Abstract:
A removable car seat cover has openings adapted to allow the crotch strap and shoulder straps to extend through the cover while the straps remain affixed to the car seat. The removable cover comprises a periphery that secures the cover to the edges of a car seat. Various configurations of openings for shoulder straps to extend through include: two vertical openings, a “U”-shaped opening, multiple horizontal openings connected by a vertical slit and openings for shoulder belts used with booster seats. Fasteners and panels can be added to each configuration to provide further protection to the underlying factor car seat cover. A matching canopy cover has extended panels to provide additional protection from rain or the sun.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to automotive safety seats for children in general, and in particular to a detachable supplemental cover for a child&#39;s car seat. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Children sit in a car seat with a restraint system while traveling by automobile. Some car seats can be removed from the car for use as a carrier or for placement on a stroller. Child car seats are generally made with a molded plastic shell covered with a padded seat cover. Harness straps and hardware for securing the child extend through openings in the padded cover and are anchored to the plastic shell. The safety harness comes in either a 3-point, 5-point and 6-point configuration. The 3-point harness has a strap over each shoulder which come together and attach at the crotch. In the five-point harness, a lap belt integrates with or attaches to the shoulder straps, which then attach at the crotch. A six-point harness is configured much like a 5-point harness, but has two connection points at the crotch. Car seat covers generally have multiple openings for threading straps through the cover, allowing adjustments for different sized children. Usually, the upper anchor points for the shoulder straps allow for adjustments to the strap lengths. 
     Car seats come in multiple sizes and configurations. Generally, car seats are rear-facing for infants and forward facing for toddlers. Convertible seats work both ways, changing from rear facing to forward facing as the child grows. Many infant car seats have a fabric canopy attached to the car seat. The canopy extends over a portion of the car seat to shade children from the sun. Booster seats are similar to toddler seats, but integrate with a car&#39;s seatbelt rather than using an integrated harness. Clips or openings position a shoulder belt in the proper location to restrain the child. 
     Children soil their car seat covers easily. As a result, manufacturers of car seats generally make a removable padded cover that can be laundered. Caregivers, however, find removing car seat covers for laundering difficult. To remove a seat cover, the seat must be removed from the car, the straps must be unthreaded from the openings in the seat cover, and removing chest and crotch buckles from the straps. Replacing the cover requires rethreading the straps through the seat cover openings, properly orienting and rethreading all the buckles, then finally reinstalling the car seat into the car. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,701 and 4,891,454 disclose disposable or reusable liners with slits and perforations allowing the liner to fit into many different car seat shapes. Depending on the car seat configuration, the shoulder straps may still have to be threaded through openings in the liner. The disposable liners disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,701 and 4,891,454 do not fully cover and protect the factory cover, but rather protect just the seating portion of the padded cover. A need exists for an attractive, easily replaceable car seat cover that does not require removing or rethreading the shoulder straps or removing the seat from the car or stroller. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The removable car seat cover that meets the need identified above installs over the car seat and existing padded upholstery. The removable cover comprises a periphery that secures the cover to the edges of a car seat. Openings in the cover allow shoulder straps and one or two crotch straps to extend through the cover while the ends of the straps remain affixed to the car seat. 
     One embodiment of the cover has two vertical openings allowing shoulder straps of a five-point or six-point harness system to extend through the cover. Optionally, a second panel of cover material can be affixed to the cover such that it covers the openings between the points where the top and bottom portions of the shoulder straps extend through the cover. 
     Another embodiment of the cover has a “U” shaped opening allowing shoulder straps of a three-, five- or six-point harness system to extend through the cover. A fastener, such as Velcro, can hold the fabric on each side of the “U” shaped opening together. Optionally, a flat panel attaches behind the upper portion of the “U” shaped opening. The top of the flat panel attaches to the back of the cover above the top end of the “U” shaped opening. The bottom of the flat panel attaches to the portion of the cover between the slits defined by the “U” shaped opening. The left and right side of the flat panel each have one or more elasticized horizontal slits, which close around the shoulder straps passing through the panel. The outer ends of the horizontal slits fasten together with a snap or other fastener. 
     Another embodiment of the seat cover uses two or more horizontal openings that extend across the back of the seat cover, wherein the horizontal patches of cover material between the openings come apart vertically, the two sides held by a fastener. The shoulder straps of a three-point harness system will extend through an upper horizontal opening. By opening the fasteners holding the two sides, shoulder straps in a five- or six-point harness system extend through an upper and lower horizontal opening. Refastening the two sides keep the back of the seat cover flat. 
