Child safety seat

• US 6,152,525 A
• Filed: 11/24/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Britax Excelsior Limited
• Original Assignee: Britax Excelsior Limited
• Inventors: Lovie, David, Carine, Shaun
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, STEPHEN A
• Application Number:
  US09/198,419
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 297/250.1, 297/256.13, 297/256.15, 297/253, 297/216.11, 108/1, 108/9, 108/44
• US Class Current: 297/216.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/286 forward facing B60N2/2866 takes precedence

Abstract

A child safety seat comprising a seat body and a base, is adapted to be secured on a vehicle seat by a lap strap of a vehicle seat belt. A front foot is pivotally mounted on the front part of the seat body so as to be movable between a first position and a second position in which it projects downwardly from the seat body to a greater extent that when in its first position so as to compress the front part of the vehicle seat cushion. This reduces the extent of angular movement of the child seat which can take place subsequent to installation, for example during an accident, before the front foot abuts against the rigid structure of the vehicle seat with the maximum possible compression of the seat cushion trapped therebetween.

Claims

1. A child safety seat comprising a seat body including a base, fixing means extending from a rear part of the seat body for securing the child seat on a vehicle seat, a front foot mounted on the base so as to support a front part thereof, the front foot being movable between a first position and a second position in which the front foot projects downwardly from said base to a greater extent that when the front foot is in the first position, and a manually operable member having a hand grip portion for moving the front foot from the first position to the second position, wherein the distance of movement of the hand grip portion is greater than the distance of movement of the front foot, and the manually operable member has an intermediate position, between said first and second positions, in which the front foot projects downwardly from the base to a greater extent that when the front foot is in the second position.

2. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the front foot comprises a panel pivotally mounted on the seat body by a pivotal connection extending along an edge thereof, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to a pivotally mounted cam which engages with a surface of the panel.

3. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the front foot comprises a cam pivotally mounted on the seat body, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to said cam.

4. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein a crank having an offset portion is pivotally mounted on the base, a link is pivotally connected at one end to the offset portion and at an opposite end to the front foot, and a coupling connects the manually operable member to the crank so that angular movement of the manually operable member in a first direction causes angular movement of the crank in said first direction so as to move the front foot from said first position to said second position.

5. A child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the crank includes a formation arranged to abut against said link to prevent angular movement of said crank in the first direction beyond the orientation corresponding to the second position of the front foot.

6. A child safety seat according to claim 5, wherein said coupling is arranged to allow angular movement of the manually operable member in a second direction opposite to said first direction without causing angular movement of the crank.

7. A child safety seat in combination with a vehicle seat having a vehicle seat back and a resiliently compressible vehicle seat cushion, the child seat comprising a seat base including a bottom portion resting on said vehicle seat cushion and a back portion rigidly connected to the bottom portion, a front foot mounted on the base portion for movement between a first position and a second position in which the foot projects downwardly from the bottom portion to a greater extent that when the foot is in the first position, and fixing means projecting between the vehicle seat cushion and the vehicle seat back and engaging with the seat base for securing the child seat on the vehicle seat with the back portion abutting the vehicle seat back and the foot abutting the vehicle seat cushion so that said foot compresses said vehicle seat cushion as said foot is moved from the first position to the second position.

8. A child safety seat according to claim 7, wherein the fixing means comprises a flexible strap.

9. A child safety seat according to claim 8, wherein the flexible strap comprises a vehicle seat belt lap strap.

10. A child safety seat according to claim 7, wherein the fixing means comprises a pair of rearwardly extending projections secured to respective sides of the seat body so as to extend between the seat cushion and the backrest of the vehicle seat so as to engage with respective rigid anchorages on the vehicle.

11. A child safety seat according to claim 7, further comprising a manually operable member having a hand grip portion for moving the front foot from said first position to said second position, the distance of movement of the hand grip portion being greater than the distance of movement of the front foot.

12. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the front foot comprises a panel pivotally mounted on the seat body by a pivotal connection extending along an edge thereof, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to a pivotally mounted cam which engages with a surface of the panel.

13. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the front foot comprises a cam pivotally mounted on the seat body, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to said cam.

14. A child safety seat wherein in combination with a vehicle seat having a seat back and a resiliently compressible seat cushion, the child seat comprising a seat body including a base, fixing means extending between the vehicle seat cushion and the vehicle seat back for securing the child seat on the vehicle seat, a front foot mounted on the base so as engage with a front part of the vehicle seat cushion so as to compress said seat cushion as the foot is moved from a first position to a second position in which the foot projects downwardly from the seat body to a greater extent that when in said first position and a manually operable member having a hand grip portion for moving the front foot from said first position to said second position, the distance of movement of the hand grip portion being greater than the distance of movement of the front foot;

wherein the manually operable member has an intermediate position between said first and second positions in which the front foot projects downwardly from the seat body to a greater extent that when in said second position.

15. A child safety seat according to claim 14, wherein the front foot comprises a panel pivotally mounted on the seat body by a pivotal connection extending along an edge thereof, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to a pivotally mounted cam which engages with a surface of the panel.

16. A child safety seat according to claim 14, wherein the front foot comprises a cam pivotally mounted on the seat body, and the manually operable member comprises a lever secured to said cam.

17. A child safety seat according to claim 14, wherein a crank having an offset portion is pivotally mounted on the base, a link is pivotally connected at one end to the offset portion and at an oposite end to the front foot, and a coupling connects the manually operable member to the crank so that angular movement of the manually operable member in a first direction causes angular movement of the crank in said first direction so as to move the front foot from said first position to its second position.

18. A child safety seat according to claim 17, wherein the crank includes a formation arranged to abut against said link to prevent angular movement of said crank in the first direction beyond the orientation corresponding to the second position of the front foot.

19. A child safety seat according to claim 18, wherein the coupling is arranged to allow angular movement of the manually operable member in a second direction opposite to said first direction without causing angular movement of the crank.