JUVENILE VEHICLE SEAT WITH MOVABLE HEADREST
A child restraint includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back includes a backrest and a headrest that is mounted for up-and-down movement on the backrest toward and away from the seat bottom.
The present disclosure relates to child restraints for use by children in vehicles, and in particular, to a juvenile vehicle seat including a backrest and an adjustable headrest mounted for movement on the backrest.
SUMMARYAccording to the present disclosure, a child restraint comprises a juvenile vehicle seat including a seat bottom and a seat back. In illustrative embodiments, the child restraint also includes a child-restraint harness coupled to the juvenile vehicle seat.
In illustrative embodiments, the seat back includes a backrest arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom and a movable headrest mounted for up-and-down movement on the backrest. The movable headrest includes a headrest cradle and cradle-height controller arranged to interconnect the backrest and the headrest cradle and configured to be operable by a caregiver to control up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle on the backrest.
In illustrative embodiments, the movable headrest also includes a cradle cover made of fabric and mounted on the headrest cradle to move up and down therewith relative to the backrest and an extensible cradle tail having an upper end coupled to the cradle cover to move therewith and a lower end coupled to an anchor panel included in a seat-bottom cover that is mounted on the seat bottom. The extensible cradle tail is expandable and contractible to change length during up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle relative to the backrest between RAISED and LOWERED positions so as to cover any forward-facing openings formed in the backrest so that a child seated on the seat bottom is generally not exposed to such openings regardless of the position of the headrest cradle on the backrest. For example, such backrest openings could be defined by an open channel formed in a headrest-mount platform included in the backrest and any adjacent open cavities formed in the front surface of the backrest.
In illustrative embodiments, the extensible cradle tail includes a wide upper panel, a narrow lower panel, and a middle panel located between the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel. A cradle-cover connector is included in the extensible cradle tail to connect the cradle cover to the upper end of the wide upper panel. An elastic upper-panel connector is included in the extensible cradle tail to connect an upper end of the middle panel to the wide upper panel. An elastic lower-panel connector is included in the extensible cradle tail to connect the lower end of the middle panel to the narrow lower panel. An anchor-panel connector is also included in the extensible cradle tail to connect the lower end of the narrow lower panel to a seat-bottom cover mounted on the seat bottom.
In illustrative embodiments, the elastic upper-panel and lower-panel connectors can expand in length during upward movement of the headrest cradle away from the seat bottom to lengthen the extensible headrest tail and contract in length to shorten the extensible headrest tail as the headrest cradle moves downwardly on the backrest towards the seat bottom. In a CONTRACTED state of the extensible cradle tail that is extant when the headrest cradle occupies a LOWERED position on the backrest, the middle panel is telescopically received (in whole or in part) in a middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the lower panel is telescopically received (in whole or in part) in a lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to decrease the effective length of the extensible cradle tail. In an EXPANDED state of the extensible cradle tail that is extant when the headrest cradle occupies a relatively higher RAISED position on the backrest, the middle panel is withdrawn (in whole or in part) from the middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel is withdrawn in whole or in part from the lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to increase the effective length of the extensible cradle tail.
In illustrative embodiments, the juvenile vehicle seat further includes a backrest cover mounted on the backrest and a seat-bottom cover mounted on the seat bottom. The seat-bottom cover includes a seat pad that is arranged to underlie and support a child seated on the seat bottom and an anchor panel that is mounted on a rear edge of the seat pad for pivotable movement about a horizontal pivot axis toward and away from the backrest. In use, a rearwardly facing side of the anchor panel engages the front surface of the backrest. The anchor-panel connector is included in the extensible cradle tail to connect the lower end of the narrow lower panel to the anchor panel of the seat-bottom cover. Such a connection serves to anchor the lower end of the extensible cradle tail to the seat-bottom cover so that the extensible cradle tail can expand and contract in length while allowing up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle that is coupled to the cradle cover relative to the backrest.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A child restraint 10 compromises a juvenile vehicle seat 11 and a child-restraint harness 12 coupled to juvenile vehicle seat 11 as shown diagrammatically in
Seat back 16 includes a backrest 22 that is arranged to extend upwardly from seat bottom 14 and a movable headrest 24 that can be mounted on a headrest-mount plate 23 included in backrest 22 as suggested in
Movable headrest 24 includes a headrest cradle 26 that is arranged to be moved up and down relative to backrest 22 as suggested in
Cradle cover 28 of movable headrest 24 is sized and shaped to be mounted on headrest cradle 26 to move up and down therewith relative to backrest 22 and to the underlying seat bottom 14 as suggested in
Extensible cradle tail 30 comprises, in series, top to bottom, a cradle-cover connector 31, a wide upper panel 32, an elastic upper-panel connector 33, a middle panel 34, an elastic lower-panel connector 35, a lower panel 36, and an anchor-panel connector 37 as shown, for example, in
Upper-panel connector 33 comprises elastic first and second right-side straps 331, 332 and elastic first and second left-side straps 333, 334 as suggested in
Lower-panel connector 35 comprises elastic first and second right-side straps 351, 352 and elastic first and second right-side straps 353, 354 as suggested in
Extensible cradle tail 30 expands and contracts in length as needed during up-and-down movement of headrest cradle 26 relative to backrest 22 to maintain a generally flat surface behind a child seated on seat bottom 14 as the elevation of headrest cradle 26 above seat bottom 14 is changed by a caregiver. Extensible cradle tail 30 allows for up-and-down movement of headrest cradle 26 along backrest 22 while a child is seated in juvenile vehicle seat 11. The child's weight is directed more toward seat bottom 14 rather than extensible cradle tail 30 making it easier to adjust movable headrest 24 to change the elevation of headrest cradle 26 while the child is sitting on the juvenile vehicle seat 11. Extensible cradle tail 30 comprises a fabric soft goods assembly that telescopes into itself when headrest cradle 26 is moved up and down on backrest 22.
Movable headrest 24 also includes a cradle-height controller 40 that is mounted on headrest cradle 26 for up-and-down movement therewith relative to backrest 22 as suggested in
Cradle-height controller 40 also includes a lock activator 44 that is linked to the blocker movers of headrest lock 42 and can be moved by a caregiver relative to headrest cradle 26 to activate the blocker movers to cause the motion blockers to move relative to headrest cradle 26 to engage or disengage lock-receiver sockets 42S formed in backrest 22. Lock activator 44 can be operated by a caregiver to activate headrest lock 42 when it is desired to disengage the motion blockers in headrest lock 42 from the lock-receiver sockets 42S formed in backrest 22 to free headrest cradle 26 for up-and-down movement on backrest 22 as suggested, for example, in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/142,729.
Wide upper panel 32 of extensible cradle tail 30 comprises a center sleeve 32C flanked by pivotable left and right flaps 32L, 32R as suggested in
Wide upper panel 32 further comprises card retainer means 32CR coupled to an exterior surface 32E of rear sheet 32R for receiving a card (not shown) as suggested in
Middle panel 34 of extensible cradle tail 30 is a sleeve that comprises a front sheet 34F shown in
Cradle cover 28 of movable headrest 24 is illustratively made of fabric and configured to be mounted on headrest cradle 26 as suggested in
Extensible cradle tail 30 includes an upper end 30U that is coupled to cradle cover 28 as suggested diagrammatically in
Anchor-panel connector 37 of extensible cradle tail 30 is used to couple extensible cradle tail 30 to anchor panel 14AP of seat-bottom cover 14C as suggested in
In use, cradle cover 28 is coupled to headrest cradle 26, the first and second straps 311, 312 of cradle-cover connector 31 are used to couple cradle cover 28 to wide upper panel 32 of extensible cradle tail 30, and the first and second straps 371, 372 of anchor-panel connector 37 are used to couple narrow lower panel 36 of extensible cradle tail 30 to anchor panel 14AP of bottom-seat cover 14C as suggested in
As suggested in
Panel clamp 120C is spring-loaded using any suitable spring means normally to apply a clamping force to wide upper panel 32 as suggested in
Claims
1. A juvenile vehicle seat comprising
- a seat bottom and
- a seat back including a backrest arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom and a movable headrest including a headrest cradle mounted for up-and-down movement on the backrest and a cradle-height controller linked to the headrest cradle and the backrest to control elevation of the headrest cradle above the seat bottom, wherein the movable headrest further includes a cradle cover coupled to the headrest cradle to move therewith relative to the backrest and an extensible cradle tail having an upper end coupled to the cradle cover to move therewith relative to the backrest and a lower end anchored to lie in a stationary position relative to the seat bottom and wherein the extensible cradle tail is expandable and contractible to change length during up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle relative to the backrest between a raised position located at a first distance from the seat bottom and a lowered position located at a relatively smaller second distance from the seat bottom so as to cover forward-facing openings formed in the backrest and located behind the extensible cradle tail and between the seat bottom and the headrest cradle in the raised position.
2. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 1, further comprising a seat-bottom cover mounted on the seat bottom and the lower end of the extensible cradle tail is coupled to the seat-bottom cover to remain in a fixed position relative to the seat bottom during up-and-down movement of the head cradle relative to the seat bottom.
3. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the seat-bottom cover includes a seat pad that is arranged to underlie and support a child seated on the seat bottom and an anchor panel that extends upwardly along the backrest and the lower end of the extensible cradle tail is coupled to the anchor panel.
4. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the anchor panel is mounted on a rear edge of the seat pad for pivotable movement about a pivot axis toward and away from the backrest.
5. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the anchor panel includes a rear face facing toward the backrest and a front face facing away from the backrest and the lower end of the extensible cradle tail is coupled to the front face of the anchor panel.
6. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the lower end of the extensible cradle tail includes an anchor-panel connector comprising a first strap, a first female snap carried on the first strap, and a stationary first male snap coupled to the anchor panel and configured to mate with the first female snap to couple the lower end of the extensible cradle tail to the seat-bottom cover.
7. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 6, wherein the anchor panel includes a rear face facing toward the backrest and a front face facing away from the backrest and the first male snap is coupled to the front face of the anchor panel.
8. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 1, further comprising an anchor panel that is located in a stationary position alongside the seat bottom during up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle relative to the backrest and wherein the anchor panel includes a rear face facing toward the backrest and a front face facing away from the backrest and the lower end of the extensible cradle tail is coupled to the front face of the anchor panel.
9. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 8, wherein the lower end of the extensible cradle tail includes a first strap and a strap retainer comprising a first female snap coupled to the first strap and a companion first male snap coupled to the front face of the anchor panel and configured to mate with the first female snap to tether the lower end of the extensible cradle tail to the anchor panel.
10. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 1, further comprising a tail anchor that is located in a stationary position alongside the backrest and wherein the lower end of the extensible cradle tail is coupled to the anchor.
11. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the extensible cradle tail includes a wide upper panel, a narrow lower panel, and a middle panel interposed between the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel, the extensible cradle tail is configured to assume a contracted state characterized by a first length when the headrest cradle occupies the lowered position on the backrest to cause the middle panel to be telescopically received in a middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel to be telescopically received in a lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to decrease an effective length of the extensible cradle tail, and the extensible cradle tail is also configured to assume an expanded state characterized by a relatively longer second length when the headrest cradle occupies the raised position on the backrest to cause the middle panel to be withdrawn from the middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel to be withdrawn from the lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to increase the effective length of the extensible cradle tail.
12. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the extensible cradle tail further includes a cradle-cover connector arranged to connect the cradle cover to an upper end of the wide upper panel, an upper-panel connector arranged to connect an upper end of the middle panel to the wide upper panel, a lower-panel connector arranged to connect a lower end of the middle panel to the narrow lower panel, and an anchor-panel connector arranged to connect a lower end of the narrow lower panel to an anchor panel located in a stationary position on the backrest during up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle relative to the backrest.
13. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 12, wherein each of the upper-panel and lower-panel connectors comprise at least one elastic strap configured to stretch within an elastic limit from an original shape during upward movement of the headrest cradle to the raised position and to recover the original shape during downward movement of the headrest cradle to the lowered position.
14. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 12, wherein each of the upper-panel and lower-panel connectors comprise at least one strap that is configured to deform and change shape during downward movement of the headrest cradle from the raised position to the lowered position.
15. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 12, wherein the upper-panel connector lies in the middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the lower-panel connector lies in the lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel when the extensible cradle tail assumes the contracted state.
16. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 12, wherein the cradle-cover connector comprises a first strap having an upper end coupled to the cradle cover and a lower end coupled to the wide upper panel.
17. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 16, wherein the cradle-cover connector further comprises a first female snap coupled to the wide upper panel and a companion first male snap carried on the first strap and removably mated to the first female snap.
18. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the wide upper panel comprises a front sheet and a rear sheet that is coupled to the front sheet to form a downwardly opening pocket between the front and rear sheets to provide the middle-panel receiver.
19. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 18, wherein the front and rear sheet cooperate to form a center sleeve and the wide upper panel further comprises a left flap mounted for pivotable movement to a left side of the center sleeve and a right flap mounted for pivotable movement to an opposite right side of the center sleeve to locate the center sleeve between the left and right flaps.
20. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 19, wherein the extensible cradle tail further includes a cradle-cover connector arranged to connect the cradle cover to the center sleeve of the wide open panel.
21. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 18, wherein the middle panel is a sleeve that comprises a front sheet and a rear sheet that are joined to one another to form a downwardly opening pocket to provide the lower-panel receiver.
22. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the middle panel is a sleeve comprising a front sheet and a rear sheet that is coupled to the front sheet to form a downwardly opening pocket between the front and rear sheets to provide the middle-panel receiver.
23. The juvenile vehicle seat comprising
- a seat bottom and a seat back including a backrest arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom and a movable headrest including a headrest cradle mounted for up-and-down movement relative to the backrest between a raised position located above the seat bottom and a lower position located between the raised position and the seat bottom, a cradle cover coupled to the headrest cradle, and an extensible cradle tail including a wide upper panel, a middle panel telescopically received in a middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel, a narrow lower panel telescopically received in a lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel, a cradle-cover connector arranged to interconnecting the cradle cover and the wide upper panel, an elastic upper-panel connector arranged to interconnect the wide upper panel and the middle panel, an elastic lower-panel connector arranged to interconnect the middle panel and the narrow lower panel, and an anchor connector arranged to interconnect the narrow lower panel to a tail anchor that is included in the juvenile vehicle seat and is located in a stationary position alongside the backrest.
24. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 23, wherein the elastic upper-panel and lower-panel connectors are configured to expand in length during upward movement of the headrest cradle away from the seat bottom to lengthen the extensible headrest tail and to contract in length to shorten the extensible headrest tail as the headrest cradle moves downwardly on the backrest towards the seat bottom, wherein in a contracted state of the extensible cradle tail that is extant when the headrest cradle occupies a lowered position on the backrest, the middle panel is telescopically received in whole or in part in a middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the lower panel is telescopically received in whole or in part in a lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to decrease the effective length of the extensible cradle tail, and wherein in an expanded state of the extensible cradle tail that is extant when the headrest cradle occupies a relatively higher raised position on the backrest, the middle panel is withdrawn in whole or in part from the middle-panel receiver formed in the wide upper panel and the narrow lower panel is withdrawn in whole or in part from the lower-panel receiver formed in the middle panel so as to increase the effective length of the extensible cradle tail.
25. The juvenile vehicle seat of claim 24, further comprising a backrest cover mounted on the backrest and a seat-bottom cover mounted on the seat bottom, the seat-bottom cover includes a seat pad that is arranged to underlie and support a child seated on the seat bottom and the tail anchor, the tail anchor is an anchor panel that is mounted on a rear edge of the seat pad for pivotable movement about a horizontal pivot axis toward and away from the backrest, a rearwardly facing side of the anchor panel engages the front surface of the backrest, an anchor-panel connector is included in the extensible cradle tail to connect the lower end of the narrow lower panel to the anchor panel of the seat-bottom cover to anchor the lower end of the extensible cradle tail to the seat-bottom cover so that the extensible cradle tail can expand and contract in length while allowing up-and-down movement of the headrest cradle that is coupled to the cradle cover relative to the backrest.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2019
Publication Date: Jul 23, 2020
Inventors: Jennifer L. SANFORD (Attleboro, MA), Kurt NYGREN (Harvard, MA), Gordon WOODS (Nauvoo, AL)
Application Number: 16/255,353