Patent ID: 7021653

Claim:
An air bag assembly ( 20 ) comprising: a folded air bag ( 24 ) having a first half and a second half, each half positioned opposite an imaginary plane generally bisecting the folded air bag, the folded air bag capable of being inflated, the folded air bag having a top, a bottom, an upper side portion, a lower side portion side and at least one lateral side portion and means for inflating the air bag, and a partial hood enveloping substantially all of only one of the first or second half of the folded air bag, configured to cause the air bag to inflate in an asymmetric manner during inflation in a direction away from that half of the folded air bag covered by the hood, the hood being operatively disengageable from the folded air bag as the air bag continues to inflate, the hood configured to interact with the inflating air bag to be moved from a position enveloping a portion of the folded air bag toward a disengaged position at the lateral side portion of the inflated air bag.