Patent Abstract:
A method of preventing at least one front seat of a vehicle from collapsing into a rear seat area during rear impact collisions with a vehicle occupant safety net thereby mitigating whiplash injuries to front seat occupants and reducing potential injuries to rear seat occupants. The method provides for positioning the vehicle occupant safety net between the at least one front seat and the rear seat area of the vehicle. The safety net is then secured to the vehicle. Moreover, the safety net is sized and configured to prevent the at least one front seat from collapsing rearwardly into the rear seat area during rear impact collisions thereof to mitigate whiplash injuries to the front seat occupants and reduce potential injuries to the rear seat occupants.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/042,628, filed Jan. 9, 2002 now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/572,355, filed May 17, 2000, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for preventing injuries to occupants in a vehicle, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for preventing at least one front seat of a vehicle from collapsing into a rear seat area during collisions with a vehicle occupant safety net thereby mitigating whiplash injuries to occupants. 
     The use of safety devices in vehicles in order to increase safety measures to occupants therein are well known. Such safety measures have been primarily designed to mitigate injuries to the occupants during vehicle collisions, or even sudden stops. The transportation industry, mainly comprised of automobile, railroad, airline, and sea vessel businesses, has realized over time that such potential risks to their occupants may have dire consequences in incidents immediately mentioned above. Therefore, as a response to such circumstances, the transportation industry has spent enormous financial resources and time in a constant effort to improve their safety measures to minimize injuries to their occupants. 
     For example, safety belts are widely utilized in the transportation industry to improve safety measures to the occupants. More specifically, the safety belts maintain the occupants on the seats of the vehicles in order to prevent any outward projections of the occupants during vehicle collisions or sudden stops. The safety belts have been effective in mitigating injuries by preventing the occupants from colliding with the interior of the vehicle, or being thrown out therefrom. However, even though the safety belts may be effective in the above context, such belts are not a solution to the problem stated below. 
     More specifically, during most rear impacts of vehicles, namely, automobiles, the vehicle seats may collapse rearwardly at fairly low load levels and impact speeds. Upon encountering the collapse of such seats, many problems may result therefrom. For instance, when the front driving seat collapses, the driver may fall away from the vehicle controls, brakes, steering, etc., which makes it difficult to avoid subsequent accident possibilities. 
     Furthermore, falling rearward as the seat collapses flat may cause the occupant of the seat to slide out from the seat belt, thus allowing the occupant to hit his or her head on other portions of the interior of the vehicle. Moreover, in extreme cases, such phenomenon may cause the occupant to be ejected from the vehicle. Additionally, with the recent advice that all infants should be placed in infant seats located in the rear seats, the collapse of the front seats may cause damage to the infant maintained in the infant seat. Even further, the rearward collapse of the front seats may additionally make it difficult to extricate passengers from the rear seat area of the vehicle following collisions. 
     Thus, there has long been a need in the industry, and in the transportation industry in particular, for a method and an apparatus for preventing the front seats of the vehicle from collapsing into the rear seat area during vehicle collisions. In particular, there is a need to prevent such collapses in order to better resolve not only the problems stated above, but also to further mitigate whiplash injuries to the occupants of the vehicle. 
     The present invention addresses and overcomes the above-described deficiency of conventional vehicle seats by positioning a vehicle occupant safety net between the front seats and the rear seat area of the vehicle. Moreover, the vehicle occupant safety net is strategically secured to the vehicle in order to prevent rearward collapse of the seats thereby mitigating injuries to the occupants, namely, reducing head and neck rearward extensions which may result in whiplash motion. In addition, the safety net also prevents such collapsing of the seats into the rear seat area where the occupants, such as infants and children, may be seated. Furthermore, the vehicle occupant safety net is user-friendly to the occupants by being retractable within a net roller when its use is not desired. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of preventing at least one front seat of a vehicle from collapsing into a rear seat area during collisions with a vehicle occupant safety net thereby mitigating whiplash injuries to occupants. The method provides for positioning the vehicle occupant safety net between the at least one front seat and the rear seat area of the vehicle. The safety net is then secured to the vehicle. Moreover, the safety net is sized and configured to prevent the at least one front seat from collapsing rearwardly into the rear seat area during collisions thereof to mitigate whiplash injuries of the occupants. 
     More specifically, the safety net further comprises a net roller. The safety net may be advanceable through the net roller to be retracted therein. Furthermore, the safety net may be pullable from the net roller to extend therefrom. Such safety net may be fabricated from a lightweight, high-strength unitary material. 
     In addition, a body of the vehicle comprises the at least one front seat having a backside. In one embodiment, safety net may be positioned to extend generally parallel to the backside of the at least one front seat. In another embodiment, the safety net may be positioned to extend in abutting contact the backside of the at least one front seat. Furthermore, the vehicle may be an automobile. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the safety net has a first longitudinal edge, in which the first edge may be attached to an upper portion of a support structure of the vehicle body. The support structure of the vehicle body may be a roll bar mounted therein, in which the roll bar may be positioned between the at least one front seat and the rear seat area. Moreover, the first edge may be slidably engaged to the net roller, wherein the net roller may be attachable to the upper portion of the support structure. 
     Furthermore, the safety net has a second longitudinal edge, in which the second edge may be attached to side portions of the support structure. More specifically, a first strap with a snap and a second strap with a ring may attach the second edge to the side portions of the support structure. The first strap and the second strap may each connect around the side portions opposite from each other, wherein the first strap may engage across the second edge to interlock the snap with the ring of the second strap. 
     The second longitudinal edge may further be attached to a lower structure of the vehicle body. Such lower structure may be a floor of the vehicle. In particular, the second edge has at least one endpiece therealong, wherein the at least one endpiece may be extendable from the second edge for attachment to the lower structure of the vehicle. 
     Moreover, the at least one endpiece may extend from ends of the second edge for attachment to the lower structure of the vehicle, wherein the at least one endpiece is generally perpendicular to the second edge. A releasable hook and a bolt may attach the at least one endpiece to the lower structure. Specifically, the releasable hook may be attached on an exposed end of the at least one endpiece for engagement to the bolt mounted on the lower structure of the vehicle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These as well as other features of the present invention, will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle with a vehicle occupant safety net constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1A is a side view of the vehicle seat and safety net shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the safety net shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the safety net with an alternative way of attachment to the vehicle shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a net roller with the safety net partially retracted therein; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a releasable hook and a bolt of the safety net shown in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a releasable clip and a bolt of the safety net shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and not for, purposes of limiting the same, FIG. 1 perspectively illustrates a vehicle  10  with a vehicle occupant safety net  20  constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this regard, the vehicle  10  may be any variety of vehicles, such as an automobile, a boat, an airplane, a train, or any type of transportable body. It is important to note that the automobile in FIG. 1 is only a structure of the vehicle, the at least one endpiece being generally perpendicular to the second edge. symbolic representation of the vehicle  10 , and the application of the present invention should not solely be limited to thereof. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be applicable to any vehicle  10 , as will be explained more fully below. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1,  1 A,  2 ,  3  and  4 , the safety net  20  may be fabricated from any types of material, but a lightweight, high-strength unitary material is preferred. More specifically, it may be advantageous for the safety net  20  to be fabricated from high-strength material in order to better ensure prevention of rearward collapses of front seats  30  into a rear seat area  40 . In this regard, the unitary characteristic of the safety net  20  may enhance the prevention of such collapses since the unitarily fabricated safety net  20  may not readily avail itself to tearing and/or any form of internal breach. Thus, the unitarily fabricated safety net  20  may provide additional strength to prevent the front seats  30  from collapsing rearwardly into the rear seat area  40 . 
     Moreover, the safety net  20  is defined by a first longitudinal edge  22  and a second longitudinal edge  24 . More specifically, the first longitudinal edge  22  is generally in parallel relationship with the second longitudinal edge  24 . Furthermore, the first longitudinal edge  22  and the second longitudinal edge  24  are spaced apart, wherein a netting  26  of the safety net  20  is placed therebetween. The netting  26  further has uniformly distributed apertures  28  therethrough, as the apertures  28  are spread vertically and horizontally throughout the netting  26  in an ordered configuration. However, it will be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art that such configuration may be dependent upon the desires of a manufacturer, a driver, or an occupant of the vehicle  10 , and therefore should not solely be limited to the configuration depicted in FIGS. 1-3. 
     In addition, the safety net  20  further comprises a net roller  50 . The net roller  50  and the safety net  20  are slidably engaged to each other. More specifically, The net roller  50  is attached to the first longitudinal edge  22  of the safety net  20 . The net roller  50  and the first longitudinal edge  22  are slidably engaged to each other, wherein the safety net  20  may be movable with respect to the net roller  50 . The net roller  50  and the first longitudinal edge  22  may be engaged to each other in any fashion, whether it be conventional or in creative manner. For example, a bond or a sewing procedure may be utilized to attach the net roller  50  and the first longitudinal edge  22 . In the alternative, the net roller  50  may mechanically grasp onto the first longitudinal edge  22  for the same purpose. Simply put, there are a plurality of ways in which the first longitudinal edge  22  may be engaged to the net roller  50 . 
     Furthermore, as stated in the above paragraph, the safety net  20  may be slidably movable with respect to the net roller  50 . The safety net  20  may advance through the net roller  50 . Specifically, the safety net  20  may be wrapped around the outside of the net roller  50  when its use is not desired. In the alternative, the safety net  20  may further be advanceable through the inside of the net roller  50  to be retracted therein. Simply put, the safety net  20  may be rolled up within the net roller  50  when its use is not desired. It will be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any conventional methods may be utilized in retracting the safety net  20  within the net roller  50 . For instance, a turn knob method may be used to manually wind up the safety net  20  within the net roller  50 . Moreover, the safety net  20  may be triggered towards the net roller  50  simply by a mechanical arrangement that releases a piece that grips the safety net  20  in place. In addition, it may be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the safety net  20  may be applicable with a device utilized for a window shade or the like, and a locking retractor, such as safety belt. It should be noted that a variety of methods may be used in performing this function. 
     Consistent with the above paragraph, it should further be mentioned that the safety net  20  may be extendable from the net roller  50 . More specifically, the safety net  20  may be pullable from the net roller  50  to extend therefrom. As stated above, there are a plurality of ways of doing this. For one, the turn knob method may be used to manually wind down the safety net  20  from the net roller  50  to a desired extension/position. Alternatively, the mechanical gripping piece arrangement may be used, wherein the gripping piece may hold the safety net  20  in place when the desired extension/position is reached. Even further, if the safety net  20  is simply wrapped around the outside of the net roller  50 , then the safety net  20  may be manually unwrapped to its desired extension/position. 
     The vehicle  10  comprises a vehicle body  60 . The vehicle body  60  is defined by the front seats  30 , the rear seat area  40 , a support structure  70 , and a lower structure  80 . More specifically, the front seats  30  of the vehicle body  60  has respective backsides  32 . Furthermore, the support structure  70  is mounted to the lower structure  80  of the vehicle body  60 . The support structure  70  of the vehicle body  60  may be a roll bar, B-pillars having roof ribs, C-pillars, or the like. Additionally, the lower structure  80  may be a floor of the vehicle body  60 . 
     The safety net  20  may be positioned between the backsides  32  of the front seats  30  and the rear seat area  40  of the vehicle body  60 . The safety net  20  may be positioned to extend generally parallel to the backsides  32  of the front seats  30 . Moreover, the safety net  20  may further be positioned to extend in abutting contact the backside  32  of the front seats  30 . Simply put, as long as the safety net  20  is able to prevent the front seats  30  from collapsing rearwardly into the rear seat area  40 , there is no specific place where the safety net  20  should be placed. However, for ease of attachment purposes, it is recommended that the safety net  20  be placed generally in proximity to the support structure  70  and the backsides  32  of the front seats  30 . 
     Furthermore, it may be important to place the safety net  20  in such a way that it covers the entirety of the backsides  32  of the front seats  30 . It should be noted that the safety net  20  may simply extend to cover only partial area of the backsides  32 . However, in order to increase the effectiveness of the safety net  20 , it is recommended that the safety net  20  be utilized in a way that it extends over the entirety of the backsides  32  of the front seats  30 , including head restraints, if any. This way, not only does the safety net  20  prevent the front seats  30  from collapsing into the rear seat area  40 , but simultaneously prevents any whiplash injuries of occupants as well by maintaining the front seats  30 , including the head restraints, in an upright position as possible during collisions. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to allow the front seats  30  to be movable in its normal context by having the safety net  20  to be adjustable to accommodate such movement, wherein the safety net  20  may be locked in place after the desired position of the front seats  30  are reached. 
     In addition, the safety net  20  may further need to be secured to the vehicle  10 , namely, the vehicle body  60 . The support structure  70  comprises an upper portion  72  and opposing side portions  74 . The first longitudinal edge  22  of the safety net  20  may be attached to the upper portion  72  of the support structure  70 . More specifically, the first longitudinal edge  22  is attached to the net roller  50 , in which the net roller  50  may be attached to the upper portion  72  of the support structure  70 . The net roller  50  comprises grasping members  52  which may mechanically attach to the upper portion  72 . The grasping members  52  may be adjustable to conform to the different thicknesses of the upper portion  72 , in which subsequent tightening may be applied. Alternatively, the first longitudinal edge  22  may directly attach to the upper portion  72  by a conventional sewing or bonding procedure. 
     The safety net  20  may further need to be secured to the side portions  74  of the support structure  70 . It will be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the safety net  20  may be attached to the side portions  74  in any manner, such as simply tying the safety net  20  to the side portions  74  with suitable ropes, cables, cords or the like. However, a first strap  90  with a ring  92  and a second strap  100  with a snap  102  may be utilized to secure the safety net  20  to the side portions  74 . More specifically, the first strap  90  may be looped around one of the side portions  74 , as the second strap  100  may also be looped around the opposing side portion  74 . 
     The first strap  90  or the second strap  100  may engage the second longitudinal edge  24  of the safety net  20 , or some intermediate parallel edge. For instance, the first strap  90  may run across the length of the second longitudinal edge  24  to connect to the second strap  100 . More specifically, the first strap  90  may run through every aperture  28  in closest proximity to the second longitudinal edge  24  of the safety net  20  in order to better secure the safety net  20  to the side portions  74 . Thereafter, the ring  92  of the first strap  90  may interlock with the snap  102  of the second strap  100 . 
     The first strap  90  may further comprise a belt retractor  96 . More specifically, the belt retractor  96  may be formed anywhere along the first strap  90 , but it is preferred that the belt retractor  96  be placed near any of one of the ends of the first strap  90 . The belt retractor  96  may roll up the first strap  90  sidewardly, wherein the first strap  90  is slidably movable in relation to the belt retractor  96 . The belt retractor  96  may further allow the first strap  90  to be pulled out to any length necessary, and lock the first strap  90  in place thereafter, to permit the front seats  30  to be adjustable to its desired position. Simply put, the belt retractor  96  may function to adjust the first strap  90  to the desired length. 
     In the alternative, the safety net  20  of the present invention may be attached to the side portions  74  in a different way than above. More specifically, the first strap  90  may comprise strap snaps  93  on its respective ends rather than having a ring  92 . The second strap  100  is secured to one of the side portions  74 , as a third strap  106  is engaged to the opposite thereof. The second strap  100  may have a second ring  104  in lieu of the snap  102 , as the third strap  106  has a third ring  108 . Thereafter, the first strap  90  may run through the second longitudinal edge  24  of the safety net  20 , or through some intermediate parallel edge of the safety net  20 , to interlock the strap snaps  93  with the respective second ring  104  of the second strap  100  and the third ring  108  of the third strap  106 . 
     Moreover, the safety net  20  may further need to be secured to the lower structure  80  of the vehicle body  60 . The second longitudinal edge  24  of the safety net  20  comprises endpieces  110 . The endpieces  110  may be unitarily formed with the safety net  20  or attached in any conventional manner to the safety net  20 . However, it is recommended that the endpieces  110  be unitarily formed with the safety net  20 . In addition, the endpieces  110  are generally attached on the ends of the second longitudinal edge  24  to extend therefrom, and are generally perpendicular to the second longitudinal edge  24 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the endpieces  110  are utilized to attach the second longitudinal edge  24  to the lower structure  80  of the vehicle body  60 . A releasable hook  120  and a bolt  130  may be used for such purpose. More specifically, the releasable hook  120  is attached on exposed ends of the endpieces  110 , wherein the bolt  130  is engaged to the lower structure  80 . The exposed ends of the endpieces  110  may attach the releasable hook  120  in any manner, but sewing the exposed ends of the endpieces  110  to the releasable hook is preferred. In addition, a circular nut  132  and a cylindrical nut  134  may be placed between the bolt  130  and the lower structure  80 . The releasable hook  120  may engage a circular part  136  of the bolt  130  in order to secure the safety net  20  to the lower structure  80 . Moreover, it may be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a shoulder of the bolt  130  may also spread the loads over a wider area of the lower structure  80  and may further eliminate pulling out of the circular part  136  of the bolt  130 . 
     In the alternative, a releasable clip  140  may be utilized in place of the releasable hook  120 . The releasable clip  140  may be attached on the exposed ends of the endpieces  110 . The releasable clip  140  further comprises a movable clip piece  142 , wherein the clip piece  142  may be operated via a spring or the like. Like the releasable hook  120 , the clip  140  may engage the circular part  136  of the bolt  130  by the way of the movable clip piece  142  in order to secure the safety net  20  to the lower structure  80 . 
     It may be important to note that the safety net  20  of the present invention may be installed in the vehicle  10  prior to its sale in the marketplace, or retrofitted in the vehicle  10  after its purchase. In the case of the safety net  20  being already installed in the vehicle  10  prior to its exposure in the marketplace, manufacturers of such vehicle  10  would carry out the task of installation. In the alternative, the safety net  20  may be purchased separately and subsequently retrofitted to the vehicle  10 . 
     Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1