Baby Carrier
An improved baby carrier is disclosed that includes a monopod leg coupled to a sitting element for supporting the weight of a baby or toddler. In some implementations, the baby carrier includes a detachable sitting element coupled to the monopod leg to support the carrying load and an attachment harness to attach the sitting element and monopod leg to a carrying individual. The monopod leg can be telescopic and include controls for coarse and fine height adjustment of the sitting element, covering a range from, for example, below to above the waist level of the carrying individual. The attachment harness securely attaches the sitting element and monopod leg to a waistband worn by the carrying individual using an attachment cable. In some implementations, the attachment harness can include a baby waistband that attaches to the waistband and/or shoulder straps worn by the carrying individual using attachment cables and clips.
This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/243,818, filed Apr. 2, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis disclosure is related generally to baby carriers.
BACKGROUNDConventional baby carriers often deploy a flexible strap or rigged harness that attaches the baby to the upper body of an adult. When carrying the baby for an extended period of time the weight of the baby can inflict physical stress on the body of the carrying adult, resulting in discomfort. Additionally, many baby carriers specify a carrying weight upper bound that prevents use of the bay carrier for heavier babies or toddlers.
SUMMARYAn improved baby carrier is disclosed that includes a monopod leg coupled to a sitting element for supporting the weight of a baby or toddler. In some implementations, the baby carrier includes a detachable sitting element coupled to the monopod leg to support the carrying load and an attachment harness to attach the sitting element and monopod leg to a carrying individual. The monopod leg can be telescopic and include controls for coarse and fine height adjustment of the sitting element, covering a range from, for example, below to above the waist level of the carrying individual. The monopod leg includes a mounting head that securely supports the sitting element. The sitting element has a profile designed for sitting comfort under a variety of holding positions as well as compactness.
The attachment harness securely attaches the sitting element and monopod leg to a waistband worn by the carrying individual using an attachment cable. In some implementations, the attachment harness can include a baby waistband that attaches to the waistband and/or shoulder straps worn by the carrying individual using attachment cables and clips. Other features include but are not limited to: a non-skid or non-sink tip or roller wheel tip for the monopod leg, retractable support legs, sitting element profile variations and shoulder strap and waistband attachment adjustment.
An advantage of the disclosed baby carrier over conventional baby carries is that it is designed to offload the weight of the baby or toddler to a monopod leg, resulting in less physical stress on the carrying adult. A variety of other features of the baby carrier described herein provide additional advantages over conventional baby carriers.
The details of the disclosed implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
The same reference symbol used in various drawings indicates like elements.
In some implementations, sitting element 3 includes mounting handle 9 (
Due to the varying adult heights and the variety of baby holding and carrying positions, the ideal height of sitting element 3 from ground can have a wide range. The baby carrier includes dual height adjustment controls: a coarse and a fine height adjustment controlled by button 13 and button 11. Element 12 connects the coarse range segment (below element 12) and fine range segment (above element 12). The coarse control sets monopod leg 4 to a preferred height range, usually determined by the height of the carrying adult. The fine control finely tunes the height of sitting element 3 for different holding positions. Button 11, being close to sitting element 3 is easily accessible by the carrying adult.
Referring to
In some implementations, base section 14 of monopod leg 4 can include retractable or fold out support legs (not shown) that can be deployed by the foot of adult 2 using a mechanical lever protruding from base section 14 (not shown) or other suitable deployment mechanism. The support legs can provide additional stability for sitting element 3 when the adult is standing stationary for a long period of time, thus reducing the stress on the waist of adult 2.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, as shown in
Elements of one or more implementations may be combined, deleted, modified, or supplemented to form further implementations. The logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A method of supporting a baby or toddler, the method comprising:
- obtaining a support device, the support device comprising: a monopod leg, a sitting element attached to the monopod leg, and an attachment harness;
- securing the attachment harness to an adult; and
- positioning the baby or toddler on the sitting element.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment harness comprises an adult waistband and shoulder straps, and
- wherein the securing the attachment harness to the adult comprises: securing the adult waistband about a waist of the adult; and positioning the shoulder straps across the adult's shoulders.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adult waistband comprises a first loop, and wherein securing the adult waistband about the waist of the adult comprises positioning the first loop such that the first loop encircles the waist of the adult.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the support device further comprises a baby waistband attached to the attachment harness, and wherein the method further comprises securing the baby waistband about a waist of the baby or toddler.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the baby waistband comprises a second loop, and
- wherein securing the baby waistband about the waist of the baby or toddler comprises positioning the second loop such that the second loop encircles the waist of the baby or toddler.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first loop is distinct from the second loop.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein when the adult waistband is secured to the waist of the adult, the first loop does not encircle any portion of the baby or toddler.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein when the baby waistband is secured to the waist of the baby or toddler, the second loop does not encircle any portion of the adult.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the baby or toddler on the sitting element comprises supporting the baby or toddler on the sitting element such that a weight of the baby or toddler is not supported by the attachment harness.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the support device further comprises a support structure attached to the monopod leg opposite the sitting element.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the support structure comprises a wheel.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the support structure comprises support legs.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the support structure comprises a non-skid tip.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the support structure comprises a non-sink cover tip.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 28, 2015
Publication Date: Apr 21, 2016
Inventor: Yongmei Wang (San Jose, CA)
Application Number: 14/981,744