Patent Application
20180022241
The present invention is in the technical field of passenger restraint systems for use in motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of portable add-on restraint systems for juvenile occupants of motor vehicles.
In collisions, vehicle acceleration and compartment intrusion play major roles in causing injuries to occupants. Acceleration may cause restraint-related injuries or, when excessive, may cause the ride-down space to be insufficient to prevent impact between the occupant body and vehicle interior. Intrusion causes a reduction of ride-down space and may further increase the impact speed between the occupant's body and the vehicle interior. (Jewkes et al. 1998.)
The purpose of child safety restraints is to reduce injury by maximizing ride-down space, minimizing interaction with (intruding) vehicle interior components and preventing ejection. (Viano and Parenteau, 2010.) Slavik et al. (1997) found that children sustained neck injuries only when accompanied by head impacts, while head impacts more often occurred when the thoracic restraint was missing or inefficient. Fuchs et al. (1989) and Kelleher-Walsh (1993) confirmed that neck injuries to children in frontal collisions is extremely rare when correctly restrained and no head impact occurred.
Arbogast et al. (2002) estimated the effectiveness of child restraints to be as much as 80% in reducing fatalities, provided that the correct restraint is chosen (e.g., infant seat or booster seat) and the restraint is used properly. Prematurely moving a child from a car seat with five-point restraint to a booster and/or adult seat belts may greatly compromise the child's safety. Unfortunately, research has shown that approximately 75% of all child restraints are used incorrectly, either by choosing an inappropriate restraint type, incorrect installation of the seat and/or child, or loose fit of mounting system and/or child harness.
Currently, there are two basic types of car seats: the child restraint system with a five-point harness (“CRS”) which can be both forward and rearward facing, and the belt positioning booster (“BPB” or “booster”) which is used in conjunction with the adult seat belt in a forward-facing manner. The present invention combines (1) the five-point harness feature of the CRS with (2) the lightweight, compact, and ease-of-use characteristics of the booster, to create a new breed of portable child safety seat.
A child safety seat is an automobile accessory designed to protect an infant and/or child in a motor vehicle through physical elevation, additional restraints, additional padding and other features that ensure safety and protection from injury or death during a collision. There are two orientations of child safety seats: forward-facing and rear-facing. Most forward-facing, add-on child restraint systems fall within two categories: car seats with a five-point harness, and belt-positioning booster seats. The present invention combines the five-point belt system of the car seat with the versatility of the booster to yield a lightweight, portable child safety seat with five-point restraint.
Car seats generally include a hard shell composed of a seat-bottom with a rigidly connected back support that is placed on the horizontal seating surface of the vehicle. The child is typically restrained sitting within the hard shell by a five-point harness, which includes a webbing strap over each shoulder, one on each side of the pelvis, and one between the legs, with all five coming together at a common buckle located in the crotch area. Car seats, which are generally recommended by manufacturers for toddlers and preschoolers typically between two and seven years old, can be effective in restraining children traveling in motor vehicles because of their use of the five-point restraint system and because they fix the shoulder strap location via the hard-shell back support. The five-point harness generally consists of two belt straps that are routed through the interior of the car seat in a cumbersome manner. Each strap originates from the underside of the seat-bottom, is routed through a hip slot in the seat-bottom, through a latch plate and possibly a portion of a shoulder clip, through one of a set of shoulder slots in the seat back portion (generally located at three to four different heights), and finishes by attaching the end of the strap to a metal plate which is located behind the child seat's back. The metal plate has another belt strap attached to its bottom, such that a total of three belt straps are connected to the metal plate. The bottom belt strap is then routed down behind the seatback, continues under the seat-bottom and through an opening generally located in the front center portion of the child seat-bottom. This opening contains a locking device, such that the bottom strap can be used to adjust the length of the five-point harness by pulling the bottom belt strap and locking it in place.
Car seats have, however, a number of critical drawbacks. Most importantly, car seats are bulky and heavy, reducing the portability of the safety restraint and possibly causing parents to compromise the safety of their child (such as when traveling away from home) by prematurely moving them to booster seats or adult seat belts. The belt routing used by modern car seats is complex and typically employs multiple straps and lengthy webbing. Their bulk and complexity also make car seats difficult to clean and install, frequently leading to incorrect use and introducing movement of the seat with respect to the vehicle. Indeed, studies show that approximately seventy-five percent of all car seats are improperly installed. (Decina & Lococo, 2003.) These characteristics also mean that car seats tend to be more expensive. The size of the car seat also reduces the space between the child and the front seat of the vehicle, which can increase risk of head impacts with the interior, and as such can lead to increased injury in frontal collisions. Finally, because the seat-bottom is rigidly connected to the back support, the bottom and back support move in tandem, such that both lower and upper harness anchors move together in certain accident events. This may lead to increased belt slack and injury risk to the child.
