Abstract:
A modular system that allows a child seat manufacturer to combine the installation of the crotch belt assembly and the shoulder belt adjuster assembly in one step, and which allows the child seat manufacturer to vary the type of components without having to alter the design of the child seat. A module for use with a child seat that has a shoulder harness, an interengageable combination of a tongue and seat belt buckle, and has a seat portion that has been adapted to receive the module. The module, itself, has a pan that is mountable within the seat portion of the child seat, a belt retractor fixedly attached to the bottom of the pan, and a crotch assembly that is designed to attach either to the buckle or the tongue of the seat belt harness.

Description:
This invention relates to a modular system to install various crotch belt assemblies and/or shoulder belt retractor assemblies into a given type of child seat. More particularly this invention relates to a universal mounting pan to which various crotch belt assemblies and/or shoulder belt retractor assemblies are attached, which can then be mounted in a given child seat that has been adapted to receive the mounting pan. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In currently available child seats, the restraint system is comprised of three subassemblies: the shoulder belt assembly, the crotch belt assembly, and the shoulder belt adjuster assembly. These three subassemblies are shipped to and installed by the child seat manufacturer independently from one another, and the child seat manufacturer must make provisions for the attachment of each assembly to the child seat. As various restraint component options are considered, the child seat manufacturer must make changes to these attachment provisions to insure that new component configurations are compatible with the child seat. As the number of component options increases, the ability to mate all variations with a single child seat reaches a practical limit. 
     What is needed is a modular system, which allows the child seat manufacturer to combine the installation of several of these subassemblies without the need for changes to the child seat. This invention is one answer to that need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, this invention is a module for use with a child seat that has a shoulder harness, an interengageable combination of a tongue and seat belt buckle, and has a seat portion that has been adapted to receive the module. The module, itself, has a pan that is mountable within the seat portion of the child seat, a belt retractor fixedly attached to the bottom of the pan, and a crotch assembly that may be attached to either the buckle or the tongue of the seat belt harness. 
     In another aspect, this invention is a child seat harness for installation in an automobile. The child seat harness includes a child seat that is adapted to receive a module in its seat area, a harness mounted to the child seat, which is extendable over the child to secure the child within the child seat, an interlocking tongue and seat belt buckle mounted to said child seat, which is interlockable with the harness, and a universal module. The universal module includes a pan that is mountable within the seat of the child seat, a belt retractor that is attached to the pan; and a crotch assembly that is attached to either the tongue or the buckle of the harness. 
     An advantage of this invention is that it simplifies the installation of a restraint into a child seat. 
     Another advantage of this invention is that it allows child seat manufacturers to make a single provision in all models of its child seats for installation of the restraining harness, regardless of the configuration of the particular components, i.e. the crotch belt assembly or the belt retractor assembly or the means for controlling the belt retractor assembly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a child seat incorporating one alternative embodiment of the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear view of the seat of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view left side view of a child seat incorporating one alternative embodiment of the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the pan used in the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the pan of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of the pan of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the pan used in the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification that includes a belt retractor and a push button to operate the belt retractor. 
     FIG. 8 is a rear view of the pan of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of the pan of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the pan used in the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification that includes a crotch stalk. 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of the pan of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is a side view of the pan of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the pan used in the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification that includes a crotch stalk, a push button, and a belt retractor. 
     FIG. 14 is a front view of a child seat incorporating one alternative embodiment of the modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification. 
     FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of one alternative embodiment of a modular system according to the invention disclosed in this specification. 
     FIG. 16 is a side view of FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 17 is a rear view of FIG.  15 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of this invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are contemplated as would normally occur to one of average skill in the art to which the invention relates. 
     Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a child seat  10 , which includes an outer frame  11  having a pair of downwardly extending arms  12  and  13  with a seat area  14  and a back supporting area  15  located therebetween. A plurality of conventional tubing  35  (FIG. 2) forms a rear frame  36 . Tubing  35  may be utilized to secure child seat  10  to an automobile seat by any suitable means such as by extending the automobile seat belts securely around tubing  35 . In the seat area  14 , there is provided a seat belt buckle  17 . In back supporting area  15  there is provided a first set of slots  26 - 28  and a second set of slots  29 - 31 . Belts  23  and  24  have ends  8  and  9  (FIG. 2) secured to conventional T-bar or belt connector  25  with the belts then extending each through a slot formed in back supporting area  15 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, belts  23  and  24  extend slidably through slots  26  and  29  which are arranged to accommodate a large size child as compared to accommodating a smaller sized child when the belts extend through slots  28  and  31 . 
