Integrated Child Seat

This invention relates to a child seat for use in automotive vehicles and, more particularly, to a seat cushion insert that is foldable into a lower position, where it is integrated with a passenger seat, and a raised position, where it is positioned above the passenger seat to support a small child.

Infants and small children require special seating devices when travelling in automotive vehicles. A variety of child seats are commercially available. Most such child seats are an accessory purchased separately from a vehicle.

More recently, it has become feasible and desirable to provide child seats that are integrated within the passenger seat of the vehicle. One such child seat is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,934, issued on Nov. 30, 1993. The child seat shown in the '934 patent is an example of a booster-type child seat. Booster-type child seats are useful for toddlers because they allow a conventional seatbelt to be used to maintain a toddler in a safe position on the vehicle seat.

Although a variety of such child seats are available, many are not commercially practical for various reasons. For example, such child seats include a relatively large number of complex components that are too cumbersome to conveniently fit within a typical passenger seat, especially in smaller vehicles. Others, while having relatively more simple components, may not prove reliable or are too inconvenient or difficult to use.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a child seat that is integrated within a passenger seat having conveniently stowable, yet reliable, components that is aesthetically pleasing and simple to use. This invention provides such an integrated child seat by providing a cushion insert that is movable between a lower position, where the insert is aligned with the seating surface, and a raised position where the cushion insert is positioned to support a small child. A convenient, single push button actuator is provided, which allows a user to manipulate the cushion insert between the raised and lower positions.

In general terms, this invention is a seat having a seat frame and a cushion, which defines a seating surface, supported on the seat frame. The inventive seat includes a movable cushion insert that is supported on the seat frame for movement between a lower position, where the cushion insert is aligned with the seating surface, and a raised position, where the cushion insert is disposed above the seating surface. Support means support the cushion insert in the raised position and a latch member is provided for engaging the support means and maintaining the cushion insert in the raised position. A locking member locks the cushion insert in the lower position. The inventive seat is characterized by release means for releasing the locking member when the cushion insert is to be moved from the lower position and for releasing the latch member when the cushion insert is to be moved from the raised position.

The above and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the written description are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a partial cut-away perspective view of an integrated child seat cushion insert assembly designed in accordance with this invention, showing the cushion insert in a raised position.

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the cushion insert in a lower position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3--3 in FIG. 2, illustrating selected components of a release means designed in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 4 is another view of the components illustrated in FIG. 3 in another position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3--3 of FIG. 2 illustrating, in more detail, the action of a locking member designed in accordance with this invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a portion of a seat 10 including a seat frame 12 and a cushion 14 supported on the seat frame 12. The cushion 14 has a top surface defining a seating surface 15. A movable cushion insert 16 has a cushion 17 on a base plate (not shown) that is supported on the seat frame 12 for movement between a lower position, wherein the cushion insert 16 is aligned with and forms a part of the seating surface 15 (illustrated in FIG. 2), and a raised child seating position, wherein the cushion insert 16 is disposed above and generally parallel to the seating surface 15 to support a small child (illustrated in FIG. 1). Support means 18 are provided for maintaining the cushion insert 16 in the raised position. In the illustrated embodiment, the support means 18 includes an arrangement of scissor arm support members.

A latch member 20 is provided to engage a portion of the support means 18 in order to maintain the cushion insert 16 in a raised position. A locking member 22 (illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5) is provided for locking the cushion insert 16 in the lower position, where it is aligned with the seating surface 15. A single release means 24 releases the locking member 22 when the cushion insert 16 is to be moved from the lower position to the raised position. The same release means 24 releases the latch member 20 from the support means 18 when the cushion insert 16 is to be moved from the raised position into the lower position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4, the release means 24 includes an actuator 26, which preferably is a push button accessible from a front surface on the seat cushion 14. The push button 26 is directly connected to a lever 28. The lever 28 effects a connection between the push button 26 and a link member 30. The lever 28 is connected to one end of the link member 30 and a moving member 32 is connected to the other end of the link member 30. The moving member 32 preferably is a substantially rigid, generally flat bar.

The link member 30 is pivotally mounted on the seat frame 12 such that it is pivotal about the pivot point 34. When the push button 26 is pressed, the lever 28 moves the top portion of the link member 30 such that the link member pivots about a pivot point 34. A swivel connection between the moving member 32 and the link member 30 is provided at 36. As the link member 30 pivots about the pivot point 34, the moving member 32 slides within a guide track 38 toward the front of the seat cushion 14. Such a sliding motion is illustrated by comparing the views of FIGS. 3 and 4. As the push button 26 is pressed, the top portion of the link member 30 moves to the right (according to the drawings) and the lower portion of the link member 30 moves to the left (according to the drawings), thereby causing a sliding movement of the moving member 32 to the left as illustrated.

