Patent Publication Number: US-10315615-B2

Title: Child restraint system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to restraint devices and more particularly pertains to a new restraint device for retraining a child in a vehicle in lieu of a child car seat. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has a seat. A child is selectively seated on the seat and the seat has a backrest and a base that is positioned in front of the backrest. A first attachment is coupled to the vehicle and the first attachment is positioned behind the backrest. 
     A second attachment is coupled to the vehicle and the second attachment is positioned between the base and the backrest. A harness unit is removably coupled between the first attachment and the second attachment. Moreover, the harness unit restrains the child in the seat in lieu of a child car seat. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a harness unit of a child restraint system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a back perspective view of a harness unit of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a left side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a harness unit of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 7  thereof, a new restraint device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the child restraint system  10  generally comprises a vehicle  12  that has at least one seat  14 . A child  16  is selectively seated on the seat  14  and the seat  14  has a backrest  18  and a base  20  that is positioned in front of the backrest  18 . The vehicle  12  may be a passenger vehicle or the like. A first attachment  22  is coupled to the vehicle  12  and the first attachment  22  is positioned behind the backrest  18 . A second attachment  24  is coupled to the vehicle  12  and the second attachment  24  is positioned between the base  20  and the backrest  18 . Each of the first  22  and second  24  attachments may be a ring, a hook and any other structural element that is integrated into the vehicle  12 . 
     A harness unit  26  is provided and the harness unit  26  is removably coupled between the first attachment  22  and the second attachment  24 . The harness unit  26  is positioned to extend over the child  16  to restrain the child  16  in the seat  14  in lieu of a child  16  car seat  14 . The harness unit  26  comprises a first strap  28  that is releasably coupled to the first attachment  22 . The first strap  28  includes a first clasp  30  that is coupled to the first strap  28  and the first clasp  30  is selectively manipulated. The first clasp  30  releasably engages the first attachment  22  having the first strap  28  extending upwardly along a back side of the backrest  18 . The first clasp  30  may be a lobster claw clasp and any other mechanical clasp that is selectively opened and closed. 
     A first slide  32  is provided and the first strap  28  is slidably extended therethrough. The first slide  32  adjusts a length of the first strap  28  between a minimum length and a maximum length. A second clasp  34  is coupled to the first strap  28  and the second clasp  34  is selectively manipulated. The second clasp  34  is spaced from the first clasp  30  and the second clasp  34  may be a lobster claw clasp and any other mechanical clasp that is selectively opened and closed. 
     The harness unit  26  includes a second strap  36  that is releasably coupled to the second attachment  24 . The second strap  36  includes a third clasp  38  that is coupled to the second strap  36 . The third clasp  38  releasably engages the second attachment  24  having the second strap  36  extending upwardly along a front side of the backrest  18 . The third clasp  38  may be a lobster claw clasp and any other mechanical clasp that is selectively opened and closed. 
     A buckle  40  is coupled to the second strap  36  and the buckle  40  is selectively manipulated. The buckle  40  is spaced from the third clasp  38  and the buckle  40  may be a mechanical seat belt buckle or the like. Moreover, the buckle  40  includes a release button. A second slide  42  is provided and the second strap  36  slidably extends therethrough. The second slide  42  adjusts a length of the second strap  36  between a minimum length and a maximum length. 
     The harness unit  26  includes a third strap  44  that is releasably coupled between the first strap  28  and the second strap  36 . The third strap  44  is positioned to extend over the child  16  when the child  16  is seated in the seat  14  thereby restraining the child  16  in the seat  14 . The third strap  44  has a first end  46  and a second end  48 . The third strap  44  includes a first lock  50  that is coupled to the first end  46  and the buckle  40  releasably engages the first lock  50 . The first lock  50  may be a seat  14  belt lock or the like. The release button on the buckle  40  is selectively manipulated to release the first lock  50  from the buckle  40 . 
     A first coupler  54  is coupled to the third strap  44 . The first coupler  54  is positioned between the first lock  50  and the third slide  52  and the first coupler  54  positioned on the child&#39;s torso when the third strap  44  is positioned over the child  16 . The first coupler  54  may be a seat belt coupler of any conventional design and the first coupler  54  includes a release button. A first ring  56  is coupled to the second end  48  of the third strap  44 . The second clasp  34  releasably engages the first ring  56  having the third strap  44  extending over a top of the backrest  18 . 
     The harness unit  26  includes a fourth strap  58  that is releasable coupled between the first strap  28  and the second strap  36 . The fourth strap  58  is positioned over the child  16  to restrain the child  16  in the seat  14 . The fourth strap  58  has a primary end  60  and a secondary end  62 . The fourth strap  58  includes a second lock  64  that is coupled to the primary end  60 . The second lock  64  may be a seat belt lock or the like and the buckle  40  releasably engages the second lock  64 . The release button on the buckle  40  is manipulated to release the second lock  64  from the buckle  40 . 
     A second coupler  68  is coupled to the fourth strap  58  and the second coupler  68  is positioned between the second lock  64  and the fourth slide  66 . The second coupler  68  is positioned on the child  16 &#39;s torso when the fourth strap  58  is positioned over the child  16 . The second coupler  68  releasably engages the first coupler  54  to join the third  44  and fourth  58  straps together on the child&#39;s torso. A second ring  70  is coupled to the secondary end  62 . The second clasp  34  releasably engages the second ring  70  having the fourth strap  58  extending over the top of the backrest  18 . In an alternative embodiment  72  as shown in  FIG. 7 , each of the third  44  and fourth  58  straps may include a spring loaded roller  74 . The spring loaded roller  74  on each of the third  44  and fourth  58  straps may selectively retract the associated third  44  and fourth  58  straps therein for storage. 
     In use, the first clasp  30  is attached to the first attachment  22  and the second clasp  34  is attached to the second attachment  24 . The child  16  is seated in the seat  14  and the third  44  and fourth  58  straps are positioned to extend over the child&#39;s torso and over the top of the backrest  18 . Each of the first  56  and second  70  rings is attached to the second clasp  34  and the first  50  and second  64  locks are coupled to the buckle  40 . Thus, the child  16  is restrained in the seat  14  in lieu of a child car seat. The second coupler  68  is attached to the first coupler  54  when the third  44  and fourth  58  straps are coupled between the first  28  and second  36  straps. The release button on the buckle  40  is manipulated to release each of the first  50  and second  64  locks. Additionally, the release button on the first coupler  54  is manipulated to separate the second coupler  68  from the first coupler  54 . In this way the child  16  may be removed from the seat  14 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.