     Belts  23  and  24  extend slidably respectively through slots  37  and  38  of tongues  39  and  40 , which having tongued blades are releasably lockable with buckle  17 . Tongues  39  and  40  are identical to the buckle tongues disclosed in the commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,023,981 or 5,182,837 or D364124. Likewise, buckle  17  is identical to the buckle disclosed in the commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,023,981 or 5,182,837 or D364124, which are hereby specifically incorporated into this specification by reference. Buckle  17  is provided with a push button  18  to allow the user to unlock the buckle relative to tongues  39  and  40 . Once belts  23  and  24  extend through slots  37  and  38 , the belts  23  and  24  then diverge and extend through a pair of apertures  42  and  43  formed in the sides of arms  12  and  13 . Belts  23  and  24  are integrally joined together by intermediate portion  20  (FIG. 2) which extends across the bottom of the seat. Thusly configured, belts  23  and  24  are joined together in a single belt configuration. Belts  23  and  24  extend across the bottom of the seat, pass through apertures  42  and  43 , pass through slots  37  and  38  of tongues  39  and  40 , and then pass through the pair of slots  26  and  29 . Belts  23  and  24  connect to belt connector  25 , in such a fashion to allow the belts to be removed from the belt connector in the event the belts are to be changed and extended through either slots  27  and  30  or slots  28  and  31 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a third belt  50  has a distal end  51  fixedly secured to belt connector  25 , with the proximal end of belt  50  being wrappingly mounted onto belt retractor  53 . The belt-buckle-retractor system and the child seat as described so far are presently conventional and are currently available in the marketplace from a variety of sources. The present invention is the inclusion of such belt-buckle-retractor systems in a module that can be interchanged from one model of a child seat to another model of a child seat. Referring now to FIG. 1, child seat  10  also includes mounting pan  100 . Pan  100  is the basis of the present invention for a modular system that allows a child seat manufacturer to combine the installation of several components of the child restraint system in one step, rather than multiple steps. This, in turn, allows the child seat manufacturer to vary component options without having to make changes in the child seat. 
     An isolated perspective view of pan  100  is shown in FIG. 4, of which a front and a side view are respectively shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Pan  100  has a channel  101  defined by sides  102  and  103 , wall  104 , floor  105 , and open end  99 . Openings  106  and  107  reside in sides  102  and  103 , and as shown, may also include a portion of floor  105 . The upper edges of side  102 , side  103 , and wall  104  are fixedly attached to the internal edges, respectively  112 ,  113 , and  114 , of base  108  that surrounds channel  101 . The upper edges of channel  101  at the distal ends  109  and  110  of its sides  102  and  103  are tapered to meet floor  105 . Base  108  is similarly attached to the upper edges of distal ends  109  and  110  as base  108  is attached to the rest of sides  102  and  103 . So being, base  108  follows the tapers in distal ends  109  and  110 , curves around open end  99 , and is then fixedly attached to distal end  111  of floor  105  at internal edge  115  of base  108 . As a result, channel  101  generally forms a compartment  116  in top face  117  of base  108 . 
     Besides top face  117 , pan  100  also preferably includes a front face  118 . Front face  118  is formed from base  108  by continuing base  108  down past compartment  116 , in a fashion that preferably complements the curve in child seat  10  in which it is to be placed. Front face  118  creates additional surface area in base  108 , which increases the length of external edge  119  of base  108 . A pan  100  with a larger external edge  119  may be easier for some child manufacturers to mount into their child seat. But besides possibly assisting installation, front face  118  also provides a location where the practitioner of this invention may mount controls or options for the operation of the child seat. Accordingly, it is preferable that front face  118  in pan  100  also has one or more hole(s)  120  in which to mount such options or controls, as the need may arise. 
     An isolated perspective view of one preferred embodiment of pan  100  is shown in FIG. 7, of which a front and a side view are respectively shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, conventional belt retractor  53  is mounted to the bottom of pan  100 , underneath compartment  116 , and optionally over reinforcing members  121  and  122  that reinforce floor  105 . A belt  50  (not shown in this figure) is wrappingly attached to belt retractor  53  as previously presented. A push button  123  is mounted in hole  120  of pan  100  to operate belt retractor  53 . In one method of operation, conventional retractor  53  is normally locked to prevent both tightening and lengthening of belt  50 . To place a child in seat  10 , push button  123  is actuated to extract belt  50  and lengthen straps  23  and  24 . Button  123  is then released while the child is secured, and once secured, button  123  is again actuated so that belt retractor  53  can remove any excess webbing in the system. In a second method of operation, conventional retractor  53  is normally locked to prevent lengthening of belt  50 . To place a child in the seat, push button  123  is actuated to extract belt  50  and lengthen straps  23  and  24 . Button  123  is then again released while the child is secured, but once secured, belt retractor  53  removes any excess in the system automatically without pushing button  123 . An example of this type of control of a belt retractor can be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,066 to Wiseman et al., the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated into this specification by reference. 
