(12)Un1ted States Patent
`J0st
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,883,870 B2
`Apr. 26, 2005
`
`US006883870B2
`
`1/1984 Matumoto ................ .. 297/391
`4,427,233 A *
`2/1991 Tanaka . . . . . . . . . .
`. . . . .. 297/408
`4,991,907 A *
`4/1996 Dixon ................... .. 297/217.3
`5,507,556 A *
`8/1997 Nagayasu et al.
`........ .. 297/408
`5,660,441 A *
`2/2000 Chang ...................... .. 297/391
`6,022,078 A *
`4/2001 Heilig
`297/410
`6,217,118 B1 *
`6/2001 Chu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
`. . . . .. 439/668
`6,250,967 B1 *
`6,669,285 B1 * 12/2003 Park et al.
`.... ..
`297/217.3
`
`
`
`6,698,832 B1 *
`
`3/2004 Boudinot
`
`............... .. 297/217.4
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(54) HEAD REST, PARTICULARLY FOR A
`MOTOR VEHICLE SEAT
`
`Inventor;
`
`Just, Bettange/Megs
`
`(73) Assignee: Security Vision Concept, Luxembourg
`(LU)
`
`(*) Notice;
`
`subject to any disclaimer, the term Ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`10/469,458
`
`(22) PCT Filed:
`
`Mar. 20, 2002
`
`(86) PCT No.:
`
`PCT/EP02/03110
`
`§ 371 (C)(1),
`(2), (4) Date: Aug. 29, 2003
`
`(87) PCT Pub. No.: W002/074577
`
`JP
`
`200 047921 A *
`
`2/2001
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner—Peter M. Cuomo
`Assistant Examiner—Joseph Edell
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Thomas S. Baker, Jr.
`
`PCT Pub. Date: Sep. 26, 2002
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2004/0113479 A1 Jun. 17, 2004
`
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`(30)
`Mar. 21, 2001
`
`.......................................... .. 01 03795
`
`(FR)
`
`Int. Cl.7 ................................................ .. A47C 7/36
`(51)
`(52) U.S.Cl.
`................... .. 297/391, 297/217.3, 297/408
`(58) Field of Search ............................ .. 297/217.3, 408,
`297/391
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`The invention relates to a headrest, particularly for a motor
`vehicle seat, comprising a cushion made from synthetic
`foam which houses an integrated support that can be used to
`fix two parallel anchor rods to the seat. According to the
`invention, the anchor rods are fitted with threaded shafts that
`extend at a right angle from the upper end of said rods. The
`threaded shafts are each screwed into one end of a housing
`body in the form of a cylindrical sleeve having a suitable
`internal threading. Tightening locknuts are used to lock the
`anchor rods in position on the cylindrical sleeve. Said
`cylindrical sleeve is fixed to a locking lug, which is disposed
`on the integrated support, by means of a stirrup piece which
`is associated with a screw-nut type tightening system.
`
`3,608,965 A *
`
`9/1971 Cziptschirsch et al.
`
`297/410
`
`11 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
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`Page 1 of 8
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`PETITIONER'S EXHIBIT 1016
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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 26, 2005
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`Apr. 26, 2005
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`Apr. 26, 2005
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`US 6,883,870 B2
`
`1
`
`HEAD REST, PARTICULARLY FOR A
`MOTOR VEHICLE SEAT
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE
`
`None.
`
`PRIORITY
`
`This Application claims the priority of international patent
`number PCT/EP02/03110 field Mar. 20, 2002, published
`Sep. 26, 2002 under WO 02/074577 and based on French
`application number FR 01033795 filed Mar. 21, 2001.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is related to a new headrest struc-
`ture for motor vehicle seats, or other types of seats.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Traditional headrests used to equip motor vehicle seats are
`made of a synthetic foam cushion, covered with a slipcover
`structure made of cloth, synthetic material or leather, and
`include a stiff insert that enables two parallel anchor rods to
`get fitted into the housing sleeves installed on the upper
`portion of the equipped seat.
