AU2006100970A4

AU2006100970A4 - Child seat for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU2006100970A4
Application number: AU2006100970A
Authority: AU
Inventors: James Horsfall
Original assignee: INFA PRODUCTS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: INFA PRODUCTS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-11-14
Filing date: 2006-11-14
Publication date: 2006-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 2014-11-14

Description

Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990 COMPLETE INNOVATION SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT ACTUAL INVENTOR ADDRESS FOR SERVICE Infa Products Pty Ltd (ACN 981 302 631) James Horsfall Peter Maxwell and Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 CHILD SEAT FOR A VEHICLE Nil INVENTION TITLE: DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED APPLICATION NO(S) The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:m:\docs\20061043\107531 .doc 2 O CHILD SEAT FOR A VEHICLE z FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to child seats for vehicles and, in particular, to a seat which allows a child to be more easily harnessed therein for _travelling in a vehicle.

N BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Babies and young toddlers are required to be harnessed in specially constructed seats when travelling in a vehicle. The harness arrangement for such seats commonly comprises a pair of over-shoulder straps each having a tongue slidably located therealong, and a bottom strap having a buckle fitted thereto. When the child is positioned correctly on the seat, the harness arrangement may secure the child to the seat by the engagement of each tongue into a corresponding spring locking mouth of the buckle and, if required, tightening the straps around the child.

A difficulty may arise if the harness arrangement, prior to harnessing the child to the seat, is left over the middle portion of the seat, where it is required to locate the child. Usually, a parent would prefer to use both hands to lower and release the child onto the seat before applying the harness arrangement to the child, but this will be impossible if the parent needs to, whilst holding the child, relocate the harness arrangement away from the middle portion of the seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a means for stably locating the harness arrangement away from the middle portion of the 14/11/06 3 seat when the seat is not in use so that, when a child is to be lowered and Z released onto the seat for harnessing thereto, the parent is not required to first relocate the harness arrangement away from the middle portion of the seat.

According to the invention, there is provided a child seat for a vehicle, the seat including means for co-operating with a harness arrangement of the Ovehicle for harnessing a child to the seat, the harness arrangement having at Ileast two straps which include respective interengagable locking elements, the N locking elements being made of magnetically attracted material, the seat further including anchoring elements for each of the locking elements, the anchoring elements being made of magnetically attracting material and being located remotely of a middle portion of the seat where the child is to be located, the at least two straps of the harness arrangement being so locatable by a user as to enable the locking elements to be stably retained by respective anchoring elements through magnetic attraction.

Preferably, the co-operating means include a pair of back apertures formed through a back portion of the seat and a bottom aperture formed through the middle portion of the seat, wherein the harness arrangement includes a pair of over-shoulder straps and a bottom strap, each over-shoulder strap passing through a respective back aperture and the bottom strap passing through the bottom aperture, each over-shoulder strap having a lockable tongue slidably fitted therealong, and the bottom strap having a buckle securely fitted thereto, the buckle having a pair of spring locking mouths for engaging lockably therein a respective lockable tongue so that, when the child is positioned correctly on the seat, the harness arrangement secures the child to the seat.

It is preferred that the anchoring elements for each of the pair of lockable tongues are located at opposed elevated side portions of the seat, and the 14/11/06 4 c-i anchoring element for the buckle is located forwardly of the middle portion of Z the seat.

In a preferred form, the anchoring elements are magnetic plates positioned underneath a fabric cover for the seat.

0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into ci practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is a perspective view of a child seat according to the prior art, and a co-operating harness arrangement of a vehicle in which the seat is located, with the harness arrangement shown left over a middle portion of the seat, Fig 2 is a perspective view of a child seat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and a co-operating harness arrangement therefor, Fig 3 is a perspective view of the child seat and co-operating harness arrangement of Fig 2, and a child seated on, but unharnessed to, the seat, and Fig 4 is a perspective view of the child seat, co-operating harness arrangement and seated child of Fig 3, with the child shown harnessed to the seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The child seat 10 of the prior art shown in Fig 1 is adapted for use in a vehicle. Co-operating with the child seat 10 is a harness arrangement 12 of the vehicle for harnessing a child to the seat, and particularly, so as to seat a child to a middle portion 13 of the seat. The harness arrangement 12, in this embodiment, consists of a pair of over-shoulder straps 14, 15 each having a 14/11/06 Iockable tongue 16, 17 slidably fitted therealong, and a bottom strap 18 having Z securely fitted thereto a buckle 19 with a pair of spring locking mouths for engaging a respective lockable tongue. As shown in Fig 1, the harness arrangement has been left by the previous user in an untidy and haphazard manner in the middle portion 13 of the seat where a child would normally be 0 seated.

