Abstract:
A head and body protection assembly which includes a safety seat shell and a plurality of chambers secured to the shell. A belt which includes a plurality of chambers is placed across the lap or mid section of an individual in the seat. The chambers are inflated to a pre-selected pressure which provides protection of the occupant of the seat from side, rear and frontal impacts. The chambers or pads are inflated or deflated to permit the chambers or pads to be adjusted to the size of the occupant of the seat. The assembly includes a device to indicate the correct inflation pressure. The chambers are fluidly interconnected to distribute fluid throughout the assembly to help absorb the impact of the head of the occupant. The chambers can be filled with an energy absorbing foam.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/013,936, filed Jan. 14, 2008, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to head and body protection systems for safety seats for vehicles. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a safety seat for children which comprises a fluidic assembly or assemblies secured together in an operative relationship. The improved safety seat is intended to provide an improved level of protection from impacts to the head and body of the occupant of the safety seat during vehicle accidents or sudden stops of the vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The neck and back of an individual, in particular a child, is not strong enough to hold the individual&#39;s head in a position to prevent damage to the head during vehicle accidents or sudden vehicle stops. While many current vehicle seats are provided with head restraints to protect an adult occupant of the seat from rearward motion during an accident, the seats do not include restraints to afford the occupant protection from side impacts. This is also true for child safety seats. While the child safety seat affords some protection from side impacts, it is not sufficient to prevent neck, back and other bodily injuries. Current child safety seats afford little or no protection for the child&#39;s entire body from side impacts. Physically handicapped individuals are also susceptible to head and body injuries which may occur in vehicle collisions or sudden stops and will benefit from the present invention. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,438 discloses a pneumatic car seat for children for use in an automobile. The car seat comprises a plurality of air bags  5 ,  6 ,  6 ′,  11 ,  12 ,  13  and  14  which surround the child, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,224 discloses a safety seat  20  and safety cushion  40  used in combination with each other. A safety belt is secured around a child and secured the child onto the safety seat. The safety cushion can be inflatable. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,175 discloses an inflatable child safety seat including an inflatable bottom panel, an inflatable back panel connected to the bottom panel, and a pair of opposed, laterally spaced inflatable sidewall panels. These inflatable panels are not contained within a solid shell. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,255 discloses a U-shaped collar including an inflatable bladder, decorative cover and a means to attach the inflatable neck support to the seat back or head restraint so as to provide an inflatable neck support. The inflatable neck support is easily adjusted by the seat occupant to meet the particular comfort needs of the seat occupant. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,188 discloses a device comprising as least two inflatable air chambers that form a child seat for use in a vehicle. One air chamber forms as inflatable air cushion and the other chambers represent inflatable side panels, backrest, head restraint and a tray. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,699 discloses a one-piece inflatable structure that fits an infant attached to a restraining mechanism. The upper portion thereof having a centrally disposed aperture for placement about the infant&#39;s neck to cushion the head should a sudden movement or contact occur, a middle section thereof positionable over the infant&#39;s chest providing a cushioned area and harness support and a lower section thereof which accommodates a portion of each of the infant&#39;s thighs and placement of the seat belt. The device operates in protecting the infant&#39;s head, neck and chest from injury by maintaining the head and neck in a substantially vertical position. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,519 discloses a seat structure, an air bag and an activation circuitry. The device is equipped with an alarm and/or air bag system for delivering a notification signal that the seat is properly installed and the air bag is functional. Upon activation, the air bag system, which is stored in a collapsed state within the child&#39;s seat, is rapidly expanded in front of the child so as to provide a cushioning blow in order to protect the seated child from injury upon a sudden deceleration of the vehicle. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,893 discloses a device for preventing head and neck injuries comprising a shell and padded lining shaped to partially enclose an infant when the restraint is attached to an infant vehicle seat. The lining includes distinct areas of different density within the padding to better absorb energy generated by an impact. The restraint further includes adjustments for fitting the restraint apparatus to different infant length sizes. The device is directed to reducing head and neck injuries in infants in moving vehicles. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,900 discloses a headrest including an air bag, which is inflated between the headrest and the seat upon occurrence of a collision, a fluid pressure actuation, to move the headrest to the upper position upon occurrence of a collision and at least one collision sensor to detect the occurrence of a collision. The vehicle safety collision headrest substantially instantaneously moves a headrest of a seat from a manually adjusted position to a fully extended position using a fluid pressure actuation system and inflates a front air bag between the bottom of the extended headrest and the top of the set to fill the gap there between upon the occurrence of a collision or an abrupt stop. The vehicle safety collision headrest protects against whiplash, head, neck and spinal cord injuries due to improper designed and/or positioned headrests. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,251 discloses a seatbelt for use on vehicles such as automobiles and airplanes. A rigid front-support includes an inflatable cushion, as illustrated in  FIG. 2   c.    
