Abstract:
A car seat is formed with a seat member pivotally connected to a base member for positional adjustment in desired reclined positions controlled by an intuitively operable adjustment mechanism. The seat back is pivotally connected to the seat member to be oriented in a shipping position or an operative position. A latching mechanism secures the seat back to the seat member in the operative position. The seat back is provided with a head rest that is vertically movable relative to the seat back to uncover routing openings in the seat back as the child grows and the head rest is positioned accordingly. The harness is routed through selected routing openings in the seat back before passing over a hanger at the top of the seat back so that the length of the harness remains constant irrespective of the positioning of the harness in conjunction with the size of the child.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/717,331, filed on Sep. 15, 2005, and on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/760,235, filed on Jan. 19, 2006, the contents of both provisional patent applications being incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a car seat for use in transporting children in an automobile, and, more particularly, to a car seat that can be utilized in different configurations for different sized children until the children are large enough to be transported in an automobile without benefit of a car seat.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Car safety seats for children are commercially available in a many configurations corresponding to differences in the age, weight, and size of the child being transported. Parents can choose a car seat that is not only the correct size, but also suits their tastes, budget, and life style. As children grow in size and maturity level, they need different kinds of car seats. For example, a child may initially use a rearwardly facing infant car seat, then graduate to a forward facing toddler seat with an integrated harness, and finally to a belt positioning booster seat utilizing the vehicle&#39;s lap and shoulder belt system before being able to safely use the vehicle&#39;s seat belts alone.  
         [0004]     There are many car seats on the market that can be used in multiple configurations. For instance, a forward facing car seat with an integral harness appropriate for a 20-40 pound child might accommodate a child weighing 30-100 pounds as a belt positioning booster seat with the removal of the harness and utilizing the vehicle&#39;s lap and shoulder belts. This is convenient for the care giver because it means fewer seats to purchase. Some parents choose to buy a belt positioning booster seat for their older child. Such a booster seat may be configured with a high back, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,143, granted to Davis Amirault on Jan. 27, 2004, or can have no back at all. Older children who don&#39;t want to be seen sitting in a “baby seat” like this option and parents don&#39;t have to manage a big bulky car seat.  
         [0005]     Currently available car seats typically have a monolithic shell, i.e. the back and seat cannot be used separately. Some car seats are designed to have a no back base option, but are configured as a separate seat fastened under the monolithic seat and back, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,999, issued on Jul. 5, 1998, to James Kain. The problem with this configuration is the redundancy of seats; one as part of the monolithic shell, and one as a seat only.  
         [0006]     Several commercially available car seats offer a recline mechanism that allows the seat to recline relative to a base member on which the seat member is supported. Typically, such recline mechanisms are difficult to operate physically and are not intuitive as to how the recline mechanism is operated. The ability to recline is important for comfort for the child being transported in the car seat. Accordingly, a conveniently operable recline mechanism for a car seat would be a desirable feature to be incorporated into the structure of the car seat.  
         [0007]     Many commercially available car seats currently route the shoulder belts directly through the shoulder slots provided in the seat back. Typically, car seats will provide shoulder slots at several different heights to accommodate the range of different size children using the product. It is also typical that the shoulder harness can be conveniently loosened and tightened by either releasing or pulling a center strap connected to the shoulder strap and protruding out the front of the seat base for easy access. A simple cam type locking device is use to hold the center strap in the desired position. In order to accommodate a large range of children, the length of adjustment of the center strap has to be long enough to drawn the harness tight when in the lowest shoulder slot positions but also allow enough slack to fit the larger children when the harness is in the highest shoulder slot position. Many times the connection plate which attaches the shoulder belts to the center strap must travel in a range from just below the lowest shoulder slots down and around the junction of the seat back and seat bottom. This repositioning of the connection plate may cause extra friction as the connection plate travels around this junction making it more difficult for the user to tighten or loosen the harness.  
