Patent Application
20130161984
The present disclosure relates to a high chair bib. More specifically, the invention relates to a bib and high chair system for protecting a child's skin, clothes and area surrounding the child from food, liquid, waste, and other debris produced during feeding.
Protective bibs have long been used to protect a child's clothing from food and liquid spills, which typically occur during feeding. The basic construction of a traditional bib generally comprises a piece of material for covering the child's chest and a mechanism for attaching or securing the bib to the child—typically around the child's neck.
Over the years, various mechanisms for attaching bibs to children have been used. An exemplary bib configuration generally comprises a body section having a body protection panel and two strings or extending flaps. The strings or flaps may extend up to the child's shoulders and around the child's neck. The two extending flaps may then be secured behind the child's neck using one or more securing mechanisms. Exemplary securing mechanisms include, but are not limited to, magnets, adhesive tape, tie strings, buttons, snaps, or a pair of hook-and-loop fasteners, such as those available from Velcro® (http://www.velcro.com/). Unfortunately, problems may still arise when using such conventional configurations.
A first improvement suggests modifying the neckline to reduce or eliminate food spillage onto clothing through the neckline. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,089 to Kelly (the “'089 patent”) discloses a bib with a protective neckline. The bib protects the child's clothes and skin from spilled food. As disclosed by the '089 patent, the protective neck strap scrunches under a child's neck to ensure that the neckline is adequately covered and protected from food and liquid spilled or drooled out of a child's mouth when feeding. Back straps may be used to secure the bib to the torso of the child, such that the bib is removed without moving or disturbing the child. The bib of the '089 patent may be constructed from either waterproof and washable materials or disposable materials. Other features of the bib may include various accessories such as pockets, tear-off attachments, and a fastening system.
As expected, the primary purpose of a bib is to prevent food and liquid from making contact with the child's clothes and body. As noted by the '089 patent, parents and caregivers spend considerable money on a child's clothing, and considerable time changing and laundering it. Similarly, a significant amount of time is also spent by parents and caregivers to clean the seat of the high chair as well as the floor and area surrounding the high chair. Given the inefficiency of the bibs described in protecting the clothing during feeding, the child's clothing not only becomes wet but often becomes stained, thus defeating the primary protection purpose of the bib. It also leads to more frequent clothing changes than would be necessary with an efficient bib, and a corresponding increase in laundering the clothing, not to mention unnecessary discomfort to the child.
While the '089 patent aims to prevent food from being dropped through the neck line, it still suffers from at least one major drawback, once food falls onto the bib's body protection panel, the food has no place to go other than the child's lap or the floor. This spillage is only made worse if the child fidgets and moves about. Thus, there needs to be an improved means for preventing food from sliding off the body protection panel. In response, certain bib manufacturers have therefore started manufacturing bibs with small pouches or shallow pockets (“crumb collectors”) at the bottom edge of the body protection panel. The theory is that as food slides down the bib, it will be captured by the crumb collector and not fall onto the child or the floor.
An exemplary bib having a crumb collector at the bottom edge is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,289 to Lehrer (the “'289 patent”). The bib of the '289 patent includes a first panel being of an elongated construction and having a pair of opposed leg segments extending upwardly to serve as a closure about the neck of the wearer. A neck liner embraces a portion of the periphery of the panel in the upper area, including at least a portion of the legs, and is constructed to provide a snug and flexible line of contact between the bib and the neck. A second panel of an absorbent material may be removably mounted on the first panel. The first panel includes a pocket located at a lower edge to collect materials that fall onto the bib and are not caught by the second panel.
Despite the various advancements in bib construction, there remains a need for an effective bib that can reduce or prevent food, or other waste, from sliding off the body protection panel and onto the child or the floor. Specifically, there is a need for a bib that may be removably attached to a child, a chair, and a tray table, thereby forming a pouch for collecting all debris. The bib may be used to keep the child, the child's clothes, the high chair seat, and the floor surrounding the high chair clean.
