The invention is particularly (though not exclusively) concerned with frame-supported back-packs of the kind for carrying an infant, but is applicable generally to frame- supported rucksacks and other packs carried on the back or front of a user.

According to the present invention there is provided a frame-supported pack for carrying on the person, having a base that enables the pack to stand upright on the ground for loading, unloading and/or adjustment, wherein an aperture is provided in the pack to enable a user to insert a foot into the pack over a part of the frame for exerting pressure downwardly on the frame to urge the base to the ground in holding the pack upright.

The present invention overcomes to a large extent the problem experienced during loading, unloading or adjusting a frame-supported pack when it is off the person, standing on the ground. The tendency in these circumstances is for the pack to topple over from the upright unless it is steadied in some way, and it is common in this regard for the user to lean the pack against their legs or to hold it upright between their knees, so that their hands are free for the loading, unloading or adjusting operation.

The above problem is especially troublesome, and gives rise to potential danger, in the circumstances where the pack is an infant-carrier, since both hands must, for safety, be free to hold the child while loading him/her into the carrier or unloading him/her from it. Also,

while the infant is in the carrier, whether after loading or before unloading, both hands are normally required for adjusting or releasing straps and otherwise attending to the infant's welfare. This extends the danger of the carrier toppling with resultant injury or other trauma for the infant. However with the pack according to the invention, steadying to avoid toppling is readily achieved simply by the user inserting their foot into the aperture and pressing down. In this way, the pack is held positively in the upright condition, leaving both hands free for loading or unloading and for adjustment or release of straps, as required for safety or convenience and for otherwise attending to the needs of the infant.

The aperture of the pack according to the invention may be located in the rear of the pack and said part of the frame may extend across the rear of the pack beneath the aperture at the base. More particularly, the aperture, which may be substantially semicircular, may be the open mouth of a cavity that is defined within the pack. The cavity may be closed apart from at its open mouth, and may be of partially-domed form for ease of entry of the user's foot whether shod with shoe or boot; the cavity may be of a depth sufficient to accommodate the user's shoe or boot up to at least the ball of the foot.

The pack of the invention may include a seat for carrying an infant, and may have front and rear fabric-covered leaves that are hinged together at the base, with the seat suspended between them.

A frame-supported back-pack in accordance with the present invention, for carrying an infant, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the infant-carrier back-pack of the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are front and rear views, respectively, of the infant-carrier back-pack; Figure 4 is a partial side view of the infant-carrier back-pack; Figure 5 is a perspective view to reduced scale of the supporting frame of the infant-carrier back-pack; Figures 6 is a perspective view from the rear of the base portion of the back-pack showing an anchor element that is incorporated into the infant-carrier back-pack in implementation of the invention; and Figure 7 is illustrative in greater detail of the anchor element a partial perspective-view within a compartment of the infant-carrier back-pack of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the infant-carrier pack in this case is for mounting on the back of a user, and in this respect has two padded shoulder straps 1 and a padded waist-belt 2 for attaching the carrier to the user. The straps 1 and belt 2 are secured to the fabric of a fabric-covered frame that defines the overall structure of the carrier, being in this regard attached to a front leaf 3 of the structure, that is suitably padded for easy resting on the user's back.

A fabric seat 4 for accommodating the infant is suspended between a rear leaf 5 of the structure and the front leaf 3. The front and rear leaves 3 and 5 are padded, the rear leaf 5 to provide a back-rest to the seat 4, and the front leaf 3 for protection of the infant in the event of sudden forward movement. Straps (not shown) for securing

the infant in the seat 4 between the leaves 3 and 5 are provided, together with padded wings 6 for side protection.

