Child safety seat

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6315359
  • Patent Number
    6,315,359
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, November 2, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 13, 2001
    22 years ago
Abstract
The seat portion of a rearward facing child safety seat has static rear part and a movable front part which is movable between a deployed position in which its upper surface is contiguous with that of the rear part and a stowed position leaving an opening in front of the rear part for receiving the legs of an older child occupying the child seat with his knees bent and his feet positioned below the level of the static rear part.
Description




FIELD




This invention relates to a child safety seat of the type adapted to be positioned in a rearward facing orientation on a vehicle seat and having a seat body and a support member adapted to abut against the seat back of the vehicle seat, the seat body comprising a seat portion and a backrest.




RELATED ART




A child safety seat of this type is described in EP-A-751035. Continued use of known seats of this type as a child grows, is limited by abutment of the child's feet against the vehicle seat back. One solution for this problem is to increase the distance between the vehicle seat back and the child seat body. However, this has the disadvantage of reducing the distance between the child's head and the structure of the vehicle in front of the vehicle seat on which the child seat is positioned. In addition, this has the result of increasing the length of belt required when the child seat is secured to the vehicle seat using the vehicle seat belt. A further disadvantage is that parents may be tempted to alleviate the problem by setting the child's seat in a more upright position. This can be uncomfortable and, in extreme cases, risk damage to the child's spine.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




According to the invention, in a child safety seat of the type described above, the seat portion has a static rear part and a movable front part which is movable between a deployed position in which its upper surface is contiguous with that of the rear part and a stowed position leaving an opening in front of the rear part for receiving the legs of an older child occupying the child seat with his knees bent and his feet positioned below the level of the static rear part.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an elevational view of a child safety seat in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, looking forwardly from the rear of the vehicle in which it is used, with the seat configured for use by a young child;





FIG. 2

is a sectional view taken on the line


2





2


in

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the seat shown in

FIG. 1

with its movable panel in its deployed position;





FIG. 4

is a sectional view on the line


2





2


but with the movable panel in its stowed position, for use by an older child;





FIG. 5

is an elevational view, similar to

FIG. 1

, but th thy movable panel in its stowed position;





FIG. 6

is a sectional view taken on the line


6





6


in

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 7

is a sectional view, similar to

FIG. 4

, of a second embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 8

is a sectional view, similar to

FIG. 7

, of a third embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view, similar to

FIG. 3

, of a fourth embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view similar to

FIG. 3

, of a fifth embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 11

is a sectional view, similar to

FIG. 2

, of a sixth embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 12

is a plan view of the seat shown in

FIG. 11

without a seat occupant;





FIG. 13

is a sectional view, similar to

FIG. 11

, but with the movable panel in its stowed position;





FIG. 14

is a sectional view, similar to

FIG. 4

, of a seventh embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 15

is a sectional view, similar to FIG.


4


of an eighth embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 16

is a front view of a ninth embodiment of the invention, with a folding movable panel in its deployed position;





FIG. 17

is a scrap view of the movable panel of

FIG. 16

illustrating its movement through its stowed position;





FIG. 18

is a front view, similar to

FIG. 16

, but with the sable panel in its stowed position;





FIG. 19

is a longitudinal sectional view of the seat shown in

FIG. 18

; and





FIGS. 20

to


22


are views similar to

FIG. 17

, showing alternative ways of folding the movable panel.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a child safety seat comprises a seat body


10


in the form of a moulded shell having seat portion


12


, a backrest


14


, and side walls


16


and


18


. The seat body


10


is mounted on a base


20


which rests on the seat portion


22


of a vehicle seat and has two limbs


24


and


26


which abut against the vehicle seat back


28


. The child seat is shown as occupied by a relatively young child


30


whose feet


32


rest on a front part


34


of the seat portion


12


of the child seat body


10


.




As can be seen in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the front part of the seat portion


12


comprises a panel


34


which is pivotable about its rear edge between a deployed position in which it forms a forward continuation of the static rear part


35


of the seat portion


12


, as shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, and a stowed position shown in

FIGS. 4

to


6


in which it lies on top of the static part


35


so as to leave an opening


36


between the two side walls


16


and


18


, the movement to the latter position being shown by the arrow


38


. As can be seen from

FIGS. 5 and 6

, when the panel


34


is in its stowed position, an older child


40


can sit on the seat body


10


with his knees


42


bent and his feet


44


below the seat portion


12


.





