Child seat organizer for use in automobiles

Abstract

A child seat organizer is provided for placement between a child safety seat and a vehicle seat, and which includes a barrier for placement on the vehicle seat that is adapted to receive the child safety seat and is easily secured to the vehicle seat to prevent unwanted movement. In addition, one or more storage compartments may be interconnected to the barrier and are located adjacent to the child safety seat when it is placed on the barrier.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/582,454, filed Jun. 23, 2004, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to storage devices adapted for interconnection to seats, doors, or other areas of an automobile, and which is adapted for use with a child's safety seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a long felt need in the field of automobile storage to provide a storage device for interconnection with a child safety seat. More specifically, children traveling in the rear compartment of an automobile often become bored and tend to misbehave when not sufficiently stimulated, for example with toys. However, since children are often restrictively harnessed in safety seats, toys, drinks, food and other items may fall out of the child's reach. Thus, it is desirable to provide a storage device and organizer wherein toys or other stored items are readily accessible and secured. The following disclosure describes an organizer that interconnects to the vehicle seat and that resides below and around the child's vehicle seat, thus supplying a plurality of storage locations for toys, food, diapers, blankets, drinks, and any other items generally used with a small child.

It is a further problem when utilizing child seats that a lower portion of the child seat rubs on expensive leather or upholstery, thus causing damage. Further, spilled drinks, food and other items can damage or stain the seats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one aspect of the present invention provide an organizer that is adapted for interconnection to a vehicle seat, and which is adapted for use with a child's seat or booster. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention includes a protective barrier to separate the seating area of a vehicle seat and a child safety seat. In operation, the organizer is placed on the seat wherein the barrier thereof is located generally where an individual would sit. The child safety seat is then placed atop the barrier to protect the seat from the child safety seat thereby increasing the life of the leather, vinyl, or cloth seating material. The barrier also prevents fluids, dirt, food, etc. from contacting the seat and/or spilling onto the vehicle flooring.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a toy organizer that includes a plurality of places for storage. One embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of storage compartments on either side of the toy organizer. The child safety seat, as described above, is generally placed on the barrier, wherein the storage compartments are placed on either side thereof. Some embodiments of the present invention also include one or more front storage pockets.

It is still yet another aspect of the present invention to provide an organizer that is easily accessible. Embodiments of the present invention include large pockets that are well suited for plush toys, for example, and are very accessible by children, i.e. within their reach. One skilled in the art will appreciate that storage compartments may be selectively closable thereby making them difficult to access by children. Further, the front storage pocket may specifically be designed to be out of reach of a child so items like diapers, drinks, etc. may be stored out of the harnessed child's reach.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a child seat organizer which has a novel interconnection system for securing the organizer to a vehicle seat. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a clip or other mechanism is tethered to the organizer, and prevents the organizer from becoming disengaged from the vehicle seat.

Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, a child seat organizer is provided, comprising:

a barrier for location between the child safety seat and the vehicle seat, said barrier having dimensions generally equal to the dimensions of the base surface of the child safety seat; and

at least one side storage compartment having a height approximately equal to the height of the arms of the child safety seat, said side storage compartment being interconnected to said base, wherein during use, said side storage compartment is located adjacent to the side portion of the child safety seat.

The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy organizer of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toy organizer interconnected to a vehicle seat; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a child safety seat engaged to the toy organizer of one embodiment of the invention.

To assist in the understanding of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:

#  Component
2  Child seat organizer
4  Barrier
6  Side storage compartment
8  Front storage compartment
10 Interconnection tab
12 Vehicle seat
14 Child safety seat
16 Adjustable divider
18 Mesh pocket

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a child seat organizer 2 of one embodiment of the present invention is shown herein. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention include a barrier 4 with a perimeter edge wherein side storage compartments 6 are interconnected thereto. In addition, a front storage compartment 8 may also be provided. The child seat organizer 2 also may include an interconnection tab 10 which generally comprises an apparatus interconnected to a strap of a predetermined length that removably interconnects to a portion of a vehicle seat 12. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such an interconnection tab 10 may be unnecessary depending on the type of child safety seat 14 being employed and/or vehicle seat 12 being used, which will be apparent upon further review of this specification. As shown, the side storage compartments 6 may include an adjustable divider 16 and a plurality of pockets 18.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the child seat organizer 2 of one embodiment of the present invention is shown in detail. Here, the barrier 4 is provided that is generally a rectangular piece of material adapted to protect the vehicle seat 12 from the child safety seat 14. The barrier 4 also includes locations for the interconnection of the storage compartments 6. Since it is one aspect of the present invention that the child seat organizer 2 be collapsible for easy storage, the side storage compartments 6 may be hingedly interconnected to the barrier 4. The barrier 4 also provides locations for interconnection of the front storage compartment 8 and the interconnection tabs 10.

The side storage compartments 6 of one embodiment of the present invention include a divider 16, thereby partitioning the storage compartment 6 and at least two distinct sub-compartments. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the divider 16 may be selectively interconnected into the storage compartment 6 thereby allowing the user to customize the sub-compartments storage volumes. Preferably, an adjustable storage divider 16 is provided that is hingedly interconnected to an inner wall of the storage compartment 6 and selectively interconnectable with, for example hook and loop fasteners, to an outer wall of the storage compartment 6. This feature allows the adjustable divider 16 to be selectively folded, thereby allowing the storage compartment 6 to collapse or be formed into a larger storage area. In addition, mesh pockets 18 may be provided that are interconnected to either the front storage compartments 8, the side storage compartments 6, or both, thereby providing the user with additional storage locations. The mesh pockets 18 interconnected to the side storage compartments 6 may be constructed of a mesh or transparent material to provide visual access to the contents stored therein. The front storage compartment 8, for example, allows the user to secure food items or other items that they wish to keep out of the reach of a child.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the child seat organizer 2 of one embodiment of the present invention is shown interconnected to a vehicle seat 12. In operation, the user places the barrier 4 atop the seating area of the vehicle seat 12, thereby positioning the front storage compartment 8 over the front edge of the vehicle seat 12. The side storage compartments 6 would then be splayed outwardly to provide a location for the placement of the child safety seat 14, which will be described in further detail below. Preferably, interconnection tabs 10, as shown more distinctly in FIG. 1, are provided that are slid between the intersection of the seating portion of the vehicle seat 12 and the back support portion of the seat. Although in one embodiment the interconnection tabs 10 are substantially rigid planer materials, as appreciated by one skilled in the art any number of shapes and sizes of materials may be utilized which can be wedged between the seat back and seat portion. The interconnection tabs 10 are then pulled taunt behind the vehicle seat 12 and secured thereto, generally insuring that the child seat organizer 2 does not slip in relation to the vehicle seat 12. Alternatively, straps could be wrapped around the seat portion of the vehicle seat. Although bench style seating is shown herein, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other vehicle seats 12, for example bucket seats, maybe used as a platform for the child seat organizer 2. More specifically, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the concepts embodied in the present invention may be employed on vehicle seats of any size or shape so that a storage location is provided adjacent to a child safety seat.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a child safety seat 14 is shown positioned on top of a child seat organizer 2 in one embodiment of the present invention. Here, the child seat organizer 2 has been placed on the vehicle seat 12, as shown in FIG. 2, and the child safety seat 14 has been placed thereon. Further, it is apparent that the base of the child safety seat 14 is substantially separated from the vehicle seat, wherein the barrier is located therebetween. Thus, the vehicle seat 12, which may be made of an expensive material, such as leather, is protected from abrasions or other forms of scarring or damage that may occur from child safety seat 14 contact.

In addition, it is apparent from FIG. 3 that the side storage compartments 6 are located in an easily accessible location, wherein the child sitting in the child safety seat 14 has great access thereto. One skilled in the art will appreciate however that the height of the side storage pockets may be substantially decreased or increased depending on the age of the child, i.e. to compensate their arm length, to provide different levels of accessibility depending on the age of the child, desires of the parent, etc. In addition, it should be understood that the side storage compartments 6 may include a cover (now shown) so that the items stored therein may be protected, concealed or kept away from the child sitting in the safety seat 14.

It is also apparent that the front storage compartment 8 is placed in an area away from the child. More specifically, children sitting in safety seats 14 of this nature are generally harnessed therein. In this seating position, it is virtually impossible for the child to lean forward to gain access to the items stored in the front storage compartment 8, thus making the front storage compartment 8 an ideal location to store items that the parent does not wish the child to have access to. However, the stored items will be in a location close to the child for easy access by the parent.

Referring now again to FIGS. 1-3, a manner of making the present invention is shown and described. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are constructed of commonly used compliant materials. For example, neoprene, nylon, leather, koskin, rubber, plastics, or any other similar type of compliant material may be utilized and is contemplated by the present invention. Methods of constructing and sewing individual components to the barrier 4 are also well known, such as commonly known stitching techniques used in the art. Due to the compliant nature of one embodiment of the present invention, the child seat organizer 2 is easily folded upon itself for easy storage under the seat of the automobile when not in use. Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the materials may be selectively altered to customize color or design. Finally, the materials used to construct the child seat organizer may be easily cleaned or repaired. One skilled in the art will appreciate that at least the barrier portion 4 of the child seat organizer 2 may be constructed out of a more rugged or rigid material to increase automobile seat protection.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A child seat organizer adapted for placement between a child safety seat and a vehicle seat, comprising:

a barrier for location between the child safety seat and the vehicle seat, said barrier having dimensions generally equal to the dimensions of the base surface of the child safety seat; and

at least one side storage compartment having a height approximately equal to the height of the arms of the child safety seat, said side storage compartment being interconnected to said base, wherein during use, said side storage compartment is located adjacent to the side portion of the child safety seat.

2. The child seat organizer of claim 1, further comprising a front storage compartment interconnected adjacent to said side storage compartment and interconnected to said barrier wherein said front storage compartment is positioned in a location approximate to the front portion of the child safety seat and angled downwardly, thereby draping over the vehicle seat.

3. The child seat organizer of claim 1, further comprising at least one interconnection clip operably interconnected to a rear edge of the barrier, said interconnection clip adapted for engagement between the seat portion of the vehicle seat and the back support portion of the vehicle seat, thereby substantially securing the barrier to the vehicle seat.

4. The child seat organizer of claim 1, wherein said barrier is comprised of a flexible material wherein said organizer is substantially collapsible.

5. The organizer of claim 3, wherein said interconnection clip comprises a substantially rigid plate which slides between a seat back and a seat chair.