A booster seat, on the other hand, generally consists of a raised cushion placed on the horizontal seating surface of the vehicle, which theoretically enables the child to use the conventional adult three-point safety belt installed in the vehicle. Booster seats, which are generally recommended by manufacturers for children typically between four and twelve years old, are convenient because they are lightweight and compact, are easier to install than car seats, lack additional webbing, and do not require a supplementary restraint system. Because of their relative simplicity, smaller size and fewer component parts, booster seats are generally less expensive than car seats.
Booster seats also have, however, a number of critical drawbacks. Most importantly, studies have shown that booster seats are statistically less effective than properly used five-point restraints in preventing injuries to children in accidents, particularly for children weighing less than forty pounds, in the case of side collisions and in rollover events. (NHTSA Report to Congress on Improving the Safety of Child Restraints-Booster Seat Study, 2002.) Much of this risk is due to the fact that, unlike a car seat with a five-point restraint, a booster seat has fewer anchor points, which enables sliding of the upper body out of the shoulder belt and entails increased ejection risk. Furthermore, the booster does not rigidly fix the position of two shoulder belts on the child, allowing for additional belt slack and accompanying injury risk increase.
While car seats and booster seats can, respectively, be effective for their intended purposes, when installed and used properly, there is a need for a new child restraint design that effectively combines the safety of a five-point restraint and rigid belt anchors, as commonly found in car seats, with portability, reduced size and ease of installation, as commonly found in booster seats. The new design in the instant application fills that need.
The present invention is a portable, light weight, and easy to install forward facing five-point child safety seat that utilizes an independent child shoulder belt anchor positioner. The child safety seat may be used for children between two and ten years of age. It may be used with either the three anchors from the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (“LATCH” system) or with a conventional three-point seat belt system in a folding vehicle seat. The shoulder belt anchors can be easily positioned at any height of choice by a rigid seat back-plate, and kept fixed in their positions independently from the crotch and pelvic belt anchors throughout a wide range of motor vehicle accidents. The back-plate may be installed using the LATCH anchors or the shoulder portion of the adult seat belt. The unique design of a seat back-plate that can be adjusted relative to the seat-bottom allows for independent positioning of the child's shoulder belt anchors relative to the child's lower belt anchors. The child's crotch and pelvic belt anchors are positioned by a small seat-bottom, like a booster seat, which has a buckle mounted in its center, and may be latched into the vehicle with the lower LATCH anchors or the lap portion of the adult seat belt. The seat-bottom contains strong armrests, which create a snug fit with most adult seatbacks, and prevent upward rotation of the seat-bottom.
Additionally, the one-of-a-kind design, mounting system, belt routing and configuration of the back-plate allows for easy installation, quick adjustments of the child's shoulder belt anchor height for adaptation to the variety of child sizes, and a light weight and portable version of the five-point restraint. Furthermore, the seat design is compatible with either the LATCH or three-point seat belt system and has virtually no forward excursion with respect to that of the normal adult seat back; thus combining the advantages of both the booster seat and the five-point restraint for enhanced safety.
The present invention also allows for easy cleaning, and is virtually impossible to be installed incorrectly.
Most forward-facing, add-on child restraint systems fall within two categories: (1) car seats and (2) booster or cushion seats. The particulars of these respective inventions are well-known and were described long ago. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,777,502 issued to Travis on Jan. 15, 1947 (car seat); U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,622 issued to Boudreau on Jul. 5, 1977 (car seat); U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,579 issued to Hunter on Jun. 9, 1964 (booster seat); U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,510 issued to Cunningham et al. on Jul. 24, 1984 (booster seat). The prior art includes many of the most salient component features of the car seats and booster seats, including the five-point harness. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,223 issued to Miller on Jun. 1, 1999.
As discussed supra, car seats and booster seats each include advantages and drawbacks. Prior art has attempted to combine features of car seats and booster seats to create a smaller, more portable child restraint system. Unlike the present invention, however, the majority of such embodiments rigidly attach in some fashion the seat-bottom to the seat back. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,662, issued to Lambert et al. on Jul. 18, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,502, issued to Stephens on Oct. 12, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,337, issued to Leggett on Oct. 27, 1992; European Patent No. 1193111A2, issued to Maciejczyk on Jun. 26, 2001. This rigidity can lead to increased belt slack and injury risk to the child.
