Patent Application
20110023793
This invention relates to children's tethers in general, and more specifically, to tethers used to assist small children or other persons in maintaining a close proximity to a supervisor.
Many devices exist to assist in keeping young children or other persons, such as handicapped persons, physically attached to adults or supervisors through harnesses, leashes or other tethering devices. Such devices are normally held by a supervisor. For example, these devices are often held in the supervisor's hand like a dog leash.
On the other end of these restraint devices are one or more involuntary attachments connected to a child. Such attachments are placed around a child's wrist, torso, waist or other body part. These devices use an involuntary restraint such that a child is restrained until the restraint is physically removed from the child by a supervisor. These involuntary restraints are used to prevent children from detaching the restraint from themselves. As such, these restraints are often attached to children with clips, hook and loop fasteners or other attachments types making it difficult or impossible for a child to remove on their own.
A downside to such devices is a need for a supervisor to attach and detach the restraint from a child. Many times a child is old enough or mature enough to not require an involuntary restraint. As such, a passive or voluntary device is needed to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for indirectly attaching a person to a supervisor is described. The apparatus comprises an intermediate strap and a closed-end loop coupled to one end of the intermediate strap. The closed-end loop is voluntarily coupled to at least one person. An open-loop end is coupled to the other end of the intermediate strap. The open-loop end further has an attachment device, such as, a buckle, carabiner or clip, that is attached to an article under the supervisor's control.
The present invention also discloses a method for making the apparatus. Hence, a method for constructing a child tether comprises the following steps. First, an intermediate strap, a closed-end strap and an open-end strap are provided. The closed-end strap is folded in half and each end of the closed-end strap is positioned above and below one end of the intermediate strap. Next, each end of the closed-end strap is coupled to the first end of the intermediate strap. Next, the open-end strap is folded in half with each end of the open-end strap positioned above and below the other end of the intermediate strap. Each end of the open-end strap is coupled to the second end of the intermediate strap. Lastly, an attachment device is coupled to the open-end loop, permitting the apparatus to couple to an article under the control of a supervisor.
Various objects and advantages and a more complete understanding of the present invention are apparent and more readily appreciated by reference to the following Detailed Description and to the appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings where like or similar elements are designated with identical reference numerals throughout the several views and wherein:
According to several embodiments, the present invention as depicted in
A child 105, voluntarily holds a closed-loop end 110 in their hand. The closed-loop end 110 is coupled to one end of an intermediate strap 120. A supervisor, such as an adult 145, maintains an open-loop end 130 that is attached to an article under the control of the adult 145. In an example, the open-loop 130 may be attached to the adult's 145 belt loop 140. The open-loop end 130 is coupled to the other end of the intermediate strap 120. In this embodiment, the child 105 remains within a close proximity to the adult 145 by voluntarily holding the closed-loop end 110 of the child tether 101. While the open-loop end 130 of the child tether 101 is attached to an article under the control of the adult 145. In one embodiment, an open-loop end 130 may be defined as a way for the end to be opened and closed, permitting the loop to be attached to an article. Examples are further described below.
In one embodiment, the child 105 may be a toddler or small child. In another embodiment, the child 105 may include an adult that may require assistance in remaining in a close proximity to an adult, such as a physically or mentally handicapped person. In another embodiment, a supervisor may include any person responsible for the child 105.
In one embodiment, an article under the control of an adult may include, but is not limited to, both articles attached to an adult or articles indirectly in contact with an adult. In one embodiment, articles attached directly to the adult may include: a belt, a belt loop, suspenders, a wristwatch, and the like. In another embodiment, articles indirectly in contact with an adult may include: a handbag or purse, a backpack, a stroller, a briefcase, a shopping cart, and the like. In other words, the open loop end 130 of the child tether 101 may be coupled to any of the above examples of articles under the control of an adult. In another embodiment, the open loop end 130 may be held in the hand of an adult without directly coupling the open loop end 130 to an article. It should be noted, that the above examples are merely a subset and should not be construed to be encompassing of all possible articles under the control of an adult.
In one embodiment, both closed-loop end 110 and open-loop end 130 may be constructed from the same or differing materials as the intermediate strap 120. Also each looped end may also exhibit elastic characteristics as mentioned in regards to the intermediate strap 120. As previously stated, closed-loop end 110 may normally be held in a child's hand. As such, the closed-loop end 110 may consist of a loop coupled to the intermediate strap 120 at coupling point 160.
In conjunction with
In another embodiment, the coupling point 160 may be held together by other means such as adhesives, hook and loop fasteners or by bonding the three layers together through heating and melting the layers together. Coupling point 165, which is used to couple the open-end loop 130 to the intermediate strap 120, may employ similar coupling methods and characteristics as described in regards to coupling point 160.
Returning to
As previously described, open-loop end 130 may be attached to an article under the control of a supervisor 145. As such, the open-loop end 130 should be capable of opening in some way to permit attaching to such an article. In one embodiment, the open-loop end 130 resembles a similar structure to the closed-loop end 110 by having a strap of material with a break in the middle that may be opened and closed to surround an article such as a belt loop, handbag, etc. In one embodiment, the open-loop end may be opened and closed by a hook and loop fasteners such as VELCRO™, thus allowing a supervisor 145 to attach the open-loop end 130 to a preferred article.
In another embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, the open end strap is cut open (step 560) such that the open end strap no longer forms a permanently closed loop. Further, hook and loop fasteners may be attached to each end of the open end strap (step 565). This permits the open end loop to be opened, fitted around an article and then reattached to provide a bond with the article.
Additionally, or in the alternative to steps 560 and 565, an attachment device may be affixed to the open end strap (step 570) as a means for attaching the open end strap to an article. In one embodiment, the attachment device may be a buckle, a carabiner, a clip or the like.
