Child's garment

Abstract

A garment suitable for use in conjunction with a seat belt to enhance the safe use of the seat belt, the garment comprising a front section and a rear section, the front and rear sections being joined together to produce a tube, the front and rear sections combining at one end of the tube to form a neck portion to be located around the neck and shoulders of a child while in use, the front section including one or more channels extending lengthwise down the front section, the channels comprising thinner material than the remainder of the garment and suitable to house or accommodate a strap or a seat belt.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT / GB2016 / 052064, filed Jul. 8, 2016, designating the United States of America and published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2017 / 009611 A1 on Jan. 19, 2017, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to Great Britain Patent Application Serial No. 1512340.9, filed Jul. 15, 2015, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present disclosure relates to a garment to improve in-car or in-vehicle safety. The garment is particularly suitable for, and described herein in respect to, a baby or a toddler and ideally suitable for use for babies or toddlers up to the age of about four (4) years.BACKGROUND[0003]In the United Kingdom, the wearing of seat belts in the front seats of a car or other vehicle has been compulsory since 198...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a garment that is meant to be used with a seat belt to make it safer for children to use. The garment is made up of a front and rear section that are joined together to create a tube-like shape. The front section has channels along its length where the seat belt or straps can be housed. This design allows the straps to be closer to the child's body, making them more secure than if they were using a car seat. The garment can also be equipped with a cover that is sealed to it using a VELCRO® attachment system or a push fit fitment. Additionally, the rear section of the garment can be separated to make it easier for the child to be in closer contact with the car seat. Overall, this garment enhances the safety of using seat belts for children.

Problems solved by technology

Where the child concerned is a baby or toddler, then using the standard seat belt fitted into the car is impractical as these are far too big and do not provide safety to the child due to the looseness of the fit of the belt about the child.

Such a solution is effective, but in certain situations, there are difficulties caused by a child's clothing.

Such problems arise during cold weather when the child is wearing thick, usually soft / padded clothing to ensure the child is warm outside of the vehicle.

However, problems can also arise with conventional clothing.

However, given the nature of thick clothing, this cannot be easily achieved as the padded material from which such clothing is normally made results in a degree of freedom of movement for the child.

Moreover, in the event the child removes the clothing, often without the driver's knowledge, the seat belt fitted to take the clothing into account, is then far too loose and safety is compromised.

It is estimated that up to 80% of child car seats are incorrectly fitted, with one of the main reasons being that the straps are too loose, often for the above-described reasons.

In a collision, the child could be seriously hurt or even thrown from the car seat altogether.

Especially when using thick baby suits or children's winter coats, it is impossible to ensure a snug fit.

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