`the distance between the
`In some headrest structures,
`anchor rods cannot be adjusted; as a result, during the
`manufacturing process itself, it becomes necessary to pro-
`vide different versions of the headrests, depending on the
`distance between the housing sleeves in the seat intended to
`receive it.
`
`In other known models, as described for example in U.S.
`patent application Ser. No. 6,022,078, German Patent Appli-
`cation 196 52 591, or even French Patent Application 2 796
`017, the distance between the anchor rods is variable, but the
`internal fitting means by way of which these rods are
`adapted to this variability, are relatively complex.
`Furthermore, as can be seen in U.S. patent application Ser.
`No. 5,713,633 or German Patent Application 196 01 582,
`some of the more recent headrest models are equipped with
`monitors, particularly of the liquid crystal type, for DVD
`players, game consoles and the like, that are integrated into
`the rear face of the headrests so as to be accessible from the
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`rear seats of the vehicle. The presence of these monitors
`further complicates the integrated fitting structure of the
`headrest.
`
`45
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`Afirst object of the present invention is to propose a new
`headrest structure equipped with anchor rods at a variable
`distance from one another, of simple design and easy to
`install.
`
`To this end, the headrest according to the present inven-
`tion consists of anchor rods fitted with threaded shafts that
`
`extend at a right angle from the upper end of the rods; these
`threaded shafts are each screwed into one end of a body
`equipped with suitable internal
`threading and linked to
`fixing means on a support base integrated into the synthetic
`foam cushion.
`
`According to a preferred embodiment, the threaded shafts
`linked to the anchor rods each have a locknut intended to
`
`abut the body, so as to lock the anchor rods into position.
`Further, according to a preferred embodiment, the body of
`the threaded shafts has a cylindrical sleeve housed in the
`base of a flat U-shaped stirrup piece; this U-shaped stirrup
`piece encloses a locking lug arranged on the integrated
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`support, and is affixed to the locking lug by a screw-nut type
`of tightening system.
`The integrated support preferably has a seat adapted to
`receive the cylindrical sleeve and the threaded shafts that
`extend the upper ends of the anchor rods at a right angle.
`This seat exits either onto the front or back face of the
`
`support; it is positioned just below the locking lug of the
`U-shaped stirrup piece and has lower openings for the
`passage of the anchor rods. These openings are adapted to a
`variety of possible distances between the anchor rods.
`According to yet another characteristic,
`the integrated
`support has an opening situated below the locking lug of the
`U-shaped stirrup piece in order to facilitate the positioning
`of the stirrup piece.
`In an effort to provide almost universal functionality to the
`headrest as disclosed by the present
`invention, adapter
`sleeves are attached thereto, that are capable of compensat-
`ing for the potential difference between the outer diameter of
`the anchor rods and the inner diameter of the housing sleeves
`installed in the upper portion of the equipped seat. These
`attached sleeves preferably have an upper flange that allows
`them to stay in position on the housing sleeves.
`Another object of the present invention is to set forth a
`new, simplified structure for a headrest into which a monitor
`of the liquid crystal type, for example, for DVD players,
`game consoles and the like has been integrated.
`According to the present invention this monitor is embed-
`ded in the rear face of the headrest and is moveably clamped
`into a casing which is itself embedded in the rear face and
`fixed on the integrated support.
`According to a preferred embodiment, the monitor casing
`is embedded in an opening situated in the rear face of the
`headrest,
`the opening being delimited by a rigid frame
`whose width largely corresponds to the thickness of the
`casing, and along the inner rim of which the integrated
`support comes to rest. The base of the monitor casing is fixed
`to the integrated support via locking screws and the front
`face of this housing is equipped with an oversized peripheral
`flange designed to come to rest against the outer rim of the
`rigid frame.
`The synthetic foam forming the headrest cushion is
`advantageously molded onto this rigid frame.
