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Seat mounted air bag assembly

  • US 5,496,061 A
  • Filed: 03/31/1995
  • Issued: 03/05/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:

  • a seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated position with the occupant'"'"'s head disposed adjacent to a side structure of the vehicle, said seat including a seat bottom portion and a seatback;

    a housing;

    an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint in said housing for, when inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle, said inflatable restraint having a neck portion and a body portion which lie adjacent to the occupant'"'"'s head and neck when inflated for engagement by the occupant'"'"'s head and neck;

    an inflator for directing inflation fluid into said inflatable restraint to inflate said inflatable restraint;

    means for sensing a side impact to the vehicle of a magnitude sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant and for actuating said inflator to inflate said inflatable restraint in response to sensing said side impact to the vehicle; and

    support means for supporting said housing on said seatback for inflation of said body portion of said inflatable restraint between the vehicle occupant'"'"'s head and the vehicle side structure;

    said neck portion of said inflatable restraint having an elongate tubular configuration and being connected in fluid communication between said inflator and said body portion of said inflatable restraint;

    said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated extending from said housing and having a longitudinal central axis extending through said neck portion;

    said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having a relatively small height as measured in a vertical direction transverse to said axis and said body portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having a relatively large height as measured in said vertical direction transverse to said axis.

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