Patent ID: 7726733

Claim:
A safety apparatus for a motor vehicle having a vehicle seat designed to support a vehicle occupant, comprising: a sensor for detecting an impending impact and capable of communicating data, an evaluation unit in communication with the sensor to receive the data for evaluation of the data for the impending impact, a drive device in communication with the evaluation unit; and a moveable coupling element operatively connected to the drive device, wherein the coupling element is movable by the drive device in response to the evaluation unit between a rest position within the seat and a working position and back to the original rest position within the seat again, the coupling element in the working position is displaced toward the occupant to couple the seat to the occupant for the impending impact and the coupling element moved back again to the rest position in response to the evaluation unit determining the impending impact did not occur, wherein the coupling element is moveable into the working position such that at least a portion of a seat cushion or a portion of a backrest of the seat is deformed towards the occupant for restraining relative movement of the occupant towards a side structure of the vehicle, and wherein the coupling element is configured as a support plate.