Abstract:
A pet vehicle safety seat is provided. The vehicle safety seat comprises a frame and a support assembly coupled to the frame. The frame has a base portion coupled to surrounding upwardly extending walls to enclose an animal. The upwardly extending walls comprising a forward wall, a rear wall and two sidewalls. The support assembly is used to releasably attach the rear wall of the frame to a vehicle seat. Thereupon, the base portion of the frame supports the animal at an elevated position relative a sitting surface of the vehicle seat.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a vehicle safety device, and more specifically, but without limitation, to a pet vehicle safety seat. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    When small animals like pet dogs or cats are left unrestrained in a vehicle, they often move about the vehicle&#39;s cabin. For example, small dogs may attempt to jump up in the cabin to see through a window of the vehicle. This can present dangers for the pet, the vehicle&#39;s driver as well as other occupants in the cabin. For example, an unrestrained pet may collide with parts within the vehicle&#39;s cabin or the other occupants, such as when the vehicle suddenly stops, accelerates or turns sharply. In some situations, the unrestrained pet may jump out of an open window of the vehicle, resulting in injury or death of the pet. In other situations, the unrestrained pet may distract the driver, thereby causing a collision or other types of vehicle accidents. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    The disclosure will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings, however, should not be taken to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an elevated vehicle safety seat for pets shown operatively supported on a vehicle passenger seat in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of an example of a vehicle safety seat in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an example of a support assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is another illustration of an example of a vehicle safety seat in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is illustration of an example of a tray assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an elevated vehicle safety seat, for example, for transporting one or more animals or pets in a vehicle (e.g., automobile). Some animals or pets, such as small dogs, if they cannot see out of the windows of a vehicle, they may become overly excited or sick due to motion sickness. This can lead to a pet injuring itself or other occupants of the vehicle. If, however, the pets are able to view their surroundings, they are typically more relaxed so that they can enjoy the ride. 
         [0010]    In accordance with the present disclosure an elevated vehicle safety seat is provided that allows a pet to be secured within a vehicle while also being able to view outside during travel. In some embodiments, the elevated vehicle safety seat may include a frame that is mounted to a vehicle passenger seat so that pets restrained therein can easily view outer surroundings through a window of the vehicle. In order to restrain a pet to the vehicle safety seat, a strap is coupled to the pet&#39;s harness from the back of the frame. In other embodiments, the portion of the frame may include a curved lip portion so that the pet can rest its head on during the ride. 
         [0011]    The vehicle safety seat includes a support assembly (e.g., strap) to secure the safety seat to the upper portion (e.g., around the headrest post) of a vehicle&#39;s passenger seat. The support assembly supports the safety seat at an elevated position relative a sitting surface of the passenger seat. For example, the support assembly may include a strap that is wrapped around and secured (e.g., using a locking assembly) to the upper portion of the passenger seat such that a base of the vehicle safety seat is suspended above the sitting surface of the passenger seat. In another embodiment, the vehicle safety seat may be adapted to receive a tray for storing pet supplies underneath the pet for easy access. 
         [0012]    The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. In the following description, numerous details are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view  100  of an elevated vehicle safety seat  101  for pets shown operatively supported on a vehicle passenger seat  102  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The vehicle safety seat  101  provides for secure retention of one or more pets, such as pet  103 , within a motor vehicle during travel. In some embodiments, the vehicle safety seat  101  is adapted for use to carry the pet  103 , such as a small dog or cat, in a manner that enables the pet  103  to view the outer surroundings of the vehicle through the vehicle&#39;s windows. 
         [0014]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , pet  103  rests inside of the vehicle safety seat  101 , which is securely supported by a support assembly  104  for removably supporting the safety seat  101  onto the passenger seat  102  of a vehicle. In various embodiments and installations, the support assembly  104  may rest upon an upper portion of the passenger seat  102 , such as seat back head rest  105 . In some embodiments, the support assembly  104  maintains the vehicle safety seat  101  in a secured position around the seat back head rest  105 . This is so that the safety seat  101  is positioned forward of the seat back  105  with a base of the safety seat  101  spaced above the passenger seat base  106  at a certain distance as indicated by arrows  107 . The vehicle safety seat  101  as maintained by the support assembly  104  is generally perpendicular to the seat back  105  so that the seat base  106  remains horizontal. As such, the vehicle safety seat  101  does not engage a top surface of the passenger seat base  106  of the passenger seat  102  or any other surface such as the floor of the vehicle. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the vehicle safety seat  101  includes a central sitting area  108  for placing the pet  103  that is enclosed by walls extending upward, such as walls  109 ,  110 ,  111  and  112 . The upwardly extending walls include a forward wall  109 , a rear wall  110 , and opposite side walls  111 ,  112 . In some embodiments, the walls  109 - 112  may be of different heights with the forward wall  109  having a lower height than the rear wall  110 . An advantage of the relatively lower forward wall  109  is that it enables smaller pets to have an unobstructed view forward, without the confining effect of a higher forward wall. Another advantage of this arrangement is that it provides good lateral security for the pet  103  secured within the central sitting area  108 , and also for mounting of a restraining strap or leash for the pet  103 , as discussed below. 
         [0016]    To restrain the pet within the vehicle safety seat  101 , a restraining leash assembly  120  is provided. The restraining leash assembly  120  includes a leash cord that is fitted at one end to the rear wall  110  of the vehicle safety seat  101  and is adjustable in length. The other end of the leash cord is attached to an appropriate type of pet restraining device  125  (e.g., a harness) or other types of well-known pet restraining devices. An advantage of using a harness is that it more evenly distributes any stresses over an upper torso of the pet  103  and lessens the chance of injury. Thus, when the pet  103  is placed within the central sitting area  108  and secured to the vehicle safety seat  101  by attaching the restraining leash assembly  120  to the pet restraining device  125 , the pet  103  is safely positioned within the vehicle and ready for travel. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of an example of a vehicle safety seat  200  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Vehicle safety seat  200  may be compared and is configured similar to the vehicle safety seat  100  from  FIG. 1 . For example, the vehicle safety seat  200  includes a frame  201  that has a central sitting area  208  (which may be compared to central sitting area  108  of  FIG. 1 ) for placing a pet like pet  103 . The frame  201  also includes upwardly extending walls  209 ,  210 ,  211  and  212  that are surrounding or otherwise enclosing the central sitting area  208 . The upwardly extending walls include a forward wall  209 , a rear wall  210 , and opposite side walls  211 ,  212  (which may be compared respectively to the forward wall  109 , rear wall  110 , and opposite side walls  111 ,  112  of the vehicle safety seat  100  of  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0018]    Frame  201  of the vehicle safety seat  200  may be constructed of several types of material. In some embodiments, the frame  201  may be constructed of a type of plastic. In one embodiment, the frame  201  may be molded out of plastic or other moldable material. In other embodiments, metals, woods, and other types of composites may also be used. In one embodiment, the frame  201  may be formed as one piece. In alternative embodiments, the frame  201  may include several pieces that are assembled to form the vehicle safety seat  200 . 
         [0019]    Walls  209 - 212  of the vehicle safety seat  200  may be of different heights. For example, the forward wall  209  may have a lower height than the rear wall  210 . As noted above, an advantage of the relatively lower forward wall  209  is that it enables smaller pets to have an unobstructed view forward. In one embodiment, lower forward wall  209  may also include a curved lip portion  220 . The curved lip portion  220  includes a portion of the forward wall  209  extending outwardly from the central sitting area  208  and downwardly sloped relative to the upward project of the forward wall  209 . In some embodiments, the curved lip portion  220  has a shape to conform to a specific curvature associated with an outer surface of the frame  201 . An advantage of the specific curvature of the forward wall  209  is that it provides a comfortable headrest for a pet sitting in the central sitting area  208  of the vehicle safety seat  200 . 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, a pet may be secured within the safety seat  200  by using a restraining device attached to one of the upwardly extending walls. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the rear wall  210  of the safety seat  200  may include a central restraining strap passage way  230  or cavity for receiving a restraining device, such as a leash, to keep the pet in the central sitting area  208 . In operation, one end of a leash is secured to the central restraining strap passage way  230  and extends forwardly therefrom. The forward end of the leash is then attached to a pet harness or collar of the pet. In some embodiments, the leash may be attached to the central restraining strap passage way  230  using pins, fasteners, or the like to secure the leash to the passage way. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments, the vehicle safety seat  200  may have vents  240  disposed on its sides to facilitate ventilation of the central sitting area  208 , as well as to provide extra viewing capability to a pet sitting inside of the vehicle safety seat  200 . In one embodiment, the vehicle safety seat  200  is provisioned to have soft rounded edges along a substantial part of the perimeter and inside of the frame  201 . An advantage of the soft rounded edge is that any sudden movement of the vehicle safety seat  200  which may cause the pet to lose balance will, as a result, be less harmful or injurious to the pet since the soft rounded edge will provide a type of cushion for the impact. In addition, the soft rounded edges are less likely to cause damage to the passenger seat that the safety seat  200  is attached or to any occupants of the vehicle if the safety seat  200  becomes dislodged or somehow moves. 
         [0022]    To secure the vehicle safety seat  200  inside of a vehicle, it may be attached to a vehicle passenger seat. For example, the vehicle safety seat  200  may be attached to vehicle passenger seat using a support assembly that includes a strap. In some embodiments, the strap may be feed through a guide track  235  disposed on the safety seat  200 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the guide track  235  is indented on an outer surface of side wall  212 . Although not shown, a similar guide track is disposed on the outside of side wall  211 . When the strap is fed through the guide track  235 , a portion of the strap may begin at a forward end the vehicle safety seat  200  closest to the forward wall  209  and moved to the rear end of the safety seat  200 . 
         [0023]    To help secure the strap to the guide track  235 , the vehicle safety seat  200  may include a loop shaped holder  237 , clip, binder or another kind of holding device to hold the strap within the guide track  235 . The strap is then fed further into the guide track  235  towards the rear end wall  210 . Similarly, another strap is fed along the guide track positioned on the outside of side wall  211 . At this point the two straps are wrapped around passenger seat and locked together using a locking assembly. Thus, securing the vehicle safety seat  200  to the passenger seat at an elevated position that allows the pet secured therein to observe the outside world during travel. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an example of a support assembly  300  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the support assembly  300  is used to secure the vehicle safety seat  200  to a vehicle passenger seat. The support assembly  300  may include one or more straps, such as strap  301 , having a first portion  302  and a second portion  304 . In some embodiments, the support assembly  300  for the vehicle safety seat  200  the may include one or more additional straps to hold the safety seat to the vehicle passenger seat. Depending on the type and location of vehicle passenger seat (e.g., a front or back seat), the additional straps may be arranged is several ways. For example, the additional straps may include a lower strap to go from the safety seat to around the lower portion of the passenger seat (such as for a front seat) or an additional strap may be attached to a seat belt of the passenger seat (such as for a back seat). An advantage of the additional straps is that they will help hold down the safety seat  200  in the event of a sudden jolt of the vehicle, such as in an auto accident. 
