Bodily-injury protective system of pillows located within a vehicle

• US 6,669,233 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edwin Zenith Gabriel
• Original Assignee: Edwin Zenith Gabriel
• Inventors: Gabriel, Edwin Zenith
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Toan C
• Application Number:
  US09/770,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20020109342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 280/731, 280/750, 280/751, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/751
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0293 Additional pads or cushions in vehicle compartments, e.g. movably mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/02 Occupant safety arrangements or fittings , e.g. crash pads seat belts with crash pads B60R22/14; removable children's seats having a front guard or barrier B60N2/2839

Abstract

Air bags in vehicles, upon exploding when a collision occurs, can injure one'"'"'s face and head. To avoid such bodily injury to a motorist, one or more soft pillow of the proper size are attached to the top of the steering wheel. The pillows, with rip-resistant, fire and water resistant enclosures, may be removably attached to the steering wheel by means of either velcro or snap-on fasteners. Such pillows for bodily-injury protection may be attached to other passenger-injury, vulnerable locations of a vehicle, removably fastened. In the event of a collision with an object, now the soft pillows attached to plastic cover will strike the person first instead of the air bag'"'"'s solid plastic cover. The top of a soft pillow, with perhaps an elastic, expandable puncture-resistant enclosure, could be ornately, colorfully, pleasingly decorated with flowers, birds, butterflies, berries. A pillow may be attached to a steering wheel without an air bag, using the illustrated and described straps for fastening.

Claims

1. A bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows located at injury vulnerable locations within a vehicle, said vehicle having a driver seat and a passenger seat with panels in front of each, said vehicle having a steering wheel with a top, said top being a solid plastic cover for a factory-installed inflatable air bag, said system comprising:

two pillows mounted on top of said plastic cover;

a pillow mounted on said panel in front of said driver seat;

a pillow mounted on said panel in front of said passenger seat;

said plastic cover having an indented line diametrically across it, one of said two pillows mounted adjacent one side of said indented line and the other of said two pillows mounted adjacent the other side of said indented line, wherein said solid plastic cover breaks into two pieces along said indented line during air bag deployment.

2. A Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein said steering wheel includes a rim, said two pillows protrude above said rim, wherein a thickness of said pillows being such that pillows do not interfere with a vehicle operator.

3. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said two pillows include a strip with a surface of tiny hooks and another strip having a surface of clinging pile, said strip with tiny hooks being attached to the underside of each of said pillows for attaching to said strip with clinging pile located on top of said plastic cover, said strips for removably fastening said pillows to the top of said plastic cover of said steering wheel.

4. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pillows include snap-on fasteners for removably fastening said pillows within said vehicle.

5. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said pillows is filled with sponge rubber.

6. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said pillows is filled with polyester fiber.

7. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said pillows includes an enclosure, said enclosure being fire, water and puncture resistant.

8. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said pillows have an enclosure with an underside and said enclosure having suction cups fastened to said underside, said cups capable of adhering to said solid plastic cover by suction, without interfering with the operation of said factory-installed auto air bag.

9. Bodily injury protective system of soft pillows, in accordance with claim 1, wherein said soft pillows are filled with cotton to enhance their softness.

10. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 1, wherein said soft pillows include an enclosure, said enclosure being air-tight, water, fire and puncture resistant.

11. Bodily-injury protective system of soft pillows in accordance with claim 2, wherein said solid plastic cover of said steering wheel, having a concave shape, so said pillows mounted on said cover do not protrude objectionably above said steering wheel to interfere with vehicle operator'"'"'s vision.