What is claimed is:
1. A deployment flap configured for use with an inflatable cushion and retainer of an airbag module, comprising:
a foldable material defining the deployment flap;
a plurality of securement tabs being configured to secure the deployment flap to the retainer each of said plurality of securement tabs being secured to the deployment flap and are each configured to have a weakened area; and
a cover area defined in said foldable material, said foldable material being configured for securement about the inflatable cushion such that said foldable material is folded over the inflatable cushion to be positioned to cause the inflatable cushion to be biased in a selected direction upon inflation of the inflatable cushion during a deployment scenario, said cover area covering and retaining substantially all of the inflatable cushion when it is in a pre-deployment configuration, said securement tabs being configured to secure said foldable material to said retainer and said weakened area being configured to release said foldable material from said retainer upon the inflation of the inflatable cushion.
2. The deployment flap as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of securement tabs are cut out of said foldable material such that a portion of said plurality of securement tabs remains secured to said foldable material.
3. The deployment flap as in claim 2, wherein said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module.
4. The deployment flap as in claim 1, wherein plurality of said securement tabs are secured to said foldable material such that a portion of said plurality of securement tabs remains secured to said foldable material when said foldable material is released from said retainer.
5. The deployment flap as in claim 4, wherein said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module.
6. The deployment flap as in claim 3, wherein said plurality of securement tabs are plastic.
7. An airbag module adapted for use in a vehicle having an occupant, comprising:
a housing;
an inflator;
an inflatable cushion stored in a folded position in said housing, said inflatable cushion being in fluid communication with said inflator such that upon detection of an activation event said inflator provides a quantity of inflation gas to cause said inflatable cushion to inflate;
a deployment flap being secured to a portion of said inflatable cushion, said deployment flap biasing the inflation configuration of the inflatable cushion during a deployment scenario;
a plurality of securement tabs for releasably securing said deployment flap to a retainer adapted for securing said inflatable cushion to said housing;
wherein a cover area of said deployment flap covers said inflatable cushion in when said inflatable cushion and said deployment flap are in a pre-deployment folded position, said securement tabs releasing said deployment flap from said inflatable cushion after a predetermined amount of force is generated by said inflatable cushion, said predetermined amount of force being sufficient to sever said plurality of securement tabs.
8. The airbag module as in claim 7, wherein said plurality of securement tabs are cut out of said deployment flap such that a portion of said plurality of securement tabs remains secured to said deployment flap.
9. The airbag module as in claim 7, wherein said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module as a position remote from said plurality of securement tabs.
10. The airbag module as in claim 7, wherein said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module as a position remote from said plurality of securement tabs and said plurality of securement tabs are secured to said deployment flap such that a portion of said plurality of securement tabs remains secured to said deployment flap when said deployment flap is released from said retainer.
11. The airbag module as in claim 7, wherein said deployment flap has a normal stored position overlying the folded inflatable cushion and deployable toward the occupant by the deploying inflatable cushion, said deployment flap having at least an end wall pleated inwardly to lie on top of the folded inflatable cushion, and a top flap hingedly connected to the end wall and folded to lie on top of the pleated end wall in a closed top position so that initial deployment of the inflatable cushion unpleats the end wall and permits the top flap to shift toward the occupant and then bias initial deployment of the inflatable cushion laterally of the occupant when the top flap is held in the folded position until the eventual unfolding of the top flap permits subsequent unbiased deployment of the inflatable cushion toward the occupant.
12. The airbag module as in claim 7, wherein said deployment flap comprises a flexible foldable material including a rearward wall and a side wall attached to the airbag module and folded overtop the folded inflatable cushion so that the rearward and side walls are deployed ahead of the deploying inflatable cushion to define an inflatable cushion deployment chute having a lateral deployment opening opposite an end wall and a top deployment opening which registers with the deployment opening of the airbag module, and said end wall having an extended flap portion extending beyond the dimensional extent of the rearward wall and being folded overtop the folded inflatable cushion in the stored position so that the flap portion closes the top opening of the chute to bias the inflatable cushion deployment through the lateral opening until the flap portion is unfolded to an extended position opening the top opening of the chute to permit further deployment of the inflatable cushion through the top opening.
13. The airbag module as in claim 12, wherein said plurality of securement tabs are cut out of said foldable material such that a portion of said plurality of securement tabs remains secured to said foldable material.
