Abstract:
A restraining device for securing a child safety seat to the LATCH system anchors of an automobile includes a strap having first and second opposed ends. Respective hooks or other fasteners are connected to the opposed ends for selective attachment to respective anchors of an automobile. The restraining device includes a ratchet mechanism enabling the strap to be incrementally tightened and thus increasing tension forces between the first and second strap ends. A strain gauge is also included for visually indicating the tension forces and indicating when the straps are at safe or unsafe tension conditions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to seat belts and, more particularly, to a restraining device for securing a child safety seat to a plurality of automobile anchors. 
   Car seats for infants and toddlers may be secured to an automobile seat with traditional seat belts or, preferably, by utilizing the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system in newer model cars. Unfortunately, the LATCH system is often not understood by parents or caregivers or is not installed and used properly. Even when used, the traditional system, by itself, does not provide a desired level of safety or user-friendliness. Various devices have been proposed in the art for connecting to the LATCH system, such as with hooks and straps. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, it is often difficult for users to tighten the straps or to determine when the straps are tight enough. 
   Therefore, it would be desirable to have a restraining device for properly and safely securing a child safety seat to a plurality of automobile anchors. Further, it would be desirable to have a restraining device that enables a user to incrementally tighten the straps of the restraining device. In addition, it would be desirable to have a restraining device having a tension gauge that indicates when the straps have been sufficiently tightened. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A restraining device for securing a child safety seat to a plurality of automobile anchors according to the present invention includes a strap having first and second ends. First and second hooks are attached to opposed ends of the strap for selective attachment to respective automobile lower anchors. In addition, the restraining device includes a ratcheting mechanism for incrementally tightening the strap to the anchors. Further, the restraining device includes a tension gauge having indicia for indicating when the strap has been tightened to a safe tension but not over tightened. 
   Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a restraining device for securing a child safety seat to the seat anchors of an automobile. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a restraining device, as aforesaid, having a mechanical mechanism for incrementally tightening the strap or straps of a seat restraining device. 
   Still another object of this invention is to provide a restraining device, as aforesaid, which includes a gauge for indicating when a sufficient and safe tension has been applied to the strap. 
   A further object of this invention is to provide a restraining device, as aforesaid, that is quick and easy to install and use. 
   A still further object of this invention is to provide a restraining device, as aforesaid, that is economical to manufacture. 
   Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1   a  is a front perspective view of a restraining device in use with a child safety seat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 1   b  is another front perspective view of the restraining device as in  FIG. 1   a  taken from another angle; 
       FIG. 1   c  is a rear perspective view of the restraining device as in  FIG. 1   a;    
       FIG. 2   a  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of a tightening mechanism of the restraining device as in  FIG. 1   a;    
       FIG. 2   b  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of the restraining device as in  FIG. 1   c;    
       FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the restraining device as in  FIG. 1   a  removed from the child safety seat; 
       FIG. 3   b  is an isolated view on an enlarged scale of the tightening mechanism as in  FIG. 3   a;    
       FIG. 4   a  is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the tension gauge as in  FIG. 3   b;    
       FIG. 4   b  is a front view of the tension gauge as in  FIG. 4   a;    
       FIG. 4   c  is a side view of the tension gauge as in  FIG. 4   a;    
       FIG. 5   a  is a sectional view of the tension gauge taken along line  5   a – 5   a  as in  FIG. 4   c  with the springs in a relaxed configuration; 
       FIG. 5   b  is a sectional view of the tension gauge taken along line  5   b – 5   b  of  FIG. 4   b  with the springs in a relaxed configuration; 
       FIG. 6   a  is a sectional view as in  FIG. 5   a  with the springs in a tensioned configuration; and 
       FIG. 6   b  is a sectional view as in  FIG. 5   b  with the springs in a tensioned configuration. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A restraining device  100  according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1   a  through  6   b  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a restraining device  100  for securing a child safety seat  10  to a plurality of automobile anchors (not shown) according to the current invention includes a strap  110 , a tightening mechanism  120 , and a tension gauge  130 . 
   The strap  110  has first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b  ( FIG. 2   b ). A first hook  112   a  is attached to the strap first end  110   a  for selective attachment to one of the anchors, and a second hook  112   b  is attached to the strap second end  110   b  for selective attachment to another of the anchors. The child safety seat  10  includes a plurality of fastening loops  12 , and the strap  110  is configured to pass through the plurality of fastening loops  12  ( FIGS. 1   c  and  2   b ). At least one of the first and second hooks  112   a ,  112   b  may also be sized to pass through the plurality of fastening loops  12 , or at least one of the first and second hooks  112   a ,  112   b  may be selectively removable from the strap  110 . The first hook  112   a  may include a swivel  113  that allows the first hook  112   a  to be rotated about the strap first end  110   a  ( FIG. 3   b ), and the second hook  112   b  may be similarly rotatable about the strap second end  110   b.    
