Grammer Automotive Awarded U.S. Patent for Integrated Child Booster Seat

TROY, Mich., Sept. 15 -- Grammer AG-Automotive has been granted a U.S. patent (#6,557,936) for the mechanism for an innovative integrated child booster seat.

The seat is designed to support "tweeners," children weighing more than 50 pounds who have outgrown infant seats, but who are too small to properly fit within the factory-installed belt system used by adults. In an accident, a child can "submarine" out from under the belt, resulting in injury or death.

On December 4, 2002, Congress passed Public Law 107-318, known as "Anton's Law," requiring automakers to address this issue. The law states that "very few children between the ages of 4 to 8 years old are in the appropriate restraint for their age when riding in passenger motor vehicles."

The law requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide Congress with an evaluation of current testing devices and research into the nature and causes of injury to children involved in motor vehicle crashes.

When not deployed for a child, Grammer's booster seat is part of the normal rear seat which can be used by adults. When needed to support a child in the vehicle's rear seat, the integrated booster seat is easily deployed to securely hold the child within the factory-installed belt.

This convenient feature is becoming popular in Europe, especially with families whose children are various ages and sizes. It is an available option on many Volkswagen models. The booster seat was featured in the Chevrolet SS concept car, which debuted at the Detroit Auto Show.

"Young professionals also find this to be a good solution when a vehicle is used for multiple purposes," says Eugen J. Geyer, senior vice president for Grammer AG-Automotive. "A youngster can be delivered to school and immediately an adult can take its place simply by returning the child seat to the position where it is flush with the rest of the rear seat."

A recent study, conducted by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, noted that "booster seats that ensure proper seat belt fit for most children up to age 7 reduce the risk of injuries in accidents by more than half and ought to be required by law."

Dennis Durbin, author of the study, says, "A belt-positioning booster, either with or without a high back, raises the child up to improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder portions of the seat belt."

The report studied crashes involving 4,243 children and noted that injuries occurred in 1.95 percent when only belts were used, as opposed to 0.77 percent when children were belted and a child booster seat also was employed.

Grammer AG is a world leader in the development and manufacture of innovative components and systems for automobile interiors. Wherever people use vehicles, Grammer, based in Amberg, Germany, sets the standards for security, comfort and ergonomics. Automotive is the company's largest division and supplies headrests, armrests, center consoles and integrated child booster seats to vehicle manufacturers and their tier 1 systems suppliers. The company's second division, Seating Systems, provides driver seats for heavy trucks and off-road vehicles (tractors, construction machinery, fork-lifts) as well as passenger seats for trains and buses. Grammer Seating Systems is active both as a first-time supplier and as a retrofitter.

As a global player, the Grammer Group operates with a strong customer focus that includes location of development and production facilities close to clients and relies on an international network of partners. In fiscal 2002, Grammer Group sales were $839.7 million, with net income for the year of $25.2 million. With over 7,000 employees, Grammer and its 22 consolidated companies operate in 13 different countries worldwide.