 464 extending from the inside of the front left leg 451 towards a front right leg of the pushchair (not shown).

On the outside of the front left leg 451 there is a stud 474 comprising a projection member 472 with an enlarged head 470 at the distal end of the projection member 472. The stud 474 can be used to secure a plastic rain cover to the pushchair 450. It will be appreciated that there is a corresponding stud on the front right leg to secure the rain cover to the other side of the pushchair 450.

The blanket 410 has a hole 413 in the vicinity of a corner of the foot portion 414 of the blanket 410. The size of the hole 413 is arranged such that it can be stretched to pass over the enlarged head 470 of the stud 474 and be secured on the projection member 472 of the stud to attach the blanket 410 to the pushchair 450. The hole 413 can also be stretched to remove the blanket 410 from the pushchair.

It will be appreciated that another hole 413 is located in the vicinity of the opposite corner of the foot portion 414 to secure the other side of the foot portion 414 to the pushchair.

The dimensions of the blanket 410 may enable the blanket 410 and a rain cover to be secured on the pushchair 450 at the same time with the blanket 410 positioned underneath the rain cover.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the blanket 410 may have a strip of flexible material 302 similar to that shown in Figure 9, and the hole 413 may be located in the flexible material to secure the foot portion 414 of the blanket 410 to the pushchair 450. In other embodiments, there may be more than one hole 413 in the blanket 410, or in the flexible material, such that one of the holes 413 can be selected to secure the blanket 410 in a most preferred position, for example so that the blanket is tightly wrapped around the baby in the pushchair 450.

Figure 15 shows a kit 501 for attaching a blanket 10 to a pushchair of an embodiment of the present invention.

The kit 501 comprises the blanket 10 shown in Figure 1, and a set of instructions 503. The set of instructions 503 describe how the blanket 10 can be affixed to a pushchair as discussed above.

It will be appreciated that any of the individual features of each of the embodiments discussed could be used in any combination to provide a blanket that is an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A blanket for use with a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated clasp, the clasp fastening in front of the baby or infant in use, wherein the blanket has at least one strap-receiving hole therein, such that, in use, the size of the blanket and the position of the at least one strap-receiving hole enables the at least one shoulder strap of the harness to pass through the at least one strap-receiving hole in the blanket and locate the blanket such that in use substantially all of the body of the baby/infant is covered by the blanket and the blanket is held in place at least in part by the shoulder strap passing through the strapreceiving hole, the blanket further comprising a fastening means extending from a first edge of the blanket, wherein the blanket comprises a first and second elongate portion each having a length that extends away from the first edge of the blanket, the first and second elongate portions having adjacent elongate edge portions, and the fastening means being provided at the adjacent elongate edge portions so as to enable the elongate edge portions to be joined together to form a closed blanket and, when the fastening means is released, the elongate edge portions being movable away from each other to form a gap in the blanket through which a baby may be moved.

2. The blanket of claim 1 wherein the fastening means extends from a top edge of the blanket.

3. The blanket of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fastening means extends the entire length of the blanket.

4. The blanket of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fastening means extends partway along the length of the blanket.

5. The blanket of any preceding claim wherein the fastening means is a zip.

6. The blanket of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the fastening means is one of, or a combination of, a series of buttons, poppers, hook and eye fabric fasteners.

7. The blanket of any preceding claim, wherein the blanket comprises a body portion and a foot portion, and the body portion is wider than the foot portion.

8. The blanket of claim 7 wherein the body portion of the blanket is wider than the foot portion of the blanket.

9. The blanket of claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the length of the body portion is substantially the same as the length of the foot portion.

10. The blanket of any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the body portion is rectangular.

11. The blanket of any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein the foot portion is rectangular.

12. The blanket of any one of claims 7 to 9 or claim 11 wherein the body portion is trapezium shaped.

13. The blanket of any one of claims 7 to 10 or claim 12, wherein the foot portion is trapezium shaped.

14. The blanket of any one of claims 7 to 13 further comprising foot portion securing means arranged to secure the foot portion of the blanket to the pushchair or the like, when the blanket is in use.

