Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND QF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a sun shade for an infant s car
seat.
United Statss Patent #4,293,162 to Pap discloses a sun
shade for an irlfallt's seat. Such sun shad0s do however have certain
disadvantages. A rigid peripheral frame member is included to form a
cantilevered structure. Jhis frame makes the shade impossible to roll up for
10 storage. More importantly, however, this rigid frame may provide increased
risk of injury to the child in the event of an accident under certain conditions.
United States Paterlt #3,339,566 to Bowden shows a child's awning device for
automobiltss also employing a cantilevered rigid frame with similar
disadvantages.
United States Patent #2,840,093 to Mathews discloses a
vapor contoller tent which includes a rectangular top panel held in a
horizontal position by stretched elastic cords. The panel has edges which
extend downwardly from the panel.
United States Patent #2,015,588 to Brown shows
sleeping bag with a rectangular panel supported by ropes.
United States Patent #2,864,429 to Combs shows a
25 child'~ automobile seat with a rigid top member cantilevered from the seat.
There is a side protector curtain on one or both sides detatchably secured to
the top member by snap fasteners.
United States Patent #1,541,215 to Hastings shows a
30 bed canopy supported by tapes and having a rectangular panel with
downwardly hangirlg side panels
United States Patent #2,044,664 to Brown shows an
insect screen in the form of a canopy supported by rigid rods.
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United States Patent #571,443 to Hollingsworth shows a
sun shade for canopied vehicles includirlg downwardly extending sides.
Despite these earlier devices, the need remained for an
effflCtiVr.~ 8UIl shade for use on infsnt's car seats in automobile interiors which
could be rolled up for easy storage and which would have no rigid frame which
might cause injury to the child in the event of an accident.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a sun shade for an infant's car
seat mountHd in a car's interior. ThH shade has a flexiblH sheet-likr canopy
which is gerlerally horizontal irl use. The canopy has a pocket formed at a
first end for fitting over the top of the back of the infant's car seat. There is
mear~s at a second elld, which i9 opposite the first end, for stretchably
anchoring the canopy to a part of the car's interior spaced-apart from the
infant's car seat.
Prsferably there i8 a pair of side flaps extending along
opposite sides of the canopy between the ends thereof. The sides flaps may
have a raised position flat orl top of the canopy and extending towards each
other away from the sides of the canopy and a lowered position extending
generally vertically downwards from the sides of the canopy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sun shade for an infallt's car
seat mounted on the front seat of an automobile and
comlected to the dashboard;
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the sun shade showing the side
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flaps extending outwardly therefrom in solid lInes and
showing the flaps in a raised position in broken lines;
Figure 3 is a rear view of the sun shade installed on arl infant's
car seat and rolled up for storage;
Flgure 4 is a perspective view of the sun shade on a child's car
seat of the rear seat of the car, extendillg to a fror-lt
headrest and showing the side flaps in the raised
position;
Figure 5 is a fragmentary side view showing the rear portion of
the sun shade and in broken lilles showing the sun shade
rolled up for storage;
figure 6 is a fragmentary view of an elastic tape and associated
hook and loop of the sun shade;
Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 7-7 of
Figure 2 with the flaps in the raised position;
figure B . is an elevation of a self adhesive hook; and
figure 9 is a side view of the hook of Figure 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The drawings illustrate a SUIl shade 1 fcr au infarlt's car
seat 2 mounted in a car's interior 3. Thfl car's interior ha~ a front passenger
30 seàt 6 shown in Figure 1 and a rear seat 8 shown in Figure 4. The front seat
is equipped with a head rest 10. The interior of the car also has a dash-board
12 in front of the front seat.
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The sun shade has a flexible, sheet-like canopy 14 which
is ~enerally horizontal in use as may be seen in Figures 1 and 4. In this
embodiment, the canopy is of cloth and is rectangular is shape. The canopy
has a pocket 16 formed at a first end 1a of the canopy as best seen in Figures
5 1 and 3. The pocket includes a top panel 20 which ma~ comprise an extension
of canopy 14 or alternatively a separate piece of cloth sewed to thc canopy.
