Patent ID: 8596673

Claim:
An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle that has a side structure and a window opening adjacent to a vehicle seat, the apparatus comprising: an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflatable to a deployed condition in which the protection device is positioned between the side structure and the vehicle seat and covers at least a portion of the window opening, the protection device when in the deployed condition having a first edge portion connected to an adjacent portion of the vehicle and an opposite second edge portion that is free from connections to vehicle portions adjacent the second edge portion; and at least one tether having a first end connected to the vehicle proximate to the first edge portion of the protection device and an opposite second end connected to the second edge portion of the protection device, the at least one tether maintaining the second edge portion of the protection device in the deployed condition, the at least one tether being adapted to resist outboard movement of the second edge portion through the window opening in response to being urged toward the window opening by an outboard moving object, wherein the at least one tether comprises a first tether connected to the second edge portion at a location forward of a vehicle seating position, and a second tether connected to the second edge portion at a location rearward of the vehicle seating position, the first and second tethers extending inboard of the protection device and being adapted to draw in the second edge portion fore and aft of the seating position in response to the outboard movement of an object into engagement with the protection device, the protection device being adapted to envelope and restrain the object from ejection through the window opening.