1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child seat assemblies that include a child seat and a base.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an automobile vehicle has seatbelts provided at the front and rear seats. The seatbelt generally includes shoulder and lap straps that may be fastened with an anchor point of the vehicle to restrain and protect the occupant in case of collision or sudden stop of the vehicle. However, the use of the vehicle seatbelt is not adapted for a young child who has a smaller body and may not be able to sustain the pressure applied by the seatbelt. Therefore, safety legislations require the use of a child safety seat for seating a young child in a vehicle. The seatbelt of the vehicle can be used to secure the child safety seat which has a harness more adapted to restrain the young child.
The child safety seat can include a child seat and a base connected underneath the child seat. To facilitate the use of the child seat, attachment structures may be provided to allow the child seat to attach with and removed from the base as desired. While the conventional attachment structure can effectively fasten the seat with the base, it may also be desirable to permit adjustment of the child seat relative to the base to suit the age and size of the child. For example, infant child safety seats currently on the market are designed to accommodate infants from birth to 12 months, and lack the adjustments needed to comfortably and conveniently secure a 24-month old child. One of the biggest problems with current rearward facing seats is the lack of leg room provided as the child grows. Many parents may contribute the lack of leg room as the main reason for changing their child to a forward facing seat.
Therefore, there is a need for a child safety seat assembly that can permit more adequate adjustment of the leg room, and address at least the foregoing issues.
The present application describes a child safety seat assembly including a detachable child seat and a base. The child seat has a seatback, and a foremost end opposite to the seat back. The base includes a shell body, an adjustable platform and a latch mechanism. The shell body has a first and a second end edge opposite to each other, a bottom adapted to provide stable resting on a support surface, and an upper surface extending between the first and second end edges of the shell body, wherein the first end edge is at a height relative to the bottom that is greater than that of the second end edge. The adjustable platform is assembled with the shell body and is operable to releasibly attach with the child seat, wherein the adjustable platform and the child seat attached with each other are movable in unison along the upper surface between a first state where the foremost end of the child seat is at a first position near the first end edge of the shell body, and a second state where the foremost end of the child seat is at a second position away from the first end edge of the shell body and lying below the first position and the first end edge of the shell body. The latch mechanism is disposed between the upper surface of the shell body and the adjustable platform, wherein the latch mechanism is operable to lock the adjustable platform with the shell body in any of the first and second states.
The adjustable platform 142 can include a support body 143 movably assembled at an upper side of the shell body 140. The support body 143 can have two protruding guide rails 144 that extend parallel in an axial direction of the base 104 and are adapted to receive the placement of the child seat 102. The guide rails 144 are symmetric in construction, including first grooves 146, and second grooves 148 axially spaced apart from the first grooves 146. The first and second grooves 146 and 148 can be formed as recesses from the upper surfaces of the guide rails 144, and are sized to receive and hold the end portions of the transverse shafts 124 and 130 provided with the latches 126. Moreover, each of the first and second grooves 146 and 148 can include catches 150 with which the latches 126 can engage to lock the child seat 102 with the adjustable platform 142. In one embodiment, the catches 150 may be formed at a same side in each of the grooves 146 and 148, for example on the left side surface as shown in
Referring again to
As better shown in
Referring to
The latching elements 170 can be pivotally assembled with the support body 143 of the adjustable platform 142, and are operable to engage with any of the grooves 176 to lock the adjustable platform 142 in position. In this embodiment, the latching elements 170 can be pivotally connected with the support body 143 via the bar linkages 172, respectively. In one embodiment, each bar linkage 172 can have a generally L-shape including a side segment 172A, and a transverse segment 172B that can extend generally parallel to the width direction of the base 104. Each latching element 170 can be affixed with the transverse segment 172B of one bar linkage 172 at a position proximate to one associated rack 168. The transverse segment 172B can be pivotally connected with one holder plate 151 that is affixed adjacent to the recessed groove 146. Each bar linkage 172 can be thereby operable independently to rotate about a transverse axis relative to the support body 143 so as to drive locking and unlocking rotations of the associated latching element 170. It is worth noting that alternate embodiments may also have the transverse segments 172B of the two bar linkages 172 joined with each other so as to form a unitary bar linkage. With this construction, the two latching elements 170 can be driven in a concurrent manner via the unitary bar linkage for locking and unlocking operations.
The spring 174 can be a torsion spring mounted around the transverse segment 172B of each bar linkage 172 and having a first end anchored with the support body 143, and a second end anchored with the transverse segment 172B or the latching element 170. The biasing action of the spring 174 can urge the latching element 170 to engage with a corresponding groove 176. To disengage the latching elements 170 from the grooves 176, the two release buttons 156 can be respectively operated to drive reverse rotation of the linkages 172 via two release mechanisms 180 (better shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The spring 184 can be restrainedly positioned in a guide slot 188 formed in the coupling shell 162. The spring 184 can have a first end anchored against a bottom surface of the coupling shell 162, and a second end anchored with the lip 156C of the release button 156. The spring 184 can be operable to bias the release button 156 upward.
With the above construction, the release mechanisms 180 can be movable with the support body 143 when the platform 142 is adjusted in position. Each of the release mechanisms 180 can be independently operated to unlock the associated latching element 170. In case the two latching elements 170 are coupled with each other via a unitary bar linkage, only one release mechanism 180 can be actuated to unlock the latch mechanism 160.
Exemplary operation of the adjustable platform 142 is described hereafter with reference to
To modify the position of the adjustable platform 142, the two release buttons 156 can be simultaneously pressed downward. As the release buttons 156 move downward, the springs 184 are compressed, and the shoulder portions 156D of the release buttons 156 can respectively press against the first ends 182A to drive rotation of the levers 182 about their respective pivot axes Y. Each rotating lever 182 in turn causes the associated bar linkage 172 to rotate in a second direction r2 owing to the contact between the second end 182B of the lever 182 and the side segment 172A of the bar linkage 172, which in turn can cause each latching element 170 to rotate in the same direction r2 and disengage from the associated rack 168. Being unlocked, the adjustable platform 142 then can be moved forward or rearward along the guide surface 140C of the shell body 140. It is worth noting that in case the two latching elements 170 are coupled with each other (e.g., by joining the two bar linkage 172 to form a unitary linkage), only one of the two release buttons 156 can be pressed downward to drive concurrent disengagement of the two latching elements 170 and unlocking of the adjustable platform 142.
In one embodiment, the guide surface 140C on which the support body 143 rests can extend substantially along the lengthwise axis of the shell body 140. Accordingly, the adjustable platform 142 can be moved along the guide surface 140C to effectively increase or reduce a distance between the adjustable platform 142 and the second portion 140B. The guide surface 140C can also have a curved profile to form an arc-shaped slope that rises gently and continuously from the first portion 140A in a direction toward the second portion 140B. The profile of the elongated arms 160 can also be curved to generally match with the slope of the guide surface 140C. Accordingly, the general inclination of the adjustable platform 142 can be changed as it slides along the guide surface 140C.
Once the platform 142 is adjusted to a desired position, the springs 174 can bias the latching elements 170 to rotate in the first direction r1 to engage with a corresponding pair of the grooves 176 on the racks 168. In the meantime, the springs 184 can push the release buttons 156 upward to recover their initial state.
In conjunction with
It will be understood that many variations or modifications to the aforementioned constructions can be possible.
At least one advantage of the structures described herein is the ability to provide a base that allows to conveniently adjust the recline angle of the child seat and the leg room at the same time without changing the attachment to the vehicle. This can be achieved by providing a base that can have an adjustable platform adapted to hold the child seat, and operable to modify the axial position of the child seat relative to the base to adjust the leg room in accordance with the size of the child's legs. The adjustable platform can be operated with a simple push-button mechanism conveniently provided on both sides of the base.
Realizations in accordance with the present invention therefore have been described only in the context of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application No. 13/182,091 filed on Jul. 13, 2011, which respectively claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/399,663 filed on Jul. 15, 2010; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/461,410 filed on Jan. 18, 2011; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/518,426 filed on May 5, 2011, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4615560 | Schaller | Oct 1986 | A |
4743063 | Foster, Jr. | May 1988 | A |
4826246 | Meeker | May 1989 | A |
4911499 | Meeker | Mar 1990 | A |
4915446 | Darling et al. | Apr 1990 | A |
4943113 | Meeker | Jul 1990 | A |
4971392 | Young | Nov 1990 | A |
5052750 | Takahashi et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
5277472 | Freese et al. | Jan 1994 | A |
5385387 | Kain | Jan 1995 | A |
5494331 | Onishi et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
5551751 | Sedlack et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5722719 | Glomstad | Mar 1998 | A |
5772279 | Johnson, Jr. | Jun 1998 | A |
5890762 | Yoshida | Apr 1999 | A |
6017088 | Stephens et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
6030047 | Kain | Feb 2000 | A |
6070890 | Haut et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6367875 | Bapst | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6454350 | Celestina-Krevh et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6793283 | Sipos | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6857700 | Eastman et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6863345 | Kain | Mar 2005 | B2 |
7073859 | Wilson | Jul 2006 | B1 |
7163265 | Adachi | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7387336 | Sakumoto | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7513512 | Yoshie et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
7819472 | Hutchinson et al. | Oct 2010 | B2 |
8585143 | Xiao | Nov 2013 | B2 |
20020113469 | Stern et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20040207241 | Sedlack | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20050110318 | Meeker et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050264062 | Longenecker et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060250005 | Keegan et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20060261651 | Nolan et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20090273216 | Barger | Nov 2009 | A1 |
20090295207 | Zink et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
20100007187 | Hutchinson et al. | Jan 2010 | A1 |
20120261960 | Heisey et al. | Oct 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2773512 | Mar 2001 | CA |
200948756 | Sep 2007 | CN |
201124778 | Oct 2008 | CN |
101311029 | Nov 2008 | CN |
201151354 | Nov 2008 | CN |
0164909 | Dec 1985 | EP |
0609889 | Feb 1994 | EP |
0631903 | Oct 1996 | EP |
0822115 | Oct 1998 | EP |
0970842 | Jan 2000 | EP |
1110807 | Jun 2001 | EP |
2228253 | Sep 2010 | EP |
2741847 | Jun 1997 | FR |
2202433 | Sep 1988 | GB |
2350289 | Nov 2000 | GB |
2362093 | Nov 2001 | GB |
2444833 | Jun 2008 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140008953 A1 | Jan 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61399663 | Jul 2010 | US | |
61461410 | Jan 2011 | US | |
61518426 | May 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 13182091 | Jul 2011 | US |
Child | 14027180 | US |