AU2008261158B2

AU2008261158B2 - Safety Restraint System

Info

Publication number: AU2008261158B2
Application number: AU2008261158A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Richard Horsfall
Original assignee: Hbg Ip Holdings Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Hbg Ip Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-12-21
Filing date: 2008-12-22
Publication date: 2013-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-22
Also published as: AU2008261158A1; AU2009100864A4; AU2009100865A4; AU2009100864B4; AU2009100865B4

Abstract

There is disclosed a restraint device (10) for securing a child in a vehicle safety seat; 5 comprising: a harness (12) having a pair of shoulder straps (14) configured to extend over the shoulders of the child and along lateral sides of the child's chest so as to connect with a vehicle seat belt (7) extending over the lap of the child; and a band member (18) configured to be connectable between the shoulder straps (14) of the harness (12) so as to extend substantially across the child's chest, the band member (18) having a loop (20) 10 formed therein through which the vehicle seat belt (7) passes as it extends over the lap of the child. t - ~, -< I '/2 :4, ZC)

Description

SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM Cross-Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2007907014 filed on 21 December 2007, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 5 Field of the Invention The present application relates to child safety seats for use in vehicles, and in particular, to a restraint system for securing a child within a child safety seat. 10 Background of the Invention In order to transport infants and young children in vehicles, it is required that they be restrained to the vehicle by way of specially constructed seats. A variety of different types of seating arrangements exist to accommodate children of different ages. For infants up to the age of six months, rear-facing seats are 15 typically employed. Rear-facing seats are secured to the vehicle such that the infant back is facing away from the direction of travel of the vehicle and the infant is restrained in the seat by way of a harness arrangement that is typically integrated into the seat. As a child grows and infant seats are no longer suitable, a variety of forward facing seat options are available for use. Such forward facing seats may employ harness 20 arrangements that are integrated into the seat, or may be arranged to cooperate with the shoulder/lap seat belt system provided with the vehicle. For older children, a variety of "booster" seats are available to accommodate the child until they grow to a size and weight suitable to use the vehicles installed shoulder/lap seat belt systems. Such "booster" seats are typically designed to securely 25 accommodate and elevate the child in a manner that enables the vehicle's shoulder/lap seat belt system to be safely employed to restrain the child within the seat. In this regard, the booster seat need not be secured to the seat as the booster seat elevates the child in a manner that enables correct positioning of the shoulder/lap belts of the vehicle seat belt system about the child to secure both the child and the seat in position. 30 To provide added security and safety to the child, it has been proposed to provide "booster" seats with their own harness or add-on harness, to secure the child therein. Such harness systems may work independently of the vehicle's shoulder/lap seat belt, or work in conjunction with the shoulder/lap seat belt. Typically, the harness systems proposed comprise a pair of straps that are arranged to extend over each shoulder of the 35 child and laterally along either side of the child's chest. The straps typically terminate at a buckle fitted between the child's groin, or at a lap belt extending over the child's lap. 2 The position of the shoulder straps are typically adjustable to accommodate a variety of children. One common problem with such a harness system is that the shoulder straps are prone to slippage and parting during use, particularly as the child moves, resulting in the harness falling off the child's shoulders and becoming ineffective as a restraint. 5 Whilst a variety of straps or clips have been proposed to extend between the shoulder straps to reduce the tendency of the straps to part and/or slip off the shoulders during use, such straps/clips have typically been fixed and unable to accommodate different sized children and children of differing ages. Similarly, as the straps/clips extend across the chest of the child they can pose a choking risk to the child if located at 10 the neck region of the child. Such narrow straps or clips may also apply a concentrated force against the child in the region of the strap/clip, particularly in the event of an accident. Such a large and concentrated force may damage the child's delicate organs and cause severe injury, and in some instances, death, if incorrectly fitted. There is a need to provide a restraint system for use with a child safety seat of a 15 vehicle that is suitable for use with children of a variety of ages and sizes in a safe and controlled manner. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of 20 these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. Summary of the Invention 25 According to a first aspect, the present invention is a restraint device for securing a child in a vehicle safety seat; comprising: a harness having a pair of shoulder straps configured to extend over the shoulders of the child and along lateral sides of the child's chest so as to connect with a vehicle seat belt extending over the lap of the child; and 30 a band member configured to be connectable between said shoulder straps of the harness so as to extend substantially across the child's chest, said band member having a loop formed therein through which the vehicle seat belt passes as it extends over the lap of the child. In one embodiment, the band member comprises a pair of sleeves through which 35 the shoulder straps are received. Each sleeve may include one or more engagement members that engage with shoulder strap received therein. The engagement members may include one or more press studs, hook and loop fasteners and the like provided on both the sleeve and the shoulder strap to facilitate engagement therebetween. The band 3 member may be configured so as to substantially cover the torso of the child when the child is positioned in the seat. In another embodiment, each shoulder strap of the harness has one or more loops provided at a distal end thereof through which the vehicle seat belt passes as it extends 5 over the lap of the child. The shoulder straps may be in the form of a single strap. The single strap may be connected at a central region thereof to a tether strap which in turn is connected to an anchorage point of the vehicle. In another embodiment, the pair of shoulder straps may extend over an upper region of the seat so as to be secured to a vehicle anchorage point located behind the seat. 10 In one form, the pair of shoulder straps may extend through one or more slots provided in the seat to facilitate securement of the shoulder straps to a vehicle anchorage point located behind the seat. The one or more slots may be formed in a backrest of the seat. Alternatively, the one or more slots may be formed in a headrest of the seat. The headrest may be adjustable in height with respect to the seat, such that adjustment of the 15 height of the headrest may facilitate adjustment of the length of the pair of shoulder straps. According to another aspect, the present invention provides a harness for a child safety seat, the harness comprising: a pair of shoulder straps configured to extend over the shoulders of the child and along lateral sides of the child's chest so as to connect with 20 a vehicle seat belt extending over the lap of the child at a first end, and to an anchor point at a second end. In one embodiment of this aspect, the first end of the pair of shoulder straps includes one or more loops for receiving the vehicle seat belt as it extends over the lap of the child. In one form, the second end of the shoulder straps may include one or more 25 loops for facilitating connection with a spreader plate. In another form the second end of the shoulder straps may include a tether strap for facilitating connection to a vehicle anchorage point. Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated 30 element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, the invention is now described with reference to the 35 accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a band member of a child restrain system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 4 FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a harness arrangement of a child restraint system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a child restraint system employing the band member of FIG. 1 and the harness arrangement of FIG. 2; 5 FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a child restraint system of the present invention employed with a vehicle safety seat for a child; FIG. 4B is a front perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of a child restraint system of the present invention employed with a vehicle safety seat for a child; 10 FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a child restraint system of the present invention; FIG. 6A is a rear view of one embodiment of the arrangement of FIG. 5; FIG. 6B is a rear view of an alternative embodiment of the arrangement of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a harness 15 arrangement according to the present invention; FIG. 8 is a front view of yet another embodiment of a child restraint system according to the present invention; FIG. 9 is a rear view of the child restraint system of FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the child 20 restraint system shown in FIG. 8; and FIG. 11 is a rear view of the child restraint system of FIG. 10. Detailed Description of an Exemplary Embodiment of the Invention One embodiment of a child restraint system 10 in accordance with an embodiment 25 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. The restraint system 10 generally comprises a harness arrangement 12 that is anchored to a vehicle anchorage point (not shown) by way of a hook 15 in combination with a tether strap 13. The tether strap 13 includes an adjuster mechanism 11 to enable adjustment of the length of the tether strap 13, as desired. 30 The harness arrangement 12 is shown in isolation in FIG. 2, and includes a pair of shoulder straps 14 arranged to extend over the shoulders of a child seated in a suitable safety seat and along opposing sides of the child's chest. In the embodiment as shown, the shoulder straps 14 are formed as a single strap connected at a central point to the tether strap 13. However, it will be appreciated that the shoulder straps 14 may be 35 separate straps and connected to the tether strap 13 in a variety of ways and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. The shoulder straps 14 have a series of closed loops 16 provided adjacent a distal end thereof. The loops 16 are preferably formed of the same material as the shoulder 5 straps 14, for example a woven material. In this regard, the loops 16 are formed by stitching the material to the shoulder straps to form loops 16 of a desired size and at a desired location along the length of the shoulder straps 14. Alternatively, the shoulder straps 14 may be a continuous length of material folded back upon itself, with the loops 5 16 formed by stitching the material at regular intervals. As shown, the loops 16 are provided such that a belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system can be to threadingly received through the loops 16 in the manner as shown. In this arrangement, the shoulder straps 14 of the harness 12 are secured at one end to the vehicle anchorage point by way of tether strap 13, and at the other end to the vehicle seat 10 belt system by way of loops 16. In the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, three sets of loops 16 are provided and/or formed at the distal ends of each shoulder strap 14. This allows the harness system 12 to be supplied in a "one-size-fits-all" manner, as the harness 12 can be readily adjusted by using different combination of loops 16 to accommodate children of different 15 sizes and ages. It will be appreciated that whilst three sets loops 16 are shown, the actual number of loops 16 within a set may vary and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. To further restrain the child within a safety seat, the child restraint system 10 includes a band member 18. The band member 18 is shown in more detail in FIG. 1 and 20 comprises a piece or pieces of material shaped to extend across the child's chest and torso region. Such an arrangement ensures that, even in the event that one or both of the shoulder straps 14 slip off the shoulder of the child, the band member will extend across the child's chest to restrain the child in the seat. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper region of the band member 18 is shaped to form a 25 collar 18a that is received below the neck of the child. The collar 18a is substantially U or V-shaped to provide clearance between the collar 18a and the child's neck, so as to prevent the band member applying pressure to the child's neck when positioned. The band member 18 can be made in a variety of materials, such as a mesh, fabric, PVC and the like. The type of material used may be chosen with respect to the strength of the 30 material as well as other properties, such as comfort, ability to be cleaned, breathability and the like. The band member 18 comprises a pair of sleeves 19 extending along the lateral sides thereof, through which the shoulder straps 14 are received. To correctly position the band member 18 on the shoulder straps 14, an engagement member 21 is provided 35 within the sleeves 19. In the embodiment as shown, the engagement member 21 is in the form of a press-stud, which engages with one or more press-studs formed on the surface of the shoulder straps 14. It will be appreciated that the engagement member may also be 6 in the form of a hook and loop fastener, such as Velcro®, or any other suitable arrangement which provides engagement between the straps 14 and the sleeves 19. The bottom portion of the band member 18 is configured to form a closed loop 20. The closed loop 20 is sized to receive the belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system in the 5 manner as shown in FIG. 3. In this arrangement, the band member 18 is secured to the seat belt system of the vehicle to prevent the band member 18 from riding up around the neck of the child during use. Further, in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the band member 18 is arranged such that it is secured to the harness 12 and the belt 17 of the vehicle's seat belt system. This is achieved independently to any safety seat 10 arrangement, thereby enabling the child restraint system 10 to be used with a variety of different safety seats, or in the absence of a safety seat. Referring to FIG. 4A, a child restraint system 22 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is shown in use with a vehicle child safety seat, such as a booster seat 24. The child restraint system 22 is substantially identical to the 15 child restraint system 10 described above, and for reasons of clarity, the same reference numerals will be used to describe similar features. The main difference between the child restraint system 22 and the child restraint system 10 is that in the system 22 the shoulder straps 14 are formed as separate straps that extend back to the hook member 15 directly, rather than by way of the tether strap 20 13. In this regard, a plurality of slots 25 are provided through the backrest portion of the seat 24 to provide a passage for the straps 14 to pass therethrough. Alternatively, the straps may extend over the top of the seat, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The hook member 15 is attachable to a vehicle anchorage point 23, which is located in a variety of positions within the vehicle. 25 In an alternative embodiment, an extension strap (not shown) may be attached to the hook member 15 to lengthen the reach of straps 14. Such an extension strap may be connected to the anchorage point 23 of the vehicle at a one end, by way of a hook member similar to hook member 15. The other end of the extension strap may comprise a connector to receive hook member 15 of the shoulder straps, thereby extending the 30 reach of shoulder straps 14. The extension strap may include an adjustor to further assist in adjusting the system to suit the needs of the child or vehicle. To adjust the length of the shoulder straps 14, an adjuster mechanism (not shown) may be provided in one or both of the straps 14. The adjuster mechanism may be located in the region of the strap between the seat 24 and the hook 15, or in the region adjacent 35 the band member 18. FIG. 4B shows an adjuster mechanism 14a provided to adjust the shoulder straps 14 in the region adjacent the band member 18. The adjuster mechanism 14a is located within the sleeve 19 of the band member 18 so as to isolate the body of the mechanism 7 14a from contact with the child. The sleeve 19 provides padded protection about the adjuster mechanism 14a such that the adjuster mechanism 14a does not come into direct contact with the child, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury. In the arrangement as shown in FIG. 4, the restraint system 22 is not secured to 5 the seat 24 but rather to the vehicle at an upper region, by way of the vehicle anchorage point 23, and at a lower region, by way of the belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system. As such, the restraint system can be used with a variety of seating arrangements and is not limited to use with a specific seat. Referring to FIGS. 5, 6a, and 6B the child restraint system 10 of FIGS. 1 - 3 is 10 shown in use with an alternative child safety seat 30. The seat 30 is of a booster seat type of child vehicle safety seats and has an adjustable headrest 31. The headrest 31 has a handle 33, which can be gripped by a user to adjust the vertical height of the headrest 31 in the direction of the arrows A as shown. Slots 32 are formed through the body of the headrest 31, through which the 15 shoulder straps 14 pass as shown. In this arrangement, rather than the distal ends of the straps 14 having a plurality of loops 16 formed therein, only a single loop is provided to receive the belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system. In this arrangement, adjustment of the harness 12 to suit children of variable sizes and ages is achieved by adjusting the headrest 31. By extending the headrest 31 from the seat 30, any slack in the straps 14 can be 20 taken up by extending the distance travelled by the shoulder straps 14 as they pass through the slots 32. The harness 12 can be adjusted such that the band member 18 is firmly, yet comfortably located over the child's chest in the manner as shown in FIG. 5. Two alternative embodiments of the rear of the seat 30 of FIG. 5 are shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As can be seen, a tether 34 is provided to secure the seat 30 to an 25 anchor point of the vehicle. The tether 34 comprises a first strap that extends from a first side of the seat 30, through the hook member 15, to terminate at an adjustor mechanism 35. A second strap then extends from the opposing side of the seat 30 and through the adjustor mechanism 35 such that the length of the tether 34 can be adjusted where applicable. 