`Again according to the invention, the headrest anchor
`rods are hollow and the power supply cables of the inte-
`grated monitor pass through at least one of these rods.
`Further non-restrictive illustrations of the invention can
`
`be found in the following description of a preferred
`embodiment, provided only as one example thereof, and is
`illustrated in the annexed drawings wherein.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a headrest according to
`the present invention, positioned on the seat of a motor
`vehicle;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a headrest, in a partially
`exploded transverse section;
`FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
`principle by which the anchor rods are fitted to the integrated
`support of the headrest;
`FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing details of the
`assembly of the anchor rods on the cylindrical housing
`sleeve;
`FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the integrated support on
`which the variable-distance anchor rods are fixed;
`
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`US 6,883,870 B2
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`3
`FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view along section 6—6 of
`FIG. 5.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, headrest 1 is made up of
`a synthetic foam cushion 2 covered by a slip-cover 3
`structure made of cloth, synthetic material or leather.
`A housing 4 is disposed inside cushion 2 to receive a
`support structure 5 intended to fit the two parallel rods 6 that
`enable headrest 1 to become anchored on top of seat 7 of the
`vehicle, as well as to fit an embedded monitor 8 such as of
`the liquid crystal
`type (LCD) for DVD players, game
`consoles or the like. Monitor 8 is embedded in the rear face
`of headrest 1 so as to be accessible from the rear seats of the
`vehicle.
`
`Support structure 5 is made up of:
`a rigid frame 10, made either of metal or plastic, that
`delimits rear portion 4‘ of housing 4 (this part of
`housing 4‘ is generally shaped like a parallelepiped and
`ends at the rear face of cushion 2 so as to allow the
`
`monitor to become embedded) and
`a support 12 integrated into front portion 4“ of housing 4
`(this part of housing 4“ ends at
`the lower face of
`cushion 2).
`Integrated support 12 comes to rest against the inner rim
`of rigid frame 10. It is affixed to the latter by means of a
`casing 14 that gets inserted into a part of housing 4‘ and is
`disposed to receive LCD monitor 8. The thickness of casing
`14 essentially corresponds to the width of rigid frame 10; its
`base is fixed on support 12 by means of screws 15 and it
`comprises an oversize peripheral flange 16 adapted to come
`to rest against the outer rim of rigid frame 10.
`Once locking screws 15 are put in place, the assembly is
`of course held correctly inside foam cushion 2. In order to
`further improve this hold, foam cushion 2 can be molded
`onto rigid frame 10.
`Support 12 is a one-piece attachment and is made, for
`example, from a molded plastic material. It has a platform
`12‘ whose dimensions are slightly greater than those of rigid
`frame 10, and extends downward via an extension 12“,
`details of whose structure are provided later in the descrip-
`tion.
`The two anchor rods 6 of the headrest are fitted on
`
`integrated support 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 6.
`In this instance, both these anchor rods 6 are hollow
`metallic rods, at the upper ends whereof are soldered, at right
`angles, threaded shafts 18 adapted to be screwed into the
`ends of the body 19 shaped like a cylindrical sleeve. The
`inner threading of sleeve 19 is, of course, adapted to
`conform with the outer threading of threaded shafts 18.
`It is therefore understood that sleeve 19 acts as a con-
`
`necting element between hallow rods 6, and allows for the
`very easy adjustment of the distance between both these rods
`6 by adjusting the thread length of the threaded shafts 18.
`The distance between rods 6 is adjusted according to the
`distance between housing sleeve 20 that equips seat 7 of the
`vehicle. This center distance is maintained by tightening
`locknuts 22 with which threaded shafts 18 are equipped
`(FIGS. 3, 4 and 5).
`This assembly 6, 18, 19 is fitted onto support 12 by means
`of a fiat, U-shaped stirrup piece 24 connected to a screw-nut
`25-26 type of tightening system.