         [0008]     These monolithic toddler car seats available on the market today with built in harnesses are configured with the seat and back rigidly and permanently attached. When shipped, this car seat configuration dictates that the packing carton forms a rectangular box shape around the “L” shaped car seat. As a result, a large volume of empty space remains in the carton, taking up shipping space, which is a very inefficient use of the shipping carton.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,967, issued on Dec. 8, 1998, to Michael Kane, et al, discloses a car seat for restraining a child in a vehicle having a unitary shell formed in an upper back portion and a lower seat portion connected to an integral hinge. The upper and lower portions are configured to form a lockable mortise and tenon joint therebetween. The booster seat further includes indicia for indicating height limitations of a child sitting in the seat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,968, granted to David Lovie on Dec. 8, 1998, teaches a booster seat that includes a spring-loaded detent that can be engaged by the cam members of backrest support member to hold the backrest in an orientation. When the safety seat is not in use, or when it is desired to use the booster cushion without the backrest, the backrest and its support member can be stowed within the booster cushion.  
         [0010]     Examples of recline mechanisms for children&#39;s car seats can be found in European Patent Application No. EP0301281, published on Feb. 1, 1989; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,478, granted on May 5, 1998, to Michael Lumley, et al; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,393, issued to Paul Meeker, et al on Mar. 11, 1997; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,761, issued on Jan. 26, 1993, to Paul Meeker; in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,456, granted to Kenzou Kassai on Dec. 30, 1986; in U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,358, granted to James Kain on Apr. 29, 2003; and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,099, issued to James Kain on Aug. 6, 2002.  
         [0011]     In U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,074, granted on Sep. 23, 2003, to Ronald Asbach, et al, the car seat is provided with a vertically movable head rest through which the harness straps are mounted so that the height of the harness straps will automatically be moved vertically with the corresponding positioning of the head rest.  
         [0012]     It would be desirable to provide a child&#39;s car seat that could be configured in a variety of positions to accommodate the growth of a child without requiring the purchase of other car seats or booster seats that provide a separate size and age appropriate operation. It would also be desirable for such a car seat to provide a conveniently and intuitively operable recline mechanism to enhance the safety and comfort of the child in at least one of the configurations of the car seat. It would also be desirable for such a car seat to provide a harness system that can be re-positioned to accommodate the growth of the child without compromising the operation of the harness tightening mechanism, specifically the connection plate interconnecting the double harness straps and the harness tightening strap.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     It is an object of this invention to provide a car seat for transporting children in an automobile that is capable of being configured in multiple orientations to accommodate the growth in the child using the car seat.  
         [0014]     It is a feature of this invention that the seat back is pivotally connected to the seat member.  
         [0015]     It is another feature of this invention that the seat back can be lowered to a shipping position that is generally linearly oriented with respect to the seat member.  
         [0016]     It is an advantage of this invention that the positioning of the seat back into a shipping position reduces the size of the shipping carton for the car seat.  
         [0017]     It is still another feature of this invention that the seat back is detachable from the seat member.  
         [0018]     It is another advantage of this invention that the removal of the seat back from the seat member configures the car seat into a booster seat with which the child can use the seat belt of the automobile for security.  
         [0019]     It is still another advantage of this invention that a separate booster seat is not required when the child outgrows the car seat in the conventional L-shaped configuration.  
         [0020]     It is yet another feature of this invention that the seat back connected to the seat member through a selectively operable latching mechanism.  
         [0021]     It is still another feature of this invention that the seat member is mounted on a base member that is positionally adjustable.  
         [0022]     It is yet another advantage of this invention that the positioning of the seat member relative to the base member establishes a recline orientation of the car seat.  
         [0023]     It is a further feature of this invention that a recline adjustment mechanism is provided between the seat member and the base member to control the recline orientation of the seat.  
         [0024]     It is another object of this invention to provide a recline adjustment mechanism that is convenient and intuitive to utilize.  
         [0025]     It is still a further feature of this invention that the recline adjustment mechanism is operated by a pull lever located conveniently at the front of the base member.  
         [0026]     It is yet another feature of this invention that the pull lever of the recline adjustment mechanism pulls the recline stop paddle off of the recline angle ramp to allow the seat to be rotated about a pivot at the approximate center of gravity of the seat where the recline stop paddle will then move to another step in the recline angle ramp.  
         [0027]     It is a further advantage of this invention that the pulling of the pull lever draws the stop paddle directly off the ramp while the lever is pulled outwardly, while a spring retracts the pull lever automatically when the lever is released.  
