Seat belt lock-off clip for child car seat

• US 6,048,028 A
• Filed: 08/27/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Bapst, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/141,023
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 297/250.1, 297/216.11, 297/483, 24/169, 24/198, 24/199, 24/200
• US Class Current: 297/250.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2812 for securing the child to the child seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/286 forward facing B60N2/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4014 One-piece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4088 One-piece

Abstract

A child restraining apparatus for mounting in a passenger seat of a vehicle is provided. In one embodiment, the child restraining apparatus has an improved vehicle seat belt pathway to accommodate vehicles having particularly forward or high seat belt anchor positions. The child restraining apparatus can also include easily identifiable seat belt pathways corresponding to the seat'"'"'s forward seat-facing and rear seat-facing orientations and an adjustable harness with easily identifiable harness placements corresponding to the seat'"'"'s forward facing and rearward facing orientations. In the forward facing orientation, the improved vehicle seat belt pathway generally provides an entry point for a vehicle seat that is disposed forward of, and above, the seating surface of the child car seat.

Claims

1. A child car seat for mounting in a passenger seat of a vehicle having a passenger restraint harness and capable of restraining in said car seat a child occupant, said car seat comprising:

a seat body, said seat body including a sidewall defining an aperture having at least one arcuate edge;

a first seat restraint coupled to said seat body and engage able with the passenger restraint harness, when said car seat is disposed in the passenger seat, to restrain said car seat in the passenger seat, said first seat restraint defining a harness path through which the passenger restraint harness can be disposed; and

a first harness clip coupled to said seat body and disposed in operative proximity to said harness path to be engage able with the passenger restraint harness, said first harness clip including a clip body having a side edge with an arcuate shape, a substantially planar upper surface with an elongate aperture therein, an elongate, resilient finger having a fixed, proximal end and an opposite, free, distal end, being disposed in said elongate aperture, and capable of being resiliently displaced upwardly away from said upper surface of said clip body a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of a portion of the passenger restraint harness between said finger and said upper surface and to thereby resist movement of the harness with respect to said seat body, wherein said first harness clip is mounted on said sidewall with said at least one arcuate edge of said sidewall aperture aligned with and proximate to said arcuate edge of said clip body.

2. The car seat of claim 1, wherein said elongate aperture and said finger are arcuate in planes parallel to said upper surface of said clip body.

3. The car seat of claim 1, wherein said distal end of said finger diverges upwardly from said upper surface of said clip body to facilitate insertion of the restraint harness from said distal end.

4. The car seat of claim 1, further comprising:

a second seat restraint coupled to said seat body and engage able with the passenger restraint harness, said second seat restraint further defining said harness path;

a second harness clip coupled to said seat body and disposed in operative proximity to said harness path to be engage able with the passenger restraint harness and spaced from said first harness clip, said second harness clip having substantially the same construction as said first harness clip,

wherein either of said first and second harness clips are selectively engage able with the passenger restraint harness.

5. The car seat of claim 1, wherein said elongate finger is disposed with respect to said upper surface to permit the harness to be inserted edgewise into said aperture between said finger and said upper surface from said distal end toward said proximal end of said finger with the harness lying above said upper surface and below the lower face of said elongate finger.

6. The car seat of claim 5, wherein said lower face of said elongate finger is disposed below said upper face to define a tortuous path for the harness.

7. The car seat of claim 6, wherein insertion of the harness edgewise into said aperture flexes said elongate finger upwardly, said elongate finger resiliently urging the harness downwardly against said upper surface.

8. The car seat of claim 1, wherein said clip body includes mounting apertures for receiving fasteners for fastening said first harness clip to said seat body.

9. A child car seat for mounting in a passenger seat of a vehicle having a passenger restraint harness and capable of restraining in said car seat a child occupant, said car seat comprising:

a seat body;

a harness clip mounted to said seat body and engageable with the passenger restraint harness when the passenger restraint harness is brought into operative engagement with said seat body, said harness clip having a body portion and a resilient finger portion coupled to said body portion and capable of being resiliently displaced away from said body portion a sufficient distance to permit the lateral insertion of a portion of the passenger restraint harness between said finger and said body portion and to thereby resist movement of the harness with respect to said seat body, wherein said body portion includes mounting apertures through which fasteners are received for fixedly fastening said harness clip to said seat body, wherein said seat body includes a sidewall defining an aperture, a portion of said sidewall aperture being defined by an arcuate edge, said harness clip body portion includes a side edge with an arcuate shape, and said harness clip is positioned proximate to said sidewall aperture and said body portion side edge is positioned proximate said arcuate edge.

10. An apparatus for fixing a vehicle harness with respect to a child car seat including a seat body and being restrained by the vehicle harness in a passenger seat of a vehicle in either of a first, forward facing orientation and a second, rearward facing orientation, comprising:

a first harness restraint coupled to said seat body and engageable with the vehicle harness when the car seat is disposed in the passenger seat in the first orientation;

a second harness restraint coupled to said seat body and engageable with the vehicle harness when the car seat is disposed in the passenger seat in the second orientation; and

first and second locking clips disposed in operative relationship with said first and second harness restraints, respectively, each of said locking clips having a body portion and an elongate, resilient portion, each of said locking clips being engageable with the vehicle harness to fix the harness with respect to said respective harness restraint and the car seat, wherein each body portion includes mounting apertures through which fasteners are received for fixedly fastening each locking clip to said seat body, wherein the seat body includes a sidewall defining an aperture, a portion of said sidewall aperture being defined by an arcuate edge, said first locking clip body portion includes a side edge with an arcuate shape, and said first locking clip is positioned proximate to said sidewall aperture and said body portion side edge is positioned proximate said arcuate edge.