`To do this, sleeve 19 with threaded shafts 18 and lock nuts
`22 are inserted into a longitudinal seat 28 situated in lower
`extension 12“ of support 12. This seat 28 ends at the front
`face of support 12 and has openings 29 that are oriented
`
`5
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`10
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`50
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`60
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`65
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`4
`downward for the passage of anchor rods 6; these lower
`openings 29 are adapted to conform to the various potential
`distances between rods 6.
`U-shaped stirrup piece 24 envelops cylindrical sleeve 19
`and becomes positioned on either side of a locking lug 30
`arranged in the central portion of the support 12, just above
`seat 28. This locking lug 30 has an opening 32 for the
`passage of the screw-nut tightening system 25-26.
`The positioning of stirrup piece 24 is facilitated by the
`presence of an opening 35 in extension 12‘ of support 12,
`beneath locking lug 30.
`Rods 6 are fitted on support 12 before support 12 is
`inserted into cushion 2 of the headrest. Once support 12 and
`casing 14 have been correctly positioned and fitted,
`the
`cover of headrest 3 can be replaced or repositioned as
`needed.
`In a variation of the embodiment, seat 28 can end simi-
`larly at the back face of support 12. One may also envision
`the presence of one-piece elements situated along the edge
`of seat 28 so as to block the positioning of cylindrical sleeve
`19.
`In a known manner, anchor rods 6 may comprise a system
`of serrations that allow adjustments in the position of the
`height of the headrest on housing sleeves 20 of seat 7.
`If the diameter of rods 6 is not adapted to the diameter of
`housing sleeves 20, adapter sleeves 37 may be used, as
`shown in FIG. 3, which allow for the compensation of size
`differences. These adapter sleeves 37 have an upper flange
`38 which allows them to be held in position on housing
`sleeves 20;
`the outer diameter of adapter sleeves 37 is
`adapted to the inner diameter of housing sleeves 20, and
`their inner diameter is adapted to the outer diameter of
`anchor rods 6.
`
`In order to provide a certain universality of use, a com-
`plete set of adapter sleeves 37, corresponding to the various
`potential dimensions of housing sleeve 20, may be offered
`with headrest 1.
`
`As shown in FIG. 1, once in place, the inclination of the
`headrest can be adjusted by a slight, though forceful pivoting
`of support 12 about cylindrical sleeve 19. The tightening of
`screw-nut system 25-26 is adapted to allow for this adjust-
`ment in inclination.
`
`FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show power supply cables 40, intended
`in particular for monitor 8. As can be seen, cables 40 pass
`through one of the hollow anchor rods 6. One of its ends has
`a connector 41 that is plugged into monitor 8 via the interior
`of the headrest; its other end is designed to pass through the
`equipped seat, so as to connect to the power supply source
`as well as any potential audio and video sources.
`This headrest structure has a simple design and is
`extremely easy to assemble; it allows a complete set-up to be
`offered, one that is adaptable to any type of seat equipped
`with housing sleeves. If necessary,
`the system for fitting
`monitor 8 on support 12 is implementable independently of
`the principle of adjusting the distance between the anchor
`rods.
`What is claimed is:
`
`in particular for a motor vehicle seat,
`
`1. A headrest,
`comprising:
`a cushion (2);
`an integrated support (12) enclosed by said cushion (2);
`two parallel anchor rods (6) for fitting said integrated
`support (12) onto a receiving seat (7);
`wherein each of said anchor rods (6) has a threaded shaft
`(18) extending at a right angle from an upper end
`thereof and rigidly secured to said upper end;
`a rotatable, complementary threaded housing sleeve (19)
`threadably attached to each of said rigidly secured
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`US 6,883,870 B2
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`threaded shafts (18); whererby rotation of the housing
`sleeve (19) causes the threaded shafts (18) engaged
`thereby to move laterally to provide an adjustment for
`adjusting the lateral distance between said anchor rods
`(6);
`a lock (22) for locking the anchor rods (6) in a set position
`on the sleeve (19) to thereby maintain a set lateral
`distance between both anchor rods (6); and
`securing means (24; 25; 26) for securing said housing
`sleeve (19) onto the integrated support (12).