     For car seats with a canopy, the car seat cover includes a matching canopy cover. The canopy cover has an additional panel that hangs over the front or back edge of the canopy for shading the infant. 
     Another embodiment of the seat cover has openings for the shoulder belt positioning mechanism on a booster seat. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be understood best by references to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a toddler car seat with a five-point harness. 
         FIG. 1B  is a toddler car seat with a three-point harness. 
         FIG. 1C  is an infant car seat with a three-point harness. 
         FIG. 1D  is an infant car seat with a five-point harness. 
         FIG. 1E  is a booster seat with shoulder belt positioning clips. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a removable car seat cover with two vertical openings for shoulder straps being used on a toddler seat with a five-point harness. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a removable car seat cover being used on a toddler seat with a five-point harness. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of an alternate embodiment of a removable car seat cover with two vertical openings for shoulder straps. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of a removable car seat cover with a “U”-shaped opening for shoulder straps. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of a removable car seat cover with a “U”-shaped opening for the shoulder straps and an additional panel attached to the back of the cover. 
         FIG. 7  is a back view of the panel attached to a removable car seat cover with a “U”-shaped opening. 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of a removable car seat cover with horizontal openings for the shoulder straps. 
         FIG. 9  is an infant car seat canopy cover with a front panel. 
         FIG. 10  is a booster seat cover with openings for a shoulder belt. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Common car seat configurations are shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B,  1 C,  1 D and  1 E.  FIG. 1A  shows toddler seat  100  with a 5-point harness. Shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  attach at upper anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  above the child&#39;s shoulders and at lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2  near the child&#39;s hips. Crotch strap  120  with buckle  121  attaches at anchor point  118  between the child&#39;s legs. Buckles  111 - 1  and  111 - 2  on the shoulder straps connect to buckle  121  on crotch strap  118  to secure the child. Some car seats use a six-point harness, which is configured like a five-point harness, but with a second strap and buckle at the crotch.  FIG. 1B  shows toddler seat  101  with a 3-point harness. Often, a single belt of material forms both shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2 . One end of strap  110 - 1  attaches to anchor point  114 - 1  above one shoulder. Strap  110 - 1  extends down towards the crotch, threads though buckle  111 , and (now as strap  110 - 2 ) extends up and attaches to anchor point  114 - 2  by the other shoulder. Buckle  121  attaches to crotch strap  120 . Crotch strap  120  attaches to the seat at anchor point  118 . Buckle  111  attaches to buckle  121  to secure the child.  FIG. 1C  shows infant seat  102  with a 3-point harness. Shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  attach at upper anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  above the child&#39;s shoulders and come together, attaching at buckle  111 . In this embodiment, crotch buckle  121  attaches directly to anchor point  118  without a crotch strap. Buckle  111  attaches to buckle  121  to secure the child.  FIG. 1D  shows infant seat  103  with a 5-point harness. Shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  attach at upper anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  above the child&#39;s shoulders and at lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2  near the child&#39;s hips. Crotch strap  120  with buckle  121  attaches at anchor point  118  between the child&#39;s legs. Buckles  111 - 1  and  111 - 2  on the shoulder straps connect to buckle  121  on crotch strap  120  to secure the child. Car seats with a 6-point harness have a second crotch strap and crotch buckle attached at anchor point  118 .  FIG. 1E  shows booster seat  104  with shoulder belt positioning clips  130 . Shoulder belt  135  passes through shoulder belt positioning clips, allowing an automobile seat belt to properly restrain children. Some booster seats use slots or other openings rather than clips to position the shoulder belt. 
