Child carriers

Abstract

A child carrier comprises a harness and a pouch. The harness is designed to be worn by a person wishing to carry a child and the pouch is designed to receive a child that the person wishes to carry. The harness includes a hip belt, a frame mounted on the hip belt and a load-transmitting fastener formation carried on or forming part of the frame. The arrangement is such that, in use, the majority of the weight of the pouch and its contents are transferred via the frame to the hip belt and thus to the pelvic region of the person wearing the harness.

1 . A child carrier comprising a harness and a pouch, the harness being designed to be worn by a person wishing to carry a child and the pouch being designed to receive a child that the person wishes to carry, the harness including a hip belt, a frame mounted on the hip belt and a load-transmitting fastener formation carried on or forming part of the frame, and the pouch having a load-transmitting fastener formation that is engageable with the load-transmitting fastener formation on the harness whereby, in use, the two load-transmitting fastener formations can be interengaged such that the majority of the weight of the pouch and its contents are transferred via the frame to the hip belt and thus to the hips of the person wearing the harness. 
   
   
       2 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the pouch has front and back surfaces on each of which there is a load-transmitting fastener formation engageable with the load-transmitting fastener formation on the harness. 
   
   
       3 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the load-transmitting fastener formation on the harness comprises a socket 
   
   
       4 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the frame has a configuration corresponding substantially to that of a downwardly facing C. 
   
   
       5 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 1 , in which there are fixings on the pouch engageable with fixings on the harness to prevent the pouch and its contents moving sideways (relative to the harness) and away from the harness/wearer. 
   
   
       6 . A child carrier comprising a first part and a second part, the first part being in the form of a harness designed to be worn by a person carrying a child and the second part being designed to receive a child that the person wishes to carry, the harness including shoulder straps, a hip belt, a frame mounted on the hip belt and a load-transmitting fastener formation arranged to transmit any load that it receives to the frame, and the second part of the child carrier including a load-transmitting fastener formation that is engageable with the load-transmitting fastener formation on the harness whereby, in use, the two load-transmitting fastener formations can be inter-engaged such that the majority of the weight of the second part of the child carrier and its contents are transferred via the frame to the hip belt and thus to the pelvic region of the person wearing the harness. 
   
   
       7 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the load-transmitting fastener formation on the harness comprises a socket having an upwardly facing open mouth. 
   
   
       8 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the hip belt is formed with a series of pockets and in which the frame of the harness has downwardly extending end portions selectively engageable in the pockets of the hip belt. 
   
   
       9 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 6 , in which fixings are mounted on the shoulder straps of the harness and in which complementary fixings are provided on the second part of the child carrier whereby the complementary fixings on the second part of the child carrier can be engaged with the fixings on the shoulder straps to prevent the pouch and its contents moving sideways (relative to the harness) and away from the harness/wearer. 
   
   
       10 . A child carrier as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the second part comprises a pouch having front and back surfaces on each of which there is a load-transmitting formation engageable with the load-transmitting formation on the harness.