         [0028]     It is still another object of this invention to provide a car seat that includes a harness routing system that permits positional adjustment of the harness to accommodate the growth of the child using the car seat.  
         [0029]     It is still another feature of this invention that the harness can be routed through a selected set of a plurality of routing openings in the seat back corresponding to the size of the child while then passing over the top of a hanger member at the top of the seat back before returning to the seat member for engagement with the tightening mechanism.  
         [0030]     It is still another advantage of this invention that the connector plate in the harness remains in substantially the same location irrespective of the routing openings selected for passage of the harness from the front of the seat back to the rear of the seat back.  
         [0031]     It is yet another advantage of this invention that the length of the harness is not substantially varied by changing the location of the routing openings utilized.  
         [0032]     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a seat back with a vertically movable head rest that is selectively positionable relative to the seat back.  
         [0033]     It is yet another feature of this invention that the head rest can be selectively positioned to accommodate the growth of the child using the car seat.  
         [0034]     It is yet another advantage of this invention that the vertical positioning of the head rest will coordinate with the utilization of the routing openings in the seat back so that the head rest will uncover the routing openings to be used thus positioning the safety harness with respect to the shoulders of the child using the car seat.  
         [0035]     It is a further object of this invention to provide a car seat that is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use.  
         [0036]     These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a car seat formed with a seat member pivotally connected to a base member for positional adjustment in desired reclined positions controlled by an intuitively operable adjustment mechanism. The seat back is pivotally connected to the seat member to be oriented in a shipping position or an operative position. A latching mechanism secures the seat back to the seat member in the operative position. The seat back is provided with a head rest that is vertically movable relative to the seat back to uncover routing openings in the seat back as the child grows and the head rest is positioned accordingly. The harness is routed through selected routing openings in the seat back before passing over a hanger at the top of the seat back so that the length of the harness remains constant irrespective of the positioning of the harness in conjunction with the size of the child. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0037]     The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0038]      FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a car seat incorporating the principles of the instant invention, the harness and conventional fabric liner being deleted for purposes of clarity, the head rest being positioned in a vertically extended orientation corresponding to a large toddler positioned in the car seat;  
         [0039]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the car seat depicted in  FIG. 1 , but with the head rest lowered to a position corresponding to a small toddler positioned in the car seat;  
         [0040]      FIG. 3  is a left side elevational view of the car seat depicted in  FIG. 1  in the upright, operative position;  
         [0041]      FIG. 4  is a left side elevational view of the car seat depicted in  FIG. 1  but with the seat back unlatched and pivoted into a shipping position, the head rest being depicted in a vertically extended position before being detached from the seat back;  
         [0042]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the car seat with the seat back removed from the seat member so that the seat member can be configured as a booster seat;  
         [0043]      FIG. 6  is a left side elevational view of the seat back detached from the seat member, the head rest also being detached from the seat back;  
         [0044]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged left side elevational view of the seat member configured as a booster seat;  
         [0045]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged left side elevational view of the head rest;  
         [0046]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the car seat taken along lines  9 - 9  of  FIG. 1  showing the path of the harness through the seat back and around a hanger at the top of the seat back;  
         [0047]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the car seat to show the recline adjustment mechanism in a zero degree tilt orientation;  
         [0048]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the car seat similar to that of  FIG. 10 , but showing the recline adjustment mechanism in a five degree tilt orientation, the actuation handle being shown in an extended actuation position and the paddle member being shown pivoted away from the stepped ramp with the actuation handle;  
         [0049]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the car seat similar to that of  FIG. 10 , but showing the recline adjustment mechanism in a ten degree tilt orientation, the movement of the actuation handle and the paddle member being shown in phantom;  
         [0050]      FIG. 13  is a top plan view of the base member incorporating the recline adjustment mechanism;  
         [0051]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the base member depicted in  FIG. 13 ;  
         [0052]      FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of the base member shown in  FIG. 14 ;  
         [0053]      FIG. 16  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the base member depicting an elevational view of the recline adjustment mechanism in the zero tilt orientation corresponding to lines  16 - 16  in  FIG. 13  taken through the opening in the recline paddle member;  
         [0054]      FIG. 17  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the base member corresponding to lines  17 - 17  in  FIG. 13  to show an elevational view of the recline adjustment mechanism in the five degree tilt orientation; and  
         [0055]      FIG. 18  is a partial cross-sectional view of the base member similar to that of  FIG. 17  except that the recline adjustment mechanism is in a ten degree tilt orientation. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0056]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-9 , a car seat incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. The car seat  10  can be configured into a generally conventional L-shaped configuration providing a seat assembly  30  on which the child is supported while being transported in an automobile with an upright seat back  40  supporting the back of the child and a head rest  20  vertically movable on the seat back to support the head of the child positioned in the car seat  10 .  
