Vehicle safety seat

• US 7,918,501 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis H. Hanson, Jennifer Lynn Hanson
• Original Assignee: Dennis H. Hanson, Jennifer Lynn Hanson
• Inventors: Hanson, Dennis Hawkins, Hanson, Jennifer Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US12/218,662
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.19, 297/216.2, 297/216.1, 297/216.16, 297/216.17, 297/216.18, 297/216.15, 297/216.11, 297/344.14
• US Class Current: 297/216.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42763 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering

Abstract

A vehicle seat with that is movable in response to a collision that automatically shifts the position of an individual sitting the seat while having minimal change in the space behind the seat.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a seat portion having a seat bottom and a seat back;

a base portion that supports the seat portion in a first position and a second position, where the support of the seat portion is located only at the seat bottom, where the base portion has at least a first enclosed channel at a first angle adapted to accept a first support affixed to the seat bottom of the seat portion and a second enclosed channel at a second angle different from the first angle, adapted to accept a second support affixed to the seat portion where the first support and the second support are of different lengths; and

a locking mechanism that secures the seat portion in the first position until an event occurs wherein the locking mechanism enables the seat portion to change to a second position, where the event is rapid deceleration of the vehicle seat.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, where the locking mechanism is a sheer pin.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 1, where the locking mechanism is an electromechanical device activated by a crash sensor located in a vehicle.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 1, where the base portion is formed upon a floor of a vehicle.

5. A method of implementation of a vehicle safety seat, the method comprising:

placing a seat portion upon a base portion in a first position, where support of the seat portion is located only under a bottom of the seat portion;

securing the seat portion into the first position with a locking mechanism; and

moving the seat portion from the first position to a second position upon the base portion in response to rapid deceleration of the vehicle where rapid deceleration results in release of the locking mechanism, where moving the seat includes movement of a first support affixed to the seat portion in at least a first enclosed channel at a first angle and movement of a second support affixed to the seat portion in at least a second enclosed channel formed in the base portion at a second angle where a first support and the second support are of different lengths.

6. The method of claim 5, where moving the seat includes shearing a pin in the locking mechanism.

7. The method of claim 5, where moving the seat includes activating an electromechanical device in the locking mechanism to free the seat portion in response to a crash sensor located in the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 5, where moving further includes,

raising a front of the seat portion, and

lowering the back of the seat portion.