Protective support assembly for an occupant of a vehicle

A protective support assembly for an occupant of a vehicle, said assembly comprising:

• a. a base positionable on a supporting surface within the vehicle and a housing mounted on said base and including a hollow interior portion dimensioned to contain an occupant therein,
• b. occupant support means contained within said housing for maintenance of the occupant in a supported position,
• c. containment means mounted within said hollow interior portion in adjacent relation to said occupant support means and structured for engagement with and containment of the occupant in said supported position,
• d. said housing comprising an outer shell formed of impact-resistant material and configured to define a substantially surrounding enclosure of the occupant,
• e. said shell comprising an integral one-piece construction including a bottom portion, mid portion, top portion and an access opening contiguous to said bottom, mid and top portions and communicating with said hollow interior portion,
• f. said top portion configured in a surrounding disposition relative to rear, top and frontal portions of the occupant's head;
• said mid portion configured in surrounding disposition relative to rear and opposite sides of the occupant's torso and said bottom portion configured in surrounding disposition to underportions of the occupant's body and being connected to said occupant support means,
• g. closure means comprising a door movably secured to said shell for at least partial closure of said access opening and selective positioning between an open and a closed position relative to said access opening and said hollow interior portion, said closed position defined by substantially covering, protective disposition of the frontal portion of the occupant by said door structure,
• h. said closure means having a lesser dimension than said access opening and configured to define a viewing space through said access opening when said door is in said closed position, said viewing space disposed between and defined by an upper periphery of said door structure and a lower periphery of said top portion of said shell,
• i. connecting means formed on said shell and disposed and configured for connection with an interior of the vehicle, whereby said shell is maintained on the supporting surface of the vehicle, and
• j. padding structure secured to and extending outwardly from an interior surface of said shell and said door in surrounding and at least partially enclosing relation to the occupant within said hollow interior portion.