Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Fuselage and body construction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-14
2001-05-01
Barefoot, Galen L. (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Fuselage and body construction
C244S1220AG, C244S140000, C244S141000, C297S216100, C297S487000, C280S748000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224018
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to emergency seats and capsules and more particularly pertains to a new occupant protection system for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle, boat, or airplane during a crash.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of emergency seats and capsules is known in the prior art. More specifically, emergency seats and capsules heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,736,523; 5,297,761; 3,067,973; 5,058,830; 5,110,071; PCT Patent No. WO 94/22714; and PCT Patent No. WO 94/07105.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new occupant protection system. The inventive device includes a chair positioned inside a vehicle such as an airplane, automobile, truck, or a boat. The chair has a seat portion and a backrest portion. The seat portion has a pair of leg clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to lock a pair of legs to the seat portion in anticipation of a crash. The backrest portion has a pair of arm clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to press the arms and torso of a user towards the backrest and hold it tightly therebetween.
In these respects, the occupant protection system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle, boat, or airplane during a crash.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of emergency seats and capsules now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new occupant protection system construction wherein the same can be utilized for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle, boat, or airplane during a crash.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new occupant protection system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the emergency seats and capsules mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new occupant protection system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art emergency seats and capsules, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a chair positioned inside a vehicle such as an airplane, automobile, truck, or a boat. The chair has a seat portion and a backrest portion. The seat portion has a pair of leg clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to lock a pair of legs to the seat portion in anticipation of a crash. The backrest portion has a pair of arm clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to press the arms and torso of a user towards the backrest and hold it tightly therebetween.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new occupant protection system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the emergency seats and capsules mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new occupant protection system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art emergency seats and capsules, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new occupant protection system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new occupant protection system which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such occupant protection system economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle, boat, or airplane during a crash.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system which includes a chair positioned inside a vehicle such as an airplane, automobile, truck, or a boat. The chair has a seat portion and a backrest portion. The seat portion has a pair of leg clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to lock a pair of legs to the seat portion in anticipation of a crash. The backrest portion has a pair of arm clamp panels pivotally coupled to it to press the arms and torso of a user towards the backrest and hold it tightly therebetween.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system that holds the arms and legs in place, preventing them from flailing around during a crash.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new occupant protection system that includes a raft in case of shipwreck or plane crash in water.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
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