Child restraint with swiveling juvenile seat and swivel-status indicator

• US 7,490,898 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Biaud, Richard, Lhomme, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US11/848,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080054694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 297/256.12, 297/256.16
• US Class Current: 297/256.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2869 rotatable about a vertical axis

Abstract

A child restraint includes a base and a swiveling juvenile seat on the base. The child restraint is adapted to be anchored to a vehicle seat to transport a child in a vehicle.

Claims

1. A child restraint comprising

a seat support including a base adapted to set on a vehicle seat, a seat anchor coupled to the base, and a swivel coupled to the base,

a juvenile seat mounted on the swivel for swiveling motion relative to the base about an axis of rotation between a forward-facing travel position and a side-facing entry position, the juvenile seat including a seat bottom mounted on the swivel, a seat back arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom, and a seat-back lock coupled to the seat back to move therewith during swiveling motion of the juvenile seat relative to the base and configured to mate with the seat anchor upon movement of the juvenile seat to assume the forward-facing travel position to block further swiveling motion of the juvenile seat, and

a swivel-status indicator coupled to the base and configured to cooperate with the seat-back lock to move an indicator and thereby provide signal means for generating a notification signal that the seat-back lock has mated with the seat anchor to notify an observer that the juvenile seat has been locked to the base in the forward-facing travel position.

2. The child restraint of claim 1, the swivel-status indicator includes a flag mover mounted for movement relative to the base and a signal flag coupled to the flag mover for motion therewith relative to the base and the seat-back lock includes actuator means for engaging the flag mover in response to arrival of the juvenile seat at the forward-facing travel position and mating of the seat-back lock and the seat anchor and for moving the flag mover relative to the base to cause the signal flag to move relative to the base from a first position representing an unlocked condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is free to swivel relative to the base to a second position representing a locked condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is blocked from swiveling motion relative to the base.

3. The child restraint of claim 2, wherein the base is formed to include an internal channel and a wall formed to include a flag aperture opening into the internal channel and the flag mover is arranged to extend into the internal channel formed in the base and move therein during movement of the signal flag between the first and second positions.

4. The child restraint of claim 3, wherein the base includes a swivel-mount pad arranged to lie under the juvenile seat and coupled to the swivel and an anchor-support pad extending upwardly from the swivel-mount pad and terminating at the wall formed to include the flag aperture, the anchor-support pad is formed to include the internal channel, and the seat anchor is coupled to the anchor-support pad, and the signal flag is arranged to lie outside of the internal channel when the signal flag is moved to assume the second position.

5. The child restraint of claim 3, wherein the base includes a swivel-mount pad arranged to lie under the juvenile seat and coupled to the swivel and an anchor-support pad extending upwardly from the swivel-mount pad and terminating at the wall formed to include the flag aperture, the anchor-support pad is formed to include the internal channel, the seat anchor is coupled to the anchor-support pad, and signal flag is arranged to lie outside of the internal channel when the signal flag is moved to assume the first position.

6. The child restraint of claim 2, wherein the base includes a swivel-mount pad arranged to lie under the juvenile seat and coupled to the swivel and an anchor-support pad arranged to extend upwardly from the swivel-mount pad, the anchor-support pad includes a front wall formed to include an open window associated with the seat anchor and a top wall formed to include a flag aperture, the anchor-support pad is formed to include an internal channel interconnecting the open window and the flag aperture, the flag mover includes a flag lifter mounted for up-and-down movement in the internal channel and a lift tab coupled to the flag lifter to move therewith and arranged to extend outwardly through the open window and move up and down in the open window during up-and-down movement of the flag lifter in the internal channel, the signal flag is coupled to the flag lifter to move therewith, and the actuator means of the seat-back lock is arranged to apply a force to the lift tab to move the flag lifter and the signal flag relative to the anchor-support pad of the base during arrival of the juvenile seat at the forward-facing travel position.

7. The child restraint of claim 6, wherein the seat anchor includes an anchor bar that is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the front wall to define a hook-receiving space therebetween, the lift tab is positioned to lie in the hook-receiving space upon movement of the signal flag to the first position, and the actuator means includes a hook configured to mate with the anchor bar upon movement of the juvenile seat to the forward-facing travel position and to provide means for raising the lift tab in the open window an upward direction to a raised position located between the anchor bar of the seat anchor and the top wall of the anchor-support pad to cause the signal flag to move from the first position to the second position.

8. The child restraint of claim 6, wherein the lift tab is arranged to lie above the seat anchor and below the top wall upon movement of the signal flag to the second position.

9. The child restraint of claim 6, wherein the seat anchor is located in a position between the lift tab and the top wall.

10. The child restraint of claim 6, wherein the seat anchor includes an anchor bar that is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the front wall to define a hook-receiving spare therebetween and the actuator means includes a hook configured to mate with the anchor bar upon movement of the juvenile seat to the forward-facing travel position and to provide means for urging the lift tab in a downward direction away from the anchor bar and the top wall to cause the signal flag to move from the second position to the first position.

