Patent Application
20170217340
Modern infant car seat systems typically include a base and an infant car seat. The base is secured in a vehicle using a seatbelt or certain specialized straps. The base can include a quick securing mechanism by which the infant car seat can be quickly and securely attached to the base. During loading of the infant car seat, this quick securing mechanism securely couples with a corresponding structure of the infant car seat (e.g., a pair of grooves that engage with the quick securing mechanism). During unloading of the infant car seat, the quick securing mechanism is released and a user is free to remove the infant car seat, with the base remaining in the vehicle. The user is now free to tote the infant with the infant remaining in the infant car seat. While this presents a convenient option for users on the go, the size and shape of infant car seats can introduce challenges to conducting certain tasks. For example, use of an infant car seat in connection with a shopping cart at a grocery store can be burdensome. A first option for using the infant car seat can include placing the infant car seat within a cart portion of the shopping cart. This may be undesirable, however, as the infant car seat may occupy most, if not all, of the space in the cart portion, leaving little to no space for groceries. A second option for using the infant car seat can include hanging the infant car seat to a front or rear railing of the cart portion. Typically, this not only results in the infant being held at an uncomfortable angle, but also can result in damage to the corresponding structure that can cause the quick securing mechanism of the base to not properly retain the infant car seat.
Examples of the present disclosure are directed to car seat supporting apparatuses. In some examples, a car seat supporting apparatus can include a first, elongate rigid member and a second, elongate rigid member. Each of the elongate rigid members can include an elongate channel along a length of the elongate, rigid member defined by a U-shaped cross section of the respective elongate, rigid member. Each elongate channel can be configured to extend along and receive an upper railing of a shopping cart. Each of the elongate rigid members can also include a securing device mounted to the elongate, rigid member and configured to secure the elongate, rigid member to the upper railing of the shopping cart when the elongate channel of the elongate, rigid member receives the upper railing. The car seat supporting apparatus can also include a pair of flexible straps connecting opposing side walls of the first, elongate rigid member and the second, elongate rigid member at respective front connection locations and respective rear connection locations on the opposing sidewalls of the first, elongate rigid member and the second, elongate rigid member. Each flexible strap of the pair of flexible straps can include a tension mechanism configured to adjust a length of the respective flexible strap. The elongate, rigid members and the pair of flexible straps are connected to each other and arranged such that when the first and second elongate, rigid members are installed on opposite upper railings of a shopping cart and the securing devices secure the elongate rigid members to the upper railings, the tension mechanisms of the flexible straps are adjusted so that the flexible straps are tensioned and extend substantially parallel, and when tensioned, the flexible straps are spaced to engage with and support an infant car seat on opposite, underside edges of the infant car seat.
To better understand the nature and advantages of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying figures. It is to be understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present disclosure. Also, as a general rule, and unless it is evident to the contrary from the description, where elements in different figures use identical reference numbers, the elements are generally either identical or at least similar in function or purpose.
The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims.
Embodiments of present disclosure are directed to car seat supporting apparatuses. In particular, embodiments are directed to car seat supporting apparatuses adapted to support an infant car seat within a support structure such as a cart portion of a shopping cart. The car seat supporting apparatuses described herein are configured to support the infant car seats well above the bottom of the shopping cart. This can free up space for groceries that would otherwise be occupied by the infant car seat resting on the bottom of the cart portion of the shopping cart. In addition, use of the car seat supporting apparatuses described herein can reduce the potential for damage to quick release structures that are present on modern day infant car seats. The car seat supporting apparatuses described herein have been designed to support any suitable infant car seat in any suitable support structure (e.g., shopping carts). In this manner, a single car seat supporting apparatus works to support different styles and brands of infant car seats in support structures having various designs (e.g., railing thickness, railing-to-railing widths, and any other suitable design characteristic).
Turning now to the figures,
The car seat supporting apparatus 102 can also include two flexible members 116A, 116B (located behind the infant car seat 106) extending between the two rigid members 108. Continuing with the example above, the user can adjust the flexible members 116 to correspond to the width between the upper railings 110A, 110B to which the rigid members 108A, 108B are attached. Adjusting the flexible members 116 can include adjusting the tension in the flexible members 116 using tension mechanisms as described herein. The user may then place the infant car seat 106 such that it rests on the each of the flexible members 116A, 116B and is supported by each of the flexible members 116A, 116B. In some examples, at least a portion of the infant car seat 106 is supported by one or both of the rigid members 108A, 108B.
