Support skeleton for a juvenile transport product and method

Abstract

A support skeleton for a juvenile transport product, such as an infant carrier. The skeleton rigidly supports the juvenile transport product in a predetermined configuration, and a foam body is molded to the skeleton and supported thereby. The foam body has a shape generally corresponding to the shape of the juvenile transport product. A protective cover, or microshell, is adhered to the foam body to protect the foam against damage from wear and impacts. The skeleton may be molded in a single piece or in several pieces for later assembly.

1 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product, comprising an openwork structure defined by integrally-formed support members and weight-reducing voids, and adapted for being imbedding within and providing support to an exterior body defining the shape of the juvenile transport product.  
   
   
       2 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the exterior body is formed of a molded foam material.  
   
   
       3 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 2 , and including a protective cover shell adhered to the foam body to protect the foam against damage from wear and impacts.  
   
   
       4 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the skeleton includes attachment points for connecting to and supporting a carry handle by which the foam body is transported.  
   
   
       5 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the support skeleton is molded from a material selected from the group consisting of carbon fibers, plastics, resins and combinations of carbon fibers, plastics and resins.  
   
   
       6 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the support skeleton comprises first and second side components and an intermediate component adapted to be secured between the first and second side components to collectively form a concave structure around which a body is applied.  
   
   
       7 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the juvenile transport product comprises an infant carrier, and the support skeleton comprises first and second infant carrier side components and an intermediate seat component adapted to be secured between the first and second side components to form a unitary infant carrier skeleton.  
   
   
       8 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 1 , wherein the juvenile transport product comprises an infant carrier, and the support skeleton comprises an integrally-formed, unitary infant carrier skeleton.  
   
   
       9 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 2 , wherein the foam body comprises foam selected from the group consisting of open cell foam and closed cell foam.  
   
   
       10 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 9 , wherein the foam body comprises a foam selected from the group consisting of expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), polyurethane (PE) and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       11 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 3 , wherein the protective cover is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyethylene terephthalate modified with CHDM (PETG), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polycarbonate blended with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (PC/ABS), high density polyethylene (HDPE), high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE), and polypropylene (PP).  
   
   
       12 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 11 , wherein the protective cover forms a thin, resilient surface.  
   
   
       13 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 12 , wherein the protective cover is transparent.  
   
   
       14 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 3 , wherein the protective cover has a thickness of about between 0.038 cm and 0.5 cm.  
   
   
       15 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 4 , wherein the protective cover has a thickness of about 0.05 cm to about 0.1 cm.  
   
   
       16 . An internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product according to  claim 8  or  9 , and including a carry handle assembly pivotally mounted to the skeleton.  
   
   
       17 . A method of forming an internal load-bearing support skeleton for a juvenile transport product, and comprising the steps of: 
 (a) determining the load requirements of the transport product;    (b) designing a skeleton having sufficient mass and rigidity to support the load requirements of the transport product;    (c) molding the skeleton from a suitable plastic or resin material;    (d) providing attachment points on the skeleton for attachment of transport product elements; and    (e) molding a body onto the skeleton.    
   
   
       18 . A method according to  claim 17 , and including the step of adhering a protective cover shell to the body to protect the body against damage from wear and impacts.  
   
   
       19 . A method according to  claim 17 , wherein the step of forming the skeleton comprises the step of molding the skeleton in a single piece.  
   
   
       20 . A method according to  claim 17 , wherein the step of forming the skeleton comprises the steps of: 
 (a) molding a plurality of skeleton elements that collectively comprise the entire skeleton; and    (b) joining the skeleton elements to form the skeleton before molding the foam body to the skeleton.    
   
   
       21 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the protective cover shell comprises a plurality of cover elements applied to different parts of the foam body.  
   
   
       22 . A method according to  claim 21 , and including the step of adhering the protective cover shell to the foam body after the foam body molding step.  
   
   
       23 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein the step of adhering the protective cover shell to the foam body comprises the step of adhering the protective cover shell to the foam body with an adhesive.  
   
   
       24 . A method according to  claim 19 , and wherein the protective cover shell is transparent, and the method includes the step of applying a material to an inside surface of the protective cover shell before adhering the protective cover shell to the foam body.  
   
   
       25 . A method according to  claim 19 , and wherein the protective cover shell is transparent, and the method includes the step of applying a material to an inside surface of the protective cover shell before adhering the protective cover shell to the foam body, the material being selected from the group consisting of paints, pigments, dyes, decalcomanias, labels and placards.