Child car seat swivelling between a forward facing position and a door facing position, with automatic return to foward facing position

• US 7,614,692 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc. (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Biaud, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARRETT, ERIKA P
• Application Number:
  US10/918,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20050225139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 297/250.1, 297/256.16, 297/256.12, 297/256.13, 297/344.21, 297/344.22, 248/415, 248/417, 248/425, 248/418
• US Class Current: 297/256.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis

Abstract

A child car seat is provided, which comprises a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to two positions, one forward facing and the other facing the side door, and disengaging return means which, when engaged, act on a plate connected to said seat so as to return the latter to said forward facing position.

Claims

1. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return means for tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return means are;

inactive, or disengaged, on a first angular section, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, the movement along the first angular section being manually ensured by the user; and

active, or engaged, on a second final angular section, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, so that the seat is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section.

2. The child car seat according to claim 1, wherein the child car seat comprises two installing positions, respectively adapted to left or right fitting in the vehicle, and wherein said return means are symmetric, so as to allow the swivel seating part to return to said travelling position in the same manner from one or other of the installing positions.

3. The child car seat according to claim 1, wherein said swivel seating part comprises a plate and said return means comprise at least one moveable element assembled on said fixed base between an engaged position in which said moveable element collaborates with a housing made in said plate and a disengaged position according to which said moveable element is in a recess forming said housing.

6. The child car seat according to any of claim 1, wherein said return means collaborate with at least one moveable element assembled so as to swivel on said base.

9. The child car seat according to one of claim 6 and further comprising means for limiting the rotation of said moveable element.

10. The child car seat according to claim 1, and further comprising means for controlling the engaging and/or disengaging of said return means.

4. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return means for tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return means are;

inactive, or disengaged, on a first angular section, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, the movement along the first angular section being manually ensured by the user; and

active, or engaged, on a second final angular section, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, so that the seat is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section

wherein the swivel seating part comprises a swivel plate forming a cam in which lies at least one housing of which at least one of the edges creates a point of application for said return means.

5. The child car seat according to claim 4, wherein:

said return means comprises two moveable elements, each assembled on said fixed base between an engaged position in which said moveable element collaborates with a housing made in said plate and a disengaged position according to which said moveable element is in a recess forming said housing; and

said swivel plate has a single housing whose edges each create a point of application for each of said respective movable elements.

7. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return means for tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return means are;

inactive, or disengaged, on a first angular section, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, the movement along the first angular section being manually ensured by the user; and

active, or engaged, on a second final angular section, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, so that the seat is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section

wherein said return means collaborate with at least one moveable element assembled so as to swivel on said base,

said swivel seating part comprises a swivel plate having at least one housing forming a cam; and

said moveable element comprises at least one drive arm likely to penetrate said housing of said swivel plate and at least one return arm extending opposite said drive arm in relation to the axis of rotation of said moveable element.

8. The child car seat according to claim 7, wherein said return arm is coupled to elastic means tending to help the engaging of said drive arm into the housing of said plate.

11. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return element tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return element comprises;

an inactive, or disengaged, position on a first angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, wherein movement of the swivel seating part along the first angular section relative to the return element is manually ensured by the user; and

an active, or engaged, position on a second final angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, along which the return element applies a return force to the swivel seating part so that the seating part is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section.

12. The child car seat according to claim 11, wherein the child car seat comprises two installing positions, respectively adapted to left or right fitting in the vehicle, and wherein said return element is symmetric, so as to allow the swivel seating part to return to said travelling position in the same manner from one or other of the installing positions.

13. The child car seat according to claim 11, wherein said swivel seating part comprises a plate and said return element comprises at least one moveable element assembled on said fixed base between an engaged position in which said moveable element collaborates with a housing made in said plate and a disengaged position according to which said moveable element is in a recess forming said housing.

16. The child car seat according to any of claim 11, wherein said return element collaborates with at least one moveable element assembled so as to swivel on said base.

19. The child car seat according to one of claim 16 and further comprising a limit stop, which limits rotation of said moveable element.

20. The child car seat according to claim 11 and further comprising means for controlling the engaging and/or disengaging of said return element.

14. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return element tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return element comprises;

an inactive, or disengaged, position on a first angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, wherein movement of the swivel seating part along the first angular section relative to the return element is manually ensured by the user; and

an active, or engaged, position on a second final angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, along which the return element applies a return force to the swivel seating part so that the seating part is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section

wherein the swivel seating part comprises a swivel plate forming a cam in which lies at least one housing of which at least one of the edges creates a point of application for said return element.

15. The child car seat according to claim 14, wherein:

said return element comprises first and second moveable elements, each assembled on said fixed base between an engaged position in which said first moveable element collaborates with a housing made in said plate and a disengaged position according to which said first moveable element is in a recess forming said housing; and

said swivel plate has a single housing whose edges each create a point of application for each of said respective first and second movable elements.

17. A child car seat, intended to be assembled on a passenger seat of a vehicle, wherein the child car seat comprises:

a swivel seating part assembled on a fixed base so that the seat can be orientated according to at least two positions, a travelling position, forward facing, and at least one installing position, facing a side door of the vehicle; and

return element tending to return said swivel seating part to said travelling position, wherein said return element comprises;

an inactive, or disengaged, position on a first angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from the installing position and ending at a pre-set intermediary position, wherein movement of the swivel seating part along the first angular section relative to the return element is manually ensured by the user; and

an active, or engaged, position on a second final angular section of the swivel seating part, starting from said pre-set intermediary position and ending at said travelling position, along which the return element applies a return force to the swivel seating part so that the seating part is systematically returned to the travelling position, without any manual intervention from the user, when it is in said second angular section

wherein said return element collaborates with at least one moveable element assembled so as to swivel on said base

said swivel seating part comprises a swivel plate having at least one housing forming a cam; and

said moveable element comprises at least one drive arm likely to penetrate said housing of said swivel plate and at least one return arm extending opposite said drive arm in relation to the axis of rotation of said moveable element.

18. The child car seat according to claim 17, wherein said return arm is coupled to an elastic element, which helps the engaging of said drive arm into the housing of said plate.