WO2007145832A2

WO2007145832A2 - Infant harness support

Info

Publication number: WO2007145832A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/012789
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zachary J. Shulman
Original assignee: Shulman Zachary J
Priority date: 2006-06-13
Filing date: 2007-05-31
Publication date: 2007-12-21
Also published as: WO2007145832A3

Abstract

An infant harness is provided whereby the infant can wear the harness and a caregiver can grasp hold of the harness to steady the infant while the infant is seated or as he or she learns to walk and run. The harness may include a handle that the caregiver can grasp. The handle can be moved between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, offering the caregiver with a range of comfortable positions in which to steady the infant. The harness may be adapted for attachment to a docking station (i.e., harness) worn by a caregiver. In this regard, the system may be used as an infant carrier. The harness may be formed of straps that can be adjusted to fit an infant from 6 months to two years old.

Description

INFANT HARNESS SUPPORT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/813,265, filed June 13, 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Aspects of the invention relate to harnesses worn by infants and more particularly to harnesses used to support and/or carry the infant.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Various harnesses are known in the art and are used by caregivers to steady an infant while he or she is walking or running. Some harnesses are used to carry the infant on or near the chest or back of the caregiver. However, none provide a simple and cost effective harness for both supporting and/or carrying the infant. Aspects of the invention are directed to improved infant harnesses.

SUMMARY

In one illustrative embodiment, an infant harness is provided. The infant harness includes a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the infant and a handle coupleable to the body portion. The handle is configured and arranged to move from a first orientation to a second orientation. In another illustrative embodiment, an infant carrier system is provided. The system includes an infant harness comprising a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the infant and an adult harness comprising a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the adult. At least one connector is also included and is constructed and arranged to removably attach the infant harness to the adult harness. Various embodiments of the present invention provide certain advantages. Not all embodiments of the invention share the same advantages and those that do may not share them under all circumstances.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an infant harness according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the harness of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a handle for attaching to the harness;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the harness with the handle attached in one orientation;

FIG. 5 a rear perspective view of the harness with the handle attached in another orientation; FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the harness of FIG. 6, when worn by an infant with the handle in a vertical orientation;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the harness of FIG. 6, when worn by an infant with the handle in a horizontal orientation; FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the harness encircled by line 9-9 of Fig. 2 showing an arrangement for attaching a buckle to a strap of the harness;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the harness encircled by line 10-10 of Fig. 2 showing an alternative adjustment arrangement for the strap of the harness; FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the harness encircled by line 11-11 of Fig. 2 showing a coupling for attaching the infant harness to an adult harness worn by a caregiver; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the adult harness.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of

"including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," and/or variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

An infant harness is provided whereby the infant can wear the harness and a caregiver can grasp hold of the harness to steady the infant while the infant is seated or as he or she learns to walk and run or to pick-up the infant, as desired. To facilitate this, the harness includes a handle that the caregiver can grasp. The handle can be moved between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, offering the caregiver with a range of comfortable positions in which to steady the infant. For example, a horizontally positioned handle may be preferred to assist the infant while walking/running whereas a vertically positioned handle may be preferred to steady the infant in an upright position as she is sitting. The vertical position may also be useful while lifting the infant and moving her a short distance. In one embodiment, the harness includes two sets of buckles, with one set arranged to receive the handle in the horizontal position and the other set arranged to receive the handle in the vertical position. To move the handle between positions, the caregiver simply unbuckles the handle from one set and reattaches the handle to the other set. Of course, the handle may be completely removed, as desired, as will be explained below. The handle may be formed as a short handle or as a long leash, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. The harness may be adapted for attachment to a docking station (i.e., harness) worn by a caregiver. In this regard, the system may be used as an infant carrier. In one embodiment, the handle is removed from the buckles of the infant harness and the infant harness is attached to the adult harness via the buckles that were used to attach the handle, for example, the buckles used to attach the handle in the horizontal orientation. Additional attachment mechanisms may be employed, as will be explained below. The adult harness may be worn such that the infant harness can be attached to the chest area of the adult or to the back of the adult, as desired. In one embodiment, the adult harness may also include a pack for storing various items.

