Harness Booster Car Seat Convertible to Multiple Separately Usable Configurations

Abstract

A harness booster car seat that is separable into a separately usable backless booster and a backrest booster that may or may not include a harness thereon.

Claims

1. A harness booster car seat comprising: a backrest booster having a seating surface thereon; a backless booster capable of use by itself and capable of being slid onto a portion of said backrest booster.

2. The harness booster car seat of claim 1 wherein the backless booster includes an opening therein for slidingly receiving the seating surface of the backrest booster therein.

3. The harness booster car seat of claim 2 wherein the backless booster includes an aperture through a seating portion thereof for receiving a center strap therethrough.

4. The harness booster car seat of claim 2 wherein said backrest booster further includes a locking mechanism for releasably locking the backless booster thereto.

5. The harness booster car seat of claim 4 wherein said locking mechanism comprises at least one hook mounted on a locking rod on the backrest booster and said backless booster includes at least one recess for receiving said hook, and an actuator for pivoting said hook into and out of engagement with said recess.

6. A harness booster car seat comprising: a backless booster portion having a single opening therein; a backrest portion that is slidingly connected to the backless booster portion.

7. The harness booster car seat of claim 1 wherein the backrest portion includes a seating surface attached thereto that is usable when the backrest portion is disconnected from the backless booster portion.

8. The harness booster car seat of claim 7 wherein the backless booster portion includes an aperture through a seating portion thereof for receiving a center strap attached to the backrest portion therethrough.

9. The harness booster car seat of claim 8 wherein said backrest portion further includes a locking mechanism for releasably locking the backless booster portion thereto.

10. The harness booster car seat of claim 9 wherein said locking mechanism comprises at least one hook mounted on a locking rod on the backrest booster portion and said backless booster portion includes at least one recess for receiving said hook, and an actuator for pivoting said hook into and out of engagement with said recess.

11. A harness booster car seat comprising: a backless booster base having an opening therein; a booster back comprising a head support portion, a lumbar support portion, and an auxiliary seating portion; wherein the booster back has a protruding section that is slidingly and lockingly received in the opening in the backless booster base.

12. The harness booster car seat of claim 11 wherein the backless booster base is separately usable as a backless booster seat.

13. The harness booster car seat of claim 11 wherein the booster back is separately usable as a harness booster car seat.

14. The harness booster car seat of claim 11 wherein the protruding section of the booster back includes a seating surface thereon.

15. The harness booster car seat of claim 11 wherein the backless booster base includes an aperture through a seating portion thereof for receiving a center strap therethrough.

16. The harness booster car seat of claim 11 wherein said booster back further includes a locking mechanism for releasably locking the backless booster base thereto.

17. The harness booster car seat of claim 16 wherein said locking mechanism comprises at least one hook mounted on a locking rod on the booster back and said backless booster base includes at least one recess for receiving said hook, and an actuator for pivoting said hook into and out of engagement with said recess.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The above-mentioned and other features of the disclosure may be clarified by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a front perspective of a harness booster car seat in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the booster of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the backrest/alternate seat section of the harness booster of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the backless booster portion of the booster car seat of FIG. 1; and

[0017] FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the backless booster portion shown in FIG. 4.

[0018] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] While a harness booster car seat is provided that is separable into a usable backless booster and a separate backrest booster that may or may not include a harness thereon according to this disclosure may be embodied in many forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more embodiments of a single such harness booster car seat, with the understanding that this disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles disclosed herein and is not intended to be limited to merely the illustrated and discussed embodiments.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary harness booster seat 10 is shown. Booster seat 10 generally includes a backless booster base 12 and a booster back 14. Backless booster base 12 and booster back 14 are separable into separately usable components.

[0021] Booster back 14 includes head support portion 16, lumbar support portion 18, and, as best seen in FIG. 3, auxiliary seating portion 15. Head support portion 16 is adjustable and lockable relative to lumbar support portion 18 and may include side portions 17 having loops thereon 19 for receiving a car seat shoulder belt (not shown). Head support portion 16 includes an adjustment mechanism 22 including button 24 for adjusting the head support portion 16 with respect to lumbar portion 18.

[0022] Harness voids 20 are provided on the lumbar support portion 18 and upward thereof. Backless booster base 12 includes armrests 26 and cupholders 28 on either side of the seating portion 30. The lumbar support portion 18 may include side supports 32 having apertures 34 therein for receiving a car seat lap belt (not shown) therethrough. An aperture 36 may be provided in the seating portion 30 for the center strap 38 therethrough, the center strap 38 including a buckle body 40 thereon, the buckle 40 being shaped to receive and lock corresponding left and right latches (42, 44) for receiving corresponding left and right shoulder harnesses (not shown). The center strap 38 may be connected to an adjuster mechanism 46 as is known in the art for adjusting the harness, namely, the length of the center strap 38. A recline mechanism 50 having a recline actuator 52 is provided on the front portion of the backless booster base 12 that controls a foot (not shown) underneath the backless booster base 12 allowing for adjustment of the recline of the seat 10 as is known in the art.

[0023] As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a separation actuator 60 is pivotally mounted on rod 62 as are locking hooks 64. Locking hooks 64 are shaped to engage corresponding locking recesses 66 located above slot 68 on the backless booster base 12. The slot 68 is shaped to slidingly receive auxiliary seating portion 15 therein securely and fully thereby allowing the lumbar portion 18 of booster back 14 to be positioned proximal to the back of seating portion 30 at approximately 90 degree angle thereto.

[0024] A handle 70 may be provided on and depending down from the separation actuator 60 that is resiliently biased in a normally locked configuration, namely a position wherein hooks 64 are resiliently biased into engagement with locking recesses 66 by a spring (not shown). Accordingly, if separation of the backless booster base 12 from the booster back 14 is desired, a user simply pulls outwardly on handle 70 disengaging hooks 64 from recesses 66 allowing the backless booster base 12 to be slidingly separated out from the booster back 14. Following separation, booster base 12 is thus usable as a backless booster and booster back 14 may be stored for use later or used separately as its own harness booster by utilizing the auxiliary seating portion 15 and connected harness including center strap 38, buckle body 40 and corresponding left 42 and right 44 latches.

[0025] Following from the above description it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the systems, methods and apparatuses herein described constitute exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to these precise systems, methods and apparatuses and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure.