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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cushion for a child sitting in a child's safety
seat used in an automobile, and in particular to a car seat cushion having
a laterally adjustable support for the child's head.
It is desirable to laterally limit movement of a child's head when the
child is seated in an automobile. When a child sleeps, unrestrained
lateral head position may be uncomfortable to the child.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One general aspect of the invention is a car seat cushion including a back
defining a head support region and a seat portion and a pair of side
supports projecting forward from either side of and in spaced-apart fixed
relation to the head support region; each side support includes an
associated laterally adjustable ancillary support member which is coupled
to the side support and is configured to cooperate with the side support,
whereby the side supports coupled to the associated laterally adjustable
ancillary support members form an adjustable space therebetween for a
child's head.
In another general aspect of the invention, the laterally adjustable
ancillary support members are in a spaced-apart relation.
An advantage of the present invention is that it supports the child's head
when the child is seated in a car safety seat, through various stages of
the child's development, by providing support members configured to be
laterally adjustable.
Another advantage of the present invention is its ease of reconfiguration.
There is no need to detach the side supports from the back, as might be
necessary in cushions lacking lateral adjustability.
Preferred embodiments include the following features.
The back, side supports, and laterally adjustable ancillary support members
are constructed from a foam material, such as foam rubber. The back and
side supports are enclosed in a fabric cover having a zipper on a reverse
side of the cover for easy removal of the back and side supports. The side
supports are positioned in fixed relation to the back, such as by applying
an adhesive to the front surface of the back and bonding the side supports
to the front surface of the back in a head support region of the back.
Preferably, each side support includes a laterally adjustable ancillary
support member hinged to the side support and adjustable between a first
position projecting forward from the side support and a second position
confronting the other laterally adjustable ancillary support member,
wherein in each position each side support and associated ancillary
support member hinged to the side support cooperate and form with the
other side support and ancillary support member hinged thereto an
adjustable space therebetween for the head of a child sitting in the car
seat.
The adjustable space is smaller in the second position than in the first
position.
In a preferred embodiment, attachment members made of hook and loop
fasteners such as pads are disposed on the side supports and back and are
used for selectively securing the ancillary supports to the side supports
in the first position and the ancillary supports to the back in the second
position, by means of hook and loop fastener straps attached to the
laterally adjustable ancillary support members.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the
following detailed description, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a child's safety seat cushion with the head
support in a first configuration.
FIG. 2 shows the cushion of FIG. 1 with the head support in a second
configuration.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the cushion shown in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the cushion shown in
FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the cushion shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a reduced somewhat diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the head
support region of the cushion taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cushion taken along line 7--7 of
FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the safety seat cushion 10, depicted in a first
configuration, includes a back 12 having a head support region 13 and a
seat region 14. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the seat back 12 comprises a
foam panel 11 enclosed in a fabric cover 70. Side supports 22, 23 are
positioned at the head support region 13 and extend forwardly from the
back 12. The side supports 22, 23, as shown in FIG. 6, comprise foam
blocks 80 and 82 adhesively secured to the front of foam panel 11 forming
the back support 12 and are enclosed with panel 11 in cover 70. Side
supports 22, 23 include front surfaces 30, 36 and facing side surfaces 31,
37.
Laterally adjustable ancillary support members 25, 26, having back surfaces
40, 46 (best shown in FIGS. 2 and 6) and side surfaces 42, 48 (best shown
in FIGS. 1 and 6), are about front surfaces 30, 36 of side supports 22, 23
in the first configuration. As shown in FIG. 6, ancillary support members
25, 26 comprise foam blocks 84 and 86 and covers 72 and 74. As shown in
FIG. 6, covers 72, 74 on one side, the outer side as shown in FIG. 6, each
have overlying fabric panels 73, 75 and 77, 79 which are open to form
pockets for removably receiving foam blocks 84, 86. Seams 50, 51 of fabric
cover 70 and fabric covers 72, 74 hingedly couple the auxiliary support
members 25, 26 to the side supports 22, 23. The seams 50, 51 extend along
the edges of the side supports 22, 23 at the junction of front surfaces
30, 36 and side surfaces 31, 37 and along the adjoining edges of the
ancillary support members 25, 26 at the junction of back surfaces 40, 46
and side surfaces 42, 48 where they meet the edges of side surfaces 31, 37
of side supports 22, 23. The ancillary support members 25, 26 are not
otherwise connected to side support 22, 23 and seams 50, 51 thus function
as hinged connections.
