Inflatable restraint cushions and other uses

• US 7,234,560 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Elastomerics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Elastomerics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, John Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lilling; Herbert J.
• Application Number:
  US10/675,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20040070187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/740, 280/741, 280/742, 424/401, 701/45, 180/271
• US Class Current: 180/271
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0012 with a pressure controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/028 Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/04 Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23504 characterised by material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material

Abstract

A vehicular safety system comprising an inflatable restraint gel cushion having a gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram bloom.

Claims

1. A vehicular safety system comprising a combination of at least one inflator and one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) made from one or more tear resistant gel(s) comprising:

(I) one or more hydrogenated controlled distribution styrene isoprene/butadiene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s), said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom, said at least one inflator for deployment by pressure of said one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s).

4. A vehicular safety system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) comprises one or more shaped gel diaphragm(s) with or without one or more expansion control element(s) selected from a multiple single layer expansion control element, a single layer expansion control element, a dual single layer expansion control element, a multiple layer expansion control element, and a gel restrainer, said shaped gel diaphragm(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more hydrogenated controlled distribution styrene isoprene/butadiene styrene or styrene butadiene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more polymer(s) or copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer(s) is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one;

said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom.

5. A vehicular safety system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) comprises one or more shaped gel diaphragm(s) in combination with one or more expansion control elements, said shaped gel diaphragm(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more controlled distribution styrene ethylene/butylene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more polymer(s) or copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer(s) is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one;

said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom.

6. A vehicular safety system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) comprises two or more gel diaphragm(s) with expansion volumes selected from a dual expansion diameters, a single diameter, an internal and external diameters, a triple diameters, a multiple layered diameters, a triple internal diameters, a triple small and dural large diameters, a equal triple diameters, a dural internal with single external surround diameters, said shaped gel diaphragm(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more hydrogenated controlled distribution styrene isoprene/butadiene styrene and styrene butadiene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more polymer(s) or copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer(s) is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one;

said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom.

2. A vehicular safety system comprising a combination of at least one inflator and one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more hydrogenated controlled distribution styrene isoprene/butadiene styrene or styrene butadiene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more polymer(s) or copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer(s) is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one;

said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom.

3. A vehicular safety system comprising one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) of one or more shaped gel diaphragm(s) selected from one or more of a thin gel diaphragm, a thick gel diaphragm, a multiple progressive thin gel diaphragm, and a multiple progressive thick gel diaphragm;

said shaped gel diaphragm(s) with or without one or more expansion control element(s), said shaped gel diaphragm(s) comprising a tear resistant gel composition comprising;

(I) one or more hydrogenated controlled distribution styrene isoprene/butadiene styrene or styrene butadiene styrene block copolymer(s), and

(II) one or more selected plasticizer(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more polymer(s) or copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer(s) is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one;

said gel(s) having a selected gel rigidity of from about 50 gram Bloom to about 1,200 gram Bloom.

7. A vehicular safety system comprising one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) made from a tear resistant gel comprising:

(I) one or more of a hydrogenated styrene block copolymer(s) selected from poly(styrene isoprene/butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) block copolymer(s), poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene) block copolymer(s), controlled distribution poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) block copolymer(s), and

(II) selected amounts of one or more plasticizers(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more selected polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), polyethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one.

8. A vehicular safety system comprising one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more of a hydrogenated block copolymer(s) selected from controlled distribution poly(styrene isoprene/butadiene-styrene), hydrogenated controlled distribution poly(styrene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), and controlled distribution poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more selected polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, or polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), polyethylene-octene-1), poly(ethylene acrylic acid), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one.

9. A vehicular safety system comprising one or more inflatable restraint gel cushion(s) made from a tear resistant gel composition comprising:

(I) one or more of a hydrogenated block copolymer(s) selected from controlled distribution poly(styrene isoprene/butadiene-styrene) block copolymer(s), hydrogenated controlled distribution poly(styrene-butylene-styrene) block copolymers, poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene) block copolymer(s), and controlled distribution poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) block copolymer(s), and

(II) selected amounts of one or more plasticizers(s);

in combination with or without a selected amount of one or more selected polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene), poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and metallocene catalyzed poly(ethylene-styrene), poly(ethylene-octene-1), and linear low density polyethylene;

wherein said selected copolymer is a linear, radial, branched, star-shaped, or multiarm copolymer; and

n is an integer greater than one.