GB2436283A

GB2436283A - Vehicle passenger seat with child seat compartment

Info

Publication number: GB2436283A
Application number: GB0605707A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allan William Ullmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-22
Filing date: 2006-03-22
Publication date: 2007-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-22
Also published as: GB0605707D0; GB2436283B

Abstract

A car seat 10 adapted for supporting a child and comprising a child support structure, a backrest 17, a seat squab 11 and a base 18 on which the backrest and seat squab are mounted. The car seat 10 enables the seat squab 11 to be moved between an adult supporting position Fig 1A and a child supporting position Fig 1B. In the adult supporting position the seat squab 11 lies generally perpendicular to the backrest 17 so that a person may sit on the upper surface 12 of the squab. Alternatively, in the child supporting position the lower surface 13 of the seat squab 11 is directed generally toward the backrest 17 so that the child support structure may be secured between the back rest and the seat squab 11. The child support structure may take the form of a hammock (Fig 6, 67) or chair (Fig 4, 42) built into the car seat 10 and which may be folded away when not in use or a standard child seat (Fig 8, 82) that may be removed when not in use. Armrests (Fig 4, 41) may be provided for the child seat. The hammock structure may be stored on roller drum (60, Fig 5) when not in use.

Description

Vehicle Passencier Seat This invention relates to a vehicle passenger

seat, in particular to a vehicle passenger seat that can be adapted safely to seat a baby, toddler or small child or an adult.

The safest and most common way of transporting a child in a car is by use of a child seat positioned on a rear seat or front passenger seat of the car.

Traditionally, all child seats were secured in place by using the car's inbuilt seat belts, but nowadays the ISOFIX standard fitting is becoming increasingly popular. ISOFIX child seats have a pair of fittings which engage a pair of anchorage points fitted under the rear seats of most modern cars. The anchorage points in the car and the arms extending from the child seat are universal so as to be compatible with any brand of car or child seat.

There are several problems associated with conventional child seats: firstly, the installation of a child seat can be a tedious operation, particularly those requiring seat belts to secure their position; secondly, in the event of an accident conventional seating arrangements for young children offer limited protection against parts of the vehicle that become detached or dislodged on impact; and thirdly conventional child seat (especially ISO-FIX ones) are large and bulky which discourages there carriage in the car unless in use. This means that frequently one is not available, which means there is no safe way of transporting a young child in that vehicle. This third problem is especially present in multi use vehicles such as taxis where passengers would not wish to carry a seat, but the vehicle operator would not wish to take up space with a conventional child seat.

It is a principle aim of the present invention to overcome the above problems associated with transporting children by car or other vehicle.

According to the present invention there is provided a car seat adapted for supporting a child, the car seat comprising: a child support structure, a back rest, a seat squab and a base on which the back rest and seat squab are mounted, the seat squab being moveable between an adult seating configuration whereat the seat squab is generally perpendicular to the back rest, so that a person may sit on the upper surface of the squab, and a child supporting configuration whereat the lower surface of the seat squab is generally directed toward the backrest, whereby the child support structure may be secured between the back rest and the seat squab.

Preferably the seat squab is attached to the base by pivoting means located at a position remote from the backrest, thereby enabling the seat squab to be pivotally moved between the adult seating configuration and the child supporting configuration. The pivoting means could include any number of mechanisms for rotatably coupling two units together, for example, pivots on the sides of the squab, or a rod extending through the seat squab could be pivotally attached to one or more brackets provided on the base.

Alternatively, the pivoting means could include a first and second plate mounted respectively on opposed sides of the seat squab, which cooperate with first and second brackets extending upwardly from the base. Each plate may be coupled to its respective bracket by a pin extending perpendicularly from the plate or bracket which is rotatably received in an aperture formed in the other of the plate or bracket.

Locking means are provided to secure the seat squab in the child supporting configuration and or adult supporting configurations. There are many ways in which the seat squab could be locked in the appropriate angular position. One convenient way employs a pin extending perpendicularly through a hole formed in each bracket to locate in one of two recesses formed in each plate. Depending on whether the seat squab is arranged in the adult seating configuration or the child supporting configuration the pins of each bracket locate in one or the other of the recesses of each plate. Each pin is linked with a handle to facilitate withdrawal from the recesses in the plate.