More recently, several inventions utilizing embodiments of the five-point restraint system have attempted to remedy some of the car seat's shortcomings described above, especially the portability issue. U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,617, issued to Aaron et al. on Jul. 3, 2012, describes the use of a thinner and lighter weight seat-bottom and back support that are disconnected from one another and thus can be folded and made more portable. However, the seat-bottom and seat back must, with use of pegs, be rigidly connected to each other at the intersection between the two. As a result, this invention becomes a hard shell when installed on the vehicle seat and suffers from the same defect described above, i.e., the seat-bottom and back move in tandem, allowing all child harness anchors to move in sync, which can compromise safety. Furthermore, this invention may be used only with the use of LATCH, not with a conventional adult 3-point seat belt. As such, it cannot comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 213.
Another portable version of the five-point restraint is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,584, issued to Boyle et al. on Feb. 14, 2012. The invention consists of a seat-bottom, similar to a booster seat, while the shoulder straps are anchored to a flexible webbing member, which is mounted to the vehicle by an assembly of straps wrapped around the full length of the seat back and seat-bottom of the car. Other mounting options were presented as well. This restraint is even more difficult to install than a traditional car seat as the straps must be wrapped around the seat back and threaded through the opening between seat back and seat-bottom of the vehicle's adult seat. More importantly, the connection of the child's shoulder straps to another flexible strap (rather than a rigid member) allows movement of the belt anchors with respect to each other and the seat back in crash conditions, introducing slack and reduced protection for the child.
Another version of a portable five-point restraint issued to the same parties, U.S. Pat. No. 7,488,038 B2, issued to Boyle at al. on Feb. 10, 2009, is distinguishable for many of the same reasons. The device requires at least one additional belt length adjuster than the present invention and must be routed with webbing between the adult seat back and seat-bottom, which makes the child restraint more difficult to install. Similarly, it employs traditional routing of the webbing, which increases cost, complexity and the risk of improper installation. While one embodiment contemplates a bag in which the child seat can be stowed and transported, it lacks the built-in tote feature of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 7,488,038 B2 lacks the unique crisscross pattern of webbing of the present invention that prevents lateral movement of the device during side impacts. Finally, this invention cannot be used with a conventional adult 3-point seat belt and, therefore, does not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 213.
Accordingly, a child restraint is needed that effectively combines the safety of a five-point restraint, as found in car seats, with portability, reduced size and ease of installation, as commonly found in booster seats. Additionally, fixed positioning of the child's shoulder belt anchors should be independent from that of the lower harness anchors. In this way, movement or deformation of the lower harness anchors (with accompanying slack) does not automatically entail movement of, and thus slack in, the upper shoulder harness points.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the scope of the present invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may use their teachings.
The present invention is a passenger restraining system designed to restrain and protect children in an automobile during collisions. The present invention combines the safety of a five-point belt system of regular car seats for children, with the ease of use, portability, and adjustability of booster seats.
Referring to
The back-plate comprises a trapezoidal extrusion of a certain thickness with rounded corners; the trapezoid is sized to correctly position a child's shoulder belt anchors and prevent forward and side movement of the back-plate. The back-plate may come in a variety of sizes, and may have additional padding and other accessories for head and thorax protection, or to provide cushioning for a sleeping child. The back-plate contains a plurality of through-hole slots distributed about the front surface as seen in
First, a top tether, consisting of a single belt, originates from a belt length adjuster, from which it is threaded through the anchor hook opening. It continues to the front of the back-plate, where it passes from the front through the right outboard vertical slot, is routed along the rear of the back-plate, passes back to the front through the left outboard vertical slot, and finishes by threading through the same belt length adjuster it originated from.
