US20160214513A1 - Seat headrest - Google Patents
Seat headrest Download PDFInfo
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- US20160214513A1 US20160214513A1 US14/602,972 US201514602972A US2016214513A1 US 20160214513 A1 US20160214513 A1 US 20160214513A1 US 201514602972 A US201514602972 A US 201514602972A US 2016214513 A1 US2016214513 A1 US 2016214513A1
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- Prior art keywords
- assembly
- support panel
- rollers
- headrest assembly
- seat headrest
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 239000013585 weight reducing agent Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 abstract 2
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 9
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 9
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 208000027418 Wounds and injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004519 grease Substances 0.000 description 1
- 208000014674 injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 238000004381 surface treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
- B60N2/80—Head-rests
- B60N2/806—Head-rests movable or adjustable
- B60N2/838—Tiltable
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- B60N2/4882—
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- B60N2/4808—
-
- B60N2/4838—
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
- B60N2/80—Head-rests
- B60N2/806—Head-rests movable or adjustable
- B60N2/809—Head-rests movable or adjustable vertically slidable
- B60N2/812—Head-rests movable or adjustable vertically slidable characterised by their locking devices
- B60N2/821—Head-rests movable or adjustable vertically slidable characterised by their locking devices with continuous positioning
- B60N2/824—Head-rests movable or adjustable vertically slidable characterised by their locking devices with continuous positioning using springs
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
- B60N2/80—Head-rests
- B60N2/885—Head-rests provided with side-rests
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to headrests for seats. More particularly, the invention concerns a fully adjustable headrest for use in connection with furniture and with passenger vehicles such as aircraft, trains and busses.
- headrests for use in passenger vehicles have been suggested in the past. As the general rule, these headrests are designed primarily to satisfy safety aspects rather than to provide a comfortable seating posture. Typically, the prior art vehicle headrests comprise only a vertically adjustable head support panel designed to provide protection against injury in the event of an accident. However, some vehicle headrests have also been provided with lateral headrest elements. Exemplary of such a headrest is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,091 issued to Rech et al.
- headrests have been designed for use in military aircraft and, more particularly in military aircraft for use in conjunction with ejection seats.
- Typical of this class of headrest design are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,243 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,899, 961 both issued to Herndon.
- Another such headrest design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,662 issued to McDonald et al.
- headrests for use in military aircraft significant advances have been made in recent years in the design of headrests for use in commercial aircraft.
- Exemplary of such headrests are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,250,716, 6,467,846, 6,666,517, 7,040,705, 7264,313 and 7,364,239 issued to Clough.
- the headrest of the present invention represents a substantial improvement over the prior art headrests and provides significantly greater ease of adjustability and therefore greater support and comfort to the user.
- FIG. 1 is a front view of one form of the seat headrest apparatus of the invention.
- FIG. 2 is a rear view of the seat headrest apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged, generally perspective, exploded view of the area designated in FIG. 1 as 3 - 3 .
- FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged, generally perspective, exploded view of the area designated in FIG. 3 as 4 - 4 showing the construction of one form of the friction detent hinge of the seat headrest apparatus.
- FIG. 4A is a greatly enlarged view taken along lines 4 A- 4 A of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4B is a view similar to FIG. 4A , but showing the friction detent hinge moved from a first, at rest position, to a second position.
- FIG. 4C is a view similar to FIG. 4B , but showing the friction detent hinge moved from the second position to a third position.
- FIG. 5 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 6 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown in FIG. 5 illustrating the upward movement of the headrest relative to the elongated guide of the apparatus.
- FIG. 7 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown in FIG. 6 illustrating the manner of interconnection of the seat connector plate of the apparatus to the elongated guide.
- FIG. 8 is a front view of an alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention.
- FIG. 9 is a rear view of the alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention shown in FIG. 8 .
- FIG. 10 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the alternate form of seat headrest shown in FIG. 9 .
- FIG. 11 is a front view of the alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention shown in FIG. 8 showing the headrest assembly pivoted forwardly relative to the elongated guide of the apparatus.
- FIG. 12 is an enlarged view taken along lines 12 - 12 of FIG. 11 .
- Another object of the invention is to provide a headrest of the aforementioned character that includes slide means for permitting easy height adjustment of the headrest and also includes a friction imparting assembly for holding the headrest in a desired elevated position.