11. The child restraint of claim 1, wherein the swivel-status indicator includes a signal unit mounted for movement relative to the base and the seat-back lock includes a hook configured to provide means for mating with the seat anchor upon movement of the juvenile seat relative to the base to assume the forward-facing travel position to lock the juvenile seat to the base in the forward-facing travel position and means for moving the signal unit included in the swivel-status indicator relative to the base during mating of the hook and the seat anchor from a first position representing an unlocked condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is free to swivel relative to the base to a second position representing a locked condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is blocked form swiveling motion relative to the base.

12. The child restraint of claim 11, wherein the base is formed to include an internal channel and an open window, the open window is aligned with the seat anchor and arranged to open into the internal channel, the base further includes a wall formed to include a flag aperture opening into the internal channel, the signal unit includes a flag lifter arranged to extend through the open window to engage the hook as the hook moves relative to the base to mate with the seat anchor, the flag lifter is mounted for movement in the internal channel in response to a force applied by movement of the hook relative to the base and a signal flag, and the signal flag is coupled to the flag lifter for movement therewith and arranged to lie in the internal channel in response to movement of the signal unit to the first position and to lie outside of the internal channel in response to movement of the signal unit to the second position.

13. The child restraint of claim 12, wherein the signal flag is located in the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the first position.

14. The child restraint of claim 12, wherein the signal flag is located outside of the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the first position.

15. The child restraint of claim 11, wherein the hook of the seat-back lock is arranged to engage and move the signal unit from the first position to the second position during movement of the juvenile seat from the side-facing entry position in a clockwise direction to the forward-facing travel position and from another side-facing entry position in a counterclockwise direction to the forward-facing travel position.

16. The child restraint of claim 11, wherein the hook includes an upstanding finger arranged to pass through a finger-receiving opening defined by the seat anchor to trap a center bar included in the seat anchor between the finger and the seat back to block further swiveling movement of the juvenile seat relative to the base and positioned to contact a lift tab included in the signal unit and raise the signal unit upwardly relative to the base to assume the second position.

17. The child restraint of claim 11, wherein the hook includes an upstanding finger arranged to pass through a finger-receiving opening defined by the seat anchor to trap a center bar included in the seat anchor between the finger and the seat back to block further swiveling movement of the juvenile seat relative to the base and positioned to contact a bolt included in the signal unit and lower the signal unit downwardly relative to the base to assume the second position.

18. A child restraint comprising

a seat support including a base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and formed to include an internal channel, a seat anchor coupled to the base, and a swivel coupled to the base,

a juvenile seat mounted on the swivel for swiveling motion relative to the base about an axis of rotation between a forward-facing travel position and a side-facing entry position, the juvenile seat including a seat bottom mounted on the swivel, a seat back arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom, and a seat-back lock coupled to the seat back to move therewith during swiveling motion of the juvenile seat relative to the base and configured to mate with the seat anchor upon movement of the juvenile seat to assume the forward-facing travel position to block further swiveling motion of the juvenile seat, and

a swivel-status indicator including a signal unit mounted for movement in the internal channel relative to the base between a first position representing an unlocking swiveling condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is free to swivel relative to the base and a second position representing a locked non-swiveling condition of the juvenile seat wherein the juvenile seat is blocked from swiveling motion relative to the base, the swivel-status indicator further including spring means for yieldably urging the signal unit from the second position to the first position until the seat-back lock carried on the juvenile seat contacts the signal unit and moves the signal unit from the first position to the second position during swiveling motion of the juvenile seat from the side-facing entry position toward the forward-facing travel position and arrival of the juvenile seat at the forward-facing travel position.

19. The child restraint of claim 18, wherein the base includes a front wall and a top wall, the front wall is coupled to the seat anchor and formed to include an open window opening into the internal channel, the top wall is formed to include a flag aperture opening into the internal channel, the signal unit includes a signal flag and a flag lifter coupled to the signal flag, and the flag lifter includes a flag support coupled to the signal flag and mounted for back-and-forth movement in the internal channel and a lift tab coupled to the flag support and arranged to extend through the open window to mate with the seat-back lock during arrival of the juvenile seat at the forward-facing travel position.

20. The child restraint of claim 19, wherein the signal flag is located in the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the first position and outside the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the second position.

21. The child restraint of claim 19, wherein the signal flag is located outside of the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the first position and inside the internal channel upon movement of the signal unit to the second position.

22. The child restraint of claim 19, wherein the swivel-status indicator further includes a flag-viewing shell coupled to the top wall and configured to cover the flag aperture and define an interior region communicating with the interval channel via the flag aperture and receiving the signal flag upon movement of the signal unit to the second position.

23. The child restraint of claim 22, wherein the flag-viewing shell includes a frame mounted in a stationary position in the internal channel and a dome coupled to the frame and arranged to extend through the flag aperture and raise above the top wall of the base, the dome is formed to include the interior region receiving the signal flag upon movement of the signal unit to the second position, and the spring means is arranged to act between the frame and the flag support.