GB2582335A

GB2582335A - A carrier for a scooter

Info

Publication number: GB2582335A
Application number: GB1903772.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Parker Nik
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-03-20
Filing date: 2019-03-20
Publication date: 2020-09-23
Also published as: GB201903772D0

Abstract

A carrier suitable for carrying a scooter comprises a back plate 2, shoulder straps 3 and one or more fixing straps 4 for attachment of a scooter. The back plate has a first face held against the user's back in use by the shoulder straps, and an opposed second face that faces outwardly from a user's back in use, and against which a scooter can be held by the one or more fixing straps. Further straps 6 may be provided to hold a scooter handle. The fixing straps 4 may be elasticated and they may have hook and look fasteners or clips to secure the straps around a scooter. Preferably, the back plate comprises foam and is covered with fabric or plastic. The shape of back plate may be wider at its upper end than its lower end in use. Third and fourth fixing straps may be provided to hold a second scooter in place.

Description

A Carrier for a Scooter The present invention relates to a carrier for a scooter, in particular to a carrier that may be worn on a user's back for carrying one or more scooters.

Manually propelled scooters (otherwise referred to as push scooters or kick scooters) have become extremely popular with both adults and children in recent years. Such scooters comprise a kick board having a deck with wheels fitted at the front and rear of the deck. A rigid upstanding handle, which comprises a pole and Zo handlebars, is mounted adjacent the front of the deck. A particularly popular form of children's scooter comprises two wheels fitted at the front of the deck and one wheel at the rear. Another form of scooter, which is gaining in popularity, is electric scooters. Such scooters are increasingly widely available and at ever reduced costs. Such scooters are available for adults and children alike and are of the same general construction as manually propelled scooters but feature a battery and an electric motor.

The handle may be telescopic or of fixed length and will commonly be attached such that it may be folded towards the kick board to lie substantially parallel to the kick board or may be removable. Such handle attachment means allow for the carrying or storage of scooters in compact form.

Whilst scooters may be folded or broken down for transport, they must still be held by a user, which is often awkward. With children using scooters it is extremely common for a parent or carer of the child to be left carrying a scooter having dropped the child at their destination or when the child becomes tired and no longer wishes to use the scooter. In the latter scenario the carer often has to carry the scooter and child.

The present invention arose in an attempt to provide a scooter carrier of lightweight form that could be used for the convenient hands free carrying of one or more scooters.

According to the present invention in a first aspect there is provided a carrier for a scooter, which comprises a back plate, shoulder straps and one or more fixing straps for attachment of a scooter, the back plate comprising a first face to be placed against a user's back, the first face being held against the user's back in use by the shoulder straps, and an opposed second face that faces outwardly from a user's back in use and against which a scooter can be held by the one or more fixing straps.

Zo With the carrier arranged such that the scooter is held against, i.e. fixed to, the second face of the back-place a stable and comfortable carrier is possible that has a low profile in use.

The carrier preferably has an entirely open construction. It may omit any bag portion.

With an open construction, the carrier is very lightweight and unobtrusive. Moreover, any moisture on the scooter is able to drain away or evaporate.

Further, preferable, features are presented in the dependent claims.

Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is front view of a scooter carrier according to a first embodiment; Figure 2 is a rear view of the scooter carrier of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the scooter carrier of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a rear view of the scooter carrier of Figure 1 showing a scooter fixed to the scooter carrier.

With reference to the figures, there is shown a carrier 1 for a scooter according to a first embodiment. The carrier 1 comprises a back plate 2, shoulder straps 3 and fixing straps 4 for attaching a scooter 5 to the carrier 1. The back plate 2 comprises a first face 2a to be placed against a user's back. The first face 2a is held against the user's back in use by the shoulder straps 4. An opposed second face 2b of the back plate 2 faces outwardly from a user's back in use. A scooter can be held against the second face 2b by the fixing straps 4, as best seen in Figure 4.

Whilst in the present arrangement there are two fixing straps 4a, 4b provided, this need not be the case. More or less fixing straps 4 may be provided. A single fixing strap 4 could be provided towards the top of the back plate in one exemplary alternative. Where multiple fixing straps are provided, they will preferably be spaced from one another along a length of the back plate, i.e. vertically spaced from one another in use, as seen in Figures 2 to 4.

It is preferable, as best seen in Figure 2, that the fixing straps are attached to the second face 2b of the back plate 2. However, this need not be the case, the straps could be attached at side edges of the back plate 2 in one exemplary alternative, or could wrap around from the first face 2a. Moreover, the fixing means of the fixing straps 4 to the back plate 2 is not to be limited. In the present arrangement, as shown in Figure 2, the fixing straps 4 are stitched to the back plate 4, which is preferred. In alternative arrangements, they could be glued or otherwise attached.

