Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A Child's Garment
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garment to improve in-car or in-vehicle
safety. The
garment is particularly suitable for and described herein in respect of a baby
or a toddler
and ideally suitable for use for babies or toddlers up to the age of about 4.
Background to the Invention
In the United Kingdom, the wearing of seat belts in the front seats of a car
or other vehicle
has been compulsory since 1983. The law was extended in 1989 to requiring
children
traveling in the rear of a car to wear a belt. Where the child concerned is a
baby or
toddler, then using the standard seat belt fitted into the car is impractical
as these are far
too big and does not provide safety to the child due to the looseness of the
fit of the belt
about the child, but also because of the size, allows a child to wriggle free
of any
meaningful protection provided by the belt.
The useful solution to this deficiency is to seat or lie the child in a
specially designed child
seat, equipped with its own safety strap or straps. The car's own safety belt
is then used to
secure the child seat in position.
Such a solution is effective, but in certain situations there are difficulties
caused by a
child's clothing. Such problems arise during cold weather when the child is
wearing thick,
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usually soft/padded clothing to ensure the child is warm outside of the
vehicle. However,
problems can also arise with conventional clothing.
In order to properly protect a child, the seat belt needs to be able to hold
the child firmly
against the seat. However, given the nature of thick clothing, this cannot be
easily
achieved as the padded material from which such clothing is normally made
results in a
degree of freedom of movement for the child. Moreover, in the event the child
removes
the clothing, often unbeknown to the driver, the seat belt fitted to take the
clothing into
account, is then far too loose and safety is compromised.
It is estimated that up to 80% of child car seats are incorrectly fitted, with
one of the main
reasons being that the straps are too loose, often for the above-described
reasons. In a
collision the child could be seriously hurt or even thrown from the car seat
altogether. It is
important that the straps are correctly fitted over the child's shoulders and
are tightly
fitted. Especially when using thick baby suits or children's winter coats it
is impossible to
ensure a snug fit. One means by which the problem is currently addressed is
simply to
ensure that the child only has a very thin layer of clothing on and to keep
the child warm,
travel blankets are available on the market.
It is an object of the invention to seek to address the above problems and to
provide
clothing which aids in proper fitment of a seat belt and also maintenance of
that correct
fitment for the duration of a journey.
Summary of the Invention
According to the invention there is provided a garment suitable for use in
conjunction with
a seat belt to enhance the safe use of said seat belt, the garment comprising
a front
section and a rear section the front and rear sections being joined together
to produce a
tube, the front and rear sections combining at one end of said tube to form a
neck portion
to be located in use around the neck and shoulders of a child,
the front section including one or more channels extending lengthwise down
said front
section, said channels comprising thinner material than the remainder of the
garment and
suitable to house or accommodate a strap or a seat belt.
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The thinner material enables closer engagement of strap with the child's body
and ensures
that the child is held more securely than would otherwise be the case to a car
seat due to
avoiding the compression issues that arise when the fibres in the fabric
compress and leave
the straps slack in the event of a collision.
Preferably, the thinner material is a mesh material.
Preferably the garment includes two channels, one to each side of the neck
portion. This
allows the garment to be used with conventional seat belt systems for car
seats having
one strap either side of a child's body to equalise force on the body.
Preferably the garment includes a cover associated with a channel to cover
over said
channel and ensure that the thinner material does not cause the child to be
cold when not
in the car. Further preferably, said cover is integral with the garment along
one edge of the
channel. Yet further preferably, the cover is integral with the garment along
the long edge
of the channel.
Optionally, a cover is sealed to the garment along a free edge by a Velcro
(RTM) fitment.
Alternatively, a push fit fitment is used to secure a cover to a garment.
Further optionally,
a cover is resealably sealed to a garment with a waterproof seal to prevent or
reduce water
ingress through the join between the cover and the garment.
Conveniently the rear section comprises two or more sub-sections joinable
together to
form the back of the garment. Further conveniently, the rear section comprises
two sub-
sections. These features enable the rear section to be moved out of the way
from between
a child and the car seat so that the child is in closer contact with the car
seat than would
otherwise be the case.
Preferably rear sub-sections are joined together by means of a Velcro (RTM)
fitment or
alternatively a push fit fitment. Yet further preferably, the rear sub-
sections are joined
together by a waterproof seal.
