Side impact protective apparatus for a motor vehicle occupant

A side impact protective apparatus for a motor vehicle occupant that is incorporated into a door of a motor vehicle that includes an external sheet and a door interior element, said apparatus comprising:

• a pressure gas source,
• a one-piece covering (11) including a downward projecting shoulder (22) at its upper edge that reaches behind a part of said door interior element to suspend the covering from said door interior element, and
• a gas bag (6) having respective longitudinal ends which can be inflated by the pressure gas source, the gas bag being folded together and arranged in a resting position behind the covering, and, when inflated by the pressure gas source, releasing the downward projecting shoulder and exiting upwardly in a region of a side wall railing through a slot formed between the upper edge of the covering and a side window, thereby extending upward along an interior of the side window as impact protection for a head region of the occupant,
• wherein the covering is connected on opposed peripheral sides of the covering with the door of the motor vehicle by two detachable spaced fastenings (32, 33) and wherein an ideal connection line (31) is defined on the one-piece covering through the two detachable spaced fastenings such that a swiveling axis is formed by the ideal connection line for pivoting an upper edge region (28) of the one-piece covering on the ideal connection line, and
• wherein a cross front face (34) of the covering includes a weakening (35) defined therein, wherein the cross front face extends substantially perpendicular to a face of the covering that faces a passenger space (20) of the motor vehicle and wherein the weakening runs parallel to an external contour (40) of the covering turned towards the passenger space, and wherein the one-piece covering is tearable in a region of the weakening when the upper edge region (28) of the one-piece covering pivots.