Hip seat device and system
AssigneeThe ERGO Baby Carrier, Inc.
InventorsRodney V. Telford, Joseph Hei
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein provide hip seat devices and systems for carrying a child in a position that is ergonomically beneficial for the child and comfortable for the wearer. A hip seat device may comprise a seating platform attached to a wearer engagement surface. The wearer engagement surface is held against the body of a wearer, such as by a waist belt encircling the wearer. The seating platform has a bucket shape for promoting a child seated thereon to assume an ergonomic spread-squat position (“M” position). The bucket shape may have the additional benefit of bringing the child closer to the wearer, reducing the moment on the carrier and thus the resulting force on the wearer.
Claims21
A hip seat, comprising:
- a seating platform having a bucket shape, wherein the bucket shape comprises a contour perpendicular to a central axis of the seating platform that slopes generally downward away from an outer edge of the seating platform toward the central axis of the seating platform, the outer edge of the seating platform having multiple radii relative to the central axis of the seating platform, the contour further comprising an area for holding a child placed thereon, the area for holding the child thereon including a region around an apex of the seating platform and substantially parallel to the outer edge of the seating platform, the contour providing a hip flexion angle greater than 90 degrees above the coronal plane in both inward and outward facing orientations.
A hip seat carrier system, comprising:
- a hip seat carrier, comprising:
- a seating platform having a bucket shape, wherein the bucket shape comprises a contour perpendicular to a central axis of the seating platform that slopes generally downward away from an outer edge of the seating platform toward the central axis of the seating platform, the outer edge of the seating platform having multiple radii relative to the central axis of the seating platform, the contour further comprising an area for holding a child placed thereon, the area for holding the child thereon including a region around an apex of the seating platform and substantially parallel to the outer edge of the seating platform, the contour providing a hip flexion angle greater than 90 degrees above the coronal plane in both inward and outward facing orientations, and
- a waist belt for encircling a wearer having a receiving fastener and an engaging fastener for installing and removing the hip seat carrier;
- and
- a carrier torso support portion connected to the hip seat carrier.
A hip seat carrier, comprising:
- a seating platform having a bucket shape, wherein the bucket shape comprises a contour perpendicular to a central axis of the seating platform that slopes generally downward away from an outer edge of the seating platform toward the central axis of the seating platform and a contour that slopes generally downward away from an outer edge of the seating platform along the central axis of the seating platform, the outer edge of the seating platform having multiple radii relative to the central axis of the seating platform the contour further comprising an area for holding a child placed thereon, the area for holding the child thereon including a region around an apex of the seating platform and substantially parallel to the outer edge of the seating platform, the contour providing a hip flexion angle greater than 90 degrees above the coronal plane in both inward and outward facing directions, wherein the contour perpendicular to the central axis of the seating platform has a slope between 5 and 35 degrees, wherein the contour that slopes generally downward away from the outer edge of the seating platform along the central axis of the seating platform has a slope between 5 and 35 degrees;
- a hip seat pocket for receiving the seating platform;
- and
- a waist belt for encircling a wearer having a receiving fastener and an engaging fastener for installing and removing the hip seat carrier, wherein the waist belt is padded or cushioned.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.