Child safety tether with attachment pouch

Abstract

A child's safety tether with an attachment pouch provides for quick release of the stored child safety tether in situations where the child care provider must temporarily relinquish contact with the child's hand while using both adult hands to negotiate a commercial transaction. The pouch has a top openable compartment for storing a cell phone or other personal electronic device, with other necessary documents such as credit cards and drivers license cards providing an adult's photographic identification and/or signature replica. The pouch also has a lower openable compartment for storing the child safety tether, which is released downward upon opening a quick release fastener for the downward oriented lower compartment for the tether.

I claim: 
     
       1. A child's safety tether attachable to the wrist of a child, in combination with an attachment pouch providing for quick release of the stored child safety tether in situations where the child care provider must temporarily relinquish contact with the child's hand while using both adult hands to negotiate a commercial transaction, comprising:
 said pouch having a vertically extending inner wall, a vertically extending outer wall spaced from said inner wall, and side walls for forming an enclosure between said inner and outer walls; 
 a horizontally extending wall within said enclosure forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment within said pouch; 
 a top opening into said upper compartment with a closure for opening and closing access to said upper compartment; 
 a bottom opening into said lower compartment with a flap having one side attached to folding upwardly from a bottom edge of said inside inner wall and a free end for overlapping a front of said outer wall for closing and opening said lower compartment, with a quick release fastener for attaching said free end to said outer wall, whereby releasing said fastener will allow said flap to drop down and open up said lower compartment to permit contents within said lower compartment to drop out from said lower compartment by way of gravity; 
 athe child safety tether attachable to a wrist of a child including a flexible strap having a distal end with a child wrist attachment and a proximal end attached to an inside surface of said inner wall within said lower compartment, whereby said tether remains coiled up within said lower compartment when said flap is closed; 
 whereby upon quick release of said flap said tether drops out of said lower compartment permitting rapid deployment of said wrist attachment of said tether with provision to distract said child. 
 
     
     
       2. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in  claim 1  wherein said upper compartment provides storage for personal items. 
     
     
       3. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in  claim 1  wherein an amusement device is attached to said wrist attachment for distracting the child while the wrist attachment is on the wrist of the child. 
     
     
       4. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  3  1 wherein a mounting apparatus is attached to an outside surface of said inner wall. 
     
     
       5. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said flexible strap is stretchably elastomeric. 
     
     
       6. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said flexible strap has at least two non-stretchable flexible portions and a stretchably elastomeric central portion located therebetween. 
     
     
       7. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said flexible strap is a self-retracting cord. 
     
     
       8. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said quick release fastener is a magnetic fastener. 
     
     
       9. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said quick release fastener comprises snap button fasteners. 
     
     
       10. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said side walls are pleated. 
     
     
       11. The child's safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim  4  1 wherein said child's safety tether is removably attached to said lower compartment of said pouch. 
     
     
       12. A method of restraining a child temporarily comprising the steps of:
 a user wearing a pouch having a vertically extending inner wall, a vertically extending outer wall spaced from said inner wall, side walls forming an enclosure between said inner and outer walls, a horizontally extending wall within said enclosure forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment within said pouch, a top opening into said upper compartment with a closure for opening and closing access to said upper compartment, a bottom opening into said lower compartment with a flap having one side attached to folding upwardly from a bottom edge of said inside inner wall and a free end for overlapping a front of said outer wall for closing and opening said lower compartment, with a quick release fastener for attaching said free end to said outer wall, whereby releasing said fastener will open up said lower compartment to permit contents within said lower compartment to drop out from said lower compartment by way of gravity; 
 attaching a proximal end of a child safety tether to an inside surface of said inner wall within said lower compartment; 
 securing said tether inside of said lower compartment by closing said flap with said quick release fastener; 
 deploying said tether to restrain said child by releasing said fastener to allow said flap to open, allowing said tether to drop out of said lower compartment with the proximal end of the tether attached to said inner wall; 
 using a wrist attachment on a distal end of said tether to secure the distal end to a wrist of said child; and mounting an amusement device on said wrist attachment for distracting the child while the wrist attachment is on the child. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  in which said amusement device includes a whistle for use by said child. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12  further comprising the step of mounting an amusement device on said wrist attachment for distracting the child while the wrist attachment is on the wrist of the child. 
     
