Improvements in baby carriers

Abstract

 A baby carrier which, in known manner, comprises a body portion having leg holes, for supporting the baby to be carried, and a pair of shoulder straps and a pair of waist straps to be secured together in order to support the baby carrier on the body of a wearer, is provided with a buckle, one component (30) of which incorporates anchorages (36,38) for one shoulder strap (16) and one waist strap (22) respectively, and the other component (32) of which incorporates anchorages (54,46,50) for the other shoulder strap (18) and waist strap (26), the buckle being so constructed that when in the assembled condition the strap anchorages are held rigidly and closely adjacent to one another in such a manner that the axes of the straps converge substantially at the centre point of the buckle.

Description

[0001] This invention concerns improvements in and relating 'to baby carriers, and more especially to a baby carrier incorporating an improved buckle.

[0002] Baby carriers in common use comprise a body portion in which the baby's body is supported and provided with two leg holes through which the baby's legs project. The body portion is secured to the adult wearer's body by two shoulder straps and two waist straps. The body portion of the carrier may be worn behind so that the baby is carried against the wearer's back or in front so that the baby faces the wearer. Particularly in the latter case, it is very important both for the posture of the baby, and for the comfortable distribution of the baby's weight against the torso of the wearer of the baby carrier, that the two shoulder straps and the two waist straps should be secured together in such a manner that there is no looseness in the straps, whereby the body of the baby is supported high up against the chest and the baby's head tends to fall forwards to rest against the body of the wearer of the baby carrier, rather than lolling backwards in an unsupported fashion. In earlier designs of baby carrier, such an arrangement of the straps was ensured by tying them together in a knot behind the wearer's back. However, owing to the inconvenience of tying and untying such a knot, there has been a demand for a baby carrier of the kind initially referred to above but having a buckle to facilitate securing and release of the shoulder and waist straps.

[0003] Hitherto known proposals to provide a baby carrier of the kind referred to above with a buckle, have, however, resulted in serious disadvantages. Attempts to apply to a baby carrier a conventional buckle of a kind intended for other uses has had the result that the ends of the shoulder and waist straps cannot be drawn sufficiently tightly together to achieve the correct posture required for the baby when supported in the baby carrier. One example of such a hitherto proposed arrangement is shown in U.K. Patent Application published under Serial No. 2 028 633A, wherein the ends of one shoulder strap and one waist strap are in each case looped around a ring-type buckle, the two ring-type buckles being arranged to be linked by means of a fastening hook of the kind conventionally used for securing a dog's lead, or a baby harness. The relatively loose association of the ends of the shoulder and waist straps provided by such an assembly tends to allow the baby carrier to slip downwards relatively to the body of the wearer, causing strain on the/wearer, and possible danger to young infants due to the tendency of the head to fall backwards unsupported.

[0004] It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a baby carrier of the kind generally referred to above, having a buckle to facilitate securing and release of the shoulder and waist strdps, and wherein the ends of such straps can be secured in such a manner as to maintain the optimum posture for the baby.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved in a baby carrier of the kind initially referred to, wherein said baby carrier is characterized by being provided with a buckle having a first component incorporating a first anchorage for receiving one shoulder strap and a second anchorage for receiving one waist strap and a second component incorporating a first anchorage for receiving the other shoulder strap and a second anchorage for receiving the other waist strap, the said first and second components being so shaped and arranged for movement into interlocking engagement that when they are assembled to form the buckle the said first anchorages thereof are located immediately adjacent one another, whilst the said second anchorages are located on opposite sides of and are directly adjacent to the assembled buckle.

[0006] Preferably, means are provided to enable preadjustment of the length of the two shoulder straps and one of the waist straps, and the anchorage for the other waist strap includes means enabling tensioning of the other waist strap when the buckle is assembled.

[0007] In a particularly favourable embodiment of the invention, said first component comprises a female element having a portion providing an internally directed abutment face, said second component comprises a male element in the form of a tongue with a rearwardly directed resilient leaf biassed out of the plane of the tongue, and the arrangement is such that said leaf makes interlocking engagement behind said abutment face when the components of the buckle are in positions such that said anchorages are closest towards one another. The portion of the female element that defines said abutment face may conveniently be in the form of a frame bounding a central panel which can be manually depressed to release said leaf from said abutment surface.

[0008] Such an arrangement provides a particularly convenient and simply constructed assembly, wherein all the strap anchorages are rigidly located immediately adjacent a central portion of the buckle, which may be of rela_- tively small dimensions and conveniently shaped to facilitate manual assembly and release of the buckle by the wearer, without requiring that the buckle be visible to the wearer. In a particularly elegant design to be described in more detail below, the frame portion of the female element may be of a generally square configuration, the sides of the square approximating to the transverse dimension of the shoulder and waist straps. In this case, when the buckle is assembled the two waist strap anchorages are rigidly located immediately adjacent opposite sides of the square frame, and the two shoulder strap anchorages are rigidly located immediately adjacent one another and close to the upper edge of the square frame portion of the buckle. All the axes of the straps thus converge at a common point centred on the buckle, which has proved to be effective in locating the baby carrier in the optimum position on the chest.

[0009] The construction of the buckle is further simplified when the said frame portion and the said central panel are formed integrally of a synthetic plastics material, the central panel being connected at one side with said frame portion by means of a portion of reduced thickness which forms a hinge.