     Besides push button  123 , other means for actuating retractor  53  are contemplated by this invention. For example, pan  100  may include a rotary knob, a lever, or a strap  140  (FIG. 14) that is mechanically connected to retractor  53 . Or the actuation means may be more complex such as actuation caused by the insertion of the blades of tongues  39  and  40  into buckle  17 . An example of this latter type of control can be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,856 to Merrick et al., the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated into this specification by reference. Or retractor  53  may be operated by the movement of a rigid or semi-rigid stalk that is pivotally mounted in pan  100 , in a position that would reside between the child&#39;s legs upon securing pan  100  in child seat  10 . 
     In FIG. 1, buckle  17  is shown mounted at the distal end of a conventional webbing strap  125 . The proximal end of webbing strap  125  is then pivotally secured around a transverse pin (not shown) that runs both through pan  100  at openings  106  and  107 , and optionally through the metal frame of child seat  10 . But something more than a conventional webbing strap, shown in FIG. 1, can be used to secure buckle  17  to pan  100 . 
     An isolated perspective view of another embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 10, of which a front and a side view are respectively shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and a cross-sectional view is shown in FIG.  3 . In this embodiment, a crotch stalk  130  is positioned within pan  100  and cooperates with tongues  39  and  40 , as well as, the rest of the harness system shown in FIG. 1 to restrain the child in the child seat. Buckle  17  is fixedly secured to the distal end of crotch stalk  130 . The proximal end of crotch stalk  130  is pivotally mounted by pin  131 , which passes through openings  106  and  107  in pan  100 , and optionally passes through the frame of the child seat. In one embodiment, the proximal end or lower portion of crotch stalk  130  extends below pivot pin  131  and mechanically engages retractor  53 . (FIG. 3) When crotch stalk  130  is pivoted forward, belt retractor  53  is unlocked, which allows straps  23  and  24  to lengthen or tighten as previously described in regard to push button  123 . An example of controlling a belt retractor with a pivotal stalk can be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,319 to Merrick, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated into this specification by reference. An advantage of this particular design is that when the seat is not in use, it is contemplated that crotch stalk  130  can be positioned fully forward, within compartment  116 , to facilitate storage. 
     Another embodiment of this arrangement is shown in FIG.  13 . In FIG. 13, crotch stalk  130  is present, but another means is used to control belt adjuster  53 , such as previously described pushbutton  123 . In this arrangement, stalk  130  may be either pivotally secured or fixedly secured in the upright position to pan  100 . 
     Optionally, pan  100  can also include an adjustable webbing lock  141  (FIG. 14) operably coupled to straps  23  and  24  as shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,090 to Templin et al., the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated into this specification by reference. An adjustable webbing lock placed in one or both of these locations can provide additional means to control the tightness of the harness around the child. Likewise, webbing strap  125  may be mounted to the front of the child seat frictionally engaging strap  125  to tighten or loosen  125 . 
     An isolated perspective view of one preferred embodiment of pan  100  is shown in FIG. 15, of which a side and a rear view are respectively shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. In this embodiment, mounting pan  100  is combined with button  123 , crotch stalk  130 , and belt retractor  53  under cover  150 . Cover  150  has a back  151 , cover sides  152  and  153 , and an elliptically shaped bottom  154 . Cover  150  further includes an inverted tee-slot  161  in back  152 . Tee-slot  161  is of a size and shape to allow the passage of third belt  50  (not shown in this figure) and to belt retractor  53 . Cover  150  is joined to the underside of pan  100  along the distal edges of sides  152  and  153 , and bottom  154 . The distal edges of sides  152  and  153 , and bottom  154  attach to base  108  inside external edge  119  of pan  100 , creating flange  160  between cover  150  and outside edge  119  of pan  100 . 
     Typically, module  170  is installed in a child seat  10  that has been pre-configured to accept module  170 . For example, in one installation arrangement, seat portion  14  (FIG. 1) of child seat  10  has a cavity  200  with a shape that is complementary to the external dimensions of cover  150 , but not large enough to pass base  108 . Module  170  is then placed into cavity  200 , leaving flange  160  riding over the top of seat portion  14 . But in this regard, it is preferable for seat portion  14  to also have a mating flange (not shown) that is cut into the outside surface of seat portion  14  in the location where flange  160  makes contact with seat portion  14 . Such a mating flange will place the inside face of flange  106  below the face of seat portion  14 , and when the mating flange is sufficiently below the face of seat portion  14 , will also allow the outside surface of pan  100  to reside flush with seat portion  14 . Once in place, module  170  can then be attached to child seat  10  in most any conventional manner such as with screws, snaps, rivets, or the like. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.