Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02328478 2000-12-14
CAR SEAT PROTECTOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automobile seat covers and more
particularly to a protective seat cover for use with a child's seat mounted on
an adult's
seat in an automobile.
BACKGROUND
When carrying small children in an automobile it is common, and in
many jurisdictions mandatory, to use a child's seat with appropriate
restraints. These
may be supplementary seats supported on the fixed adult seats or accessories
built
into the adult seats. With a child seated in one of these seats, the child's
feet are
positioned on top of or immediately in front of the adult's seat. In snowy,
wet or
muddy conditions, the child's footwear will likely soil the upholstery of the
adult seat.
The present invention is concerned with a solution to this problem.
SUMMARY
According to the present invention there is provided a car seat cover for
use with a child's car seat positioned on an adult seat, said cover comprising
a flaccid,
water resistant sheet having:
a seat portion for resting on top of the child's car seat; and
a bib portion depending from a front edge of the seat portion and
extending laterally beyond opposite sides of the seat portion for covering a
front side
of the child's seat and a front part of the adult seat.
This flaccid seat cover covers the seat and front of the child's seat and
top and front parts of the adult seat that are likely to be exposed to direct
contact with
the child's footwear. This protects both the child's seat and the adult's seat
from
soiling. The cover, being flaccid, is easily removed and easily cleaned.
This cover can be used for any type of car seat, either a permanent
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fixture forming part of the adult's seat or an auxiliary child's car seat.
In preferred embodiments, the cover has a pocket along the bottom
edge and pockets along the side edges for retaining drips and splashes. The
pockets
may be folded over portions of the base sheet. They can be stitched in place,
but are
preferably held folded over by releasable fasteners, for example hook and loop
or
snap fasteners, at the sides of the bottom pocket and the tops of the side
pockets.
This allows the pockets to be opened to release accumulated matter and for
cleaning
purposes.
The preferred sheet material is a woven nylon fabric coated with a water
resistant coating, for example a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating.
The seat portion of the cover may be held in place by threading the
usual crotch strap of the child's restraint straps through an opening in the
seat portion.
Resistance to sliding may be achieved by using a high friction material, for
example a
"grip" fabric on the underside of the seat portion. A retainer strap may
extend under
the child's seat and be attached to the sides of the sheet.
The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following
description of an exemplary embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a side view showing a seat cover according to the present
invention installed on a child's seat;
Figure 2 is a front view of the installed cover as shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top view of the installed cover of Figures 1 and 2; and
Figure 4 is a plan view of the cover shown in an extended condition.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated an
automobile seat 10, referred to for the sake of convenience as the "adult
seat".
Mounted on the adult seat is a child's seat 12. In the illustrated
installation, the child's
seat is an auxiliary seat that is mounted on top of the adult seat. For the
purposes of
illustration, a child 14 is shown seated in the child's seat, showing the
child's boots 16
and their position in relation to the child's seat 12 and the adult seat 10.
As will be
appreciated from this illustration, any mud, snow or other material on the
child's boots,
legs or seat is likely to rub off onto the unprotected portions of both the
adult seat and
the child's seat.
The installation illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 includes a seat cover 18.
This is a flaccid sheet 20 of woven nylon coated with PVC. This material is
strong,
water resistant and readily cleaned.
The sheet has a rectangular seat portion 22 that rests on the child's seat
12 and a bib portion 24 that is generally rectangular in the illustrated
embodiment and
extends laterally across the front of the child's seat and the adult seat
between the
child's boots 16 and the adult seat 10 and the child's seat 12.
As illustrated most particularly in Figures 3 and 4, the seat includes a
bottom pocket 26 that is formed from a narrow panel 28 extending along the
bottom of
the bib portion 24. The panel 28 is folded up over the front face of the bib
portion 24
and is fastened in place using readily releasable hook and loop fasteners 30
along the
side edges of the panels 28 and the bib portion 24. This pocket tends to catch
material falling down the bib from the child's boots.
The cover also includes two side pockets 32 along opposite sides of the
bib portion. Each of these includes a side pocket panel 34 of generally
triangular
shape that folds over the front face of the bib portion. The top edge of the
side pocket
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is secured to the front of the bib portion using a readily releasable hook and
loop
fastener 36. The side pockets serve to confine lateral splashes.
The seat portion 22 of the cover has an opening 38, centrally and near
the front. The seat belt assembly 40 of the child's seat includes a crotch
strap 42 that
extends through this opening not only to provide access to the crotch strap
but also to
hold the seat portion of the cover in place. The seat belt assembly also
includes
shoulder straps 44.
To limit slipping of the cover on the child's seat, a grip fabric 46 may be
secured to the underside of the seat portion 22. For added security in
retaining the
cover in place on the child's seat, a strap 48 may extend under the child's
seat and be
fastened to the seat portion 22 using readily releasable hook and loop
fasteners at
each end of the strap and on the seat portion.
With this cover in place, both the child's seat and the adult seat are
protected from snow, mud and water carried into the vehicle by the child. The
cover
is easily installed, removed and cleaned. When not in use, it is readily
folded into a
compact package for storage.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in
the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible
within the
scope of the invention and are intended to be included herein. The invention
is to be
considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
