Patent ID: 7695012

Claim:
An airbag assembly, comprising: an inflatable cushion having an upper portion and a lower portion; a structure formed in the cushion creating a recess in the cushion, such that once the cushion is inflated, the recess exists in the lower portion of the cushion, thereby forming a split section in the lower portion of the cushion, wherein the cushion, once inflated, has a front face and a rear face and the recess extends at least a portion of the distance from the front face to the rear face; and a pocket formed from at least one piece of material that is coupled to a cut-out portion of the recess such that the pocket comprises an elongated opening that is contiguous with the recess, the pocket defining a void that extends a portion of the distance from the front face to the rear face of the airbag cushion and adds depth to the recess in a direction that is approximately parallel to the front face of the airbag cushion, wherein the pocket extends the depth of the recess while allowing the cushion to maintain a predetermined conformation during deployment, and wherein, when the cushion is deployed, a top portion of the pocket is fully disposed behind a front surface of the cushion and the opening of the pocket is distanced from a base of the cushion.