Patent ID: 6877772

Claim:
An apparatus for helping to protect a vehicle occupant, said apparatus comprising: an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device having a stored, deflated condition and an inflated condition for helping to protect the vehicle occupant; an inflator for providing inflation fluid to inflate said protection device; and a flap made of fabric material, said flap being stored with said protection device, said flap having a first end portion and an opposite second end portion, said first end portion of said flap being fixed relative to said protection device and said second end portion of said flap not being fixed relative to said protection device; said flap being deployed by inflation of said protection device into a position adapted to engage and cover a head of a vehicle occupant with said second end portion of said flap adapted to be located over and past the head the vehicle occupant, said flap being adapted to guide deployment of said protection device over and past the head of the vehicle occupant, said flap being adapted to prevent said protection device from directly engaging the head of the vehicle occupant, said protection device sliding along said flap during inflation of said protection device.