Referring now also to Figure 5, the frame of the carrier involves a generally L-shape member 7 that is formed as an elongate, closed loop of tubular metal. The longer, upright section 8 of the L-shape member 7 is kinked forwardly slightly to define the front leaf 3, whereas its shorter, bottom section 9 gives structure to the fabric-covered base 10 of the carrier. The rear leaf 5 is defined by a tubular-metal member 11 of elongate U- configuration having its two ends coupled via hinges 12 to either side of section 9. The member 11 extends rearwardly from the hinges 12 and then kinks upwardly so that in the absence of an infant seated between them, the rear leaf 5 can be closed onto the front leaf 3.

The leaves 3 and 5 are contained entirely within a waterproof nylon fabric, and adjustable straps 13 are provided either side of the carrier for setting the extent to which the leaf 5 hinges rearwardly from the leaf 3. The setting of the straps 13 therefore determines the extent to which the infant when seated in the carrier can lean back.

A fabric pouch 14, which is open and closed by means of a zip fastener 15, is provided in the back of the rear leaf 5, and a further fabric-enclosed compartment 16 (Figure 6) for stowing larger items, is located beneath the seat 4. Access to the compartment 16 is through a flap 17 that is opened and closed by a zip fastener 18 and as illustrated by Figure 6 an anchor element 19 having a substantially-semicircular, open mouth 20 is sewn into the bottom of the flap 17 at the base 10. The mouth 20 is open externally to the rear of the carrier with the element 19 projecting into the compartment 16.

Referring now also to Figure 7, the element 19 is formed by a partially-domed shell 21 of blow-moulded foam that is fabric-lined, and a floor-element 22 of a heavy-duty nylon-reinforced fabric. The fabric element 22 is stitched to a bottom-flange 23 of the shell 21 so as to define with the shell 21 a domed cavity 24 that is closed apart from at the mouth 20. The mouth 20 has a peripheral flange 25 that is stitched into the fabric of the flap 17, insetting the shell 21 into the rear of the pack over the frame section 9 at the base 10.

An adjustable strap 26, which is stitched at one end into a front seam 27 of the pack, is stitched at the other end to the floor-element 22 of the anchor element 19. The shell 21 seats on the bottom section 9 of the frame member 7, and tensioning of the strap 26 pulls the floor- element 22 together with the fabric of the flap 17, tightly round the frame-section 9. This maintains the cavity 24 presented fully open rearwardly with the floor- element 22 wrapped over the frame-section 9 within the mouth 20.

The aperture provided by the mouth 20 in the rear of the carrier, facilitates loading, unloading and adjustment of the carrier. In particular, when an infant is to be seated in the carrier, the carrier is stood upright with its base 10 on the ground and is held upright by the user simply by inserting his/her foot through the mouth 20 into the cavity 24 of the element 19. The user's foot presses down on the floor-element 22 holding the section 9 of the frame-member 7 in the base 10 hard to the ground, so that the carrier is not only restrained from toppling rearwardly, by the user's leg and foot, but also by the foot from toppling forwardly or sideways.

Accordingly, the user can have both hands free for safe handling of the infant and loading and seating him/her in the carrier. Once the infant is seated and strapped

securely in place any adjustments for comfort and safety can be made with both hands without fear of the carrier falling over, under the stability afforded by the foot- hold. When the carrier is to be lifted, the foot is removed to release this hold and the carrier placed on the user's back.

The foot-hold is also used whenever the carrier is removed from the user's back and placed on the ground for adjustment, or for attention to the needs or comfort of the infant or his/her removal from the carrier. In each case, once the user has inserted their foot into the mouth 20 and pressed down, the carrier remains upright, leaving both hands free to deal with the task involved.

The open mouth 20 of the element 19 (for example having a height of some 90 to 100 millimetre and width of some 125 to 130 millimetre) is sufficient to receive the user's foot whether shod with shoe or boot, and the depth of the cavity is sufficient (for example, some 100 millimetre) to allow the shoe or boot to be inserted at least to bring the ball of the foot over the section 9 of the member 7, in holding it down.

Although the invention has been described above in the context of an infant-carrier, it is applicable more widely than this. It has application in the context of any back-or front-carried rucksack or other pack that requires steadying when placed on the ground for loading, unloading or adjustment.