Cover
Embodiments of methods, and/or articles for protecting at least a portion of a child seat are disclosed.
Numerous differing types and categories of child or infant seats exist, and may include, for example, high chairs, strollers, infant swings, infant seats, such as “bouncy” seats, car seats and booster seats. Additionally, numerous other types of devices, while not generally referred to as seats, may be configured to provide a convenient place to secure a child, toddler or infant during a task such as shopping, feeding or dining, for example. Devices such as these may be referred to as seating devices, and, in this context, seating devices may include any device capable of securing a child or infant, for example. Occasionally, seating devices such as these may become soiled, and it may be desirable to clean at least a portion of the seating device, for example. The process of cleaning seating devices such as these may be difficult and/or may be time consuming, which may be due in part to the process of removing and/or cleaning portions of the seating device. For a variety of reasons, including the reasons set forth above, it may be desirable to produce a device that may address one or more of these limitations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURESSubject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Claimed subject matter, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference of the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subject matter.
Numerous differing types and categories of seating devices exist, and, in this context, seating devices may include devices primarily designed to provide seating for a child, and may additionally include devices that may not be primarily designed for child seating, but may have the capability to provide seating for a child. Seating devices such as these may include a liner, which may be padded, for example, and the liner may be permanently and/or removably coupled to the seating device. A liner, in this context, may comprise one or more materials that may be at least partially flexible, and may be configured to be attached to the seating device, such as to provide functions such as padding for one or more seating surfaces of the seating device. Seating devices may include high chairs, strollers, car seats, shopping carts, booster seats, infant swings, infant seats, such as “bouncy” seats, and/or bicycle seats, although numerous other types of seating devices may exist, and are not listed herein. Devices such as these may be referred to throughout the specification as seating devices or child seats, regardless of whether the devices are used primarily for seating, for example. Additionally, although referred to as a child seat, a seating device in accordance with one or more embodiments may be particularly configured to seat infants, toddlers or children, and child seat refers generally to devices capable of seating children having a variety of ages, for example.
Child seats or portions thereof, such as a liner, as described above may, for numerous reasons, occasionally be cleaned, or may be cleaned frequently, such as after every use, for example. Additionally, it may be desirable for a child to have little direct contact with the child seat, such as if the child seat is utilized by multiple children, for example, such as in a nursery or day care, and may be potentially unsanitary as a result. The process of cleaning seating devices such as these may be difficult and/or may be time consuming, which may be due in part to the process of removing and/or cleaning the liner, and/or cleaning other portions of the seating device. Additionally, it may be customary to clean the liner regularly, such as after regular use of the seating device. In this case, if the liner is cleaned multiple times, the liner may become discolored, misshapen and/or weakened, such as due to the multiple washing processes, for example. However, it is desirable to note that the claimed subject matter is not so limited, and in alternative embodiments no liner may be utilized, as explained previously.
In at least one embodiment, a child seat may comprise a high chair, and the high chair may include a liner. The high chair may further include harness straps, such as harness straps comprising a five-point harness, and/or may comprise a tray and/or tray post, as will be explained in more detail later. A high chair such as described herein may be utilized to secure a child, such as during a meal or during craft activities, for example. The high chair and/or portions thereof, such as the liner or harness straps may, for example, become soiled during one or more of the above-described uses, for example, and, as a result, it may be desirable to clean the high chair, which may include cleaning the liner and/or harness straps. The liner may be removable, for example, but may be difficult to remove, which may be due to the manner by which it is secured to a chair, such as by use of multiple snaps, for example. Additionally, the liner may not be removable, and/or removal and cleaning of the liner may not thoroughly clean the chair, or may result in wear and tear of the liner, such as due to multiple washings, described previously. It may, therefore, be desirable to produce a cover that may be fitted to protect at least a portion of a child seat and/or liner, such as by covering at least a portion of the child seat and/or the liner. Fitted, as used in this context, refers generally to the capability of a cover to at least partially conform to the shape of portions of a seating device. For example, a cover may be fitted to conform to a seating device, wherein the seating device includes a liner, for example. Fitting may be aided by the use of securing portions, as will be explained in more detail later. The cover fitted to protect at least a portion of the child seat and/or liner may be more easily or readily removable than the liner, may be less susceptible to wear and tear due to multiple washings such as by being comprised of a more readily washable material or combination of materials, may be less expensive than a liner, and/or may protect and/or cover a greater portion of the child seat than is protected and/or covered by the liner, for example. This may provide easier clean up after a meal or other activity, may provide a convenient way to protect and/or cover a child seat that may be unsanitary, and/or may reduce wear and tear of the liner, such as discoloration or disfigurement of the liner, although claimed subject matter is not so limited. Additionally, although referred to as a cover, it is desirable to note that a cover formed in accordance with at least one embodiment may not necessarily cover an entire child seat, for example, but may in some embodiments cover only portions of the child seat, such as by draping over and/or conforming to portions of a seat, for example. However, a cover such as described above may be better understood with reference to the figures, below.