The infant harness may be formed of any suitable material, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. In one embodiment, the harness is formed of straps or webbing that can be adjusted to fit an infant from 6 months to two years old. In one embodiment, the straps are sufficiently long to provide up to 12 inches of adjustment. Padding may be employed to increase the comfort and/or fit of the harness on the infant. In addition, portions of the harness may be formed of an elastic material so that the harness can be self-adjusting to the size of the infant. Illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the inventions will now be described. Turning first to Figs. 1-2, an infant harness 10 is shown. In Fig. 1, which is a front perspective view of the harness, the harness 10 is shaped to envelop an infant's legs, torso and shoulders. The harness includes a longitudinal axis 12 that extends along a vertical direction as shown in Fig. 1, such that the axis 12 will run generally parallel to the infant's spine when the harness 10 is worn by the infant. In the embodiment shown, the harness 10 is formed from a plurality of straps (20a, 20b, 26a, 26b, 30a, 30b) that together form a body portion 16 that is adapted to fit around the torso, shoulders and legs of an infant, although other suitable configurations may be employed, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. In embodiments employing straps, the straps may be formed of material that can withstand up to 600 lbs. in tension. However, the present invention is not limited in the regard, as any suitable strength strap may be utilized or employed. In one embodiment, the straps may be formed from a woven webbing material, similar to straps used in automotive seat belts. In one embodiment, the straps are 1 inch wide. In another embodiment, the straps are 1 VT. inches wide. In still another embodiment, the width of the straps may be 2 inches wide. In yet another embodiment, the width of the straps may be as much as 2 ¹A - 3 inches wide. Other suitable widths or combinations of widths may be employed, as the present invention is not limited in this respect.

To make the harness more comfortable for the infant, in one embodiment (not shown) the straps may include additional padding material. Such padding may be in the form of fleece, felt, simulated or natural wool, air cushions, gel packs, or any other suitable padding material, as the present invention is not limited in this regard.

The straps may be secured together using any suitable technique. In one embodiment, the straps are secured together via stitching 18. Other connection arrangements, such as rivets, may be employed to secure the straps together. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-5, the leg straps 20a, 20b are secured together to create a seat 22 in the crotch area of the harness. Although individual straps are shown to form the leg sections, as will be explained below, the present invention is not limited in this regard, as other suitable seat arrangements may be employed. In this regard, the seat section of the infant harness may be formed in a manner to resemble pants or an undergarment.

The straps forming the harness 10 may be configured such that it allows adjustability as to the sizes of different infants. In one embodiment, the straps allow for up to 12 inches of adjustment allowing the infant harness to be used on infants ranging from six months to two years of age. In this regard, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the straps 30a, 30b that surround the infant's torso are adjustable to accommodate different size infants. Similarly, the straps 20a, 20b that are adapted to secure around the infant's legs and the upper thigh area and the straps 26a, 26b that are adapted to secure around the infant's shoulders are also adjustable.

Adjustment may be accomplished using any suitable adjusting arrangement, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. One such adjustment arrangement is a buckle 30 which may be similar to a belt buckle wherein the one end of the strap is woven through the belt buckle and frictionally secured into the desired position. During manufacture, the end of the strap may be folded onto itself and stitched to create a relatively large end that cannot slip back through the buckle. Other arrangements, such as a hook and loop fastener, such as Velcro^®, may be used to secure one end of the strap to itself in a desired location, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. Illustrative dimensions of the various features of the harness will now be described. In one embodiment, the length of straps 26a, 26b is approximately 28 inches. The centerline to centerline distance between straps 26a and 26b is approximately 5 inches. Straps 30a and 30b are approximately 22 inches long, with a distance across the front of the harness being approximately 6 ¹A inches and a distance across the back of the harness being approximately 6 ¹A inches. Straps 30a and 30b are adjustable so as to provide a range of adjustability up to 9 inches. The centerline to centerline distance between straps 30a and 30b is approximately 7 inches. The lengths of each of straps 20a and 20b is approximately 12-16 inches. Turning to Fig. 2, the infant harness is shown in a rear perspective view. As can be seen, the infant harness includes a plurality of buckles 44a, 44b, 46a, 46 that are adapted to receive a handle 42 (shown in Fig. 3).

