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EP-4094639-B1 - BABY CARRIER

EP4094639B1EP 4094639 B1EP4094639 B1EP 4094639B1EP-4094639-B1

Inventors

  • SHAHBANDAR, Lena

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220527

Claims (11)

  1. A baby carrier system (300) comprising: a. a baby carrier (500); and b. a waist strap (517), wherein the waist strap may be releasably attached to the baby carrier using a waist strap securing system (536); characterized in that the waist strap securing system comprises a magnetic attachment means which releasably secures the waist strap to the baby carrier, wherein the magnetic attachment means comprises: a mechanical release (537), and a main body magnetic component (534) and a waist strap magnetic component (535) that may be securely coupled and subsequently decoupled only through the application of mechanical force to the mechanical release.
  2. The baby carrier system of Claim 1, wherein the baby carrier comprises: i. a main body (570) that includes a top and a bottom; ii. a baby securing system configured to secure a torso of a baby (595) between the baby securing system and the main body; and iii. one or more shoulder straps (506); wherein each shoulder strap is permanently secured to the main body at or near the top of the main body, and wherein each shoulder strap is releasably or permanently secured directly or indirectly to the main body at or near the bottom of the main body.
  3. The baby carrier system of Claim 2, wherein the baby carrier is a multi-functional baby carrier (500), wherein the main body of the baby carrier includes fastener slits (501) that enable the baby carrier to be releasably secured to a car seat (590).
  4. The baby carrier system of Claim 2 or 3, wherein the baby securing system comprises a T-strap (503) that includes a T-strap connector (543) and one or more T-strap fasteners (541), wherein the T-strap connector is secured to the main body at a T-strap connector attachment point (544).
  5. The baby carrier system of Claim 4, wherein the baby carrier further comprises a lower shoulder strap stabilizer (522), wherein each shoulder strap is releasably or permanently secured to the lower shoulder strap stabilizer and wherein the lower shoulder strap stabilizer is permanently secured to the main body near the bottom of the main body at a lower shoulder strap stabilizer attachment point (545), whereby each shoulder strap is indirectly secured to the main body.
  6. The baby carrier system of Claim 2, wherein the main body includes a horizontal stabilizer bar (538) positioned near the bottom of the main body.
  7. The baby carrier system of Claim 5, wherein the main body includes a horizontal stabilizer bar positioned between the lower shoulder strap stabilizer attachment point and T-strap connector attachment point.
  8. The baby carrier system of Claim 7, wherein the horizontal stabilizer bar is positioned near the bottom of the main body.
  9. The baby carrier system of Claim 8, wherein the magnetic attachment system includes a magnetic clip that is positioned at the center of the horizontal stabilizer bar.
  10. The baby carrier system of Claim 4 or 5, wherein the main body includes a tunneling overlay (533) that includes two or more tunnels, wherein the T-strap includes one T- strap fastener that is secured to the baby carrier by threading it through a tunnel of the tunneling overlay, and wherein the T-strap fastener is configured to be secured to itself and the T-strap connector.
  11. A method of lifting a baby secured in a baby carrier from a secure location and securing the baby within the baby carrier to a caregiver, wherein the caregiver has a waist, a torso, shoulders, and arms, and wherein baby carrier has a main body and shoulder straps connected to the main body, wherein the shoulder straps include upper shoulder straps (645) and shoulder strap connectors (527), said method comprising: a. attaching a waist strap to the caregiver, wherein the waist strap includes a waist strap securing system; b. grasping the shoulder strap connectors of the baby carrier; c. lifting the baby within the baby carrier while continuing to grasp the shoulder strap connectors; d. attaching the baby carrier to the waist strap using the waist strap securing system; and e. placing the shoulder straps of the baby carrier over the shoulders of the caregiver characterized in that the waist strap securing system in step a. comprises a magnetic attachment system which releasably secures the waist strap to the baby carrier, wherein the magnetic attachment means comprises: a mechanical release, and a main body magnetic component and a waist strap magnetic component that may be securely coupled and subsequently decoupled only through the application of mechanical force to the mechanical release.