Covering for a child

Abstract

A covering for a child for use when the child is being transported in a shoulder-supported harness-style child carrier, car seat or stroller, the covering resembling a coat or jacket on top in having sleeves and an opening for the child's head, and a bunting on the bottom. An aperture is provided in the rear for inserting the child's head and limbs after the child has been placed in the child carrier, car seat or stroller. A hood is removably attached to the opening for the child's head, allowing for use of the covering when the child is placed in a variety of carriers, car seats or strollers. Elastic edges are provided at the openings and apertures to provide comfortable and secure fit on and around the child.

Description

This invention claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/557,845, filed Mar. 30, 2004.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of infant and child coverings, specifically those used with car seats, caregiver-supported carriers and strollers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infants and children are susceptible to the cold, and exposure of infants and young children to cold temperatures, precipitation and ultraviolet rays is avoided by most caregivers and parents as caregivers. For the first few years of a child's life, their caregivers spend a significant amount of time and resources directed to keeping the child warm and covered when outside. The resources include the use of layers of blankets, coats, jackets, sweaters, shirts and undergarments in varying combinations.

For transporting infants and young children, various means are employed, including from car seats, strollers, baby carriages and baby carriers. Quite often, the caregiver must adjust the child and any outer garments, depending on the means of transportation. When the child is protected by layers of clothing, the process of securing the child in a variety of means of transportation is often awkward and time consuming.

It is desired to have a means for protectively covering a child where the covering means can be used with a variety of means for transporting the child, and where the child will be covered and comfortable, regardless of the means of transportation.

One well-known means for transportation used by caregivers is the child carrier, a shoulder-supported harness-style carrier sold in a variety of configurations, such as carriers sold under the Snugli™ or Baby Bjorn™ trademarks. In common configurations, the child is supported in front of the torso of the caregiver, where the child carrier has support straps over one or both of the caregiver's shoulders, and may also include a strap extending around the middle of the caregiver's torso.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a covering to be used to keep infants and small children warm, dry and protected when outdoors. The invention is primarily for use while the child is being carried in a shoulder-supported harness-style carrier. The invention may also be used while the child is being carried in a child car seat or stroller.

The invention has the overall appearance of a coat on top and a bunting on the bottom, providing a hood, sleeves for the child's arms, and an opening on the rear side for permitting the child to be placed within the invention. Optionally, pockets can be provided for keeping the caregiver's hands warm or protected. The pockets have holes at the inner end, allowing the caregiver to put their hands all the way through the pocket and make contact with the child if necessary. Similarly, the sleeves may also include hand holes for the child, allowing the child to extend his or her hands outside of the covering of the invention.

The hood can be attached in two different positions (or not at all) so that when used with a child carrier, the caregiver can choose to carry the child facing either in or out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention, with cutaway line A showing an interior feature.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention, showing the hood attached and facing in a rearward direction.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the present invention, showing the hood attached and facing in a forward direction.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the present invention, showing an opening where the hood may be attached.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the hood of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the hood of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is front view of the present invention without a hood attached.

FIG. 9 is side view of the present invention without a hood attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As seen in FIG. 1, the covering 100 has the appearance of a conventional coat or jacket, with two sleeves 21 and a detachable hood 50. However, where a conventional coat or jacket would be open at the bottom, the bottom 12 of covering 100 is closed, creating an internal cavity 90. Opening 30 is located on rear side 10 of covering 100, allowing access to the internal cavity 90. Adjustable edge 40 surrounds opening 30, to provide a means for allowing the child to be placed within internal cavity 90 of covering 100, through opening 30, while providing for a greater surface area protecting the child from possible exposure to the elements when the covering 100 is in use. Preferably, adjustable edge 40 includes an elastic material to provide a close fit around the child and a child carrier when the child is being supported by the child carrier.

Elongated sleeves 21 are conventional in appearance, with sleeve opening 22 at one end, allowing the child's hand to emerge. Flap 23 may be folded over sleeve opening 22 to cover the child's hand and retain the child's hand within sleeve 21, preventing the need for gloves or mittens to be worn in cold weather.

Pockets 70 may be formed on covering 100, allowing the caregiver's hands to be inserted. The welts for the pockets 70 are preferably long enough for one of the caregiver's hands to be placed fully inside of a pocket 70. As an optional feature of pockets 70 opening 72 may be provided on the inside of pocket 70, allowing the caregiver's hands to extend into internal cavity 90, to allow contact with the child while the covering 100 is in use. Opening 72 may be seen in the cutaway view denoted by line A on FIG. 2.

Hood opening 15 is located at the top of covering 100, allowing hood 50 to be attached to covering 100. As can be seen in FIG. 2, hood 50 includes opening 60, which opening 60 is surrounded by an elastic edge 52. Adjustable edge 52 allows for a close fit of opening 60 around a child's face when the child's head is placed within hood 50. Adjustable edge 52 preferably is a gentle elastic around the face to keep the hood snug around the head of the child.

FIG. 3 shows how opening 30 appears in relation to covering 100 and how opening 60 appears in relation to hood 50.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show how hood 50 may be secured at hood opening 15. Hood opening 15 has a plurality of attachment means 55 around it, preferably in a consistent pattern. Attachment means 55 connect with engagement means 56 on edge 54 of hood 50, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Attachment means 55 and engagement means 56 permit the hood 50 to be attached at hood opening 15 in a variety of configurations, thereby permitting hood opening 60 to be in front of the child's face, regardless of the child's position within covering 100.