         [0057]     The car seat  10  is intended for use with a child larger than an infant, which is typically placed into a rearwardly facing infant car seat until the child is large enough and old enough to be positioned in a forwardly facing car seat  10 , which is typically about the first birthday of the child. The car seat  10 , however, can be configured in multiple orientations to correspond to the growth of the child until the child is old enough and large enough to safely sit on the car seat using the seat belts of the automobile without benefit of any booster apparatus.  
         [0058]     Typically, toddlers and young children are placed into the conventional L-shaped configuration of the car seat  10 , such as is depicted in  FIG. 2 , with the head rest  20  lowered onto the upper portion of the seat back  40  to provide proper support for the child&#39;s head. The car seat  10  can be re-configured through a movement of the head rest  20  through multiple positions to allow the car seat  10  to be adapted to the growth of the child.  FIG. 1  depicts the maximum height of the head rest  20  for use with larger children as a high back booster seat.  
         [0059]     As can be seen in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  5  and  8 , the head rest  20  includes a pair of support rails  22  that are received within channels  42  formed at the top of the seat back  40 . A latching mechanism  25  is located within the head rest  20  to secure the position of the head rest  20  on the seat back  40 . The latching mechanism includes a pair of latch members  26  located at the bottom end of the support rails  22  and an actuator button  27  mounted on the top handle  29  of the head rest  20  to pull on cables (not shown) through a cam mechanism (not shown) in a manner known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The latch members  26  are engagable with openings (not shown) in the channels  42  to secure the support rails  22  within the channels  42  throughout the full range of vertical movement of the head rest  20  relative to the seat back  40 . Preferably, the top of the channels  42  is formed with a retainer clip  42   a  that engages a protrusion (not shown) on the lower end of the support rails  22  to prevent the head rest  20  from being removed from the seat back  40  once installed.  
         [0060]     Preferably, the head rest  20  is formed with a back support portion  23  and a pair of wings  24  projecting forwardly of the back support portion  23  and at an angle corresponding to the orientation of the side wings  44  of the seat back  40  so that the head rest  20  will nest properly along the upper portion of the seat back  40 , as is depicted in  FIG. 2 , when the head rest  20  is in a lowered position. Preferably, the wings  24  are pivotally positionable to aid in the comfort of the child being transported on the car seat  10 . Accordingly, the wings  24  are connected to the back portion  23  by a pivot mechanism  28  that permits the selective positioning of the wings  24 . The head rest  20  is also formed with a shoulder belt guide  21  that is mounted to the frame of the head rest  20  to be movable vertically therewith, and positioned beneath the side wings  24 , to be used to restrain the automotive shoulder belt when the car seat  10  is used in a high back booster mode, as described below. The shoulder belt guide  21  has a slot formed therein for the passage of the automotive shoulder belt into the interior of the guide  21 .  
         [0061]     The seat back  40  has a rear support portion  43  from which the side wings  44  extend in a fixed monolithic structure. The upper part of the rear support portion  43  includes a harness routing apparatus  45  including a plurality of pairs of routing openings  46  spaced vertically between the channels  42 . The harness routing apparatus  45  allows the passage of the harness  49 , best seen in  FIG. 9 , through the seat back to establish a proper fit on the child&#39;s shoulders positioned in the car seat  10 . The harness  49  will pass through a selected pair of routing openings  46  to traverse from the front of the seat back  40  to the rear of the seat back  40 , establishing a support point on the seat back  40  for the harness  49  being routed through the seat back  40 . The harness straps  49  then extend upwardly from the selected routing openings  46  on the rearward side of the seat back  40  to a hanger  47  positioned at the top of the rear support portion  43 . The harness straps  49  then turn over top of the hanger  47  and extend downwardly to the bottom of the rear support portion  43  where the harness straps  49  extend forwardly to the conventional harness tightening apparatus  48  at the front part of the seat assembly  30 .  