Side supports 22, 23 and ancillary support members 25, 26 thus cooperate to
form an adjustable space 53 therebetween for the head of a child.
Ancillary support members 25, 26 are in a maximum spaced-apart relation in
the first configuration illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, the car seat cushion 10 is depicted in a second
configuration. In the second configuration, ancillary support members 25,
26 are easily swung towards each other (i.e., inwards) such that facing
surfaces 42, 48 of ancillary support members 25, 26 are positioned
adjacent surfaces 31, 37 of side supports 22, 23. The front surfaces 43,
49 (see FIG. 1) of ancillary support members 25, 26 are placed adjacent
front surface 19 of back 12. Side supports 22, 23 remain in fixed relation
relative to back 12.
Adjustable space 53, depicted in FIG. 2, is smaller when cushion 10 is
configured to be in the second configuration than when cushion 10 is
configured to be in the first configuration (FIG. 1). The ancillary
support members 25, 26 remain, however, in a spaced-apart relation in the
second configuration.
Attachment members 55, 57, 58, 59 and straps 65, 66 of hook and loop fabric
adjustably secure the ancillary support members 25, 26 in their respective
positions. Enlarged fragmentary perspective views of attachment members
58, 59 and strap 66 are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Members 55, 59 are
hook members and are secured to the tops of side supports 22, 23; members
57, 58 are loop members and are secured at the top of back 12. Straps 65,
66 are double sided with hooks on one side and loops on the other side
arranged to engage respectively members 55, 57, 58, 59 when ancillary
support member 25, 26 are moved from one position to another.
Referring to FIG. 5 which illustrates the rear of cushion 10, fabric cover
70, having a zipper 71 positioned adjacent the back surface 15 of back 12,
removably encloses back 12 and side supports 22, 23. On either side of
zipper 71, a portion of the cover 70 comprises panels 90, 92 of cotton
twill fabric with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) dots on the exterior surface
which reduce any tendency of the cushion to slide in a child's car seat.
Attachment straps 68 and 69 of hook and loop fabric are attached near the
top of the rear side back 12 to cover 70, the other ends of straps 69, 68
being free to overlie the seat of a car having fabric seat covers to
further secure the cushion 10 in its position in a child's safety seat.
In use, the cushion is placed in a child's safety seat (not shown) which is
conventionally placed on the seat of an automobile. If the automobile has
fabric seat covers, straps 68, 69 are extended above the top of the
child's car seat to engage the seat covers and to positively secure the
car seat cushion in place. If the automobile has leather or plastic seat
covers, straps 68, 69 may simply be rolled up and not used.
For an older child, the cushion may be used in the first configuration
illustrated in FIG. 1. Straps 65, 66 engage attachment members 55, 59 to
hold ancillary support members 25, 26 in their maximum spaced position. To
narrow the space 53 between ancillary support members 25, 26, either for a
smaller child or simply to maximize lateral head support, straps 65, 66
are disengaged from attachment members 55, 59 ancillary support members
25, 26 are rotated about the hinged connection of seams 50, 51, and straps
65, 66 are engaged to attachment members 57, 58 to form the configuration
illustrated in FIG. 2.
To wash the cover 70 of the cushion and the attached covers 72, 74 of the
ancillary support members 25, 26, foam blocks 84, 86 are removed from
covers 72, 74 through the pockets formed by panels 73, 75, 77, 79. Zipper
71 is opened and the foam panel 11 and attached side supports 80, 82 are
removed from cover 70 through the zippered opening. After the covers 70,
72, 74 have been washed the car seat cushion is reassembled by replacing
the foam blocks and panel, 11, 80, 82, 84, 86 in covers 70, 72, 74.
Other embodiments are within the scope of the claims.
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