FIG. 7

shows a second embodiment of the invention in which the pivotable panel


34


is replaced by a sliding panel


46


which is movable between a deployed position in which it covers the opening


36


and a stowed position in which it is positioned on top of the seat portion


12


, as illustrated by the arrow


48


. In a variant of this embodiment, the panel


46


is arranged to slide to a stowed position below the seat portion


12


.





FIG. 8

shows a third embodiment of the invention in which the pivoting panel


34


is arranged to pivot to a stowed position below the seat portion


12


instead of above it, the movement being illustrated by the arrow


50


.





FIG. 9

shows a fourth embodiment of the invention in which the side walls


16


and


18


of the seat shell only extend as far from the backrest as the edge of the static rear part


35


of the seat portion


12


. In this embodiment the movable portion is in two parts


60


and


62


each of which is mounted on a respective pivot pin


64


which, in turn, projects radially from a respective stub axle


66


. Each stub axle


66


projects laterally just above the level of the static seat portion


12


. Each of the panels


60


and


62


can pivot from its deployed position to a vertical position on its pivot pin


64


, as illustrated by the arrow


68


, until it is aligned with a respective opening


72


in the corresponding side wall


16


,


18


. The panels


60


and


62


can then pivot about their stub axles


66


, as illustrated by the arrow


70


, so as to be stowed within openings


72


in the side walls


16


and


18


. The panel


60


is shown in solid lines in its stowed position and in dotted lines in its deployed position. Alternatively, the panels


60


and


62


may be stowed inside or outside the shell


14


.




The embodiment of

FIG. 10

differs from that of

FIG. 9

in that the two front panels


74


and


76


are mounted so as to slide into the openings


72


, as illustrated by the arrow


77


, after pivoting to vertical positions in alignment with their respective openings


72


as illustrated by the arrow


68


.





FIGS. 11

to


13


show another embodiment in which the front part of the seat portion


12


comprises a movable panel


78


comprising a set of transverse slats interconnected by hinges so that the panel is flexible in the transverse direction of the seat. When the panel


78


is to be moved to its stowed position, it slides on top of the rear part of the seat portion


12


and the older child


40


sits on top of this sliding panel


78


, as shown in FIG.


13


. Alternatively, the panel


78


may slide underneath the rear part of the seat portion


12


.




The panel


78


may be formed as a blow-moulding with bridges of reduced thickness forming integral hinges between the slats. Alternatively, the slats may be secured to a fabric layer by adhesive, the fabric forming the hinges.





FIG. 14

shows another embodiment in which the front part of the seat portion


12


comprises a rigid detachable panel


80


which can be stowed in a slot


82


in the base


20


of the child seat


10


when the seat is used by an older child


40


. If desired, the panel


80


can be pulled part way out so as to project between the base


20


and the vehicle seat back


28


and thus protect the seat portion


22


of the vehicle seat from the child's feet


44


.





FIG. 15

shows yet another embodiment having a detachable panel


80


, similar to the correspondingly numbered panel in

FIG. 14

, which is secured to the child seat body


10


by a flexible cord


84


. When the seat shown in

FIG. 15

is being used by an older child, the panel


80


is clipped on to the outside of the backrest


14


.





FIG. 16

shows a child seat


86


, occupied by a young child


30


, which differs from the child seat


10


in that the front part of its seat portion


12


comprises a panel having a central region


88


and two side flaps


90


and


92


which can be folded inwardly as illustrated in FIG.


17


. When the seat


86


is to be occupied by an older child


40


as shown in

FIGS. 18 and 19

, the two flaps


90


and


92


are folded inwards so as to lie on top of the central region


88


which is lowered and slid into an opening


94


in the base


20


. Alternatively the flap


88


can be left partially projecting from the opening


94


, so as to serve as a footrest in a similar manner to that described with reference to FIG.


14


.




Instead of folding upwardly on to the top of the central region


88


, as shown in

FIG. 17

, the side flaps


90


and


92


may be arranged to slide below the central region


88


as shown in FIG.


20


. Alternatively, as shown in

FIGS. 21 and 22

, the front panel for the seat


86


may have a central region formed in two parts


94


and


96


interconnected by a central longitudinal hinge


98


which allow the parts


94


and


96


to fold downwards. The side flaps


90


and


92


are connected to the edges of the central parts


94


and


96


by hinges so as to be drawn towards one another as the central parts


94


and


96


fold downwards.




