Patent ID: 7390064
Filing Date: 2008-06-24
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A juvenile restraint system comprising a juvenile seat, a tether including a first end coupled to the juvenile seat and a second end adapted to be coupled to an anchor in a vehicle, the tether being arranged normally to have a predetermined length between the first and second ends, and a monolithic energy absorber coupled to the tether and made of an elastic material and arranged to be stretched by the tether to vary from an initial state cooperating with the tether to establish the predetermined length of the tether to a deformed state cooperating with the tether to allow extension of the tether to an extended length greater than the predetermined length in response to application of a pulling force applied to the first end of the extensible tether owing to movement of the juvenile seat relative to the energy absorber, wherein the tether includes a first tether strap providing the first end coupled to the juvenile seat and a second tether strap providing the second end adapted to be coupled to an anchor in a vehicle and the energy absorber includes a first strap mount coupled to a free end of the first tether strap, a second strap mount coupled to a free end of the second tether strap, and a deformable bridge arranged to interconnect the first and second strap mounts and configured to yield from an initial shape to allow movement of the first and second strap mounts away from one another in response to application of the pulling force applied to the first end of the first tether strap during deformation of the energy absorber to assume the deformed state and to recover the initial shape to move the first and second strap mounts toward one another during relaxation of the energy absorber to assume the initial state upon cessation of application of the pulling force applied to the first end of the first tether strap, wherein the first strap mount is formed to include a strap receiver slot receiving the free end of the first tether strap therein and the second strap mount is formed to include a strap receiver slot receiving the free end of the second tether strap therein, and wherein each of the first and second strap mounts is a flat plate and the flat plates are arranged to lie in coplanar relation to one another.