Car seat carrier

Abstract

A car seat carrier includes a belt for holding the car seat and a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat. The belt resides around the base of the car seat. The shoulder strap attaches diagonal across the belt to provide a balanced carry. A cross-strap crosses over the car seat, attaching to the belt on one side and to the shoulder strap on an opposite side, and is attached to the shoulder strap at a point about twelve inches from the attachment of the shoulder strap to the belt. The cross-strap length is adjustable to allow the cross-strap/shoulder strap geometry to be adjusted to balance the car seat. The shoulder strap includes a buckle and the length adjustment. The shoulder strap may further include padding to increase comfort.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to infant carriers and in particular to a carrier comprising a shoulder strap attached to a belt which holds a car seat to allow easy carrying when the seat is removed from a car.

A stroller is often carried in a car to allow for convenient transportation of the newborn or infant at a destination. However, it is often inconvenient to load a stroller into the car for a short trip, or when the trip is a shopping trip, a stroller may take up space required for purchased articles. Because parents may not always take a stroller with them, many car seats are made to be easily removable from the automobile and include handles for carrying the car seat.

Although the handles provide a means for grasping the car seat, due to the size and weight of the car seat, carrying a car seat by the handle may prove awkward and fatiguing. Carrying the car seat for a long period of time may result in stress on elbows and shoulder joints. Additionally, a mother taking an infant along on a shopping trip may have a very difficult time carrying both the car seat and purchased items, and it may be difficult to reach for a wallet or keys.

Carriers are made for car seats, but these carriers generally require drilling holes and/or attaching unattractive hardware permanently or semi-permanently to the car seat. Some of this hardware may present a hazard to a newborn or infant, or may weaken the car seat rendering it unsafe in a crash.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a car seat carrier includes a belt for holding the car seat and a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat. The belt resides around the base of the car seat. The shoulder strap attaches diagonal across the belt to provide a balanced carry. A cross-strap crosses over the car seat, attaching to the belt on one side and to the shoulder strap on an opposite side, and is attached to the shoulder strap at a point about twelve inches from the attachment of the shoulder strap to the belt. The cross-strap length is adjustable to allow the cross-strap/shoulder strap geometry to be adjusted to balance the car seat. The shoulder strap includes a buckle and the length adjustment. The shoulder strap may further include padding to increase comfort.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a car seat and carrier comprising a car seat for transporting an occupant in an automobile, a base portion of the car seat, a belt adapted to reside around the base portion, and a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat. The belt assumes a substantially rectangular shape when residing around the base portion, and the shoulder strap attaches proximal to opposite corners of the rectangular shaped belt.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a car seat for transporting an occupant in an automobile, and a carrier for carrying the car seat when out of the automobile. The car seat includes a base portion, and the carrier includes a belt adapted to reside around the base portion for holding the car seat, and a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat. The belt assumes the shape of the base portion when residing around the base portion, and the shoulder strap attaches diagonally with respect to the shape of the belt. The carrier may further include a cross-strap attached to reside substantially laterally with respect to the car seat and at least one Velcro® fastener for attachment of the belt to the base portion. The cross-strap is attached to the belt at one end of the cross-strap, and to the shoulder strap at the opposite end of the cross-strap, and the attachment point of the cross-strap to the shoulder strap is between six and eighteen inches from the attachment point of the shoulder strap to the belt. When attached, the cross-strap and shoulder strap form an inverted “V” to provide stable support to the car seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1A is a side view of a known car seat.

FIG. 1B is an end view of the known car seat.

FIG. 2 depicts a user carrying the car seat by a car seat handle.

FIG. 3A shows a side view of a carrier according to the present invention holding the car seat.

FIG. 3B shows an end view of the carrier according to the present invention holding the car seat.

FIG. 4 depicts a user carrying the car seat using the carrier according to the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a side of the carrier only.

FIG. 5B is an end view of the carrier only.

FIG. 6A is a top view of a belt of the carrier.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the belt of the carrier.

FIG. 6C is an end view of the belt of the carrier.

FIG. 7A is a top view of a belt of the carrier with second shoulder strap attaching points.

FIG. 7B is a top view of a belt of the carrier with third shoulder strap attaching points.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.

A side view of a known car seat 10 is shown in FIG. 1A and an end view of the car seat 10 is shown in FIG. 1B. The car seat includes a handle 12 for carrying and has a reduced perimeter base portion 10a. A user 14, generally a parent or other adult, is shown carrying the car seat 10 in a known manner in FIG. 2. Unfortunately, the known manner of carrying the car seat 10 requires the user 14 to hold the handle 12 some distance away from the user's body. As a result, the user 14 often experiences fatigue, stress, and/or discomfort on elbows and shoulder joints.

The car seat 10 is shown in a side view in FIG. 3A with a carrier 16 according to the present invention holding the car seat 10, and in an end view in FIG. 3B with the carrier 16 holding the car seat 10. The user 14 is shown in FIG. 4 using the carrier 16 to carry the car seat 10. A shoulder strap 18 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) of the carrier 16 resides about the shoulders of the user 14 to carry most or all of the weight of the car seat 10. Fatigue, distress, and discomfort associated with carrying the car seat 10 by the handle 12 is thus substantially reduced or eliminated.

A detailed side view of the carrier 16 is shown in FIG. 5A, and a detailed end view of the carrier 16 shown in FIG. 5B. The carrier 16 includes a belt 26 adapted to reside around the base portion 10a of the car seat 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) to hold the car seat 10. When residing around the base portion 10a, the belt 26 generally assumes a substantially rectangular shape due to the shape of the base portion 10a of the car seat 10, but the belt 26 may also assume a more square shape or an oval shape if the base portion is more square or more oval shaped. A belt 26 assuming any shape while residing around any base portion is intended to come within the scope of the present invention, and any carrier 16 holding a car seat by the cooperation of a belt with a base portion is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. The belt 26 further resides substantially horizontally while holding the car seat, although the car seat 10 and/or the belt 26 may somewhat tilt (i.e, reside somewhat out of the horizontal plain) as long as the occupant of the car seat is safely carried in the car seat (e.g, does not slip) and as long as the belt 26 safely holds the car seat.

A shoulder strap 18 is attached to the belt 26 to allow the user 14 to conveniently carry the car seat 10. The shoulder strap 18 is attached near opposing corners of the belt 26 and resides diagonally (looking down) with respect to the belt 26 and thus diagonally with respect to the carried car seat 10. The shoulder strap 18 has sufficient length to allow the user 14 to adjust the position of the shoulder strap 18 on the shoulder and around the neck to stably carry the car seat 10 to the user's front or side, with the car seat 10 near the user's waist. The shoulder strap 18 has a first strap end 18a attached to the belt 26, and a second strap end 18b opposite the first strap end 18a, and also attached to the belt 26 at an attachment point 30b (see FIG. 6A) approximately opposite the attachment point 30a (see FIG. 6A) of the first strap end 18a.

A shoulder pad 20 is approximately centered on the shoulder strap 18 to allow for more comfortable carrying of the car seat 10. The shoulder strap 18 may further included a first buckle 24a. The buckle 24a allows the shoulder strap 18 to be separated thus allowing the user 14 to more easily put on the carrier 16 over the user's 14 shoulders and neck in tight quarters. The buckle 24a may further provide a length adjustment for the shoulder strap 18, and include a pull 32 for adjusting the length of the shoulder strap 18.

A cross-strap 22 runs substantially laterally across the belt 26 and over the car seat 10. The cross-strap 22 need not run precisely laterally as long as both ends of the cross-strap 22 are both near the same end of the belt 26 when the belt 26 is residing on the base portion 10a of the car seat 10. The cross-strap 22 includes a belt end 22a attached to the belt 26 at an attachment point 30c (see FIG. 6A) and a shoulder strap end attached to the shoulder strap 18 between six inches and eighteen inches from where the second shoulder strap end 18b attaches to the belt 26, and more preferably approximately twelve inches from where the second shoulder strap end 18b attaches to the belt 26. Thus attached to the shoulder strap 18, the cross-strap 22 and the shoulder strap 18 form a stable triangular geometry 23 for carrying the car seat 10. The cross-strap 22 may further include a second buckle 24b. The buckle 24b allows the cross-strap 22 to be separated thus allowing the user 14 to more easily attach the carrier 16 to the car seat 10, for example, when a child is in the car seat 10. The buckle 24b may further provide a length adjustment for the cross-strap 22, and include a pull 32 for adjusting the length of the cross-strap 22 to level the car seat 10.

The belt 26, shoulder strap 18, and the cross-strap 22 are preferably made from web belt material, heavy canvas, rip stop nylon, or a general nylon material. A pouch 28 may be attached to the belt 26 to provide storage for articles such as baby bottles, diapers, etc.

A detailed top view of the belt 26 is shown in FIG. 6A, a detailed side view of the belt 26 is shown in FIG. 6B, and a detailed end view of the belt 26 is shown in FIG. 6C. The belt 26 includes a first belt end 26a and a second belt end 26b. The belt ends 26a and 26b correspond to head and feet positions of an occupant of the car seat 10, and the carrier 16 may carry the car seat 10 with either end 26a or 26b at the head or feet of an occupant. The belt 26 further includes a first belt side 26c running between the belt ends 26a and 26b, and a second belt side 26d opposite the first belt side 26c, and corners 35 between the ends and sides. The first attachment point 30a for the first strap end 18a (see FIG. 5B) resides on the first belt side 26c proximal to the second belt end 26b, and a second attachment point 30b for the second strap end 18b resides on the second belt side 26d proximal to the first belt end 26a. A third attachment point 30c for the belt end 22a of the cross-strap 22 also reside on the first side 26c at an end of the first side 26c opposite the first attachment point 30a. Velcro® fasteners 34 reside on the belt 26 to allow the belt 26 to be firmly attached to the car seat 10. The belt 26 may further include a length adjuster 37 with a pull 32, whereby the length of the belt 26 may be adjusted to fit various car seats 10.

The belt 26 is shown having a substantially rectangular shape in FIG. 6A. In general, the belt 26 will conform or take on the shape or outline of the base portion 10a of the car seat 10. In instances where the base portion 10a is not rectangular, e.g. oval, the belt 26 will take on a different shape. The carrier according to the present invention is not limited to a rectangular base portion 10a, and the use of a carrier with a shoulder strap attached to a belt holding a base portion of any shape is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. The shoulder strap 18 may be permanently attached to the belt 26, or detachably attached to the belt 26 to simplify attachment of the carrier 16 to the car seat 10.

The shoulder strap 18 may be attached to the belt 26 at various points. For example, the first attaching point 30a is shown in FIG. 7A in the corner 35a near the original position (see FIG. 6A) of the attaching point 30a. In another example, the first attaching point 30a is shown in FIG. 7B on the end 26b proximal to the corner 35a, and the attaching point 30b is shown in the opposite corner 35b. Such variations in the mounting points 30a and 30b may provide better balance while carrying the car seat 10, and any carrier having a belt for holding the car seat, and a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat, is intended to come within the scope of the present invention.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A car seat carrier comprising:

a belt for holding the car seat; and

a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat.

2. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein the belt resides substantially horizontally when holding the car seat.

3. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein the belt resides around a base portion of the car seat when holding the car seat.

4. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein:

when the belt is positioned for holding the car seat, the belt defines a substantially rectangular shape having:

a first belt end;

a second belt end opposite the first end;

a first belt side running between the ends; and

a second belt side opposite the first belt side;

the shoulder strap has a first strap end and a second strap end opposite the first strap end; and

the first strap end is attached to the belt at a first attachment point on the first belt side and the second strap end is attached to the belt at a second attachment point on the second belt side.

5. The car seat carrier of claim 4, wherein the first attachment point is proximal to one of the first belt end and the second belt end, and the second attachment point is proximal to the other one of the first belt end and the second belt end.

6. The car seat carrier of claim 5, further including a cross-strap, wherein:

the cross-strap has a belt end attached to the belt at a third attachment point on the same side of the belt as the first attachment point; and

the cross-strap has a shoulder stap end attached to the shoulder strap between six inches and eighteen inches from the second strap end of the shoulder strap,

wherein the cross-strap resides substantially laterally between the first belt side and the second belt side.

7. The car seat carrier of claim 6, wherein the shoulder strap end of the cross-strap is attached to the shoulder strap approximately twelve inches from the second strap end of the shoulder strap.

8. The car seat carrier of claim 6, wherein the cross-strap includes a cross-strap buckle between the belt end and the shoulder strap end allowing the cross-strap to be separated between the belt end and the shoulder strap end.

9. The car seat carrier of claim 6, wherein the cross-strap buckle is an adjustable cross-strap allowing the length of the cross-strap to be adjusted.

10. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein the shoulder strap includes a shoulder strap buckle allowing the shoulder strap to be separated into two parts.

11. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein the shoulder strap buckle is an adjustable shoulder strap allowing the length of the shoulder strap to be adjusted.

12. The car seat carrier of claim 1, wherein the belt includes a length adjuster for adjusting length of the belt to fit various car seats.

13. The car seat carrier of claim 1, further including a pouch.

14. The car seat carrier of claim 1, further including at least one Velcro® fastener for attachment of the carrier to the car seat.

15. A car seat and carrier comprising:

a car seat for transporting an occupant in an automobile, the car seat including a base portion;

a belt adapted to reside around the base portion, thereby holding the car seat, the belt assuming a substantially rectangular shape when residing around the base portion; and

a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat, the shoulder strap attached proximal to opposite corners of the belt.

16. The car seat carrier of claim 15, further including a cross-strap, wherein:

the belt has belt sides and belt ends; and

the cross-strap is connected to one of the belt sides proximal to one of the belt ends, and the cross-strap crosses over the car seat.

17. The car seat carrier of claim 16, wherein the cross-strap attaches between one of the belt sides and the shoulder strap.

18. A car seat and carrier comprising:

a car seat for transporting an occupant in an automobile, the car seat including a base portion;

a belt adapted to reside around the base portion, thereby holding the car seat, the belt assuming a shape of the base portion when residing around the base portion; and

a shoulder strap attached to the belt for carrying the car seat, the shoulder strap attached diagonally between sides of the belt, wherein the shoulder strap straddles the car seat.

19. The car seat carrier of claim 18, further including a cross-strap attached to reside substantially laterally with respect to the car seat.

20. The car seat carrier of claim 18, further including at least one Velcro® fastener for attachment of the belt to the base portion.