Sun shelter for child car seat

• US 6,908,148 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kelly C. Tang, Sonny S. Wang
• Original Assignee: Kelly C. Tang, Sonny S. Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Sonny S., Tang, Kelly C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US10/831,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 297/104.1, 297/184.11, 297/184.12, 297/184.13, 297/184.14, 297/184.15
• US Class Current: 297/184.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/26 for children B60N2/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6009 covering more than only the seat

Abstract

A collapsible sunshade shelter encloses a child safety seat. A pair of side walls each have a side shade fabric attached to a frame perimeter and a top shade fabric between the frames. The frames each comprise a flexible tension member normally in a frame configuration but adapted for collapsing by twisting and folding into concentric smaller frames. A tie pulls in the front bottom edges while stretching out the top edges of the frames. Inwardly angled back extensions of the side frames are pushed inward by the vehicle seatback to push out the top front frame edges. A top frame may be inserted between the side panels to maintain the panels apart. A front shade panel may be attached by zippers or hook and loop fasteners. Loop-type fabric around the frames receive hook patches from the front panel to hold it open in any desired position.

Claims

1. A sunshade shelter device for child safety seats, the device comprising:

a pair of side walls adapted for being positioned on each of two sides of a child safety seat, the pair of side walls each comprising a flexible tension member forming a frame for each of the side walls, the tension member normally assuming the frame configuration but adapted for being collapsed by twisting and folding the flexible tension member into a plurality of concentric smaller frames to form a smaller unit for storing, the tension member further adapted for expanding open into the frame configuration upon release;

a side shade fabric attached to each of the frame around the perimeter of the frame so that the fabric covers the area inside of the frame, the fabric adapted for shading rays of sun so that the frame and covering fabric form a shade wall on each side of the child safety seat;

a top shade fabric attached to each of the frames along a top portion of the frame and partway down a front portion and a back portion of the frame so that the top shade fabric forms a roof for the shelter;

a means for securing two bottom edges of the frames tight to the child safety seat on each side of the child safety seat by pulling in each of the bottom edges of the frames so that the top portions of the frames tend to flex outwardly in response to the pulling inwardly at the bottom edges, thereby maintaining all of the shade fabric in a taut condition to maintain a sunshade shelter around the child safety seat;

wherein the side walls are sufficiently flexible that they may be bent to install a child in and remove a child from the child safety seat with the sunshade shelter in place around the child safety seat; and

a front shade fabric adapted for attaching to the front of the shelter device to enclose the front of the shelter device.

2. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the front shade fabric comprises a front panel formed as an extension of the top shade fabric extending down a substantial portion of the front, the front panel being removable attachable to each of the two side panels by a zipper.

3. The sunshade shelter device of claim 2 further comprising a connector fabric covering the two side frames, the connector fabric adapted for being attachable one-half of a hook and loop type fastener, and the front panel further comprises a patch at each bottom front corner of the mating half of the hook and loop type fastener so that each of the bottom corners of the front panel is attachable anywhere along the length of either of the two frames to enable the front panel to be opened to any desired opening size in a variety of differently opening shapes.

4. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the front shade fabric comprises a single sheet of flexible front shade fabric attached to a front portion of the top shade fabric by a mating hook and loop fastener means.

5. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the front shade fabric comprises two sheets of flexible front shade fabric with one sheet attached to a front side of one of the side frames and the other sheet attached to a front side of the other of the side frames, the two sheets adapted for overlapping and being attached together to enclose the front of the shelter device and alternately adapted for being pulled back away from the front of the shelter device to attach to the sides with mating hook and loop fastener means.

6. The sunshade shelter device of claim 5 wherein the overlapping sheets of the front shade fabric are attached together by a mating hook and loop fastener means.

7. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the means for securing two bottom edges of the frames tight to the child safety seat comprises an elongated element attached between the two bottom edges of the frame.

8. The sunshade shelter device of claim 7 wherein the elongated element comprises a tie string.

9. The sunshade shelter device of claim 7 wherein the elongated element comprises an elasticized cord.

10. The sunshade shelter device of claim 9 further comprising a binding element means for tightening the tension on the elasticized cord making the elasticized cord adjustable in tension.

11. The sunshade shelter device of claim 7 wherein the elongated element comprises a pair of straps that attach together by mating hook and loop fastener means.

12. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the flexible tension member comprises a metal loop.

13. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the flexible tension member comprises a plastic loop.

14. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the flexible tension member comprises a composite material loop.

15. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein the side walls are closer together at the back than at the front and further comprising a top rear extension of each of the side walls adapted to engage a backrest of a vehicle seat behind a child safety seat so that the rear extensions rest against a vehicle seat backrest causing the two sides of the extensions to bend inward, thereby causing the front of the side walls to bend outward and maintain a maximum front opening with the top shade fabric held flat in tension between the two side panels.

16. The sunshade shelter device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of each of the side shade fabric and front shade fabric is formed of a breathable screening material.

17. A sunshade shelter device for child safety seats, the device comprising:

a pair of side walls adapted for being positioned on each of two sides of a child safety seat, the pair of side walls each comprising a flexible tension member forming a frame for each of the side walls, the tension member normally assuming the frame configuration but adapted for being collapsed by twisting and folding the flexible tension member into a plurality of concentric smaller frames to form a smaller unit for storing, the tension member further adapted for expanding open into the frame configuration upon release;

a side shade fabric attached to each of the frame around the perimeter of the frame so that the fabric covers the area inside of the frame, the fabric adapted for shading rays of sun so that the frame and covering fabric form a shade wall on each side of the child safety seat;

a top shade fabric attached to each of the frames along a top portion of the frame and partway down a front portion and a back portion of the frame so that the top shade fabric forms a roof for the shelter;

a means for securing two bottom edges of the frames tight to the child safety seat on each side of the child safety seat by pulling in each of the bottom edges of the frames so that the top portions of the frames tend to flex outwardly in response to the pulling inwardly at the bottom edges, thereby maintaining all of the shade fabric in a taut condition to maintain a sunshade shelter around the child safety seat;

wherein the side walls are sufficiently flexible that they may be bent to install a child in and remove a child from the child safety seat with the sunshade shelter in place around the child safety seat; and

a top panel comprising a flexible tension member forming a frame, the tension member normally assuming the frame configuration and a top panel shade fabric attached to the frame around the perimeter of the frame so that the fabric covers the area inside of the frame, the top panel adapted for being inserted on top of the shelter device between the pair of side walls to assist in maintaining the pair of side walls apart, the top panel adapted for being collapsed by twisting and folding the flexible tension member into a plurality of concentric smaller frames to form a smaller unit for storing, the tension member further adapted for expanding open into the frame configuration upon release.

18. A sunshade shelter device for child safety seats, the device comprising:

a pair of side walls adapted for being positioned on each of two sides of a child safety seat, the pair of side walls each comprising a flexible tension member forming a frame for each of the side walls, the tension member normally assuming the frame configuration but adapted for being collapsed by twisting and folding the flexible tension member into a plurality of concentric smaller frames to form a smaller unit for storing, the tension member further adapted for expanding open into the frame configuration upon release;

a side shade fabric attached to each of the frame around the perimeter of the frame so that the fabric covers the area inside of the frame, the fabric adapted for shading rays of sun so that the frame and covering fabric form a shade wall on each side of the child safety seat;

a top shade fabric attached to each of the frames along a top portion of the frame and partway down a front portion and a back portion of the frame so that the top shade fabric forms a roof for the shelter;

a means for securing two bottom edges of the frames tight to the child safety seat on each side of the child safety seat by pulling in each of the bottom edges of the frames so that the top portions of the frames tend to flex outwardly in response to the pulling inwardly at the bottom edges, thereby maintaining all of the shade fabric in a taut condition to maintain a sunshade shelter around the child safety seat;

wherein the side walls are sufficiently flexible that they may be bent to install a child in and remove a child from the child safety seat with the sunshade shelter in place around the child safety seat; and

a top frame comprising a flexible tension member forming a frame, the tension member normally assuming the frame configuration, the top frame adapted for being inserted on top of the shelter device between the pair of side walls to assist in maintaining the pair of side walls apart and further comprising a binding element adapted for binding the top frame around a center portion by pulling in two sides of the top frame and thereby expanding the frame on each of the two ends of the top frame thereby lengthening the top frame to create an adjustable length top frame, the top frame adapted for being collapsed by twisting and folding the flexible tension member into a plurality of concentric smaller frames to form a smaller unit for storing, the tension member further adapted for expanding open into the frame configuration upon release.

19. The sunshade shelter device of claim 18 wherein the binding element comprises an elasticized cord.

20. The sunshade shelter device of claim 19 wherein the elasticized cord that encircles the middle of the adjustable top frame has a binding element means for tightening the tension on the elasticized cord making the elasticized cord adjustable in tension.

21. The sunshade shelter device of claim 18 wherein the binding element comprises a pair of straps that attach together by mating hook and loop fastener means.

22. The sunshade shelter device of claim 18 wherein the binding element comprises a tie cord.