         [0062]     As is best seen in  FIG. 2 , the lowermost position of the head rest  20  leaves the lowermost routing openings  46   a  exposed for access in the routing of the harness straps  49  through the rear support portion  43  of the seat back  40 . The harness  49  is formed as a pair of straps to pass over the shoulders of the child in the car seat  10 , then through the routing openings  46  in the seat back  40 , around the hanger  47  and to a conventional connection plate  49   a  located behind the lower part of the rear support portion  43 . The connection plate  49   a  is connected to the two harness straps extending downwardly from the hanger  47  and to a single strap extending through the seat assembly  30  to the tightening mechanism  48 .  
         [0063]     By passing the harness straps  49  through selective routing openings  46  in the seat back  40 , the overall length of the harness  49  does not change substantially. As a result, the connection plate  49   a  will remain in substantially the same location irrespective of the set of routing openings  46  selected for the passage of the harness straps  49 . In conventional car seats, the relocation of the harness to a different height to accommodate growth in the child changes the vertical position of the connection plate, sometimes interfering with the passage of the single harness strap through the seat member.  
         [0064]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-6 , the seat back  40  is detachable from the seat assembly  30  through a seat back locking mechanism  50  to permit the seat assembly  30  to be used as a booster seat, a configuration of the car seat  10  applicable to larger children that still need to have some height in the automotive seat in order to make the automobile&#39;s seat belts to fit properly. The seat back  40  is formed with a pair of laterally spaced attachment arms  41  that project forwardly from the rear support portion  43  at the lowermost part thereof. The seat back  40  is also formed with a pair of laterally opposed mounting pins  51  that project outwardly laterally from the lowermost portion of the seat back  40 . The T-shaped mounting pins  51  are positioned to be received in a pivot socket  33  formed in the seat assembly  30 .  
         [0065]     The seat assembly  30  has a pivot locking mechanism  55  at the rearward portion thereof that can be actuated by a spring-loaded switch  56 . The pivot locking mechanism  55  captures the mounting pins  51  in the pivot sockets  33  to secure the seat back  40  onto the rear of the seat assembly  30 . The seat back  40  can then pivot about the mounting pins  51  relative to the seat assembly  30 . The forward pivotal movement of the seat back  40  from the shipping position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  to the operative position depicted in  FIGS. 1-3  and  9 , lowers the attachment arms  41  into the receptacles  34  formed in the seat assembly  30 . As can be seen best in  FIGS. 6 and 6 A, the ends of the attachment arms  41  are formed with an offset step  54  that engages a corresponding depression  34   a  in the receptacle  34  to prevent the attachment arms  41  from pulling straight rearwardly once latched into position.  
         [0066]     Each of the attachment arms  41  includes a spring-loaded latch  52  that is released by a switch  53  mounted on top of the attachment arm  41 . When the attachment arms  41  are lowered into the receptacles  34 , the spring-loaded latches  52  retract to allow the attachment arms  41  to properly seat within the receptacles  34 . The release of the attachment arms  41  from the receptacles  34  requires the manipulation of the latches  52  to overcome the spring force exerted on the latches  52 , thus allowing the seat back  40  to pivot rearwardly about the mounting pins  51 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 4-6 , each of the attachment arms  41  are formed with a slot  41   a  for receiving the free end of the harness to trap the harness in the assembled car seat  10  package.  
         [0067]     To minimize the size of the shipping package, the car seat  10  can be shipped in the unassembled configuration depicted in  FIG. 5  with the seat back  40  removed from the seat assembly  30 , or in the shipping position depicted in  FIG. 4  with the seat back  40  and head rest  20  attached to the seat assembly  30 . The head rest  20  can be positioned at the lowermost position on the seat back, as depicted on  FIG. 2 , or preferably removed from the seat back and placed on top of the seat back  40  between the side wings  44 . Instead of the conventional L-shaped monolithic shell requiring a substantial amount of wasted space within the shipping package, the unassembled car seat  10  can be shipped an a rectangular package that is reduced substantially as compared to the shipping package required for the conventional L-shaped monolithic shell car seat.  