The pins on opposed sides may be separately controlled, or preferably they may be linked to be operated together. For example a first pin may be provided with a handle and a second pin may be provided with a cable attached to said handle, whereby pulling on the handle causes both pins to simultaneously withdraw from their respective plates.

Alternatively or in addition to the pins mentioned above, one or more struts could be provided to brace the seat squab when arranged in its child supporting configuration. If more than one strut is used they may be spaced laterally apart and extend from the seat squab towards the base or backrest.

They may be arranged to be folded, stored, collapsed or removed. For example, the or each strut could comprise two sections pivotally or slidably connected to one another. The struts could further comprise locking means to ensure the sections remain fully extended so that the free ends of each strut engage the seat squab or base. The struts could be pivotally mounted to the base or seat squab, or capable of being fully disconnected for storage.

It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the seat squab being pivotally mounted to the base. For example the seat squab could be releasably mounted to the base so that when changing from the adult supporting configuration to the child supporting configuration or vice versa, the seat squab is removed from the base, orientated into the required position and reconnected to the base.

The child support structure could comprise a variety of mechanisms.

One suitable form of child support structure could include a hammock extending between the base and the seat squab, when said seat squab is at its child supporting configuration. The hammock could include a sheet of material having a first end permanently connected to a roller mounted on the base or seat squab and a second end releasably connectable to the other of the seat squab and base. The hammock could be extended from a stored position when the second end is not connected to the seat squab or base and the sheet of material is wound around the roller, to a use position whereat the sheet is unwound from the roller and connected to the seat squab or base to support a child. The roller could be rotatably mounted on a spindle extending coaxially along its length and fixed rigidly to a pair of brackets mounted in the base. Alternatively, each end of the roller could be supported in a bracket mounted on the base or seat squab.

The roller could be provided with tension means for resisting unwinding of the sheet from the roller. These could include a helical torsion spring or a non-helical coil spring having one end connected to the roller and a second end connected to the spindle. When the sheet is unwound the roller is caused to rotate about the spindle thereby generating torsion in the spring as more coils are generated. The hammock may be provided with a flexible tension member along opposed lateral edges of the sheet. These could be lengths of cable extending the length of the sheet serving to ensure the sides of the hammock remain tauter than the middle section on which a child is supported.

Preferably, the sheet of material defines a central portion with a compartment sized to receive a baby or small child. The opening into the compartment is at least partially covered by a flap attached to at least one side of the opening and having fastening means down the other side.

In a different embodiment, the child support structure includes a folding seat portion pivotally mounted to the underside of the seat squab. The seat portion can be rotated from a stored position whereat the plane of the seat portion lies generally parallel to the seat squab, to a use position where at the plane of the seat is substantially horizontal and suitable for seating a child.

There may further be provided a pair of arm supports mounted at laterally spaced points to the underside of the seat squab. Similarly to the seat portion, these too could be arranged for rotation from a stored position to a use position and vice versa. Alternatively the armrests could be detachable so as to be stored separately beneath the seat squab.

The seat portion may be provided with a footrest which depends downwardly when said seat portion is in its use position, but can be folded away when said seat portion is in its stored position. When the seat portion is in its stored position, the footrest could extend outwardly therefrom to engage the underside of the seat squab, thereby holding the arm rests and seat portion against said underside of said seat squab. The free end of the footrest could be provided with one or more studs arranged to cooperate with one or more slots formed in the underside of the seat squab. The footrest would be slidably mounted in channels provided on the underside or side faces of the seat squab, but it is also possible for said footrest to be pivotally or detachably mounted. Rigid plates or bars could be mounted in or on the seat squab to provide a reinforced structure on which the arm supports and folding seat portion can be mounted. Furthermore, the underside of the seat squab should be equipped with a harness for safely restraining a child sitting on the seat portion.

In a different embodiment of the invention, the child support structure may comprise a mechanism by which a separate child seat, particularly a baby carrier, may be held in place. This might preferably include upper and lower interlocking mechanisms located in the seat squab and base, respectively for securing a separate child seat between the squab and the backrest. The upper and lower interlocking mechanisms may be adapted for a specific design of seat or maybe a more general design able to hold a variety of different seats. The interlocking mechanism may each have a hook shaped member for engaging an upper portion and lower portion of the child seat, respectively.