14. The airbag module as in claim 13, wherein said plurality of securement tabs each have an opening configured to receive a stud of said retainer.
15. The airbag module as in claim 14, wherein said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module.
16. The airbag module as in claim 12, wherein said plurality of securement tabs are plastic members secured to said foldable material, said plurality of securement tabs each have an opening configured to receive a stud of said retainer and said deployment flap is sewn to the inflatable cushion of the airbag module.
17. The airbag module as in claim 16, wherein said deployment flap maintains the inflatable cushion in its folded position when said deployment flap is in its folded position atop the inflatable cushion.
18. An apparatus for selectively modifying the deployment of an inflatable cushion of an airbag module about an occupant of the vehicle, comprising:
a deployment guide member having a normal stored position overlying the folded inflatable cushion and deployable through an opening for the deploying inflatable cushion, said deployment guide member having a confinement shape with an open bottom admitting the deploying inflatable cushion and a forward wall, a rearward wall, and an outboard side wall deployable from the stored position on top the folded inflatable cushion to a deployed position, a top flap hingedly connected to the outboard side wall for movement between a closed top position and an open top position, and an open inboard side through which the inflatable cushion obtains initial deployment laterally of the occupant when the top flap is held in the closed top position;
wherein a plurality of securement members are releasably secured to said deployment guide member at one end and a portion of the airbag module at the other.
19. A method of assembling and securing a deployment flap about an inflatable cushion of an airbag module adapted for use in a vehicle, comprising:
folding the inflatable cushion to a desired pre-deployment folded position;
securing a deployment flap to a first portion of the folded inflatable cushion;
securing a retainer to a second portion of the folded inflatable cushion; and
securing said deployment flap to said retainer by securing a plurality of releasable securing members to said retainer;
wherein a cover area of said deployment flap covers the inflatable cushion in said desired pre-deployment folded position, said deployment flap being released from said retainer upon the inflation of the inflatable cushion, and said deployment flap being configured, dimensioned and positioned to bias the inflatable cushion in a selected direction if the deployment flap makes contact with an occupant of the vehicle.
20. The method as in claim 19, wherein said deployment flap has a normal stored position overlying the folded inflatable cushion and deployable toward the occupant by the deploying inflatable cushion, said deployment flap having at least an end wall pleated inwardly to lie on top of the folded inflatable cushion, and a top flap hingedly connected to the end wall and folded to lie on top of the pleated end wall in a closed top position so that initial deployment of the inflatable cushion unpleats the end wall and permits the top flap to shift toward the occupant and then bias initial deployment of the inflatable cushion laterally of the occupant when the top flap is held in the folded position until the eventual unfolding of the top flap permits subsequent unbiased deployment of the inflatable cushion toward the occupant.
21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said forward wall and said rearward wall further comprise extended portions which cover a portion of an opening defined by said deployment guide member opposite said outboard side wall.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said extended portion overlap each other about said opening.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Product integrity tracking shipping label, comprising:
a stick-on label body for attaching to a product to be shipped;
one or more temperature sensing devices configured with the label body, for detecting temperature of the product; and
a microprocessor configured with the label body and in communication with the one or more temperature sensors, for time-tagging the temperature of the product when the temperature falls above or below a pre-selected threshold.
2. The label of claim 1, the microprocessor comprising memory for storing the time-tagged temperature as a temperature violation.
3. The label of claim 2, the memory accessible by a remote processor at a shipping destination to download the temperature violation from the memory to the remote processor.
4. The label of claim 2, further comprising a wireless transmitter in communication with the microprocessor, for transmitting signals indicative of the temperature violation to a remote receiver.
5. The label of claim 4, the wireless transmitter configured for transmitting the signals upon interrogation by the receiver, (a) during shipping, or (b) when the product reaches a shipping destination.
6. The label of claim 4, the wireless transmitter configured for automatically transmitting the temperature violation to the remote receiver, the remote receiver being a passive receiver.
7. The label of claim 4, the wireless transmitter transmitting the temperature violation signals to the remote receiver via the Internet.
8. The label of claim 1, the label body comprising an adhesive for attaching to the product.
9. The label of claim 1, further comprising a battery configured with the label body.
10. The label of claim 9, further comprising a protective wrapper configured with the label body, wherein the battery electrically couples with the one or more temperature sensing devices when the wrapper is opened, to power the one or more temperature sensing devices.
