Baby carrier

Abstract

To provide a baby carrier that makes carrying an infant more comfortable by blowing air towards the user while they are holding the baby. [Solution] The baby carrier 1 comprises a main body 10 for supporting the infant, a pair of left and right shoulder straps 20a, 20b provided with air vents 22, and air blowers 30a, 30b that draw in air from the outside and allow it to flow into the left and right shoulder straps 20a, 20b. The air drawn in by the air blowers 30a, 30b is passed through the main body 10 and the left and right shoulder straps 20a, 20b before being released through the air vents 22, thereby blowing air onto the user's head and its vicinity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a baby carrier that assists in holding an infant.

Background Art

[0002] Baby carriers are known for supporting an infant when holding it. Baby carriers are also called holding straps or baby slings. By wearing and using this, the infant is stably supported and the burden on the user is reduced.

[0003] Generally, a baby carrier includes a main body portion that supports the infant from the front or back of the infant, and shoulder belts provided on the left and right sides of the main body portion. The shoulder belts are put on both shoulders of the user so that the main body portion is arranged in front of or behind the user's body, and the baby carrier is configured to support and hold the infant between the main body portion and the user's body. Recently, there have been proposed baby carriers that have improved functions such as convenience and comfort, such as a baby carrier formed of a knit in which spun yarn is integrally knitted by a knitting machine for the main body portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a childcare assistive device including a hood material extending from the support main body portion and connectable to the shoulder belt, and a hood holding member that holds the hood material in a closed state (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, when using a baby carrier, the user and the infant are in close contact, which can easily lead to stuffiness and heat buildup between them, causing discomfort, especially during the summer months when people sweat a lot.

[0006] The objective of this invention is to provide a baby carrier that reduces the user's perceived temperature, allowing for comfortable carrying of infants and toddlers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a baby carrier comprising: a main body for supporting an infant; a pair of left and right shoulder straps provided on the upper part of the main body and worn over the user's shoulders; and a blower that brings in air from the outside and directs it into the interior of the pair of left and right shoulder straps, wherein the pair of left and right shoulder straps are provided with a breathable cushioning material inside and have ventilation holes that direct the air drawn in by the blower towards the user's head and / or its vicinity.

[0008] The baby carrier of the present invention is configured to draw air in from a blower located in the main body, to flow into a pair of left and right shoulder straps extending from the main body, and to expel the air through ventilation holes. As a result, when a user wears the baby carrier, air is blown from the shoulder straps on both shoulders towards the user's head or its vicinity.

[0009] Furthermore, the pair of left and right shoulder straps may be equipped with shape-retaining members to prevent the ventilation holes from deforming.

[0010] When an infant is supported in a baby carrier, the weight of the infant and the user's movements affect the shoulder straps, causing them to compress and deform, potentially obstructing the airflow through the ventilation holes. Therefore, by providing a shape-retaining member inside the shoulder straps, deformation of the ventilation holes can be prevented, ensuring that airflow is not hindered.

[0011] Furthermore, the blower device may also allow air taken in from the outside to flow into the main body, and at least a portion of the support surface on which the infant is supported in the main body may be made of a breathable sheet so that the air drawn in by the blower device is sent towards the infant.

[0012] By drawing in air with a blower and directing it into the main body, and then expelling it through the breathable sheet that makes up the support surface, it becomes possible to provide airflow to infants and toddlers supported by the baby carrier.

[0013] Furthermore, the main body may be provided with a non-breathable sheet on the back side of the breathable sheet, and the non-breathable sheet may be provided with air outlets that partially deliver air that has been drawn into the main body by the blower to the breathable sheet.

[0014] This allows the air flowing into the main body to be concentrated in the holes provided in the non-breathable sheet and then forcefully expelled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the baby carrier of the present invention, a blower device installed in the main body can blow air from air vents provided in a pair of shoulder straps to the user's head and surrounding area, thereby reducing the user's perceived temperature and making it more comfortable to carry an infant. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a front perspective view of the baby carrier according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a rear view of the baby carrier according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the usage of the baby carrier according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of the main body of the baby carrier according to the embodiment. [Figure 5]The side view schematically showing the air flow path of the air taken in from the blower unit, of the baby carrier according to the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

Embodiment

[0018] In FIGS. 1 and 2, a baby carrier 1 is shown, and in FIG. 3, the wearing state and the air blowing direction of the baby carrier 1 are shown. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the baby carrier 1 includes a main body portion 10, shoulder belts 20a and 20b, and blower units 30a and 30b. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, it can be worn on the front of the user U so that the infant C is held facing the user U.

[0019] The main body portion 10 is arranged in front of the user U and supports the infant from the back side, and includes an outer surface 11 and a support surface 12. In FIG. 4, a cross section of the main body portion 10 is schematically shown.

[0020] The outer surface 11 forms a surface that is arranged on the outside when the baby carrier 1 is worn on the user U. The outer surface 11 is formed of a sheet material having sufficient strength and flexibility to support the infant C, and pocket 11a and 11b that can be opened and closed by a fastener (not shown) are provided above and below it, respectively.

[0021] The support surface 12 forms a surface that is arranged facing the user U when the baby carrier 1 is worn. As shown in FIG. 4, the support surface 12 is formed by laminating a cotton sheet 12a, a blocking sheet 12b, and a mesh 12c in this order. The cotton sheet 12a is formed by forming chemical fiber cotton or natural cotton in a sheet shape. The blocking sheet 12b is formed of an airtight sheet material made of a resin such as polyvinyl chloride, and a plurality of holes H are formed at positions corresponding to the portions where the back of the infant C supported by the support surface 12 abuts. The mesh 12c is made of a mesh-like sheet material.

[0022] The shoulder straps 20a and 20b are worn over the shoulders of the user U to secure the baby carrier 1, and each extends from the upper left and right ends of the main body 10. Connecting belts 23a and 23b, whose length can be adjusted by a sliding buckle 24, are attached to the ends of the shoulder straps 20a and 20b. By attaching the ends of the connecting belts 23a and 23b to the storage sections 13a and 13b (described in detail later), the shoulder straps 20a and 20b are connected to the lower left and right sides of the main body 10, respectively. The shoulder straps 20a and 20b are formed in a tubular shape from a non-breathable sheet material and comprise a cover member 21 whose interior communicates with the interior of the support surface 12 of the main body 10, and a cushioning material (not shown) provided inside the cover member 21, with a roughly horizontally elongated rectangular cross-section and a certain thickness. A breathable resin material such as polyurethane can be used for this cushioning material.

[0023] Multiple ventilation holes 22 are provided on the opposing sides Sa and Sb of the cover member 21 of the shoulder straps 20a and 20b, respectively. Furthermore, retaining members (not shown) are installed inside the sides Sa and Sb to maintain their shape so that the ventilation holes 22 do not become blocked when the cushioning material deforms due to the weight of the infant or the user's movements. Thin plate material made of plastic or the like can be used for the retaining members. In addition, a pouch P capable of housing a battery B, which will be the power source for the ventilation devices 30a and 30b described later, is detachably attached to the upper surface of one of the shoulder straps 20a.

[0024] The blowers 30a and 30b have a known configuration that allows them to rotate a fan by the drive of a motor and take in air from the intake port 31. The blowers 30a and 30b are housed in housings 13a and 13b, respectively, which are provided on the lower left and right sides of the main body 10. The housings 13a and 13b communicate with the inside of the main body 10, and air holes 32 are drilled in the upper part of each. One end of a power cable 33 extending from the upper part of the main body 10 is connected to the blowers 30a and 30b, and power can be supplied by connecting a battery B, such as a rechargeable battery or dry cell battery, to a connector 33a provided at the end of the power cable 33. Power can be turned on or off by attaching or detaching the connector 33a from the battery B, or by operating a switch provided on the battery B or the power cable 33.