Second, a bottom tether which also consists of a single piece of webbing originates with a fixed attachment from a point near the left rear corner of the seat-bottom, preferably as far up and forward as the armrest and side of the seat-bottom allows. The webbing may be coupled to the left rear corner of the seat-bottom by any suitable means, such as for example, without limitation, by rivet, screw, cement, tack, slot and spindle, snap, hook and loop, zipper, button, melting, tongue and buckle. The bottom tether is then threaded through the opening of the anchor hook directly, or through a “D” shaped ring of certain thickness attached to the anchor hook, after which it continues through one loop of a double-loop-connector, then through the front of the right lower slot on the back-plate, continues along the rear of the back-plate, is threaded back to the front through the left bottom slot of the back-plate, crosses back over itself through a perpendicular loop of the double-loop-connector, passes through the right lower anchor-hook or a D-ring attached to the anchor-hook, and, finally, is threaded through a belt-length adjuster, which in turn is fixed to the seat-bottom near the right rear corner as in
The top tether loop is routed from the vertical outboard slots in the back-plate around any head restraint or through the opening between an adjustable headrest and the top of the adult seat back, and locked onto either the top anchor of the LATCH system as in
There are two horizontally coincidental slots approximately between the two vertical top-tether slots, one on either side an equal distance from the center line, which are utilized for the shoulder straps that run down either side of the child.
Near the lowermost left and right corner of the back-plate are two angled slot cutouts, in the preferred embodiment the angle is forty five degrees as seen in
In its preferred embodiment, the back-plate comprises a rigid plastic material; other possible material compositions include, but are not limited to light aluminum, light steel, composites, and other comparable materials. The size, geometric design, thickness, and material composition of the back-plate are subject to change in the final embodiment of the present invention.
The seat-bottom comprises a rectangular extrusion of a certain length and width which enables introduction and placement of the child's buckle and hip straps. In its preferred embodiment, seat-bottom is fashioned from plastic, but may be fashioned from any rigid plastic, metallic, non-metallic or composite material. The seat-bottom may further contain a plurality of and varying indentations and recesses to reduce weight and increase comfort. Looking from the side perspective, the front edge is fully rounded to provide the child an ergonomic surface to rest their legs, as in
Distributed about the top surface of the seat-bottom is a plurality of slot holes. Similar to the back-plate, each slot hole is designed for a different belt webbing. Looking from the top perspective, there is a single slot near the left and one near the right armrest orientated along the length of the armrest as seen in
The five-point harness comprises a buckle assembly, a harness consisting of one single belt threaded through a plurality of slots on the seat-bottom, buckles, and the back-plate, multiple belt guides, and a harness tie or belt clip. The buckled harness restrains and protects the child during vehicle collisions. The buckle assembly comprises a left latch plate, right latch plate, and a buckle which is placed into one of the groin slots. The left latch plate and right latch plate contain a slot for the belt. The buckle contains a receptive cavity for the left and right latch plate. The buckle locks the latch plate components; the latch plates may be released with the press of a button on the buckle. As shown in
The present invention may be attached to the vehicle's car seat in two main ways; using the adult safety belt of the vehicle's seat, or using the LATCH system that comes standard with all newer vehicles. If the car is equipped with the LATCH system, it is best to utilize the associated attaching mechanism. If the car is not equipped with the LATCH system, the adult safety belt of the seat should be utilized to secure the present invention.
To attach the back-plate to the adult vehicle seat, two different tethers are used, the upper anchor tether loop and the lower anchor tether. The upper anchor tether consists of a single belt which is looped around, originating from a belt length adjuster, which is then threaded through the anchor hook, and continues for a certain length before entering one of the vertical outboard slots from the front, continues along the rear portion of the back-plate, passes through the other vertical outboard slot from back to front, and finishes, after a certain length being threaded through the same belt length adjuster. This loop may be routed around the head restraint or through the opening between the adjustable head restraint and the top of vehicle seat back to the attachment point at or near the top of the vehicle's seat back.
Referring to
The lower tether is threaded through the lower left and right angled slots of the back-plate and crisscrosses itself using a double-loop connector as described previously. The left and right bottom ends are threaded through either the anchor hooks themselves, or through D-rings attached to the seat-bottom anchor-hooks at both rear corners, then fastened to either side of the seat-bottom as depicted in
When equipped with the LATCH system, the seat-bottom is connected to the motor vehicle by fastening the seat-bottom anchor hooks to the lower LATCH anchors of the vehicle seat, and tightening the lower tether with the belt length adjuster as shown in
The cover assembly comprises a back-plate cover and a seat-bottom cover. The back-plate cover comprises a partially cushioned/padded envelope of flexible cloth or other suitable material shaped to the size of the back-plate with Velcro or zipper-like edgings so as to cover the whole component. The front, or child-facing side, of the cover includes padding (e.g., foam, batting and gel) while the back remains unpadded. Slits are provided into the fabric from the edges of all slots to the edge of the fabric as shown in
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein described. This application is, therefore, intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which this disclosure pertains.
