{
  "patent_number": "US 3552770",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Early Vehicle Airbag Safety Systems Work",
  "original_title": "Safety device",
  "summary": "A 1968 patent describing an early vehicle safety system that uses a rapidly inflating confinement to protect passengers during a collision.",
  "what_it_does": "The device functions as an occupant restraint system that remains collapsed during normal operation. Upon detecting an accident, it triggers an expansion process to deploy a confinement, which acts as a cushion. The patent details two primary methods for inflation: using a fluid reservoir with a zero-reaction diffuser to direct gas flow, or utilizing gas-generating chemical materials that ignite to fill the confinement instantly.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover electronic crash sensors or modern accelerometer-based deployment logic",
    "Does not cover multi-stage inflation systems that adjust pressure based on occupant size",
    "Does not cover side-curtain or knee-based airbag configurations"
  ],
  "filed": "1968-11-21",
  "granted": "1971-01-05",
  "expires": "1988-11-21",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Eaton Yale and Towne Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/eaton-yale-and-towne-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Charles O Berryman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/charles-o-berryman"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 26,
  "tags": [
    "automotive",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": "A SEFETY DEVICE FOR PROTECTING AN OCCUPANT OF A VEHICLE DURING AN ACCIDENT COMPRISES A CONFINEMANT SUPPORTED ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONFINEMENT IS SUPPORTED IN AN INOPERATIVE COLLAPSED CONDITION AND IS EXPANDED TO AN OPERATIVE CONDITION UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF AN ACCIDENT. ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION INCLUDES A ZERO REACTION DIFFUSER FOR DIRECTING FLOW FROM A FLUID RESERVOIR INTO A CONFINEMENT UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF AN ACCIDENT TO EXPAND THE CONFINEMENT. ANOTHER EMBODIMENT INCLUDES GAS GENERATING MATERIAL THAT IS ACTIVATED UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF AN ACCIDENT TO RAPIDLY PRODUCE GAS TO EXPAND THE CONFINEMENT.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3552770/automotive-airbag-safety-device",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3552770/automotive-airbag-safety-device/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3552770",
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}