11. The label of claim 1, the label body further comprising one or more movement monitoring devices for detecting a movement metric of the product, the movement metric selected from the group of acceleration, shock, airtime, speed, power, impact, pressure changes, free fall, drop distance, jarring and spin.
12. The label of claim 11, the processor configured for time-tagging the movement metric when the movement metric exceeds a predetermined threshold.
13. The label of claim 1, the label body further comprising a GPS receiver for determining a location of the product, the processor tagging the time-tagged temperature with the location to identify where an above or below threshold temperature event occurred.
14. Product integrity tracking system comprising:
a stick-on label body for attaching to a product to be shipped;
a temperature sensor configured with the label body, for detecting temperature of the product;
a movement monitoring device configured with the label body and having one or more sensors for sensing at least one movement event during handling of the product;
a microprocessor configured with the label body and in communication with the temperature sensor and the movement monitoring device, the microprocessor (a) comparing the product temperature and the movement event with a predetermined acceptable temperature range and a movement threshold, (b) time-tagging temperature of the product when the temperature falls outside of the acceptable temperature range, (c) time-tagging the movement event when the movement event falls exceeds the movement threshold, and (d) storing time-tagged temperature as a temperature violation and the above-threshold event as a movement violation, in a memory.
15. The tracking system of claim 14, wherein the memory is accessible by an interrogation device during shipment or at product delivery.
16. The tracking system of claim 14, further comprising a wireless transmitter in communication with the microprocessor, wherein the temperature and movement violations are wirelessly transmitted to a remote receiver during shipping.
17. The tracking system of claim 16, the temperature and movement violations transmitted to the remote receiver via an Internet connection.
18. The system of claim 14, the movement monitoring device selected from the group of a tri-axial accelerometer, a linear accelerometer, a rotational accelerometer, a vibration sensor, a pressure sensor and a hall-effect sensor.
19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a GPS receiver chip configured with the label body, wherein the processor tags the temperature violation or the movement violation with location determined by the GPS receiver chip, to identify where the temperature or movement violation occurred.
20. A system for monitoring integrity of shipped goods, comprising:
a stick-on shipping label for attachment to goods prior to shipping;
a temperature sensor integrated with the label, for sensing temperature of the goods;
at least one movement-monitoring sensor integrated with the label, for monitoring movement of the goods;
a GPS receiver chip integrated with the label, for determining location of the goods;
a microprocessor in communication with the temperature sensor, the movement-monitoring sensor and the GPS receiver chip, for (a) comparing temperature and movement of the goods to predetermined acceptable temperature and movement ranges, (b) for time-tagging unacceptable temperature and movement events, and (c) for tagging the unacceptable temperature and movement events with location information from the GPS receiver chip; and
a memory for storing location- and time-tagged temperature and movement events as temperature violations and movement violations.
21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a wireless transmitter disposed with the label, for transmitting signals indicative of the temperature violations or the movement violations to a remote receiver.
22. The system of claim 20, the microprocessor further configured for comparing the location of the time-tagged, unacceptable temperature and movement events with a shipping schedule, to determine one or both of (a) a party responsible for the goods during unacceptable temperature or movement, and (b) if the goods are in a correct shipping channel.
23. The system of claim 20, information from the memory accessible by a remote receiver at a shipping destination, the remote receiver comparing the time- and location-tagged temperature and movement violations with a shipping schedule, to determine one or both of (a) a party responsible for the goods during unacceptable temperature or movement, and (b) if the goods are in a correct shipping channel.
24. A method for tracking product integrity during shipment; comprising:
sticking a shipping label having a temperature sensor and a movement sensor to the product;
monitoring temperature and movement events of the product during shipment, via the temperature and movement sensors;
time-tagging temperature events sensed by the temperature sensor during shipment that fall outside of a pre-determined acceptable temperature range;
time-tagging movement events sensed by the movement sensor during shipment that are above a pre-determined threshold level; and
identifying a location associated with (a) the unacceptable temperature events or (b) the above threshold movement events.
25. The method of claim 24, the movement sensor selected from the group of a tri-axial accelerometer, a linear accelerometer, a rotational accelerometer, a vibration sensor, a pressure sensor and a hall-effect sensor.
26. The method of claim 24, the movement sensor comprising a tri-axial accelerometer, the movement event comprising free-fall; further comprising determining a drop distance of the product or the package using data indicative of the free-fall.