JP7469082B2 - Baby carrier - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a baby carrier, and in particular to a baby carrier equipped with a waist pad that contacts the waist of the person carrying the baby.

Baby carriers equipped with a waist belt that is worn around the waist of a person carrying an infant have been known for some time. Examples of baby carriers equipped with a waist belt are disclosed in Utility Model Registration No. 3154408 (Patent Document 1), Patent No. 5902265 (Patent Document 2), and Utility Model Registration No. 3215819 (Patent Document 3).

Patent Document 1 discloses that by providing a plate-shaped, flexible core material within the waist pad, the waist pad can come into contact with the lower abdomen of the user and more stably hold the baby's buttocks. Patent Document 2 discloses a waist belt in which a flexible core material with little elasticity is laminated with a highly cushioned foamed synthetic resin sheet. Patent Document 3 discloses that by providing a core material at the lower end of the waist belt, it is less likely to deform even when the baby moves and can be maintained in a state of close contact with the user's waist.

Utility Model Registration No. 3154408 Japanese Patent No. 5902265 Utility Model Registration No. 3215819

The waist belts of the baby carriers disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are provided with a core material, allowing the person carrying the baby to hold the baby stably. However, these baby carriers are not designed to take into consideration the strain on the waist of the person carrying the baby.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a baby carrier that can reduce the burden on the waist of the person carrying the baby.

For this purpose, one aspect of the present invention provides a baby carrier that includes a baby carrier body that encases the torso of the infant, shoulder belts that are connected to both ends of the baby carrier body and placed on the shoulders of the person carrying the infant, a waist belt that is connected to the lower end of the baby carrier body and worn around the waist of the person carrying the infant, and a waist pad that is attached to the waist belt and comes into contact with the waist of the person carrying the infant, the waist pad extending vertically along the spine of the person carrying the infant and including a pair of first core materials that are spaced apart in the width direction perpendicular to the spine so as to sandwich the spine.

Preferably, the lumbar pad further includes a second core material that is more flexible than the first core material and is positioned between the pair of first core materials and the hips of the person carrying the infant.

Preferably, the first core material is a resin plate having a thickness of 0.1 cm or more and 0.3 cm or less.

Preferably, the width dimension of the upper portion of the first core material is greater than the width dimension of its lower portion.

Preferably, the width dimension of the upper part of the first core material is 3 cm or more and 5 cm or less, and the width dimension of the lower part is 2 cm or more and less than 3 cm.

Preferably, the distance between the pair of first core materials is 7 cm or more and 13 cm or less.

The second core material is preferably a cushioning rubber having a thickness of 0.3 cm or more and 1.0 cm or less.

Preferably, the waist pad has a belt through hole that passes through the waist belt, and the belt through hole is provided on the outside of the first core material.

The present invention provides a baby carrier that can reduce the strain on the waist of the person carrying the baby.

1 is a schematic diagram showing features of a baby carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a baby carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3A is a plan view showing the lumbar pad, (A) is a view from the front side, (B) is a view from the back side, and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line III(C)-III(C) in FIG. 3(B). 1A is a plan view showing an exploded view of a waist pad, in which FIG. 1A shows an auxiliary cloth and a first core material in a front portion, and FIG. 1B shows a second core material. FIG. 1 is an external view from the rear of a person carrying an infant in a front-hold position.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

The baby carrier 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the following description of the baby carrier 1, the left-right direction and the up-down direction are based on the left-right direction and the up-down direction on the paper surface of FIGS. 1 to 4, respectively. The left-right direction is also called the width direction.

The baby carrier 1 of this embodiment comprises a baby carrier body 2 that encases the torso of the infant, a pair of right and left shoulder belts 3 and 4 that are placed on each shoulder of the person carrying the infant, a waist belt 5 that is attached to the waist of the person carrying the infant, and a waist pad 6 that comes into contact with the waist of the person carrying the infant. The baby carrier 1 can be used both for carrying the infant in front of the parent, where the infant is held close to the chest, and for carrying the infant on the parent's back, where the infant is held close to the parent's back. The person carrying the infant is, for example, a parent, and in the following explanation will be referred to simply as the "person carrying the infant."