`2. The headrest as recited in claim 1;
`
`wherein said threading of said housing sleeve (19) is an
`inner threading adapted to conform with an outer
`threading on each of said threaded shafts (18); and;
`said lock (22) comprises locknuts on each of said threaded
`shafts (18) adapted to abut said housing sleeve (19) so
`as to secure the position of said anchor rods
`3. The headrest as recited in claim 1;
`
`wherein the housing sleeve (19) has a substantially cylin-
`drical shape, the sleeve (19) being housed in the base
`of an attached fiat; U-shaped stirrup piece (24);
`the
`stirrup piece (24) abutting a locking lug (30) situated on
`the integrated support (12) and affixed to the locking
`lug (30) via a screw-nut tightening system (25; 26).
`4. The headrest as recited in claim 3,
`
`(28)
`wherein the integrated support (12) has a seat
`adapted to receive the sleeve (19) and the threaded
`shafts (18) that extend at right angles from the upper
`ends of the anchor rods (6) wherein said seat (28) ends
`at the front face of the support (12) and is positioned
`just below the locking lug (30) of the integrated support
`(12); and wherein the seat (28) has lower horizontally
`extending elongated openings (29) for passage of the
`anchor rods (6); the openings (29) being adapted to
`receive anchor rods (6) at different spaced distances.
`5. The headrest as recited in claim 4;
`
`wherein the seat (28) of the support (12) has an opening
`(35) situated below the locking lug (30) in order to
`facilitate the positioning of the U-shaped stirrup piece
`(24).
`6. The headrest as recited in claim 1;
`
`wherein the headrest has attached adapter sleeves (37);
`capable of compensating for the difference between the
`outer diameter of the anchor rods (6) and the inner
`diameter of a housing sleeve (20) installed in the upper
`portion of the receiving seat (7); the adapter sleeves
`
`(37) having an upper flange (38) allowing the adapter
`sleeves (37) to be held on the housing sleeves (20).
`7. The headrest as recited in claim 1;
`
`wherein the headrest has a monitor (8) embedded in a rear
`face of the headrest; the monitor (8) being moveably
`clamped into a casing (14) which is embedded in the
`rear face and fixed on the integrated support (12).
`8. The headrest as recited in claim 7;
`
`wherein the casing (14) is embedded in a housing (4‘)
`situated at the rear face of cushion (2); the housing (4‘)
`being delimited by a rigid frame (10) whose width
`essentially corresponds to the thickness of the casing
`(14) and along the inner rim of which the integrated
`support comes to rest; the base of the casing (14) being
`fixed to the integrated support (12) via locking screws
`(15) and the front
`face of the casing (14) being
`equipped with an oversize peripheral
`flange (16)
`adapted to rest against the outer rim of the rigid frame
`(10).
`9. The headrest as recited in claim 8;
`
`wherein the headrest cushion (2) is molded onto the rigid
`frame (10).
`10. The headrest as recited in claim 7;
`
`wherein the interior of said headrest anchor rods (6) are
`hollow, and power supply cables (40) of the monitor (8)
`pass through the interior of at least one of said anchor
`rods.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`11. A headrest; in particular for a motor vehicle seat;
`comprising:
`
`30
`
`a cushion (2);
`an integrated support (12) enclosed by said cushion (2);
`two parallel anchor rods (6) attached to said integrated
`support for fitting said integrated support (12) onto a
`receiving seat (7);
`wherein each of said anchor rods (6) has a threaded shaft
`(18) extending at a right angle from an upper end
`thereof and rigidly secured to said upper end; and
`a rotatable; complementary threaded housing sleeve (19)
`threadably attached to each of said rigidly secured
`threaded shafts (18); whereby rotation of the housing
`sleeve (19) causes the threaded shafts (18) engaged
`thereby to move laterally to provide an adjustment for
`adjusting the lateral distance between said anchor rods
`(6)
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`35
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`40
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`45
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