       FIG. 2  shows a removable car seat cover  250  for use with 5-point or 6-point harnesses. Although  FIG. 2  shows a toddler seat cover, one skilled in the art will readily understand how to adapt the invention to an infant seat. The cover is comprised of a washable fabric, and may have a plurality of layers. Removable seat cover fabrics may comprise absorbent or stain resistant materials, with consideration made for ease of cleaning and comfort of the child. Water proof linings or absorbent materials may also be used to protect the underlying factory cover. The periphery  260  of removable cover  250  comprises an elastic material that secures the removable seat cover to the seat. Periphery  260  may comprise, for example, a rubber material sewn into the edge of the seat cover or making a border area of a stretchy material such as Lycra (™). Two vertical openings  270 - 1  and  270 - 2  extend from near the top of cover  250  to the point where the seat back connects to the bottom of the seat. The top of the openings begin above upper anchor point  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  on shoulder straps  111 - 1  and  111 - 2 . Openings  270 - 1  and  270 - 2  extend to lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2 , near the child&#39;s hips. Openings  270 - 1  and  270 - 2  may slightly arc laterally towards the outside to accommodate lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2 . Crotch opening  280  is located over anchor point  118  for crotch strap  120 . Crotch opening  280  may be rectangular or oblong to accommodate various placements of crotch strap  120  by different manufactures. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of car seat cover  250  used with toddler seat  100  and factory padded cover  200 . Shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  pass through openings  210  and  215  in factory seat cover  200  at upper anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  and lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2 . The shoulder straps must be threaded though openings  210  and  215  in factory seat cover  200 . Crotch strap  120  passes though opening  220  at the base of factory seat cover  200 . Elasticized periphery  260  secures removable seat cover  250  to car seat  100 , enveloping factory cover  200 . Shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  extend through long vertical slots  270 - 1  and  270 - 2  cut into removable cover  250  while remaining affixed to car seat  100 . Crotch strap  120  extends through opening  280  at the crotch of removable cover  250 . Other alternatives, not shown here, add a panel of fabric to cover the portion of vertical openings between the upper and lower anchor points of the shoulder straps. The panel should be wide enough to cover both vertical openings. The panel can extend above the top of the vertical openings, and have a narrow slit cut into each side to allow shoulder straps to pass through. The slots can be elasticized to enhance protection to the underlying factory cover, and the ends of the slits can be closed with a snap or other fastener. The panel attaches to either the front or back of the cover with fasteners such as Velcro or snaps, and may fixedly attach to one side of the cover like a flap. 
       FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of vertical openings  272 - 1  and  272 - 2  in seat cover  250 . Openings  272 - 1  and  272 - 2  have a long wider portion  273 - 1  and  273 - 2  at the top and a short wider portion  274 - 1  and  274 - 2  at the bottom to allow for the shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  (not shown) to pass through. Upper wide portions  273 - 1  and  273 - 2  are long enough to accommodate all upper shoulder strap anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2 . Lower wide portions  274 - 1  and  274 - 2  are poisoned at the hip to accommodate the lower shoulder strap anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2 . The narrow portion of vertical openings  272 - 1  and  272 - 2  may be left open, or alternatively, may be held together by a fastener such as Velcro or snaps. 
       FIG. 5  shows removable car seat cover  500  for use with 3-point, 5-point or 6-point harnesses. Although  FIG. 5  shows a toddler seat cover, one skilled in the art will readily understand how to adapt the invention to an infant seat. Periphery  260  of removable cover  500  comprises an elastic material that secures the removable seat cover to the seat. Periphery  260  may comprise, for example, a rubber material sown into the edge of the seat cover or making a border area of a stretchy material such as Lycra (™). “U”-shaped opening  510  allows shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  (not shown) to pass through. Top portions  520 - 1  and  520 - 2  of “U”-shaped opening  510  are wide enough to accommodate shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2 , and begin above the highest upper anchor point  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  (not shown) on the shoulder straps. The lower narrow portion of “U”-shaped opening  510  extend low enough to accommodate lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2  (not shown) on a 5-point or 6-point harness. Fasteners  540 , such as Velcro or snaps, close the narrow portion of “U”-shaped opening  510 , leaving two gaps at  530 - 1  and  530 - 2  allowing shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  on a 5-point or 6-point harness to pass though. Crotch opening  280  is located over crotch anchor point  118  (not shown). Crotch opening  280  may be rectangular or oblong to accommodate various placements of crotch anchor point  118  by different manufactures. Top portions  520 - 1  and  520 - 2  of “U”-shaped opening  510  may be elasticized to enhance protection to the underlying factory cover. 
