Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
INFANT FRAME CARRIER AND CANOPY
BACKGROUND OF TI-~E INVENTION
The present invention is directed to infant carriers including a frame and a
seat for
supporting an infant, and more particularly to a canopy for shading and
covering an infant being
transported in such a carrier from sun, wind and rain.
Carriers for carrying infants either in front of or in back of an adult have
become
increasingly popular. These carriers are popular in that they provide an
alternative to holding the
infant in ones arms or placing the infant in a stroller for transportation
purposes. An envelope of
two types of carriers that are available include soft carriers which are
generally formed of soft
material and include straps for extending around an adult's shoulders to
support the infant, and
frame carriers which generally include a rigid frame and an infant supporting
seat portion
mounted to the frame. In such a frame carrier, shoulder straps and a waist
belt are generally
included and are attached to the frame such that the weight of the carrier is
distributed between
an adults shoulders and waist.
Frame carriers such as the ones described above have been generally useful in
holding babies during hikes or long walks. however, sometimes the use of these
carriers in
hiking and/or walking situations exposes the infant carried therein to the
elements, particularly an
undesirable amount of sunlight or rain. Furthermore, since the infant seat in
the frame carrier is
often positioned above the head of the adult carrying the infant, the adult
may be shaded or
protected from the elements and therefore be unaware of the amount of sun or
rain that the infant
is being exposed to. This situation is considered undesirable in that the
infant may be
uncomfortable, or even get a sunburn, especially given the sensitiveness of
the infant's skin.
Accordingly there has been found to be a need for a canopy device for
protecting the infant from
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CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
exposure to the elements that also may be removed or folded away easily when
it is desired to
facilitate access to the seat portion or when it is desired that the infant be
exposed. When using
canopies of the type herein described, it is frequently desired to adjust the
canopy between a
closed and an. open position while the frame carrier is still being worn by
the adult. Accordingly,
it would also be desirable to have an adjustment/attachment feature for such a
frame carrier
canopy that would allow the canopy to be moved from a closed to an open
position simply and
easily while the frame carrier is still being worn by an adult.
The use of a canopy in a frame carrier in a manner to protect an infant from
the
elements is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,100 to O'Brien discloses a
baby back pack
sun-rain shade device for attachment to the frame of a frame carrier. However,
the canopy
disclosed in the O'Brien patent does not disclose a method for completely
removing and storing
the canopy in an associated storage pack of the frame carrier when the canopy
is not in use.
Additionally, the O'Brien patent does not teach an attachment system for a
canopy for a frame
carrier that attaches the canopy to the frame carrier in a manner whereby the
canopy can be
quickly and easy folded to a relatively low profile position to avoid
interference with doors and
overhangs. Another example of a canopy for a frame carrier is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No.
5,609,279 to O'Shea. While the canopy disclosed in the O'Shea patent can be
more or less
completely stowed in the associated storage pack of that frame carrier, the
attachment system and
design of that canopy can make it difficult to adjust the canopy between an
open and a closed
position while the frame carrier is being worn. Additionally, the design of
the support member
for the O'Shea canopy is such that there is fabric material between the adult
and the infant,
thereby obscuring the adult's view of the infant, which can be undesirable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a canopy for an infant frame
carrier
that protects an infant carried therein from the elements, that may be
adjusted between an open
and a closed position while the carrier is still on the back of an adult, that
can be adjusted to a
relatively low profile open position, and that can be completely removed and
stored in a storage
pack on the frame earner.
CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
SLTwIMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an infant frame carrier having a canopy attached
thereto
S that protects an infant placed therein from the elements and that may be
moved from an open
position to a closed position easily and efficiently while the carrier is
being worn. More
particularly, the frame carrier of the present invention includes a seat
portion for supporting an
infant and a relatively rigid frame for supporting the seat portion. The frame
includes a central
spine portion having an upper end portion and a lower end portion and includes
rearwardly
extending wing portions that are cantilevered to the upper end portion of the
frame and support
the seat portion.
