Secondary lock for child safety seat

Abstract

Systems and methods for a secondary lock on a rotatable child seat assembly comprising a seat body and a base. The secondary lock secures the seat body to the base when the seat body is in a front-facing configuration. The seat body can be removably coupled or permanently coupled to the base. The secondary lock includes an engagement piece and a receiver, which are configured to mate, and can further comprise a shock absorber or a support piece.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766TITLE SECONDARY LOCK FOR CHILD SAFETY SEATPRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 778,030 filed March 26, 2025, titled “SECONDARY LOCK FOR CHILD SAFETY SEAT,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and relied upon.BACKGROUND

[0002] Child restraint systems, also commonly called child safety seats, child seats, car seats, or booster seats, among others, are designed to protect children in vehicles from the effects of impacts or sudden changes in motion (e.g., sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, and the like). Child restraint systems, referred to hereinafter as child seats or child safety seats, may be used in a variety of vehicles with different seat types and / or seating configurations. In one configuration, the child seat is rotatably secured to a base so that it can rotate from a front-facing configuration to a rear-facing configuration.

[0003] It is important for rotatable child seats to be properly secured to the vehicle (e.g., car) seat to protect the occupant. Rotatable safety seats optionally include tethers when disposed in a front-facing configuration. Current technology can include the use of a top tether that secures the base of the rotatable child seat to the vehicle. This top tether prevents the child seat from flipping or pivoting forward in the event of a forward collision. However, current top tethers may disengage or otherwise fail in the event of an impact. Furthermore, current top tethers are typically fastened to the base; namely, in a forward collision, rotational forces related to forward-pivoting are undesirably concentrated at the bottom of the base. In turn, there is a need for a secondary lock, which provides added safety when used alone or alongside a top-tether on a rotatable child seat assembly, by ensuring that the top tether couples to the base and the secondary lock couples an upper portion of the child seat to both the base when the child seat is in a front-facing configuration.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766SUMMARY

[0004] Example systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed herein for a secondary lock for a child safety seat.

[0005] Aspects of the subject matter described herein may be useful alone or in combination with one or more other aspects described herein. In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a secondary lock child safety seat system comprises a child safety seat, a seat base, and a secondary lock. The child safety seat is rotatably mounted to the seat base. The seat base is configured to selectively couple to a vehicle and the child safety seat has a front-facing configuration and a rear-facing configuration.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the child safety seat comprises a top tether.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock comprises an engagement portion and the child safety seat further comprises a receiver.

[0008] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement portion and the receiver are configured to mate and the engagement portion and the receiver mate when the child safety seat is in front-facing configuration.

[0009] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement portion is affixed to the seat base and the receiver is affix to the child safety seat.

[0010] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock further comprises a shock absorber.

[0011] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the receiver comprises a support piece.

[0012] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement portion is affixed to the child safety seat, and the receiver is affix to the seat base.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766

[0013] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement piece is comprised of a flexible material.

[0014] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock is configured to secure the child safety seat to the seat base when the child safety seat is in the front-facing configuration.

[0015] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a secondary lock comprises a receiver and an engagement piece. The secondary lock is configured to either be in an engaged position or a disengaged position.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock is configured to couple to a rotatable child safety seat.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the rotatable child safety seat comprises a child safety seat, a seat base, and a top tether.

[0018] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a method of using a secondary lock for a rotatable child safety seat includes a rotatable child safety seat and a secondary lock. The rotatable child safety seat includes a seat body and a base. The secondary lock comprises a receiver and an engagement piece. The method comprises rotating the seat body to a front-facing configuration and coupling the receiver to the engagement piece.

[0019] In a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock child safety seat comprises a top tether.

[0020] In a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement piece and the receiver are configured to mate, and the engagement piece and the receiver mate when the child safety seat is in frontfacing configuration.

[0021] In a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement piece is affixed to the seat base and the receiver is affixed to the child safety seat.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766

[0022] In an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the secondary lock further comprises a shock absorber.

[0023] In a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the receiver comprises a support piece.

[0024] In a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure, which may be combined with any other aspect listed herein unless specified otherwise, the engagement piece is comprised of a flexible material.

[0025] In a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure, any of the structure, functionality, and alternatives disclosed in connection with any one or more of Figs. 1 to 5 may be combined with any other structure, functionality, and alternatives disclosed in connection with any other one or more of Figs. 1 to 5.

[0026] In light of the present disclosure and the above aspects, it is therefore an advantage of the present disclosure to provide users with a secondary lock for a child safety seat.

[0027] Additional features and advantages are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the Figures. The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the figures and description. In addition, any particular embodiment does not have to have all of the advantages listed herein and it is expressly contemplated to claim individual advantageous embodiments separately. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been selected principally for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0028] The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, in which use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended to illustrate like or analogous components.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766

[0029] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a front-facing configuration and secured to a vehicle with the aid of a top tether and a secondary lock, according to various embodiments.

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a front-facing configuration secured to the vehicle seat with the aid of a secondary lock, according to various embodiments.