As mentioned, the handle 42 may be positioned on the harness 10 such that it is oriented either horizontally or vertically. To accomplish this, two sets of buckles are mounted on the infant harness. In one embodiment, a first set of buckles 44a, 44b is arranged along a midline of the harness and along the longitudinal axis of the infant harness. In addition, a second set of buckles 46a, 46b is located on the upper strap 30a of the infant harness along the sides thereof. One set of buckles 44a, 44b is used to secure the handle in a vertical orientation whereas the other set of buckles 46a, 46b is used to secure the handle in the horizontal position. The two positions are shown in Figs. 4 and 5 respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, the handle is attached to the back of the infant harness so that the long axis 48 of the handle is oriented in a generally vertical configuration (generally parallel to the longitudinal axis). As shown in Fig. 5, the handle, which includes mating buckles 50a, 50b, can be relocated from the first set of buckles and attached to the second set of buckles so that the long axis 48 of the handle is oriented in a generally horizontal position (generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis).

Without being limited, a horizontally attached handle may be preferred for walking assistance whereas a vertically oriented handle may be preferred for holding the infant upright while he or she is sitting. A vertically oriented handle may also be helpful to pick up the infant and move the infant a short distance. In one illustrative embodiment, the centerline to centerline distance between buckles 46a and 46b is approximately 5 inches.

Of course, the handle may be removed from the harness altogether, as desired and need not be attached to the buckles on the harness. It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the use of two buckles to attach the handle in a given orientation, as more or less than two buckles may be employed. In addition, attachment arrangements other than or in addition to buckles may be employed to attach the handle to the harness. In one example, rings instead of or in combination with buckles may be employed. In one embodiment, the buckles are attached to the harness by stitching a piece of strap 52 that extends through the buckle to the strap forming the body of the harness. Alternatively, as best shown Fig. 9, the buckles also may be attached using rivets 54, whereby the piece of strap 52 that extends through the buckle 46b is riveted to the strap 26 forming the body of the harness. In this manner, the buckle assembly is able to rotate, allowing the handle to assume a more natural configuration when placed into any of the desired orientations. For example as shown in Fig. 9, the buckles are able to rotate approximately 90° to accommodate the horizontal orientation of the handle. Of course the present invention in not limited in this regard as the buckles need not rotate at all. However, the buckle attachment should be sufficient to allow the buckles to move or flex to accommodate to the various orientations of the handle. The rivets may also function to provide added strength for securing the buckle to the harness.

The handle may be any suitable length, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the handle is formed with a strap type webbing 60 of approximately six to eight inches long having buckles 50a, 50b at each end that can mate with the buckles mounted on the infant harness itself. The center section 62 of the handle may include a padded material, making it more comfortable for the adult caregiver to grasp onto the handle. It should be appreciated that the handle configuration is not limited in this regard, as any suitable handle may be employed.

Although not shown, one or more leashes may be employed that couples to the buckles located on the infant harness to allow the caregiver more distance between him or herself and the infant, and also to guide the infant left or right, as may be required during certain activities such as skiing. In this regard the leash may couple to any of the buckles located on the infant harness. This may be used in addition to or instead of the handle.

Turning now to Figs. 6-8, an alternative embodiment of the present invention will be described. Although similar in some respects to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-5, the embodiment shown in Figs. 6-8 provides an infant harness 80 that is formed of two straps 82, 84 that circumvent the shoulder and leg area of the infant. In this regard, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower ends 86, 88 of the straps are joined together to form a seat area

90. Unlike the embodiment of Figs. 1-5, the straps that secure about the infant's legs are the same straps that encircle the shoulders, whereas in the embodiment of Figs. 1-5, the leg straps are formed separately from the shoulder straps.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the seat area is formed with a patch of material 92 sewn to the lower end of the straps to create a wider seat for the infant. The patch of material forming the seat area may be attached to the lower ends of the straps using any suitable technique such as stitching or riveting, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. The seat material may be similar to the strap material and may be padded for additional comfort.

