Air bag module including folded air bag

An air bag assembly comprising:

• an inflatable air bag for, when inflated, restraining an occupant of a vehicle, said air bag having a deflated, folded condition and an inflated, unfolded condition;
• a source of inflation fluid for directing inflation fluid into said air bag to inflate said air bag;
• a ring member encircled by an end portion of said air bag;
• and
• a container associated with said source of inflation fluid, said container having a plurality of walls defining a chamber in said container, said air bag when in the deflated, folded condition being disposed in said chamber in said container;
• said container walls including an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall interconnecting upper portions of said outer and inner walls, and a lower wall interconnecting lower portions of said outer and inner walls;
• said container outer wall including a door of said container which is moved out of the inflation path of said air bag by said air bag when said air bag inflates;
• said air bag when in the deflated, folded condition in said container having a first stack of first folded portions of said air bag which extend in a direction between said outer and inner walls of said container and generally parallel to said upper and lower walls of said container;
• said air bag when in the deflated, folded condition in said container having a second stack of second folded portions of said air bag which extend in a direction between said upper and lower walls of said container and generally parallel to said door of said container;
• said chamber having upper and lower chamber portions;
• one of said first and second stacks of folded portions of said air bag being disposed in said upper chamber portion and the other one of said first and second stacks of folded portions of said air bag being disposed in said lower chamber portion;
• said ring member being disposed in said chamber in said container;
• said first stack of first folded portions of said air bag and said second stack of second folded portions of said air bag being disposed intermediate said ring member and said container outer wall;
• said one stack in said upper portion of said chamber extending above said ring member and said other stack in said lower portion of said chamber extending below said ring member;
• said second folded portions of said air bag having a series of folded edge portions disposed in abutting engagement with a respective one of said first folded portions of said air bag.