Vehicle occupant safety barrier

Claim 1

IN A VEHICLE HAVING A SEAT FOR AN OCCUPANT, IN COMBINATION, A SHIELD MEANS CONFRONTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE FRONT OF THE OCCUPANT, SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID VEHICLE, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID SHIELD MEANS IN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION, A LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHIELD MEANS CONFRONTING AT LEAST THE CHEST OF SAID OCCUPANT, SAID SHIELD MEANS INCLUDING BEARING SURFACE MEANS CONFRONTING SAID OCCUPANT''S FOREHEAD AND CHIN, SAID SHIELD MEANS BEING OF A CONSTRUCTION TO ALLOW SAID OCCUPANT TO SEE THERETHROUGH, A SECOND BEARING SURFACE MEANS FOR ENGAGING AT LEAST UPPER PORTIONS OF THE LEGS OF SAID OCCUPANT, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID SECOND BEARING SURFACE MEANS, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING YIELDABLE IN A FORWARD DIRECTION OF SAID VEHICLE FOR ALLOWING YIELDABLE MOVEMENT OF SAID SHIELD MEANS AND SAID SECOND BEARING SURFACE MEANS IN A FORWARD DIRECTION OF SAID VEHICLE IN RESPONSE TO THE MOMENTUM THRUST OF SAID OCCUPANT AGAINST SAID SHIELD MEANS AND SAID SECOND BEARING SURFACE MEANS DUE TO A HIGH DEGREE OF DECELERATION OF SAID VEHICLE, SAID SHIELD MEANS AND SAID SECOND BEARING MEANS BEING INTERCONNECTED SO AS TO MOVE WITH THE SAME LINEAL SPEED FORWARDLY, THEREBY RESTRAINING SAID OCCUPANT FROM BEING INJURED, AND YIELDABLE FORCE ABSORBING AND REBOUND-PREVENTING MEANS TO GRADUALLY ABSORB SAID MOMENTUM THRUST AND THEREBY CUSHION SAID OCCUPANT DURING THE DECELERATION OF SAID VEHICLE AND PREVENT REBOUND OF SAID OCCUPANT.