Child seat

• US 7,753,444 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Vallentin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNN, DAVID R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alex; James
• Application Number:
  US12/053,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20080252122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 297/250.1, 297/256.12, 297/256.14, 297/344.21, 297/344.22
• US Class Current: 297/256.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/286 forward facing B60N2/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2893 coupled to the seat sub-frame

Abstract

A child seat attached to a vehicle seat comprises a base platform which is attached on the vehicle seat and comprises a guide groove; and a child seat body which comprises a bottom face and a guided member which is fixed on the bottom face. The guided member being slidably engaged with the guide groove. The guide groove comprises a curved portion. The child seat can turn to a substantially lateral direction to a moving direction of a vehicle by the guided member being guided along the curved portion.

Claims

1. A child seat attached to a vehicle seat, comprising:

a child seat body which comprises a bottom face and a guided member which is fixed on the bottom face; and

a base platform that rests on a seating surface of the vehicle seat, the base platform including

a bottom surface that faces the seating surface of the vehicle seat,

a top surface that is opposite the bottom surface and faces the bottom face of the child seat body, said top surface having a guide groove formed therein for sliding engagement with the guide member of the child seat body,

a rear surface that faces a seatback of the vehicle seat,

a front surface that is opposite the rear surface, and

first and second side surfaces that extend between the front surface and the rear surface,

wherein the guide groove comprises a straight groove portion, a first curved groove portion, and a second curved groove portion, the straight groove portion linearly extending from a starting end toward the front surface to stop at a terminating end, the first curved groove portion curvilinearly extending from the terminating end toward the first surface and the second curved groove portion curvilinearly extending from the terminating end toward the second surface, the first and second curved groove portions each including a lock member that in a locked state prevents the guided member from sliding past the respective lock member toward the straight groove portion, wherein the child seat body can turn to a substantially lateral direction relative to a longitudinal direction of a vehicle by the guided member being guided along the first or second curved groove portion.

2. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the straight groove portion is arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

3. The child seat of claim 2, wherein the base platform further comprises a locking mechanism which fixes the guided member of the child seat body, and is located in the straight groove portion of the guide groove.

4. The child seat of claim 3, wherein the locking mechanism fixes the child seat body facing toward or away from the seatback of the vehicle seat.

5. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the base platform has a tapered portion formed in a front portion of the top surface of the base platform relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which declines downward to the front surface relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

6. The child seat of claim 1, wherein the first curved groove portion, the second curved groove portion, and the straight groove portion form a substantial Y-shape.

7. The child seat of claim 6, wherein the guided member comprises a front guided member and a rear guided member, both the front and the rear guided members are slidably engaged with the guide groove, the front and the rear guided members respectively slide into the first and the second curved groove portions so that the child seat body turns to the substantially lateral direction of the vehicle.

8. The child seat of claim 1, wherein when the lock members of the first and second curved groove portions are in the locked state, the guided member is able to slide past the respective lock members toward the straight groove portion.

9. The child seat of claim 1, wherein when the lock members of the first and second curved groove portions are in an unlocked state, the guided member is able to slide past the respective lock members toward the straight groove portion and also slide past the lock members toward first or second surface.

10. The child seat of claim 3, wherein when the locking mechanism of the straight groove portion is in a locked state, the guided member is free to move toward the rear surface, but prevented from moving past the locking mechanism toward the front surface.

11. The child seat of claim 3, wherein when the locking mechanism of the straight groove portion is in an unlocked state, the guided member is free to move past the locking mechanism toward the rear surface and the front surface.