US20110097017A1

US20110097017A1 - Portable organizer bag for a high chair

Info

Publication number: US20110097017A1
Application number: US12/589,619
Authority: US
Inventors: Abraxas Dawn Abrams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-26
Filing date: 2009-10-26
Publication date: 2011-04-28

Abstract

A removably mounted portable organizer carrying bag for use in combination with a high chair. The portable organizer carrying bag comprises a front panel fastened to a rear panel continuously along side edges and a bottom edge thereof that forms a first large internal pocket. A pocket panel is fastened to the front panel continuously along the side and bottom edges of the pocket panel to form another outer pocket. The outer pocket is further divided by being sewn into a plurality of pouches. An elastic material is disposed on an upper edge of the pocket panel. The elastic material is biased to keep the open end of the plurality of pouches closed. At least one cover flap is attached to the front panel and extends outward there from and over at least one opening of a pouch. The end of the cover flap is secured over the pouch securing various articles that may be stored therein.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of baby products, and in particular to providing a convenient organizer carrying bag for a high chair that includes various fluid resistant lined storage compartments adapted to house a variety of different articles, such as utensils, drinking cup, napkins, and the like, for use with an infant or young child.
2. Description of the Related Art
During a meal, infants and toddlers are generally placed into a high chair in close proximity to the parent. At this suitable height, the parent attending to the child can conveniently care for and feed the child in an efficient and clean manner. However, infants and young children at this tender age lack muscular coordination and are somewhat challenged at keeping their dining area clean. Consequently, the child's food, as well as many of the articles and/or utensils, such as forks, spoons, cups, napkins, bibs, and the like, tend to get scattered and/or thrown in various places around the high chair making what should be a routine meal a rather difficult and messy ordeal. In an effort to protect the child from coming into contact with unwanted germs or bacteria, once an object is dropped onto an unsanitary surface, such as the floor, the item should be cleaned before it is returned to the child.
Unfortunately, during the meal, the attending parent frequently finds herself having to continually get up from the table to retrieve the dropped or thrown items as well as to sterilize and/or locate replaceable items, such as napkins, a clean utensil or some other item so that the child can resume eating. As a result, a parent oftentimes dreads meal time because of the inherent difficulties and challenges presented when attending to the young child. This constant disruption consequentially takes away from the parent's peaceful uninterrupted enjoyment of their own meal.
While replacement objects may be stored in a diaper bag, diaper bags are not practical to use in a home setting at feeding time. Thus, there is a need for a quick and easy solution for a modular and portable organizer carrying bag that organizes and stores baby feeding articles on a high chair so the adult caring for the child does not have to continuously get up from their seat to retrieve an item.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a removable portable organizer carrying bag for use in combination with a high chair. The portable organizer carrying bag is constructed to include various storage compartments into which a variety of different articles, such as utensils, drinking cup, napkins, and the like may be stored, and for ready use by a person attending to the feeding of an infant or toddler during a meal.
The portable organizer carrying bag includes a front panel fastened to a rear panel continuously along side edges and a bottom edge thereof that forms a first large internal pocket. A pocket panel is fastened to the front panel continuously along the side and bottom edges of the pocket panel to form an outer pocket. The outer pocket is further divided by various stitches sewn into the pocket panel to define a plurality of pouches.
The portable organizer carrying bag may be made from a flexible material capable of being wrapped around portions of the high chair, yet rigid enough to prevent sagging resulting from the weight of the contents in the portable organizer carrying bag. An elastic material may be disposed on an upper edge of the pocket panel. The elastic material is biased to keep the open end of the plurality of pouches closed.
At least one cover flap may be attached to the front panel that extends outward there from and over at least one opening of a pouch. The end of the cover flap may be secured over the pouch securing various articles that may be stored therein.
Another aspect of the invention would be to line the portable organizer carrying bag with a fluid impermeable liner capable of retaining spilled fluids therein. Likewise, the portable organizer carrying bag may be lined with a thermal insulating material capable of maintaining the temperature of various articles in the portable organizer carrying bag at a substantially constant temperature.
These and other objects, features, and/or advantages may accrue from various aspects of embodiments of the present invention, as described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, wherein like reference numerals refer to identical or similar components or steps, with reference to the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary portable organizer carrying bag attached to a high chair in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary a snap-lock mounting member including a first mounting member portion attached to a first adjustable strap, and a mating second mounting member portion attached to a second adjustable strap in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates various exemplary items placed within the portable organizer carrying bag in accordance with this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Particular embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the figures.
Since infants and young children alike are challenged at keeping their dining area in front of them clean, parents continuously have to get up from the table to locate various items to enable the child to resume eating. Examples where an adult would have to get up from her seat to tend to the child include when the child drops his or her utensil, a bib, a cup and/or food. In these instances, the parent generally has to leave their seat to retrieve a clean utensil, a straw, a new cup, some napkins, and/or other item that will allow the parent to clean the area so that the child can continue eating. Unfortunately, this disruption takes away from the parent's peaceful uninterrupted enjoyment of their own meal since they continuously have to get up out of their seat to retrieve various items for the child. The conveniently placed portable organizer carrying bag described below specifically addresses and alleviates these concerns.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary portable organizer carrying bag 10 conveniently located for use on a high chair 8. As with traditional high chairs, the high chair 8 shown includes a seat 4, a back rest 6, various legs 2 and arm portions 7 supporting a tray 2.
According to this invention, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is shown attached to the various legs 2 of the high chair 8 by a plurality of adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d. It is to be understood that the flexibility of this construction enables the portable organizer carrying bag 10 to be fastened to any part of the high chair 8.
The portable organizer carrying bag 10 is positioned on the high chair 8 so that a person attending to the child will have convenient access to the portable organizer carrying bag 10 and the various contents disposed within the portable organizer carrying bag 10. By positioning the portable organizer carrying bag 10 out of reach of the child, such as shown here on the back side of the high chair 8, only the person attending to the child can access the contents in the portable organizer carrying bag 10. Another object of this invention is to position the portable organizer carrying bag 10 out of the reach of the child so that the child cannot reach into the portable organizer carrying bag 10 and remove the contents therein.
FIGS. 2-8 illustrate various exemplary views and components for the portable organizer carrying bag 10. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 comprises a back panel 18 fastened to a front panel 20 continuously along side edges 22 a, 22 b and a bottom edge 23 b to form the carrying bag structure. An internal compartment 16 is formed between the back panel 18 and the front panel 20 as shown in FIG. 3.
A pocket panel 30 is fastened to the front panel 20 continuously defining side edges 24 a, 24 b and a bottom edge 25 b for the pocket panel 30. The pocket panel 30 may be divided into a plurality of pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 as shown in FIG. 2. The various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 may be formed in a number of different ways, such as: by sewing various dividing stitches 26 in the pocket panel 30, by using an adhesive, by welding and/or fusing portions of the pocket panel 30 to the front panel 20 to form the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39. Any other now known or later discovered method for creating the divisions among the pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 may be implemented in accordance with this invention.
Although the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 have been constructed into a single pocket panel 30, it is to be understood that the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 may be formed by more than one rectangular piece of material positioned and fastened adjacent to each other. Likewise, it should be noted that additional pockets may be formed on the portable organizer carrying bag 10 within any one of the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39. Various fasteners (such as snaps or Velcro®) 28 a, 28 b may be attached within each of the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39.
It is also to be understood that the various edges of the portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be fastened to each other in a number of different ways, such as by sewing the various edges 22 a, 22 b, 23 b, 24 a, 24 b, 25 b together, using an adhesive, by welding and/or fusing various portions of the panels 18, 20, 30 to each other, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 3, within each of the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 and/or the internal storage compartment 16, a fluid resistant liner 19 may be provided, such as a plastic lining. If a fluid and/or wet item is placed in the portable organizer carrying bag, the fluid resistant liner 19 will protect the various other articles disposed in adjacent pockets from being soiled by the wet item. Simple cleaning and sterilizing of the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is another advantage of integrating the fluid resistant liner 19. Removing dirt and grime from the fluid resistant liner 19 of the portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be performed in a fast and easy manner.