The car seat supporting apparatus 102 can also include a flexible belt strap 118. The flexible belt strap 118 can extend between the two flexible members 116. Continuing with the example above, during use, the user can bring the flexible belt strap 118 over the top of the infant car seat 106. In some examples, the flexible belt strap 118 can include a fastening device that connects the flexible belt strap 118 and can be used to adjust tension in the flexible strap 118. The flexible belt strap 118 can function to securely hold the infant car seat 106 to the car seat supporting apparatus 102. Because the car seat supporting apparatus 102 holds the infant car seat 106 such that a bottom surface of the infant car seat 106 lies slightly below a top surface of the upper railing 110, a large proportion of the cart portion 120 of the support structure 104 remains available for receiving grocery items. The user can also easily view the child and respond to the child's needs as the user pushes the support structure 104.
The securing devices 114 are configured to securely hold components of the support structure 104 (e.g., the upper railing 110) within the channels of the rigid members 108. To this end, as illustrated in
The flexible members 116 can be attached to opposing side walls of the rigid members 108 at a pair of front mounting locations and a pair of rear mounting locations. The front and rear mounting locations can be selected such that a spacing between the flexible members is adequate for the flexible members 116 to engage with and support the infant car seat 106. In some examples, the flexible members 116 are attached to the rigid members 108 such that the flexible member 116A is about parallel to the flexible member 116B. The flexible members 116 can be configured to expand and contract in the directions indicated by arrow 130 in order to accommodate support structures having varying widths. In some examples, the flexible members 116 can be formed from flexible material in the shape of straps having rectangular profiles or cords having circular profiles. Examples of flexible material include: polyester web, nylon web, polypropylene web, textiles, shock cord, and any other flexible material. As described herein, the flexible members 116 can have elastic properties.
Adjustability of the pair of flexible members 116 can be achieved using one or more tension devices 132A, 132B. The tension devices 132 can be disposed at any location on the flexible members 116 (e.g., in the middle or near the ends). The tension devices 132 can be any suitable device capable of maintaining tension in the flexible members 116 when the car seat supporting apparatus 102 supports the infant car seat 106. Examples of tension devices 132 include strap adjusters, buckles, barrel lock tensioners, any other suitable device.
In some examples, each flexible member 116 can be formed from two pieces of flexible material. For example, with reference to the flexible member 116A in
In other examples, each flexible member 116 can be formed from a single piece of flexible material with each tension device 132 configured to tighten the single piece of flexible material. For example, with reference to the flexible member 116A, a first end of the single piece of flexible material can be threaded through a side wall of the rigid member 108A and attached to itself (e.g., sewn). A second end can also be threaded through a side wall of the rigid member 108B and into the tension device 132A. The tension device 132A can also be attached to the single piece of flexible material at a location between the first end and the second end. In this manner, the tension device 132A can be used to adjust the length of the single piece of flexible material and thereby adjust the tension in the single piece of flexible material that makes up the flexible member 116A.
In some examples, the flexible members 116 can be rigid devices that are capable of length-wise adjustment. For example, each flexible member 116 can be a telescoping member and each tension device 132 can be a cam-locking mechanism that secures the telescoping member at any suitable variable length. In some examples, the flexible members 116 can have elastic properties. For example, when the flexible members 116 have elastic properties, the tension devices 132 may not be needed because the lengths of the flexible members 116 can be selected such the flexible members 116 have suitable tensions across a range of mounting widths of the rigid members 108. The range of mounting widths can correspond to widths of a set of shopping carts that are most common.
The flexible belt strap 118 can be formed from a flexible material such as polyester web, nylon web, polypropylene web, textiles, shockcord, or any other flexible material. The flexible belt strap 118 can be slidably coupled to each of the flexible members 116A, 116B at each end of the flexible belt strap 118. In this manner, the flexible belt strap 118 can be free to slide relative to the rigid members 108 as the flexible members 116 are lengthened and shortened. In other examples, the flexible belt strap 118 is sewn or otherwise fixedly attached (e.g., sewn) to each of the flexible members 116A, 116B. Like the flexible members 116, the flexible belt strap 118 can include a tension device to adjust the tension in flexible belt strap 118 (e.g., to cinch the flexible belt strap 118 to retain the infant car seat 106). In some examples, the flexible belt strap 118 can be formed from two segments 140A, 140B. A first end of each segment 140 can be coupled, fixedly or slidably, to each of the flexible members 116A, 116B. In addition, a second end of each segment 140 can be attached to a fastening device 142. The fastening device 142 may be configured to releasably couple the first segment 140A and the second segment 140B. In some examples, the fastening device 142 also functions to adjust the tension in the first segment 140A, the second segment 140B, or both segments 140A, 140B. The flexible belt strap 118 can function as a flexible belt to restrain the infant car seat 106.
The flexible members 116 can be configured to contact the infant car seat 106 at any suitable locations along a bottom surface and/or side surface of the infant car seat. For example, as illustrated in
In some examples, as illustrated in
Spatially relative terms, such as “below,” “above,” “lower,” “upper,” and the like may be used above to describe an element and/or feature's relationship to another element(s) and/or feature(s) as, for example, illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use and/or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” and/or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The above description of embodiments of the disclosure has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the claimed subject matter in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
