GB2589047A

GB2589047A - Cover for pushchair, carry cot or child's car seat

Info

Publication number: GB2589047A
Application number: GB1904500.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richards Stephen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-03-29
Filing date: 2019-03-29
Publication date: 2021-05-26
Also published as: GB201904500D0

Abstract

A cover 10 for a pushchair, carry cot or child’s car seat, comprising filter material for inhibiting airborne pollutants. The cover may comprise a main cover 14 shaped and dimensioned to cover an open part of the pushchair, carry cot or car seat; the cover being substantially impermeable to air and comprising filter portions which may be panels 16. The cover may inhibit the ingress of particles and/or gases such as one or more of SO2, NO2 and CO. The main cover may be formed of PVC and the filters formed of polyester. The filter may be a mutli-layered fabric structure which may be three layers comprising a knitted monofilament fibre layer (56, Fig. 5) disposed between two mesh layers (52, 54, Fig. 5); wherein one of the two mesh layers has a greater aperture pitch than the other. The cover may also be a rain cover, sunshade or the entire surface area may be formed of the filter material.

Description

Cover for Pushchair, Carry Cot or Child's Car Seat

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cover for a pushchair, a carry cot or a child's car seat.

Background

When a pushchair, carry cot or car seat is used in a city centre or other environment in which the air is polluted with gas and particulate emissions from automobiles, an infant or child carried by that pushchair, carry cot or car seat is exposed to these gases and particulates. In some cases, a concentration of gases and particulates closer to the ground (where the pushchair, carry cot or car seat are typically disposed) may be especially high. These gases and particulates can be hazardous to the health of infants or children, particularly since their respiratory systems may be less developed and robust than those of adults.

Accordingly, children in car seats, carry cots and push chairs are at risk from air pollution, particularly as they are pushed or carried along or near roads.

Traditional rain covers and sunshades may provide some protection against this. However, rain covers and sunshades cannot provide an airtight seal, since this could cause suffocation of the child.

Embodiments of the present invention have been developed to mitigate these issues.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a cover for a pushchair, carry cot or child's car seat comprising filter material permitting the passage of air but inhibiting the passage of airborne pollutants. 1.

Preferably, the cover comprises: a main cover part shaped and dimensioned to cover an open part of the pushchair, carry cot or car seat, the main cover part being substantially impermeable to air; and one or more filter portions disposed in the main cover part, the filter portions permitting the passage of air but inhibiting the passage of airborne pollutants.

The pollutants inhibited may comprise one or both of gases and particulates, and more specifically may comprise one or more of S02, NO2 and CO.

The filter portions are preferably panels, or vents. The panels or vents are formed of a material (or materials) which allow for ventilation (airflow) but which does not allow (or at least substantially reduces) airborne pollution to pass through.

As a result of ventilation being provided by the panels (or more generally by the filter material), the remainder of the cover (the main cover part, if present) may be of a material which does not provide ventilation (which reduces the constraints on suitable materials) and may provide a tighter (and potentially airtight) fit to the pushchair, carry cot or car seat without risking suffocation (since ventilation is provided by the panels or vents).

A single ventilation panel may be provided, or multiple ventilation panels may be provided. Alternatively, substantially the entire surface area of the cover may be formed of the filter material.

The main cover part is preferably formed of PVC in the case of a rain cover. In the case of a sunshade, the main cover part is preferably formed of a polyester material treated to resist ultraviolet light. The main cover part may be transparent, translucent or opaque, depending on requirements.

The ventilation panels may be formed of polyester. The ventilation panels may be formed of a multi-layer fabric structure. In particular, the panels may comprise three layers, the three layers comprising a monofilament fiber layer disposed between two mesh layers. One of the two mesh layers may have a greater aperture pitch than the other of the two mesh layers. The monofilament fiber layer may be knitted. This structure has been found to allow adequate air flow while inhibiting air pollutants effectively.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings where like parts are provided with corresponding reference numerals and in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates a cover for a car seat according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 schematically illustrates a cover for a car seat according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 schematically illustrates a cover for a pushchair according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 schematically illustrates a cover for a carry cot according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and Figure 5 schematically illustrates a structure of a filter material suitable for use with the embodiments of Figures 1 to 4.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figure 1, a first embodiment is shown in the form of a cover 10 for a child's car seat 12. The cover 10 extends over an open portion of the car seat 12 to define, between the car seat 12 and the cover 10 a substantially enclosed chamber within which an infant can reside. The cover 10 comprises a main part 14 and one or more filter/ventilation panels 16. In the present case, a first ventilation panel 16 is shown, while a second ventilation panel at the opposite side of the cover is not visible in Figure 1. The main part 14 is formed of PVC, which is impermeable to air. The ventilation panel 16 is formed of a material (to be described in detail below) which allows air to pass through it (air permeable) but which prevents, or at least inhibits, the passage of certain airborne pollutants (which may be gases or particulates) commonly found in exhaust fumes from automobiles (whether petrol or diesel) such as soot (particulates) and S02, NO2 and CO (gases). The ventilation panel 16 is taped, stitched or adhered into an aperture in the surrounding material of the main part 14.

