Car seat having buckle with visual feedback

• US 6,619,753 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Evenflo Company Incorporated (Goodbaby International Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Takayama, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARRETT, ERIKA P
• Application Number:
  US09/975,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 297/483, 297/484, 297/250.1, 246/31, 246/32, 280/801.1, 280/808
• US Class Current: 297/484
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2812 for securing the child to the child seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45613 having common means actuating or releasing interlocking components or surfaces

Abstract

A car seat including a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon, and at least one shoulder harness coupled to the seat body and being located to fit over the torso of an occupant to retain the occupant on the seat body. The car seat further includes a buckle for releasably coupling the shoulder harness to the seat body, the buckle including a bracket coupled to the shoulder harness and a base coupled to the seat body. The bracket includes a gripping portion and a tongue and is releasably couplable to the base. The buckle is in a latched condition when the bracket is coupled to the base and is in an unlatched condition when the bracket is not coupled to the base. One of the gripping portion or the base includes a notification portion that has a visual property different from any adjacent areas of the one of the gripping portion or the base. The notification portion is visible when the buckle is in the unlatched condition and the visual property of the notification portion is generally obscured by the other of the gripping portion or the base when the buckle is in the latched condition.

Claims

1. A car seat comprising:

a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon;

at least one shoulder harness coupled to said seat body and being located to fit over the torso of an occupant to retain said occupant on said seat body; and

a buckle for releasably coupling said shoulder harness to said seat body, said buckle including a bracket coupled to said shoulder harness and a base coupled to said seat body, said bracket including a gripping portion and a tongue and being releasably couplable to said base, said buckle being in a latched condition when said bracket is coupled to said base and being in an unlatched condition when said bracket is not coupled to said base, and wherein one of said gripping portion or said base includes a notification portion that has a visual property different from any adjacent areas of said one of said gripping portion or said base, and wherein said notification portion is visible when said buckle is in said unlatched condition and wherein said visual property of said notification portion is generally obscured by the other of said gripping portion or said base when said buckle is in said latched condition.

2. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said base includes a lower surface facing said seat pan and an upper surface located on a generally opposite end of said base, and wherein said notification portion is located on said upper surface of said base.

3. The car seat of claim 2 wherein said notification portion extends along at least about ¼

of the perimeter of said base.

4. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said notification portion has a color different from adjacent areas of said buckle when said buckle is in said latched condition.

5. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said base includes a base opening, and wherein said tongue is received in said base opening when said buckle is in said latched condition.

6. The car seat of claim 5 wherein said tongue including a tongue opening, and wherein said base includes a spring-loaded latch that is received in said tongue opening when said buckle is in said latched condition.

7. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said notification has a surface area of at least 0.35 square inches.

8. The car seat of claim 1 further comprising a base belt coupled to said seat pan and to said base to thereby couple said base to said seat pan.

9. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said base includes a base opening and said tongue includes a tongue opening and is shaped to be received in said base opening, said gripping portion being located adjacent to said base when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein said notification portion is located on said gripping portion.

13. The car seat of claim 1 wherein said base defines an inner volume which can receive at least part of said tongue therein when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein said notification portion is at least partially located outside of said inner volume.

14. The car seat of claim 1 wherein the other of said gripping portion or said base is located between said notification portion and a front of said car seat when said buckle is in said latched condition.

10. A car seat comprising:

a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon;

a pair of shoulder harnesses coupled to said seat body and being located to fit over the torso of an occupant to retain said occupant on said seat body; and

a buckle for releasably coupling said shoulder harnesses to said seat body, said buckle including a pair of brackets, each bracket being coupled to one of said shoulder harnesses, and a base coupled to said seat body, each bracket being shaped to be releasably coupled to said base, said buckle being in a latched condition when each bracket is coupled to said base and being in an unlatched condition when at least one of said brackets is not coupled to said base, and wherein said base includes a notification portion that has a visual property different from any adjacent areas of said brackets or said base when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein each bracket is located in front of said notification portion to generally cover said notification portion when said buckle is in said latched condition and wherein at least one of said brackets is not located in front of said notification portion when said buckle is in said unlatched condition such that said notification portion is at least partially visible to a user.

15. The car seat of claim 10 wherein said base defines an inner volume which can receive at least part of each bracket therein when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein said notification portion is at least partially located outside of said inner volume.

16. The car seat of claim 10 wherein each bracket is located between said notification portion and a front of said car seat when said buckle is in said latched condition such that said notification portion is generally not visible to a user.

11. A car seat comprising:

a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon;

at least one shoulder harness coupled to said seat body and being located to fit over the torso of an occupant to retain said occupant on said seat body;

a bracket coupled to said shoulder harness; and

a base coupled to said seat body, said bracket including a tongue portion and a gripping portion and being shaped to be releasably coupled to said base, and wherein one of said gripping portion or said base includes a notification portion that has a visual property different from any adjacent areas of the associated one of said gripping portion or said base, and wherein the other one of said gripping portion or base covers said notification portion when said bracket is coupled to said base and wherein said other one of said gripping portion or base does not cover said notification portion when said bracket is not coupled to said base_such that said notification portion is at least partially visible to a user.

17. The car seat of claim 11 wherein said base defines an inner volume which can receive at least part of each tongue portion therein when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein said notification portion is at least partially located outside of said inner volume.

18. The car seat of claim 11 wherein the other one of said gripping portion or said base is located between said notification portion and a front of said car seat when said buckle is in said latched condition.

12. A method for securing an occupant in a car seat comprising the steps of:

providing a car seat having a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon, at least one shoulder harness coupled to said seat body, and a buckle including a bracket coupled to said shoulder harness and a base coupled to said seat body, wherein said base includes a notification portion that has a visual property different from any adjacent areas of said base, said notification portion being generally visible to a user when said bracket is not coupled to said base;

locating an occupant on said seat body;

locating said shoulder harness over a torso of said occupant; and

coupling said bracket to said base to couple said shoulder harness to said base such that said bracket generally covers said notification portion such that said notification portion is generally not visible to a user.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein said base defines an inner volume which can receive at least part of said bracket therein when said buckle is in said latched condition, and wherein said notification portion is at least partially located outside of said inner volume.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein said gripping portion is located between said portion and a front of said car seat when said buckle is in said latched condition.

21. A car seat comprising:

a seat body having a seat back and a seat pan for receiving an occupant thereon;

at least one shoulder harness coupled to said seat body and being located to fit over the torso of an occupant to retain said occupant on said seat body;

a bracket coupled to said shoulder harness, said bracket including a tongue portion and a gripping portion; and

a base directly or indirectly coupled to said seat body, said bracket being shaped to be releasably coupled to said base such that said bracket is in a locking position, said bracket being in an unlocked position when said bracket is not coupled to said base, and wherein one of said.