Chairs and seats – Supplemental seat – Adjustable to plural operative positions
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-31
2001-03-13
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Supplemental seat
Adjustable to plural operative positions
C297S256160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199949
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention is directed to a child safety seat for use in a moving vehicle, and more specifically to a child safety seat that pivots in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and is capable of being laterally displaced to a position where the safety seat is closely adjacent to and facing the door opening.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Child vehicle safety seats in many jurisdictions are rendered compulsory by law. Generally, such child vehicle safety seats are centrally positioned in the back seat of an automobile or vehicle, as such center position is considered to be the most safe position against any frontal and/or side collision. Normally, such known safety seats are securely strapped to the rear seat, and become a fixture within the vehicle until the child has outgrown the need for such safety seat.
It has been observed that mothers and/or fathers of small children encounter considerable difficulty in lifting a baby or small child and placing such child in a centrally positioned safety seat. The process required picking up the child and leaning into the relatively cramped quarters of a rear seat of an automobile and then twisting in order to place the child in the forward facing car seat. The task becomes even more awkward and difficult with a squirming or defiant child, and especially more difficult if the child is rather large or heavy for his or her size or age. For a parent with a back problem, the difficulty of placing a small child in a car safety seat is further compounded. This is because the child must first be lifted and in a crouched or leaning position to place the child into the vehicle and then twisting one's body approximately ninety (90°) degrees in such crouched position to place the child in the safety seat. With the child properly placed in the car seat, the parent, while still in the awkward and twisted position, must then buckle the harness to secure the child in the car seat.
In an effort to alleviate the difficulty of lifting and placing a child in a car seat as described, a swivel car seat has been suggested as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,392. However, such known swivel car seats pivoted about a center axis, and even in a pivoted position, the center of such swiveling child safety seat remains centered relative to the rear seat. With such swivel seats, the parent was still required to lift the child and in a leaning position place the child in the centrally located car seat. Such activity of lifting and placing a child in a centrally positioned car seat tends to cause excessive stress on the body of the parent or person doing the lifting, and which task is aggravated for those persons having limited or impaired movement, e.g. a pregnant mother, or one having a weak back or a lumbar condition. Another known child seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,356. However, it is subject to the same deficiencies hereinabove noted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,559 discloses a patient conveyance device for transporting semi-ambulatory patients between bed, wheelchair, and bathroom facilities, etc.
As a result of the difficulties encountered in seating a small child in a car safety seat located centrally of the rear seat, many parents locate the child's seat as close to the door as possible rather than positioning the child seat at the centermost position. In doing so, the parent is sacrificing safety for convenience, which is undesirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a child's safety seat for use in a vehicle wherein the safety seat may be centrally positioned in a vehicle for maximum safety in the operative position and which can be rotated either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction so that the child's seat is laterally displaced relative to its centered position to a position closely adjacent and facing the door opening of the vehicle to minimize the imposition of any stress on the body of the person placing the child in the child's seat.
Another object of this invention is to provide a child's safety seat that is rendered pivotal about either one of two parallel spaced apart axes so that the child's safety seat can be pivoted either to the left or right of its operative centered position so that a child can be placed in the safety seat with a maximum of ease from either side of the vehicle.
Another object is to provide a child's safety seat pivotable about either of two parallel spaced apart axes and which safety seat is positively latched or locked in the operative position.
Another object is to provide a child's safety seat which is relatively simple in construction and positive in operation.
The above objects and other features and advantages are attained by a child safety seat mounted on a seat support that is securely fastened in or to the vehicle. A child seat is supported on the seat support and includes a back portion, a connected seat portion and opposed sides interconnected to the seat portion and back portion to form a seat sized to receive a small child. The child seat is hingedly connected to the seat support by spaced apart hinge assemblies that include removable hinge pins so that the child seat can be rotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction relative to the seat support when one of the hinge pins is removed. As the axis of rotation of the hinge assemblies are laterally spaced apart, the child seat can be pivoted either to the left or right of its dead center position so that in a rotated position the child seat is virtually opposite and facing the vehicle door so that a person need only lift the child and comfortably place the child in the child seat without twisting or other contorted motion heretofore required to position a child in a child seat centrally disposed on the rear seat of a vehicle. The child seat is provided with a harness or safety straps which can be readily fastened to secure the child in the child seat. With the child safely secured, the child seat is rotated about its axis of rotation to center the child seat on the seat support secured to the rear seat of a vehicle. The child seat is secured to the seat support by replacing the removed hinge pin. A latching mechanism is also provided to positively secure or lock the child seat in its operative and centered position on the seat support.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3094356 (1963-06-01), Burke
patent: 4762364 (1988-08-01), Young
patent: 4971392 (1990-11-01), Young
patent: 5524964 (1996-06-01), Weimersheimer
Brown Peter R.
Fattibene Arthur T.
Fattibene Paul A.
Fattibene & Fattibene
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