Another aspect of this invention is to integrate a thermal insulating liner 21 into at least one of the pockets, as shown in FIG. 3. The thermal insulating liner 21 may be made of any type of suitable commercially available thermal insulating material composition. The advantage of providing the thermal insulating liner 21 is to maintain the temperature of various articles in the portable organizer carrying bag at a substantially constant temperature. For example, the temperature of a beverage for the infant may be preferred by the child at a cooler or warmer temperature. The thermal insulating liner 21 is able to maintain the temperature at a preferred temperature. An internal power source, such as batteries, may be electrically connected with the thermal insulating liner 21 to maintain the thermal insulating liner 21 at the preferred predetermined temperature in accordance with this invention.
The portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be constructed of a flexible material allowing the portable organizer carrying bag 10 to be wrapped around the contours of the high chair 8, yet rigid enough to secure and support the weight of various articles stored therein while preventing the portable organizer carrying bag 10 from substantially sagging. Of various materials, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be constructed from a material fabric such as nylon, cotton, vinyl, and/or any other suitable flexible, albeit substantially rigid material.
As mentioned before, one object of this invention is to employ the use of a fabric that is sufficiently flexible, yet durable to hold the various article in the portable organizer carrying bag 10. One way to ensure that the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is sufficiently rigid is by building up the fabric at various locations to counteract any sag that may occur from the weight of the items in the portable organizer carrying bag 10.
For example, the upper edge 23 a or lower edges 23 b of the front panel 20 or back panel 18 may be built up by layering or overlapping the edges thereby creating a more rigid edge sufficient to overcome the weight of the items in the portable organizer carrying bag 10. Likewise, the upper edge 25 a or lower edges 25 b of the pocket panel 30 may be layered, or built up by overlapping its edges. Furthermore, any of the side edges 22 a, 22 b, 24 a, 24 b, and/or seams between the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, the upper edge 23 a or lower edges 23 b of the front panel 20 or back panel 18 may be materially built-up, or thickened, to create a rigid, substantially unbending structure for the portable organizer carrying bag 10.
In the alternative, a rigid rod-like material, such as a thin piece of metal, plastic, or the like, may be disposed and/or lined along the various edges, seams or pockets to enhance the rigidity of the portable organizer carrying bag 10. By implementing the rigid rod-like material, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 will be able to overcome sagging that would otherwise occur when the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is weighed down by various articles.
The portable organizer carrying bag 10 may include cover flaps 32 to prevent direct contact with and to secure the contents within any one of the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39. For example, where the cover flaps 32 prevent a user's fingers from being stuck by the sharp tines of a fork, such as shown in FIG. 8, the blade of a knife, and/or other sharp implement stored in the various pockets secured by the cover flaps 32. The cover flaps 32 may be positioned over any of the various pockets 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 and secured thereon by any suitable fastening mechanism. As shown in FIG. 6, the fastening mechanism may include a pair of tabs 28 a and 28 b, such as the fastener known by the trade name “Velcro” may be attached to upper portions of pockets 33 and 37 and on the back side of the cover flaps 32.
Likewise, as shown in FIG. 3, another pair of tabs 29 a and 29 b may be provided as the fastening mechanism employed to secure the back panel 18 to the front panel 20 so that various items stored in the internal storage compartment 16 will not fall out. Various other fastening mechanisms may be integrated in accordance with this invention, including but not limited to, snaps, buttons, buckles and/or any other suitable fastening mechanism now known or later discovered in accordance with this invention.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cover flaps 32 are affixed to an outer surface 20 a of the front panel 20, just over the opening of the pockets 33 and 37. The cover flap 32 extends from the outer surface 20 a of the front panel 20 outward and down over the pockets 33 and 37. The cover flaps 32 are secured in a closed position in place over the opening of the pockets 33 and 37 by the pair of tabs 28 a, 28 b. The tabs 28 a, 28 b, 29 a, 29 b prevent the various contents within the pockets 33, 37 and the internal compartment 16 from falling out in transit and/or when the portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be tipped upside down.
The adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d on the portable organizer carrying bag 10 are shown attached near the corners of the portable organizer carrying bag 10. However, the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be attached to the portable organizer carrying bag 10 in a variety of different ways. Although the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d are shown attached at the seams along the edges 22 a, 22 b between the front panel 20 and the back panel 18, it is to be understood that the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be secured at various other locations on the portable organizer carrying bag 10 employing various other conventional methods.