In the embodiment of Figs. 6-8, the side straps 94, 96 are elastic and are able to stretch to accommodate various sizes of the infant. In this regard, unlike the relatively inelastic side straps of the embodiment of Figs. 1-5 that need to be manually adjusted to accommodate the girth of the infant's torso, the elastic bands of the embodiment of Figs.

6-8 provide a self-adjusting arrangement.

Although not necessary, the infant harness shown in Fig. 6 includes a patch of material 98 located at the back of the infant harness. This patch of material adds additional strength to the harness in the area where the buckles attach to the infant harness. As with the seat material, this patch of material located at the back of the infant harness may be formed of the same material as the straps and may be padded.

In this embodiment, the infant harness includes only two adjusting buckles 100, one of which is shown in Fig. 6. The adjustment occurs in the upper, shoulder area of the harness and it has been found that such a single adjustment may be all that may be required to properly adjust the harness about the infant. In this regard, as mentioned the - 9 -

elastic side straps are self adjusting and there are no separate leg straps to adjust as is the case with the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1-5.

Figs. 7 and 8 show the infant harness of Figs. 1-6 worn by an infant. In Fig. 7, the handle is shown in the vertical orientation whereas in Fig. 8, the handle is shown in the horizontal configuration. As with the prior embodiment, the handle may be completely removed, as desired and replaced with or used in conjunction with one or more leashes as described above.

Strap adjustment may be provided using any suitable technique, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6-8, a cam buckle 100 is employed for the adjustment. This type of arrangement is shown best in Fig. 10. The first end 102 of the strap is secured to an end of the cam buckle and the second end 104 of the strap is allowed to be inserted into the buckle. The cam lever 106 is then rotated to clamp the end to the strap within the buckle. Adjustment is accomplished by releasing the cam buckle, moving the strap to a new location and then re-engaging the cam buckle to secure the strap in the desired adjusted location.

As mentioned above, the infant harness may be used in an infant carrier system whereby the harness is attachable to an adult harness worn by a caregiver. Such an adult harness 120 is shown in Fig. 12. In this embodiment, the adult harness is worn such that the straps 122 are located toward the front of the adult. The straps include connectors, such as buckles 124, that can attach to the buckles located on the back of the infant harness.

As shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 11, the infant harness also includes peg connectors 126 attached to the lower portion of the infant harness. This peg connector includes an elongated rod-like element 128 that is adapted to be inserted into a mating ring 130 formed in the adult harness (see Fig. 12). In one embodiment, the rings are secured to a waist strap 131 formed on the adult harness; however, the rings may be disposed on the straps 122, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. In one embodiment, the centerline to centerline distance between the peg connectors (and of the rings) is approximately 6 inches. The infant carrier is attached by securing the infant harness 10, 80 to the infant, lifting the harness such that the pegs 128 of the infant harness 10, 80 slip into the rings 130 of the adult harness 120, and buckling the buckles 124 of the adult harness 120 to the buckles 46a, 46b, on the infant harness 10, 80. In one embodiment, the buckles of the infant harness used to secure it to the adult harness are the same ones used for attaching the handle when in a horizontal position. It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the use of any particular buckles and/or peg connectors, as any suitable one or more buckles may be employed to attach the infant harness to the adult harness. Indeed, any suitable attaching arrangement may be employed, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. As shown in Fig. 12, the adult harness 120 may also include a pack 132 for storing items. The pack may be zippered closed and may include one or more pockets. Of course the present invention is not limited in this regard, as a pack on the adult harness need not be employed at all. In addition, although as described above the infant harness is attached to the adult harness so as to be adjacent the caregiver's chest area, the present invention is not limited in this regard, as the adult harness may be worn backwards such that the infant harness is attached to the adult harness so as to be adjacent the caregiver's back.

