Carry handle seat latch for child safety seat

Abstract

A child safety seat assembly, including a base for being positioned on a vehicle seat bottom. The base includes an Isofix-type latch for attachment of the base to an Isofix bar of the vehicle seat, and a separate seat belt lock-off for allowing the base to be secured to the vehicle seat by means of the vehicle seat belt. A child carrier is provided for being releasably attached to the base. The carrier includes a handle for allowing the carrier to be lifted and carried. The handle includes a latching assembly for releasably locking the carrier to the base and detaching the carrier from the base with a single hand.

1 . A child safety seat, comprising 
 (a) a carrier having a seat bottom and a seat back;    (b) a base for receiving the carrier and for permitting the carrier and base to be secured to each other and as a unit to a vehicle seat;    (c) a U-shaped carry handle attached to opposing lateral sides of the carrier and adapted for lifting and carrying the carrier, and further including a one-hand carry handle release, comprising: 
 (i) first and second carry handle latches carried by respective first and second opposing ends of the handle and adapted to latch complementary first and second latch elements carried by the base;  
 (ii) a connector extending from each of the latches along the handle to a handle grip positioned on the carry handle intermediate the first and second opposing ends of the handle; and  
 (iii) a release assembly mounted in the carry handle proximate the handle grip and cooperating with the connector for releasing the carry handle latches from the complementary latch elements in the base upon manual operation of the release assembly to thereby detach the carrier from the base.  
   
     
     
         2 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the release assembly includes a release lock and a release actuator for allowing the carrier to be detached from the base only upon operation of both the release lock and the release actuator.  
     
     
         3 . A child safety seat according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 (a) the release actuator comprises the handle grip mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the carry handle and cooperating with the connector to release the carry handle latches from the complementary latch elements in the base upon rotation of the handle grip, and    (b) the release lock comprises a button positioned in an opening in the handle for normally interfering with rotation of the handle when the button is in an elevated position and allowing rotation of the handle when the button is in a depressed position.    
     
     
         4 . A child safety seat according to  claim 2 , wherein the release actuator comprises a button positioned in a hole in the handle grip and cooperating with the connector to release the carry handle latches from the complementary latch elements in the base, the button including release assembly having a first movement wherein when the button is depressed into the hole out of interference with the handle grip and a second movement wherein the button is manually moved along the longitudinal axis of the carry handle to retract the connector and release the carry handle latches.  
     
     
         5 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the carry handle latches comprise respective Isofix-type latches and the complementary latch elements in the base comprise respective bars positioned to receive the Isofix-type latches.  
     
     
         6 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the carry handle includes first and second handle position locks carried in rotatably-mounted hubs on respective opposing ends of the carry handle and manually moveable from a normally-locked position wherein the carry handle is locked into a desired position in relation to the carrier to an unlocked position wherein the carry handle is permitted to rotate.  
     
     
         7 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the release assembly comprises a button positioned in an access hole in the handle intermediate the carry handle latches and having a locked position in an interference relation with the access hole whereby the button prevents a slide positioned in the handle surrounding the button and access hole from moving, and an unlocked, depressed position whereby the button permits the slide to translate along the handle to acuate the the connector for releasing the carry handle latches from the complementary latch elements in the base.  
     
     
         8 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the connector comprises a cable.  
     
     
         9 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the connector comprises a cable and the release actuator comprises a rotating member that simultaneously pulls the cable of both the first and second carry handle latches towards the handle grip.  
     
     
         10 . A child safety seat according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second carry handle latches carried by respective first and second opposing ends of the handle are carried by respective first and second housings sized to fit into first and second complementary slots formed in the base, and within which respective latch elements are positioned for latching with the carry handle latches.  
     
     
         11 . A child safety seat according to  claim 7 , wherein the release assembly comprises a button positioned in an access hole on a bottom surface of the handle.  
     
     
         12 . A child safety seat according to  claim 7 , wherein the release assembly comprises a button positioned in an access hole on a top surface of the handle.  
     
     
         13 . A child safety seat, comprising 
 (a) a carrier having a molded plastic seat bottom and a seat back;    (b) a molded plastic base for releasably receiving the carrier;    (c) a U-shaped carry handle attached to opposing lateral sides of the carrier and adapted for securing the carrier and base to each other, and lifting and carrying the carrier, and further including a one-hand carry handle release, comprising: 
 (i) first and second carry handle Isofix latches carried by respective first and second opposing ends of the handle and adapted to latch complementary first and second Isofix latch bars carried by the base;  
 (ii) first and second connector cables extending from each of the Isofix latches along an interior void in the handle to a handle grip positioned on the carry handle intermediate the first and second opposing ends of the handle; and  
 (iii) a release assembly, including an actuator button, mounted in the carry handle proximate the handle grip and cooperating with the connector cables for simultaneously releasing the carry handle both first and second Isofix latches from the complementary first and second Isofix latch bars in the base upon operation of the actuator button of the release assembly to thereby detach the carrier from the base.  
   
     
     
         14 . A child safety seat according to  claim 13 , wherein the carry handle includes first and second handle position locks carried in rotatably-mounted hubs on respective opposing ends of the carry handle and manually moveable from a normally-locked position wherein the carry handle is locked into a desired position in relation to the carrier to an unlocked position wherein the carry handle is permitted to rotate.