Patent Application
20240122371
Embodiments relate generally to a baby carrier apparatus, and more specifically to a baby carrier apparatus that may be used in water or wet environments.
Many persons who care for young children have a desire to keep their babies, toddlers, and young children close to them during activities. Some of these activities include bathing in the shower and maneuvering in wet environments. Because showers and swimming pool areas include slippery and wet environments, there is a need to have a water permeable baby carrier that safely secures a child to the front of a wearer, is lightweight, dries quickly, is easy to put on and take off, and is adjustable to different sizes as a baby grows.
A brief summary of various embodiments is presented below. Some simplifications and omissions may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the various embodiments, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Detailed descriptions of embodiments adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventive concepts will follow in later sections.
Embodiments of a baby carrier apparatus include a body portion including a top section, side sections, and a bottom section; a waist strap connected to the bottom section and configured to surround a waist area of a wearer; a pair of side straps connected to respective side sections of the body portion, the pair of side straps configured to wrap around a body of the wearer; a pair of shoulder straps connected to the top section of the body portion; and an X-pattern on an opposite side of the body portion that connects the pair of shoulder straps and pair of side straps and allows the baby carrier apparatus to be on and taken off easily.
The body portion may include a mesh portion. The side sections of the body portion may include a mesh portion. The waist strap may include a first fastening member and a first adjustable sliding member. The side straps may each include a first fastening member and a first adjustable sliding member. The pair of shoulder straps may each include a top front strap having a fastening member and an adjustable sliding member.
The pair of shoulder straps may connect to each other on an opposite side of the body portion. shoulder rear portions. The pair of side straps may connect to the shoulder straps at a V-shape of the shoulder straps.
The side straps may each be made of an elastic fabric and do not include an adjustable sliding member. The shoulder straps may each be made of an elastic fabric and do not include an adjustable sliding member. The waist strap may include an elastic material and does not include an adjustable sliding member.
Embodiments may also include a baby carrier apparatus having a body portion including a top section, side sections, and a bottom section; a waist strap connected to the bottom section and configured to surround a waist area of a wearer; a pair of side straps connected to respective side sections of the body portion, the pair of side straps configured to wrap around a body of the wearer; and a pair of shoulder straps connected to the top section of the body portion, wherein the pair of shoulder straps extend from a front side of the baby carrier apparatus and respectively connect to the pair of side straps, wherein the straps do not have fastening members and adjustable sliding members thereon.
However, an effect of the disclosure is not limited to the above-described effect, and may be variously expanded without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the inventive concepts.
The above and other features of the disclosure will become more apparent by describing in further detail embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the invention. As used herein “embodiments” and “implementations” are interchangeable words that are non-limiting examples of devices or methods employing one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. It is apparent, however, that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplary embodiments. Further, various exemplary embodiments may be different, but do not have to be exclusive. For example, specific shapes, configurations, and characteristics of an exemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from the inventive concepts.
Unless otherwise specified, the illustrated exemplary embodiments are to be understood as providing exemplary features of varying detail of some ways in which the inventive concepts may be implemented in practice. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features, components, modules, layers, films, panels, regions, and/or aspects, etc. (hereinafter individually or collectively referred to as “elements”), of the various embodiments may be otherwise combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from the inventive concepts.
The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. As such, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shading conveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particular materials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalities between illustrated elements, and/or any other characteristic, attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the size and relative sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. When an exemplary embodiment may be implemented differently, a specific process order may be performed differently from the described order. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to the described order. Also, like reference numerals denote like elements.
When an element, such as a layer, is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. When, however, an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. To this end, the term “connected” may refer to physical, electrical, and/or fluid connection, with or without intervening elements.
Although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various types of elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “over,” “higher,” “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and, thereby, to describe one elements relationship to another element(s) as illustrated in the drawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, the apparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms, are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and, as such, are utilized to account for inherent deviations in measured, calculated, and/or provided values that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to sectional and/or exploded illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized exemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not necessarily be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance, manufacturing. In this manner, regions illustrated in the drawings may be schematic in nature and the shapes of these regions may not reflect actual shapes of regions of a device and, as such, are not necessarily intended to be limiting.
