Chairs and seats – Body or occupant restraint or confinement
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-11-06
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Body or occupant restraint or confinement
C297S473000, C297S474000, C297S475000, C297S483000, C297S216100, C297S216130, C297S452200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312056
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to occupant restraint systems for motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention disclosed herein relates to an occupant restraint system for use relative to seats such as those commonly employed in school buses.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For many years, automobiles have been provided with occupant restraint devices for protecting vehicle passengers from injury due to sudden changes in vehicular velocity as would result from an impact or sudden braking. Lap belts in automobiles have been supplanted by three point occupant restraint systems intended to add still greater injury protection. Even greater safety has been realized by the additional provision of cushioning air bags that explode into a nearly enveloping protective position in the event of an automobile collision.
Most notably, however, large transportation vehicles have historically been left completely without occupant restraint mechanisms. For example, seat belts traditionally have been foregone in school buses because the safety mechanisms were considered unduly expensive and unnecessary in light of the general infrequency of accidents and the typically minor injuries resulting therefrom. Also, later model buses provide alternative safety mechanisms designed to absorb passenger impact in the event of an accident or the like.
Termed compartmentalization, this method contemplates having the school bus occupant thrown into the seat forward of the occupant's seat. Each of the seats on such school buses are designed to absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of the thrown rider. To do so, compartmentalization-type seats are padded sufficiently to absorb energy from the thrown occupant's head, torso, and knees such that energy is distributed over these three typical impact points. Furthermore, the seats are manufactured to particular dimensional specifications and are set at particular distances. Fortunately, compartmentalization has been found to improve overall occupant safety, which has led to a reduction in serious injuries.
Unfortunately, compartmentalized buses continue to leave their completely unrestrained occupants vulnerable in a number of ways. For example, in a side impact, occupants often are hurled into bus windows or walls or into the edge of an adjacent seat. Most tragically, unrestrained occupants have been ejected from within buses only to find themselves thrown into the path of oncoming traffic, placed at risk of having the vehicle roll over and crush them, or placed in similar life threatening situations. Further still, impacts while an individual is in a bent-over position can lead to a head-first impact with a seat back, which could result in spinal and head injuries.
Advantageously, occupant restraint systems in the form of two-point restraints, or lap belts, have been provided, and these systems serve to prevent an occupant from being ejected from the bus seat by securing the occupant's lower body to the seat bottom. Disadvantageously, lap belts fail to restrain the occupant's upper torso and head such that these body parts will tend to experience a potentially violent, whipping movement in an impact situation. This movement can lead to head, neck, and spine injury as the occupant may be simply thrashed about or snapped into the forward bus seat or the wall of the bus.
In light of the above, it becomes clear that providing an effective occupant restraint system that restrains both the upper and lower portions of an occupant's torso against both forward and lateral movement would greatly increase the safety of school bus occupants. The unfortunate reality, however, is that there are so many buses in service today that retrofitting them all with a truly effective occupant restraint system that resists tampering and inadvertent disablement would be unrealistic unless the occupant restraint mechanism were capable of being attached to a bus seat in a time and cost-effective manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Advantageously, the present invention sets about with the broadly-stated goal of providing an occupant restraint mechanism for buses and similar vehicles that meets each of the needs left by the prior art while providing a number of heretofore unrealized advantages.
Stated more particularly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide an occupant restraint system that allows a school bus seat to be retrofitted or provided originally with an occupant restraint system that greatly increases the safety of school bus occupants.
A related object of the invention is to provide an occupant restraint system that not only restrains an occupant against leaving the vehicle seat as a result of an impact but that also restrains the occupant's upper torso against undesirable movement during an impact thereby preventing injury to an occupant's head, torso, knees, and body in general.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an occupant restraint system that resists tampering and inadvertent disablement.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an occupant restraint system that improves passenger organization and control by inducing occupants to remain seated and apprising an operator as to whether all occupants are properly restrained.
An additional object of the invention is to provide such an occupant restraint system that is adjustable to accommodate occupants of a wide variety of sizes.
A further object of the invention is to provide such an occupant restraint system that can be mounted to an existing standard school bus seat in a time and cost-effective manner such that it would be practicable to apply occupant restraint mechanisms to a vast multitude of school buses.
These and still further objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily obvious both to one who reviews this disclosure and to one who has an opportunity to make use of an embodiment of the instant invention for an occupant restraint system.
Of course, one should remain mindful that the present discussion is designed merely to outline broadly the more important features and advantages of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventors' contribution to the art. Before an embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of possible manifestations of the invention. It should also be made clear that, although the invention is described in relation to a school bus seat, the occupant restraint system is readily applicable to a wide variety of vehicles such as trains and autos.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2488858 (1949-11-01), Franz
patent: 3169036 (1965-02-01), Spooner
patent: 3385633 (1968-05-01), Aizley
patent: 3620569 (1971-11-01), Mathis
patent: 4005765 (1977-02-01), Reilly
patent: 4114947 (1978-09-01), Nelson
patent: 4681344 (1987-07-01), Majerus
patent: 4973083 (1990-11-01), Richards et al.
patent: 5088794 (1992-02-01), Iwami et al.
patent: 5176402 (1993-01-01), Coulon
patent: 5536066 (1996-07-01), Sedlack
patent: 5564785 (1996-10-01), Schultz et al.
patent: 5575533 (1996-11-01), Glance
patent: 5624135 (1997-04-01), Symonds
patent: 5626359 (1997-05-01), Steffens, Jr. et al.
patent: 5636901 (1997-06-01), Grilliot et al.
patent: 5676421 (1997-10-01), Brodsky
patent: 094026553 (1994-11-01), None
Gudeman Keith A.
Murphy Gary H.
Temple, IV George E.
Cuomo Peter M.
O'Connell Law Firm
White Rodney B.
LandOfFree
Occupant restraint system with compartmentalization does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Occupant restraint system with compartmentalization, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Occupant restraint system with compartmentalization will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2586765