Covering 100 may further comprise sizing means enabling bottom 12 to be retracted up in a direction toward the top aperture when the child is smaller, and released when the child grows taller. The sizing means may be a button and a toggle loop or another means as is known in the art.

Pocket 80 may be located on the front 11 of covering 100, allowing for convenient accessible storage for toys, keys, cell phones, pacifiers or miscellaneous items.

Another way of considering the invention is that the covering 100 is shaped more or less like a hooded bunting with an elasticized hole (opening 30) in the back 10. For use with a child carrier, the child is first put into the child carrier in regular clothes, or in outerwear such as a coat, jacket or snowsuit. The child should be secured in the carrier according to the carrier manufacturer's directions. The child's head is then put through opening 30 in back 10 of covering 100, through hood opening 15 and into hood 15. The rest of the child will then be placed through the opening 30 to be fully enclosed by the covering 100. The child's hands can be extended into sleeves 21, through sleeve openings 22 if desired, or left inside the sleeves 21. Sleeve flaps 23 act to keep the child's hands covered.

The body of covering 100 and the additional seat cover is preferably made out of a water-repellent and wind-resistant fabric, such as WindPro™ fleece, but may also be of a lightweight material for protection from ultraviolet rays for use during warm and sunny weather. The body of covering 100 may also contain elastic and/or locking drawstring cords, a nylon zipper, and some buttons with corresponding button loops. The invention is preferably constructed from machine washable fabric.

The invention provides a safety advantage over traditional snowsuits and other cold weather gear when used with car seats. This is because the invention goes over the child after (s)he is strapped in, rather than creating a puffy layer between the child and the support straps of a harness or car seat. Therefore the “give” created in such protective support straps when heavily clothed children are supported in will be eliminated.

While certain novel features of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A covering for a child, comprising:

a front panel of a flexible material with right and left sleeve portions;

a rear panel of a flexible material with right and left sleeve portions, with an aperture located approximately in the center of the rear panel, where the rear aperture is capable of allowing the child to be placed within the covering; and

a hood of a flexible material,

where the front and rear panels are of substantially the same size, and are joined together at less than the entirety of their respective edges to form an enclosed space, and the right and left sleeve portions of the front and rear panels are joined together to form right and left sleeves,

and where a top aperture is located along one edge of the joined panels between the right and left sleeves, where the top aperture is capable of allowing the child's head to protrude out of the covering when the child is placed within the covering.

2. The covering of claim 1, further comprising:

a hood removably attached at the top aperture.

3. The covering of claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of paired attachment means, where one of the pair of attachment means is located on the hood and the other of the pair of attachment means is located at the top aperture, providing for the hood to be attached at the top aperture in at least one configuration.

4. The covering of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustable portion of an edge of the rear aperture.

5. The covering of claim 4, where the adjustable portion comprises an elastic material.

6. The covering of claim 1, further comprising:

adjustment means located on at least one of the front and rear panels, allowing for a bottom edge of the joined front and rear panels to be adjustably secured into a retracted position relative to the top aperture.

7. The covering of claim 1, further comprising:

a pocket formed along an edge of the joined front and rear panels.

8. The covering of claim 7, further comprising:

a pocket aperture formed within the pocket.

9. The covering of claim 1, where the rear aperture permits the covering to be placed around a child when the child is placed within one of a child carrier, a child's car seat and a stroller.

10. A covering for a child being supported by a child carrier, where the child carrier supports the child around the child's torso, leaving the child's head, arms and legs unrestrained by the child carrier, the covering comprising:

an upper portion with a front side and a rear side, the upper portion capable of enclosing the child's shoulders, arms and upper torso, the upper portion comprising sleeves into which the child's arms may be inserted and a top aperture through which the child's head may be inserted; and

a lower portion with a front side and a rear side, the lower portion capable of enclosing the child's legs,

where the upper portion and lower portion are joined together to form an interior cavity that encloses the child's shoulders, arms, upper torso, legs and lower torso, leaving an rear aperture on the rear side of the joined upper portion and lower portion, into which rear aperture the child may be inserted into the interior cavity after the child has first been placed in the child carrier.

11. The covering of claim 10, further comprising:

a hood removably attached at the top aperture of the upper portion.

12. The covering of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of paired attachment means, where one of the pair of attachment means is located on the hood and the other of the pair of attachment means is located at the top aperture.

13. The covering of claim 10, further comprising:

an adjustable portion of an edge of the rear aperture.

14. A method for covering a child, where the child is being transported in a shoulder-supported harness-style carrier, the method comprising:

placing the child in the carrier, where the child is supported around the torso and the child's head, arms and legs are free of the carrier;

inserting the child's head and upper torso through a rear opening in a garment-like covering;

inserting the child's head through a top opening in the garment-like covering, so that the child's head is located outside of the garment-like covering;

inserting the child's arms into sleeves in the garment-like covering; and

inserting the child's legs through the rear opening of the garment-like covering into a bottom compartment of the garment-like covering.