Patent ID: 7703797

Claim:
An energy absorbing mounting bracket for mounting a rail mounted airbag inflator on a vehicle rail, said mounting bracket comprising: a cylindrical member, said cylindrical member directly contacting and entrapping an airbag inflator; a base leg rigidly attached to said cylindrical member and mountable to a vehicle rail, said base leg positioning said cylindrical member a distance from the rail, for the purpose of allowing said cylindrical member to deflect in a direction towards the rail when an impact force is exerted on said cylindrical member; and a generally U-shaped strengthening member extending outwardly from an end of said cylindrical member and extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical member, said U-shaped strengthening member, said base leg and said cylindrical member formed from a single member; wherein said generally U-shaped strengthening channel adds strength to said base leg.