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,711 discloses a side protective head restraint pad, pad assembly and safety seat. The restraint pad includes an air bladder with a pump for selectively inflating the air bladder and a release valve for selectively deflating the air bladder, an energy-absorbing component and a comfort component. A flexible enclosure is provided within which the air bladder, energy-absorbing component and comfort component are positioned in overlaid configuration to define a unit. The head restraint pad is adapted for being placed in a seat in lateral alignment with one side of the head of an occupant and inflated or deflated as appropriate to restrain the head against injurious lateral movement caused by a side impact relative to the seat. 
         [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,185 discloses a head rest for a car seat used to transport a child in an automobile which is positionally adjustable vertically along the seat back on which the head rest is mounted. A latching mechanism is actuated by a button at the top of the head rest and includes a releasable latch engagable with the channels slidably supporting the support rails of the head rest. A retainer clip is mounted at the top of the channels to prevent the head rest from being separated from the seat back once assembled thereon. The head rest includes a pair of laterally spaced wings that are pivotally connected to the rear support portion of the headrest to be positionally adjustable relative to the child&#39;s head through an angular displacement of approximately 45 degrees. The pivot mechanism is operable to lock the wings in the selected positions. 
         [0016]    U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2006/0061186 discloses an elastic, one-piece support band, a soft head pad which rests against an infant&#39;s head and two sets of fasteners. The support band passes through the head pad and is attached to a car seat with fasteners to support an infant&#39;s head in an upright position against the back of a car seat. The support band acts as a support system for a sleeping infant so that the infant&#39;s head does not roll around. 
         [0017]    Japanese Patent No. 2000343991 discloses a child seat having air bags included in the seat part  2 , the back part  3 , and the seat belt part  4 . These air bags are formed as separate air bags. A pump  9  is used to inflate the air bags. The belt portion  4  is hinged to the side portions of the seat. 
         [0018]    German publication DE 19817329 C1 discloses an air bag including two chambers. An upper chamber  7  and a lower chamber  5 . A U-shaped section  9  extends between upper chamber  7  and lower chamber  5 . Section  9  defines an opening to receive and intermediate portion of a safety belt  14 . 
         [0019]    What is needed in the art is a safety seat such as a child&#39;s safety seat which affords head and body protection system for the occupant of the safety seat which can be readily secured to an existing vehicle seat. The improved car safety seat is preferably designed to be employed in vehicles which are equipped with the “LATCH” system for securing vehicle safety seats. The head and body protection systems of the present invention utilize a plurality of chambers or bladders which can be inflated to offer protection to the head and body of an occupant of the safety seat. A plurality of additional bladders offer head protection for the occupant of the seat to afford maximum protection. The head and body protection system can also include a device to indicate when it is inflated to the correct pressure to afford the proper protection. The head and body protection system can also employ energy absorbing materials, such as foam, in place of inflated chambers to afford protection to the head of the occupant. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    A head and body protection assembly which includes a safety seat shell and a plurality of chambers secured to the shell. A belt which includes a plurality of chambers is placed across the lap or mid section of an individual in the seat. The chambers are inflated to a pre-selected pressure which provides protection of the occupant of the seat from side, rear and frontal impacts. The chambers or pads are inflated or deflated to permit the chambers or pads to be adjusted to the size of the occupant of the seat. The assembly includes a device to indicate the correct inflation pressure. The chambers are fluidly interconnected to distribute fluid throughout the assembly to help absorb the impact of the head of the occupant. The chambers can be filled with an energy absorbing foam. 
