Patent ID: 7296822

Claim:
Apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle that has a roof, a windshield, and an instrument panel, said apparatus comprising: an inflatable windshield curtain inflatable away from the roof to a position between the windshield and a vehicle occupant and between the instrument panel and the vehicle occupant; and an inflation fluid source actuatable to provide inflation fluid for inflating said windshield curtain; said windshield curtain comprising overlying panels interconnected to define an inflatable volume of said windshield curtain, one of said panels having a pleated portion comprising at least one pleat, said at least one pleat comprising portions of the panel that are folded to overlie each other and interconnected at opposite ends of said at least one pleat, portions of said at least one pleat between the connections unfolding into engagement with the instrument panel upon inflation of said windshield curtain and following the contour of the instrument panel so that the instrument panel forms a reaction surface for the windshield curtain.