- Another object of the invention is to provide easily adjustable, wing like, side support panels that are pivotally connected to a centrally located, vertically adjustable head support panel by means of novel friction hinges that include detent features that permit the wing like side support panels of the headrest to be locked into predetermined angular orientations.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a seat connector that can be readily connected to a vehicle seat.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a headrest construction of the class described that is of a simple construction and one that can be inexpensively produced and maintained.
- the seat headrest here comprises a support assembly 16 that includes a first, centrally disposed head support panel 18 , a second side panel 20 that is connected to panel 18 by a novel friction hinge assembly 22 and a third side panel 24 that is connected to central panel 18 by a novel friction hinge assembly 22 .
- central head support panel 18 as well as side panels 20 and 24 , are each provided with a multiplicity of weight reduction apertures 25 .
- side panels 20 and 24 are pivotally movable from an at rest position wherein they are substantially coplanar with the central head support panel 18 to selected angularly extending forward positions. When side panels 20 and 24 are pivoted into selected angularly forward positions, they can provide a comfortable lateral support to the passenger's head.
- support assembly 16 is connected to a mounting assemblage 26 that here comprises an elongated guide 28 and a connector plate 30 that can be connected to a seat “S” by any suitable means such as suitable connectors 33 ( FIGS. 1 and 5 ).
- Elongated guide 28 includes oppositely disposed guide rails 28 a that are adapted to be rollably engaged by two sets of transversely spaced apart roller assemblies 38 that are mounted on central head support panel 18 .
- the roller assemblies 38 each of which are of identical construction, include grooved rollers 38 a that roll along guide rails 28 a so that the headrest assembly 16 can be adjustably moved upwardly and downwardly so as to enable the desired adjustment in the height of the assembly.
- a transversely extending connector member 40 spans the spaced apart rollers in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 and defines a guide channel 41 within which guide 28 is disposed (see also FIG. 6 ).
- connector plate 30 is provided with a multiplicity of weight reduction apertures 31 .
- this novel resistance imparting assembly comprises a uniquely configured, generally T-shaped leaf spring designated in the drawings by the numeral 43 .
- spring 43 includes a transverse connector portion 43 a that is affixed to central head support panel 18 and a downwardly extending, curved central portion 43 b that extends into channel 41 .
- the curved central portion 43 b of the spring will be yieldably deformed so that it is brought into pressural engagement with the guide.
- the central portion 43 b of the spring will frictionally engage the surface of the guide 28 and will yieldably resist sliding movement of headrest assembly 16 relative to the guide.
- the friction hinge assemblies 22 of this embodiment of the invention can be seen to comprise an elongated, generally cylindrical shaped shaft 42 and first and second bands 44 and 46 that are rotatably carried by shaft 42 (see FIG. 3 ).
- shaft 42 is provided with a pair of circumferentially spaced detents, or flats 42 a and 42 b ( FIGS. 4 and 4A ).
- detent means a device for positioning and holding one part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts.
- First and second bands 44 and 46 of each of the hinge assemblies 22 are connected to central panel 18 by suitable connectors “C”, while one of the shafts 42 of the hinge assemblies 22 is connected to the side panel 20 and the other of the shafts is connected to the side panel 24 .
- the shafts 42 are connected to the side panels by means of connector leaves 48 and suitable connectors 49 .
- band 44 of each of the hinge assemblies is provided with a detent engaging segment, or flat 50 that, as the band is rotated, is engageable with a selected one of the detents 42 a and 42 b of shaft 42 to prevent rotation of the band relative to the shaft.
- This novel detent feature of the friction hinges allows the user to feel the hinge snap into position when the hinge is rotated to a certain angle. More particularly, when the band is rotated around the shaft to the point where the detent engaging segment aligns with the detent on the shaft, the hinge snaps into place giving the user a positive indication that the hinge is in a selected position.
- the strength and feel of the detent feature is dependent on various factors including the depth of the flat on both the shaft and the band, the size of the shaft, the thickness of the band material, the hardness on both the shaft and the band, the type of grease used, the type of surface treatment done on the shaft and the band and the amount of interference between the shaft and the band.
- Hinge assemblies 22 are readily commercially available from Hanaya Inc. of Ponte Vedra, Fla.