The foregoing written specification is to be considered to be sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative embodiments including those mentioned above as defined by the following claims. The examples disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting of the invention as they are intended merely as illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention as enabled herein. Therefore, systems and methods that are functionally equivalent to those described herein are within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and fall within the scope of the appended claims. What is claimed is:

Claims

1. An infant harness comprising: a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the infant; and a handle coupleable to the body portion, the handle being configured and arranged to move from a first orientation to a second orientation.

2. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the handle is configured and arranged for removal from and attachment to the body portion.

3. The harness according to claim 1 , wherein the body portion includes a first set of buckles configured to couple to respective ends of the handle when in the first orientation and a second set of buckles configured to couple to respective ends of the handle when in the second orientation.

4. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the body portion defines a longitudinal axis that extends generally parallel to a spine of the infant when the harness is worn by the infant, and wherein the handle includes a long axis, with the long axis of the handle being generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion when the handle is the first orientation and with the handle being generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body portion when the handle is the second orientation.

5. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the body portion includes a front side adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's chest and a backside adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's back, wherein the handle is adapted to be mounted to the back side of the harness.

6. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is formed of a plurality of straps, with at least one of the straps being arranged to adjust to the size of the infant.

7. The harness according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the straps is elastic.

8. The harness according to claim 7, wherein the body portion includes a front side adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's chest and a backside adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's back, wherein the elastic strap extends along a side of the harness between the front side and the back side.

9. The harness according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of straps comprises a first strap having an upper end adapted to extend around a first shoulder and a lower end adapted to extend around a first leg on a first side of the infant and a second strap having an upper end adapted to extend around a second shoulder and a lower end adapted to extend around a second leg on a second side of the infant, with a portion of the lower ends of the straps being coupled together to form a seat area.

10. The harness according to claim 9, further comprising an patch of material coupled to the first and second straps to cooperate with the straps to form the seat area.

11. The harness according to claim 9, wherein the upper ends of each of the first and second straps are adjustable to fit an infant ranging from approximately 6 months of age to approximately 2 years of age.

12. The harness according to claim 1, in combination with an adult harness, wherein the body portion of the infant harness is adapted to be removably attached to the adult harness.

13. The harness according to claim 3, in combination with an adult harness, wherein the body portion of the infant harness is adapted to be removably attached to the adult harness, wherein at least one set of buckles is adapted to attach the infant harness to the adult harness. 12789

- 13 -

14. An infant carrier system, comprising: an infant harness comprising a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the infant; an adult harness comprising a body portion adapted to be worn at least about the torso of the adult; and at least one connector constructed and arranged to removably attach the infant harness to the adult harness.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the connector comprises mating buckles and a mating peg and ring connector.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the mating peg and ring connector comprises the peg disposed on the infant harness and the ring disposed on the adult harness.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the infant harness includes a front side adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's chest and a backside adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's back, wherein the backside is adapted to be attached to the adult harness.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the adult harness includes a front side adapted to be worn adjacent the adult's chest and a backside adapted to be worn adjacent the adult's back, wherein the backside of the infant harness is adapted to be attached to the front side of the adult harness.

19. The system according to claim 18, further comprising a pack disposed on the backside of the adult harness.

20. The system according to claim 14, wherein the infant harness is formed of a plurality of straps, with at least one of the straps being arranged to adjust to the size of the infant.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the straps is elastic.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the infant harness includes a front side adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's chest and a backside adapted to be worn adjacent the infant's back, wherein the elastic strap extends along a side of the harness between the front side and the back side.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of straps comprises a first strap having an upper end adapted to extend around a first shoulder and a lower end adapted to extend around a first leg on a first side of the infant and a second strap having an upper end adapted to extend around a second shoulder and a lower end adapted to extend around a second leg on a second side of the infant, with a portion of the lower ends of the straps being coupled together to form a seat area.

24. The harness according to claim 23, further comprising an patch of material coupled to the first and second straps to cooperate with the straps to form the seat area.

25. The harness according to claim 23, wherein the upper ends of each of the first and second straps are adjustable to fit an infant ranging from approximately 6 months of age to approximately 2 years of age.

26. The system according to claim 14, wherein the connector comprises mating buckles.