Belt-positioning booster seat for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9233630-B2
Application number	US-201414198137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2014
Priority date	Mar 5, 2013
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A belt-positioning booster seat is adapted to be positioned on a passenger seat included in a vehicle and to support a child seated on the passenger seat. The belt-positioning booster seat includes a seat pad to elevate a child above a seat bottom of the passenger seat along with left and right belt guides adapted to receive a lap belt that extends over a child seated on the seat pad.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A belt-positioning booster seat for use with a passenger seat having a seat bottom and a seat back arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom, the belt-positioning booster seat comprising
a portable contoured seat pad including a low-elevation buttocks-support portion adapted to be positioned adjacent to the seat back of a passenger seat and a high-elevation leg-support portion adapted to be spaced apart from the seat back of the passenger seat by the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion,
a left lap belt-positioning tether coupled to the portable contoured seat pad and arranged to extend from a left side of the portable contoured seat pad, the left lap belt-positioning tether configured to receive a vehicle lap belt, and
a right lap belt-positioning tether coupled to the portable contoured seat pad and arranged to extend from a right side of the portable contoured seat pad, the right lap belt-positioning tether configured to receive a vehicle lap belt,
wherein the high-elevation leg-support portion of the portable contoured seat pad is arranged to extend about half the length of the portable contoured seat pad from a front of the portable contoured seat pad toward a back of the portable contoured seat pad, the front high-elevation leg-support portion includes a laterally extending peak and a forward tailbone-locator incline, the laterally extending peak has a greater height than the low-elevation buttocks-support portion, the laterally extending peak has a curved convex top surface, and the forward tailbone-locator incline arranged to slope downwardly from the laterally extending peak to the low-elevation buttocks-support portion to provide positioning means for locating a tailbone of a child rearward of the high-elevation leg-support portion over the low-elevation buttocks-support portion and for angling thighs of the child upward from the low-elevation buttocks-support portion causing the thighs of the child to form a slightly obtuse angle with lower legs of the child when the child is seated on the booster seat so that the child is encouraged to sit up straight along the seat back of the passenger seat and so that the lower legs of the child are guided along a smooth transition toward a front of the seat bottom included in the passenger seat underlying the booster seat.

2. The booster seat of claim 1 , wherein the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion is arranged to extend about half the length of the portable contoured seat pad from the back of the portable contoured seat pad toward the front of the portable contoured seat pad, the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion includes an aft laterally extending peak, a tailbone support, and an aft tailbone-locator incline is arranged to slope downwardly from the aft laterally extending peak to the tailbone support to provide positioning means for locating a tailbone of a child forward of the back of the portable contoured seat pad over the tailbone support of the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion when the child is seated on the booster seat so that the child is encouraged to sit up straight along the seat back of the passenger seat.

3. The booster seat of claim 2 , wherein the curved convex top surface of the laterally extending peak forms a top elevation of the portable contoured seat pad and has a curve radius of about 37.5 millimeters at the top elevation of the portable contoured seat pad.

4. The booster seat of claim 2 , wherein the forward tailbone-locator incline of the high-elevation leg-support portion extends upwardly from the tailbone support of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion to the laterally extending peak at a first angle defined between a generally flat plane tangent to the tailbone support of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion and the top of the forward tailbone-locator incline.

5. The booster seat of claim 4 , wherein the aft tailbone-locator incline of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion extends upwardly from the tailbone support of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion at a second angle, smaller than the first angle, defined between the generally flat plane tangent to the tailbone support of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion and the top of the aft tailbone-locator incline.

6. The booster seat of claim 5 , wherein the first angle is about 9 degrees and the second angle is about 5.5 degrees.

7. The booster seat of claim 4 , wherein the portable contoured seat pad is formed from a plurality of shaped foam layers received in a cover and the shaped foam layers are sized to define the laterally extending peak, the forward tailbone-locator incline, the tailbone support, and the aft tailbone-locator incline of the portable contoured seat pad.

8. The booster seat of claim 1 , wherein the portable contoured seat pad includes a left ear that extends from a left side of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion and a right ear that extends from a right side of the low-elevation buttocks-support portion, the left lap belt-positioning tether is secured to the left ear, and the right lap belt-positioning tether is secured to the right ear.

9. The booster seat of claim 8 , wherein the left ear and the right ear are thinner than the low-elevation buttocks-support portion so that stitches of thread used to secure the left lap belt-positioning tether to the left ear can pass through the left ear and the left lap belt-positioning tether and stitches of thread used to secure the right lap belt-positioning tether to the right ear can pass through the right ear and the right lap belt-positioning tether.

10. The booster seat of claim 9 , wherein the low-elevation buttocks-support portion and the high-elevation leg-support portion included in the portable contoured seat pad are formed from a plurality of shaped foam layers received in a cover and the left ear and the right ear are formed from portions of the cover that do not receive a shaped foam layer.

11. The booster seat of claim 9 , wherein the left lap belt-positioning tether includes a left lap belt guide adapted to receive a lap belt and a first portion of a lap belt strap, the right lap belt-positioning tether includes a right lap belt guide adapted to receive a lap belt and a second portion of the lap belt strap, and the lap belt strap extends along an underside of the portable contoured seat pad from the left side to the right side of the portable contoured seat pad to provide a handle that can be grasped by a caregiver moving the booster seat.

12. A booster seat comprising
a portable contoured seat pad including a rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion adapted to underlie buttocks of a child seated on the booster seat and a front high-elevation leg-support portion adapted to underlie thighs of a child seated on the booster seat,
a left lap belt-positioning tether coupled to the portable contoured seat pad and arranged to extend from a left side of the portable contoured seat pad and configured to retain a vehicle lap belt in a selected position relative to the portable contoured seat pad, and
right lap belt-positioning tether coupled to the portable contoured seat pad and arranged to extend from a right side of the portable contoured seat pad and configured to retain a vehicle lap belt in a selected position relative to the portable contoured seat pad,
wherein the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion is arranged to extend about half the length of the portable contoured seat pad from a back of the portable contoured seat pad toward a front of the portable contoured seat pad, the rear low-elevation buttocks-support portion includes a aft tailbone-locator incline and a tailbone

Assignees

• Cosco Man Inc
• Dorel Juvenile Group Inc

Inventors

• Amirault David M
• Clayburn Kelley L
• Lin Meihui

Classifications

• B60R22/26

  secured to the seat · CPC title

• B60N2/2806

  for securing the child seat to the vehicle · CPC title

• B60N2/2866 Primary

  booster cushions, e.g. to lift a child to allow proper use of the conventional safety belts · CPC title