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a front-facing configuration and secured to a vehicle with the aid of a secondary lock, according to various embodiments.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a rear-facing configuration where a secondary lock is disengaged, according to various embodiments.

[0033] Figure 5 illustrates a zoomed in view of a secondary lock in an engaged position.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specific the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or additional of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, andAttorney Docket No. 3400706.00766operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0037] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0039] Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature’s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0040] Described herein are systems and methods for a secondary lock on a rotatable child seat assembly, where the secondary lock secures the seat body to the base when the seat is in aAttomey Docket No. 3400706.00766front-facing configuration. Various advantages and benefits may be realized with secondary lock mechanism described herein, and the aforementioned benefits and advantages should not be considered limiting.

[0041] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a front-facing configuration and secured to a vehicle with the aid of a top tether and a secondary lock, according to various embodiments. Generally, it should be appreciated that while top tether may be implemented (as illustrated herein) other anti-rebound elements such as support legs could be implemented in addition to, or in substitution of, the top tether. Moreover, in certain embodiments, secondary lock could be implemented by itself, without a top tether or another anti-rebound element.

[0042] As seen in Figure 1, the rotatable child safety seat 100 includes a seat body 120 and a base 105. The seat body 120 may be pivotally coupled to the base 105 so that the seat body 120 can rotate between a front-facing configuration, illustrated by Figures 1-3, and a rear-facing configuration, illustrated by Figure 4. The rotating mechanism, not shown, may vary in alternate embodiments.

[0043] The seat body 120 can be removably coupled or permanently coupled to the base 105. Regarding the base 105, the base 105 includes a base bottom 106 and a base back 107. The base bottom 106 is configured to be placed on a vehicle seat 110. The base back 107 is configured to sit flush with the back of a vehicle seat 110. The base 105 includes belt retainers 116 which are configured to receive and hold in place a vehicle lap belt 115. While the present embodiment shows belt retainers 116 in a hook geometry, it should be noted that the geometry, size, and / or position of the belt retainers 116 may vary in alternate embodiments. In an alternate embodiment, which is not illustrated, belt retainers 116 and the related vehicle lap belt 115 may be replaced with standardized LATCH system components, which are selectively coupled to anchor points at the junction of the vehicle seat 110 and the back of the vehicle seat 110.

[0044] In the illustrated example embodiment, the rotatable child safety seat 100 includes a secondary lock 124. In this example embodiment, the secondary lock 124 includes an engagement piece 122 disposed on the base back 107 and further includes a receiver 121 on the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. Optionally, as illustrated in Figure 1, the receiver 121 can further comprise a shock absorber 123 or other related component to dampen an external force. The shock absorber 123 can be separate from the receiver 121 and the engagement piece 122. InAttorney Docket No. 3400706.00766the present embodiment, the shock absorber 123 is separate but connected to the receiver 121, which is attached to the top back part 108 of the seat body 120.

[0045] As illustrated in Figure 1, the engagement piece 122 projects from the base back 107 and is received by a cavity on the receiver 121, such that the two components have a mating relationship. When mated, the engagement piece 122 and the receiver 121 help retain the seat body 120 in a front-facing configuration. It should be appreciated that receiver 121 includes an aperture or cavity geometrically disposed to receive engagement piece 122. For example, when seat body 120 is rotated from a rear-facing configuration to a front facing configuration, engagement piece 122 passes into the aperture of receiver 121; engagement piece 122 does not inhibit rotation of seat body 120 whatsoever.

[0046] As shown, the receiver 121 includes a shock absorber 123, which is also located on the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. Further, the shock absorber 123 can be made of a flexible material which enhances its ability to absorb shock in the event of a sudden impact to the vehicle seat 110. The placement and geometry of the receiver 121, engagement piece 122 and the shock absorber 123 may also vary.

[0047] In the front-facing configuration, the engagement piece 122 and the receiver 121 retain the seat body 120 as noted above. In addition, the convertible top tether 200 keeps the base 105 in place, as also noted above.

[0048] Figure 2 illustrates a side view of a rotatable child seat in a front-facing configuration secured to the vehicle seat with the aid of a secondary lock, according to various embodiments. As shown, the secondary lock 124 is in the engaged position. As illustrated in Figure 2, the secondary lock 124 includes a receiver 121 and an engagement piece 122. Here, the secondary lock 124 includes the receiver 121 attached to the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. Further, the engagement piece 122 is attached to the back base 107 of the base 105. As disclosed here, the secondary lock 124 does not include a separate shock absorber 123. Conversely, as illustrated in Figure 2, features of the shock absorber 123 disclosed in Figure 1 can be incorporated into the engagement piece 122 such that the engagement piece 122 aids in minimizing shock in the event of a sudden impact to the vehicle seat 110. Specifically, the engagement piece 122 can be made of a flexible material that allows for additional resistance in the event of an impact. Further, the engagement piece 122 can be slightly moveable such that, in the event of an impact, the engagement piece 122 will not disengage or fail.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766

[0049] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of rotatable child safety seat 100 of Figure 2 in a rear-facing configuration and secured to a vehicle seat 110 with the aid of a secondary lock 124, according to various embodiments. As noted above, the secondary lock 124 can comprise a variety of features in which the size and position of the features can vary. As illustrated in Figure 3, the secondary lock 124 comprises a receiver 121 and an engagement piece 122. Similar to Figure 2, the secondary lock 124 includes the receiver 121 attached to the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. Further, the engagement piece 122 is attached to the back base 107 of the base 105. However, as illustrated herein, the receiver 121 further includes a support piece 125.