The pocket also has a back panel 22 and opposite triangular side panels 24,
one of which is ~hown in Figure 1. The other side of the canopy is a mirror
image. Th~ pocket is shaped to fit over the top 26 of the back 32 of the
10 iofant's car seat. Tapes 28 arld 30 are sewn onto the sun shade adjacent first
end 18 for tying the sun shade to suitable means such as frame 34 on back 32
of the infant's car seat.
The sun shade has a pair of side flaps 36 and 38 which
15 extend alorlg opposite sides 40 and 42 of thr canopy. Irl this embodiment, the
flaps are semi-circular in shape and like the carlopy are made of cloth. The
side flaps have a raised pOSitiOrl shown irl broken lirles in Figure 2 and in full
lines in Figure 4. In this position, the flaps are flat on top of the canopy andexterld towards each other away from the sides of the canopy. The flaps also
20 have a lowered position illustrated by flap 36 in figure 1 where the flaps
extend generally vertically downwards from the sides of the canopy. One or
both flaps can be lowsred according to the angle of the sun.
The side flaps have distal ends 44 and 46 which extend
25 towards each other in the raised position shown in broken lines in Figure 2.
The flaps also have proximate ends 48 and 50 adjacent the sides of th
carlopy. Referring to Figure 7, which shows flap 36, proximate end 48is sewn
flat on top of the canopy 14. Piping 52 is sewn about the exposed ends of the
carlopy and the flap for finishing purposes. This structure inhibits any
30 terldency for the flaps to unroll to the lowered pOSitiOrl when they have beerl
ptaced in the raised position. The piping 52 extends completely around the
flaps, the panels of the pockets 16 and the canopy.
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The sun shadfl has a second end 54 which is opposite the
fir~t end 18. The second end has means for stretchably anchoring the canopy
to a part of the car's interior spaced-apart from the infant'3 car seat. In thisembodiment, the means for stretchably anchoring comprises a flexible tension
5 link in the form of an elastic cloth tape 56. Referring to Figures 2 arld 6, the
elastic tape is doubled and is provided with plastic hooks 58 and 59 at each
end. The hooks are shaped to connect to 8 pair of cloth loops 60 and 61 at the
second end of the canopy adjacent the sides. The tape also has an adjuster 65
to permit adjustment accsrding to the measuremerlts of the car's interior.
The elastic tapc 56 exterlds about head r~sst 10 of frollt
sFtat 6 when the infallt's seat is mounted on the back seat of the car as ~how
in FigurH 4. When the inf~nt's seat is mounted on the front sHat of the car,
the elastic tape extends about a self-adhesive hook 62 as shown in Figures 1,
15 8 and 9. The hook has an adhexive surface 63 snd is commercially available.
The shape of canopy 14 is maintained by stiffening rods
64 and 66 at opposite ends thereof as shown in Figure 2. These rods are
located within hems 68 and 70. The rods are of shatter proof plastic and are
20 not to be compared to the rigid frames used in some other sun shades of the
general type. The SUll shade has a second pair of loops 72 and 73 at first elld
18 as shown in Figure 2. These loops are used for connecting a second elastic
tape 74 which provides means for stretchably anchoring the fir~t flnd of thfl
canopy to another part of the car's interior. For example, this can be used
25 for anchoring the canopy to the rear shelf of the vehicle when the infant's
seat is mounted on the rear seat of the car.
A pair of snap fasteners 76 and 77 are located on the
top panel 20 of pocket 16. A complementary pair of snap fasteners 78 and 79
30 are connected to tapes 80 and 81 sewn on the opposite side of the top panel.
The canopy and flaps can be rolled back to the position shown in Figures 3 and
indicated in broken line~ in Figure 5. The snap fasteners hold the rolled up
canopy in position for storage.
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The sun shade 1 is also suitable for infant carriers for
very small infants which fit on the front seat of the car facing towards the
back. The sun shade stretches betweell the back of the infant carrier and the
head rest of the front seat. Such infant carriers typically lack the fram 34 of
5 seat 2 for tying tapes 2B and 30. Accordingly, a self adhesive hook is
mounted on the back of the carrier and used in conjuriction with elastic tape
74 to secure the sun shads to the back of the carrier.
