Safety bag inflation apparatus with extendible guard member against contact of bag with heated gas generator

Claim 2

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which has a first portion and a petal-like second portion bounded by an imaginary line drawn substantially parallel to the outer surface of said wall of said housing and is entirely interposed between said inflatable bag and said wall, said first portion being kept permanently in a fixed position relative to said wall of said housing, said second portion assuming an initial position so as to cover at least a part of said gas outlets until discharge of said gas from said gas outlets and being unfoldable along said imaginary line such that said second portion assumes another position more distant from said wall than said initial position when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains at said another position after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas generator.

Claim 3

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which has a first portion and a plurality of petal-like second portions each bounded from said first portion by an imaginary line drawn substantially parallel to the outer surface of said wall of said housing and is entirely interposed between said inflatable bag and said wall, said guard member being formed so as to enclose said housing, said first portion being kept permanently in a fixed position relative to said wall of said housing, each of said second portions assuming an initial position so as to cover a part of said gas outlets until discharge of said gas therefrom and being unfoldable along said imaginary line such that each of said second portions assumes another position more distant from said wall than said initial position when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains at said another position after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 4

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which has a first portion and a plurality of petal-like second portions each bounded from said first portion by an imaginary line drawn substantially parallel to the outer surface of said wall of said housing and is entirely interposed between said inflatable bag and said wall, said guard member being formed so as to enclose said housing, said first portion being kept permanently in a fixed position relative to said wall of said housing, each of said second portions assuming an initial position so as to cover a part of said gas outlets until discharge of said gas therefrom and being unfoldable along said imaginary line such that each of said second portions assumes another position more distant from said wall than said initial position when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains at said another position after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 5

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which is formed to have a hollow shaped generally similarly to and slightly larger than the exterior of said housing and is arranged in said inflatable bag at a fixed position with respect to said housing such that said housing is received in said hollow and spaced from said guard member, said guard member having a plurality of slits formed in a wall thereof covering said wall of said housing, each of said slits being distant from other slits and being arranged such that each slit and a shortest imaginary line drawn on said wall of said guard member to connect both ends of said each slit form the periphery of a petal covering a portion of said outlets, so that said petal is unfolded along said imaginary line in a direction opposite to said housing when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains in the unfolded state after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 6

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which is formed to have a hollow shaped generally similarly to and slightly larger than the exterior of said housing and is arranged in said inflatable bag at a fixed position with respect to said housing such that said housing is received in said hollow and spaced from said guard member, said guard member having a plurality of slits formed in a wall thereof covering said wall of said housing, each of said slits being distant from other slits and being arranged such that each slit and a shortest imaginary line drawn on said wall of said guard member to connect both ends of said each slit form the periphery of a petal covering a portion of said outlets, so that said petal is unfolded along said imaginary line in a direction opposite to said housing when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains in the unfolded state after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing and said guard member are generally cylindrical with said outlets in the peripheral wall of said housing, said imaginary line being in a circumference of said guard member and nearer said mouth of said bag than said each slit.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a portion of the space between said housing and said guard member is filled with a heat-insulating material, said outlets opening into the remaining portion of said space.

Claim 9

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which is formed to have a hollow shaped generally similarly to and slightly larger than the exterior of said housing and is arranged in said inflatable bag at a fixed position with respect to said housing such that said housing is received in said hollow and spaced from said guard member, said guard member having a plurality of notches formed in a wall thereof covering said wall of said housing, each of said notches being distant from other notches and in such a depth that said wall of said guard member is ripped along said notches when said gas is discharged from said outlets, each of said notches being arranged such that each of the ripped notches and a shortest imaginary line drawn on said wall of said guard member to connect both ends of said each notch, so that said petal is unfolded along said imaginary line in a direction opposite to said housing when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains in the unfolded state after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 10

A safety apparatus comprising: a gas generator including a housing with a plurality of gas outlets formed in a wall thereof, a combustible gas-generating composition disposed in said housing, and a heat-absorbing material disposed in said housing between said gas-generating composition and said outlets; an inflatable bag folded and arranged such that said housing extends into said bag, the mouth of said bag being in a fixed position with respect to said housing, so that said bag is inflated when a gas is discharged from said outlets; and a guard member of a metal which is formed to have a hollow shaped generally similarly to and slightly larger than the exterior of said housing and is arranged in said inflatable bag at a fixed position with respect to said housing such that said housing is received in said hollow and spaced from said guard member, said guard member having a plurality of notches formed in a wall thereof covering said wall of said housing, each of said notches being distant from other notches and in such a depth that said wall of said guard member is ripped along said notches when said gas is discharged from said outlets, each of said notches being arranged such that each of the ripped notches and a shortest imaginary line drawn on said wall of said guard member to connect both ends of said each notch, so that said petal is unfolded along said imaginary line in a direction opposite to said housing when said gas is discharged from said gas outlets and remains in the unfolded state after completion of the discharge of said gas from said gas outlets.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said housing and said guard member are generally cylindrical with said outlets in the peripheral wall of said housing, said imaginary line being in a circumference of said guard member.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein a portion of the space between said housing and said guard member is filled with a heat-insulating material, said outlets opening into the remaining portion of said space.