Referring to Figure 2, a second embodiment is shown in the form of a cover 20 for a child's car seat (which is completely obscure by the cover 20 in Figure 2). The cover 20 extends over an open portion of the car seat (as well as, in this case, a substantial part of the rest of the car seat) to define, between the car seat and the cover 20 a substantially enclosed chamber within which an infant can reside, as with Figure 1. The cover 20 is formed substantially entirely of ventilation material in this case, except for structures required to give it shape (the seams separating front and rear portion of the cover 20, and surrounding the edges of the cover 20). As with Figure 1, the ventilation material (to be described in detail below) allows air to pass through it (air permeable) but prevents, or at least inhibits, the passage of certain airborne pollutants (which may be gases or particulates) commonly found in exhaust fumes from automobiles (whether petrol or diesel) such as SO2, NO2 and CO.

Referring to Figure 3, a third embodiment is shown in the form of a cover 30 for a pushchair 32. The cover 30 extends over an open portion of the pushchair 32 to define, between the pushchair 32 and the cover 30 a substantially enclosed chamber within which an infant can reside. The cover 30 comprises a main part 34 and one or more filter/ventilation panels 36. In the present case, a first ventilation panel 36 is shown, while a second ventilation panel at the opposite side of the cover is not visible in Figure 3. The main part 34 is formed of PVC, which is impermeable to air. The ventilation panel 36 is formed of a material (to be described in detail below) which allows air to pass through it (air permeable) but which prevents, or at least inhibits, the passage of certain airborne pollutants (which may be gases or particulates) commonly found in exhaust fumes from automobiles (whether petrol or diesel) such as S02, NO2 and CO. The ventilation panel 36 is taped, stitched or adhered into an aperture in the surrounding material of the main part 34.

Referring to Figure 4, a fourth embodiment is shown in the form of a cover 40 for a carry cot 42. The cover 40 extends over an open portion of the carry cot 42 to define, between the carry cot 42 and the cover 40 a substantially enclosed chamber within which an infant can reside. The cover 40 comprises a main part 44 and one or more filter/ventilation panels 46. In the present case, a first ventilation panel 46 is shown, while a second ventilation panel at the opposite side of the cover is not visible in Figure 4. The main part 44 is formed of PVC, which is impermeable to air. The ventilation panel 46 is formed of a material (to be described in detail below) which allows air to pass through it (air permeable) but which prevents, or at least inhibits, the passage of certain airborne pollutants (which may be gases or particulates) commonly found in exhaust fumes from automobiles (whether petrol or diesel) such as S02, NO2 and CO. The ventilation panel 46 is taped, stitched or adhered into an aperture in the surrounding material of the main part 44.

In all cases, the covers 10, 20, 30, 40 may provide a relatively close/tight seal around the car seat, pushchair or carry cot, since ventilation is provided through the ventilation/filter material, and so, in principle, the rest of the cover may define an airtight seal with respect to the enclosed chamber within which the infant is to reside. The edges (or other portions) of the covers 10, 20, 30, 40 may be elasticated, or comprise drawstrings, in order to minimise gaps between the cover 10, 20, 30, 40 and the car seat, pushchair or carry cot.

While the covers in Figures 1, 3 and 4 have a PVC main part making them suitable as a rain-cover, variations of these embodiments may be provided in with the PVC (main part) is replaced with a suitable material for providing a sunshade function. In this case, such a sunshade material should be both opaque to keep out direct sunlight, and also substantially air impermeable so as not to negate the filtering function of the ventilation panels. Figure 2 may be considered a sunshade in itself, since the ventilation material is at least partially opaque. When ventilation panels are defined in a cover to be used as a raincover, these should either be disposed on vertical (in use) portions of the cover, or should be equipped with a hood portion which is disposed above and away from them to inhibit water ingress while permitting airflow.