A child safety seat in accordance with any of the embodiments of the invention may be secured in place on a vehicle seat using a vehicle seat belt. Alternatively, it may be secured in place by using separate straps or by using rigid anchorages, as described in EP-A-0619201.



Claims
  • 1. A child safety seat in combination with a motor vehicle seat having a vehicle seat and a vehicle backrest, the child safety seat comprising:a base resting on the vehicle seat, the base having a front side of the base positioned substantially adjacent the vehicle backrest and a rear side positioned nearer to a front edge of the vehicle seat than said front side; a safety seat body having a contiguous and immovably formed seat portion and backrest portion, the seat body being supported by the base and oriented on the base so that the seat portion is interposed between the vehicle backrest and the backrest portion of the safety seat body to define a rearwardly facing child safety seat; the seat portion further having a front edge supporting a seat extension portion moveable between a deployed position wherein the seat extension portion is substantially planarly aligned with the seat portion to substantially planarly support the lower body, knees and feet of a child secured in the seat, and a stowed position wherein the seat extension portion is moved from the deployed position to the stowed position to create a leg opening between the front edge of the seat portion and the vehicle backrest for accommodating the legs of a child occupying the child safety seat with knees bent and feet positioned below the seat portion; the base further comprising a support portion extending from the front side and along the vehicle seat and abutting the vehicle backrest to position the base and the safety seat body at a desired distance from the vehicle backrest such that a spacing is maintained between the front edge of the seat portion of the safety seat body and the vehicle backrest to accommodate the seat extension portion in one of the deployed position and the leg opening, when the seat extension portion is in the stowed position.
  • 2. The child safety seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stowed position comprises the extension portion being moved to one of a first position supported on a top surface of the seat portion and a second position folded beneath the seat portion.
  • 3. The child safety seat according to claim 2, wherein the seat extension portion is pivotably connected about a hinged axis on the front edge of the seat portion and rotatable about the hinged axis into one of the first position supported on a top surface of the seat portion and the second position folded beneath the seat portion.
  • 4. The child safety seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front support portion of the base comprises a first and second spaced apart limbs extending from the front side of the base along the vehicle seat to abut the vehicle backrest adjacent at an intersection between the vehicle backrest and vehicle seat.
  • 5. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat extension portion is slidably mounted on the seat body for sliding movement between the deployed position in which seat extension portion is planarly supported adjacent but separated from the front edge of the seat portion substantially covering the leg opening and the first stowed position in which the seat extension portion overlaps the seat portion.
  • 6. The child safety seat according to claim 5, wherein the seat extension portion comprises a set of transverse slats interconnected by hinges so as to be flexible in a transverse direction of the seat body.
  • 7. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion is provided with a first and second vertically extending hollow sidewalls and the seat extension portion comprises first and second side flaps which are moveable into a third stowed position in which the first and second side flaps are moved from the deployed position into vertical alignment with the first and second vertically extending hollow sidewalls, respectively.
  • 8. The child safety seat according to claim 7, further comprising a pair of forwardly extending pivot axles connected to the first and second sides of the seat portion and wherein each of said first and second side flaps of the seat extension portion has an outside edge mounted on the respective first and second forwardly projecting pivot axles, wherein the first and second side flaps can rotate into vertical alignment with the first and second vertically extending hollow sidewalls, respectively.
  • 9. The child safety seat according to claim 8, wherein each of said forwardly extending first and second pivot axles is axially mounted on a respective transverse pivot axle stub which projects laterally from said first and second sides of the seat portion.
  • 10. The child safety seat according to claim 9, wherein the first and second side flaps are rotatable from the deployed position about the forwardly extending first and second pivot axles into vertical alignment with the first and second vertically extending hollow sidewalls, then the first and second side flaps are rotated about the laterally projecting transverse pivot axle stubs into the third stowed position.
  • 11. The child safety seat according to claim 10, wherein in the third stowed position the first and second side flaps are installed within the first and second hollow sidewalls, respectively.
  • 12. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat extension portion comprises a detachable panel secured to the child seat body by a flexible cord.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
9824728 Nov 1998 GB
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
1828470 Monnot Oct 1931
1872444 Gowie Aug 1932
2044992 May Jun 1936
2582507 Sedlacek Jan 1952
4278289 Esposito Jul 1981
5496092 Williams et al. Mar 1996
5505519 Natt Apr 1996
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
0619201 Oct 1994 EP
0751035 Jan 1997 EP