Abstract: A child safety seat including a seat bottom and seat back first and second resilient side elements carried on laterally-opposed sides of the seat back, and including walls defining an enclosed chamber. The walls have sufficient rigidity to maintain a nominal shape and are deformable in response to a predetermined minimum impact.

Abstract: A child safety seat including a seat bottom and seat back first and second resilient side elements carried on laterally-opposed sides of the seat back, and including walls defining an enclosed chamber. The walls have sufficient rigidity to maintain a nominal shape and are deformable in response to a predetermined minimum impact.

Abstract: A child restraint apparatus relates to holding a child within a vehicle interior. The apparatus has a body with an internal area for receiving a child. An energy absorbing member extends in use over at least part of an external surface of the body. This energy absorbing member faces away from the internal area.

Abstract: A child safety seat including a seat bottom and seat back first and second resilient side elements carried on laterally-opposed sides of the seat back, and including walls defining an enclosed chamber. The walls have sufficient rigidity to maintain a nominal shape and are deformable in response to a predetermined minimum impact.

Abstract: An energy absorbing tether assembly for use with a child safety seat of the type having a pair of spaced apart slots in a shell.

Abstract: A child safety seat is provided. The safety seat includes a generally L-shaped shell having a seat bottom and a seat back, a harness assembly carried by the shell for restraining an occupant in the seat, a restraining member for receiving a latching assembly for securing the safety seat into a support position on a vehicle seat in a manner, and at least one area of predetermined reduced material thickness formed into the shell in the rearward portion of the seat bottom. The area of reduce material thickness defines a crush zone of reduced capacity to resist a downward movement-induced load on the seat bottom indicative of the sudden forward travel decceleration of the vehicle.

Abstract: A child restraint apparatus relates to holding a child within a vehicle interior. The apparatus has a body with an internal area for receiving a child. An energy absorbing member extends in use over at least part of an external surface of the body. This energy absorbing member faces away from the internal area.

Abstract: A child safety seat assembly, including a base for being positioned on a vehicle seat bottom. An anti-rebound bar is carried by the base and extends outwardly and upwardly from a foot end of the base for engaging a seat back of the vehicle seat to which the seat is attached for retarding inertia-induced rotation of the base and the attached carrier by transmitting rotational force applied to the seat during a sudden change in velocity into the seat back of the vehicle seat onto which the seat is attached.

Abstract: An energy absorbing tether assembly for use with a child safety seat of the type having a pair of spaced apart slots in a shell.

Abstract: A cup holder assembly for a child seat movable between a retracted position and an extracted position includes an inner cup holder bracket, a medial cup holder slide movably attached to the cup holder bracket, and an outer cup holder floor pivotally attached to the cup holder slide. The cup holder slide and the cup holder floor move along an arc relative to the cup holder bracket, and the cup holder floor rotates relative to the cup holder slide and the cup holder bracket. The cup holder bracket has a rail guide and the cup holder slide includes a corresponding rail operable for slidingly engaging the rail guide. The cup holder slide further includes a lip that engages a corresponding ledge on the cup holder floor to rotate the cup holder floor as the cup holder slide is moved from the retracted position to the extracted position.

Abstract: A seat for providing an improved level of protection to a child by reducing the amount of force restraining straps exert upon the child during a collision. The seat includes a seat frame and a cover positioned over the seat frame to provide comfort to a seat occupant. The seat frame includes a seat back with a slot for receiving a strap for restraining a seat occupant and an energy absorbing member. The energy absorbing member reduces the amount of force applied by the strap to the seat occupant during a sudden deceleration of the seat.

Abstract: A seat for providing an improved level of protection to a child by reducing the amount of force restraining straps exert upon the child during a collision. The seat includes a seat frame and a cover positioned over the seat frame to provide comfort to a seat occupant. The seat frame includes a seat back with a slot for receiving a strap for restraining a seat occupant and an energy absorbing member. The energy absorbing member reduces the amount of force applied by the strap to the seat occupant during a sudden deceleration of the seat and comprises an elongated weakness area extending from a bottom edge of the slot. The energy absorbing member is adapted for progressive separation from the seat back during a sudden deceleration, whereby the strap is allowed to move forward, at a controlled rate, a predetermined distance during the sudden deceleration of the seat.

Abstract: A booster seat, including a seat bottom for being supported on an upper surface of a vehicle seat, with first and second latches carried by respective lateral first and second sides of the seat bottom for securing the seat bottom to the upper surface of the vehicle seat by a vehicle seat belt. Each of the first and second latches comprises a bottom latch member and a top latch member. The bottom latch member and the top latch member are movable relative to each other between an open, seat belt insertion position and a closed clamping position for receiving and clamping a seat belt extended laterally across the seat bottom and the lap of the seat occupant, thereby securing the booster seat and the seat occupant to the upper surface of the vehicle seat.

Abstract: A child seat for a vehicle seat with a protruding vehicle head rest includes a seat bottom for being supported on the vehicle seat, and a seat back carried by the seat bottom for providing back support to an occupant of the child seat. A recess is disposed in an upper end of the seat back and is positioned and adapted to receive the vehicle head rest and allow the vehicle head rest to protrude therethrough. Optionally, a supplemental head rest may be provided which is releasably securable in the recess.

Abstract: A seat for providing an improved level of protection to a child by reducing the amount of force restraining straps exert upon the child during a collision. The seat includes a seat frame and a cover positioned over the seat frame to provide comfort to a seat occupant. The seat frame includes a seat back with a slot for receiving a strap for restraining a seat occupant and an energy absorbing member. The energy absorbing member reduces the amount of force applied by the strap to the seat occupant during a sudden deceleration of the seat and comprises an elongated weakness area extending from a bottom edge of the slot. The energy absorbing member is adapted for progressive separation from the seat back during a sudden deceleration, whereby the strap is allowed to move forward, at a controlled rate, a predetermined distance during the sudden deceleration of the seat.

Abstract: A booster seat, including a seat bottom for being supported on an upper surface of a vehicle seat, with first and second latches carried by respective lateral first and second sides of the seat bottom for securing the seat bottom to the upper surface of the vehicle seat by a vehicle seat belt. Each of the first and second latches comprises a bottom latch member and a top latch member. The bottom latch member and the top latch member are movable relative to each other between an open, seat belt insertion position and a closed clamping position for receiving and clamping a seat belt extended laterally across the seat bottom and the lap of the seat occupant, thereby securing the booster seat and the seat occupant to the upper surface of the vehicle seat.

Abstract: A child safety seat assembly, including a base for being positioned on a vehicle seat bottom. An anti-rebound bar is carried by the base and extends outwardly and upwardly from a foot end of the base for engaging a seat back of the vehicle seat to which the seat is attached for retarding inertia-induced rotation of the base and the attached carrier by transmitting rotational force applied to the seat during a sudden change in velocity into the seat back of the vehicle seat onto which the seat is attached.

Abstract: A child safety seat assembly, including a base for being positioned on a vehicle seat bottom. The base includes an Isofix-type latch for attachment of the base to an Isofix bar of the vehicle seat, and a separate seat belt lock-off for allowing the base to be secured to the vehicle seat by means of the vehicle seat belt. A child carrier is provided for being releasably attached to the base. The carrier includes a handle for allowing the carrier to be lifted and carried. The handle includes a latching assembly for releasably locking the carrier to the base and detaching the carrier from the base with a single hand.

Abstract: A child safety seat, including a seat body having a seat bottom and a seat back. A vehicle seat attachment assembly is carried by the safety seat for securing the safety seat to rigid anchorage units carried by a vehicle proximate to a vehicle seat. The attachment assembly has a transversely-extending coupling assembly carried by the safety seat. First and second connectors are mounted on the coupling assembly for transverse adjustable alignment relative to respective first and second transversely spaced-apart rigid anchorage units. The safety seat may be attached to first and second rigid anchorage units that have differing degrees of spacing between them.