Aspects of embodiments may be referred to as “front” or “back,” but are no intended to be limiting because the baby carrier apparatus described herein may be worn on a frontside or a backside of a wearer. Such that “front” and “back” may be reversed depending on which side a wearer wears the baby carrier apparatus.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.
As used herein, a baby may refer to a child of various age ranges such as infant, baby, toddler, to small child, all of which may be held in the baby carrier apparatus.
Mothers, fathers, and other caretakers (hereinafter described as “wearers”) with young children struggle with the desire to keep a child close while performing many household duties. Many wearers use baby carriers around the house but have problems when they desire to perform personal hygiene activities such as showering. Not wanting to leave babies unattended, there is a need to have a baby carrier that can be taken into unconventional areas like a shower. Also wearers who desire to take their small children to the swimming pool may benefit from a baby carrier that may be taken to a swimming pool, beach, or the like.
A waist strap 130 is connected to the lower end 115 of the body portion 110. The body portion 110 includes a single layer of material to hold the baby against the wearer such that the baby and the wearer make direct contact with each other. The upper ends 113 on either side of the body portion 110 include upper elastic regions 121 configured to receive a baby's arms, and lower elastic portions 123 configured to receive a baby's legs. This direct connection between baby and wearer facilitated by the baby carrier apparatus 100 is configured to increase bonding between the wearer and permit activities such as close communication and nursing.
The baby carrier apparatus 100 includes a pair of side straps 120 connected to the body portion 110 on either side thereof. The baby carrier apparatus 100 also includes a pair of shoulder straps 140 that connect to the body portion 110 through the head rest portion 135. The pair of side straps 120 and the pair of shoulder straps 140 may connect to each other on an opposite side of the body portion 110 in an X-pattern 150. As described herein, the X-pattern 150 is one option for rear connection of the baby carrier apparatus 100 and aids in easy put-on and take-off of the baby carrier apparatus 100.
The body portion 110 may be made of a lightweight mesh material that dries quickly when moved outside of a wet environment and is exposed to air. The head rest 135 includes a padded portion that has a foam or similar material that may be squeezed and dry quickly when taken out of a water environment. Edge portions 137 of the head and neck support member 135 that connect to the shoulder straps 140 do not include the padded portion. This connection of the edge portions 137 without padding provides a strong connection for the shoulder straps 140 to hold the weight of a baby in the baby carrier apparatus 100.
Materials for the mesh fabric include polyesters, nylon, and other synthetic fibers. The body portion 110 may be an open-mesh layout, in which holes are visible in the mesh fabric and spaced apart at regular intervals. The head rest 135 may be also be a mesh fabric that surrounds inserts placed for support and cushioning.
The mesh portion of the body portion 110 may include a mesh pattern of various shapes such as diagonal, square, triangular, circular, oval, or other polygonal or rounded shapes. Alternatively, the mesh portions may be designed to have one or more different animal shapes such as various kind of fishes, land animals, birds, cartoon characters, heart shapes, or other shapes pleasing to a wearer or child.
When the baby carrier apparatus 100 is put on a wearer, the X-pattern 150 may be disposed at various locations of a wearer's rear torso. Depending on the size of the wearer and the adjustments made to the shoulder straps 140 and side straps 120 may determine the placement of the X-pattern 150 on the wearer.
Materials used for the side straps 120 may include nylon, fabric, leather, or other materials of fixed length used for backpack straps as are known to one skilled in the art. One or more of the side straps 120 may be made of a non-stretchable material for custom fit. Alternatively, a stretchable fabric may be used to stretch and contract and allow the baby carrier apparatus 100 to fit snugly around the wearer. The stretchable fabric may be used with the first fastening members 122 and first adjustable sliding members 124.
