Child car seat pivoting between a utilisation position and at least an installation position and having a latch

• US 7,478,877 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc. (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lhomme, Gilles, Biaud, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US11/766,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20080054693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 297/256.12, 297/256.13, 297/256.16
• US Class Current: 297/256.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis

Abstract

A child car seat includes a base and a backrest. The seat is pivotally disposed on the base and may pivot between a utilization position, where the seat faces a road, and an installation position, where the seat is turned toward a door of the vehicle. The seat includes a first locking element disposed on the backrest at a portion of the backrest adapted to abut against a backrest of the vehicle seat and a second locking element disposed on a vertical part of the base. The first locking element includes a mobile hook and a latch to engage the mobile hook. The mobile hook and the latch are locked together in a locked position as the seat is moved to the utilization position. The mobile hook and the latch are disengaged in an unlocked position as the seat is moved to the installation position.

Claims

1. A child car seat, comprising:

a base positionable within a vehicle on a vehicle seat;

a seat having a backrest, wherein the seat is pivotally disposed on the base such that the seat may pivot between at least a utilization position, where the seat faces a road, and an installation position, where the seat is turned toward a door of the vehicle;

a first locking element disposed on the backrest at a portion of the backrest adapted to abut against a backrest of the vehicle seat; and

a second locking element disposed on a vertical part of the base;

wherein the first locking element comprises

a mobile hook that is moveable between a hook locked position and a hook unlocked position, and

at least one latch that is moveable between a rest position where the at least one latch holds the mobile hook in the hook unlocked position and a release position where the at least one latch holds mobile hook in the hook locked position;

wherein the second locking element comprises a fixed hooking element disposed on the vertical part of the base;

wherein the mobile hook and the at least one latch are locked together in a locked position as the seat is moved to the utilization position;

wherein the mobile hook and the at least one latch are disengaged in an unlocked position as the seat is moved to the installation position.

2. The child car seat of claim 1, wherein the fixed hooking element interacts with the first locking element to actuate the at least one latch so that the at least one latch moves from the hook unlocked position to the hook locked position.

3. The child car seat of claim 1, wherein the at least one latch moves between the hook unlocked position and the hook locked position in response to at least one of movement of the seat in a direction substantially parallel to the backrest and movement of the seat in a direction substantially perpendicular to the backrest.

4. The child car seat of claim 1, further comprising:

a return element that biases the mobile hook in the hook locked position.

5. The child car seat of claim 4, wherein the return element is a spring.

6. The child car seat of claim 1, further comprising:

an unlocking element to cause the at least one latch to move from the hook locked position to the hook unlocked position.

7. The child car seat of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one control cable connected to the unlocking element, wherein the unlocking element is controlled remotely via the at least one control cable.

8. The child car seat of claim of claim 1, further comprising:

a visual indicator to indicate when the mobile hook is in the hook locked position.

9. The child car seat of claim 1, wherein the at least one latch comprises a first latch and a second latch, both of which are moveable between the rest position where the first and second latches hold the mobile hook in the hook unlocked position and the release position where the first and second latches hold mobile hook in the hook locked position.

10. The child car seat of claim 9, wherein the first and second latches are symmetrically mounted adjacent to the mobile hook.

11. The child car seat of claim 9, wherein the first and second latches are mounted in a side-by-side relation to one another.

12. The child car seat of claim 1, further comprising:

an indexing element to position the seat in the utilization position.

13. The child car seat of claim 12, wherein the indexing element comprises at least one mobile element that is positionable in a first position where the at least one mobile element permits rotation of the seat in a right-hand direction and a second position where the at least one mobile element permits rotation of the seat in a left-hand direction.