15. The blanket of claim 14 wherein the foot portion securing means comprises two foot portion securing means, one on either side of the foot portion.

16. The blanket of claim 15 wherein the two foot portion securing means are arranged to cooperate with two complementary members present on either side of the pushchair.

17. The blanket of any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein the foot portion securing means is a length of flexible material.

18. The blanket of claim 17 wherein the length of flexible material is elasticated.

19. The blanket of claim 17 or claim 18, wherein a first fastener is attached to a distal end of the length of flexible material and a second fastener is attached directly or indirectly to the blanket, wherein the first and second fasteners are arranged such that when they are fastened together the length of flexible material forms a ioop.

20. The blanket of any claim dependent directly or indirectly from claim 7 wherein the at least one strap-receiving hole is in the body portion of the blanket.

21. The blanket of any preceding claim wherein there is a first and a second strap-receiving hole and a first and a second shoulder strap, wherein in use, the first shoulder strap passes through the first strapreceiving hole and the second shoulder strap passes through the second strap-receiving hole.

22. The blanket of claim 21 wherein the first and second strap- receiving holes are equidistant from, and either side of, a centre line of the blanket.

23. The blanket of any preceding claim wherein the blanket is a shape such that a plurality of blankets can be cut from a length of blanket material without leaving substantial gaps between the blankets.

24. The blanket of any preceding claim wherein the blanket obscures the clasp of the harness when the blanket is in use.

25. A blanket substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4, or Figure 5, or Figure 6, or Figure 7, or Figure 8, or Figure 9, or Figure 10, or Figure 11, or Figure 12, or Figure 13, or Figure 14, of the accompanying drawings.

26. A pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated first clasp member releasably coupleable with a complementary clasp member of the harness, the shoulder strap having a fastened condition in which it is closed in front of the baby or infant in use and a released condition, and a blanket according to any one of claims 1 to 25 wherein the shoulder strap extends through the hole in the blanket so that the first and complementary clasp members are disposed beneath the blanket, the blanket being retained to the harness by the interaction of the shoulder strap and the area of the blanket that surrounds the hole.

27. A pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 4 or Figure 5.

28. A method of fitting a blanket according to any one of claims 1 to 25 to a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, having a harness comprising at least one shoulder strap with an associated first clasp member releasably coupleable with a complementary clasp member of the harness, the method comprising: undoing the fastening means of the blanket; passing the shoulder strap through the at least one strapreceiving hole in the blanket; securing the first clasp member to the complementary clasp member with the first and complementary clasp members disposed under the blanket; and fastening the fastening means of the blanket.

29. The method of claim 28 as it depends directly or indirectly from claim 14, further comprising: securing the foot portion securing means to the pushchair or the like.

30. The method of claim 28 or claim 29 as they depend directly or indirectly from claim 21, further comprising: passing a first shoulder strap of the harness, having said first clasp member, through the first strap-receiving hole in the blanket; securing the first shoulder strap to the complementary clasp member; passing the second shoulder strap of the harness, having a second clasp member securable to the complementary clasp member, through the second strap-receiving hole in the blanket before fastening the fastening means; and securing the second shoulder strap to the complementary clasp member.

31. A kit comprising a blanket according to any one of claims 1 to 25, and instructions to use the blanket in accordance to any of the methods of claims 28 to 30.

32. A kit substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 15 of the accompanying drawings

33. A method of removing a baby from a combination of a pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like and a blanket, the pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like having two shoulder straps, a clasp, and the blanket overlying a baby in the pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like, wherein the blanket comprises at least one strap-receiving hole therein and a fastening means extending from an edge of the blanket, the method comprising, undoing the fastening means, undoing one of the straps from the clasp, and moving at least one of the sides of the blanket away from the baby and towards the side of the pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like with the shoulder strap still engaged with the blanket, and extracting the baby from the pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like through a gap made by moving the blanket towards the side of the pushchair, baby or infant car seat, or the like with the engaged shoulder strap.