There is a need for a bib that may be removably attached to a child, a chair, and a tray table, thereby forming a pouch for collecting all debris.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a bib for protecting the clothes and skin of a child, the bib comprises: a body protection panel, wherein the body protection panel has an upper-side, an under-side, a top portion and a bottom portion and is configured to cover a child's torso and legs; one or more extending flaps configured to extend from the body protection panel over a child's shoulders and substantially around the child's neck; and one or more fastening mechanisms positioned at the bottom portion of the body protection panel and configured to attach the bottom portion of the body protection panel to a high chair's arms or tray table, wherein the upper-side of the body protection panel is attached to the underside of the tray table.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a disposable bib for protecting the clothes and skin of a child, the bib comprises: a body protection panel, wherein the body protection panel has an upper-side, an under-side, a top portion and a bottom portion and is configured to cover a child's torso and legs; one or more extending flaps configured to extend from the body protection panel over a child's shoulders and substantially around the child's neck; and one or more fastening mechanisms for attaching the body protection panel to a high chair having a tray table.
In certain aspects, the one or more fastening mechanisms may include at least one of the following: (i) adhesive tape, (ii) hook-and-loop fasteners, (iii) zippers, (iv) magnets, (v) snaps, (vi) buttons, and (v) tie strings.
In certain aspects, the body protection panel may be constructed from a machine washable, environmentally friendly and non-hazardous material that is free of vinyl, phthalate, PVC, and BPA.
In certain aspects, the body protection panel may include a thermal insulating layer.
In certain aspects, the body protection panel may be disposable and/or include a water-resistant material or water repellant.
In certain aspects, the one or more fastening mechanisms may be attached to both the upper-side and under-side of the body protection panel and/or may be attached to the under-side of the high chair's tray table.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a system for protecting the clothes and skin of a child, comprises: a body protection panel, wherein the body protection panel has an upper-side, an under-side, a top portion and a bottom portion and is configured to cover a child's torso and legs; one or more extending flaps configured to extend from the body protection panel over a child's shoulders and substantially around the child's neck; and one or more fastening mechanisms positioned at the bottom portion of the body protection panel and configured to attach the bottom portion of the body protection panel to a high chair's arms or tray table, wherein the upper-side of the body protection panel is attached to the underside of the tray table.
In certain aspects, the one or more fastening mechanisms may be attached to the body protection panel and configured to couple with a chair's integrated attachment points.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a high chair system for protecting the clothes and skin of a child, comprising: a high chair, wherein the high chair is configured to support a child and includes one or more arms and a tray table, each of the arms and tray table being equipped with one or more fastening mechanisms; a body protection panel, wherein the body protection panel has an upper-side, an under-side, a top portion and a bottom portion and is configured to cover a child's torso and legs; one or more extending flaps configured to extend from the body protection panel over the child's shoulders and substantially around the child's neck; and one or more fastening mechanisms positioned on the body protection panel's bottom portion and configured to couple with the one or more fastening mechanisms located on the one or more arms and tray table, wherein the upper-side of the body protection panel is positioned on the underside of the tray table.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a high chair system for protecting the clothes and skin of a child, comprises: a high chair, wherein the high chair is configured to support a child and includes one or more arms and a tray table, each of the arms and tray table being equipped with one or more fastening mechanisms; one or more panel fastening mechanisms integrated with the one or more arms and the underside of the tray table and configured to couple with the one or more fastening mechanisms located on a bib's body protection panel, wherein the bib is attached to the underside of the tray table.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily understood with reference to the following specification and attached drawings wherein:
a and 1b are top views of the upper-side of two exemplary bibs according to a first aspect of the present invention;
c is a top view of the under-side of the bib of
a is top view of the upper-side of an exemplary bib according to a second aspect of the present invention;
b is a top view of the under-side of the bib of
c and 2d illustrate top views of the bib of
a illustrates an exemplary attachment point configuration for attaching the lower potion of the bib's top side to the under-side of the tray table;
b through 3e are exemplary diagrams of the bib in use;
a is a top plan view of a bib having a plurality of crumb collectors for receiving expelled food and waste; and
b is a side cut away view of a bib having a plurality of crumb collectors for receiving expelled food and waste.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described at length because they may tend to obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. The bib and high chair system of the present invention are designed to collect all food, liquid, waste, and other debris dropped by a child sitting in a high chair so that the waste does not dirty the child's clothes, the chair, or the surrounding area (e.g., the floor).
