Patent ID: 7641223

Claim:
A supplemental inflatable restraint system for a motorized vehicle including a passenger compartment having an instrument panel at a forward end therein, the instrument panel having an upper, middle, and lower portion, the instrument panel defining a cavity therein with an opening formed in the lower portion, comprising: an inflatable cushion operable to transition through the opening from a non-expanded state in which said cushion is inside the cavity to an expanded state in which said cushion is substantially outside the cavity; a fluid dispensing apparatus in operative fluid communication with said cushion to selectively regulate transition of said cushion from said non-expanded state to said expanded state; and a panel member operatively attached to the lower portion of the instrument panel such that said panel member is substantially nonvisible to a vehicle occupant seated upright and adjacent thereto, said panel member configured to substantially cover the cavity opening, said opening generally facing a floor of the vehicle.