GB2490157A

GB2490157A - Baby carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2490157A
Application number: GB1106722.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Solomons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-04-21
Filing date: 2011-04-21
Publication date: 2012-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-21
Also published as: GB2490157B; GB201106722D0

Abstract

A baby carrier comprises a substantially rectangular base sheet 12 of non-stretchable material in which adjacent pairs of corner regions (14, 16 and 18, 20, see figure 3) are attached to looped carrier handles 24 so that the sheet 12 is permanently gathered around the handles. The sheet is thereby maintained in a concave internal shape which retains the baby and also enables the baby and an adult carrying the baby in the carrier to be able to see each other. The carrier preferably includes a head restraint 26 and may comprise a shoulder strap attacheable to the handles. The carrier may also function as a wrap, in which case, a tie 50 or other suitable securing means may be used to secure overlapping sides of the base sheet.

Description

BABY CARRIER

The present invention relates to a baby carrier.

Various equipments are known as baby carriers. Known equipment includes slings and backpacks.

Slings comprise a support for the baby and a strap which suspends the support from the adult's neck and shoulder, the support being suspended at the adult's chest. Backpacks comprise a rucksack-type of bag for the baby, the bag being retained on the adult's back by shoulder straps.

A drawback of these known equipments is that transferring a baby into or out of them is often cumbersome and disturbs the baby.

An object of the present invention is to provide a baby carrier which is easier to use and which causes less disturbance to a baby located, or being located therein or removed therefrom.

The present invention provides a baby carrier as defined in claim 1 of the set of claims following this description. Optional and/or preferred features of the baby carrier are specified in other claims of the said set of claims.

The invention is described herein with reference to some embodiments, given by way of non-limitative examples only, and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of some features of a baby carrier of the invention when laid open on a horizontal surface, and ready to receive a baby; Fig. 2 is a side view of some features of the carrier of Fig. 1 when carrying a baby; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a substantially rectangular textile base sheet of the carrier and a hood or head support/protector prior to attachment to the base sheet; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing one of the handles attached to mutually-adjacent corners of the base sheet; Fig. 5 shows the hood or head support or protector when attached to the base sheet.

Fig. 6 shows the hood/head protector when folded down to form a head rest; Fig. 7 shows the carrier in use as a wrap for a baby; Fig. 8 shows some further detail of the wrap of Fig. 7.

In Fig. 1, the baby carrier 10 comprises a substantially rectangular base sheet 12 having longitudinal and lateral sides. Mutually adjacent corner regions 14, 16 and 18, 20 at the ends of the longitudinal sides are gathered towards each other and maintained permanently gathered by attachment to respective carrying handles 22, 24. A generally crescent-shaped piece of fabric is attached to the base sheet 12 near one lateral side to form a hood or head support or head protector 26. At the other longitudinal end region of the base sheet 12, the lateral side region 28 can be folded back over the base sheet to serve as a cover and/or restraint for the feet and lower part of a baby carried in the baby carrier.

In Fig. 2, a baby is being carried in and by the carrier 10, with its head received in the hood 26. The lateral side region 28 is folded back over the baby's feet and lower body to provide thermal protection. The hood and folded region 28 may also serve to retrain the baby in the carrier. The longitudinal ends of the carrier are substantially open or unobstructed enabling the baby and an adult carrying the carrier to see each other.

Referring to Fig. 3, the base sheet 12 is substantially of rectangular form, but the lateral sides 28, 30 preferably have the form of truncated triangles with flat "tops" or apices 28a, 30a joined to the corner regions by sides which are inclined at shallow angles to the "tops". Adjacent to each longitudinal side 32, 34 are fold lines and stitching lines (shown dotted). The sides 32, 34 are inwardly folded to form a tube which is then stitched to maintain its tubular form and used to secure the handles 22, 24 as will be apparent from the relevant part of this description.

The hood 26 is formed from a generally crescent-shaped piece of fabric, which is shown in the folded flat configuration. The hood 26 is secured to the base sheet 12 by stitching along the arcuate line 36. The base sheet may have dimensions in the following ranges: overall length, 78 to 94 cm, preferably 80 to 92 cm, e.g. 86 cm; longitudinal sides 74 to 82 cm, preferably 76 to 80 cm, e.g. 78 cm; lateral width 90 to 102 cm, preferably 92 to 100 cm, e.g. 96 cm. The hood has a lateral width and height of from 14 to 16 cm, e.g. 15 cm, and is attached to the base sheet 12 in such a way as to leave a gap of from 5 to 30 mm, preferably about 15 mm, between the lateral side and the proximal part of the hood 26.

