Infant carrier

Abstract

An infant carrier includes a plurality of sections to wrap around a wearer's torso, in order to hold an infant against a chest of a wearer. The sections include a front panel, to enclose the chest, and a back section, extending from the front panel, to traverse across a back of the wearer. An inner seat for the infant is attached to an interior surface of the front panel. The front panel may include a layer of insulation and be waterproofed so that the infant carrier may function as an incubator. The carrier may be held around the torso by an attachment element having first and second mating parts, located along a width of the front panel and along the back section, respectively. The sections may also include a sash to wrap across the front panel from beneath a first shoulder to over a second shoulder of the wearer.

1 . An apparatus to carry an infant against a chest of a person, the apparatus comprising:
 a flexible wrapping member including a free side edge and a plurality of sections, which extend from the free side edge, the plurality of sections adapted for wrapping around a torso of the person;   the plurality of sections including a front panel, to enclose the chest of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso, and a back section extending from the front panel to traverse across a back of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso;   the front panel including a top terminal edge, a bottom terminal edge and an interior surface, that faces the chest when the member is wrapped around the torso; the front panel having a width from the top terminal edge to the bottom terminal edge, the width extending along a height of the torso when the member is wrapped around the torso;   a reversible attachment element including first and second mating parts to hold, when mated, the wrapping member around the torso when the member is wrapped around the torso, such that the bottom terminal edge of the front panel is held snugly against the torso;   the first part of the attachment element located along the width of the front panel, and the second part of the attachment element located along the back section of the wrapping member; and   an inner seat for the infant attached to the interior surface of the front panel, the inner seat located to hold the infant against the chest of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso and the first and second parts of the attachment element are mated together.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel includes a waterproof exterior surface. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the back section includes an interior surface and the interior surface of the front panel is a different color from the interior surface of the back section. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the back section is formed by a plurality of straps. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the back section includes an elastic portion. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the front panel is formed by an inner layer of material and an outer layer of material; and   the inner layer of material is soft and breathable.   
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the front panel is further formed by an insulating layer extending between the inner layer and the outer layer. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the front panel is further formed by a waterproof layer extending between the inner layer and the outer layer. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the front panel is further formed by layer of padding extending between the inner and the outer layer. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel is formed by a material layer including a phase change material. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel is formed by an inner layer of material and an outer layer of material such that a pocket exists between the inner and outer layers of material. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the pocket forms a container for another member and the front panel further includes an opening into the pocket to accommodate insertion of the other member into the pocket. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the front panel is separable from the wrapping member; and the inner seat is attached to the interior surface of the front panel at a location coinciding with the separable portion thereof. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the inner seat is reversibly attached to the interior surface of the front panel. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional inner seat attached to the interior surface of the front panel. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the wrapping member further includes an elastic waist band coinciding with the bottom terminal edge of the front panel. 
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first part of attachment element is located in proximity to the free side edge of the wrapping member. 
   
   
       18 . An apparatus to carry an infant against a chest of a person, the apparatus comprising:
 a flexible wrapping member including a free side edge and a plurality of sections, which extend from the free side edge, adapted for wrapping around a torso the person;   the plurality of sections including a front panel, to enclose the chest of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso, a back section extending from the front panel, to traverse across a back of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso, and a sash, adapted for wrapping across the front panel, from beneath a first shoulder of the person to over a second shoulder of the person, when the wrapping member is wrapped around the torso;   the front panel including an interior surface, that faces the chest, when the wrapping member is wrapped around the torso;   a reversible attachment member to hold the wrapped sash in place; and   an inner seat for the infant attached to the interior surface of the front panel, the inner seat located to hold the infant against the chest of the person, when the member is wrapped around the torso.   
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the front panel of the wrapping member extends from the free side edge thereof;   the wrapping member further includes another free side edge; and   the sash of the wrapping member extends from the back section of the wrapping member and terminates at the other free side edge of the wrapping member.   
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the front panel includes a waterproof exterior surface. 
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the back section includes an interior surface and the interior surface of the front panel is a different color from the interior surface of the back section. 
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the back section includes an elastic portion. 
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the front panel is formed by an inner layer of material and an outer layer of material; and   the inner layer of material is soft and breathable.   
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the front panel is further formed by an insulating layer extending between the inner layer and the outer layer. 
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the front panel is further formed by a waterproof layer extending between the inner layer and the outer layer. 
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the front panel is further formed by a layer of padding extending between the inner layer and the outer layer. 
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the front panel is formed by a material layer including a phase change material. 
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the front panel is formed by an inner layer of material and an outer layer of material such that a pocket exists between the inner and outer layers of material. 
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the inner seat is reversibly attached to the interior surface of the front panel. 
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising at least one additional inner seat attached to the interior surface of the front panel. 
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 an elastic waist band; and   wherein the front panel of the plurality of sections of the wrapping member includes a top terminal edge and a bottom terminal edge, the front panel having a width from the top terminal edge to the bottom terminal edge, the width extending along a height of the torso, when the wrapping member is wrapped around the torso; and   the elastic waist band coincides with a bottom terminal edge of the front panel.   
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the wrapped sash has a width to support a head of the infant, which infant is held in the inner seat of the apparatus, when the wrapping member is wrapped around the torso. 
   
   
       33 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a back shoulder strap extending from the back section of the plurality of sections of the wrapping member to traverse over the second shoulder of the person, when the wrapping member is wrapped around the torso;   the back shoulder strap including an attachment member to mate with the reversible attachment member of the sash to hold the wrapped sash in place.   
   
   
       34 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a reversible attachment element, the attachment element including first and second mating parts to hold, when mated, the wrapping member around the torso when the member is wrapped around the torso; and   wherein the first part of the attachment element is located in proximity to the free side edge of the wrapping member; and   the second part of the attachment element is located along the back section of the wrapping member.   
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein:
 the sash has a width to reach over the second shoulder of the person and across the back of the person to beneath the first shoulder of the person; and   the reversible attachment member of the sash mates with the reversible attachment element to hold the wrapped sash in place.   
   
   
       36 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein:
 a portion of the front panel is separable from the wrapping member;   the inner seat is attached to the interior surface of the front panel at a location coinciding with the separable portion thereof; and   the front panel is formed by an inner layer of material, an outer layer of material and a layer of padding extending between the inner and outer layers at a location coinciding with the separable portion   
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the sash is attached to an exterior surface of the separable portion of the front panel, so as to wrap around the infant held within the inner seat, when the portion is separated from the wrapping member. 
   
   
       38 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the sash is further adapted for wrapping over around the front panel and the infant held within the inner seat, when the wrapping member is unwrapped from around the torso. 
   
   
       39 . A method to simultaneously carry and incubate a prematurely born infant, the method comprising:
 placing the infant in an inner seat, which inner seat is attached to an interior surface of a front panel of a flexible wrapping member;   wrapping the wrapping member around a torso of a person such that the interior surface of the front panel faces a chest of the person; and   securing the wrapping member around the torso, by coupling mating parts of a reversible attachment member, in order to hold the infant, which is placed in the inner seat, against a chest of the person so that the person may carry and incubate the infant;   wherein at least the front panel of the wrapping member has a width to extend along a height of the torso and to enclose the chest of the person, when the wrapping member is secured around the torso.   
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein securing the wrapping member further comprises wrapping a sash of the wrapping member across the front panel from beneath a first shoulder of the person to over a second shoulder of the person, and securing the sash so that a head and neck of the infant, held in the inner seat, are supported by the sash.