The ventilation material may constitute any suitable surface area of a cover which is sufficient to provide adequate airflow into and out of the car seat, pushchair or carry cot (or other similar apparatus for transporting a child). In some cases substantially the entirety of the surface area may be formed of ventilation material (such as with Figure 2). In other cases, the ventilation material may cover between 5% an 50%, more preferably between 10% and 20% and still more preferably approximately 15% of the surface area of the cover.

In its simplest form, the cover could be a single sheet of ventilation material, or multiple stitched or otherwise attached sheets of ventilation material provided with securing means such as a set of clips. The ventilation material can in this case simply be placed over the open part of the car seat, pushchair or carry cot with an infant in situ, and then clipped in place to define a generally sealed chamber for the infant.

Referring to Figure 5, the filter material is schematically illustrated as a three layer structure comprising a first mesh layer 52 having a first mesh pitch, a second mesh layer 54 having a second mesh pitch smaller than the first mesh pitch, and a filler layer 56 disposed between and attached to the first mesh layer 52 and the second mesh layer 54. The first mesh pitch may be approximately 2mm while the mesh pitch may be approximately 1mm. More generally, the first mesh pitch may be approximately twice (in diameter) the second mesh pitch. The filler layer 56 may be a knitted monofilament structure. The filler layer 56 is preferably attached to the first mesh layer 52 and the second mesh layer 54 continuously across the interfaces therebetween. The layers 52, 54, 56 may be co-formed in a single manufacturing operation. In some embodiments, the first mesh layer (larger pitch) is to the exterior of the cover and the second mesh layer (smaller pitch) is to the interior of the cover, while in other embodiments the second mesh layer (smaller pitch) is to the exterior of the cover and the first mesh layer (larger pitch) is to the interior of the cover.

One filter material found to be suitable for the ventilation panels is available from Palmhive Technical Textiles Limited under the reference SG8517. This material has a composition of 100% polyester fabric and a weight of 160gsm +/-5%, and comes in a thickness of 2 -3 mm. It has a warp extension of 15% (+/-5) and a weft extension of 15% (+/-5). Structurally, the material is warp knitted 3D spacer fabric with mesh face and solid back. Note that, in practice, the solid back is not entirely solid, but has smaller apertures than the mesh face. The centre material is a knitted monofilament centre which is particularly effective at trapping particulates, and reducing the ingress of gaseous pollutants. In terms of manufacturing, the entire fabric is knitted and formed in the same single operation. The front and back are effectively joined to the centre using polyester monofilament fibres during the knitting operation.

While a ventilation/filter material according to the above has been found to work particularly well, the skilled person will be aware of other materials which could be used instead. Generally, suitable materials will be fabrics/textiles having preferably (although not necessarily) a multi-layer structure. It will be appreciated that the ventilation/filter material need not entirely prevent ingress of pollutants, but should reduce ingress of pollutants. In contrast, the ventilation/filter material should not substantially reduce the passage of air and its natural constituents (for example nitrogen and oxygen). Generally, the ventilation material (for example panels) permit greater airflow than the remainder (for example the main cover part) of the cover, while filtering at least some pollutants. The filter may also reduce or inhibit pollen from reaching the infant, reducing the effects of hay fever.

Claims

Claims 1. A cover for a pushchair, carry cot or child's car seat, comprising filter material permitting the passage of air but inhibiting the passage of airborne pollutants.
2. A cover according to claim 1, comprising: a main cover part shaped and dimensioned to cover an open part of the pushchair, carry cot or car seat, the main cover part being substantially impermeable to air; and one or more filter portions disposed in the main cover part, the filter portions comprising the filter material.
3. A cover according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pollutants inhibited comprise one or both of gases and particulates.
4. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the pollutants inhibited comprise one or more of 802, NO2 and CO.
5. A cover according to claim 2, wherein the filter portions are panels.
6. A cover according to claim 2, wherein the main cover part is formed of PVC.
7. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter material is formed of polyester.
8. A cover according to claim 2, wherein the panels are formed of a multi-layer fabric structure.
9 A cover according to claim 2, wherein the panels comprise three layers, the three layers comprising a monofilament fiber layer disposed between two mesh layers.
10.A cover according to claim 9, wherein one of the two mesh layers has a greater aperture pitch than the other of the two mesh layers.
11.A cover according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the monofilament fiber layer is knitted.
12.A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein substantially the entire surface area of the cover is formed of the filter material.
13.A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is a rain cover.
14.A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cover is a sunshade