Abstract:
A side impact protector is configured to be worn by a youth seated in a child-restraint system anchored in place on a vehicle seat. Such a protector may also be worn by a person of any age seated in a vehicle and restrained using a seat belt harness of the type found onboard a vehicle.

Description:
[0001]     This present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/575,955, filed Jun. 1, 2004, which application is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present disclosure relates to body cushioning systems for use in vehicles, and in particular side impact protectors for use by people traveling in vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a side impact protector that is wearable by a child traveling in a vehicle.  
         [0003]     Juvenile seats are widely used to transport young children in automobiles and other vehicles. Such seats include backless and high back booster seats.  
         [0000]     knowledgeable  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     According to the present disclosure, a side impact protector is configured to be worn by a youth seated in a child-restraint system anchored in place on a vehicle seat. Such a protector may also be worn by a person of any age seated in a vehicle and restrained using a seat belt harness of the type found onboard a vehicle.  
         [0005]     Features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wearable side impact protector in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of the protector of  FIG. 1  with portions broken away;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a child wearing the side impact protector shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the child of  FIG. 3  seated in a high back booster seat located in a vehicle equipped with a seat-belt restraint system while wearing the side impact protector of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of the high back booster seat of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the child of  FIG. 3  seated in a backless booster seat located in a vehicle equipped with a seat-belt restraint system while wearing the side impact protector of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a wearable side impact protector in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a side elevation view, with portions broken away, of a child seated in a high back booster seat while wearing the side impact protector of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]     Side impact protector  10  includes a head cradle  12 , cradle support  14  coupled to head cradle  12 , a waist strap  16  coupled to a lower portion  18  of cradle support  14 , and a shoulder harness  20  coupled to a middle portion  22  of cradle support  14  as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Cradle support  14  also includes an upper portion  24  coupled to a rear surface  26  of head cradle  12  as shown best in  FIG. 2 . Head cradle  12  and cradle support  14  cooperate to form a brace that is adapted to transmit, direct, resist, or support weight or pressure of the head and/or neck of a person wearing side impact protector  10 .  
         [0016]     Illustratively, shoulder harness  20  is configured as a first strap and a second strap adapted to be coupled to a wearer, and waist strap  16  is configured as a third strap adapted to be coupled to the wearer. First strap  20  is formed to include loops  21  at end portions of first strap  20 . Loops  21  are configured to receive a portion of second strap  20  therethrough.  
         [0017]     Head cradle  12  includes a U-shaped frame  28  formed to include a convex portion providing rear surface  26  and a concave portion  30  facing toward the head of a person wearing side impact protector  10  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Head cradle  12  also includes a U-shaped cushion  32  mounted on concave portion  30  to provide padding for the head and neck of the person wearing side impact protector  10 . Head cradle  12  includes side wings  31  to envelope the head of a wearer; however, head cradle  12  is open on the top and front. Illustratively, side wings  31  include a first side wing and a second side wing. A width of head cradle  12  extends from the first side wing  31  to the second side wing  31  and a width of cradle support  14  is less than the width of head cradle  12 .  
         [0018]     Waist strap  16  and shoulder harness  20  are used to retain cradle support  14  in place along the back of a wearer as suggested in  FIG. 3 . It is within the scope of this disclosure to use a backpack (not shown) in place of waist strap  16  and shoulder harness  20  to retain cradle support  14  in place on a wearer.  
         [0019]     Cradle support  14  is sized and shaped to cause head cradle  12  to surround a portion of a wearer&#39;s head and neck before and after the wearer is seated in a high back juvenile seat  34  or a backless juvenile seat  36  as suggested, for example, in  FIGS. 3-6 . Although not shown, a wearer could sit directly on a vehicle seat  38  and be restrained by a vehicle seat-belt harness  40  while wearing side impact protector  10  without necessarily sitting on a juvenile seat  34  or  36 . Seat-belt harness  40  includes a lap belt  41  and a shoulder belt  42 .  
         [0020]     Side impact protector  10  can be used with a car seat having an internal harness system or with a belt-positioning booster seat. Protector  10  can be attached to a wearer via a back pack system or a harness system. Protector  10  can be made of both hard and soft goods such as polyester, nylon, cotton, and polypropylene. As suggested in  FIG. 5 , in the case of a high back juvenile seat  34 , a portion of head cradle  12  is located in a space provided between a left side wing  35  and a right side wing  35  of seat  34  when the wearer of side impact protector  10  is seated on seat  34 .  
         [0021]     Side impact protector  110  is shown in  FIG. 7 . Protector  110  includes a harness mount plate  111  configured to lie along the back of a wearer and carry, for example, a five-point harness  113  including, for example, a waist strap  116  and a shoulder harness  120 . Protector  110  also includes a brace  115  coupled to harness mount plate  111  and adapted to transmit, direct, resist, or support weight or pressure of the head and/or neck of a person wearing side impact protector  110 .  
         [0022]     In the illustrated embodiment, harness mount plate  111  is formed to include a spaced-apart pair of slots  144  sized to receive a portion of an automobile belt  146  therein. Automobile belt  146  can thus be used to anchor harness mount plate  111  in a desired position relative to a vehicle seat (i.e., seat  38 ) on which a wearer of protector  110  is seated.  
         [0023]     Also in the illustrated embodiment, brace  115  includes a head cradle  112  and a cradle support  114  coupled to head cradle  112 . Head cradle  112  includes a U-shaped frame  128  formed to include a convex portion providing a rear surface  126  and a concave portion  130  facing toward the head of a person wearing side impact protector  110 . Head cradle  112  also includes a U-shaped cushion  132  mounted on concave portion  130  to provide padding for the head and neck of the person wearing side impact protector  110 . Head cradle  112  includes side wings  131  to envelope the head of a wearer; however, head cradle  112  is open on the top and front.  
         [0024]     Cradle support  114  is formed monolithically with U-shaped frame  128  in the illustrated embodiment. Cradle support  114  extends downwardly from U-shaped frame  128  to mate with harness mount plate  111 . In the illustrated embodiment, an adjustable head cradle height-adjustment mechanism  148  provides means for mounting cradle support  114  for movement relative to harness mount plate  111  between among several predetermined positions along the length of cradle support  114  so that a user may vary the height of head cradle  112  relative to harness mount plate  111  worn by the wearer of protector  110 .  
         [0025]     In the illustrated embodiment, height-adjustment mechanism  148  includes a support guide  150  coupled to harness mount plate  111  and formed to include a channel sized to receive cradle support  114  and allow up-and-down movement in directions  119  and  121  of cradle support  114  therein. Height-adjustment mechanism  148  further includes a retainer  152  mounted for movement on support guide  150  in direction  153  to engage and disengage retainer receivers  154  formed in vertically spaced-apart relation one to another along the length of cradle support  114  as suggested, for example, in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0026]     With respect to side impact protector  10 , U-shaped frame  28 , concave portion  30 , U-shaped cushion  32 , and first side wing  31  and second side wing  31  associated with the head cradle  12  provide means for enveloping the head of the wearer. First strap  20 , second strap  20 , and third strap  16  also cooperate to form harness means to inhibit movement of the head and a neck of the wearer in response to sudden lateral forces being applied to a torso of the wearer.