Integrated child safety seat

• US 9,796,303 B1
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dali LLC
• Original Assignee: David Schonfeld, Lizbeth Schonfeld
• Inventors: Schonfeld, Lizbeth, Schonfeld, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US15/289,048
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/197 Blocking or enabling of input functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/741 Instruments adapted for user detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/26 for children B60N2/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2812 for securing the child to the child seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/30 Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3081 Seats convertible into parts of the seat cushion or the back-rest or disapppearing therein, e.g. for children
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3084 Disappearing in a recess of the back-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3086 Disappearing in a recess of the cushion
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/2815 with additional belt accessories, e.g. a belt tension detector
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/008 allowing the driver to see passengers, e.g. for busses combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/29 for viewing an area inside the vehicle, e.g. for viewing passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 : Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/105 : for children adaptation of children's seats for seat belts B60N2/265, B60N2/2803
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 : Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8013 : for child monitoring

Abstract

An infant safety car seat seamlessly and permanently integrated into the bench seat between two adult seats or replacing the adult seats if more than one is incorporated into the vehicle. The child seat is sunken or not below and behind the vehicle bench and seat and safety harnesses are permanently installed to secure an infant in the safety seat. The seat adjusts to allow forward or rearward facing configurations suitable to different ages of the infant, from zero to eight years old. Security features are internally integrated to prevent the incidence of leaving an unbuckled and/or an unattended infant in a vehicle that includes some combination of a scale, hasps sensors in display and video monitor of cameras in screen.

Claims

1. An integrated infant safety car seat built into a bench seat in a vehicle;

the bench seat on a right segment has a first seat and a first back;

the first seat and the first back are configured to support an adult;

the bench seat on a left segment has a second seat and a second back;

the second seat and the second back are configured to support an adult;

a medial segment of the bench seat has a third seat, which includes a third seat bottom and a third back;

the third seat bottom and third back are configured to support an infant too small for an adult seat;

the third seat bottom is permanently integrated with the bench seat between and below the first seat and the second seat;

the third back is permanently integrated with the bench seat between and behind the first seat and the second seat;

the bench seat has a first upholstery that matches and smoothly integrates the third seat with the first seat and second seat;

the bench seat has a second upholstery that matches and smoothly integrates the third back with the first back and the second back;

the third seat bottom and third back incline in different positions and angles for different ages and sizes with a control button;

a headrest which may serve as a footrest, of the third seat bottom and the third back is an extension of the third seat;

a canopy is provided over the third seat bottom and configured to protect an occupant;

a first camera is directed to the third back;

a second camera is in a hasp connected to a harness;

a display is positioned visible and configured to a forward facing driver of the vehicle;

the display having manual signs is positioned visible and configured to the forward facing driver;

a screen selectively shows an image from any of the cameras;

the third seat includes an integral scale as an internal part of the integrated infant safety car seat that is part of the vehicle;

the harness with the hasp is configured to secure an occupant of the third seat;

the hasp includes a sensor to determine whether the hasp is fastened;

a processor connected to the display determines whether the vehicle is in operation based on any of;

a speedometer, a transmission or an engine computer;

if the processor determines that the vehicle is not in operation and the scale indicates to the processor a preselected threshold weight and the hasp sensor indicates fastened then an alert is made;

a button in the display is configured to indicate if an infant is in the vehicle or in the integrated infant safety car seat;

the scale is configured to determine and send to the display an indication if an infant is in the integrated infant safety car seat;

the sensor in the hasp of the harness is configured to indicate in the display if an infant is buckled in the third seat bottom;

the processor activates an alert, which may include any one or more of lights, sounds or alarms, connected to the integrated infant safety car seat;

a button in the display can unbuckle the hasp of the harness of the integrated infant safety car seat;

a key fob is wirelessly connected to the display to activate the alert;

the integrated infant safety car seat is configured to have adaptable positions facing the driver and opposite to the driver, with inclinations of the third seat bottom and third back as well as the headrest, which may also serve as the footrest, which also independently incline to different angles.

2. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 1 further characterized in that an insert and padding are provided that is adapted to fit within the third back and third seat bottom to reduce the available size of the third back and third seat bottom configured to fit a smaller infant.

3. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 2 further characterized in that the alert is any individual or combination of:

a light, an intermittent light in the display, a sound, disabling of a vehicle system or a wireless message internally connected to the integrated infant safety car seat.

4. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 3 further characterized in that the third seat bottom and the third back are provided with a mechanized recline to convert the third seat from forward facing to rear facing.

5. An integrated infant safety car seat built into a bench seat in a vehicle;

a segment of the bench seat has a seat bottom and a back;

the seat bottom and the back are configured to support an infant, from a newborn to a toddler or under the age of eight;

the seat bottom is permanently integrated with the bench seat below a seat surface of the bench seat;

the back is permanently integrated with the bench seat behind a back surface of the bench seat;

the seat bottom has a first upholstery that matches and smoothly integrates the seat with the bench seat;

the seat bottom has a second upholstery that matches to smoothly integrate the back with the back surface of the bench seat;

a first camera is directed to the back;

a second camera is in a hasp of a harness of the integrated infant safety car seat;

a screen is configured to be visible to a forward facing driver of the vehicle;

the screen selectively shows an image from any of the cameras;

a display is configured to be visible to the forward facing driver of the vehicle;

the display has electronic and manual control signals;

a safety feature is shown in the display;

the seat includes an integral scale;

harnesses with hasps are configured to secure an occupant of the seat bottom and are internally connected to the integrated infant safety car seat;

the hasps each include a sensor to determine whether the hasps are fastened;

a processor is connected to the display that determines whether the vehicle is in operation based on any of;

a speedometer, a transmission or an engine computer;

if the processor determines that the vehicle is not in operation, and the scale indicates to the display a preselected threshold weight, and the hasp sensors indicate fastened, then an alert is made;

electronic signs of infant in seat bottom, and infant buckled are shown on the display;

an infant in car notification, is shown in the display;

an electronic button to un-buckle, is provided on the display;

electronic control button in key fob is internally connected to the integrated infant safety car seat;

the alert including, lights, intermittent lights, sounds, or a lullaby, are each individually or in conjunction configured to activate and de-activate according to status of the infant in the vehicle, the actions taken, and the control signs, internally connected to the infant safety car seat.

6. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 5 further characterized in that an insert and paddings are provided that are adapted to fit within the back and seat bottom to reduce the available size of the back and seat bottom and configured to fit a smaller infant.

7. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 6 further characterized in that the alert may further include, disabling of a vehicle system or a wireless message.

8. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 7 further characterized in that the bench seat includes more than one integrated infant safety car seat.

9. The integrated infant safety car seat in claim 8 further characterized in that the seat and back are provided with a mechanized recline to convert the seat bottom from forward facing to rear facing, with headrest and footrests that also recline in different angles.