Systems and Methods for Notifying a Caregiver of the Condition of a Child in a Vehicular Child Safety Restraint

• US 20130201013A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cars-N-Kids LLC
• Original Assignee: Cars-N-Kids LLC
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Gregory B.
• Application Number:
  US13/835,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2875 inclinable, as a whole or partially
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/2815 with additional belt accessories, e.g. a belt tension detector
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4841 for sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

Child seat installation monitoring system and methods that monitor child seat orientation, belt tension, air temperature, and other factors, and provide notifications and alerts to a user of conditions via indications, a mobile device such as a smart phone, an in-car notification system, and other systems.

Claims

1. A system for providing notifications of a condition relating to a child in vehicular child seat, the system comprising:

a sensor installable in a vehicular child seat and capable of detecting a condition relating to a child in said vehicular child seat when said sensor is installed in said vehicular child seat;

a transmitter connected to said sensor by circuitry; and

computer-readable instructions on a non-transitory memory comprising programming which, when said non-transitory memory is in a device capable of receiving data from said transmitter, causes said mobile device to transform into a notification data received by said mobile device from said transmitter relating to a condition detected by said sensor when said sensor is installed in a vehicular child seat.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a three-axis accelerometer and said condition is the orientation of said vehicular child seat installed in a vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a force transducer and said condition is the tension on a safety restraint belt.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a temperature sensor and said condition is the air temperature near a child in said vehicular child seat.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said notification is a graphical element caused to be displayed by said device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said notification is an audible tone caused to be emitted by said device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said notification is a message transmitted by said device to another device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is a user-defined text message sent to a user-defined mobile telephone number.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is a user-defined e-mail message sent to a user-defined e-mail address.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said e-mail address is a distribution list.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is a call.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is sent to an emergency response call center.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is transmitted only after a condition first detected by said sensor is again detected by said sensor after a user-defined amount of time elapses from said first detection.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said device is a mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said notification is the vibration of said mobile device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said mobile device is a mobile phone.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said mobile phone is selected from the group consisting of an iPhone, a Windows Phone, a Galaxy phone, a Google phone, an Android phone.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said mobile device is a tablet computer.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said device is a vehicular telematics system.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmitter communicates using the Bluetooth protocol.