Most preferably the upper and or lower interlocking mechanism may be adjusted vertically and laterally with respect to the seat in order that a range of differently sized child seats may be connected to the car seat. This adjustment may be effected by a ratchet mechanism permitting movement in the downward or rearward direction, but not permitting movement in the opposite directions until a pin or pawl is withdrawn.

The lower locking mechanism may be pivotally mounted to the base so as to permit movement from a stored position to a use position and vice-versa, while also accommodating different sized child seats. It should be understood that the lower mechanism is not limited to a pivoting mechanism, but could instead be provided with a ratchet mechanism to permit vertical and lateral adjustment.

It will be understood from the discussion above that a car seat according to the present invention could be adapted to further types of child support structure. Also any one seat could include more than one such type of support. By suitable adaptation a seat might include all three of the types; that is a foldable seat portion, a hammock and the interlocking means for securing a separate child seat.

By way of example only, three embodiments of the present invention and certain modifications thereof will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1A and lB are diagrammatic side views of the car seat in its adult supporting configuration and its child supporting configuration, respectively (but omitting the child support structure); Figure 2 is a cross section of the car seat of Figures 1 A and 1 B along the line A-A showing the mechanism by which the seat squab can be locked and unlocked for movement between its adult and child supporting configurations; Figure 3 is a simplified perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, including a foldable child-supporting seat on the underside of the car seat, in a stored position; Figure 4 is a similar view of the car seat but with the foldable child-supporting seat arranged in its use position; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the car seat with a support structure in the form of a hammock shown in its stored position; Figure 6 is a different perspective view of the second embodiment with the hammock in its use position; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a car seat adapted to receive and hold a separate portable child seat; Figure 8 is a similar view of the third embodiment of a car seat with a portable child seat secured in position; and Figures 9A and 9B are partially exposed side and top views of an example of a ratchet mechanism for adjusting the position of the upper hook used to secure the top of the portable child seat in the third embodiment.

Referring to Figures 1A, lB and 2 the car seat generally indicated 10 comprises a seat squab 11, an upright backrest 17 and a generally horizontal base 18. The seat squab has an upper surface 12 for seating an adult in normal use, an underside 13 on which the child support means is provided (but not shown in these drawings), a front face 14, rear face 15 and two opposing side faces 16. The seat squab is pivotally mounted to the base adjacent the front face 14 to permit rotation of said seat squab from a substantially horizontal position against the base (as shown in Figure 1A) to a generally vertical position (as shown in Figure 1 B) referred to as the child supporting configuration. The pivoting attachment of squab to base is achieved by a pair of plates 20 provided one on each side face 16, towards the front thereof, and a corresponding pair of upstanding brackets 22 on the base 18 which are aligned with side faces 16 towards the front thereof; each bracket having an aperture extending coaxially with one another and with apertures 21 formed in the surtace of each plate 20. Each bracket 22 is provided with a cylindrical pivot pin 24 extending through the apertures in the bracket and rotatably received within cooperating apertures 21. The seat squab is rotatable about the axis of pivot pins 24.

A locking mechanism is provided on each bracket to retain the seat squab in position for the adult supporting configuration and the child supporting configuration. Each locking mechanism comprises a spring loaded pin 26 extending through a second aperture 27 formed in each bracket 22.

The pin 26 is arranged for axial movement so as to locate in one of two holes 28, 29 formed in each plate 20. In the adult supporting configuration the pins 26 locate in holes 28, in the child supporting configuration they locate in holes 29. One of the brackets has a handle 25 for manually retracting the two spring loaded pins 26 against the spring force from their respective holes 28 or 29. The handle 25 is coupled directly to one of the pins and communicates with the second of those pins by a cable 30 housed in a sheath. As the handle 25 is pulled out, said pins are caused to retract from holes 28 or 29.

The seat squab may then be rotated about pivot pins 24 to move from the adult supporting configuration to the child supporting configuration (or vice versa), the spring loaded pins 26 when aligned coaxially with the holes 28 or 29 will locate therein under axial force of the respective springs.

The car seat may be provided with a pair of struts to brace the seat squab 11 when in its child supporting configuration. The struts may take many different forms, but in this embodiment are pivotally mounted inside the base, adjacent the backrest 17 and spaced laterally apart so as to lie generally along the sidewalls of the base 18 when at their stored position.