Optionally, the sub-sections of the rear section are joinable together along a
single edge.
Alternatively, the rear sub-sections are joined together along more than one
edge.
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Preferably, at least one of the joins between the rear sub-sections is along
the vertical
median line approximately where the garment sits over a child's spine in use.
Preferably the garment includes an attachable hood.
Preferable the garment includes an attachable pair of gloves.
Optionally, the garment includes an attachable pair of shoes.
Optionally, the front and rear sections each include an aperture, said
apertures cooperating
to enable a buckle and strap to pass through the garment and so to fix a
buckle to the
fitment means of the car seat.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings
which show
by way of example three embodiments of a garment. In the drawings:
Figures la and lb are respectively a front and rear view of a jacket;
Figures 2a and 2b are respectively a front and rear view of a baby suit; and
Figures 3a and 3b are respectively a front and rear view of a sleeping bag.
Detailed Description of the Invention
As indicated above, conventional cold weather clothing makes it difficult to
properly fit a
safety strap about a baby or toddler when traveling in a vehicle, particularly
a typical
family car. The bulk of the material of a typical garment, necessary to keep
the child warm
prevents the tensioned seat strap from holding a child in a firm and safe
manner. To
confirm the seat strap herein refers either to the seat belt fitted as part of
the car, but also,
a strap or harness included within a child's car seat.
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Additionally, if the child removes the item of clothing, as often happens and
without the
driver being aware of this, the seat strap, whether belonging to the car or
incorporated as
part of the car seat, is then loose and needs to be adjusted to again provide
the required
protection.
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The present invention seeks to address these difficulties in that a channel of
thinner
material is provided within the garment along which the safety straps pass in
use. In a
preferred embodiment mesh is used for this thinner material although it should
be
appreciated that any suitable thinner material may be used. Because the
material is
thinner, the child is gripped in a better fashion than can be achieved with
conventional
garments and the compression issues that arise when the fibres in the fabric
compress
which can leave the straps slack, are avoided. Additionally a garment can be
provided with
a back section which can be replaceably moved away from the back of the child,
bringing
the child into closer contact with the seat itself. Again therefore the seat
strap is better
able to perform its designed function.
Referring initially to Figure 1, this shows a jacket 10 in accordance with the
invention. The
material structure of the jacket 10 is typical for this type of garment in
that an insulating
material such as a fibrous plastics material, down or fibrous mesh is held
between at least
two layers of thinner material, the outer most in-use layer usually being at
least partially
waterproof or splash proof.
The jacket 10 is of general or standard construction in that the jacket 10 has
a main body
portion comprising a front section 11 and a rear section 12, the front and
rear sections
being secured together, usually by a vertical side seam or seams, to form a
tubular
structure. Extending from the body portion are sleeves 13a, 13b. A hood 14 can
be
formed integral with the body portion, but can also be detachable, being
secured in
position using standard push-fit fitments such as a press-stud or a zip
fastener.
Additionally, the free ends of the sleeves 13a, 13b can be provided with
means, again such
as a press-stud 18 enabling gloves or mittens 19 to be detachably fixed to the
jacket 10.
The front section 11 is in two parts 11a, llb which are fastened together when
required by
means of a conventional zip fastener 15.
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In order to provide an effective fit of a seat belt or strap, guides or
channels 16a, 16b are
included in each of the front sections 11a, 11b. The guides 16a, 16b are
regions of thinner
material which mean the straps are in closer contact with the child than is
the case for
conventional jackets. The child is thus held more securely to the seat. In one
embodiment, the guides 16a, 16b are formed in that there is no padding
provided within
these regions. The strap in this case therefore effectively sits on the inner
lining or
inner/outer linings. The child is thereby correctly placed in the seat and
moreover, access
to the child and the straps is unimpeded so that in the event of an accident,
the child can
quickly be removed from the car.
As such, a region of thinner material will result in the garment being less
warm for the
wearer when not in the car. To increase heat retention, especially whilst out
of the car, a
flap or cover (not illustrated) can be removably secured over each of the
guides 16a, 16b.
The flap therefore provides additional insulation and to increase this
function can include
insulating material within the flap's body.