         [0021]    Accordingly, it is an objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly which will provide protection to the body and head of an occupant of a seat from side and rear impacts. 
         [0022]    It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly which is incorporated into the child safety seat during manufacture of the seat. 
         [0023]    It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly that incorporates side and rear impact protection chambers. 
         [0024]    It is a still further objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly that includes adjustable chambers or pads for providing improved protection from side, rear and frontal impacts. 
         [0025]    It is still yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly that includes an air compartment or bladder for allowing the chambers to be increased or decreased in size by inflating or deflating the chamber thereby permitting optimal fit of the assembly to the occupant of the seat. 
         [0026]    It is yet a further objective of the instant invention to provide a head protection assembly that includes a plurality of chambers that can be individually inflated or deflated to permit optimal fit of the assembly to the occupant of the seat. 
         [0027]    It is still a further objective of the instant invention to provide a body and head protection assembly that includes an indicator for indicating the correct inflation pressure of the body and head protection assembly. 
         [0028]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0029]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a safety seat including the body and head protection assembly of the present invention and an individual seated therein; 
           [0030]      FIG. 2  is a front view of  FIG. 1  of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly; 
           [0031]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly; 
           [0032]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly; 
           [0033]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly without an occupant; 
           [0034]      FIG. 6A  is a front view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly without an occupant; 
           [0035]      FIG. 6B  is a sectional view taken alone line  6 B- 6 B in  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly without an occupant; 
           [0037]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the safety seat of the present invention including the body and head protection assembly without an occupant; 
           [0038]      FIG. 9A  is a side view of the safety seat of the present invention without an occupant; and 
           [0039]      FIG. 9B  is a sectional view taken along line  9 B- 9 B in  FIG. 9A . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0040]    Referring now to the drawings a safety seat  10  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-9B . In a preferred embodiment of the invention the seat is a child safety seat for use in a vehicle. The safety seat can also be sized and constructed to accommodate a physically handicapped adult individual. The safety seat  10  includes a shell  12  onto which head and body protection assemblies are secured. The shell  12  is preferably formed of a rigid material, such as plastic, which can readily be manufactured into any desired shape. The material of shell  12  should also be relatively light weight enabling an individual to place and remove the safety seat within a vehicle. The material of shell  12  must also be of sufficient strength to withstand impacts and forces from all directions without damage. This material is also sufficiently strong to meet government standards for safety seats for children and adults. As can be seen in  FIGS. 1-9B  the shell  12  forms the back  14 , both sides  16 ,  18  and bottom  20  of the safety seat. The sides  16  and  18  are shaped or contoured to contain head and body protection assemblies while permitting the individual within the seat freedom of movement. For example, as seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4  the individual seated in the safety seat can move both of their arms outwardly toward their sides. In the vicinity of the top of the shell  12  is a securing device  22  which enables the safety seat to be used in vehicles equipped with a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system. This securing device  22  also enables the safety seat  10  to be used with top tethers for securing safety seats in vehicles. The safety seat  10  is also designed to be installed in a vehicle using a conventional seatbelt method. 
         [0041]    Secured to the bottom  20  of the shell is a seat  24  upon which a child or individual is seated. The seat  24  is preferably padded and covered with a material that is comfortable and does not irritate an individual seated on the seat. The seat  24  can also be designed to provide protection to the individual within the safety seat in the event of a crash or other impact. The seat  24  preferably comprises a one or more pieces of foam or similar energy absorbing material that are enclosed in a fabric enclosure. A visco-elastic polyurethane foam commonly known as memory foam can also be used in seat  24 . The foam provides a cushion for the occupant of the seat. The foam can also provide protection for the occupant of the safety seat in the event of sudden impacts or other forces imposed on the safety seat and occupant. In place of foam, an inflatable cushion or inflatable bladder or bladders can also be employed as a seat. The degree or extent to which the cushion or bladder is inflated or deflated will determine the hardness or softness of the inflatable cushion or bladder. This inflation will also determine the protection afforded to the occupant of the safety seat by the inflatable cushion or bolder. 