Referring now to
While the bib 100 illustrated in
In certain situations, it may be advantageous to use disposable materials when constructing the bib 100, especially the bib's body protection panel 102. For instance, when dining at a restaurant, a user may prefer to use a disposable bib because it may be inconvenient for the user to transport or clean a dirty bib. In such a scenario, temporary fastening mechanisms, such as adhesive tape and/or hook-and-loop fasteners attachments, may be provided to enable temporary attachment to the arms and under-side of public furniture (e.g., restaurant high chairs). Exemplary disposable materials may include, for example, paper based materials, plastic backed paper materials (e.g., 2-ply paper with a 1-ply polyethylene (“PE”) film to promote water resistance), light weight plastic materials, etc. Unlike the more permanent solutions disclosed in more detail below, adhesive used to temporarily adhere the hook-and-loop fasteners, which may be in the form of patches, to public high chairs should be capable of being easily removed and/or reused. Exemplary adhesives for temporarily adhering the hook-and-loop fasteners may include, for example, Command Adhesive™, available from 3M (http://www.3m.com/). While the size of the hook-and-loop fastener will depend on the bib size, an average-sized bib may use hook-and-loop fasteners that are about one inch by one inch. Alternatively, the bib may include straps or ties that may be tied to the chair (e.g., around it's frame or arms), thereby eliminating the need for adhesive. In certain aspect, the straps may use hook-and-loop material to speed up chair attachment an detachment time by eliminating the burden associated with tying a knot or bow in the strap material.
Depending on the material 104 used to form the bib's body protection panel 102, the edges of the bib's body protection panel 102 may be folded and/or stitched to prevent the material 104 from fraying or easily ripping. For instance, if a woven material is used, folding the edges may help to maintain the integrity of the material at the edges, thus preventing disintegration of the material 104 over time. Alternatively, when certain synthetic materials and/or plastic are used, the edges of the material 104 may be folded and fused using known heat-fusing techniques. Naturally, other modifications and variations of the bib 100 and bib's body protection panel 102 will be readily ascertainable to those of skill in the art of sewing, or bib and clothing manufacturing.
To secure the bib 100 to a child, two extending flaps or strips of material may be extended around the child's neck and secured using one or more securing mechanisms. As illustrated in
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Referring now to
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a and 2b illustrate an exemplary bib 200 according to a second aspect of the present invention. The construction of bib 200 of
Employing extending flaps 208 in lieu of strings 108 enhances child comfort by allowing for greater contact with the child's skin, thereby eliminating any potential burrowing or abrasion caused by a narrow strip or string 108. Employing extending flaps 208 also provides the added benefit of covering the child's shoulders, which will not only keep the shoulders clean, but will also keep them warm.
Turning to
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a illustrates an exemplary method for attaching the bib 300 to a chair having a tray table 310 and side arms 312a, 312e. In operation, the top side of the lower portion of the bib's body protection panel 302 may be attached to the under-side of the tray table 310 and the side arms 312a, 312e at a plurality of attachment points—each attachment point having an fastening mechanism. While the bib 300 is preferably attached to the under-side of the tray table 310, the bib 300 may be attached at other locations, including, for example, the edges. Similarly, the bib 300 may be attached to the side arms 312a, 312e on virtually any side of the side arms 312a, 312e.