In one embodiment, not illustrated, the flap can be completely separable from
the jacket
10 and can be stowed conveniently in a bag when not in use. Alternatively, the
flap can be
partially permanently attached to the jacket 10. For example, in a further
embodiment the
attachment is along a long edge of the flap. In an alternative further
embodiment, the flap
is joined along a top short edge, preferably towards the top or the garment.
In this
embodiment the flap can be rolled up and stowed conveniently when the child is
strapped
into the seat.
When the flap needs to be fixed to the jacket 10 the fixing can be achieved by
conventional means such as a push-fit fitment or by means of a zip fastener. A
preferred
means of fixing the flap in position is by means of a Velcro (RTM) fastener.
Additionally,
the flap can be fixed in a way which is waterproof to reduce the risk of
penetration of
water into the thinner guides 16a, 16b.
The rear section 12 of the jacket 10 also has two parts 12a, 12b joined
together when
required by a fixing 17 along a line approximately along the median vertical
line of the rear
section 12. The means of releasably joining the two parts 12a, 12b together
can be carried
out using the methods indicated above as between the flap and the front
section 11. The
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provision of the rear section 12 in two parts allows the parts 12a, 12b to be
separated and
moved away from the child's back. The child's back, when seated in the child
seat, is then
able to come into closer contact with the seat than would otherwise be the
case. The
strap therefore can better function and is able to hold the child more firmly
into the seat.
In use therefore the child is dressed in the jacket 10 and the zip fastener 15
closed to
ensure the child is warm. In order to place the child in a car seat the fixing
17 between the
rear parts 12a, 12b is undone and the rear parts 12a, 12b opened out. The
child can then
be seated correctly directly against the seat. Any covering over a guide 16a,
16b is
removed enabling the straps or the car seat holding the child in position to
be aligned with
the guides 16a, 16b. The seat belt can then be clipped into place using
conventional seat-
belt buckle and clasps of the car.
When the journey is finished and the child is to be removed from the car, the
buckle is
unclasped and the straps are removed from around the child. The flaps are
replaced over
the thinner guides 16a, 16b and secured in position by the means provided. The
rear parts
12a, 12b are secured together using the fixing 17 provided. This can be
achieved in a
hugging-type motion as the child is lifted from the car. The child can
therefore be lifted
from the car, and, for example, placed in a pushchair or pram.
In the second embodiment of the garment shown in Figures 2a, 2b the garment
comprises
an all-in-one suit 20, commonly known as a snowsuit. Although the material
from which
such a suit 20 is made is typically different to that used for the jacket 10
or Figures la, lb
the technical means by which the front sections 21 of the suit 20 is adapted
are as
described above in respect of Figures la, lb.
In respect of the rear section 22 of the suit 20 as shown in Figure 2b, the
features shown in
broad terms are for Figure lb and includes guides 26a, 26b. However, in
addition to the
fixing 27 along a median vertical line of the suit 20, similar fixings 28a,
28b are provided
between the two parts 22a, 22b of the rear section 22 and the legs 29a, 29b of
the suit 20.
For example therefore, the edges of each of the parts 22a, 22b includes one
half of a
Velcro (RTM) fitment, whilst the legs 29a, 29b are furnished with the other
half of the
fitment enabling these elements to be releasably secured together.
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In relation to Figures 3a, 3b these illustrate a sleeping bag 30, primarily
suitable for a baby
and ideally most suitable for a baby up to the age of 36 months. The features
relating to
the thinner guides 36a, 36b to receive the straps of a car seat are in the
front section 31 of
this bag 30. Also, the rear section 32, shown in Figure 3b, is in two parts
32a, 32b and the
edges of these parts 32a, 32b include means to releasably fix them to the main
body of
the bag 30.
The bag 30 includes the additional features of apertures 37a, 37b through the
front and
rear sections 31, 32 respectively. In order to allow the buckle of the strap
to be secured to
the corresponding fitment the buckle is, in-use passed through both of the
apertures 37a,
37b thus passing from the front to the rear of the bag 30. The child within
the bag 30 can
thereby be secured in position safely and securely.
In each of the embodiments disclosed, the garment 10 can be fitted with one or
more
reflective panels to increase the chance of the child being seen.
It should also be appreciated that the garment 10 is necessary for use with a
child car seat
and not with conventional adult seat belts.
