Child car seats, also known as child restraint seats, are provided in many sizes and configurations. Generally, conventional car seats are xe2x80x9cgrown out ofxe2x80x9d in relatively short periods, and thus need to be replaced at various milestones in the physical development of the child. As the child grows, he or she graduates to a car seat configured to accommodate the child""s increased height and weight. Although the growth rate of children varies widely, even with the slowest growing children, replacement of the car seat becomes necessary before the end of the car seat life expectancy.
While the child is an infant, the parent must place the child in a rearwardly facing infant car seat for vehicular travel. The infant car seat needs to be designed to support an infant, who is not able to support him or her self, thereby allowing the infant, who cannot sit up on its own, to lie or recline in the seat. Once the child is able to sit upright, the infant seat must be replaced by a toddler-sized seat. The toddler-sized seat provides a forward-facing and slightly reclined seating environment for the toddler. The toddler seat is secured to the rear seat of the vehicle and typically includes a harness to secure the toddler within the seat. Eventually, however, the child outgrows the toddler-sized seat and progresses to a youth-sized seat. The youth-sized seat can accommodate children over 40 lbs. and functions primarily as a booster seat.
Child car seats must be replaced relatively frequently to accommodate the relatively fast growth rate of childrenxe2x80x94increasing height, weight, and needs of the child. Additionally, parents and other adults often must care for several children who do not fit within the same seat model. In this instance, the parents must buy two or more seats to accommodate their various-sized children.
One child car seat that has attempted to accommodate growing children is disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 09/167,893, the disclosure of which incorporated by reference herein. The disclosed child car seat is suited for accommodating both toddlers (e.g., 20-40 lbs.) and older children (e.g., 40-80 lbs.) who are not yet large enough to use vehicle seatbelts. A parent of a toddler can thus adjust the car seat as the child grows, rather than buy a new car seat of a bigger size. To achieve this versatility, the child car seat of Serial No. 09/167,893 includes armrests that may be vertically adjusted between a first, upper position and a second, lower position. In a typical toddler configuration, the armrests are placed in the upper position, and, in a configuration suitable for a larger child, the armrests can be adjusted to the lower position. In addition, a platform to recline the car seat of Serial No. 09/167,893 is arranged below the base by a pivoting connection. The base is pivotal between first and second positions relative to the platform. The child car seat also includes a harness removably mounted to the seat body through grommets located in the base and the seat back. As the child grows, the harness can be relocated to different grommet pairs. For example, for a larger child, the harness can be positioned in grommets located more forwardly on the base and higher on the seat back. As the child surpasses 40 lbs., the harness is omitted completely, and the lap/shoulder belt of the vehicle can be used to secure the child to the car seat. The child car seat can also include a head support removably mounted to the seat back. Once the child has grown past the toddler stage, the head support cushion can be removed from the seat back.
The features of the child car seat described in Serial No. 09/167,893, including the adjustable armrests, the adjustable harness, and the removable head support cushion, all increase the versatility of this child car seat as compared to non-adjustable child car seats. Nonetheless, there is a need for an improved versatile car seat that can accommodate various child sizes. The present invention addresses this need
One aspect of the present invention is thus drawn to an adjustable vehicle seat that can accommodate different children. A child seat according to the present invention provides a more versatile seat that can be quickly and readily adapted to accommodate toddlers and children sized large enough to use adult lap/shoulder belts, for example, from toddlers of 20 lbs. to youths of 80 lbs. In addition to eliminating costs associated with replacing outgrown car seats, the versatility features of this child seat are independent, meaning that it can be customized to maximize comfort and support of a child.
A child seat according to the present invention comprises a seat body including a seat back and a seat portion connected to the seat back. The seat portion has a first base connected to the seat back and a second base connected to the first base. The first and second bases form a seating surface upon which a child can sit. The first and second bases are movably connected relative to each other to change the area of the seating surface. In a preferred embodiment, the first base is fixedly connected to the seat back, and the second base is movably mounted to the first base for movement between a retracted position and an extended position.
The child seat according to the present invention further includes a seat adjusting mechanism that moves the second base toward and away from the first base to lengthen and shorten the seating surface. The seat adjusting mechanism preferably comprises an anchor fixedly mounted to the first base, a shaft axially and movably mounted to the anchor and anchored at one end to the second base, and an actuator extending from the anchored end. The shaft is movable relative to the anchor upon actuation of the actuator to move the second base relative to the first base.
The child seat preferably includes first and second armrests mounted to opposite sides of the second base. The armrests are axially movable with the second base. Further, the armrests are asymmetrically mounted to the second base about an axis. Each armrest can be rotatable between a first position and a second position, and an arm resting portion of each armrest is higher in the first position than in the second position. To lock the armrests in the first or second positions, the child seat preferably has actuators associated with each armrest. In addition, each armrest has a guide rail, and the actuator engages the respective guide rail to control rotation of the respective armrest. In one embodiment, the guide rail has a curved pathway, and the actuator has a key configured to slide relative to the curved pathway during rotation of the respective armrest. A beverage container holder can be detachably mounted to either of the armrests.
In another aspect of the invention, the child seat can include a recline mechanism. The recline mechanism is connected to the first and second bases for selectively tilting the seat body relative to a vehicle seat. The recline mechanism can tilt the seat body regardless of the relative position between the first and second bases. The recline mechanism preferably comprises a recline assembly connected to the second base, and one or more telescoping arms connected to the recline assembly and pivotally connected to the first base. The recline assembly, in turn, preferably comprises a pair of opposing towers mounted to the first base, a recline rod releasably mounted to the towers, and a recline handle connected to the recline rod. The towers each can have vertically spaced slots adapted to receive the recline rod, with the recline handle being movable to adjust the position of the recline rod relative to the towers.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the child seat includes a headrest adjustably mounted to the seat back. The seat back has a front surface, and the headrest has a back surface. The headrest is adjustable between at least a first position and a second position. In the first position, at least a portion of the back surface of the headrest overlaps the front surface of the seat back, and, in the second position, the back surface of the headrest either clears or fully overlaps the front surface of the seat back. To move the headrest, the child seat preferably includes a headrest adjustment mechanism. This mechanism comprises a support member mounted to the headrest and having an opening that exposes a backside of the seat back. The mechanism also comprises a bracket attached to the backside of the seat back, and the bracket movably guides the support member. The mechanism further comprises an adjustment latch movably mounted to the support member and having a projection aligned with the opening to engage the backside of the seat back. The backside of the seat back can have a plurality of recesses adapted to hook the projection of the adjustment latch to lock the headrest relative to the seat back.
In still another aspect of the invention, the child seat includes a shoulder clip. The shoulder clip preferably comprises a mounting member, adapted to be secured to the child seat, and a belt receiving portion rotatably mounted to the mounting member. The belt receiving portion has a first belt-receiving opening and a second belt-receiving opening. The first belt-receiving opening has a first width, and the second belt-receiving opening has a second width greater than the first width.
These features, as well as other features, of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows.