GB2490604A

GB2490604A - Child safety seat having a strap guide

Info

Publication number: GB2490604A
Application number: GB1207981.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bruce L Williams; Gregory S Sellers
Original assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Current assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Co Ltd Hong Kong
Priority date: 2011-05-05
Filing date: 2012-05-03
Publication date: 2012-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-03
Also published as: CN102765337B; DE102012103692B4; GB2490604B; DE102012103692A1; GB201207981D0; CN102765337A

Abstract

A child safety seat that includes a seat shell 102 having a rear, and an anchor structure 118 provided on the rear of the seat shell 102 preferably at a central location. The anchor structure 118 includes a gap 132 for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and a strap guide 126 which is adjustable between a first and a second position. When the strap guide is in the first position it opens the gap 132, and when the strap guide 126 is in the second position it closes the gap 132. The anchor structure may include a spring-biased fastener 124 which is operable to lock the seat shell in place with a stroller frame. Also claimed is a method for installing said child safety seat so that the strap of the vehicle seatbelt is held in the anchor structure.

Description

CHILD SAFETY SEAT

[00011 This application claims priority of U.S. provisional application no. 61/5 18,426 filed on May 5, 2011.

[00021 The present invention relates to child safety seats.

[0003] Conventionilly, an automobile vehicle has seatbelts provided at the front and rear seats. The seatbelt generally includes shoulder and lap straps that may be fastened with an anchor point of the vehicle to restrain and protect the occupant in ease of collision or sudden stop of the vehicle. However, the use of the vehicle seatbelt is not adapted for a young child who has a smaller body and may not be able to sustain the pressure applied by the seatbelt. As a result, safety legislations require the use of a child safety seat for seating a young child in a vehicle. The seatbelt of the vehicle can be used to secure the child safety seat, which is more adapted to provide protection for the young child.

[0004] The child safety seat can include a seat portion and a base connected underneath the seat portion. To facilitate the use of the seat portion, attachment structures may be provided to allow the seat portion to attach with and be removed from the base. While it is generally installed with the base in the vehicle, the child safety seat may also be installed without the base. To install the child safety seat without the base, suitable structures need to be provided on the seat shell of the child safety seat to hold with the safety belt of the vehicle.

(00051 Therefore, there is a need for a child safety seat that can be safe in use and address at least the foregoing issues.

(0006] Viewed from one aspect the prescnt invention provides a child safety seat comprising: a scat shell having a rear; and an anchor structure provided on the s rear of the scat shell, wherein the anchor structure includes a gap for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and a strap guide adjustable between a first and a second position; wherein the strap guide when in the first position opens the gap, and the strap guide when in the second position closes the gap.

[0007] Thus, the present application describes a child safety seat that includes a seat shell having a rear, and an anchor structure provided, at least preferably, at a central location on the rear of the seat shell. The anchor structure includes a gap for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and a strap guide adjustable between a first and a second position, wherein the strap guide when in the first position opens the gap, and the strap guide when in the second position closes the gap.

10008) Viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides a method of installing a child safety seat, wherein a rear of the child safety seat is provided with an anchor structure that includes a gap for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and an adjustable strap guide, the method comprising: operating the strap guide to a first position to open the gap; inserting a strap of a vehicle seatbelt through the gap; and operating the strap guide from the first position to a second position to close the gap, whereby the strap of the vehicle seatbelt is restrainedly held in the anchor structure.

[0009] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: f0010J Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a child safety seat; (0011] Figure 2 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a strap anchor structure provided at a rear of the child safety seat; and [0012] Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating the operation of the strap anchor structure.

(0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a child safety seat 100, The child safety seat 100 can have a seat shell 102 formed in a single body by plastic molding. The seat shell 102 can include a seat portion 104, a seatback 106, and lateral guards 108 raised parallel to each other at left and right sides of the seat shell 102.

[0014] A bottom of the seat shell 102 can include two support rails 110 projecting downward. The support rails 110 can be disposed at the bottom of the scat portion 104 and at the rear of the seatback 106, and extend from a front toward a rear of the seat shell 102.

[0015] The lateral guards 108 can extend from the front of the seat shell 102, and along the left and right sides of the seatback 106. The lateral guards 108 can act to provide lateral protection and restrict lateral movements of the child. An intermediate region of each lateral guard 108 can have an outer side provided with a mount structure 114 adapted to pivotally couple with a handle 115 for facilitating hand-carrying of the child safety seat 100.

[0016] Referring again to Figure 1, the lateral guards 108 can also include symmetrical anchor slits 116. In one embodiment, the anchor slits 116 can be respectively located adjacent to the moánt structures 114, and above a seating surface of the seat portion 104. Each of the anchor slits 116 can have an elongated shape cut through the lateral guard 108 from an inner side surface 108A (i.e., adjacent to an inner side of the seat shell 102 where the child is seated) to an outer side surface 108B (i.e., facing the outside of the seat shell 102), and can be located near an upper surface 108C of the lateral gUard 108. Each anchor slit 116 can be substantially delimited between a plurality of sidëwalls 11 6A, and opened on the upper surface 1 08C of the lateral guard to 108 via an opening 11GB. When the child safety seat 100 is installed on a vehicle seat, a waist strap of the vehicle can be inserted and held through the anchor slits 116 to hold the seat shell 102 in place.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic view illustrating a rear portion of the seat shell 102. The seat shell 102 can have an anchor structure 118 protruding from a central is surface located on a tear of the seatback 106. In particular, the anchor structure 118 can be located adjacent to a gap 119 defined between the two support rails 110. In one embodiment, the anchor structure 118 can include two spaced-apart pillows 120 and 122, a spring-biased fastener 124 and an adjustable strap guide 126. The pillows 120 and 122 can have respective distal ends protruding downward, the pillow 120 being located in front of the pillow 122. In one embodiment, the pillows 120 and 122 can be formed integrally with the seat shell 102 by plastic molding.

[0018] The spring-biased fastener 124 can be assembled through an interior of the pillow 120, and project downward from the distal end of the pillow 120. In one embodiment, the fastener 124 can be formed with a hook shape, but other fastener constructions may be applicable. When the child safety seat 100 is mounted on a stroller apparatus (not shpwn), the fastener 124 can engage with a frame feature of the stroller apparatus (e.g., a front tray) to hold the child safety seat 100 in place with the stroller frame.

[00191 The seat shell 102 can also be provided with a release actuator 130 operatively connected with the fastener 124. In one embodiment, the release actuator can be accessible from a region of the seat shell 102 that is located adjacently above the anchor structure 118. The release actuator 130 can be operable to drive a rotational displacement of the fastener 124, such that the fastener 124 can disengage from the frame feature of the stroller apparatus. The seat shell 102 can be thereby unlocked, and removed from the stroller apparatus.

100201 Referring again to Figure 2, a gap 132 can be defined between the pillows 120 and 122. The strap guide 126 can be movably assembled with the seat shell 102 at the distal end of the pillow 122. In one embodiment, the strap guide 126 can be pivotally assembled with the seat shell 102 about a pivot axle 134 that extends generally in a same direction as the pillow 122. Accordingly, the strap guide 126 can be desirably adjustable by rotating about an axis X defined by the pivot axle 134.

[0021] In conjunction with Figure 2, Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating an operation of the strap guide 126. In Figure 2, the strap guide 126 can be placed in a first or opened position that downwardly opens the gap 132. After the seat shell 102 is installed on the seat of a vehicle (e.g., in a position where the front of the seat shell 102 is turned toward a rear of the vehicle), a strap portion of a seatbelt 136 (e.g., shoulder strap) provided in the vehicle can be wrapped around the rear of the seatback 106, and passed through the gap 132. Then the strap guide 126 can be rotated about the axis X to a second or closed position, as shown in Figure 3. In the closed position, the strap guide 126 can downwardly close the gap 132, and can be in locking engagement wi.th the fastener 124. Accordingly, the strap portion of the scatbelt 136 can transversally pass throughthe anchor structure 118, and be restrainedly held in the closed gap 132 of the anchor structure 118.

