Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02493441 2005-O1-20
CHILD BOOSTER SEAT
The present invention relates to child restraint systems for use in motor
vehicles, and more particularly to a child booster seat for use in an
automobile.
Children between 3 and 12 years of age generally require a booster seat
s in order to be able to be safely restrained in a car seat. Such seats are
usually
designed to use a car seat belt designed for adults so that the belt can be
properly
positioned to restrain the child. Booster seats are traditionally molded as a
rigid
shell. Such booster seats present a number of disadvantages, one of which is
the
fact that they cannot be adjusted to allow a better fit either with the child
sitting
i o therein or with the car seat they are installed on.
CA 2,300,922A1, published March 4, 1999 by Reithmeier et al., shows a
booster seat with an angularly adjustable back rest and a headrest which is
slidably
mounted onto a vertically extending guiding device integral with the back
rest.
However, the guiding device approximately doubles the height of the back rest,
15 which implies larger packaging and more space required to store the booster
seat
when it is not in use. In addition, the headrest is shaped as a pair of side
guards
linked by a surface extending behind the flat guiding device. The head resting
surface is the guiding device which is not shaped for comfort.
DE 2951064201 published June 6, 1996 by Schrader, shows a booster
zo seat having an angularly adjustable back rest and a headrest that is
vertically
adjustable. However, the restraining means to maintain the height of the
headrest
are easily accessible to the child, with a possible risk of injury thereto.
Belt guides
are located at the extremities of the side guards of the headrest, advancing
the belt
away from the child with a possibility of placing it too high when the
headrest is
z s elevated, thereby diminishing the seat belt efficiency. In addition, the
shape of the
seat is not likely to be able to properly maintain a sleeping child in a
position
where the seat belt can be effective.
It is also desirable to provide a booster seat with means for holding a
beverage container. US 5,964,502 issued October 12, 1999 to Stephens, presents
a
3 o cup holder that is held on by a strap attached to a seat cover. While the
cup holder
is easily removable, this configuration does not offer the stability brought
by a
rigidly fixed cup holder, thereby increasing the risk of spills.
It is against this background and the desire to solve the problems of the
prior art that the present invention has been developed.
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CA 02493441 2005-O1-20
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a child booster
seat having an angularly adjustable back portion.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a child booster seat
having a vertically adjustable headrest.
s It is another aim of the present invention to provide a child booster seat
that can be easily stored using a minimum of space.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a child booster seat
that can comfortably and effectively maintain a child in a position in which
the
child can be safely restrained by a car seat belt.
i o It is yet another aim of the present invention to provide a child booster
seat with a cup holder that is stably installed at a first position thereof
yet easily
removed and installed at a second position thereof.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
child booster seat adapted to be installed on a vehicle seat and retained
thereon by
15 a seat belt provided therewith, the child booster seat comprising a seat
portion
defining a seating surface, a back portion having a front back-rest surface
and a
rear surface with a top surface extending therebetween, the back portion
defining
an elongated cavity opening towards the top surface, and the rear surface
defining
an elongated slot in communication with the elongated cavity with first
retaining
a o means adjacent thereto, a headrest having a head-rest surface and a rear
surface,
and an elongated stem integral with the headrest extending in a direction
generally
parallel to the rear surface thereof and defining a bottom end including
second
retaining means, the elongated stem being adapted to be inserted in the
elongated
cavity such as to have the head-rest surface located at a desired height with
respect
25 to the seating surface, the height being maintained by the engagement of
the
second retaining means with the first retaining means through the elongated
slot.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also
provided a child seat for use in a vehicle, the seat comprising a seat portion
having
a top seating surface, a bottom surface and first and second side walls, a cup
holder
3 o having a body defining a top open end, a bottom end, and a leg extending
from the
bottom end and having a top surface substantially parallel to the top end of
the cup
holder and including fastening means, and at least two complementary fastening
receptacles in the bottom surface of the seat portion, at least one of the
receptacles
opening in one of the first and second side walls, each receptacle being
adapted to
35 detachably receive and retain the leg of the cup holder, whereby the cup
holder can
be mounted in the at least one of the receptacles with the leg and cup holder
protruding beyond the one of the first and second side walls.
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CA 02493441 2005-O1-20
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference
will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration
a
preferred embodiment thereof and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a child booster seat according to a
s preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the child booster seat of Fig.l;
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the child booster seat of Fig.l;
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the child booster seat of Fig. l but with a headrest
thereof in an elevated position;
to Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the child booster seat of Fig.l; and
Fig. 6 is a top view of a cup holder of the child booster seat of Fig. 1.
Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a child
booster seat generally indicated at 10 comprises a seat portion 12, a back
portion
14, a headrest 16 and a cup holder 18. The child booster seat 10 is designed
so that
i5 the seat 10 and a child seating therein are restrained on a vehicle seat by
a seat belt
2 integral with the vehicle and the vehicle seat. The child booster seat 10 is
designed to accommodate children generally between 3 and 12 years old, with a
maximum weight capacity of 100 pounds and a maximum height of 60 inches tall.
As can be best seen in Figs.l and 2, the seat portion 12 includes a
a o seating surface 20 which is slightly curved so as to provide comfortable
seating. A
pair of armrests 22 extends vertically from the seating surface 20. Each
armrest 22
includes a groove 24 adjacent to the back portion 14 of the seat 10 which is
designed to receive a lap portion 4 of the seat belt 2. A rear end of the seat
portion
12 preferably includes two mortises 26 traversed by a bore 28. A bottom
surface 29
25 designed to appropriately rest against a vehicle seat surface opposes the
seating
surface 20. The bottom surface 29 comprises a pair of channels 30, each
channel
30 having a triangular portion 34 and a rectangular portion 36 extending
through
one of the armrests 22, as shown in Figs.2 and 5. The triangular portion 34 of
each
channel 30 includes an aperture 32 which is preferably cylindrical.
3 o As can be best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the back portion 14 comprises a
back-rest surface 40 appropriately curved to provide comfort. A bottom end of
the
back portion 14 is preferably formed into a pair of tenons 42 traversed by a
bore
43. The tenons 42 are designed to engage the mortises 26 of the seat portion
12 so
that a pin 84 (shown in Fig.S) can be inserted through the aligned bores 28,43
to
35 form a pivot joint between the seat portion 12 and the back portion 14. A
lip (not
shown) is provided along the outer edges of the bore 28 of the seat portion in
order
to prevent the pin 84 from sliding out. This mortise and tenon joint held by a
pin
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CA 02493441 2005-O1-20
allows the back portion 14 to be angularly adjusted to fit an inclination of a
back
rest of the vehicle seat. This type of joint also provides an easy assembly of
the
seat and back portions. The seat and back portion can be easily taken apart
simply
by slidably removing the pin 84 from the bores 28,43 for packaging or storage
in a
s reduced space. It also provides easy switching between the use of the seat
portion
with the back portion and the use of the seat portion alone to suit a bigger
child. It
is understood that the pivot joint can be constituted of a single or more than
two
mortise and tenon joints, as well as any other equivalent type of joint.
A pair of sides 44 extend forwardly from the back-rest surface 40 and
i o provide additional support to insure that the child remains properly
placed in the
seat 10, particularly when the child is asleep. The sides 44 are also shaped
so as to
be able to have a shoulder portion 6 of the seat belt 2 placed over one of the
sides
44. A rear surface 46 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is opposite the back-rest surface
40.
The rear surface 46, sides 44 and back-rest surface 40 enclose a rectangular
elon
i5 gated cavity 48 opening into a top end of the back portion 14. A vertically
extend-
ing elongated slot 50 in communication with the cavity 48 is preferably
provided
on the rear surface 46. A pair of Velcro-type strips 52 extend parallel and
adja-
cent to the elongated slot 50, one strip 52 being located on each side
thereof.