30 In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the shoulder straps 14 each pass through a looped end of the tether strap 13 such that there is some free movement of the shoulder straps 14 with respect to the tether strap 13 in the direction of arrows B. In Fig. 6A the other end of the tether strap 13 is directly secured to the hook member 15 of the tether 34 of the seat, such that it is then indirectly anchored to the vehicle. In Fig. 6B, a buckle 13a is provided to 35 facilitate attachment of the tether strap 13 to the hook member 15 of the seat tether 34. It will be appreciated that the manner in which the shoulder straps 14 and the tether 34 are secured to the vehicle anchorage point may vary and may include shared components or separate connections. 8 The arrangement as shown in FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B may also be adapted such that rather than the straps 14 passing through the slots 32 formed in the headrest 31, the straps could extend over the top of the headrest 31. In this arrangement, grooves or channels may be formed in the top of the headrest 31 to aid in positioning the straps 14 as they 5 pass over the headrest 31. FIG. 7 shows yet another alternative embodiment of a harness 38 according to the present invention. For reasons of clarity, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to similar features as previously described in relation to the system of FIGS. 1 - 3. The harness 38 comprises a pair of shoulder straps 39 that are configured to 10 extend over the shoulders of the child and along opposing sides of the child's chest, similar to that as is shown in FIG. 5. The harness 38 is shown for use without the band member 18, and in this regard a horizontal strap 40 is provided at a lower region of the straps 39 to extend across the chest of the child when worn. The horizontal strap 40 functions to maintain the shoulder straps 39 together to reduce the likelihood of slippage 15 and parting of the shoulder straps 39 during use. It will be appreciated that the harness 38 could also be used with the band member 18 as described above. As described in relation to the harness 12 of FIG. 2, harness 38 also comprises a series of closed loops 41 adjacent a distal end thereof. The closed loops 41 are configured to receive a belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system as previously described, 20 and the series of loops 41 provide a means for adjusting the harness position in accordance with the age and size of the child. The upper end of the shoulder straps 39 are also provided with a series of closed loops 42, substantially identical to the closed loops 41. As shown, loops 42 are provided to receive a spreader plate 44 to facilitate connection of the shoulder straps 29 to the anchorage point of the vehicle by way of the 25 tether strap 13 and hook element 15. The manner in which spreader plates 44 function are well known in the art, and the provision of multiple sets of loops 42 on the shoulder straps 39 also provides for a degree of adjustment of the upper region of the harness 38 to accommodate children of variable sizes. In this regard, the spreader plate can be secured to either set of loops 42 in accordance with the needs of the child. However it will be 30 appreciated that only one set of loops 42 need be provided on the shoulder straps. Yet another embodiment of a child restraint system according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, the restraint system 45 is employed in association with a vehicle booster seat 46, however it will be appreciated that the restraint system 45 could also be used with a variety of child vehicle seats. 35 The restraint system 45 is configured to be restrained about the seat 46 in the manner as shown. In this regard, each shoulder strap 47 has a loop 48 formed at a first end to receive the belt 17 of the vehicle seat belt system. The other end of each shoulder strap 47 passes over the top of the seat 46 and through a plurality of slots 51 formed 9 through the backrest of the seat 46, to terminate in a loop 49. The loop 49 facilitates connection of that end of the shoulder strap 47 to a spreader plate 50 that is located and secured at the rear of the seat 46. In this regard, the shoulder straps 47 of the harness are secured between the belt 17 and the spreader plate 50. The spreader plate 50 has a belt 5 52 attached thereto which is fed through the base of the seat 46 to the front thereof in the manner as shown in FIG. 8. The belt can be tightened or released, as required, to adjust the harness of the restraint system 45 to accommodate children of various ages and sizes. In this regard, an adjuster (not shown) may be incorporated into the base of the seat 46. FIGS. 10 and 11, show an alternative embodiment of the arrangements shown in 10 FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, rather than the shoulder straps 47 extending over the top of the seat 46, they are each threaded through corresponding slots 51 formed in the backrest of the seat 46. The straps 47 are then weaved through the remaining slots 51 in the manner as shown in FIG. 11. Such an arrangement is particularly applicable for young or smaller sized children, as the straps are positioned with a smaller gap formed 15 therebetween. In the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 8-11, the restraint system 45 includes a band member 18. However, it should be appreciated that the harness arrangement of the restraint system 45 may also be used without the band member 18, in a manner similar to the arrangement of FIG. 7. 20 It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. 10