- FIG. 4A of the drawings when the central panel 18 and the side panels are disposed in an at rest, coplanar configuration, the flat 50 on the band 44 resides in engagement with the cylindrical surface of the shaft 42 .
- FIGS. 4A through 4C of the drawings show only part of central panel 18 and side panel 24 and illustrate only the angular adjustment of side panel 24 .
- the angular adjustment of side panel 20 is accomplished in exactly the same manner as the angular adjustment of side panel 24 . Referring particularly to FIG. 4A , when the side panel 24 , along with shaft 42 is rotated approximately 30 degrees into the position shown in FIG.
- flat 50 on the band 44 will snap into engagement with detent, or flat 42 a on the shaft 42 , thereby locking the side panel into the angularly inwardly extending position. Further rotation of the side panel, along with shaft 42 , will cause the flat 50 to move out of engagement with detent 42 a and into the position shown in FIG. 4C . In this position, the flat 50 on the band will snap into engagement with detent, or flat 42 b provided on shaft thereby locking the side panel into the approximately 90 degree angularly inwardly extending position shown in FIG. 4C .
- FIGS. 8 through 12 an alternate form of seat headrest of the invention is there illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 54 .
- This alternate form of the seat headrest is similar in many respects that illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7 and like numbers are used in FIGS. 8 through 12 to identify like components.
- Seat headrest 54 here comprises a support assembly 56 that includes a central head support member 58 , a first lateral, or side panel 20 that is connected to member 58 by a novel friction hinge 22 and a second lateral, or side panel 24 that is connected to central member 58 by a novel friction hinge 22 .
- each is provided with a multiplicity of weight reduction apertures 25 .
- side panels 20 and 24 are pivotally movable from an at rest position wherein they are substantially coplanar with the central head support member 58 to selected angularly extending forward positions. Angular movement of side panels 20 and 24 is accomplished substantially identical manner to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 7 .
- support assembly 56 is pivotally connected to a mounting assembly 60 that is of a slightly different construction from mounting assembly 26 ( FIG. 10 ). More particularly, support assembly 56 is pivotally connected to mounting assembly 60 by a conventional, generally commercially available tilt hinge assembly 62 that includes a first leaf 62 a that is connected to the front surface of head support member 58 (see FIG. 8 ) and a second connector assembly 62 b that is connected to the rear surface of the central panel (see FIG. 10 ). Tilt hinge assembly 62 includes a shaft 63 a and a pair of bands 63 b.
- Second connector assembly 62 b is, connected to a connector member 64 which forms a part of mounting assembly 60 (see FIG. 10 ). As indicated in FIG. 10 , connector member 64 is connected to a connector member 66 which is, in turn, connected to an elongated guide 68 .
- Guide 68 is of similar construction to guide 28 and can be connected to a seat “S” by any suitable means.
- Elongated guide 68 includes oppositely disposed guide rails 68 a that are adapted to be rollably engaged by two pairs of spaced apart roller assemblies 38 that are mounted on central head support member 58 .
- roller assemblies 38 each of which are of identical construction, include grooved rollers 38 a that roll along guide rails 68 a so that the headrest assembly 56 can be adjustably moved upwardly and downwardly so as to enable the desired adjustment in the height of the assembly.
- a connector member 40 spans the spaced apart rollers and defines a channel 71 within which guide 68 is disposed (see also FIG. 9 ).
- this novel resistance imparting spring comprises a uniquely configured leaf spring 43 that includes a transverse connector portion 43 a that is affixed to connector member 66 and a downwardly extending central portion 43 b that extends into channel 41 .
- the central portion 43 b of the spring will be yieldably deformed so that it is brought into pressural engagement with the guide.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chair Legs, Seat Parts, And Backrests (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- Not Applicable
- Not Applicable
- Not Applicable
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates generally to headrests for seats. More particularly, the invention concerns a fully adjustable headrest for use in connection with furniture and with passenger vehicles such as aircraft, trains and busses.
- 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
- Various types of headrests for use in passenger vehicles have been suggested in the past. As the general rule, these headrests are designed primarily to satisfy safety aspects rather than to provide a comfortable seating posture. Typically, the prior art vehicle headrests comprise only a vertically adjustable head support panel designed to provide protection against injury in the event of an accident. However, some vehicle headrests have also been provided with lateral headrest elements. Exemplary of such a headrest is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,091 issued to Rech et al.
