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Infant seat assembly with retention memberInfant seat assembly with retention member description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080048482, Infant seat assembly with retention member. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]1. Field of the Invention [0002]The present invention relates to an infant seat assembly, more particularly to an infant seat assembly having a retention member for arresting forward movement of an infant or young child positioned on the infant seat assembly during abrupt stops. [0003]2. Description of the Related Art [0004]Many different types of infant seat assemblies have been disclosed. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of an infant seat assembly 12 with a retention member 13 is disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0062710. In this example, the infant seat assembly 12 is applied to a baby stroller 1. The baby stroller 1 has a seat belt 14 and a tray 15. [0005]The infant seat assembly 12 includes a seat 124, a backrest 121, and the retention member 13. The retention member 13 includes a main section 131 mounted to the seat 124, and is convertible between a stowed position and a use position. When in the stowed position, the main section 131 of the retention member 13 overlies the seat 124. When in the use position, the main section 131 of the retention member 13 stands upright from the seat 124. [0006]The aforementioned conventional infant seat assembly 12 has the following drawbacks: [0007]1. It is only practical to use the retention member 13 so designed with newborns. Once an infant reaches the age of, for example, six months, it would be necessary (assuming the retention member 13 is in the use position) for the child caregiver to reposition the infant higher onto the backrest 121 of the infant seat assembly 12 when the infant desires to be fully reclined. Without such repositioning, the infant would be forced to assume a most uncomfortable position as the retention member 13 limits the amount of space provided for lying down. For slightly older children, e.g., two-year-olds, the retention member 13 is no longer usable. [0008]2. When the infant is seated upright and the backrest 121 of the infant seat assembly 12 is adjusted accordingly, it is necessary to place the retention member 13 in the stowed position. If, at this time, the child caregiver forgets to fasten the seat belt 14, the infant may slide forward and off of the infant seat assembly 12 when the baby stroller 1 is stopped abruptly. This may also result in the infant becoming stuck between the infant seat assembly 12 and the tray 15 (or in an alternative configuration, between the infant seat assembly 12 and a safety bar (not shown)), which, in extreme cases, may result in the infant being strangled. If, on the other hand, the seat belt 14 is not tightly adjusted, the infant may lunge forward during an abrupt stop of the baby stroller 1 and, again, may strike the tray 15. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009]Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an infant seat assembly having a retention member that allows for use with both infants and young children, that fully arrests forward movement during abrupt stops even when a seat belt is not fastened or loosely adjusted, and in which the retention member may be used regardless of whether the infant or young child is seated upright or fully reclined. [0010]According to this invention, an infant seat assembly includes a seat member and a retention member. The seat member includes a seat body having a front end and left and right sides, and a pair of side panels extending respectively from the left and right sides of the seat body. The retention member includes a main section and a pair of side sections attached respectively to opposite sides of the main section. The main section has a bottom end attached to the front end of the seat body, and the side sections are further attached to the side panels, respectively. The main section of the retention member is formed with a pair of spaced-apart leg openings through which legs of an infant seated on the seat member can pass. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011]Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating a conventional infant seat assembly applied to the baby stroller and a retention member of the infant seat assembly in a stowed position; [0013]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the baby stroller of FIG. 1, illustrating the retention member in a use position; [0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating an infant seat assembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention applied to the baby stroller; [0015]FIG. 4 is a front view of a retention member of the infant seat assembly of FIG. 3, illustrating the retention member in an unattached and spread-open state; [0016]FIG. 5 is fragmentary perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating a second preferred embodiment of an infant seat assembly of the present invention applied to the baby stroller, in which a retention member of the infant seat assembly is in a use position; and [0017]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the baby stroller of FIG. 5, illustrating the retention member of the second preferred embodiment in a stowed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0018]Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure. [0019]An infant seat assembly 5 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 adapted for use with a baby stroller. However, it is noted that the present invention is not limited to such a use, and, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may find various other applications. [0020]Referring first to FIGS. 3 and 4, the infant seat assembly 5 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to include a seat member 51, a retention member 52, and a tray 7. Continue reading about Infant seat assembly with retention member... 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