Referring now to
Cover 100 may have one or more holes and/or slots 104 formed therein. For example, in this embodiment, referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
It is, of course, now appreciated, based at least in part on the foregoing disclosure, that although particular embodiments have just been described, claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to a particular embodiment or implementation. For example, a cover formed in accordance with one or more of the foregoing embodiments may be suited to at least partially cover a seating device, as previously described. Additionally, in the preceding description, various aspects of claimed subject matter have been described. For purposes of explanation, specific materials and/or configurations were set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that claimed subject matter may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features were omitted and/or simplified so as not to obscure claimed subject matter. While certain features have been illustrated and/or described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and/or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and/or changes as fall within the true spirit of claimed subject matter.
Claims
1. An article, comprising:
- a cover fitted to protect at least a portion of a child seat having a liner, wherein the cover includes a securing portion capable of at least partially securing the cover to the child seat.
2. The article of claim 1, wherein said cover is configured to have a generally oblong shape.
3. The article of claim 1, wherein said cover is formed from one or more materials, including terrycloth, cotton, polyester, plastic, and/or combinations thereof.
4. The article of claim 1, and further comprising at least one slot formed in at least a portion of the cover.
5. The article of claim 4, and further comprising a plurality of slots configured such as to allow portions of a five-point harness coupled to the child seat to pass at least partially through the cover.
6. The article of claim 5, and further comprising at least one slot configured such as to allow at least one tray post to at least partially pass through the cover.
7. The article of claim 5, and further comprising one or more harness cover portions configured to cover at least a portion of the five-point harness.
8. The article of claim 1, wherein said child seat comprises one or more of the following: a high chair, a stroller, a car seat, a shopping cart, a booster seat, a bicycle seat, an infant swing, an infant “bouncy” seat, and/or combinations thereof.
9. The article of claim 1, wherein said at least one securing portion comprises one or more of the following: elastic, drawstring, snaps, Velcro®, buttons, clips, and/or combinations thereof.
10. The article of claim 1, wherein said cover is at least partially machine-washable.
11. An article, comprising:
- means for protecting a child seat having a liner, wherein the means for protecting comprises:
- means for covering at least a portion of the child seat; and
- means for securing the means for covering to the child seat.
12. The article of claim 11, wherein said means for protecting comprises a cover, wherein the cover is fitted to cover at least a portion of the child seat and at least a portion of the liner, and wherein the cover is comprised of one or more materials.
13. The article of claim 12, wherein said one or more materials includes: terrycloth, cotton, polyester, plastic and/or combinations thereof.
14. The article of claim 11, wherein said child seat comprises one or more of the following: a high chair, a stroller, a car seat, a shopping cart, a booster seat, a bicycle seat, an infant swing, an infant “bouncy” seat, and/or combinations thereof.
15. The article of claim 11, wherein said means for securing comprises one or more of the following: elastic, drawstring, snaps, Velcro®, buttons, clips, and/or combinations thereof.
16. The article of claim 12, wherein said cover is at least partially machine-washable.
17. A system, comprising:
- a child seat;
- a liner coupled to the child seat; and
- a cover coupled to the child seat, wherein said cover is fitted to cover at least a portion of the child seat and at least a portion of the liner.
18. The system of claim 17, and further comprising at least one securing portion capable of at least partially securing the cover to the child seat.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein said at least one securing portion comprises one or more of the following: elastic, drawstring, snaps, Velcro®, buttons, clips, and/or combinations thereof.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein said cover is formed from one or more materials, including terrycloth, cotton, polyester, plastic, and/or combinations thereof.
21. The system of claim 17, and further comprising a plurality of slots configured such as to allow portions of a five-point harness coupled to the child seat to pass at least partially through the cover.
22. The system of claim 17, wherein said child seat comprises one or more of the following: a high chair, a stroller, a car seat, a shopping cart, a booster seat, a bicycle seat, an infant swing, an infant “bouncy” seat, and/or combinations thereof.
23. The system of claim 17, wherein said cover is at least partially machine-washable.
24. A child seat and child seat liner kept clean in the following manner:
- securing a cover to at least a portion of the child seat, wherein said cover is fitted to cover at least a portion of the child seat and at least a portion of the liner.
25. The child seat and child seat liner of claim 24, wherein said cover further comprises at least one securing portion capable of at least partially securing the cover to the child seat, wherein said at least one securing portion comprises one or more of the following: elastic, drawstring, snaps, Velcro®, buttons, clips, and/or combinations thereof.
26. The child seat and child seat liner of claim 24, wherein said cover is formed from one or more materials, including terrycloth, cotton, polyester, plastic, and/or combinations thereof.
27. The child seat and child seat liner of claim 24, and further comprising a plurality of slots configured such as to allow portions of a five-point harness coupled to the child seat to pass at least partially through the cover.
28. The child seat and child seat liner of claim 24, wherein said child seat comprises one or more of the following: a high chair, a stroller, a car seat, a shopping cart, a booster seat, a bicycle seat, an infant swing, an infant “bouncy” seat, and/or combinations thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 13, 2005
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2006
Inventor: Stephanie Karr (Tigard, OR)
Application Number: 11/105,778
International Classification: A47C 31/00 (20060101);