- Even more complex headrests have been designed for use in military aircraft and, more particularly in military aircraft for use in conjunction with ejection seats. Typical of this class of headrest design are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,243 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,899, 961 both issued to Herndon. Another such headrest design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,662 issued to McDonald et al.
- In addition to the development of headrests for use in military aircraft, significant advances have been made in recent years in the design of headrests for use in commercial aircraft. Exemplary of such headrests are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,250,716, 6,467,846, 6,666,517, 7,040,705, 7264,313 and 7,364,239 issued to Clough.
- As will become clear from the discussion that follows, the headrest of the present invention represents a substantial improvement over the prior art headrests and provides significantly greater ease of adjustability and therefore greater support and comfort to the user.
-
FIG. 1 is a front view of one form of the seat headrest apparatus of the invention. -
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the seat headrest apparatus shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged, generally perspective, exploded view of the area designated inFIG. 1 as 3-3. -
FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged, generally perspective, exploded view of the area designated inFIG. 3 as 4-4 showing the construction of one form of the friction detent hinge of the seat headrest apparatus. -
FIG. 4A is a greatly enlarged view taken alonglines 4A- 4A ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4B is a view similar toFIG. 4A , but showing the friction detent hinge moved from a first, at rest position, to a second position. -
FIG. 4C is a view similar toFIG. 4B , but showing the friction detent hinge moved from the second position to a third position. -
FIG. 5 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 6 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown inFIG. 5 illustrating the upward movement of the headrest relative to the elongated guide of the apparatus. -
FIG. 7 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the seat headrest shown inFIG. 6 illustrating the manner of interconnection of the seat connector plate of the apparatus to the elongated guide. -
FIG. 8 is a front view of an alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention. -
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention shown inFIG. 8 . -
FIG. 10 is a generally perspective, exploded rear view of the alternate form of seat headrest shown inFIG. 9 . -
FIG. 11 is a front view of the alternate form of seat headrest apparatus of the invention shown inFIG. 8 showing the headrest assembly pivoted forwardly relative to the elongated guide of the apparatus. -
FIG. 12 is an enlarged view taken along lines 12-12 ofFIG. 11 . - It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable headrest that provides both support and comfort to the user and can be used in connection with furniture including household and office furniture and also in connection with various types of passenger vehicles.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a headrest of the aforementioned character that includes slide means for permitting easy height adjustment of the headrest and also includes a friction imparting assembly for holding the headrest in a desired elevated position.
- Another object of the invention is to provide easily adjustable, wing like, side support panels that are pivotally connected to a centrally located, vertically adjustable head support panel by means of novel friction hinges that include detent features that permit the wing like side support panels of the headrest to be locked into predetermined angular orientations.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a seat connector that can be readily connected to a vehicle seat.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a headrest construction of the class described that is of a simple construction and one that can be inexpensively produced and maintained.
- Referring to the drawings and particularly to
FIGS. 1 and 2 , one form of the seat headrest of the invention is there illustrated and generally designated by thenumeral 14. The seat headrest here comprises asupport assembly 16 that includes a first, centrally disposedhead support panel 18, asecond side panel 20 that is connected topanel 18 by a novelfriction hinge assembly 22 and athird side panel 24 that is connected tocentral panel 18 by a novelfriction hinge assembly 22. To reduce the overall weight of the headrest, centralhead support panel 18, as well asside panels weight reduction apertures 25. - As will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter,
side panels head support panel 18 to selected angularly extending forward positions. Whenside panels FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawings,support assembly 16 is connected to amounting assemblage 26 that here comprises anelongated guide 28 and aconnector plate 30 that can be connected to a seat “S” by any suitable means such as suitable connectors 33 (FIGS. 1 and 5 ). Elongatedguide 28 includes oppositely disposedguide rails 28 a that are adapted to be rollably engaged by two sets of transversely spacedapart roller assemblies 38 that are mounted on centralhead support panel 18. The roller assemblies 38, each of which are of identical construction, includegrooved rollers 38 a that roll alongguide rails 28 a so that theheadrest assembly 16 can be adjustably moved upwardly and downwardly so as to enable the desired adjustment in the height of the assembly. A transversely extendingconnector member 40 spans the spaced apart rollers in the manner illustrated inFIG. 5 and defines aguide channel 41 within which guide 28 is disposed (see alsoFIG. 6 ). To reduce the overall weight of the assembly,connector plate 30 is provided with a multiplicity ofweight reduction apertures 31. - Forming an important aspect of the headrest assembly of this latest form of the invention is a resistance imparting assembly for imparting resistance to the movement of
headrest assembly 16 upwardly and downwardly relative to guide 28. In the present form of the invention, this novel resistance imparting assembly comprises a uniquely configured, generally T-shaped leaf spring designated in the drawings by the numeral 43. As best seen inFIGS. 3 and 4 ,spring 43 includes atransverse connector portion 43 a that is affixed to centralhead support panel 18 and a downwardly extending, curvedcentral portion 43 b that extends intochannel 41. When theheadrest assembly 16 is mounted onguide 28 in the manner shown inFIG. 5 , the curvedcentral portion 43 b of the spring will be yieldably deformed so that it is brought into pressural engagement with the guide. With this construction, as the headrest assembly is moved upwardly and downwardly, thecentral portion 43 b of the spring will frictionally engage the surface of theguide 28 and will yieldably resist sliding movement ofheadrest assembly 16 relative to the guide. - Referring particularly to
FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, thefriction hinge assemblies 22 of this embodiment of the invention can be seen to comprise an elongated, generally cylindrical shapedshaft 42 and first andsecond bands FIG. 3 ). Importantly,shaft 42 is provided with a pair of circumferentially spaced detents, orflats FIGS. 4 and 4A ). As used herein, the term “detent” means a device for positioning and holding one part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts. - First and
second bands hinge assemblies 22 are connected tocentral panel 18 by suitable connectors “C”, while one of theshafts 42 of thehinge assemblies 22 is connected to theside panel 20 and the other of the shafts is connected to theside panel 24. As best seen inFIG. 3 of the drawings, theshafts 42 are connected to the side panels by means of connector leaves 48 andsuitable connectors 49. - Importantly,
band 44 of each of the hinge assemblies is provided with a detent engaging segment, or flat 50 that, as the band is rotated, is engageable with a selected one of thedetents shaft 42 to prevent rotation of the band relative to the shaft. This novel detent feature of the friction hinges allows the user to feel the hinge snap into position when the hinge is rotated to a certain angle. More particularly, when the band is rotated around the shaft to the point where the detent engaging segment aligns with the detent on the shaft, the hinge snaps into place giving the user a positive indication that the hinge is in a selected position. The strength and feel of the detent feature is dependent on various factors including the depth of the flat on both the shaft and the band, the size of the shaft, the thickness of the band material, the hardness on both the shaft and the band, the type of grease used, the type of surface treatment done on the shaft and the band and the amount of interference between the shaft and the band.Hinge assemblies 22 are readily commercially available from Hanaya Inc. of Ponte Vedra, Fla. - As illustrated in
FIG. 4A of the drawings, when thecentral panel 18 and the side panels are disposed in an at rest, coplanar configuration, the flat 50 on theband 44 resides in engagement with the cylindrical surface of theshaft 42. It is to be noted thatFIGS. 4A through 4C of the drawings show only part ofcentral panel 18 andside panel 24 and illustrate only the angular adjustment ofside panel 24. However, it is to be understood that the angular adjustment ofside panel 20 is accomplished in exactly the same manner as the angular adjustment ofside panel 24. Referring particularly toFIG. 4A , when theside panel 24, along withshaft 42 is rotated approximately 30 degrees into the position shown inFIG. 4B , flat 50 on theband 44 will snap into engagement with detent, or flat 42 a on theshaft 42, thereby locking the side panel into the angularly inwardly extending position. Further rotation of the side panel, along withshaft 42, will cause the flat 50 to move out of engagement withdetent 42 a and into the position shown inFIG. 4C . In this position, the flat 50 on the band will snap into engagement with detent, or flat 42 b provided on shaft thereby locking the side panel into the approximately 90 degree angularly inwardly extending position shown inFIG. 4C . - Referring next to