[0022] For locking the strap guide 126 with the fastener 124, one embodiment can provide a flange 138 on the strap guide 126. The flange 138 can protrude from an imier side of the strap guide 126 (i.e., the side facing the gap 132). When the strap guide 126 is in the closed position, the flange 138 can contact in transition or interference fit with an distal edge 1 24A of the hook-shaped fastener 124. The strap guide 126 can be thereby locked in place with the fastener 124.

[00231 For uninstalling the seat shell 102, the strap guide 126 can be manually rotated about the axis X toward the first position shown in Figure 2. As the strap guide 126 rotates, the flange 138 can disengage and unlock from the distal edge 124A of the hook-shaped fastener 124, and the gap 132 can be opened. The portion of the seatbelt 136 then can be pulled downward for removal from the gap 132.

[00241 At least one advantage of the structures described herein is the ability to provide a strap guide that can ensure that the seatbelt of the vehicle is held with the child safety seat in the proper position, once the child safety seat is installed in the vehicle. Accordingly, the installation of the child safety seat can be safer.

[0025] Realizations in accordance with the present invention therefore have been described only in the context of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A child safety seat comprising: a seat shell having a rear; and an anchor structure provided on the rear of the seat shell, wherein the anchor structure includes a gap for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and a strap guide adjustable between a first and a second position; wherein the strap guide when in the first position opens the gap, and the strap guide when in the second position closes the gap.
2. The child safety seat according to claim I, wherein the anchor structure is io adapted to receive transversal passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and the strap guide when in the second position downwardly closes the gap.
3. The child safety seat according to claim I or 2, wherein the anchor structure includes a spring-biased fastener operable to lock the seat shell in place with a stroller frame.
4. The child safety seat according to claim 3, wherein the fastener has a hook shape.
5. The child safety seat according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the strap guide when in the second position is in locking engagement with the fastener.
6. The child safety seat according to claim 5, wherein the fastener has a distal edge, and the strap guide when in the second position contacts with a distal edge of the fastener.
7. The child safety seat according to claim 6, wherein the strap guide when in the second position is in transition fit or interference fit with the fastener.
8. The child safety scat according to any preceding claim, wherein the anchor structure includes a first pillow and a second pillow respectively protruding downward from the rear of the seat shell, and the gap is defined between the first and second pillows.
9. The child safety seat according to claim 8, wherein the anchor structure includes a spring-biased fastener operable to lock the seat shell in place with a stroller frame, the fastener being mounted through the first pillow, and the strap guide is movably mounted at the second pillow.
10. The child safety seat according to any of claims 3 to 7. and claim 9, further including a release actuator connected with the fastener and operable to unlock the fastener, the anchor structure being located adjacent to the release actuator.
Ii. The child safety seat according to any preceding claim, wherein the strap guide is pivotally assembled with the seat shell.
12. A method of installing a child safety seat, wherein a rear of the child safety seat is provided with an anchor structure that includes a gap for passage of a seatbelt of a vehicle, and an adjustable strap guide, the method comprising: operating the strap guide to a first position to open the gap; inserting a strap of a vehicle scatbelt through the gap; and operating the strap guide from the first position to a second position to close the gap, whereby the strap of the vehicle seatbelt is restrainedly held in the anchor structure.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of operating the strap guide from the first position to the second position includes rotating the strap guide.
14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further including the step of causing the strap guide in the second position to lock with a spring-biased fastener that is operable to lock the child safety seat with a stroller frame.
15. The method according to any of claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein the strap guide when in the second position downwardly closes the gap.
16. A child safety seat substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
17. A method of installing a child safety seat substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings. l0