The base sheet 12 and the hood 26 may be of substantially non-stretch textile such as cotton fabric or cotton-polyester blend fabric. The base sheet may comprise a thermal outer layer (not shown) such as fleece or other non-woven fabric for protecting the baby against cold. The hood may comprise an inner layer of cotton fabric and an outer thermal layer of fleece or similar insulating material. The hood may also comprise a thin inner layer or pad of a stiffener fabric to help maintain the hood in its open configuration to aid positioning and restraining the baby's head.

Figure 4 shows to a larger scale the handle 24 attached to corner regions 18 and 20 of base sheet 12. The description of Fig. 3 refers to fold lines and stitching parallel to the longitudinal sides 32, 34.

Fig. 4 shows the line 40 of stitching adjacent to side 34. The folded and stitched side 34 forms a tube 42 in which part of a handle 24 is received. A similar tube, not indicated, is formed on the other longitudinal side of the base sheet 12. The handles 22, 24 may be formed from fabric or cord and may be secured to the base sheet 12 by any suitable means such as stitching. The handles 22, 24 may be secured within the tubes 42 and may both be formed from a single piece of fabric or cord They may alternatively be formed from separate pieces of fabric or cord. Taking the handle 24 as an example, the handle 24 may be circular or elliptical (or any other convenient or suitable shape) and may be of solid or tubular material, suitably a plastics material (or wood, metal, etc.). More preferably, the handle 24 is of strong textile fabric, e.g., canvas. The attachment of the handle 24 to the base 12 is preferably such that the longitudinal side 34 is maintained in a gathered formation around the part of the handle 24 within the tube 42 thereby maintaining the desired arcuate and internally concave shape of the base of the carrier when in use, as shown in Fig. 1. In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the corner regions 18, 20 are secured by stitching 44, 46 (or other securing means such as rivets, not shown) to the respective handles 22, 24. The stitches 44 are preferably at a "higher" location along the respective handle 22, 24 than the stitches 46 so that when the carrier is lifted by the handles 22, 24, the "head" end of the carrier 10, bearing the hood 26, is slightly raised above the other end of the carrier. Thus, when the carrier 10 is in use carrying a baby, the baby will be slightly tilted with its head slightly raised above its lower body and legs enabling the baby and an adult carrying the carrier 10 to be able to see each other. The distance between a vertical line through the centre of the handle and the "head"-end corner region 18, 14 is in the range 30 to 40 mm, e.g., 35 mm, and the distance between the said vertical line and a vertical line through the "lower-end" corner region 20, 16 makes up the balance of the distance between the said corner regions. These distances tend to ensure that the baby's head is slightly raised relative to its feet.

Fig. 5 generally shows the hood 26 sewn to the base sheet 12, the hood being in its upright disposition. Fig. 6 generally shows the hood 26 of Fig. 5 folded over on itself to form a soft pad on which a baby's head may be rested, e.g., when the baby carrier 10 is not being used to carry the baby.

In Fig. 7, the baby carrier 10 is in use as a wrap for a baby. In this mode of use, the hood 26 may be folded to the form shown in Fig. 6 for use as a head-rest, although it may equally be employed in its normal configuration as a hood. The lower region 28 of the base sheet 12 is folded over the baby's feet and lower part, to warm and restrain the baby. One side of the base sheet 12 is wrapped around part of the other side of the base sheet, and a fastening tie 50 is used to maintain the overlap of the two parts of the sides of the base sheet 12. The tie 50 is attached to the handle 24 by a knot or bow (or clip, not shown) and also to the side of the base sheet which is overlapped by the other side of the base sheet. Fig. 8 shows the tie when unfastened from the handle 24. The other part of the tie is attached to the "outside" of the base sheet 12 at a suitable location, e.g., as indicated by reference 52, by any suitable means such as stitches, press-stud, metal or plastic ring or eye. The tie 50 may be of ribbon, cord, fabric, etc. The carrier may be provided with an additional strap (not shown), useful as a shoulder strap, which may be fixed or detachable, and which is suited to lifting and carrying the carrier and baby from an adult's shoulder. The strap may be attached (and optionally detachable) from the handles 22, 24.

In use, the baby carrier is opened out flat to receive a baby before being lifted or used as a wrap.

This can be done with convenience for the adult user and with minimal disturbance of the baby.

In any of its configurations, the baby carrier may be located in (or removed from) a suitable car seat or cot or crib without disturbing the baby.

Claims

CLAI MS1. A baby carrier comprising a pair of carrying handles and a substantially rectangular base sheet of substantially non-stretch textile(s), the base sheet having longitudinal sides bounded by lateral sides, and corner regions at the junctions of the longitudinal and lateral sides, wherein pairs of corner regions at the opposite ends of each longitudinal side are gathered towards each other and maintained permanently gathered by attachment to a respective carrying handle.
2. The carrier of claim 1 which is open ended at opposite longitudinal ends between the handles.
3. The carrier of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each handle is a loop of textile fabric, and the corner regions are permanently attached to the respective handle by stitches.
4. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the corner regions of each pair of corner regions are attached to the respective handle at spaced apart regions of the handle.
5. The carrier of claim 4 wherein the base sheet has an edge region between the corner regions of each pair of corner regions, and each edge region is permanently folded on itself to form a tube, and wherein part of the respective handle is received in the tube, the remainder of the handle being exposed outside the tube and thereby available to be grasped or gripped bya hand.
6. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein one corner region of each pair of corner regions is attached to the handle at a normally higher position on the loop than the other corner region of the respective corner regions, whereby one end of the carrier is raised relative to the other end of the carrier when the carrier is being carried by its handles.
7. The carrier of any preceding claim comprising a hood or head support or restraint for the head of a baby when carried in the baby carrier, the hood or head support comprising a crescent-shaped piece of fabric attached by its shorter edge to the base sheet at one longitudinal end region thereof.
8. The carrier of claim 7 wherein the hood or head support has a width in the range of from 10 to 20 cm, a depth in the range of from 10 to 20 cm, and a height, when in use, in the range of from 10 to 20 cm.
9. The carrier of claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the other longitudinal end region of the base sheet is available to be folded back on itself to serve as a cover and/or restraint for a baby being carried by the carrier.
10. The carrier of any preceding claim comprising a tie means for securing one handle against the normally-outer face of the baby carrier.
11. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the base sheet has a length, when ungathered, in the range of from 78to 94 cm.
12. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the base sheet has a width between the corner regions of opposite pairs of corner regions in the range of from 90 to 102 cm when ungathered.
13. The carrier of any preceding claim comprising a shoulder strap which is attachable to the handles of the carrier.
14. A baby carrier substantially as described or illustrated with reference to the drawings.
15. The combination comprising a baby carrier as in any of claim 1 to 14 and a car seat or crib or cot.Amendments to the claims have been filed as followsCLAI MS1. A baby carrier consisting essentially of a pair of carrying handles and a substantially rectangular base sheet of substantially non-stretch textile(s), the base sheet having longitudinal sides bounded by lateral sides, and corner regions at the junctions of the longitudinal and lateral sides, wherein pairs of corner regions at the opposite ends of each longitudinal side are gathered towards each other and maintained permanently gathered by attachment to a respective carrying handle and a hood or head support or restraint for the head of a baby when carried in the baby carrier, the hood or head support or restraint being in the form of a crescent-shaped piece of fabric attached by its shorter edge to the base sheet at one longitudinal end region thereof, the other longitudinal end region of the base sheet serving as a flap which can be folded back on itself to cover and/or restrain a baby being carried by the baby carrier.2. The carrier of claim 1 which is open ended at opposite longitudinal ends between the handles.3. The carrier of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each handle is a loop of textile fabric, and the corner regions are permanently attached to the respective handle by stitches.4. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the corner regions of each pair of corner regions are attached to the respective handle at spaced apart regions of the handle.5. The carrier of claim 4 wherein the base sheet has an edge region between the corner regions of each pair of corner regions, and each edge region is permanently folded on itself to form If) a tube, and wherein part of the respective handle is received in the tube, the remainder of the handle being exposed outside the tube and thereby available to be grasped or gripped bya hand.6. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein one corner region of each pair of corner regions is attached to the handle at a normally higher position on the loop than the other corner region of the respective corner regions, whereby one end of the carrier is raised relative to the other end of the carrier when the carrier is being carried by its handles.7. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the hood or head support has a width in the range of from 10 to 20 cm, a depth in the range of from 10 to 20 cm, and a height, when in use, in the range of from 10 to 20 cm.8. The carrier of any preceding claim and comprising a tie means for securing one handle against the normally-outer face of the baby carrier.9. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the base sheet has a length, when ungathered, in the range of from 78to 94 cm.10. The carrier of any preceding claim wherein the base sheet has a width between the corner regions of opposite pairs of corner regions in the range of from 90 to 102 cm when ungathered.11. The carrier of any preceding claim comprising a shoulder strap which is attachable to the handles of the carrier.12. A baby carrier substantially as described or illustrated with reference to the drawings.13. The combination comprising a baby carrier as in any of claim 1 to 12 and a car seat or crib or cot. rLU c\J