Each of the fixing straps 4 preferably comprises fixing means 7 for fixing opposed ends of the fixing strap 4 to one another. In the present arrangement hook and loop fasteners are provided for this purpose, which is preferred. The overlap of the opposed ends of the straps 4 may be varied in dependence on the dimensions of the scooter. In alternative arrangements, the straps may be provided with clips instead. The clips may take any conventional form and may allow for adjustment of the length of the strap in dependence on the dimensions of the scooter. Whether fixing means are provided or not, the fixing straps 4 may be elasticated or not. When elasticated straps are provided, the need for fixing means may be avoided with the fixing straps 4 forming elasticated closed loops that may be expanded for attachment of a scooter, wherein the scooter is held in place by elastic retraction of the fixing straps.

In an alternative arrangement (not shown), it is possible that additional straps (not shown) may be provided for allowing an additional scooter to be carried, with the two scooters overlapping one another. For this purpose third and fourth fixing straps may be provided. The third fixing strap will be provided adjacent the first fixing strap 4a and the fourth fixing strap will be provided adjacent the second fixing strap 4b. The third and fourth fixing straps will be longer than the first and second fixing straps 4a, 4b. The third and fourth fixing straps may be aligned with the first and second straps 4a, 4b or may be offset therefrom along the length of the back plate 2. The third and fourth fixing straps may take any of the forms discussed in respect of the first and second fixing straps.

In addition to the provision of one or more fixing straps 4, there are preferably provided one or more handle straps 6, as seen in Figure 2. The handle straps 6 are provided for fixing a detachable scooter handle 8 to the second face 2b of the back plate 2. It is preferable that two handle fixing straps 6 are provided, as seen in Figure 2, although a single strap could be provided. Where two handle straps 6 are provided, they will be spaced from one another along the length of the back plate 2. The handle straps 6 preferably comprise elasticated loops.

The back plate 2 is not particularly limited in its construction. It is preferably flexible to conform to some degree to the user's body whilst being stiff enough to hold its form. It may for example comprise foam. Either or both of the faces 2a, 2b of the back plate 2 may be covered. They may be covered with fabric or plastic or any other suitable material that provide a desired aesthetic and sufficient durability. They may be covered with the same or different materials.

The back plate 2 preferably has a tapered or stepped form, whereby the back plate 2 is wider at its upper end in use than its lower end in use. The back plate 2 is thereby wider adjacent a user's shoulders than adjacent their lower back.

In the present arrangement, the back plate is tapered, as clearly seen in Figures 1, 2 and 4. Such a form minimises the size of the back plate whilst maintaining full utility. It also represents a natural form for the carrying of three wheeled scooters, such as shown in Figure 4. Clearly, however, there is no limitation on the form of scooter that may be carried.

The carrier 1 preferably has an entirely open construction, as clearly shown in the figures. It preferably omits any bag portion.

Zo In use, as seen in Figure 4, a scooter 5 may be placed with its wheels against the second face 2b of the back plate 2 (or the scooter may be otherwise oriented -in part dependent on the form of the scooter 5). The back plate 2 is sufficiently large that it entirely overlaps with the deck and wheels of the scooter 5, and will be sized to be usable with both children and adult sized scooters. The fixing straps 4 are wrapped around an appropriate part of the scooter 5, generally the deck. If the handle is detachable then it will be attached to the carrier using the handle straps 6. The carrier 1 provides a lightweight, comfortable means of carrying a scooter in a hands free manner. The carrier 1 may be compatible with both manually propelled and electric scooters. It may be suitable to carry a scooter of up to 20kg.

The invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, given by way of example only. It will be appreciated that many different arrangements of are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A carrier for a scooter, which comprises a back plate, shoulder straps and one or more fixing straps for attachment of a scooter, the back plate comprising a first face to be placed against a user's back, the first face being held against the user's back in use by the shoulder straps, and an opposed second face that faces outwardly from a user's back in use and against which a scooter can be held by the one or more fixing straps.
2. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the one or more fixing straps are attached to the second face of the back plate.
3. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, which comprises first and second fixing straps.
4. A carrier as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the first and second fixing straps are spaced from one another along a length of the back plate.
5. A carrier as claimed in Claim 4, wherein third and fourth fixing straps are provided, the third fixing strap being provided adjacent the first fixing strap and the fourth fixing strap being provided adjacent the second fixing strap, the third and fourth fixing straps being longer than the first and second fixing straps.
6. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each of the fixing straps comprises hook and loop fasteners or clips for securing the fixing straps around a scooter in use.
7. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the fixing straps are elasticated.
8. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the back plate is flexible.
9. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the back plate comprises foam.s
10. A carrier as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the first and/or second faces of the back plate are covered with fabric or plastic.
11. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the back plate has a tapered or stepped form, with the back plate being wider at its upper end in use than its lower end in use.
12. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising handle straps for fixing a detachable scooter handle to the second face of the back plate.is
13. A carrier as claimed in any preceding claim, which has an entirely open construction.
14. A carrier as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the carrier omits any bag portion.