Tethered attachment for an air bag

An apparatus comprising:

• an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint for, when inflated, restraining an occupant of a vehicle, said inflatable restraint having an uninflated condition and an inflated condition;
• a housing having a chamber for receiving said inflatable restraint when said inflatable restraint is in the uninflated condition;
• said housing having first and second walls spaced apart from each other and a curved central wall interconnecting said first and second walls;
• said housing having a first plurality of openings extending through said first wall between the interior and the exterior of said housing, said first plurality of openings being spaced apart from each other along said first wall;
• said housing having a second plurality of openings extending through said second wall between the interior and the exterior of said housing, said second plurality of openings being spaced apart from each other along said second wall, said second plurality of openings being aligned with said first plurality of openings;
• tether means connected with said inflatable restraint for securing said air bag to said housing, said tether means comprising a plurality of tethers extending from said inflatable restraint through said openings in said housing from the interior to the exterior of said housing;
• said plurality of tethers including a first group of tethers extending from said inflatable restraint through said first plurality of openings in said housing first wall from the interior to the exterior of said housing, and a second group of tethers extending from said inflatable restraint through said second plurality of openings in said housing second wall from the interior to the exterior of said housing;
• said tethers comprising elongate straps having inner end portions disposed within the interior of said housing and outer end portions disposed on the exterior of said housing, said openings comprising slots in said housing walls;
• and
• said apparatus further comprising means for connecting said tethers to the exterior of said housing, said means for connecting including a plurality of mounting studs disposed on the exterior of said housing and equal in number to the number of tethers in said first group of tethers.

An apparatus comprising:

• an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint for, when inflated, restraining an occupant of a vehicle, said inflatable restraint having an uninflated condition and an inflated condition;
• an inflator for, when actuated, inflating said inflatable restraint;
• a housing defining a chamber for receiving said inflator and said inflatable restraint when said inflatable restraint is in the uninflated condition, said housing having a plurality of openings extending between the interior and the exterior of said housing;
• said housing having a first end portion defining a deployment opening through which said inflatable restraint inflates and a second end portion including an end wall opposite from said deployment opening;
• said inflator being disposed in said chamber at a location adjacent to said end wall and intermediate said inflatable restraint and said end wall;
• a plurality of tethers connected with said inflatable restraint, said tethers extending from said inflatable restraint through said openings in said housing from the interior to the exterior of said housing;
• and
• means for connecting said tethers to the exterior of said housing to secure said tethers to said housing and thereby to secure said inflatable restraint to said housing;
• said means for connecting said tethers to the exterior of said housing comprising means for connecting said tethers to said end wall of said housing, said end wall being disposed intermediate said inflator and said tethers.