Granted Patent B1

US 12,233,815 · App. 17/347,648 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Inventors: Scott Ivan Fenton (Sinclairville, NY); Stephen Myron French, Jr. (Warren, PA)

B60R22/48A61G5/10B60R2022/4825B60R2022/4858

Abstract

Claims (34)

1. A retractable securement assembly, comprising:

a frame;

a shaft rotatably connected to the frame, the shaft including a first end and a second end;

a spring assembly connected to the first end, the spring assembly operatively arranged to bias the shaft in a first circumferential direction;

a line connected to the shaft and arranged to form a coil around the shaft in a fully retracted state; and

an electronics assembly, comprising:

a plate non-rotatably connected to the second end;

a circuit operatively arranged proximate the plate to retrieve information about the shaft or the line; and

a transmitter including a first antenna operatively arranged to wirelessly transmit the information to a remote location;

wherein the circuit comprises a wireless power transmission receiver operatively arranged to convert received radio frequency (RF) signals to direct current (DC) power, the wireless power transmission receiver including a second antenna that wraps around the circuit.

2. The retractable securement assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plate comprises at least one magnet and the circuit comprises at least one sensor, the at least one sensor operatively arranged to detect a magnetic field of the magnet.

3. The retractable securement assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the circuit further comprises a microprocessor, the microprocessor operatively arranged to, based on the detected magnetic field, determine a length of the line extended from the coil or the shaft, in an extended state.

4. The retractable securement assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the circuit further comprises a microprocessor, the microprocessor operatively arranged to, based on the detected magnetic field, determine a number of revolutions of the shaft.

5. The retractable securement assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

a gear non-rotatably connected to the shaft and including a plurality of teeth; and

a pawl pivotably connected to the frame and operatively arranged to engage the teeth to prevent rotation of the shaft, wherein the pawl extends through a hole in the frame.

6. A system for monitoring a securement assembly in a vehicle, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) energy transmitter;

a frame;

a shaft rotatably connected to the frame, the shaft including a first end and a second end;

a line connected to the shaft and arranged to form a coil around the shaft in a fully retracted state;

an electronics assembly, comprising:

a plate non-rotatably connected to the second end and including a plurality of magnets; and

a circuit including:

one or more sensors operatively to detect a magnetic field of the plurality of magnets; and

a RF receiver module operatively arranged to receive wirelessly transmitted RF energy from the RF energy transmitter and convert the RF energy into direct current (DC) power;

a microprocessor; and

a regulator operatively arranged to limit the voltage supplied to the microprocessor from the RF receiver module, wherein the circuit is operatively to transmit information to a remote location;

one or more computer processors; and

program instructions stored on a computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions to receive a first input from the one or more sensors;

program instructions to, based on the first input, determine that a seat and/or a space in the vehicle is occupied;

program instructions to receive a second input from the one or more sensors; and

program instructions to, based on the first and/or second input, determine if the securement assembly of the seat and/or space is secured.

Continuity (1)

References Cited (22)