FIGS. 8 through 12 , an alternate form of seat headrest of the invention is there illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 54. This alternate form of the seat headrest is similar in many respects that illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 7 and like numbers are used inFIGS. 8 through 12 to identify like components.Seat headrest 54 here comprises asupport assembly 56 that includes a centralhead support member 58, a first lateral, orside panel 20 that is connected tomember 58 by anovel friction hinge 22 and a second lateral, orside panel 24 that is connected tocentral member 58 by anovel friction hinge 22. As before, to reduce the weight of the centralhead support member 58, andside panels weight reduction apertures 25. - As in the earlier described embodiment of the invention,
side panels head support member 58 to selected angularly extending forward positions. Angular movement ofside panels FIGS. 1 through 7 . - The primary difference between this latest embodiment of the invention and that illustrated in
FIGS. 1 through 7 resides in the fact thatsupport assembly 56 is pivotally connected to a mountingassembly 60 that is of a slightly different construction from mounting assembly 26(FIG. 10 ). More particularly,support assembly 56 is pivotally connected to mountingassembly 60 by a conventional, generally commercially availabletilt hinge assembly 62 that includes afirst leaf 62 a that is connected to the front surface of head support member 58 (seeFIG. 8 ) and a second connector assembly 62 b that is connected to the rear surface of the central panel (seeFIG. 10 ).Tilt hinge assembly 62 includes a shaft 63 a and a pair of bands 63 b. - Second connector assembly 62 b is, connected to a
connector member 64 which forms a part of mounting assembly 60 (seeFIG. 10 ). As indicated inFIG. 10 ,connector member 64 is connected to a connector member 66 which is, in turn, connected to anelongated guide 68.Guide 68 is of similar construction to guide 28 and can be connected to a seat “S” by any suitable means.Elongated guide 68 includes oppositely disposedguide rails 68 a that are adapted to be rollably engaged by two pairs of spaced apartroller assemblies 38 that are mounted on centralhead support member 58. Theroller assemblies 38, each of which are of identical construction, includegrooved rollers 38 a that roll alongguide rails 68 a so that theheadrest assembly 56 can be adjustably moved upwardly and downwardly so as to enable the desired adjustment in the height of the assembly. Aconnector member 40 spans the spaced apart rollers and defines achannel 71 within which guide 68 is disposed (see alsoFIG. 9 ). - Forming an important aspect of the headrest assembly of this latest form of the invention is a resistance imparting spring for imparting resistance to the movement of
headrest assembly 56 upwardly and downwardly relative to guide 68. As before, this novel resistance imparting spring comprises a uniquely configuredleaf spring 43 that includes atransverse connector portion 43 a that is affixed to connector member 66 and a downwardly extendingcentral portion 43 b that extends intochannel 41. When theheadrest assembly 56 is mounted onguide 68 in the manner shown in the drawings, thecentral portion 43 b of the spring will be yieldably deformed so that it is brought into pressural engagement with the guide. With this construction, as the headrest assembly is moved upwardly and downwardly, thecentral portion 43 b of the spring will frictionally engage the surface of theguide 68 and will yieldably resist sliding movement ofheadrest assembly 56 relative to the guide. As before, guide 68 is connected to aconnector member 30 which is connected to seat “S” in the manner illustratedFIG. 12 . - Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.
Claims (20)
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US14/602,972 US9393892B1 (en) | 2015-01-22 | 2015-01-22 | Seat headrest |
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US14/602,972 US9393892B1 (en) | 2015-01-22 | 2015-01-22 | Seat headrest |
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US9393892B1 US9393892B1 (en) | 2016-07-19 |
US20160214513A1 true US20160214513A1 (en) | 2016-07-28 |
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US14/602,972 Active US9393892B1 (en) | 2015-01-22 | 2015-01-22 | Seat headrest |
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Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20170197530A1 (en) * | 2016-01-13 | 2017-07-13 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Adjustable headrest assembly with neck support feature |
US20180056833A1 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2018-03-01 | Zodiac Seats Us Llc | Adjustable headrest enabling sideward leaning and seclusion |
JP2018043677A (en) * | 2016-09-15 | 2018-03-22 | コイト電工株式会社 | Headrest device |
KR20180039864A (en) * | 2016-10-11 | 2018-04-19 | 현대자동차주식회사 | means for connecting plates of wing-out headrest |
WO2021242261A1 (en) * | 2020-05-29 | 2021-12-02 | Safran Seats Usa Llc | Adjustable friction slider assembly for passenger seat |
US11267382B2 (en) * | 2019-12-12 | 2022-03-08 | Reinhold Industries, Inc. | Passenger seating headrest with friction assembly |
Families Citing this family (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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