Patent Publication Number: US-2002000744-A1

Title: Attachment of child shoulder harness to a booster seat

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates to securing a shoulder harness for a booster seat, and in particular to a securement point on a booster seat which also has a tether strap attachment.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Booster seats to assist restraining children in motor vehicles are well known. The seat raises the child in relation to the vehicle seat to allow the vehicle seat belts to be positioned correctly on the child for adequate and safe restraint.  
       [0003] It has become required practice for some booster seats to be positively tethered to the vehicle. In the case of booster seats that comprise both seat and back rest portions, this is normally achieved by a tether strap that extends from the back rest of the booster seat to an attachment point which is behind the vehicle seat on the parcel shelf area. This restrains forward movement of the booster seat and works in combination with the vehicle seat belts which are placed across the front of the child.  
       [0004] As an alternative to using the vehicle seat belts and a booster seat to restrain a child, it is also common to use a child harness. A harness normally comprises a pair of shoulder straps which attach to either an existing lap seat belt or has it&#39;s own lap and crutch straps which are connected using a bayonet style buckle. These harnesses are generally secured to the same attachment point as the existing lap seat belt behind the vehicle seat.  
       [0005] However, it is not normal or allowed practice to connect both the tether strap of a booster seat and harness to the same tether point. Accordingly, it has not been possible to make use of a child harness with a booster seat.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] It is an object of this invention to overcome this problem and enable the use of a harness in combination with a booster seat.  
       [0007] In its broadest form, the invention provides a child harness and booster seat including;  
       [0008] a booster seat having a seat and backrest portion,  
       [0009] a tether strap secured to the backrest portion,  
       [0010] a tether connector on the tether strap for attachment to a remote anchor point,  
       [0011] a child harness for use with said booster seat,  
       [0012] a harness connector on said harness, and  
       [0013] an anchor point on the backrest portion to which the harness connector attaches.  
       [0014] Preferably the harness connector comprises a catch and the anchor point on the backrest portion comprises an eyelet or latching bar to which the catch attaches.  
       [0015] Thee anchor point on the back rest portion may be on the rear surface of the back rest portion.  
       [0016] There may be further included a length adjuster between the harness connector and harness.  
       [0017] There may be an adjustor locator for the length adjuster positioned on the rear surface of the back rest portion.  
       [0018] A strap or straps extending between the harness connector and harness may pass over the top of the back rest portion. Alternatively the strap or straps extending between the harness connector and harness may pass through an aperture or apertures in the backrest portion so that the harness can be positioned over a child located within the booster seat.  
       [0019] Preferably the tether strap attaches at each side of the backrest portion and passes through apertures at each side of the backrest portion.  
       [0020] The harness may have shoulder straps which at their ends remote from the harness connector have loops through which in use pass a lap portion of a seat belt.  
       [0021] Crutch straps may be secured into and extend from the seat portion of the booster seat and a hook on the crutch straps may engage with a lap portion of seat belt in use to form a crutch restraint for a child seated in the seat. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0022] In order to fully understand the invention, a preferred embodiment will now be described. However, it will be realised that the scope of the invention is not to be restricted or confined to the features of this embodiment.  
     [0023] This embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which;  
     [0024]FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a booster seat according to the invention,  
     [0025]FIG. 2 shows a part rear view of the backrest portion of the booster seat shown in FIG. 1,  
     [0026]FIG. 3 shows a part rear perspective view of the backrest portion of the booster seat shown in FIG. 1, and  
     [0027]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the backrest portion of the booster seat shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0028] The booster seat  10  comprises a seat portion  11  and a backrest portion  12 . A tether strap  13  is attached to the backrest portion  12 . The backrest portion  12  has a pair of apertures  14  on either side of the backrest portion  12  through which the tether strap  13  locates. The tether strap  13  comprises a length of webbing which is placed through the apertures  14  and is joined by a tether strap length adjuster  15 . A tether strap connector  16  is attached to the tether strap  13 . This comprises a standard catch which attaches to a remote anchor point which is located on the vehicle behind the vehicle seat. The adjuster  15  allow the length of the tether strap  13  to be set to the required length so that the connector  16  can attach to the vehicle anchorage point.  
     [0029] The booster seat is designed to make use of a vehicle lap sash or lap seat belt  30 . This secures across the child and holds both the child and the booster seat  10  in position. The booster seat has a recess  17  on each side that guides the lap portion of the vehicle seat belt  30  and holds it in the required position in relation to a child. Crutch straps  18  which are secured into and extend from the seat portion  11  of the booster seat  10  have a hook  19  which engages with the lap portion  30  of the seat belt to form a crutch restraint for a child seated in the seat.  
     [0030] As seen in FIG. 2, the booster seat  10  has an anchor point  20  attached to the rear of the backrest portion  12 . The anchor point  20  has an eyelet  21 . The harness  22  comprises a pair of shoulder straps  23  and a harness strap  24 . The harness strap  24  has a connector  25  which comprises a hook shaped catch. The connector  25  attaches directly to the eyelet  21  of the anchor point  20 .  
     [0031] The harness strap  24  has a length adjuster  26  which is fixed in its position with respect to the anchor point  20 . An adjuster locator  27  has an angled surface  28  that allows rotation of the adjuster  26  into a position where it can be operated so that the harness strap  24  can freely move in any direction through the adjuster  26 . The locator  27  keeps the adjuster  26  close to the backrest portion  12 , thereby preventing it from being caught or jammed in a release position.  
     [0032] In this embodiment, the harness strap  24  drapes over the top of the back rest portion  12 . However, similar to the apertures  14 , a further aperture or apertures may be provided in the back rest portion  12  through which the harness strap  24  or the shoulder straps  23  may locate. This would have the advantage of applying load more directly to the tether strap  13  and reduce any risk of the top of the back rest portion  12  collapsing under load. It may be possible to have the shoulder straps  23  locate through the apertures  14  together with the tether strap  13 .  
     [0033] The shoulder straps  23  at their ends remote from the harness strap  24  have loops  31  through which pass the lap portion of the seat belt  30 .  
     [0034] The assembly shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  enables a booster seat  10  to be used with both a tether strap  13  and a harness  22 . The harness  22  can be attached or detached as required. It also enables a harness  22 , that might otherwise attach to the vehicle anchor point, to be attached to and used with a booster seat  10 .  
     [0035] Throughout this specification various indications have been given as to the scope of this invention but the invention is not limited to any one of these but may reside in two or more of these combined together. The examples are given for illustration only and not for limitation.  
     [0036] Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless the context requires otherwise, the words ‘comprise’ and ‘include’ and variations such as ‘comprising’ and ‘including’ will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.