As illustrated in
The waist strap 130 also includes a second adjustable sliding member 134 (illustrated in
Materials for the waist strap 130 may include nylon, fabric, leather, or other materials known to one skilled in the art. The waist strap 130 may also be a stretchable fabric configured to allow the baby carrier apparatus 100 to fit snugly around a wearer.
The two shoulder straps 140 are connected to the edge portions 137 of the head rest 135. The shoulder straps 140 include shoulder front portions 146 and shoulder rear portions 148 as one continuous piece of fabric. The shoulder front portions 146 include third fastening members 142 and third adjustable sliding members 144 that may be moved as adjustments are made. The shoulder straps 140 may have a same width and size as the waist strap 130. The second fastening member 142 and second adjustable sliding member 142 may have substantially the same width as the shoulder straps 140 as the shoulder straps 140 connected thereto. Placement of the third adjustable sliding members 144 on the shoulder front portions 146 allows a wearer to adjust the shoulder straps 140 from the front of the baby carrier apparatus 100 and not have to reach their arms around to the back, which can be difficult while holding a baby.
One or more of the shoulder straps 140 may also be made of a stretchable fabric configured to stretch and contract and allow the baby carrier apparatus 100 to fit snugly around the wearer. The stretchable fabric may be used with the third fastening members 142 and third adjustable sliding members 144.
As illustrated in
Connected to the X-portion 150 are ends of the side straps 120. The ends of the side straps 120 provide additional stability by being connected to lower ends of a V-shaped portion formed by both rear shoulder straps 148 coming together at the X-pattern 150. As illustrated in
The X-pattern 150 also makes the V-pattern on top, where the two shoulder rear portions 148 of the shoulder straps 140 connect, and the X-pattern 150 is formed by the connection of the side straps 120 to the V-pattern. The X-pattern 150 allows the user to rest the X-pattern 150 against the back of the wearer's neck and or back while the child is in the body portion 110 of the baby carrier apparatus 100 while the adult is buckling the side strap portions 120 and making other adjustments. In this way the child is secure and the chances of the child slipping while adjustments are made is minimized.
As illustrated in
Materials used for the side straps 120 may be nylon, fabric, leather, or other materials used for backpack straps as is known in the art. One or more of the side straps 120 may be a stretchable fabric configured to stretch and contract to allow the baby carrier apparatus 100 to fit relatively snugly around the wearer. The stretchable fabric may be used with the first fastening members 122 and first adjustable sliding members 124.
In
Also in
The baby carrier apparatuses described herein may be fitted with accessories configured to hang on the shoulder front straps 146 such that a baby can play with different toys or educational instruments while being carried in the shower baby carrier 100. The baby carrier apparatuses 100 and 400 feature minimal use of straps, lightweight mesh for quick drying during water use, adjustable front shoulder straps, and the X-pattern facilitator opposite the body portion.
In experimental use, the baby carrier apparatuses described herein including the X-pattern 150 have demonstrated unexpected and beneficial results. Not only is there an eagerness for the babies to be in the baby carrier apparatuses described herein, it has been observed that babies have gotten used to the soothing water through the mesh fabric, and fall asleep quickly after being placed in the shower baby carrier apparatus 100 even before entering a water environment. Because of the head and neck support member 210, an awake or a sleeping baby is very comfortable.
The baby carrier apparatuses described herein will come with an instruction manual or a instruction manual may be provided online for users. The baby carrier apparatuses may be used for babies aged two months to 10 months or one year, typically fourteen inches long to thirty inches long, fifteen pounds to twenty-five pounds. The baby carrier apparatuses described herein are designed for front use. The baby carrier apparatuses are not intended for prolonged use, generally longer than thirty minutes at a time. A user may use the instructions provided before assembling and using the baby carrier apparatuses, and keep the instructions for further use. The instructions will note to assure all buckles, fasteners, straps, and adjustments are secure before each use. A user will be instructed to check for ripped seams, torn straps or fabric, or damaged fasteners before each use.
Although the disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosure may be variously modified and changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure disclosed in the following claims.