     Removable seat cover  600  is an alternate embodiment of removable seat cover  500  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Panel  610  is sewn behind the wide portions  520 - 1  and  520 - 2  at the top of “U”-shaped opening  510 . Panel  610  extends wider than the width between the outer edges of openings  520 - 1  and  520 - 2 . The top of panel  610  fixedly attaches  630  to cover  500  above the top of openings  520 - 1  and  520 - 2 . The bottom of panel  610  fixedly attaches  640  to cover  500  below wide portions  520 - 1  and  520 - 2  between the slits defined by “U”-shaped opening  510 . Slots  620 - 1  and  620 - 2  cut into the sides of panel  610  allow shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  (not shown) to pass though.  FIG. 7  shows panel  610  in more detail from behind cover  600 . Fasteners  720 - 1  and  720 - 2 , such as snaps, close shoulder strap slots  620 - 1  and  620 - 2 . Shoulder strap slots  620 - 1  and  620 - 2  position straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  (not shown) at a comfortable location for the child. Shoulder strap slots  620 - 1  and  620 - 2  may be elasticized to enhance protection to the underlying factory cover. Panel  610  is fixedly attached, by sewing for example, to cover  600  at  630  and  640 . A long panel, twice the height of the wide shoulder strap portion of the “U”-shaped opening, can be adapted to accommodate a wide range of shoulder strap heights without the need for multiple horizontal shoulder strap slots. The extra material can be folded and tucked away behind the seat cover. 
       FIG. 8  shows removable car seat cover  800  for use with 3-point, 5-point or 6-point harnesses. Although  FIG. 8  shows a toddler seat cover, one skilled in the art will readily understand how to adapt the invention to an infant seat. Periphery  260  of removable cover  800  comprises an elastic material that secures the removable seat cover to the seat. Periphery  260  may comprise, for example, a rubber material sewn into the edge of the seat cover or making a border area of a stretchy material such as Lycra (™). A plurality of horizontal openings  810  across the upper back of cover  800  accommodate shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  (not shown) attached at upper anchor points  114 - 1  and  114 - 2  (not shown). Horizontal opening  820  at the child&#39;s hips accommodates shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  attached at lower anchor points  116 - 1  and  116 - 2  (not shown) on a 5-point or 6-point harness. Vertical slit  830  connects openings  810  and  820  to allow shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  of 5-point and 6-point harnesses to extend through cover  800  without being disconnected from anchor points  114 - 1 ,  114 - 2 ,  116 - 1  and  116 - 2 . Fasteners  840 , such as Velcro, connect the two sides of vertical slit  830  to keep the back of seat cover  800  flat and to prevent soiling of the factory cover. Fasteners  850  may also secure the center portion of horizontal openings  810  and  820  between shoulder straps  110 - 1  and  110 - 2 . Crotch opening  280  is located over crotch anchor point  118  (not shown). Crotch opening  280  may be rectangular or oblong to accommodate various placements of crotch anchor point  118  by different manufactures. Openings  810  and  820  may be elasticized to enhance protection to the underlying factory cover. 
       FIG. 9  shows removable car seat canopy cover  930  for use with an infant car seat  900 . Canopy cover  920  fits over the existing canopy  910  on car seat  900 , and attaches by clips, pins or other fasteners. At least one additional panel  930  extends past the front and/or back of the canopy to provide extra protection from the sun. The at least one additional panel  930  may have a lining made from a material that holds the panel stiff, so that panel  930  extends outwards rather than hanging down. Canopy cover  930  is made from a material to match the car seat covers previously disclosed. 
       FIG. 10  shows removable car seat cover  1000  for use with a booster seat. Booster seats use the shoulder and lap belt of an automobile to restrain children. A shoulder belt positioning mechanism, such as a clip or opening in the seat back, positions the shoulder belt properly over a child&#39;s torso. Periphery  1005  of removable cover  1000  comprises an elastic material that secures the removable seat cover to the seat. Periphery  1005  may comprise, for example, a rubber material sewn into the edge of the seat cover or making a border area of a stretchy material such as Lycra (™). Openings  1010  on the upper bolster area of removable seat cover  1000  allow shoulder belt  1030  to pass though the cover. Openings  1010  correspond with the shoulder belt positioning mechanism on the booster seat. In an alternate embodiment of the booster seat cover, a plurality of openings  1020  corresponds with shoulder belt positioning mechanisms on the booster seat. Elastic around openings  1010  and  1020  may be used to enhance protection to the underlying factory cover. 
     A preferred form of the invention has been shown in the drawings and described above, but variations in the preferred form will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Specifically, seat covers can be made in different sizes and shapes to accommodate a variety of car seat styles and manufactures. The preceding description is for illustrative purposes only, and the invention should not be construed as limited to the specific form shown and described. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the language of the following claims.