Patent ID: 7946616

Claim:
A side airbag apparatus having an airbag deployed from a folded state between a sidewall of a vehicle compartment and an occupant by a gas supplied from an inflator, the airbag comprising: an upper chamber designed to be deployed forward from a side upper section of a seatback of a seat, the upper chamber including a forward edge that is horizontally offset from the seatback a first distance; a lower chamber designed to be deployed forward from a side lower section of the seat and including a forward edge that is horizontally offset from the seatback a second distance; and a middle chamber disposed closely to the inflator, between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the middle chamber including a forward edge extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction of deployment of the airbag and a partition, the forward edge of the middle chamber being horizontally offset from the seatback less than the first distance and the second distance, the partition extending from the middle chamber forward edge toward the inflator so as to separate at least one of the upper and lower chambers from the middle chamber and thereby restrict fluid communication between said middle chamber and said at least one of said upper and lower chambers.