         [0068]     The seat assembly  30  has an upper, generally horizontally extending support surface  31  on which the child sits while using the car seat  10 . The seat assembly  30  is formed as a seat member  35  pivotally connected at a pivot axis  36  to a base member  15 . The pivotal connection between the seat member  35  and the base member  15  allows the seat member  35  to recline or tilt relative to the base member  15 , which is always supported on the automotive seat (or other appropriate support structure). With the seat back  40  attached to the seat member  35 , this tilting of the seat member  35  relative to the base member  15  results in a reclining of the entire portion of the car seat  10  in contact with the child seated therein. Accordingly, the child can be selectively reclined to the desired position at the comfort of the child. The seat member  35  is also formed with laterally opposing arm rests  37  defining the physical sides of the seating support surface  31 . At least one of the arm rests  37  can include a cup holder  38 .  
         [0069]     Interposed between the seat member  35  and the base member  15  is a recline adjustment mechanism  60  to secure the seat member  35  and attached components  20 ,  40 , in the selected recline position. The recline adjustment mechanism  60  is best seen in  FIGS. 10-18 . An actuator handle  61  is slidably supported on the base member  15  at the forwardmost portion thereof for movement between a home position, such as is depicted in  FIG. 16 , and an actuation position, such as is depicted in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . Attached to the actuator handle  61  are first and second paddle trap members  62 ,  63 . A recline paddle  65  is pivotally mounted on the seat member  35  and hangs down therefrom for engagement with the paddle trap members  62 ,  63 , as will be described in greater detail below. The recline adjustment mechanism  60  also includes a stepped ramp  17  fixed to the base member  15 . A compression spring  19  is mounted on a mounting member and fixed between the actuation handle  61  and the base member  15  so that the movement of the actuation handle  61  to the actuation position creates a biasing force in the spring  19  to urge the actuation handle  61  into the home position.  
         [0070]     As can best be seen in  FIGS. 13-16 , the recline paddle  65  is formed as an elongated member positioned laterally across a cavity in the base member  15 . The central part of the recline paddle  65  is formed with a pair of openings  66  through which the second paddle trap members  63  can pass to extend through the recline paddle  65 . Both the first and second paddle trap members  62 ,  63  are angled rearwardly at substantially the same angle as the stepped ramp  17 , but spaced apart to trap the tip  67  of the recline paddle  65  between the two paddle trap members  62 ,  63 . When the actuator handle  61  is moved outwardly against the biasing force exerted by the compression spring  19 , the first paddle trap member  62  pushes the recline paddle  65  forwardly away from the step  18  on the ramp  17  so that the seat member  35  can be moved to the desired recline or tilt angle relative to the base member  15 . Releasing the actuation handle  61 , allows the spring  19  to return the actuation handle  61  to the home position whereupon the second paddle trap member  63  pushes the paddle  65  back into engagement with the selected step  18  on the stepped ramp  17 , thus locking the recline adjustment mechanism  60  in place. To further secure the recline paddle  65  to the stepped ramp  17 , the tip  67  of the recline paddle  65  is formed with a rearwardly extending protrusion  68  that is engaged beneath the step  18  on the stepped ramp  17  above which the recline paddle  65  is seated.  
         [0071]     To operate the recline adjustment mechanism  60 , the actuator handle  61  is pulled outwardly to release the recline paddle  65  from the stepped ramp  17 . The seat member  35  is then manually positioned at the desired tilt or recline angle, which corresponds to one of the steps  18  on the stepped ramp  17 . Preferably, the seat member  35  is pivotally movable about the axis  36  between three set recline angles, zero degrees, five degrees and ten degrees. The stepped ramp  17  has a step corresponding to each of these predetermined recline angle designations. When the operator has selected the desired recline angle, the tip  67  of the recline paddle  65  will be seated on the corresponding step once the actuation handle  61  has been released to return to the home position. For example,  FIG. 17  depicts the zero degree angle orientation, while  FIG. 18  depicts the ten degree angle orientation.  
         [0072]     The actuator handle  61  is then released to allow the compression spring  19  to retract the actuator handle  61  and paddle trap members  62 ,  63  in the home position. Since the second paddle trap member  63  is oriented parallel to the angle of the stepped ramp  17 , the second paddle trap member  63  will trap the tip  67  of the recline paddle  65  against whichever step  18  has been selected, as is depicted in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . The rearward protrusion  68  helps secure the seat member  35  in the selected recline angle by being engaged into the stepped ramp  17 . The paddle trap member  63  prevents the recline paddle  65  from moving away from the stepped ramp  17  and disengaging the protrusion  68  therefrom.  
         [0073]     In operation, the car seat  10  is preferably shipped to the consumer in an flat orientation, such as is depicted in  FIG. 4 , with the seat back  40  and the head rest  20  mounted on the seat assembly  30 . If shipped in the unassembled condition, as seen in  FIG. 5 , the consumer, after removing the car seat  10  from the shipping container, needs only to push the seat back  40  into engagement with the seat assembly  30  by snapping the mounting pins  51  into the pivot sockets  33 . The pivot locking mechanism  55  is spring-loaded and will automatically lock the mounting pins  51  into the pivot sockets  33 . The seat back  40  can then be pivoted on the mounting pins  51  and raised into the conventional L-shaped configuration at which point the attachment arms  41  will be received within the receptacles  34  with the spring-loaded locking mechanism  50  automatically locking the attachment arms  41  into the proper position. If received in the flat shipping orientation shown in  FIG. 4 , the seat back  40  need only be pivoted into the upright position to ready the car seat  10  for use.  
         [0074]     The head rest  20  can then be mounted onto the seat back  40  by sliding the support rails  22  into the receiver channels  42  at the top portion of the seat back  40 . After the head rest  20  is assembled, the latching mechanism  25  will have to be retracted by depressing the actuator button  26  until the head rest  20  is positioned on the seat back  40  at the desired height relative to the seat assembly  30 . The latching mechanism  25  can then be released to secure the head rest in the desired vertical position. Assuming that the child to be transported in the car seat  10  is sufficiently small to require the use of the harness  49 , the harness  49  should be routed through the proper set of routing openings  46  which will most likely be the pair of routing openings located immediately below the bottom of the head rest  20 .  
         [0075]     The car seat  10  is secured to the automobile seat by the automobile seat belts (not shown). The lap belt (not shown) is passed through the passageway  39  in the seat assembly to be locked into place. The shoulder belt (not shown) is secured to the seat back  40  in a tensioned state by pulling on the shoulder belt and clamping it in the belt clamps  59  located on opposing sides of the rear face of the seat back  40 . Option conventional tethers (not shown) can also be utilized to secure the car seat on the automobile seat.  
         [0076]     Once properly secured to the automobile seat, the car seat  10  is ready for use. As the child grows in size, the car seat  10  can be reconfigured to accommodate the growth. The recline angle can be adjusted through the operation of the recline adjustment mechanism  60 , as described above, to fit the size and comfort of the child. The head rest  20  can be repositioned vertically, along with the harness  49  routing, to match the size of the child.  
         [0077]     Eventually, the child will grow to the stage where the harness is not necessary, as the automotive seat belts can provide a secure environment for the transportation of the child, though the child is not yet large enough for the automotive seat belts to fit the child properly. In this situation, the seat back  40  can be removed from the seat assembly  30  by first releasing the switch  53  to allow the attachment arms  41  to move out of the receptacles  34  as the seat back  40  is pivoted rearwardly on the mounting pins  51 . The switch  56  can then be release to allow the mounting pins  51  to be removed from the pivot sockets  33 , thereby allowing the seat back  40  to be removed from the seat assembly  30 . The seat assembly  30 , in the form depicted in  FIG. 7 , can then be utilized as a booster seat which elevates the child sufficiently above the automobile seat to allow the automobile seat belts to have a proper fit on the child being transported.  
         [0078]     It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.