[0010] The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baby carrier incorporating a buckle according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the buckle of Figure 1 in the engaged condition;

Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the buckle in the disengaged condition.

[0011] The baby carrier shown in Figure 1 comprises a body portion 10 having leg holes 12 with padded edges and a detachable head-rest 14. The body portion 10 is secured to a wearer by a pair of shoulder straps 16, 18, each adjustable by a respective sliding bar 20; and a waist belt constituted by a left waist belt strap 22 adjustable by a sliding bar 24 and a right waist belt strap 26 adjustable by a snubbing roller to be described later.

[0012] The left-hand straps 16, 22 are connectible to the right-hand straps 20, 26 by means of a buckle 28 comprising a female component 30 and a male component 32. As best shown in Figure 5, the female component 30 is constituted by a one-piece plastics moulding formed of a base plate 34 having slots 36, 38 therein for the respective reception of the looped left-hand straps 16, 22 and of a frame 40 surrounding a panel 42 which is connected to the frame 40 by a thin, integral hinge 44.

[0013] The male component 32 comprises a rectangular moulded plastics housing 46, the end portions 48 of which are provided with elongate grooves (not shown) receiving the respective spindles (not shown) of a snubbing roller 50, the cylindrical surface of which is roughened. The right-hand waist strap 26 is threaded round the roller 50 as best shown in Figures 2 and 4 leaving its end free. Integrally moulded with the housing 46 is a lug 52 having a slot 54 through which passes the loop of the right-hand shoulder strap 18. Also integrally moulded with the housing 46 is a tongue 56 having an integral leaf 58 which is biassed so as normally to be inclined to the plane of the tongue 56 as shown in Figure 4 and which is formed at its distal end with a rebate providing an abutment shoulder 60.

[0014] To use the baby carrier the shoulder straps 16, 18 and the waist belt strap 22 are first adjusted to the correct length by means of the respective slide bars 20, 24 and the waist belt strap 26 is slackened off the snubbing roller 50.. After the wearer has donned the baby carrier he inserts the male buckle component 32 into the female component 30: as the tongue 56 is inserted, the engagement of the leaf 58 with the undersurface 62 of the frame 40 causes the leaf 58 to be forced towards the plane of the tongue 56 until the tongue 56 achieves the fully inserted position shown in Figure 4 whereupon the leaf 58 snaps with an engagement position in which the shoulder 60 abuts a face of the frame 40, preventing the male buckle component 32 from being withdran by tension applied to the waist belt. The positive click that is heard on engagement supplies a useful audible confirmation that the buckle 28 has been securely fastened. To complete the preparations for use, the baby is placed in the body portion 10 with its legs through the holes 12 facing the wearer; finally the wearer pulls the free end of the right-hand waist belt 26 until the waist belt is comfortably tight. The strap 26 is secured in position by being trapped between the snubbing roller 50 and a side of the housing 48 in the conventional manner.

[0015] To release the buckle 28 it is necessary only to depress the panel 42 which can be done with one finger, which in turn depresses the leaf 58 and the two components 30, 32 will then come apart due to the slight tension in the waist belt.

[0016] The simple design of the buckle 28 allows the female component 30 to be formed as a one-piece plastics moulding; and the male component 32 may be similarly formed apart from the necessity to insert the roller 50 into the housing 48. If a suitable plastics material such as polyacetal is chosen the buckle 28 has great strength and lightness while the leaf 58 the necessary resilience. No springs, nor indeed any metal parts, are necessary, thus avoiding all risk of corrosion.

Claims

1. A baby carrier comprising a body portion (10) having leg holes (12), a pair of shoulder straps (16,18), a pair of waist straps (22,26) and means (28) for securing said shoulder straps and waiss straps together, characterised in that said securing means (28) comprises a buckle having a first component (30) incorporating a - first anchorage (36) for receiving one shoulder strap (16) and a second anchorage (38) for receiving one waist strap (22) and a second component (32) incorporating a first anchorage (54) for receiving the other shoulder strap (18) and a second anchorage (46,50) for receiving the other waist strap (26), the said first and second components (30,32) being so shaped and arranged for movement into interlocking engagement that when they are assembled to form the buckle the said first anchorages (36,54) thereof are located immediately adjacent one another, whilst the said second anchorages (38;46, 50) are located on opposite sides of and are directly adjacent to the assembled buckle.

2. A baby carrier as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that means (20) are provided for enabling pre-adjustment of the length of the two shoulder straps (16,18) and one of the waist straps (22), and that the anchorage (46,50) for the other waist strap includes means (50) enabling tensioning of the other waist strap (26) when the buckle (28) is assembled.

3. A baby carrier as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said first component (30) comprises a female element having a portion (40) providing an internally directed abutment face, that said second component comprises a male element (32) in the form of a tongue (56) with a rearwardly directed resilient leaf (58) biased out of the plane of the tongue, and that the arrangement is such that said leaf (58) makes interlocking engagement behind said abutment face when the components of the buckle are in positions such that said anchorages (36;54;38;46,50) are closest towards one another.

4. A baby carrier as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that portion (40) of said female element that defines said abutment face is in the form of a frame (40) bounding a central panel (42) which can be manually depressed to release said leaf (58) from said abutment surface.

5. A baby carrier as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that said frame (40) and said central panel (42) are formed integrally of a synthetic plastics material, said central panel being connected at one side with said frame by means of a portion (44) of reduced thickness forming a hinge.

Drawing