Child safety seat with alarm

• US 6,812,844 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marty G. Burgess
• Original Assignee: Marty G. Burgess
• Inventors: Burgess, Marty G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US10/184,828
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/457, 340/426.28, 340/457.1, 340/500, 340/593, 340/611, 340/636.1, 340/692, 340/667, 180/273, 280/735, 280/730.1, 701/45, 701/46, 701/47, 701/49
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01556 Child-seat detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

Child safety seats with alarms notify the driver of a vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when a door is opened. Forgetting a child inside of the vehicle can result in severe injury to or the death of the child from extreme temperature conditions and/or dehydration. Child safety seats with alarms not only protect the child in the event of accident, but also detect the opening of a vehicle door and remind the driver of the presence of the child through visual and audio alerts. The detector and alarm system are automatically engaged when the buckle of the child safety seat is closed. The condition of the batteries powering the detector and alarm system are also monitored so that the user can be confident that the detector and alarm system have adequate power to function. A pressure transducer is employed as a detector to sense the changing air pressure caused by the opening or closure of a vehicle door. When such a condition is detected, red LEDs light up and an alarm is sounded from a speaker.

Claims

1. A child safety seat with alarm comprising:

a child safety seat having a buckle and a top;

a power source enclosed by said child safety seat;

a switch attached to said child safety seat;

a plurality of battery wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said power source and said opposing end attached to said switch;

a hollow housing having an exterior face attached to said top of said child safety seat;

a car door status detector enclosed within said housing;

a plurality of switch wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said switch and said opposing end attached to said detector;

an alarm attached to said housing; and

a plurality of light wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said detector and said opposing end attached to said alarm.

2. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said power source comprises four AA batteries.

3. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery compartment, wherein said top of said child safety seat defines an indentation therein to comprise said battery compartment; and

a lid hingedly attached to said child safety seat so as to cover said battery compartment.

4. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said switch is mounted on said buckle in such a way so as to detect the closure state of said buckle.

5. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said car door status detector is a pressure transducer wherein said pressure transducer is capable of detecting a change in air pressure resulting from the opening or closing of a car door.

6. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said alarm is at least one of the group consisting of lights, buzzers, music, sirens, and a recorded message.

7. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is selected from the group consisting of plastic, steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber composite.

8. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, wherein said alarm comprises red LEDs mounted on said exterior face of said housing.

9. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 1, further comprising a power source monitor which activates said alarm should said power source fall below a predetermined voltage when said buckle is closed.

10. A child safety seat with alarm comprising:

a child safety seat having a buckle and a top;

a battery compartment, wherein said top of said child safety seat defines an indentation therein to comprise said battery compartment;

a lid hingedly attached to said child safety seat so as to cover said battery compartment;

a power source enclosed by said battery compartment;

a switch mounted on said buckle in such a way so as to detect the closure state of said buckle;

a plurality of battery wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said power source and said opposing end attached to said switch;

a hollow housing having an exterior face attached to said top of said child safety seat;

a change in air pressure detector enclosed within said housing;

a plurality of switch wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said switch and said opposing end attached to said detector;

an alarm attached to said housing; and

a plurality of light wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said detector and said opposing end attached to said alarm.

11. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, wherein said power source comprises four AA batteries.

12. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, wherein said change in air pressure detector is a pressure transducer capable of detecting a change in air pressure resulting from the opening or closing of a car door.

13. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, wherein said alarm is at least one of the group consisting of lights, buzzers, music, sirens, and a recorded message.

14. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, wherein said housing is selected from the group consisting of plastic, steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber composite.

15. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, wherein said alarm comprises a plurality of red LEDs mounted around said change in air pressure detector on said exterior face of said housing.

16. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, further comprising a speaker mounted on said exterior face of said housing.

17. The child safety seat with alarm as defined in claim 10, further comprising a power source monitor which activates said alarm should said power source fall below a predetermined voltage.

18. In combination with a child safety seat, including a buckle and a top, the improvement which comprises:

a battery compartment, wherein said top of said child safety seat defines an indentation therein to comprise said battery compartment;

a lid hingedly attached to said child safety scat so as to cover said battery compartment;

four AA batteries enclosed by said battery compartment;

a switch mounted on said buckle in such a way so as to detect the closure state of said buckle;

a plurality of battery wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said four AA batteries and said opposing end attached to said switch;

a hollow housing having an exterior face attached to said top of said child safety seat;

a pressure transducer enclosed within said housing, wherein said pressure transducer is capable of detecting a change in air pressure resulting from the opening or closing of a car door;

a plurality of switch wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said switch and said opposing end attached to said detector;

an alarm attached to said exterior face of said housing;

a plurality of light wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said detector and said opposing end attached to said alarm;

a speaker attached to said exterior face of said housing; and

speaker wires having opposing ends with one end attached to said detector and said opposing end attached to said speaker.

19. The improvement to a child safety seat as defined in claim 18, wherein said alarm is at least one of the group consisting of lights, buzzers, music, sirens, and a recorded message.