[0025] Next, the airflow path and direction of airflow taken in by the blowers 30a and 30b will be explained based on Figures 3 and 5. Figure 5 shows the airflow path of air taken in by the blowers 30a and 30b into the baby carrier 1. When the blowers 30a and 30b are activated, the fans rotate driven by a motor (not shown), and air is drawn in from the intake port 31 into the housing sections 13a and 13b, and flows into the main body 10, that is, between the outer surface 11 and the support surface 12 (arrow A1). Along the way, some of the drawn-in air is sent out to the outside through the air outlets 32 provided in the housing sections 13a and 13b and blown towards the shoulders of the user U (arrow A2).

[0026] Air flowing into the main body 10 passes through the cotton sheet 12a, the barrier sheet 12b, and the mesh 12c that constitute the support surface 12 and is sent to the outside, blown towards the infant C being supported (arrow A3). At this time, much of the air heading towards the mesh 12c collides with the barrier sheet 12b and is concentrated at the hole H. As a result, the air blown from the support surface 12 is not dispersed in multiple directions but is sent out only from the hole H, so that the air can be blown towards the back of the infant C being supported.

[0027] Air that is not blown out from the support surface 12 flows into the shoulder belts 20a and 20b that extend from the upper end of the main body 10. The air that flows into the shoulder belts 20a and 20b passes through a breathable cushioning material (not shown) and is blown out through a plurality of air vents 22 provided in the cover member 21, and is blown toward the user U's head and its vicinity (arrow A4). In this way, the air taken in by the air blowers 30a and 30b passes through the inside of the baby carrier 1, that is, the inside of the storage sections 13a and 13b, the main body 10, and the shoulder belts 20a and 20b, and is blown toward the user U and the infant C.

[0028] According to the baby carrier 1 of this embodiment, the air taken in by the blowers 30a and 30b can be blown towards the user U and the infant C, thereby reducing the perceived temperature of the user U and the infant C and allowing for comfortable wear.

[0029] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims and embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also included within the scope of the rights.

[0030] For example, in this embodiment, the air taken into the main body 10 by the blowers 30a and 30b is also blown out from the support surface 12 and the air holes 32 of the housing sections 13a and 13b. However, these may be omitted, and the air may be blown out only from the air holes 22 of the shoulder belts 20a and 20b.

[0031] Furthermore, the location of the ventilation holes 22 provided in the shoulder belts 20a and 20b is not limited to the positions on the sides Sa and Sb, as long as it is in a position that allows air to be supplied to the user U, and the number of ventilation devices 30a and 30b can be increased or decreased depending on their intake performance, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1 Baby Carrier 10 Main body 11 Exterior 12 Support surface 12a Cotton sheet 12b Barrier sheet (non-breathable sheet) 12c Mesh (Breathable Sheet) 20a, 20b Shoulder straps 22 Air vent 30a, 30b Air blower H hole (outlet hole)

Claims

1. The main body that supports the infant, The main body is provided with a pair of left and right shoulder straps that are placed on the user's shoulders, It includes a ventilation device that draws in air from the outside and flows it into the interior of the left and right pair of shoulder straps, The baby carrier comprises a pair of left and right shoulder straps, each having a breathable cushioning material inside and ventilation holes that direct air drawn in by the blower towards the user's head and / or its vicinity.

2. The baby carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of left and right shoulder straps equipped with shape-retaining members to prevent deformation of the air vents.

3. The aforementioned blower device also allows air taken in from the outside to flow into the main body, The baby carrier according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the support surface on which the infant is supported is formed from a breathable sheet so that the air introduced by the blower is sent toward the infant.

4. The main body is provided with a non-breathable sheet on the back side of the breathable sheet. The baby carrier according to claim 3, wherein the non-breathable sheet is provided with vents that partially deliver air that has flowed into the main body by the blower to the breathable sheet.

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