With further reference to FIG. 2, the baby carrier body 2 will be described. The baby carrier body 2 includes a right front body member 20 connected to both ends of the right shoulder belt 3, and a left front body member 21 connected to both ends of the left shoulder belt 4. The right front body member 20 and the left front body member 21 are overlapped, and only their lower ends are sewn to the waist belt 5. The upper ends of the right front body member 20 and the left front body member 21 are not sewn, so they are removably connected at a connecting portion 22. This allows a space for accommodating an infant to be formed in the area surrounded by the right front body member 20 and the left front body member 21. The right front body member 20 and the left front body member 21 are fabric members and may contain cushioning material.

In this embodiment, the baby carrier body 2 is described as being two-ply, with a right front body member 20 and a left front body member 21, but it may be a typical single-ply shape and is not limited to the shape described above.

Next, the shoulder belts 3, 4 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. The shoulder belts 3, 4 are composed of a first strap 30, 40 that is located at the top and placed across the shoulder of the person carrying the bag, and a second strap 34, 44 that is connected to the lower end of the first strap 30, 40 so that the length can be adjusted.

The right shoulder belt 3 has the upper end of the first belt 30 connected to the upper end of the right front body member 20, and the lower end of the second belt 34 connected to the lower end of the right front body member 20. The left shoulder belt 4 has the upper end of the first belt 40 connected to the upper end of the left front body member 21, and the lower end of the second belt 44 connected to the lower end of the left front body member 21. The upper ends of the first belts 30, 40 and the second belts 34, 44 are sewn to the baby carrier body 2 and cannot be removed. The length of the shoulder belts 3, 4 can be adjusted at the connection points of the first belts 30, 40 and the second belts 34, 44, so that they can be adapted to the body shape of the person carrying the baby.

A bridge belt 31 is provided at the middle of the first straps 30, 40. The bridge belt 31 appropriately maintains the distance between the right shoulder belt 3 and the left shoulder belt 4, and prevents the first straps 30, 40 from slipping off the parent's shoulder. The right end of the bridge belt 31 includes a strap 32 attached to the right shoulder belt 3 and a female buckle 33 attached to the strap 32. The left end of the bridge belt 31 includes a strap 42 attached to the left shoulder belt 4 and a male buckle 43 attached to the strap 42. The straps 32, 42 are attached to the first straps 30, 40, respectively, so that they can slide slightly in the extension direction of the first straps 30, 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the bridge belt 31 is connected on the back side of the carrier. By using the bridge belt 31, the right shoulder belt 3 and the left shoulder belt 4 are curved neatly on the carrier's back, making it possible to support the trunk and spine.

Next, the waist belt 5 will be described with reference to the same figure. The waist belt 5 is connected to the lower end of the baby carrier body 2 and worn around the waist of the person carrying the baby. The waist belt 5 extends in the left-right direction and has a waist support part 50 that is wrapped around the parent's waist, a waist belt body 51 that connects to the end of the waist support part 50, a female buckle 52 provided at the end of the waist support part 50, and a male buckle 53 provided at the end of the waist belt body 51.

The upper end of the center of the waist support 50 in the left-right direction is sewn and connected to the lower ends of the right front body member 20 and the left front body member 21. The waist support 50 is preferably made of a material with moderate elasticity because it is placed around the waist of the person carrying it when in use. The waist belt 51 is a long belt, and its vertical dimension L1 (see FIG. 3(A) hereinafter referred to as the vertical dimension) is preferably 5 cm, for example. The male buckle 53 is slidably attached to the waist belt 51, so it is possible to move the male buckle 53 to fit the waist of the person carrying it.

Next, the waist pad 6 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig. 5 is an external view of the baby carrier 1 worn by a person carrying the baby in a front-holding position, as viewed from the back of the person carrying the baby. In other words, Fig. 5 shows the state in which the waist pad 6 of the baby carrier 1 is worn around the waist of the person carrying the baby. When the waist belt 5 is worn around the waist, the waist pad 6 comes into contact with the waist of the person carrying the baby. Note that in Fig. 3, the waist belt 5 is indicated by a dashed line.