The upper end portion of the frame is covered with a padding area and include
straps to receive the seat portion. A storage pack is attached to and
suspended from the back of
the seat portion using four detachable straps. Shoulder harnesses are attached
to the padding
area and extend downwardly to an attachment points on a waist belt.
Additionally a pad is
provided betv~een the padding area and the waist belt to pad the area between
a wearer's back
and the central spine of the frame. In a preferred embodiment, a leg stand is
provided for
supporting the frame in an upright position on a horizontal surface.
The canopy of the present invention preferably includes a first parabolic
support
rib and a second parabolic support rib. The support ribs are preferably semi-
rigid and are
encased in a nylon fabric so that they may be secured together and to the
frame carrier in a non
rigid manner. The fabric around the first support rib preferably extends past
the ends of the rib to
form tabs, wherein the tabs include snaps thereon for snapping the first
support rib to the rigid
frame in a "salt hinge" relationship. The ends of the second support rib are
sewn to the first
support rib and a fabric panel is attached between the two support ribs to
form a canopy.
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CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
Attachment straps are provided that are attached to the padding area at the
top of the frame
padding area. The attachment straps include snaps thereon for forming a loop.
Thus, in order to
secure the canopy to the frame, the ends of the first rib are snapped to the
frame and the straps
are wrapped around the rib ends and snapped to the frame padding area, thereby
securely binding
the rib between the straps and the frame. In a preferred embodiment, an
additional panel is
attached to~the back of the second rib and is equipped with snaps to attach
the canopy to the back
of the seat portion. Then, in order to move the canopy from a closed to an
open position, the
attachment straps are unsnapped thereby allowing the first rib to hinge
backward, behind the seat
portion. The hinging of the first rib backward around the "soft hinge" is
facilitated by the
looseness of the rib inside the nylon fabric casing. Then, if it is desired to
remove the canopy
entirely the side snaps and the snaps for the back flap can be uncoupled. The
canopy can then be
folded and stored in the storage pack.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a infant
frame
earner having a canopy attached thereto for shading an infant carried therein,
wherein the canopy
may be securely but releasably attached to the carrier, wherein the canopy may
be quickly and
efficiently removed from the carrier, and wherein the canopy is collapsible
between an open and
a closed position while still on the back of a wearer and a canopy that can be
stored in a packs on
the earner itself. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent from the
following description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of the infant frame carrier and canopy of
the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the infant frame carrier of Fig. 1
showing the canopy
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CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
is in the collapsed position;
Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the infant frame earner of Fig. 1 showing
the canopy
detached and stored in the storage pack;
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the canopy attachment system for the infant frame
carrier of Fig.
1 in accordance with the present invention showing the canopy in the operative
position;
Fig. 5 is a detail view of the canopy attachment system of Fig. 4 showing the
canopy in
the collapsed position_
Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the canopy of Fig, l; and
Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the canopy of Fig. 6.
DETAILED DESORIPTION
As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the present invention is an infant frame
carrier,
generally designated 10, having a canopy 12 attached thereto. More
particularly, the frame
carrier 10 of the present invention includes a seat portion 14 for supporting
an infant and a
relatively rigid frame 16 for supporting the seat portion 14. The frame 16
includes a central
spine portion I8 having an upper end portion 20 and a lower end portion 22.
The upper end
portion 20 is generally Y shaped and includes rearwardly extending wing
portions 24 which
extend along and support the seat portion 14.. The wing portions 24 extend
from and are
cantilevered to the upper end portion 20 of the frame 16 and are received by
sleeves 26 in the
seat portion 14. In this way the seat portion 14 is suspended from the frame
16.
