Safety seat for a marine craft or other vehicle

Abstract

A safety seat assembly including a seat or like occupant support structured to maintain an occupant, such as a child or infant, in a predetermined, substantially upright orientation relative to the vehicle during travel thereof. A stabilization assembly includes an orientation portion moveable with the vehicle relative to the occupant support throughout a substantially universal range of orientations so as to compensate for any movement of the vehicle including lateral sway, turning, acceleration, de-acceleration, etc, which would tend to displace the occupant and occupant support from the preferred orientation. In one embodiment, the occupant support includes a floatation assembly as well as a ballast structure, wherein the occupant support is removably mounted on a water craft and is structured to maintain an occupant in an above surface, floating orientation in the water in the event of an emergency.

1 . An assembly for safely supporting an occupant on a vehicle, said assembly comprising: 
 a) a seat assembly removably secured to the occupant and structured to position the occupant in a predetermined orientation relative to the vehicle,    b) a platform mounted on the vehicle and interconnected in supporting relation to said seat assembly,    c) a stabilization assembly removably interconnecting said seat assembly to said platform,    d) said stabilization assembly comprising a seat mount assembly connected to and movable with said seat assembly,    e) a coupling structure movably interconnecting said seat mount assembly to a remaining portion of said stabilization assembly, and    f) said coupling structure disposed and configured to facilitate movement of said seat mount assembly throughout a substantially limited universal range of movement relative to said remaining portion of said stabilization assembly.    
   
   
       2 . An assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said seat mount assembly is removably interconnected to said platform.  
   
   
       3 . An assembly as recited in  claim 2  wherein said remaining portion of said stabilization assembly comprises an orientation portion movable relative to said seat mount assembly in response to movement of the vehicle during travel of the vehicle.  
   
   
       4 . An assembly as recited in  claim 3  wherein said coupling structure comprises a ball and socket.  
   
   
       5 . An assembly as recited in  claim 4  wherein said ball and socket of said coupling structure are respectively connected to said orientation portion and said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       6 . An assembly as recited in  claim 5  wherein correspondingly positioned portions of said seat mount assembly and said orientation portion are cooperatively configured and structured to facilitate movement of said seat mount assembly throughout said substantially limited universal range of movement relative to said orientation portion.  
   
   
       7 . An assembly as recited in  claim 3  wherein correspondingly positioned portions of said seat mount assembly and said orientation portion are cooperatively configured and structured to facilitate movement of said seat mount assembly throughout said substantially limited universal range of movement relative to said orientation portion.  
   
   
       8 . An assembly as recited in  claim 3  wherein said orientation portion comprises a stabilization member removably secured to said platform and movable with said platform relative to said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       9 . An assembly as recited in  claim 8  wherein said orientation portion comprises a support spindle fixedly connected to said platform and movable therewith relative to said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       10 . An assembly as recited in  claim 9  wherein said stabilization member is removably connected to said support spindle.  
   
   
       11 . An assembly as recited in  claim 10  wherein said coupling structure comprises a ball and a socket.  
   
   
       12 . An assembly as recited in  claim 11  wherein said ball is fixedly secured to said stabilization member and said socket is connected to said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       13 . An assembly as recited in  claim 9  wherein said stabilization assembly further comprises a shock absorbing mechanism connected to said orientation portion and disposed in biasing relation to said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       14 . An assembly as recited in  claim 13  wherein said shock absorbing mechanism comprises a biasing spring disposed in at least partially surrounding relation to said orientation portion.  
   
   
       15 . An assembly as recited in  claim 14  wherein said shock absorbing mechanism comprises a retainer connected to said biasing spring.  
   
   
       16 . An assembly as recited in  claim 15  wherein said retainer and said biasing spring are disposed in surrounding relation to said stabilizing member and said support spindle.  
   
   
       17 . An assembly as recited in  claim 16  wherein said stabilizing member comprises an elongated, at least partially hollow shaft dimensioned and configured to removably receive said support spindle therein.  
   
   
       18 . An assembly as recited in  claim 3  wherein said stabilization assembly further comprises a shock absorbing mechanism connected to said orientation portion and disposed in biasing relation to said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       19 . An assembly as recited in  claim 18  wherein said shock absorbing mechanism comprises a biasing spring disposed in at least partially surrounding relation to said orientation.  
   
   
       20 . An assembly as recited in  claim 19  wherein said shock absorbing mechanism comprises a retainer connected to said biasing spring, said biasing spring disposed to bias said retainer into biasing relation with said seat mount assembly.  
   
   
       21 . An assembly as recited in  claim 20  wherein correspondingly positioned portions of said seat mount assembly and said retainer are cooperatively configured and structured to define a junction portion there between, said junction portion structured to facilitate movement of said seat mount assembly throughout said substantially limited universal range of movement relative to said orientation portion.  
   
   
       22 . An assembly as recited in  claim 18  wherein said coupling structure is configured to facilitate movement of said seat mount assembly throughout said substantially limited universal range of movement relative to said shock absorber mechanism.  
   
   
       23 . An assembly as recited in  claim 22  wherein said substantially limited universal range of movement comprises an outwardly, angularly disposed limit of generally about 30 degrees from a predetermined neutral position.  
   
   
       24 . An assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said substantially limited universal range of movement comprises an outwardly, angularly disposed limit of generally about 30 degrees from a predetermined neutral position.