As shown in FIG. 3, the waist pad 6 is attached to the waist belt 5. Specifically, the waist pad 6 is provided so as to be slidable relative to the waist belt body 51. The waist pad 6 may or may not be removable from the waist belt body 51.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the waist pad 6 is generally rectangular in plan view, and the central portion in the longitudinal direction is curved and juts out in the vertical direction. Specifically, the vertical dimension L2 of the waist pad 6 is larger than the vertical dimension L1 of the waist belt 51 of the waist belt 5. Specifically, the vertical dimension L2 of the waist pad 6 is the minimum vertical dimension of the waist pad 6, and as described above, the vertical dimension L1 of the waist belt 51 is typically 5 cm. By making the vertical dimension L2 of the waist pad 6 larger than 5 cm, it is possible to prevent the waist pad 6 from digging into the waist. In addition, by making the vertical dimension L2 of the waist pad 6 17 cm or less, preferably 15 cm or less, the waist pad 6 does not get in the way of the person carrying it, even when the waist pad 6 is in contact with the abdomen of the person carrying it while being held from behind.

As shown in FIG. 3(C), the waist pad 6 is formed of a bag body with a front part 60 and a back part 61, and a pair of first and second core materials 64 and 65 (described later) are stored inside. The front part 60 and the back part 61 are made of a breathable material, such as mesh fabric. The front part 60 is the surface that does not come into contact with the waist of the person carrying it, and the back part 61 is the surface that comes into contact with the waist of the person carrying it. In FIG. 3(C), the waist of the person carrying it is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the front portion 60 is provided with a cover portion 62 for forming a belt through hole through which the waist belt body 51 passes. The top and bottom ends of the cover portion 62 are attached to the front portion 60, and the left and right ends are open. Therefore, a belt through hole is formed between the cover portion 62 and the front portion 60, and the waist belt body 51 passes through the belt through hole. This allows the waist pad 6 to be slidably mounted on the waist belt body 51. As shown in FIG. 3(B), the back portion 61 may have a seam 61a at its upper end. This seam 61a is for indicating that it is the back side, and serves as a mark when attaching the waist pad 6 to the waist belt body 51.

As shown in FIG. 3(C), a pair of first and second cores 64 and 65 are provided between the front and back portions 60 and 61 of the waist pad 6. The first core 64 is provided on the front portion 60 side of the waist pad 6. Specifically, the first core 64 is sewn to the auxiliary cloth 60b that is sewn to the inside of the front portion 60. In other words, the first core 64 is fixed inside the waist pad 6. The broken lines extending vertically on the first core 64 in FIG. 4(A) are seams. As shown in FIG. 3(C), the second core 65 is provided on the back portion 61 side of the waist pad 6. Specifically, the second core 65 is located between the pair of first cores 64 and the waist of the person carrying the carrier when worn. The second core 65 is merely sandwiched between the front portion 60 and the back portion 61, and is not sewn to the front portion 60 and the back portion 61.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the waist pad 6 is placed against the waist of the person carrying it, the pair of first core materials 64 extend vertically along the spine of the person carrying it, and are spaced apart in the width direction perpendicular to the spine so as to sandwich the spine. This allows the muscles on both sides of the spine to be supported by the pair of first core materials 64, so that the waist of the person carrying it can be supported by three members: the spine and the pair of first core materials 64, making it possible to reduce the burden on the waist of the person carrying it. In FIG. 5, the position of the spine of the person carrying it is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Also, the pair of first core materials 64 are placed in symmetrical positions with respect to the widthwise center of the waist pad 6, that is, they are spaced apart on both sides in the width direction by the same distance from the widthwise center of the waist pad 6.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the distance W1 between the pair of first core materials 64 is 7 cm or more and 13 cm or less, and preferably 9 cm or more and 11 cm or less. This is because the pair of first core materials 64 supports muscles that are about 3.5 to 6.5 cm away from the spine in the width direction. The distance W1 between the pair of first core materials 64 is the distance between the center of the width direction of the pair of first core materials 64, and in FIG. 4(A) is the distance between the stitches of the first core material 64 and the auxiliary cloth 60b. If the distance W1 between the pair of first core materials 64 is 7 cm or more and 13 cm or less, it can accommodate a wide range of people from small to large builds. Also, if the distance W1 between the pair of first core materials 64 is 9 cm or more and 11 cm or less, it can accommodate people with a standard build. Also, if the distance W1 between the pair of first core materials 64 is less than 7 cm or more than 13 cm, it cannot adequately support the muscles on both sides of the waist.