[0050] The support piece 125 is an extra piece of material between the receiver 121 and the top back part 108 of the seat body, which provides additional support for the connection of the receiver 121 and the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. The support piece 125 can be made of the same material that is used for the receiver 121 or can be made of a different material than the receiver 121. The support piece can be a variety of shapes and sizes, and it is preferable for the support piece 125 to contact a larger surface area of the receiver because this provides enhances support.

[0051] Figure 4 illustrates a side view of the rotatable child seat disclosed in Figure 2 in a rear-facing configuration where a secondary lock is disengaged, according to various embodiments. As seen in Figure 4, the rotatable child safety seat 100 includes a seat body 120 and a base 105. The seat body 120 is pivotally coupled to the base 105 so that it can rotate between a front-facing configuration and a rear-facing configuration (disclosed here). The rotating mechanism, not shown, may vary in alternate embodiments.

[0052] The seat body 120 can be removably coupled or permanently coupled to the base 105. Regarding the base 105, the base 105 includes a base bottom 106 and a base back 107. The base bottom 106 is configured to be placed on a vehicle seat 110. The base back 107 is configured to sit flush with the back of a vehicle seat 110. The base 105 includes belt retainers 116 which are configured to receive and hold in place a vehicle lap belt 115.

[0053] In this example embodiment, the rotatable child safety seat 100 comprises a secondary lock 124 in the disengaged position. The secondary lock 124 comprises a receiver attached to the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. The secondary lock 124 also comprises an engagement piece 122 attached to the base back 107 of the base 105. The receiver 121 and the engagement piece 122 are configured to mate or engage when the rotatable child safety seat 100Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766is in a forward-facing configuration. As noted above, the secondary lock 124 is disengaged because the rotatable child safety seat 100 is in a rear-facing configuration.

[0054] Figure 5 illustrates a zoomed in view of a secondary lock in an engaged position. In this example embodiment, the receiver 121 is connected to the base back 107 of the base 105. The engagement piece 122 is connected to the top back part 108 of the seat body 120. As disclosed here, the secondary lock 124 does not include a separate shock absorber 123. Instead, features of a shock absorber 123 are incorporated into the engagement piece 122 such that the engagement piece 122 aids in minimizing shock in the event of a sudden impact to the vehicle seat 110. Specifically, the engagement piece 122 can be made of a flexible material that allows for additional resistance in the event of an impact. Further, the engagement piece 122 is shaped such that a springing effect occurs when the rotatable child safety seat 100 experiences sudden movement or impact. The ability to flex and / or manipulate ensures the engagement piece 122 will not disengage or fail in the event of a sudden impact.

[0055] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 3400706.00766CLAIMS1. A secondary lock child safety seat system comprising:a child safety seat;a seat base; anda secondary lock;wherein the child safety seat is rotatably mounted to the seat base;wherein the seat base is configured to selectively couple to a vehicle; andwherein the child safety seat has a front-facing configuration and a rear-facing configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary lock child safety seat comprises a top tether.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary lock comprises an engagement portion and the child safety seat further comprises a receiver.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the engagement portion and the receiver are configured to mate, and wherein the engagement portion and the receiver mate when the child safety seat is in front-facing configuration.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the engagement portion is affixed to the seat base and the receiver is affixed to the child safety seat.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the secondary lock further comprises a shock absorber.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiver comprises a support piece.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the engagement portion is affixed to the child safety seat and the receiver is affix to the seat base.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the engagement portion is comprised of a flexible material.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.0076610. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary lock is configured to secure the child safety seat to the seat base when the child safety seat is in the front-facing configuration.

11. A secondary lock, comprising:a receiver; andan engagement piece;wherein the secondary lock can be in an engaged position or a disengaged position.

12. The secondary lock of claim 11, wherein the secondary lock is configured to couple to rotatable child safety seat.

13. The secondary lock of claim 12, wherein the rotatable child safety seat comprises: a child safety seat;a seat base; anda top tether.

14. A method of using a secondary lock for a rotatable child safety seat, wherein the rotatable child safety seat further comprises a seat body, a base, and the secondary lock comprises a receiver and an engagement piece, the method comprising:rotating the seat body to a front-facing configuration; andcoupling the receiver to the engagement piece.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the secondary lock child safety seat comprises a top tether.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the engagement piece and the receiver are configured to mate, and wherein the engagement piece and the receiver mate when the child safety seat is in front-facing configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the engagement piece is affixed to the seat base and the receiver is affixed to the child safety seat.Attorney Docket No. 3400706.0076618. The method of claim 14, wherein the secondary lock further comprises a shock absorber.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiver comprises a support piece.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the engagement piece is comprised of a flexible material.

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