Patent ID: 7466221

Claim:
A method to generate warnings for a child restraint system, the method comprising: (i) presenting a child restraint system configured to be secured to a vehicle having a lap/shoulder belt, a lap/shoulder belt buckle tongue, a vehicle seat belt buckle, and a latch anchor, where the child restraint system includes a base that is connected to a seat, where the seat includes a torso support connected to a back support, a right leg support, and a left leg support, where the seat further includes a right harness strap and a left harness strap configured to be releasably secured to a child seat buckle and a chest clip, and where the seat further includes a locking clip and a tether strap having a hook, and where the child restraint system includes a back sensor, a torso sensor, a right leg sensor, a left leg sensor, a child seat buckle detector, a chest clip detector, a vehicle seat belt buckle detector, a locking clip detector, a latch anchor detector, and a speaker, where each is configured to be in communication with a controller; (ii) determining whether the back sensor detects a child's back against the back support and if the back sensor does not detect a child's back against the back support, then returning to step (ii); (iii) if the back sensor does detect a child's back against the back support, then determining whether the right leg sensor detects a child's right leg against the right leg support and if the right leg sensor does not detect a child's right leg against the right leg support, then returning to step (ii); (iv) if the right leg sensor does detect a child's right leg against the right leg support, then determining whether the left leg sensor detects a child's left leg against the left leg support and if the left leg sensor does not detect a child's left leg against the left leg support then returning to step (ii); (v) if the left leg sensor does detect a child's left leg against the left leg support then determining whether the child seat buckle detector detects the right harness strap and the left harness strap attached to child seat buckle and if the child seat buckle detector does not detect the right harness strap and the left harness strap attached to child seat buckle then returning to step (v); (vi) if the child seat buckle detector does detect the right harness strap and the left harness strap attached to child seat buckle, then determining whether the chest clip detector detects the chest clip secured to itself and if the chest clip detector does not detect the chest clip secured to itself then returning to step (v); and (vii) if the chest clip detector does detect the chest clip secured to itself, then activating the child restraint system.