The pair of first core materials 64 have a certain degree of rigidity. Specifically, they are thin resin plates, and more specifically, for example, PP (polypropylene) sheets. As shown in FIG. 3(C), the thickness T1 of the first core material 64 is 0.1 cm to 0.3 cm, and preferably 0.15 cm to 0.25 cm. When the thickness T1 of the first core material 64 is 0.1 cm to 0.3 cm, it has the strength to support the muscles on both sides of the spine and can reduce the discomfort felt by the lower back when worn. Furthermore, when the thickness T1 of the first core material 64 is 0.15 cm to 0.25 cm, it is possible to achieve the above-mentioned effects more effectively.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the first core material 64 is a surface material that has a generally vertically elongated rectangular shape with the top-bottom dimension being longer than the width dimension. Specifically, the top-bottom dimension of the first core material 64 is preferably at least four times the width dimension. In addition, the four corners of the first core material 64 are rounded. This reduces the discomfort felt by the waist of the person carrying the first core material 64, even if the first core material 64 has a certain degree of rigidity.

The vertical dimension L3 of the pair of first core materials 64 is 10 cm or more and 13 cm or less. The vertical dimension L3 of the first core material 64 is set to be smaller than that of the front portion 60, the back portion 61 that form the bag body, and the second core material 65 described later.

The pair of first core materials 64 has a width dimension W2 of the upper portion that is greater than a width dimension W3 of the lower portion. The upper portion is the region that is located at the uppermost position when the vertical dimension of the first core material 64 is divided into four. The lower portion is the region that is located at the lowermost position when the vertical dimension of the first core material 64 is divided into four. In FIG. 4(A), the width dimension W2 of the upper portion and the width dimension W3 of the lower portion of the first core material 64 are the width dimensions of the intersection between the R-chamfered portion and the side edge.

Specifically, the width dimension W2 of the upper part of the first core material 64 is preferably 1.2 to 1.6 times the width dimension W3 of the lower part. More specifically, the width dimension W2 of the upper part of the first core material 64 is 3 cm or more and 5 cm or less, and the width dimension W3 of the lower part is 2 cm or more and less than 3 cm. By making the width dimension W2 of the upper part 3 cm or more and 5 cm or less, it is possible to prevent the lower back from bending over more than necessary. In addition, by making the width dimension W3 of the lower part 2 cm or more and less than 3 cm, it is possible to ensure flexibility when the person carrying it moves.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the second core 65 is placed between the pair of first cores 64 and the waist of the person carrying it. The outer shape of the second core 65 is roughly the same as the front portion 60 and the back portion 61, but is slightly smaller than them. Specifically, the vertical dimension of the second core 65 facing the first core 64 is approximately 0.2 to 1 cm smaller than the vertical dimension L3 of the first core 64. In this way, since the outer shape of the second core 65 is larger than the outer shape of the first core 64, the first core 64 does not protrude from the second core 65.

The second core material 65 is more flexible than the first core material 64. Specifically, it is a rubber with cushioning properties, and more specifically, for example, EVA (hard urethane). The second core material 65 has a thickness T2 of 0.3 cm to 1.0 cm. With such a thickness, the person carrying the bag can perform some movement such as bending their waist, and the waist can be supported, and the hardness of the first core material 64 is not transmitted to the waist of the person carrying the bag.

Next, the method of carrying the carrier in front will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. First, place the waist support portion 50 of the waist belt 5 against the waist of the person carrying the carrier, connect the female buckle 52 and the male buckle 53, and fasten the waist belt 5. Next, slide the waist pad 6 and slide the waist belt body 51 so that the center of the waist pad 6 comes into contact with the spine. With everything except the waist belt 5 hanging down from the front of the waist belt 5, connect the female buckle 33 and male buckle 43 of the bridge belt 31.

The right shoulder belt 3 is placed over the left shoulder of the person carrying the carrier, and the right front body member 20 is placed in front of the torso of the person carrying the carrier. The left shoulder belt 4 is left hanging down and not placed over the right shoulder. In this position, the baby is held in his/her arms and inserted between the person carrying the baby and the right front body member 20, after which the left shoulder belt 4 is placed over the right shoulder of the person carrying the baby, and the connecting part 22 is connected.

