Tether routing apparatus and method of using same
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsJohn K. Bertoli, Michael D. McCannell, William C. Lanz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A child seat mounting arrangement includes a frame member of a vehicle having an inner surface and an outer surface. A base plate has an engaging surface and an opposite surface. The engaging surface is fixedly secured to the frame member inner surface. A rigid rod is fixedly secured to the base plate opposite surface and extends beyond the frame member such that an engaging portion of the rigid rod is spaced apart from the frame member outer surface and is adapted to receive a tether of a child seat therearound.
Claims21
A child seat tether routing apparatus, comprising:
- a frame member of a vehicle having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- a base plate having an engaging surface and an opposite surface, said engaging surface fixedly secured to said frame member inner surface;
- and
- a rigid rod fixedly secured to said base plate opposite surface and extending beyond said frame member such that an engaging portion of said rigid rod is spaced apart from said frame member outer surface, said rod generally formed as an open loop including a mounting portion secured to said base plate opposite surface, said engaging portion axially extending in generally parallel relation to said frame member outer surface and an extending portion disposed between said mounting portion and said engaging portion, an open side of said open loop opposite said extending portion receives a tether of a child seat, said rod further includes a retaining portion extending from an end of said engaging portion opposite said extending portion, said retaining portion extending in a substantial longitudinal direction of the vehicle, said tether wraps around said engaging portion so as to reverse direction.
A tether routing apparatus for receiving and routing a tether of a child safety seat secured in a vehicle to a remotely positioned tether anchor, the tether routing apparatus comprising:
- a base plate mounted to a frame member of a vehicle;
- and
- a rigid rod having a mounting portion fixedly secured to a rod mounting surface of said base plate and an engaging portion spaced from said base plate that receives and reroutes the tether to the remotely positioned tether anchor, wherein said rod has a U-shape including said mounting portion forming a first side of said U-shape, said engaging portion forming a second, opposite side of said U-shape and an extending portion disposed between said mounting portion and said engaging portion forms a base side of said U-shape, wherein an open end of said U-shape receives said tether therein, said engaging portion having said tether wrapped therearound so as to direct the tether to the anchor, which is forwardly disposed along with the child safety seat relative to said rigid rod, wherein said tether is received around said engaging portion such that two portions of said tether extend in a first direction, said rod includes an end portion distal relative to said base plate that extends from said engaging portion in a substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
A child seat mounting arrangement, comprising:
- a tether routing apparatus, comprising:
- a base plate having an engaging surface mounted to a first mating surface of a vehicle frame member, said vehicle frame member disposed rearwardly relative to a seat back of fixed rear seats of a passenger compartment, said engaging surface and said first mating surface defining a first plane therebetween, and
- a rigid rod having an engaging portion and a mounting portion, said mounting portion mounted to a surface of said base plate opposite said engaging surface, said rod extending through said first plane such that said mounting portion is disposed on one side of said first plane and said engaging portion is disposed on another side of said first plane in spaced relation relative thereto that receives a tether of a child safety seat wrapped thereabout and redirects the tether originating from a front side of the seat back of the fixed rear seats, said rod further includes a retaining portion extending from a distal end of said engaging portion in a direction away from the seat back of the fixed rear seats;
- and
- a tether anchor remotely positioned relative to said tether routing apparatus and disposed forward of the seat back of the fixed rear seats, the tether being routed by said tether routing apparatus to said tether anchor and being fixedly secured by a latch to said tether anchor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.