         [0025]    The strap  301  be made of a resilient type of fabric and the like, which can resist a certain amount of tension to support the weight of the vehicle safety seat  200  and of the one or more pets secured therein. In some embodiments, to secure the vehicle safety seat  200  with the support assembly  300 , the first and second portions  301  and  302  are each attached to a side of the safety seat. Then, the first and second portions  301  and  302  are positioned around an upper portion of the vehicle passenger seat. For example, each of the first and second portions  301  and  302  may be of a sufficient length to be fed through the guide track  235  of the vehicle safety seat  200  in order to reach a back portion of the passenger vehicle seat. When each portion reaches the back of the passenger vehicle seat, they are locked together using locking assembly  303 . 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, the locking assembly  303  may be a commonly known or unknown type of device used to secure two straps together. In one embodiment, the locking assembly  303  permits movement of the strap  302  in an insertion direction (e.g., bring the first and second portions  301  and  302  together) and prevents substantial movement of the strap  302  in a withdrawal direction (e.g., separating the first and second portions  301  and  302 ). Thus, when the strap  302  is locked in position by using the locking assembly  303 , the vehicle safety seat  200  will be tightly secured to the vehicle passenger seat. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is another illustration of an example of a vehicle safety seat  400  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Vehicle safety seat  400  may be compared and is configured similar to the vehicle safety seat  100  from  FIG. 1  and vehicle safety seat  200  from  FIG. 2 . For example, the vehicle safety seat  400  includes a frame  401  that has a central sitting area  408  (which may be compared to central sitting area  108  of  FIG. 1  and central sitting area  208  of  FIG. 2 ) for placing a pet like pet  103 . Frame  401  also includes upwardly extending walls  409 ,  410 ,  411  and  412  that are surrounding the central sitting area  408 . The upwardly extending walls include a forward wall  409 , a rear wall  410 , and opposite side walls  411 ,  412  (which may be compared respectively to the forward wall  109 , rear wall  110 , and opposite side walls  111 ,  112  of the vehicle safety seat  100  of  FIG. 1  and the forward wall  209 , rear wall  210 , and opposite side walls  211 ,  212  of the vehicle safety seat  100  of  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0028]    In this example, the vehicle safety seat  400  includes housing for a storage compartment  460 . In some embodiments, the storage compartment  460  may be made of the same or similar material as the safety seat  400 . For example, the storage compartment  460  may be molded out of plastic or other moldable material. In other embodiments, metals, woods, and other types of composites may also be used. In one embodiment, the storage compartment  460  may be formed as one piece. In alternative embodiments, the storage compartment  460  may include several pieces that are attached to a portion of the vehicle safety seat  400 . 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 4  merely as an illustrative example, the storage compartment  460  may be attached to a base portion of the frame  401  of the vehicle safety seat  400 . The storage compartment  460  may be used to store pet supplies (e.g., food, water, leash, toys, etc.) for the pet. In this regard, the storage compartment  460  may receive a type of a tray assembly to stow the pet supplies underneath the base portion. For example, the storage compartment  460  includes an opening  465  in which the tray assembly may be inserted into the storage compartment  460 . 
         [0030]    The tray assembly for storing in the storage compartment  460  may take many forms. In  FIG. 5 , an example of a tray assembly  500  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the tray assembly  500  includes one more storage compartments  510  for storing the pet supplies, one or more separators  515  to define an area for each compartment, a pulling mechanism  520  (e.g., a handle) for pulling and securing the tray assembly  500  in and out of, and to the storage compartment  460  as well as other components. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, the tray assembly  500  may be made of the same or similar material and the storage compartment  460  and the vehicle safety seat  400 . For example, the tray assembly  500  may be molded out of plastic or other moldable material. In other embodiments, metals, woods, and other types of composites may also be used. In one embodiment, the tray assembly  500  may be formed as one piece. In alternative embodiments, the tray assembly  500  may include several pieces that are assembled to form the various storage compartments. An advantage of the tray assembly  500  is that it provides a place close to the vehicle safety seat  400  for storing supplies or even toys that may be used to calm the pet during the ride. 
         [0032]    Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
         [0033]    In the foregoing specification, a detailed description has been given with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. Furthermore, the foregoing use of embodiment and other exemplarily language does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or the same example, but may refer to different and distinct embodiments, as well as potentially the same embodiment.