The lower portion of the bib's body protection panel 302 may be defined as the portion of the bib's body protection panel 302 that includes the fastening mechanisms 306a, 306b, 306c, 306d, 306e—approximately the lower half of the bib 300, as illustrated in the figures. Once aligned, the fastening mechanisms 306a, 306b, 306c, 306d, 306e on the bib's body protection panel 302 may be joined at their corresponding attachment points using the tray table's 310 fastening mechanisms 308b, 308c, 308d and the side arms' 312a, 312e fastening mechanisms 308a, 308e. Once in place, attachment mechanism 306a would be joined with 308a, 306b would be joined with 308b and so forth. As noted above, exemplary fastening mechanisms may include, for example, tie strings, adhesive tape, hook-and-loop fasteners, a zipper, magnets, snaps, buttons, or combinations thereof.
In operation, once a child 314 has been placed in the seat of high chair 304, the bib 300 may be secured around the child's neck using known techniques (e.g., the string 108 of
Once the tray table 310 has been secured, the bottom portion of the bib's body protection panel 302 may be extended underneath the tray 310 for attachment. To facilitate attachment to virtually any chair, the bib 300 may be provided with hook-and-loop fastener patches for use (1) on the under-side of the tray table 310, (2) on the top side of the lower portion of the bib's body protection panel 302, and (3) at the side arms 312a, 312e. The hook-and-loop fastener patches may be attached to the bib's body protection panel 302, the tray table 310 and side arms 312a, 312e using, for example, an adhesive, stitching or any other known technique for adhering hook-and-loop fasteners. By providing fastening mechanisms with the bib 300, a user is able to retrofit an existing high chair to work with the bib 300. For example, the bib may be sold as a kit along with one or more fastening means. However, in certain situations a chair manufacturer may try to accommodate bib attachment by integrating fastening mechanisms into the chair's construction. In this situation, the fastening mechanisms on the bib would preferably be configured to couple with the style and configuration of the fastening mechanism on the chair.
To detach the bib 300, the user may detach the bib's body protection panel 302 from the tray table 310 by, for instance, merely pulling apart the hook-and-loop fasteners. Once the bib's body protection panel 302 has been detached from the tray table 310, the user may simply fold or roll the bib's body protection panel 302 toward the child 314 while detaching bib's body protection panel 302 from the side arms 312a, 312e. The final step would simply require detaching the bib 300 from the child's neck and placing the bib 300 in a receptacle for washing. When, however, a disposable bib is used, the user may simply dispose of the bib. In certain aspects, the upper portion of the bib may be designed with arm holes, akin to a vest or smock, thereby providing the child's shoulders and/or arms with additional coverage. An exemplary vest type bib is illustrated in
Turning back to
c illustrates a cutaway drawing of the diagram of
The versatility of the bib design illustrated in
Using this configuration, the bib 300 may be placed in the child's lap, and the edges of the bib's body protection panel adjacent to the arms 312a, 312e may be folded upward and attached to the side of each arm 312a, 312e using an fastening mechanisms 306a, 306e, which are now located on the under-side of the bib's body protection panel 302. Using a reusable fastening mechanisms, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, allows the bib 300 to be readily attached and detached, thus eliminating setup time. While the bib is shown in the various figures as being attached to the chair and tray at exemplary points, it would be obvious to those of skill in the art in view of the present application to adjust the location of the attachment points depending on the chair's design and the preference of the user. Accordingly, the bib may be attached to the chair and/or tray table at numerous points.
Furthermore, in instances where a high chair manufacturer has incorporated one or more built-in, or integrated, fastening mechanisms, which may be located at, for example, the underside or edge of the tray table, the bib's attachment points may be configured to couple with said integrated attachment points. For example, a manufacturer may fabricate a high chair with one or more built-in fastening mechanisms that eliminates the need for the user to install aftermarket fastening mechanisms on the chair. Accordingly, the bib may be designed, configured or adjusted to accommodate a particular location and/or attachment point pattern employed by the manufacturer.
Turning now to
100561 Although various embodiments have been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features, and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features—indeed, many other embodiments, modifications, and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art. All U.S. and foreign patent documents, and all articles, brochures, and other published documents discussed above are hereby incorporated by reference into the Detailed Description.
