GB2583917A

GB2583917A - Backrest for a booster cushion

Info

Publication number: GB2583917A
Application number: GB1906532.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kelly Grainne
Original assignee: Emagination Ltd
Current assignee: Emagination Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-09
Filing date: 2019-05-09
Publication date: 2020-11-18
Also published as: WO2020225007A1; GB201906532D0

Abstract

A backrest for a booster cushion comprising a base panel 2 to be placed, in use, against at least a portion of a front face of a backrest of a vehicle seat, attachment means 8, 10, and lower straps 12, 14, for securing the base panel to the backrest of the vehicle seat, and a pair of spaced apart head restraints 20, 22 mounted on and forwardly projecting from the base panel to be located, in use, on the other side of a child’s head when sat on a booster cushion on said vehicle seat, each head restraint comprising a sleeve or pocket filled or substantially filled with particulate material. Further features include side bolsters 30, 32, and seat belt clips 34, and 36.

Description

Backrest for a Booster Cushion

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a backrest for a booster cushion and in particular to a backrest for an inflatable booster cushion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Legislation in the UK requires children over three years old and under 12 years old or under 135 cm tall to use a booster seat or booster cushion when travelling in the front or rear of a car or van.

Booster seats and cushions typically comprise a rigid polystyrene or plastic moulded base upon which a child can sit to raise the child to a position wherein the existing car seat belt is positioned correctly on the child's body. The base is normally provided with horn like projecting side members extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear of the base on either side of the base around which at least the lap portion of the seat belt may be guided to retain the booster seat in place and to ensure that the lap portion of the seat belt rests across the pelvic region of the child and not across the child's stomach where it may cause injury.

Booster cushions comprise a base cushion for the child to sit upon. Booster seats have an additional backrest attached to the base, typically formed from rigid plastic and provided with an upper seat belt guide to hold the upper portion of the seat belt in the correct position across the child's shoulder. Some booster seats are designed to be converted into a booster cushion by detaching the backrest. For children smaller than 125cm tall and less than 22kg, booster seats incorporating backrests may be required.

Booster seats and booster cushions do not have an integral harness to hold the child in place and rely on the vehicle seat's existing three point seat belt or lap belt to restrain the child. The purpose of the booster seat or cushion is to ensure that the seat belt fits correctly such that the lap belt or lap belt portion of the seat belt extends over the pelvic region of the child, not the stomach, and such that the diagonal portion of a three point seat belt rests over the shoulder of the child, not the neck A problem with existing booster cushions, and booster seat in particular, is that, due to the rigid nature of the base and backrest, they are bulky and awkward to carry and not very comfortable to sit upon, in particular in respect of booster seats with rigid backrests.

113 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a backrest for an inflatable booster cushion comprising a base panel to be placed, in use, against at least a portion of a front face of a backrest of a vehicle seat, attachment means for securing the base panel to the backrest of the vehicle seat, and a pair of spaced apart head restraints mounted on and forwardly projecting from the base panel to be located, in use, on either side of a child's head when sat on a booster cushion on said vehicle seat, each heat restraint comprising a sleeve or pocket filled or substantially filled with particulate material.

In a preferred embodiment said particulate material comprises polymeric beads.

Preferably the base portion of the backrest is formed from one or more layers of fabric and is thereby flexible and foldable.

Preferably each sleeve defining each head restraint comprises an elongate sock folded into a substantially toroidal or triangular shape. The elongate sock defining each sleeve may be divided into a plurality of axially spaced compartments by transverse dividing walls, such as stitched seams.

Preferably the attachment means comprises a plurality of straps including upper straps and lower straps. Preferably the straps are secured to and extend from the base panel. In a preferred embodiment said upper straps are securable to a head rest of the vehicle seat and said lower straps are securable to ISO fixings of the vehicle seat. The ISO fixings provide a sufficiently rigid coupling of the backrest to the seat back to facilitate the application of tension to the base panel of the back rest. Alternatively the upper straps are securable to a head rest of the vehicle seat and said lower straps are securable to a base portion of the vehicle seat.

Preferably one or more of the straps are adjustable in length to apply tension to the base portion of the backrest and to facilitate adjustment of the position of the backrest on the seat back.

Bolsters may be mounted on and forwardly project from the back panel on either to side thereof, below the head restraints, for supporting the sides of a child sat against the backrest.

At least one seat belt retaining clip may be provided on the backrest for locating a portion of a seatbelt therein for correctly positioning the shoulder strap of the seat belt over the shoulder of a child sat against the backrest. A respective seatbelt retaining clip may be provided below each head restraint to enable the backrest to be used on seat on either side of a vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A backrest for a booster cushion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a backrest for a booster cushion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the backrest of Figure 1 from the rear; Figure 3 is a front view of the backrest of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a side view of the backrest of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A backrest for an inflatable booster cushion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a fabric base portion 2 adapted to conform to and lie against a front face of a seat back of a vehicle seat (not shown), more preferably a car seat, upon which it is intended to use a booster cushion, in particular an inflatable booster cushion of the type disclosed in EP 2,414,190, incorporated herein by reference.

Upper and lower straps are provided for securing the base portion to the seat back 10 and for applying tension to the base portion in a vertical direction, substantially parallel to the seat back, as will be described below in more detail. In the embodiment shown, the upper and lower straps include a first upper strap 4, extending from an upper end of the base portion 2 adjacent either side thereof, said first upper strap 4 being adapted to be located around and behind a heat rest of the vehicle seat. A releasable buckle 6 may be provided on the first upper strap 4 to facilitate placement of the first upper strap 4 around and behind the heat rest of the vehicle seat. The buckle 6 may facilitate adjustment of the length of the first upper strap 4 to facilitate adjustment of the position of the backrest on the seat back and to enable the backrest to be fitted to seats of different dimensions.

A second upper strap 8 may be attached to central region of the upper end of the base portion 2 to extend over the top of the heat rest of the vehicle seat, in use, the second upper strap 8 being adapted to engage and be coupled to the first upper strap 4 behind the head rest. The second upper strap 8 may terminate in a loop 10 to enable it to be engaged with the first upper strap 4, the first upper strap 4 passing through said loop 10. The loop 10 may be formed by joining cooperating hook and loop fasteners provided on an end of the second upper strap 8.

First and second lower straps 12,14 are attached to and depend from the lower end of base portion 2 adjacent either side thereof, the first and second lower straps 12,14 each terminating in a respective clip 16,18 that is preferably adapted to engage respective ISO fixings provided on the vehicle seat to secure the lower end of the base portion to the vehicle seat. The first and second lower straps 12,14 are adjustable in length to facilitate positioning of the back rest on the seat back and to facilitate tensioning of the base panel 2 thereon. It is envisaged that the lower straps may be adapted to engage the seat base of the vehicle seat where ISO fixings are not provided. However, it is important that the upper and lower straps are adapted to apply tension to the base panel in a vertical direction substantially parallel to the seat back to ensure correct functioning of the backrest, as will be described below.

A pair of spaced apart head restraints 20,22 are provided on and extend from a front face of an upper region of the base portion 2, adjacent either side thereof, to be located, in use, on either side of a child's head when seated on the vehicle seat to which the backrest is attached. The head restraints 20,22 are adapted to provide lateral support for the child's head and to lateral restrain movement of the child's head.

Each head restraint 20,22 comprises an elongate fabric sleeve substantially filled with particulate material, more preferably polymeric beads. Sufficient beads are located in each sleeve such that the head restraints become substantially rigid once tension is applied to the base portion 2 of the backrest via the straps. The polymeric beads may comprise foamed beads, such as expanded polystyrene beads, or any suitable foamed or solid polymeric material.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, each respective sleeve of each head restraint 20,22 comprises an elongate sock substantially filled with polymeric beads and divided by transverse dividing walls (preferably stitched seams) into individual compartments, more preferably divided into three axially spaced compartments 24,26,28 (see Figure 4), the sock being folded onto a substantially triangular of toroidal shape prior to attachment to the base panel 2. This allows the head restraints 20,22 to become relaxed and flexible when the base panel 2 of the backrest is not attached to a seat, but causes the heat restraints 20,22 to become substantially rigid when the back portion 2 of the back rest is secured to and tensioned/pulled taught against the front face of the seat back of the vehicle seat, such that the compartments 24,26,28 are effectively pulled taught and stretched over the front face of the seat back, compressing the beads within the head restraints 20,22 and causing the head restraints 20,22 to become substantially rigid.

Side bolsters 30,32, which may fabric sleeves filled with polymeric foam, are located on and extend forwardly from the front face of the base panel 2 adjacent the sides thereof, below each heat restraint 20,22, to provide lateral support for a child sat in 5 the vehicle seat to which the backrest is attached.

Seat belt clips 34,36 are preferably mounted on the base portion 2 of the backrest, one either side of the base portion 2 and just below each head restraint 20,22, whereby the shoulder strap of a seat belt may be attached to a respective belt clip 34,36 to correctly position the shoulder strap over the shoulder of a child sat in the vehicle seat to which the backrest is attached.

While the backrest in accordance with the present invention is intended to be used in combination with an inflatable booster cushion, it is envisaged that backrest could 15 equally be used on its own, without a booster cushion, if desired.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A backrest for a booster cushion comprising a base panel to be placed, in use, against at least a portion of a front face of a backrest of a vehicle seat, attachment means for securing the base panel to the backrest of the vehicle seat, and a pair of spaced apart head restraints mounted on and forwardly projecting from the base panel to be located, in use, on either side of a child's head when sat on a booster cushion on said vehicle seat, each heat restraint comprising a sleeve or pocket filled or substantially filled with particulate material.
2. A backrest as claimed in claim 1, wherein said particulate material comprises polymeric beads.
3. A backrest as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each sleeve defining each 15 head restraint comprises an elongate sock folded into a substantially toroidal or triangular shape.
4. A backrest as claimed in claim 3, wherein said elongate sock defining each sleeve is divided into a plurality of axially spaced compartments by transverse 20 dividing walls.
5. A backrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said attachment means comprises a plurality of straps including upper straps and lower straps.
6. A backrest as claimed in claim 5, wherein said upper straps are securable to a head rest of the vehicle seat and said lower straps are securable to ISO fixings of the vehicle seat.
7. A backrest as claimed in claim 5, wherein said upper straps are securable to a 30 head rest of the vehicle seat and said lower straps are securable to a base portion of the vehicle seat.
8. A backrest as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, wherein one or more of the straps are adjustable in length to apply tension to the base portion of the backrest.
9. A backrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein bolsters are mounted on and forwardly project from the back panel on either side thereof, below the head restraints.
10. A backrest as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising at least one seat belt retaining clip for locating a portion of a seatbelt therein.
11. A backrest as claimed in claim 10, wherein a respective seatbelt retaining clip is 10 provided below each head restraint.
12. A backrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base portion of the backrest is formed from one or more layers of fabric.