D A user, such as a parent, subsequently wishing to harness a child to the ci seat, will be required to firstly relocate the harness arrangement away from the middle portion 13 of the seat. This may be difficult where a parent is using both hands to hold the child.

The child seat 20 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs 2, 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in Fig 1 but further includes anchoring elements 21, 22, 23 for each of the lockable tongues 16, 17 and buckle 19 (also referred to herein as locking elements) of the harness arrangement, which is also shown in Figs 2, 3 and 4 and is similar to that shown in Fig 1.

The locking elements 16, 17, 19 are conventionally made of magnetically attracted material, such as chrome plated metal or stainless steel or the like, and the anchoring elements 21, 22, 23 are made of magnetically attracting material, such as magnetic plates, which are located remotely of the middle portion 13 of the seat and positioned underneath a fabric cover therefor.

In the case of the anchoring elements 21, 22 for each of the pair of lockable tongues 16, 17, those elements are located at opposed elevated side portions 24, 25 of the seat, and in the case of the anchoring element 23 for the buckle 19, that element is located forwardly of the middle portion 13 of the seat.

As with the child seat 10 of the prior art, the child seat 20 includes a plurality of back apertures 26 formed through a back portion 27 of the seat, and 14/11/06

\O

6 a bottom aperture 28 formed through the middle portion 13 of the seat. It is Z through a selected pair 26a, 26b of the back apertures that respective overshoulder straps 14, 15 pass, and a bottom strap 18 passes through the bottom 0aperture 28. The lockable tongues 16, 17 which are slidably fitted along the over-shoulder straps, and the buckle 19 which is securely fitted to the bottom 0 strap, are, when the seat 20 is not in use, moved away from the middle portion ID13 of the seat and stably retained, through magnetic attraction, by respective C anchoring elements 21, 22, 23, as shown in Fig 2.

After a child is lowered and released into the middle portion 13 of the seat 20, as shown in Fig 3, a user magnetically disengages the locking elements 16,17,19 from the anchoring elements 21, 22, 23 and engages the lockable tongues into a respective spring locking mouth of the buckle 19. The user may then tighten the straps 14, 15, 18 around the child, if required, to secure the child to the seat.

Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention.

14/11/06

Claims

1. A child seat for a vehicle, the seat including means for co-operating with a harness arrangement of the vehicle for harnessing a child to the seat, the harness arrangement having at least two straps which include respective interengagable locking elements, the locking elements being made of 0 magnetically attracted material, the seat further including anchoring elements C for each of the locking elements, the anchoring elements being made of magnetically attracting material and being located remotely of a middle portion of the seat where the child is to be located, the at least two straps of the harness arrangement being so locatable by a user as to enable the locking elements to be stably retained by respective anchoring elements through magnetic attraction.

2. The child seat of claim 1 wherein the co-operating means include a pair of back apertures formed through a back portion of the seat and a bottom aperture formed through the middle portion of the seat, wherein the harness arrangement includes a pair of over-shoulder straps and a bottom strap, each over-shoulder strap passing through a respective back aperture and the bottom strap passing through the bottom aperture, each over-shoulder strap having a lockable tongue slidably fitted therealong, and the bottom strap having a buckle securely fitted thereto, the buckle having a pair of spring locking mouths for lockably engaging therein a respective lockable tongue so that, when the child is positioned correctly on the seat, the harness arrangement secures the child to the seat. 14/11/06 (O 0

3. The child seat of claim 2 wherein the anchoring elements for each of the pair of lockable tongues are located at opposed elevated side portions of the seat, and the anchoring element for the buckle is located forwardly of the 0 middle portion of the seat. S4. The child seat of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the anchoring \0 elements are magnetic plates positioned underneath a fabric cover for the cl seat. A child seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but excluding Fig 1. Dated this 14 day of November 2006 Infa Products Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant PETER MAXWELL AND ASSOCIATES 14/11/06