For example, the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be attached to the inner or outer surface of the front panel 20. Likewise, the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be fastened to the back panel 18 of the portable organizer carrying bag 10. Although the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d are shown horizontally disposed in FIGS. 1-6, it is to be understood that the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may also be attached at various orientations, such as diagonally and vertically.
As shown in use in FIG. 1, the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may extend around any portion of the high chair 8 and may be secured at various preferred positions on the high chair 8. The various adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d extend around the legs 2 of the high chair 8 and are secured thereto. As mentioned previously, the flexible design of the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d enables the portable organizer carrying bag 10 to flexibly be fastened to various parts of the high chair 8. The adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be made from various types of materials, such as, but not limited to, nylon, a material fabric, an elastic material, and/or any other suitable type of material capable of sustaining a tightening tension force adapted to secure the various adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d to the high chair 8.
Various mounting members 13 may be attached to the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d in order to securely fasten the portable organizer carrying bag 10 to the high chair 8. The mounting members 13 may be made from various types of materials, such as but not limited to, the hook and eye fastener known by the trade name Velcro®, plastic, metal, and/or any other suitable durable material. Although the mounting member 13 shown includes a first mounting member portion 13 a and a mating second mounting member portion 13 b, any type of mounting member may be used.
In FIG. 7, a snap-lock mounting member is shown including a first mounting member portion 13 a attached to the first adjustable strap 12 a, and a mating second mounting member portion 13 b attached to the second adjustable strap 12 b. It is to be understood that various types of mounting members may be used in accordance with this invention, including but not limited to, hooks, buckles, elastic loops, loops, buttons, snaps, and or any other suitable mounting member capable of providing and enduring a tension sufficient to secure the portable organizer carrying bag 10 onto the high chair 8.
In use, a first adjustable strap 12 a and a second adjustable strap 12 b are placed on opposite sides of the portable organizer carrying bag 10. The position of the first mounting member 13 a and the second mounting member 13 b may be adjusted in position over the high chair 8 by carefully adjusting the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b. A third adjustable strap 12 c and a fourth adjustable strap 12 d are also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which are placed on opposite sides of the portable organizer carrying bag 10. Likewise, the position of the third mounting member 13 c and the fourth mounting member 13 d may be adjusted in position over the high chair 8 by extending or shortening the adjustable straps 12 c, 12 d.
Upon completion of the meal, the various items such as the utensils, cups, pacifiers, napkins, rubbish, and/or other articles may be stored back in the various compartments of the portable organizer carrying bag 10 and removed as a single unit with the portable organizer carrying bag 10. Any pair of the adjustable straps 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d may be extended and/or connected to form a longer shoulder-like strap that the user may use to carry the portable organizer carrying bag 10 during transit.
It is to be understood that various articles are contemplated to be stored and/or carried within the portable organizer carrying bag 10 in accordance with this invention, such as shown in FIG. 8. The various articles may include, but are not limited to for example, wet wipes, toys, diapers, small clothes, blankets, utensils, dishes, sanitizer, bottles, teething devices, pacifiers, hair clips, barrettes, bows, games, placemats, burp-cloths, bibs, blankets and/or any other item for the small child or person caring for the young child.
The portable organizer carrying bag 10 may include various indicia, designs and/or other aesthetic logos. The portable organizer carrying bag 10 may be made of any color(s) or pattern(s) and of various shapes and sizes, including but not limited to the child's name, images/objects, whimsical designs, cartoon characters, numbers, geometric shapes, animals, birds, flowers, decorative embroidery, alphanumeric markings, and/or a combination thereof.
The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. For example, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is modular and compact and may be adapted for use with various chairs and/or other implements, such as a wheel chair, feeding boosters, booster seats, feeding chairs, a stroller, a car seat and the like. It is also to be understood that the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is convenient and may be used when a parent is away from the home, especially where a wash basin and/or other replacement supplies are not readily available. Unlike an inconveniently large and cumbersome conventional diaper bag, the portable organizer carrying bag 10 is compact and easy to transport for the parent or other person caring for the child.
It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment which is described, but is intended to cover all modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A portable organizer carrying bag for use in combination with a high chair that is removably mounted to the high chair, the carrying bag comprising:

a front panel fastened to a rear panel continuously along side edges and a bottom edge thereof to form a first internal pocket;

a pocket panel fastened to the front panel continuously along additional side edges and another bottom edge to form another outer pocket, wherein the outer pocket is further divided into a plurality of pouches, and wherein an elastic material is disposed on an upper edge of the pocket panel that biases an open end of the plurality of pouches closed; and

at least one cover flap extending outward from the front panel over the open end for at least one of the plurality of pouches, wherein an end of the cover flap is secured over the pouch securing articles that can be stored in at least one of the plurality of pouches.

2. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, wherein various utensils are adapted to be stored within the portable carrying bag.

3. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first internal pocket or the plurality of pouches are lined with a fluid resistant liner.

4. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the outer pocket is further divided by at least one a sewn stitching, an adhesive, a weld and a fusing.

5. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the internal pocket is secured closed by: a hook and loop fastener, a button, a snap and a buckle.

6. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the portable organizer carrying bag is comprised of a material flexible enough to wrap around the contours of the high chair, yet rigid enough to prevent sagging when the portable organizer carrying bag is filled with various articles.

7. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 6, wherein the edges of the portable organizer carrying bag are layered sufficiently thick to counteract sagging in the portable carrying bag.

8. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 6, wherein the edges of the portable organizer carrying bag are lined with a rigid element to counteract sagging in the portable carrying bag.

9. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 1, further including a plurality of adjustable straps to secure the portable organizer carrying bag to the high chair.

10. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 9, wherein the adjustable straps further include mounting members selected from at least on of: a hook and loop fastener, a buckle, a snap, and a snap-lock mechanism.

11. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 9, wherein at least two adjustable straps can connected to form a shoulder strap for transportation of the portable carrying bag.

12. A removably mounted portable organizer carrying bag for use in combination with a high chair, the carrying bag comprising:

a front panel sewn against a rear panel continuously along side edges and a bottom edge thereof to form a first internal pocket having a top open end;

a pocket panel sewn against the front panel continuously along side edges and bottom edge of the pocket panel to form an outer pocket having a top open end, wherein the outer pocket is further sewn to define a plurality of pouches, and wherein an elastic material is disposed on an upper edge of the top open end of the pocket panel that biases the open end of the plurality of pouches closed;

at least one cover flap extending outward from the front panel over the open end of at least one of the plurality of pouches, wherein a distal end of the cover flap is secured over the open end of the at least one pouch securing articles stored in the least one pouch; and

at least one adjustable strap including a mounting member adapted to secure the portable organizer carrying bag to the high chair.

13. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first internal pocket and the plurality of pouches are sealed with a fluid resistant liner.

14. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein the portable organizer carrying bag is comprised of a material flexible sufficient to wrap around the contours of the high chair, yet rigid enough to prevent sagging when the portable organizer carrying bag is filled with various articles.

15. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein the internal pocket is secured closed by: a hook and loop fastener, a button, a snap and a buckle.

16. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein the edges of the portable organizer carrying bag are layered sufficiently thick to counteract sagging in the portable carrying bag.

17. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein the edges of the portable organizer carrying bag are lined with a rigid element to counteract sagging in the portable carrying bag.

18. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein at least two adjustable straps are connected to form a shoulder strap to transport the portable carrying bag.

19. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein various utensils can be stored within the portable carrying bag.

20. The portable organizer carrying bag of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first internal pocket or the plurality of pouches includes an insulator material disposed therein.