         [0042]    A plurality of substantially U-shaped inflatable chambers  26  comprises a body protection assembly. The U-shaped chambers  26  can bee seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 - 9 B. Each of the chambers  26  is preferably formed of a fluid impermeable material. In addition, one or more fluid impermeable bladders can be placed within each of the chambers  26 . Alternatively, foam or other energy absorbing materials can be used to fill the chambers  26 . A visco-elastic polyurethane foam commonly known as memory foam can also be used in chambers  26 . The U-shaped chambers  26  are placed one above the other in vertical alignment to form a body protection assembly. This can be clearly seen in  FIGS. 1 and 7 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , an elongate compartment  28  of the chamber  26  extends along the back of the safety seat and affords the occupant of the safety seat body protection from impacts. Shorter compartments  30  of the chamber  26  are connected to both ends of compartment  28 . These compartments  30  extend along each side  16 ,  18  of the safety seat  10 . Compartments  30  afford the occupant of the safety seat protection against impacts and other forces coming from the sides of the safety seat. As seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  8  the length of the compartments  30  of each chamber  26  is determined by the width or depth of each of the sides  16 ,  18  of the safety seat. These shorter compartments  30  together with compartment  28  form the substantially U-shaped chamber  26 . The chambers  26  located in an upper portion of the safety seat also afford protection to the head and neck of the occupant of the safety seat. The chambers  26  are preferably interconnected to each other, as seen in  FIGS. 6B and 9B , enabling them to be inflated to a desired pressure from a single source of fluid pressure. Each of the chambers  26  can be a single fluid filled chamber, a single chamber filled by a fluid bladder or a plurality of separate chambers interconnected to form a single chamber  26 . A plurality of separate chambers could also be secured to each other without being interconnected to each other. While the chambers  26  are illustrated as positioned horizontally in the safety seat  10  they could also be positioned vertically or at an angle with respect to the horizontal axis or the vertical axis of the safety seat. 
         [0043]    A pump or similar device, not shown, is employed to deliver a fluid (liquid and/or gas) to the chambers  26  of the safety seat. The fluid can be supplied to a single inlet  32 ,  FIG. 8 , located on one of the chambers  26  if all of the chambers  26  are interconnected to each other. Alternatively, a plurality of inlets can supply fluid to the chambers. There can be one inlet per chamber. Alternatively, a group of chambers, 2 or more, can be interconnected and one inlet can be used to supply the group. The pump is preferably connected to the inlets  30  only during the initial filling of chambers  26 . However, the pump could remain connected to the inlets thus enabling the pressure of the fluid within the chambers to be adjusted and regulated. The pump could be activated by a pressure sensor within the chambers or by a sensor located elsewhere. For example in the event of an accident, an impact sensor on a vehicle, such as an accelerometer, load sensor or other type of sensor could be used to activate the pump. The pump can be used to introduce fluid into the chambers or withdraw fluid from the chambers. 
         [0044]    The pressure with in the chambers  26  can also be controlled by a regulator valve. The regulator valve can be used in place of valve  32  to supply fluid to the chambers  26 . The regulator valve would maintain the fluid pressure within the chambers  26  at a desired pre-selected pressure. Valve  32  could also be a pressure indicator, thus enabling a user of the safety seat to determine if sufficient or excessive fluid pressure existed with in the chambers  26 . Valve  32  can also be a visual or audible indicator. In the embodiments where the chambers  26  are not fluidly connected to each other or small groups of chambers  26  are fluidly connected to each other there would be a plurality of valves  32  and/or pressure regulators/indicators. 
         [0045]    Regulating the fluid pressure with the chambers  26  also enables the safety seat  10  to be sized or adjusted to the shape and/or size of the occupant of the safety seat. For example, children of different ages and sizes could use the same safety seat by inflating/deflating the chambers  26  to proximate the size/shape of each individual child such that each different child is afforded the same protection in the event of a crash or sudden impact. 
         [0046]    When the safety seat is used for adults, the safety seat  10  can sized or adjusted to the shape and/or size of different individuals. An example would be a safety seat used in the transportation of handicapped individuals. Another example would be a safety seat used in a race or stunt vehicle. The safety seat  10  can be employed in all types of vehicles and situations wherein the safety of an individual is a concern. 
