Patexia is looking for descriptions of an interior side airbag for a car that, when deployed, will cover multiple rows of seating (e.g. the front and back row of a sedan).

Submitted documents describing this system must be:

• filed or published before 12/11/1995
• not on the known references list, either individually or in combination.

The entire submission must describe a system where:

• the airbag deploys into the passenger compartment
• the airbag deploys across at least 2 rows of seating (e.g. the front and back row of a sedan)
• there is a normally a cover over the airbag before it is deployed
• the airbag has a dedicated inflator to inflate the airbag that is mounted separately from the airbag
• the airbag has multiple inflatable compartments that are all in flow communication with each other

This contest is for a prior art search for technology related to an automobile interior side airbag.

• The contest is subject to modified prize distribution awards:
• the top submission will be designated as a winner and receive $3,000
• the next scored 2 submissions will be designated as winners and receive $500 each
• the next scored submissions (to a maximum of 10) will be designated as runners up and receive a minimum of $100 each
• the top submission with a main reference that is not a patent will receive an additional $1,000
• an additional $2,500 may be awarded to a single submission based on an outside determination by the contest’s sponsor

Update (05/19/2015): To clarify, question 3 is referring to one airbag that, when deployed, can protect two passengers who sit in different, but adjacent, rows of seating.