   The tightening mechanism  120  is in communication with the strap  110  for selectively increasing tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b  ( FIGS. 2   a  and  3   b ). It is critical for any child in the child safety seat  10  that the child safety seat  10  is appropriately attached to the automobile anchors, and appropriate attachment requires predetermined tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b . As shown in  FIG. 3   b , the tightening mechanism  120  preferably includes a ratcheting mechanism  120   a  that provides a mechanical advantage to a user tightening the strap  110 . 
   The tension gauge  130  (best shown in  FIGS. 3   b – 6   b ) is in communication with the strap  110  for determining and displaying the tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b . In an exemplary embodiment, the tension gauge  130  may include a spring  132 , the strap  110  may include a first portion  114  that includes the first end  110   a  and a first interior end  114   a , and the strap  110  may include a second portion  116  that includes the second end  110   b  and a second interior end  116   a . Opposed ends of the spring  132  may be operatively attached to the first and second interior ends  114   a ,  116   a  of the strap  110  ( FIGS. 5   a – 6   b ). A housing  134  preferably houses the spring  132  for safety to users (i.e., so users are not pinched by the spring) and to maintain the integrity of the spring  132  (i.e., so the spring  132  is not tampered with). It is to be understood that more than one spring  132  may be used, and the tension gauge  130  may be in communication with the strap  110  in other ways. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3   b – 4   b , the tension gauge  130  may include a face  136  and an indicator  138  that cooperatively display whether the tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b  correspond to safe or unsafe conditions. The face  136  preferably includes indicia  136   a  denoting safe conditions and indicia  136   b  denoting unsafe conditions. These safe and unsafe conditions respectively correspond to predetermined amounts of tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b . The indicia  136   a  denoting safe conditions preferably includes a first color field (a region having a first color), and the indicia  136   b  denoting unsafe conditions preferably includes a second color field (a region having a second color) ( FIG. 3   b ). While the second color field is preferably a red color field, other colors may be used. 
   Though either the face  136  or the indicator  138  may be operatively attached to the spring  132 , it is currently preferred that the indicator  138  is a mobile indicator operatively attached to the spring  132  and that the face  136  is a stationary face  136  having stationary indicia  136   a ,  136   b . As such, changes in the configuration of the spring  132  cause the mobile indicator  138  to select between the indicia  136   a  denoting safe conditions and the indicia  136   b  denoting unsafe conditions. The indicator  138  preferably has a color that is different from that of the first and second color fields  136   a ,  136   b  so that the indicator  138  may be easily distinguished. 
   Both the tension gauge  130  and the tightening mechanism  120  are preferably adjacent either the first or second end  110   a ,  110   b  of the strap  110 . This allows a user to fasten the respective hook  112   a ,  112   b  to one of the automobile anchors, use the tightening mechanism  120  to adjust the tension of the strap  110 , and check the tension gauge  130  with minimal effort and movement. 
   In use, the strap  110  is passed through the safety seat fastening loops  12 , and the first and second hooks  112   a ,  112   b  are attached to respective automobile anchors. The tightening mechanism  120  (i.e., the ratcheting mechanism  120   a ) may then be used to tighten the strap  110  (increase tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b ). Tightening the strap  110  causes the spring  132  to extend from a compressed configuration  132   a  ( FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b ) to an extended configuration  132   b  ( FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b ), which in turn causes the indicator  138  to move along the indicia  136   b  denoting unsafe conditions and the indicia  136   a  denoting safe conditions. When a predetermined amount of tension is reached, the indicator  138  may be located in the indicia  136   a  denoting safe conditions ( FIG. 3   b ). At that point, the user can know that the safety seat  10  is safely secured to the automobile and that no additional tightening is necessary. The user may also check the tension gauge  130  at different times to ensure that the safety seat  10  remains safely secured to the automobile (i.e., that an appropriate amount of tension forces between the strap first and second ends  110   a ,  110   b  is maintained). The colors of the indicia  136   a ,  136   b  and the indicator  138  make it easy for the user to check the tension gauge  130  from a remote location, such as a front seat. 
   It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.