Child safety seat with side impact energy redirection

• US 9,211,820 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Brian, Kitchens, Drew, Brunick, Daniel, Conway, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Plummer, Elizabeth A
• Application Number:
  US13/666,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20140117729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 297/256.16, 297/250.1, 297/216.11, 297/284.9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2884 with protection systems against abnormal g-forces
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4235 transversal

Abstract

A child safety seat has a seat bottom, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom at a seat bight region, and a seating surface defined by the seat bottom and seat back to support a child occupant. A structural element is coupled to the seat bottom, the seat back, or both. A bumper has a substantially rigid component or portion and is mounted to the structural element and protrudes from a side of the child safety seat. The bumper is positioned to redirect energy from a side impact with the child safety seat away from the seat back, the seat bottom, or both and to the structural element.

Claims

1. A child safety seat comprising:

a seat bottom having a top surface;

a seat back having a front surface, the seat back coupled to the seat bottom at a seat bight region;

a seating surface defined by the top surface and the front surface and configured to support a child occupant;

a structural element coupled to the seat bottom, the seat back, or both; and

a bumper has a substantially rigid portion and is mounted to the structural element and protrudes from a side of the child safety seat, the bumper positioned to redirect energy from a side impact with the child safety seat away from the seat back, the seat bottom, or both and to the structural element.

2. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat bottom and the seat back form a seat and wherein the structural element is a base to which the seat can be detachably mounted.

3. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the structural element is a base coupled to the seat bottom.

4. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the structural element is a substantially rigid seat frame.

5. A child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the seat frame is a metal structure that extends along and is connected to the seat back, the seat bottom, or both.

6. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the bumper is a single unitary structure attached directly to the structural element.

7. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the bumper includes a bracket attached to the structural element and a cover attached to the bracket.

8. A child safety seat according to claim 7, wherein the bracket is fastened to the structural element by fasteners and the cover is snapped to the bracket hiding the fasteners.

9. A child safety seat according to claim 7, wherein the bracket is a metal bracket and the cover is a plastic cover.

10. A child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat back and seat bottom are integrally molded as a unitary plastic shell and the structural element is formed separately and attached to the plastic shell.

11. A child safety seat comprising:

a molded seat shell forming a seat bottom and a seat back, the seat back joined to the seat bottom at a seat bight region;

a seating surface defined by a top surface of the seat bottom and a front surface of the seat back and configured to support a child occupant;

a structural element coupled to the seat shell; and

two substantially rigid bumpers mounted to the structural element, one of the bumpers protruding from each side of the child safety seat, each bumper positioned to redirect energy from a side impact with the child safety seat away from the seat shell to the structural element.

12. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the structural element is a base to which the seat shell can be mounted and from which the seat shell can be detached.

13. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the structural element is a substantially rigid frame carried by the seat shell.

14. A child safety seat according to claim 13, wherein the frame is a metal structure that extends along and is connected to the seat shell.

15. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the bumpers are single unitary structures attached directly to the structural element.

16. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the bumpers each include a bracket attached to the structural element and a cover attached to the bracket.

17. A child safety seat according to claim 16, wherein the bracket is fastened to the structural element by fasteners and the cover is snapped to the bracket hiding the fasteners.

18. A child safety seat according to claim 16, wherein the bracket is a metal bracket and the cover is a plastic cover.

19. A child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the structural element is formed separately and attached to the seat shell.