The headrest 16 comprises a head-rest surface 60 as shown in Fig.l,
a o properly shaped so as to be comfortable. A pair of side wings 62 extend
forwardly
from the headrest 16 and provide support for the child in a manner similar to
the
sides 44. The side wings 62 are designed so as to leave a gap between the side
wings 62 and the sides 44 of the back portion 14 in order to be able to
receive the
shoulder portion 6 of the belt 2 therein. The sides 44 and side wings 62 can
also
25 provide additional protection during both a side impact and a frontal
impact.
As shown in Fig.3 and 4, a rear surface 64 is opposite the head-rest
surface 60. An elongated stem or panel 66 integral with the headrest 16
extends
downwardly therefrom in a manner generally parallel to the rear surface 64.
The
elongated panel 66 is designed so as to tightly slide in the cavity 48 of the
back
3 o portion 14. A pair of Velcro-type flaps 68 are attached to a bottom end of
the
elongated panel 66 and protrude through the elongated slot 50 to engage the
Velcro-type strips 52 set on the rear surface 46 of the back portion 14. This
configuration provides easy adjustment of the height of the headrest 16. The
elon-
gated panel 66 is slid vertically in the cavity 48 of the back portion 14 to
the
3 s correct headrest height and is locked in that position by the use of the
Velcro~-
type flaps 68 on the Velcro-type strips 52.
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The cup holder 18 comprises a body 78 including a cup-receiving cavity
80 at a top end thereof as shown in Fig.6. The cup-receiving cavity 80 is
preferably
formed with fingers 81 to allow beverage containers of various shapes to be
inserted in any direction, as well as to accommodate beverage containers of
various
s sizes. The cup-receiving cavity 80 is also preferably insulated in order to
be able to
better maintain the temperature of the beverage container retained therein.
The cup
holder 18 includes a leg 82 extending parallel to and along a bottom end
thereof.
The; leg 82 includes a triangular portion 86 and a rectangular portion 88,
with the
triangular portion 86 including a preferably cylindrical stud 90.
io The triangular and rectangular portions 86,88 of the leg 82 are designed
to snuggly fit respectively into the triangular and rectangular portions 34,36
of the
channel 30. The position and size of the stud 90 is such as to engage the
aperture
32 in the triangular portion 34 of the channel 30 to form a snap-like joint.
The cup
holder 18 can therefore be placed on either side of the seat 10. It is
understood that
i s additional channels can be provided on the bottom surface of the seat
portion to
allow for alternative positioning of the cup holder 18. It is also considered
to use
alternative but equivalent restraining means to removably attach the cup
holder 18
onto the seat portion 12 or the back portion 14 of the seat 10.
The seat 10 is preferably made of expanded polypropylene (EPP), which
a o allows for a solid structure while offering comfortable seating and back
and head
support without the need for additional padding. Preferably, beads of EPP are
used
to mold the seat 10 by a counter-pressure fill technique, followed by steam
fusion
and heat curing to obtain the final shape. The seat portion 12, the back
portion 14
and the headrest 16 with the integral elongated panel 66 are each preferably
2s molded as a unitary member. A plasticized corrugated panel is preferably
lami-
nated on each of the rear surfaces 46,64 of the back portion 14 and headrest
16 for
reinforcement as well as to increase the life thereof. The car seat 10 is
covered
with an appropriate material in the manner already known in the art. It is
understood that other materials as well as other manufacturing techniques can
be
3 o used, as long as the seat 10 as well as the cover comply with all
regulations and
requirements applicable, such as CMVSS (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards) and FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).
In use, the seat 10 is positioned on the vehicle seat with the headrest 16
being adjusted at a desired height in the manner previously described, and the
child
3 s is installed therein. The seat belt 2 is placed so as to maintain the seat
10 and the
child sitting therein securely onto the vehicle seat. The lap portion 4 of the
seat belt
2 is set in the grooves 24 and properly positioned on the lap of the child.
The
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shoulder portion 6 of the seat belt 2 is located on top of one of the sides 44
so that
it is correctly directed over the shoulder of the child.
It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specific
embodiments described, which are merely illustrative. Modifications and varia
dons will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the
scope of
the invention is deemed to be in accordance with the claims as set forth
below.
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