Claims

1. A restraint device for securing a child in a vehicle safety seat; comprising: a harness having a pair of shoulder straps configured to extend over the shoulders 5 of the child and along lateral sides of the child's chest so as to connect with a vehicle seat belt extending over the lap of the child; and a band member configured to be connectable between said shoulder straps of the harness so as to extend substantially across the child's chest, said band member having a loop formed therein through which the vehicle seat belt passes as it extends over the lap 10 of the child.

2. A restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the band member comprises a pair of sleeves through which the shoulder straps are received. 15

3. A restraint device according to claim 2, wherein each sleeve includes one or more engagement members that engage with the shoulder strap received therein.

4. A restraint device according to claim 3, wherein the engagement members include one or more press studs, hook and loop fasteners and the like provided on both the sleeve 20 and the shoulder strap to facilitate engagement therebetween.

5. A restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the band member is configured so as to substantially cover the torso of the child when the child is positioned in the seat. 25

6. A restraint device according to claim 1, wherein each shoulder strap has one or more loops provided at a distal end thereof through which the vehicle seat belt passes as it extends over the lap of the child.

7. A restraint device according to claim 6, wherein the shoulder straps are in the 30 form of a single strap.

8. A restraint device according to claim 7, wherein the single strap is connected at a central region to a tether strap which in turn is connected to an anchorage point of the vehicle. 35

9. A restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of shoulder straps extend over an upper region of the seat so as to be secured to a vehicle anchorage point located behind the seat. 11

10. A restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of shoulder straps extend through one or more slots provided in the seat to facilitate securement of the shoulder straps to a vehicle anchorage point located behind the seat. 5

11. A restraint device according to claim 10, wherein the one or more slots are formed in a backrest of the seat.

12. A restraint device according to claim 10, wherein the one or more slots are formed 10 in a headrest of the seat.

13. A restraint device according to claim 12, wherein the headrest is adjustable in height with respect to the seat such that adjustment of the height of the headrest facilitates adjustment of the length of the pair of shoulder straps. 15 12