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/652,093, filed on February 22, 2022, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/450,688, filed on October 12, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/334,654, filed on May 28, 2021. This application is also related to, but does not claim priority to, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/149,711, filed on January 14, 2021, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/286,584, filed on February 26, 2019, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/048784, filed on August 26, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/379,936, filed on August 26, 2016. BACKGROUND Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to baby carriers. Description of the Related Art Back pain is a significant cause of morbidity in the United States and worldwide. In a 2010 study of the global burden of disease, low back pain was found to cause more global disability than any of the other 290 conditions studied (Hoy, D, et al. "The Global Burden of Low Back Pain: Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study," Ann. Rheum. Dis., Mar. 2014). Back pain is highly prevalent during and after pregnancy, as 49% of women experience back pain at some point during pregnancy (Ostgaard, H.C., et al. "Prevalence of Back Pain in Pregnancy," Spine, May 1991, 549-52) and approximately 40% of women experience postpartum back pain (Ostgaard, H.C., et al. "Postpartum Low-Back Pain," Spine, Jan. 1992, 53-5). This high prevalence of back pain during and after pregnancy may be better understood in view of physiological changes occurring in a woman's body during pregnancy. As the body grows to adjust for the growth of the fetus, abdominal muscles stretch. This often causes a split, or diastasis, in the rectus abdominus. These abdominal muscles are critical to stabilization of the spine. In addition, the ligaments of the lumbar spine and pelvis loosen to allow for safe passage of the baby through the birth canal during birth. This reduces intrinsic spinal stability. Further, the S-shaped curve of the back increases, which puts additional pressure on the lumbar spine. Moreover, the pelvic floor muscles become stretched and often weakened. These muscles function as a crucial floor for the body's core musculature, and this muscular weakening results in a cascade effect that impacts the strength and stability of the spine. Finally, women are now becoming pregnant at older ages and there is a national increase in the rate of pregnancies of multiples (twins, triplets, etc.). As such, the baseline risk for back pain during and after pregnancy is increasing. These factors place women at increased risk for chronic back pain if their problems are not addressed early (see Fitzgerald, C. et al. "The Association Between Pelvic Girdle Pain and Pelvic Floor Muscle Function in Pregnancy," Int. Urogynecol. J., July 2012, 893-8; Ritchie, J. "Orthopedic Considerations During Pregnancy," Clinical ObGYN, June 2003, 456-66). On account of these risk factors, women should be encouraged to minimize activities that increase the risk of back injury during the postpartum period. While certainly convenient, the use of multi-functional infant car seats that may be removed from a vehicle and function as a baby carrier significantly increases the risk of postpartum back injuries in women. An average infant car seat weighs approximately 15 lbs. (6,8 Kg) and is over 2 feet (0,61 m) in length and 18 inches (46 cm) wide. When using a multi-functional infant car seat, caregivers are tasked with transferring the infant car seat in and out of the car while the infant remains in the car seat. An evaluation of the physics of lifting demonstrates the significance of these weights and the potential for injury caused thereby. The farther an object is from the center of gravity of a person lifting the object, the more effort is required to lift the object-the moment that a force produces is a multiple of the distance of the object from the center of gravity of the object and the weight of the object. The weight of the infant car seat added to the weight of the infant results in increased pressure through the discs of the spine when this weight is carried further away from the body. Also, a person generally carries an infant car seat in front of or slightly to the side of the body, resulting in increased forces on the intervertebral discs in the anterior compartment of the lumbar spine, and thereby increasing the risk of disc herniation or injury. The spine and abdominal muscles are required to use very high forces to counterbalance the forward forces caused by the weight of an object. These muscles are already weak and stretched in the postpartum period, and thus the risk of injury is increased. Further, the weight of an infant car seat carried on one arm causes increased risk of injury to the carrying arm of a