FIG. 3 illustrates selected portions of the cushion insert support structure and the release means in a position corresponding to the cushion insert 16 being in the lower position, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The cushion insert 16 is maintained in the lower position by the locking member 22. The support means 18 preferably is biased, by a spring, for example, such that it urges the cushion insert 16 into the raised position. Accordingly, locking member 22 maintains the cushion insert 16 in the lower position against the bias acting on the support means 18. The scissor arm arrangement 18 preferably includes a support plate 40, which extends between two of the scissor arms. The support plate 40 includes an opening 42 that is engaged by a hook member 44 on the locking member 22. FIG. 3 illustrates the hook member 44 extending through the opening 42 and engaging a portion of the support plate 40 in order to maintain the cushion insert 16 in the lower position.

Assuming that a user desires to move the cushion insert 16 into the raised position, the user simply presses push button 26. When push button 26 is pressed, the moving member 32 moves to the left (according to FIGS. 3 and 4) as explained above, which causes the hook member 44 to move through the opening 42. Once the end of the hook member 44 is clear of the support plate 40, the cushion insert 16 is urged upward into the raised position as generally indicated by the up arrow 46 in FIG. 4. Once the support means 18 is in a fully extended position, the cushion insert 16 is maintained in the raised position by the latch member 20. The operation of the latch member 20 is as follows.

The latch member 20 is connected to a bar 48. The bar 48 has a generally U-shaped mid-section (as can be seen best in FIGS. 1 and 2). A sleeve 50 on the moving member 32 receives a central portion 52 of the mid-section of the bar 48. The central portion 52 rotates within sleeve 50 as the moving member 32 slides within the guide track 38 as caused by movement of the link member 30. The longitudinal end 54 of the bar 48 is connected to the latch member 20. As the moving member 32 moves from the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to the position illustrated in FIG. 4, the longitudinal end 54 of the bar 48 is pulled generally downward, as illustrated. Such generally downward movement causes the latch member 20 to pivot about pivot point 56 because latch member 20 is pivotally mounted on a support piece 58. The support piece 58 preferably is formed integrally with the seat frame 12. The just-described motion of the latch member 20 is a movement from a latching position (illustrated in FIG. 3) to a release position or non-latching position (illustrated in FIG. 4).

The support piece 58 includes a slot 60 that receives a peg 62. The peg 62 is connected to one end of at least one of the scissor arms 18. As the scissor arm support means 18 moves from the folded position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the upright position illustrated in FIG. 1, the peg 62 slides along the slot 60 according to arrow 64 (i.e. to the right according to FIGS. 3 and 4). When the cushion insert 16 is in the fully raised position, a hook member 66, which is a part of the latch member 20, engages the peg 62. The peg 62 is, therefore, maintained in the position illustrated in phantom at 68 in FIG. 4. Without the latch member 20, the peg 62 would be moved along the slot 60 by a downward force applied to the cushion insert 16 such as that caused by a seated child. Since the peg 62 is not allowed to slide along the slot 60, the scissor arms 18 and, therefore, the cushion insert 16 are maintained in the upright position.

In the most preferred embodiment, an additional support brace 70 is provided for maintaining the cushion insert 16 in the upright, raised position. The support brace 70 preferably is an overcentered knee joint assembly. The support brace 70 includes a first link plate 72 and a second link plate 74, which function as in any conventional overcentered knee joint. When in the upright position, illustrated in FIG. 1, the link plates 72 and 74 can only be folded in one direction. The link member 30 is provided with a push surface 76 that facilitates folding the support brace 70 when the push button 26 is pressed in order to lower the seat cushion insert 16 from the raised position. As can be appreciated from the illustration in FIG. 1, the push surface 76 contacts the second link plate 74 to initiate folding the support brace 70 as the cushion insert 16 is moved downward.

When a user desires to move the cushion insert 16 from the raised position, the user simply presses the push button 26 and applies a downward force onto the cushion insert 16. As described above, when the push button 26 is pressed, the latch member 20 moves into the non-latching or release position and the support means 18 is foldable against the bias that otherwise urges the cushion insert into the raised position. As the cushion insert 16 is moved downward, the support plate 40 moves toward the locking member 22. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the opening 42 in the support plate 40 includes a ramped surface 78. The hook member 44 includes a cam surface 80. As the support plate 40 moves down according to the arrow 82, the ramped surface 78 eventually bears against the cam surface 80. The moving contact between the ramped surface 78 and the cam surface 80 forces the moving member 32 to move according to the arrow 84 (i.e. to the left in FIG. 5). Once the ramped surface 78 is clear of the cam surface 80, the hook member 44 protrudes through the opening 42 and engages a portion of the support plate 40 (as illustrated in FIG. 3, for example). The hook member 44 is maintained in a locking position by a biasing means, such as a spring, or the like.

Accordingly, a seat cushion insert designed in accordance with this invention provides an integrated child seat that is easily manipulated between a raised, use position and a lower, stowed position through a single push button actuator. The foregoing description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the above-described embodiment are possible that do not depart from the purview and spirit of this invention. For example, a foldable support structure other than a scissor arm arrangement could be used to maintain the cushion insert in the raised position. The scope of this invention is to be limited only by the appended claims wherein reference numerals are provided for convenience only and are not to be construed as limiting in any way.