US5848805A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bag for an airbag for a vehicle
Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
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Filing: 1996-03-29
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Granted: 1998-12-15
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Expires: 2016-03-29
Abstract
Abstract In a bag for a vehicle air bag device according to this invention, tethers are installed at positions clear of the spouting direction of gas from a flow regulator. Therefore, the flow regulating effect provided by the flow regulator is not impaired by the tethers, allowing the gas flow to be reliably directed diametrically outward toward the outer periphery of the bag, whereby the deployment speed of the bag moving toward the occupant can be reduced. Further, in a bag for a vehicle air bag device according to this invention, a folding system which allows less easy spreading is employed in the spouting direction of gas from the flow regulator. Therefore, the gas flow can be uniformly led in two mutually opposite directions, thereby making it possible to reduce the deployment speed of the bag moving toward the occupant.
Inventors
- 👤 Hidehito Sogi
- 👤 Kazuhiro Nakayama
- 👤 Toru Ozaki
- 👤 Masahiro Ushio
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 13:35
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/02; B60R21/16; B60R21/23; B60R21/231; B60R21/233; B60R21/2334; B60R21/2338; B60R21/2346; B60R2021/23382; B60R21/237
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator freely displaceable away from the inflator a predetermined distance in a direction toward an occupant for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward an outer periphery of said bag throughout a period of gas production by said inflator; tethers connecting said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel to prevent the spacing between the said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length; and said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing the flow of gas diverted by said flow regulator.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
131 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator freely displaceable away from the inflator a predetermined distance in a direction toward an occupant for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward an outer periphery of said bag throughout a period of gas production by said inflator; tethers connecting said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel to prevent the spacing between the said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length; and said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing the flow of gas diverted by said flow regulator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
188 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator: a flow regulator for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward an outer periphery of said bag; said flow regulator including a sheet which covers said inflator opening; said sheet having a middle portion bulging toward said inflator-associated panel during inflation of said bag; said sheet having joined portions at a peripheral edge thereof joined at at least two places to said inflator-associated panel to form define diversion openings defined by portions of the peripheral edge of said sheet other than at said joined portions and said inflator-associated panel forms openings through which said gas flow is diverted; tethers connecting said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel to prevent the spacing between the said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length; and said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing the flow of gas diverted by said flow regulator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
188 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator: a flow regulator for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward an outer periphery of said bag; said flow regulator including a sheet which covers said inflator opening; said sheet having a middle portion bulging toward said inflator-associated panel during inflation of said bag; said sheet having joined portions at a peripheral edge thereof joined at at least two places to said inflator-associated panel to form define diversion openings defined by portions of the peripheral edge of said sheet other than at said joined portions and said inflator-associated panel forms openings through which said gas flow is diverted; tethers connecting said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel to prevent the spacing between the said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length; and said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing the flow of gas diverted by said flow regulator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said tethers are joined to said inflator-associated panel at positions diametrically outside said joined portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said tethers include said joined portions and connecting members connected to said flow regulator and said occupant-associated panel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
170 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator freely displaceable away from the inflator a predetermined distance in a direction toward an occupant for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward a periphery of the bag throughout a period of gas production by said inflator; said flow regulator having diversion openings facing sideways in opposite directions so that the gas is diverted in two mutually opposite directions toward an outer periphery of said bag; a first pair of opposed sides of said bag being folded in said gas spouting direction and a second pair of opposed sides being folded in the direction orthogonal to said gas spouting direction; and the folding of said first pair of sides providing greater resistance to deployment than the folding of said second pair of sides.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
170 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator freely displaceable away from the inflator a predetermined distance in a direction toward an occupant for diverting a gas flow from the inflator toward a periphery of the bag throughout a period of gas production by said inflator; said flow regulator having diversion openings facing sideways in opposite directions so that the gas is diverted in two mutually opposite directions toward an outer periphery of said bag; a first pair of opposed sides of said bag being folded in said gas spouting direction and a second pair of opposed sides being folded in the direction orthogonal to said gas spouting direction; and the folding of said first pair of sides providing greater resistance to deployment than the folding of said second pair of sides.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
169 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device, comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator for diverting a gas flow from the inflator; said flow regulator having diversion openings facing sideways in opposite directions so that the gas is diverted in two mutually opposite directions toward an outer periphery of said bag; a first pair of opposed sides of said bag being folded in said gas spouting direction and a second pair of opposed sides being folded in the direction orthogonal to said gas spouting direction; and said second pair of sides being folded first in a bellows fashion and then said first pair of sides being folded in a reverse roll fashion such that the folding of said first pair of sides provides greater resistance to deployment than the folding of said second pair of sides.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
169 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device, comprising: an occupant-associated panel and an inflator-associated panel joined together along their peripheral edges to form said bag which is inflatable into a three-dimensional form; said inflator-associated panel having an inflator opening for attaching an inflator; a flow regulator for diverting a gas flow from the inflator; said flow regulator having diversion openings facing sideways in opposite directions so that the gas is diverted in two mutually opposite directions toward an outer periphery of said bag; a first pair of opposed sides of said bag being folded in said gas spouting direction and a second pair of opposed sides being folded in the direction orthogonal to said gas spouting direction; and said second pair of sides being folded first in a bellows fashion and then said first pair of sides being folded in a reverse roll fashion such that the folding of said first pair of sides provides greater resistance to deployment than the folding of said second pair of sides.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel are connected together by tethers which prevent the distance between said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length, said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing gas flow diverted by the flow regulator.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 6, wherein a deployment height of said flow regulator is not more than 2/3 of a deployment height of said occupant-associated panel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 6, wherein a width of said flow regulator is greater than a diameter of a head of said inflator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in any one of claims 2 through 4 or claim 6, wherein said flow regulator is made of a material which is impermeable to gas.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
61 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 1 or 5, wherein said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel are connected together by tethers which prevent the distance between said occupant-associated panel and said inflator-associated panel from exceeding a predetermined length, said tethers being disposed at positions not obstructing gas flow diverted by the flow regulator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 1 or 5, wherein a deployment height of said flow regulator is not more than 2/3 of a deployment height of said occupant-associated panel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 1 or 5, wherein a width of said flow regulator is greater than a diameter of a head of said inflator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 1 or 5, wherein said flow regulator is made of a material which is impermeable to gas.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
A bag for a vehicle air bag device as set forth in claim 1 or 5, wherein the deployment speed is 150 km/h or below at a point where the deployment distance is 200 mm or above.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-12-14 | 2002-06-15 | 2002-12-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-12-14 | 2006-06-15 | 2006-12-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-12-14 | 2010-06-15 | 2010-12-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |