Compactible juvenile vehicle seat with forward-folding backrest and u-shaped backrest frame

• US 7,758,120 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc. (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Turner, Dennis M., Zink, Paul T., Mendenhall, Andrew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr.; Milton
• Application Number:
  US12/036,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20080224507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 297/411.34, 297/378.12, 297/250.1, 297/255
• US Class Current: 297/250.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2866 booster cushions, e.g. to lift a child to allow proper use of the conventional safety belts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2878 the back-rest being inclinable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/2896 the child seat being foldable, e.g. to facilitate transport

Abstract

A juvenile vehicle seat includes a seat base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and a foldable backrest associated with the seat base. The juvenile vehicle seat also includes a backrest lock coupled to the foldable backrest.

Claims

1. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising:

a seat base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and formed to include a seat bottom adapted to support a juvenile in a seated position and an axle associated with the seat bottom,

a foldable backrest mounted on the axle for folding movement between an upright use position arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom and adapted to support a juvenile in the seated position on the seat bottom and a compact folded storage position arranged to extend long the seat bottom and lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom,

a backrest lock, configured to provide means for retaining the foldable backrest in the upright use position, and for releasing the foldable backrest to free the foldable backrest so that, once freed, the foldable backrest can be pivoted about a pivot axis established by the axle to assume the compact folded storage position, wherein the backrest lock includes a backrest frame mounted for movement on the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging a frame receiver included in the seat base to block pivotable movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to free the foldable backrest to pivot on the axle about the pivot axis between the upright use position and the compact folded storage position,

wherein the foldable backrest includes a front surface adapted to contact a juvenile resting in the seated position on the seat bottom and an oppositely facing rear surface, the front surface is arranged to lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom upon movement of the foldable backrest to the compact folded storage position, and the backrest frame is mounted for movement on the rear surface of the foldable backrest, and

wherein the seat base further includes spaced-apart first and second armrests, the seat bottom is arranged to lie between and below the first and second armrests, and a portion of the backrest frame is arranged to lie between the first and second armrests upon movement of the foldable backrest to the compact folded storage position.

2. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 1 wherein the backrest frame includes a first backrest-lock leg and the frame receiver is formed to include a first leg-receiving socket sized to receive a lower end of the first backrest-lock leg of the backrest frame when the backrest frame is mated to the frame receiver to establish the backrest-locking position.

3. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 2, wherein the frame receiver is formed to include a second leg-receiving socket, the backrest frame further includes a second backrest-lock leg, and a lower end of the second backrest-lock leg is arranged to extend into the second leg-receiving socket when the backrest frame is mated to the frame receiver to establish the backrest-locking position.

4. The compactible juvenile vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the frame receiver is located behind the first and second armrests and, upon movement of the foldable backrest to the upright use position, under the foldable backrest.

5. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising

a seat base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and formed to include a seat bottom adapted to support a juvenile in a seated position and an axle associated with the seat bottom,

a foldable backrest mounted on the axle for folding movement between an upright use position arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom and adapted to support a juvenile in the seated position on the seat bottom and a compact folded storage position arranged to extend along the seat bottom and lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom,

a backrest lock configured to provide means for retaining the foldable backrest in the upright use position and for releasing the foldable backrest to free the foldable backrest so that, once freed, the foldable backrest can be pivoted about a pivot axis established by the axle to assume the compact folded storage position, wherein the backrest lock includes a backrest frame mounted for movement on the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging a frame receiver included in the seat base to block pivotable movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to free the foldable backrest to pivot on the axle about the pivot axis between the upright use position and the compact folded storage position,

wherein the foldable backrest includes a front surface adapted to contact a juvenile resting in the seated position on the seat bottom and an oppositely facing rear surface, the front surface is arranged to lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom upon movement of the foldable backrest to the compact folded storage position, and the backrest frame is mounted for movement on the rear surface of the foldable backrest, and

wherein the backrest lock further includes a frame guide coupled to the rear surface of the foldable backrest and configured to form a first leg-receiving space and the backrest frame includes a first backrest-lock leg arranged to extend into and move in the first leg-receiving space during movement of the backrest frame between the backrest-locking position and the backrest-releasing position.

6. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 5, wherein the backrest lock further includes a frame anchor including a lock unit and an actuator unit, the lock unit is coupled to the foldable backrest to move therewith and configured to provide means for establishing a locked state to retain the first backrest-lock leg in the backrest-locking position and an unlocked state to free the first backrest-lock leg for movement relative to the foldable backrest and the seat base from the backrest-locking position to the backrest-releasing position, the actuator unit includes a trigger unit and a cable, the trigger unit is coupled to the backrest frame to move therewith and configured to generate a lock-release signal in response to an instruction provided by a caregiver, and the cable is coupled to the trigger unit and to the lock unit and configured to provide means for communicating the lock-release signal generated by the trigger unit to the lock unit to change the lock unit from the locked state to the unlocked state so that the caregiver can move the backrest frame from the backrest-locking position to the backrest-releasing position.

7. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 5, wherein the frame receiver is formed to include an upwardly opening first leg-receiving socket sized to receive a lower end of the first backrest-lock leg of the backrest frame when the backrest frame is mated to the frame receiver to establish the backrest-locking position.

8. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 5, wherein the backrest frame further includes a second backrest-lock leg arranged to extend into and move in a second leg-receiving space formed in the frame guide to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first leg-receiving space and a cross bar coupled to each of the first and second backrest-lock legs to link the first and second backrest-lock legs together for movement in unison relative to the foldable backrest.

9. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising

a seat base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and formed to include a seat bottom adapted to support a juvenile in a seated position and an axle associated with the seat bottom,

a foldable backrest mounted on the axle for folding movement between an upright use position arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom and adapted to support a juvenile in the seated position on the seat bottom and a compact folded storage position arranged to extend along the seat bottom and lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom, and

a backrest lock configured to provide means for retaining the foldable backrest in the upright use position and for releasing the foldable backrest to free the foldable backrest so that, once freed, the foldable backrest can be pivoted about a pivot axis established by the axle to assume the compact folded storage position, wherein the backrest lock includes a backrest frame mounted on a rear surface of the foldable backrest for vertical movement on the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging a frame receiver included in the seat base to block pivotable movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to free the foldable backrest to pivot on the axle about the pivot axis between the upright use position and the compact folded storage position.

10. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising

a seat base including a seat bottom and a frame receiver coupled to a rear portion of the seat bottom, and

a seat back including a foldable backrest coupled to the seat base for movement relative to the seat base about a pivot axis between an upright use position and a compact folded storage position and a backrest lock configured normally to retain the foldable backrest in the upright use position, wherein the backrest lock includes a movable backrest frame mounted on a rear surface of the foldable backrest, a frame guide coupled to the foldable backrest and to the movable backrest frame and configured to guide vertical movement of the movable backrest frame relative to the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging the frame receiver upon movement of the foldable backrest to the upright use position to block movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to allow movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis toward the compact folded storage position, and a frame anchor configured normally to retain the movable backrest frame in the backrest-locking position upon movement of the foldable backrest to the upright use position.

11. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising

a seat base adapted to set on a vehicle seat and formed to include a seat bottom adapted to support a juvenile iii a seated position and an axle associated with the seat bottom,

a foldable backrest mounted on the axle for folding movement between an upright use position arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom and adapted to support a juvenile in the seated position on the seat bottom and a compact folded storage position arranged to extend along the seat bottom and lie in confronting relation to the seat bottom,

a backrest lock configured to provide means for retaining the foldable backrest in the upright use position and for releasing the foldable backrest to free the foldable backrest so that, once freed, the foldable backrest can be pivoted about a pivot axis established by the axle to assume the compact folded storage position, wherein the backrest lock includes a backrest frame mounted for movement on the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging a frame receiver included in the seat base to block pivotable movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to free the foldable backrest to pivot on the axle about the pivot axis between the upright use position and the compact folded storage position, and

wherein the backrest lock further includes lock means for anchoring the backrest frame in a fixed position relative to the foldable backrest when the foldable backrest lies in the upright use position relative to the seat base and when the backrest frame mates with the frame receiver included in the seat base.

12. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 11, wherein the backrest frame includes a first backrest-lock leg, the lock means includes a housing mounted on the foldable backrest to move therewith and formed to include a leg-receiving passage and a pin-receiving chamber, the lock means further includes a lock pin mounted for movement in the pin-receiving chamber between a projected leg-engaging position engaging the first leg and a withdrawn leg-disengaging position disengaging the first backrest-lock leg and a spring located in the pin-receiving chamber and arranged normally and yieldably to urge the lock pin to the projected leg-engaging position to cause a distal tip of the lock pin to extend into a pin receiver formed in the first backrest-lock leg to anchor the backrest frame in a fixed position relative to the foldable backrest when the foldable backrest lies in the upright use position and the backrest frame is moved to assume the backrest-locking position engaging the frame receiver included in the seat base.

13. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 12, wherein the backrest lock further includes actuator means for disabling the lock means by withdrawing the distal tip of the lock pin from the pin receiver formed in the first backrest-lock leg at the option of a caregiver to allow the caregiver to move the backrest frame to the backrest-releasing position to free the foldable backrest for movement relative to the seat base to assume the compact folded storage position and the actuator means includes a trigger unit coupled to the backrest frame to move therewith and a pull wire coupled to the lock pin and to a movable trigger included in the trigger unit and configured to cause the lock pin to move from the projected leg-engaging position to the withdrawn leg-disengaging position in response to movement of the movable trigger relative to the backrest frame.

14. The compactible juvenile seat of claim 11, wherein the backrest lock further includes actuator means for disabling the lock means to free the backrest frame for movement from the fixed position at the option of a caregiver to allow the caregiver to move the backrest frame to the backrest-releasing position to free the foldable backrest for movement relative to the seat base to assume the compact folded storage position.

15. A compactible juvenile vehicle seat comprising

a seat base including a seat bottom and a frame receiver coupled to a rear portion of the seat bottom,

a seat back including a foldable backrest coupled to the seat base for movement relative to the seat base about a pivot axis between an upright use position and a compact folded storage position and a backrest lock configured normally to retain the foldable backrest in the upright use position, wherein the backrest lock includes a movable backrest frame, a frame guide coupled to the foldable backrest and to the movable backrest frame and configured to guide movement of the movable backrest frame relative to the foldable backrest between a backrest-locking position engaging the frame receiver upon movement of the foldable backrest to the upright use position to block movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis and a backrest-releasing position disengaging the frame receiver to allow movement of the foldable backrest about the pivot axis toward the compact folded storage position, and a frame anchor configured normally to retain the movable backrest frame in the backrest-locking position upon movement of the foldable backrest to the upright use position, and

wherein the backrest frame is a U-shaped tubular member and includes first and second backrest-lock legs arranged to lie in spaced-apart parallel relation to one another and a style bar arranged to interconnect an upper end of the first backrest-lock leg and an upper end of the second backrest-lock leg, a lower end of the first backrest-lock leg is arranged to extend into a first leg-receiving socket formed in the frame receiver upon movement of the movable backrest frame to the backrest-locking position, and a lower end of the second backrest-lock leg is arranged to extend into a second leg-receiving socket formed in the frame receiver and located in spaced-apart relation to the first leg-receiving socket upon movement of the movable backrest frame to the backrest-locking position.

16. The compactible juvenile vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein the frame guide includes first and second leg guides coupled to the foldable backrest to move therewith, the first leg guide forms a first leg-receiving space receiving the first backrest-lock leg therein to allow sliding movement of the first backrest-lock leg therein during movement of the backrest frame relative to the foldable backrest, and the second leg guide forms a second leg-receiving space receiving the second backrest-lock leg therein to allow sliding movement of the second backrest-lock leg therein during movement of the backrest frame relative to the foldable backrest.

17. The compactible juvenile vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein the frame anchor includes a lock unit coupled to the foldable backrest to move therewith and an actuator unit and the actuator unit includes a trigger unit mounted on the style bar of the backrest frame and a cable coupled to the trigger unit and to the lock unit and configured to provide means for communicating a lock-release signal from the trigger unit to the lock unit that is effective to change the lock unit from a locked state retaining the backrest frame in the backrest-locking position and an unlocked state releasing the backrest frame for movement relative to the foldable backrest.

18. The compactible juvenile vehicle seat of claim 17, wherein the lock unit includes a housing mounted on the foldable backrest to move therewith and formed to include a leg-receiving passage and a pin-receiving chamber, the lock means further includes a lock pin mounted for movement in the pin-receiving chamber between a projected leg-engaging position engaging the first backrest-lock leg and a withdrawn leg-disengaging position disengaging the first backrest-lock leg and a spring located in the pin-receiving chamber and arranged normally and yieldably to urge the lock pin to the projected leg-engaging position to cause a distal tip of the lock pin to extend into a pin receiver formed in the first backrest-lock leg to anchor the backrest frame in a fixed position relative to the foldable backrest when the foldable backrest lies in the upright use position and the backrest frame is moved to assume the backrest-locking position engaging the frame receiver included in the seat base.

19. The compactible juvenile vehicle seat of claim 17, wherein the trigger unit includes a trigger mount coupled to the style bar, a trigger associated with the trigger mount, and a spring, the trigger is mounted for movement relative to the trigger mount between a rest position and an actuated position, the spring is arranged normally and yieldably to urge the trigger to the rest position, the trigger is arranged to be moved by an operator in a direction toward the trigger mount to compress the spring and pull a wire provided in the cable to cause a lock pin included in the lock unit to move from a projected leg-engaging position in a pin receiver formed in the first backrest-lock leg to a withdrawn leg-engaging position away from the pin receiver formed in the first backrest-lock leg.