By placing the center of the waist pad 6 against the spine of the person carrying the bag, the muscles on either side of the spine can be supported by the pair of first core materials 64, so that the waist of the person carrying the bag can be supported by three elements: the spine and the pair of first core materials 64, making it possible to reduce the burden on the waist of the person carrying the bag.

As shown in FIG. 3(C), the waist pad 6 is made up of a back portion 61, a second core material 65, a first core material 64, and a front portion 60, layered in that order from the waist of the person carrying the bag, and a cover portion 62 that forms a belt through hole is provided on the outside of the first core material 64. As a result, when the waist pad 6 is attached to the waist of the person carrying the bag, the second core material 65, which is made of a softer material than the first core material 64, fits closely to the waist of the person carrying the bag, and the first core material 64, which is made of a harder material, supports the muscles on both sides of the waist of the person carrying the bag from behind the second core material 65. As a result, the pair of first core materials 64 supports the muscles on both sides of the waist, while reducing discomfort in the waist caused by the pair of first core materials 64.

The baby carrier 1 is used for carrying an infant, and is different from a general waist belt for lower back pain that is used to prevent the lower back from curving. In other words, the waist pad 6 of this embodiment is used for the baby carrier 1, so it must not only support the waist of the person carrying the infant, but also allow the person to stand up, sit down, and move to a certain extent while carrying the infant. For this reason, the waist pad 6 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of first core members 64 that extend vertically along the spine of the person carrying the infant, and are spaced apart in the width direction perpendicular to the spine so as to sandwich the spine. Furthermore, by devising the thickness, shape, and spacing of the pair of first core members 64, it supports the waist of the person carrying the infant, reducing the burden on the waist while allowing the person to move to a certain extent.

As described above, the baby carrier 1 of this embodiment can also be used when carrying the baby from behind. When using the baby carrier 1 when carrying the baby from behind, the waist pad 6 comes into contact with the abdomen of the person carrying the baby. Even in this state, the person carrying the baby can make various movements, such as bending forward. The waist pad 6 is provided with a second core material 65, which is made of a soft material, and its vertical dimensions are set to a limited extent. This reduces the discomfort felt by the person carrying the baby when the waist pad 6 comes into contact with the abdomen, and does not restrict the movements of the person carrying the baby, even if the waist pad 6 comes into direct contact with the abdomen of the person carrying the baby.

In the above embodiment, a pair of the first core material 64 and the second core material 65 are stacked, but it is sufficient that at least the first core material 64 is provided. Furthermore, even when a pair of the first core material 64 and the second core material 65 are stacked, this is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, the first core material 64 and the second core material 65 may be sewn together.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the lumbar pad 6 is attached to the waist belt body 51 of the waist belt 5, but the lumbar pad 6 may be provided separately as a standalone unit.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same scope as the present invention or within an equivalent scope.

1 Baby carrier, 2 Baby carrier body, 3, 4 Shoulder belt, 5 Waist belt, 6 Waist pad, 64 First core material, 65 Second core material.

Claims (7)

The baby carrier itself wraps around the torso of the infant,
A shoulder belt is connected to both ends of the baby carrier body and is placed on the shoulder of a person carrying the baby.
A waist belt connected to the lower end of the baby carrier body and worn around the waist of a person carrying the baby;
a waist pad provided on the waist belt and adapted to come into contact with the waist of a person carrying an infant,
The lumbar pad is
A pair of first core members extending vertically along the spine of the person carrying the baby and spaced apart in the width direction perpendicular to the spine so as to sandwich the spine ;
The baby carrier includes a second core material which is more flexible than the first core material and is disposed between the pair of first core materials and the waist of a person carrying an infant . The baby carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the first core material is a resin plate having a thickness of 0.1 cm to 0.3 cm. The baby carrier according to claim 2 , wherein a width dimension of an upper portion of the first core is greater than a width dimension of a lower portion thereof. 4. The baby carrier according to claim 3 , wherein the width dimension of the upper portion of the first core is 3 cm or more and 5 cm or less, and the width dimension of the lower portion thereof is 2 cm or more and less than 3 cm. The baby carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the distance between the pair of first core materials is 7 cm or more and 13 cm or less. The baby carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the second core material is a rubber having cushioning properties and a thickness of 0.3 cm to 1.0 cm. The waist pad has a belt through hole through which the waist belt passes,
The baby carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the belt through-hole is provided on the outside of the first core material.

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