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CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
The upper end portion 20 of the frame 16 is covered with a padding area 28 and
includes support straps 30 that are attached to the padding area 28 and extend
to the seat portion
14. These support straps 30 preferably include a wrap-around gusset 32 and are
used to secure
the seat portion 14 to the frame 16. A storage pack 34 is attached to and
suspended from the
back of the seat portion 14 using four detachable straps 36. Shoulder
harnesses 38 are attached
to the padding area 28 and extend downwardly to attachment points 40 on a
waist belt 42.
Preferably, the waist belt 42 is adjustable in a manner similar to the manner
described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,868,292 to Stephens et al. Additionally a pad 44 is provided
between the padding area
28 and the waist belt 42 to pad the area between a wearer's back and the
central spine 18 of the
frame 16. In a preferred embodiment, a leg stand 46 is provided for supporting
the frame 16 in
an upright position on a horizontal surface. The leg stand 46 is pivotally
connected to an arm
(not shown) protruding rearwardly from the lower portion of the frame 16
central spine 18.
Accordingly, the stand 46 can be pivoted out away from the frame 16 to provide
support for the
frame 16 when it is set on a horizontal surface, and it can be pivoted in
close to the frame 16
when the carrier 10 is being worn on the back of the wearer.
As best seen in Figs. 4-7, the canopy 12 of the present invention preferably
includes a first parabolic support rib 50 and a second parabolic support rib
52. The support ribs
50, 52 are preferably semi-rigid and are encased in a nylon fabric so that
they may be secured
together and to the frame earner 10 in a non-rigid manner. The fabric around
the first support rib
50 preferably extends past the ends 53 of the rib 50 to form tabs 54, wherein
the tabs 54 include
female snap portions 56 thereon. Corresponding male snap portions 58 are
provided on the front
part of the frame padding area 28 allowing the first rib 50 to be anchored to
the frame 16 in a
"soft hinge" 60 relationship. The ends 62 of the second support rib 52 are
sewn to the first
support rib 50 and a fabric panel 64 is attached between the two support ribs
50, 52 to form the
canopy 12. Attachment straps 66 are provided that are attached to the padding
area 28 at the top
of the frame 'l6 padding area 28 that have female snap portions 68 thereon.
Corresponding male
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CA 02287290 1999-12-23
Attorney Docket No. 451189-00774
snap portions 69 are provided on the padding area 28 such that when female
snap portions 68 are
snapped to male snap portions 69 the straps 66 form a back flap, a loop 70 is
formed. In a
preferred embodiment, the canopy 12 is also provided with a back flap 72
having snaps 74
thereon for providing an additional attachment of the canopy 12 to the seat
portion 14.
Thus, as shown best in Fig. 4, in order to secure the canopy 12 to the frame
16,
the snaps 74 on the back flap 72 are first snapped to the seat portion 14.
Next, the ends 53 of the
first support rib 50 are placed inside the attachment straps 66 and the female
snap portions 56 on
the tabs 54 are snapped to the male snap portions 58. The straps 66 are then
wrapped around the
rib 50 and the female snap portions 68 are snapped to the male snap portions
69 on the padding
area 28, thereby forming loop 70 and securely binding the rib 50 between the
attachment straps
66 and the frame 16. The canopy 12 is then in the closed operative position.
As best seen in
Figs. 2 and 5, in order to move the canopy 12 from the closed position to an
open, collapsed
position, the attachment straps 66 are unsnapped thereby allowing the first
rib 50 to hinge
backward, behind the seat portion 14. The hinging of the first rib 50 backward
around the "soft
hinge" 60 is facilitated by the looseness of the rib 50 inside the nylon
fabric casing. Finally, if it
is desired to remove the canopy 12 entirely, female snap portions 56 are
unsnapped from male
snap portions 58, and in the preferred embodiment wherein the canopy 12
utilizes a back flap 72,
the snaps 74 on the back flap 72 must be uncoupled prior to completely
removing the canopy 12
from the frame 16. Upon disengagement from the frame 16, the canopy 12 can
then be folded
and stored in the storage pack 34.
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred
embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof are
possible without
departing from the scope of the invention.
What is claimed is:
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