Arm rest safety bag apparatus

Claim 1

An arm rest safety bag apparatus arranged for securement within a self-propelled vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a door, and wherein the apparatus comprises, an arm rest housing arranged for securement to the door, and a pressurized pneumatic cylinder spaced from the arm rest housing, including a supply conduit, and a pneumatic bag member mounted within the arm rest housing, and the supply conduit in pneumatic communication between the bag member and the pneumatic cylinder, and a solenoid valve mounted within the supply conduit, and switch means mounted within the door for effecting selective opening of the solenoid valve to direct pneumatic pressurization of the pneumatic bag member from the pneumatic cylinder, and the switch means includes a metallic flexible sensor plate mounted within the door, and a contact plate positioned adjacent and coextensive with the sensor plate, wherein the deflection of the sensor plate effects communication with the contact plate to open the solenoid valve, and the sensor plate includes a plurality of sensor plate spike members fixedly mounted to the sensor plate and projecting towards the contact plate, and the contact plate includes a plurality of impact projections, with each of said spike members positioned in coaxially aligned relationship relative to one of said projections.