         [0047]    In an embodiment the compartments  28  and  30  of chamber  26  are fluidly connected such that fluid can flow from one of the compartments  28 ,  30  to another compartment  28 ,  30 . In the event of a crash or sudden impact the entire body or a portion of the body of an occupant of the safety seat would be thrown against a part of the safety seat. For example, in the event of a side crash or impact, the side of an occupant of the seat would be thrown against the side of the safety seat on which the crash or impact occurred. The compartments  30  on the impact side of the safety seat would be compressed by the body of the occupant of the seat. In order to absorb the force of the occupant&#39;s body toward the side of the seat and dissipate this force, the fluid with the compartment  30  on the impact side would be displaced into compartment  28  along the rear portion of the seat. This affords the occupant better protection in a crash or sudden impact that if the fluid remained within compartment  30 . 
         [0048]    In the event of a rear crash or impact the fluid within compartment  28  would be displaced into compartments  30  of chambers  26  on the sides of the seat to absorb the impact of the body of the occupant of the seat. The chambers  26  can also be fluidly connected to each other so that the force of a crash or impact can be absorbed or dissipated by a plurality of chambers  26 . The fluid within one or more of the chambers  26  would be displaced into one or more of the other chambers  26  to dissipate the force of a crash or impact. 
         [0049]    Chambers  34  are located on the sides of the safety seat in the vicinity of the head of the occupant of the seat. Each of these chambers  34  can be similar to a chamber  26 . For example, each of the chambers  34  is preferably formed of a fluid impermeable material. In addition, one or more fluid impermeable bladders can be placed within each of the chambers  34 . Alternatively, foam or other energy absorbing materials can be used to fill the chambers  34 . A visco-elastic polyurethane foam commonly known as memory foam can also be used in chambers  34 . While the chambers  34  are preferably separate from chambers  26 , they could be fluidly connected to chambers  26 . 
         [0050]    Chambers  36  are located on the sides of the safety seat in the vicinity of the lower portion of the torso or hips of an occupant of the seat. Each of these chambers  36  can be similar to a chamber  26 . For example, each of the chambers  36  is preferably formed of a fluid impermeable material. In addition, one or more fluid impermeable bladders can be placed within each of the chambers  36 . Alternatively, foam or other energy absorbing materials can be used to fill the chambers  36 . A visco-elastic polyurethane foam commonly known as memory foam can also be used in chambers  36 . While the chambers  36  are preferably separate from chambers  26 , they could be fluidly connected to chambers  26 . 
         [0051]    A seatbelt or lap restraint  38  extends from one side  16  of the safety seat to the other side  18  of the safety seat. The lap belt or seatbelt preferably includes a belt  40  which is secured to one side of the safety seat and releasably secured to the other side of the safety seat with a releasable fastening mechanism  42 ,  FIG. 2 . Secured to belt  40  is one or more chambers  44 ,  46 . Each of these chambers  44 ,  46  can be similar to a chamber  26 . For example, each of the chambers  44 ,  46  is preferably formed of a fluid impermeable material. In addition, one or more fluid impermeable bladders can be placed within each of the chambers  44 ,  46 . Alternatively, foam or other energy absorbing materials can be used to fill the chambers  44 ,  46 . A visco-elastic polyurethane foam commonly known as memory foam can also be used in chambers  44 ,  46 . While the chamber  44  is preferably separate from chambers  46 , they could be fluidly connected to each other. In addition each of the chambers  44  and  46  could be formed from a plurality of individual chambers which could be connected to each other or separate from each other. The chambers  44 ,  46  can be filled with fluid through a valve  48  located on chamber  46 . Valve  48  is similar to valve  30  on chamber  26 . An additional valve could be located on chamber  44 . 
         [0052]    Chambers  44  and  46  function in a manner similar to chambers  26 . When an occupant of the safety seat is thrown or forced onto the chambers  44 ,  46  the fluid within the chambers is displaced to absorb the impact of the occupant, as disclosed above. Also, valve  48  could be designed to allow some fluid within chamber  44  and/or  46  to be released so as to dissipate the force of the impact. 
         [0053]    All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
         [0054]    It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein. 
         [0055]    One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.