Each strut comprises a first section 32 and a second section 33 slidably mounted to one another and arranged for lengthwise extension. One end of the first section 32 has a hole extending laterally therethrough to receive a mounting pin 34 attached to a bracket 38 in the base. The opposite end of the strut, which is the other end of the second section 33, is adapted to locate in a recess 35 formed in the underside of the seat squab adjacent the front face thereof. Each strut can be arranged in its use position (as shown in Figure 1 B) by pivoting about its mounting pin 34 and extension longitudinally until the end of the second section locates in recess 35. When the strut is fully extended, a spring-loaded pin 36 (or other locking mechanism) projecting through an opening (not shown) in the first section will locate in an opening in the second section.

Figures 1A, 1 B and 2 show features of the invention common to all the embodiments shown herein. The following figures may omit certain features (such as the struts) for clarity, but they can or do apply. Also like reference numbers will be used to describe like parts.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the underside 13 of seat squab 11 is provided with two reinforcing strips 40 extending between the front and rear faces of the seat squab. To each strip 40 is pivotally mounted an armrest 41 arranged for rotation from a stored position (Figure 3) whereat said armrest lies substantially parallel and flush with the strip to a use position (Figure 4) whereat the armrest is generally horizontal. A seat portion 42 is pivotally mounted across the squab between the strips 40 at a position in use below the armrests 41. The underside 43 of the seat 42 is provided with two guide members 44. The guide members are arranged opposite one another and generally have an L-shaped cross section which, in combination with the underside 43 of the seat 42, define a channel for slidably receiving opposing side edges 46 of a footrest 45. The footrest 45 comprises two sections 45A and 45B pivotally connected together. The inner section 45A remains located within the channels, but when slid out to the use position, the outer section 45B depends downwardly therefrom toward the base. When the folding seat is in its stored position the armrests 41 and seat portion 42 are pivoted to lie against the underside of the seat squab. The footrest is slid back into the channels so that two recesses 49 formed in an outer part of the outer section 45B align with two brackets 48 projecting outwardly from the seat squab. The brackets 48 locate within the recesses 49 to hold the footrest in position and by so doing, retain the armrest and seat portion flush with the underside 13 of the seat squab 11.

As mentioned before, for the sake of clarity, the struts have been omitted from Figures 3 and 4. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the recesses or other formation for engaging the struts could be formed in or on strips 40. The struts could also be omitted, or differently configured, as required.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown a second embodiment in which the child support structure is in the form of a retractable hammock. The child support structure has a roller 60 with a spindle 61 extending coaxially therethrough, said spindle being rigidly mounted on a pair of brackets 74 (only one of which visible) secured to the base 18. A hammock 67 comprising a sheet of flexible material 62 is fixed to and wound around the roller 60. The sheet 62 is generally rectangular such that one of the short ends extends along the length of said roller 60 and the second short end has a bar 63 secured thereto. The bar 63 is provided with two or more studs (not shown) that engage keyway slots (not shown) formed in the underside 13 of the seat squab 11. The hammock 67 has a stored position whereat the sheet is wound around the roller, and a use position whereat said sheet is unwound from the roller and the studs are engaged with the slots. A non-helical coil spring having its outer end secured to the inside of the roller and its inside end secured to the spindle is used to bias the roller in its wound position. When the bar 63 is pulled towards the seat squab, the roller is rotated about its spindle causing the spring to coil tightly. When the sheet 62 is fully extended the studs locate in the slots formed in the underside of the seat squab. When the hammock 67 is to be stored, the studs are manually disengaged from the seat squab and the torsion generated in the tightly coiled spring causes the roller 60 to rotate, thereby winding the sheet onto said roller. A cable 66 is provided on each long side of the sheet 62 to ensure the sides of the hammock remain taut.

A central region of the sheet 62 is provided with a pocket for receiving a small child. The pocket has a base layer 70, and the opening is mostly covered by a removable flap 71. A length of the flap 71 is stitched to the sheet on one side of the pocket, the opposing side and possibly the bottom edge of said flap being removably fastened by suitable means (such as hook and loop fasteners 72) to the other side of the opening.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, there is shown a third embodiment of the car seat in which the child support structure is adopted to releasably hold a separate child seat such as one for babies which might presently be fixed in by a seat belt. The seat is provided with an upper engaging member 80 and a lower engaging member 81 for securing a portable child seat 82 into the car.

The upper member 80 is mounted to a short arm 83 extending away from the underside 13 of the seat squab and adapted for adjusting the horizontal position of said upper member 80. The short arm 83 is mounted to the upper end of a long arm 84 connected to the underside 13 of the seat squab 11 (possibly in a cavity thereof), the long arm being arranged to adjust the vertical position of the upper engaging member.

The lower engaging member 81 is pivotally attached to the base 18 adjacent the backrest. The lower engaging member 81 is rotated from a stored position (Figure 7) whereat said engaging member lies against the base, to a use position (Figure 8) whereat the engaging member projects above the base to engage (by locating around) a lower portion of the child seat 82.

The long arm 84 of the upper engaging member 80 includes a ratchet mechanism to adjust the position horizontally and vertically. Figures 9A and 9B show the long arm 84 having a ratchet mechanism that permits upward movement of said long arm only when a spring loaded pin 87 is withdrawn from the teeth 88 formed in the long arm. A similar arrangement is used to adjust the position of the short arm, though this is not shown in Figures 9A and 9B. A handle (not shown) may be attached to the pin for manually withdrawing said pin from the teeth. A similar mechanism could also be used to selectively control movement of the short arm. Alternatively, non bevelled teeth and a non chamfered pin could be used thereby requiring said pin to be withdrawn from said teeth to permit adjustment of the arm in either direction.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A car seat adapted for supporting a child, the car seat comprising: a child support structure, a back rest, a seat squab and a base on which the back rest and seat squab are mounted, the seat squab being moveable between an adult supporting configuration whereat the seat squab is generally perpendicular to the back rest, so that a person may sit on the upper surtace of the squab, and a child supporting configuration whereat the lower surface of the seat squab is directed generally toward the backrest, whereby the child support structure may be secured between the back rest and the seat squab.

2. A car seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the seat squab is attached to the base by pivoting means located at a position remote from the back rest, thereby enabling the seat squab to be pivotally moved between the adult supporting configuration and the child supporting configuration.

3. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein locking means are provided to secure the seat squab in the child supporting configuration.

4. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a pair of one or more struts is provided to brace the seat squab when arranged in its child supporting configuration, the struts are spaced laterally apart and extend from the seat squab towards the base or back rest.

5. A car seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the or each strut is foldable, storable, collapsible or removable.

6. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the child support structure comprises a hammock adapted to extend between the base and the seat squab, when said seat squab is at its child supporting configuration.

7. A car seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hammock comprises a sheet of material having a first end permanently connected to a roller mounted on the base or seat squab and a second end releasably connectable to the other of the seat squab and base, whereby the hammock can be extended from a stored position when the second end is not connected to the seat squab or base and the sheet of material is wound around the roller, to a use position whereat the sheet is unwound from the roller and connected to the seat squab or base to support a child.

8. A car seat as claimed in claim 7, wherein the roller is rotatably mounted between a pair of brackets on the base or seat squab.

9. A car seat as claimed in claim 8, wherein the roller is provided with a tension means that resist unwinding of the sheet.

10. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9, wherein flexible tension members are provided along opposed lateral edges of the sheet.

11. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 7 to 20, wherein the sheet of material defines a central portion with a compartment adapted to receive a child, and a flap to secure the child in position within the compartment.

12. A car seat as claimed in claims 1 to 5, wherein the child support structure comprises a folding seat portion located on the underside of the seat squab, the folding seat portion being pivotally mounted to the seat squab to permit rotation from a stored position whereat the plane of the folding seat portion is generally parallel to the seat squab, to a use position whereat the plane of the seat is substantially horizontal, whereby a child may sit on the seat portion and have their back supported by the underside of the seat squab.

13. A car seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein arm supports are pivotally mounted at laterally spaced points on the underside of the seat squab.

14. A car seat as claimed in claims 12 or 13, wherein the child support structure includes a footrest.

15. A car seat as claimed in claim 14, wherein the footrest is slidably mounted on the underside of the folding seat portion.

16. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15, wherein an engaging bracket is provided to secure the folding seat portion in its stored position.

17. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 12 to 16, wherein a harness is provided to restrain a child sitting on the folding seat portion.

18. A car as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the child support structure comprises upper and lower interlocking mechanisms located on the seat squab and base respectively, the interlocking mechanisms being arranged to secure a separate child seat in position between the seat squab and the back rest.

19. A car seat as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lower interlocking mechanism comprises a hook shaped member connected to the base and adapted to hook over a lower portion of a removable child seat.

20. A car seat as claimed in claim 19, wherein the upper interlocking mechanism may be adjusted vertically and laterally with respect to the seat squab in order that a range of differently sized child seats may be connected to the car seat.

21. A car seat as claimed in any of claims ito 5, which includes multiple different child support structures selected from those claimed in claims 6 to ii, claims 12 to 17 and claims 18 to 20.

22. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED AS FOLLOWS

1. A car seat adapted for supporting a child, the car seat comprising: a child support structure, a back rest, a seat squab and a base on which the back rest and seat squab are mounted, the seat squab being moveable o between an adult supporting configuration whereat the seat squab is generally perpendicular to the back rest, so that a person may sit on the upper surface of the squab, and a child supporting configuration whereat the lower surface of the seat squab is directed generally toward the backrest, whereby the child support structure comprises upper and lower interlocking mechanisms located io on the seat squab and base respectively, the interlocking mechanisms being arranged to secure a separate child seat in position between the seat squab and the back rest.

2. A car seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower interlocking mechanism comprises a hook shaped member connected to the base and adapted to hook over a lower portion of a removable child seat.

3. A car seat as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the upper interlocking mechanism may be adjusted vertically and laterally with respect to the seat squab in order that a range of differently sized child seats may be connected to the car seat. * . S

*:*:: 4. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the seat squab is attached to the base by pivoting means located at a position remote from the back rest, thereby enabling the seat squab to be pivotally moved between the adult supporting configuration and the child supporting configuration.

5. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein locking means are provided to secure the seat squab in the child supporting configuration.

6. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a pair of one or more struts is provided to brace the seat squab when arranged in its child supporting configuration, the struts are spaced laterally apart and extend from the seat squab towards the base or back rest.

7. A car seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein the or each strut is foldable, storable, collapsible or removable.

8. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the child support structure also comprises a hammock adapted to extend between the base and the seat squab, when said seat squab is at its child supporting configuration.

9. A car seat as claimed in claim 8, wherein the hammock comprises a sheet of material having a first end permanently connected to a roller mounted on the base or seat squab and a second end releasablY connectable to the other of the seat squab and base, whereby the hammock can be extended * from a stored position when the second end is not connected to the seat ** squab or base and the sheet of material is wound around the roller, to a use *:.::2.0 position whereat the sheet is unwound from the roller and connected to the seat squab or base to support a child.

10. A car seat as claimed in claim 9, wherein the roller is rotatably * mounted between a pair of brackets Ofl the base or seat squab.

*.S.*. * *

ii. A car seat as claimed in claim io, wherein the roller is provided with a tension means that resist unwinding of the sheet. 2t

12. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, wherein flexible tension members are provided along opposed lateral edges of the sheet.

13. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the sheet of material defines a central portion with a compartment adapted to receive a child, and a flap to secure the child in position within the compartment.

14. A car seat as claimed in claims 1 to 7, wherein the child support structure further comprises a folding seat portion located on the underside of the seat squab, the folding seat portion being pivotally mounted to the seat squab to permit rotation from a stored position whereat the plane of the folding seat portion is generally parallel to the seat squab, to a use position whereat the plane of the seat is substantially horizontal, whereby a child may sit on the seat portion and have their back supported by the underside of the seat squab.

15. A car seat as claimed in claim 14, wherein arm supports are pivotally is mounted at laterally spaced points on the underside of the seat squab.

16. A car seat as claimed in claims 14 or 15, wherein the folding seat portion includes a footrest.

17. A car seat as claimed in claim 16, wherein the footrest is slidably mounted on the underside of the folding seat portion. * SS

18. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 14 to 17, wherein an engaging bracket is provided to secure the folding seat portion in its stored position.

19. A car seat as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, wherein a harness is * : : provided to restrain a child sitting on the folding seat portion.
2.2

20. A car seat as claimed in any of claims I to 7, which further includes multiple different child support structures selected from those claimed in claims 8 to 13 and claims 14 to 19.

21. A car seat as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I. * 5 * 555 * S. * S ill. * . * I S a is S ii * S S.. S

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