     
       15. A safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch providing for quick release of the stored safety tether in situations where a custodial care provider must temporarily relinquish contact with a custodial care recipient while using both provider hands to negotiate a transaction, comprising:
 said pouch having a vertically extending inner wall, a vertically extending outer wall spaced from said inner wall, and side walls for forming an enclosure between said inner and outer walls;   a horizontally extending wall within said enclosure forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment within said pouch;   a top opening into said upper compartment with a closure for opening and closing access to said upper compartment;   a bottom opening into said lower compartment having a closure flap folding upwardly from a bottom of an inner wall of said pouch with a quick release opening fastener, whereby releasing said quick release opening fastener will open up said closure flap of said lower compartment to permit contents within said lower compartment to drop out from said lower compartment by way of gravity;   a safety tether for a custodial care recipient including a flexible strap having a distal end with a body part attachment attachable to the custodial care recipient and a proximal end attached to an inside surface of said inner wall within said lower compartment, whereby said tether remains coiled up within said lower compartment when said closure flap is closed;   wherein said closure flap has a bottom edge attached to a bottom edge of said inner wall and a free end for overlapping said outer wall for closing and opening said lower compartment, with said quick release fastener for attaching said free end to said outer wall of said lower compartment of said pouch; and   whereby upon quick release of said quick release fastener opening said tether drops out of said lower compartment permitting rapid deployment of said body part attachment of said tether to the custodial care recipient.   
     
     
       16. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said upper compartment provides storage for personal items. 
     
     
       17. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein a mounting apparatus is attached to an outside surface of said inner wall. 
     
     
       18. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said flexible strap is elastomeric. 
     
     
       19. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said flexible strap has at least two non-stretchable flexible portions and an elastomeric central portion located therebetween. 
     
     
       20. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said flexible strap is a self-retracting cord. 
     
     
       21. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said quick release fastener is a magnetic fastener. 
     
     
       22. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said quick release fastener comprises snap button fasteners. 
     
     
       23. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said side walls are pleated. 
     
     
       24. The safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch as in claim 15 wherein said safety tether is removably attached to said lower compartment of said pouch. 
     
     
       25. A method of restraining a custodial care recipient under the care of a custodial care provider temporarily comprising the steps of:
 a user wearing a pouch having a vertically extending inner wall, a vertically extending outer wall spaced from said inner wall, side walls forming an enclosure between said inner and outer walls, a horizontally extending wall within said enclosure forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment within said pouch, a top opening into said upper compartment with a closure for opening and closing access to said upper compartment, a bottom opening into said lower compartment having a closure flap folding upwardly from a bottom of said inner wall and overlapping a front of said outer wall with a quick release opening fastener, whereby releasing said fastener will open up said lower compartment to permit contents within said said lower compartment to drop out from said lower compartment by way of gravity;   attaching a proximal end of a custodial care recipient safety tether to an inside surface of said inner wall within said lower compartment; securing said tether inside of said lower compartment by closing said flap with said quick release fastener;   deploying said tether to restrain said custodial care recipient by releasing said fastener to allow said flap to open, allowing said tether to drop out of said lower compartment by way of gravity with the proximal end of the tether attached to said inner wall;   using a body part attachment on a distal end of said tether to secure the distal end to a body part of said custodial care recipient; and   wherein said closure flap is attached to a bottom edge of said inner wall and includes a free end for overlapping said outer wall for closing and opening said lower compartment, with said quick release fastener for attaching said free end to said outer wall.   
     
     
       26. A safety tether in combination with an attachment pouch providing for quick release of the stored safety tether, comprising:
 said pouch having a vertically extending inner wall, a vertically extending outer wall spaced from said inner wall, and side walls for forming an enclosure between said inner and outer walls;   a horizontally extending wall within said enclosure forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment within said pouch;   a top opening into said upper compartment with a closure for opening and closing access to said upper compartment;   a bottom opening into said lower compartment with an upwardly folding flap having one end attached to a bottom edge of said inner wall and a free end overlapping said outer wall for closing and opening said lower compartment, with a quick release fastener, whereby releasing said fastener will open up said lower compartment to permit contents within said lower compartment to drop out from said lower compartment by way of gravity;   a safety tether including a flexible strap having a distal end with an attachment attachable to a tetherable object and a proximal end attached to an inside surface of said inner wall within said lower compartment, whereby said tether remains coiled up within said lower compartment when said lower compartment is closed;   whereby upon quick release of said lower compartment fastener said tether drops out of said lower compartment permitting rapid deployment of said tether for attachment to said tetherable object.