Patent ID: 8491008

Claim:
An inflatable active bolster for a vehicle occupant, the inflatable active bolster comprising: an expansible hollow chamber of unitary construction having a first body section and a second body section interconnected by a living hinge, said first and second body sections being folded about said living hinge and joined about at least a portion of the periphery between said first and second body section, to form said hollow chamber; said first body section having an outer surface for facing the vehicle occupant; said second body section providing a support surface for coupling the inflatable active bolster to a vehicle; wherein at least one of said first body section and said second body section has at least one expansible element such that upon pressurization of said expansible hollow chamber, at least a portion of said at least one expansible element undergoes deformation to permit inflation of said expansible hollow chamber, displacing said outer surface of said first body section outwardly to an extended position.