Child safety seat
First Claim
1. A child safety seat for holding a child, the seat being installed on a seat of a vehicle that is subject to sudden deceleration, the child safety seat comprising:
- a base section having means for releasably mounting the base section onto the vehicle seat;
a seat section;
a linkage connected between the seat section and the base section for providing relative movement between the seat section and the base section upon sudden deceleration of the vehicle, wherein the relative movement provided by the linkage connected between the seat section and the base section provides upward and forward motion of the forward and rearward portions of the seat section relative to the base section;
a restraining member selectively coupleable around the child for restraining the child in the child safety seat; and
a restraining member tightening device for tightening the restraining member around the child upon motion of the seat section relative to the base section.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A child safety seat for holding a child is either formed integrally with, or designed to be installed on, a seat of a vehicle that is subject to sudden deceleration. The child safety seat may include a base section which may be releasably mounted on onto the vehicle seat, and a seat section. In various embodiments the movement of the seat section relative to the base section is controlled by ramps and linkages and by various combinations of ramps and links. In further embodiments, the child safety seat includes an apparatus for tightening the seat belt in response to the sudden deceleration of the vehicle and may also include energy absorbing members which are permanently deformed as the seat belt is tightened.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A child safety seat for holding a child, the seat being installed on a seat of a vehicle that is subject to sudden deceleration, the child safety seat comprising:
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a base section having means for releasably mounting the base section onto the vehicle seat; a seat section; a linkage connected between the seat section and the base section for providing relative movement between the seat section and the base section upon sudden deceleration of the vehicle, wherein the relative movement provided by the linkage connected between the seat section and the base section provides upward and forward motion of the forward and rearward portions of the seat section relative to the base section; a restraining member selectively coupleable around the child for restraining the child in the child safety seat; and a restraining member tightening device for tightening the restraining member around the child upon motion of the seat section relative to the base section. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A child safety seat that can be installed on a seat of a vehicle, the child safety seat comprising:
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a base section having means for releasably mounting the base section onto a vehicle seat; a seat section; a linkage connected between the seat section and the base section for providing relative movement between the seat section and the base section when the acceleration of the vehicle in any direction exceeds a predetermined threshold value, wherein the relative movement provided by the linkage connected between the seat section and the base section provides upward and forward motion of the forward and rearward portions of the seat section relative to the base section; at least one restraining member selectively coupleable about an occupant; and a tightening device for tightening at least one restraining member about the occupant upon motion of the seat section relative to the base section.
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12. A method for restraining a child in a child safety seat having a base section selectively coupleable to the vehicle and a seat section coupled to the base section such that the seat section moves along a predetermined path relative to the base section upon the acceleration of the vehicle in any direction exceeding a predetermined threshold level, wherein the seat section defines forward and rearward portions, and wherein both the forward and the rearward portions of the seat section move forward and upward upon the sudden deceleration of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
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coupling at least one restraining member across the body of the child such that the child is located between the seat section and each restraining member; and tightening the restraining member around the child upon movement of the seat section relative to the base section. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A child safety seat that can be installed on a seat of a vehicle, the child safety seat comprising:
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a base section having means for releasably mounting the base section onto a vehicle seat; a seat section; a linkage connected between the seat section and the base section for providing relative movement between the seat section and the base section when the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold value, wherein the relative movement provided by the linkage connected between the seat section and the base section provides upward and forward motion of the forward and rearward portions of the seat section relative to the base section; at least one restraining member selectively coupleable about an occupant; and a tightening device for tightening at least one restraining member about the occupant, said device including a member which is plastically deformed to dissipate kinetic energy as the restraining member is tightened about the occupant upon motion of the seat section relative to the base section. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification