DISPOSABLE HEADREST SHEET AND ATTACHMENT MEANS
The present invention relates to a disposable head rest sheet with an attachment means suitable for attachment and removal without leaving behind or necessitating having portions of the attachment means left on a transportation seat. It generally comprises a disposable sheet of material such as absorbent non woven cloth that incorporates an attachment means suitable for attaching either to the front side or back of the transportation seat.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable head sheet and attachment means for use in covering the upper portion of a seat where the head contacts the seat for use in mass transportation vehicles such as in railroad cars, buses and airplanes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commercial transportation seating is used by many people over the period of a day, week or month. It is fairly universal that these seats do not have independent head rests and that each passenger rests their head against the upper portion of the front of the seat back. Accordingly, to present a clean and sanitary surface to the passenger, a cloth or sheet is frequently removably attached to the surface such that it will engage the back of the head of the passenger sitting in the seat. Originally, these types of sheets were made of linen or fabric which could be laundered and reused. More recently, headrest sheets are made of relatively inexpensive linen or paper type material and disposed after each use.
A number of different disposable sheet materials are widely known that are used. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,447 to Thompson there is disclosed a disposable sheet comprising at least one layer of synthetic polymeric microfibers bonded to at least one other layer of cellulosic fibers. This sheet presents a clinging side as well as an absorbent side to use where the sheet can be draped over the top of the seat. In U.S. Pat. No 4,056,281 to Byrnes disclosed a disposable back seat sheet comprising a single layer of material designed to be impervious to use of hook and loop fasteners. Primarily, the sheet is made of olefin type materials or felt-like materials of moderate tensile strength. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,673 to Kifferstein there is disclosed a more complex sheet of material. The material is pocketed so that the disposable material comprises pillow unites and acts as both the head protector as well as having a cushioning effect. Once again the material is draped over the top of the seat which holds the device in place.
The disposable sheets have to this point been designed for installation by the transportation vehicle owner. The owner can replace the head sheet between each passenger sitting in the seat with a fresh sheet. One problem, of course, is it is never clear to the passenger if the sheet is actually a new sheet or if the sheet has been used repeatedly. This is, of course, in part because the sheets are designed to be replaced frequently by the owner, not the traveler. It is the case that the attachment means have, to this point, been designed for the convenience of the owner. Typically, the current method is to attaché a Velcro hook strip permanently to the upper portion of the seat, for example, by sewing, and the corresponding loop strip on the sheet or in some cases the material itself bonds to the Velcro hook strip. Another approach for attachment has been to make the sheet long enough that it can drape over the top of the seat far enough that it says in place due to gravity and the weight distribution of the sheet on both the front and back of the seat back. This method, while effective, necessitates a much larger size sheet than necessary and where there are things like tray tables pockets or the like on the seat back, such a draping attachment means would interfere with the back mounted pockets and tables.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,632 to Struble there is described a head rest cover for use with public transportation type vehicles. It describes the prior art as having fastening elements on the back of the seat and also describes button and eye fasteners as well as snap fasteners. The invention describes the use of Velcro type connections on the front of the seat where one portion is permanently attached to the seat and the other portion attached to the cloth. This particular invention uses a non woven material that is described and disposable after each use. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,458 there is also described a disposable headrest cover (cloth) for aircraft and train seats comprising permanent Velcro attachment. In this embodiment one side of the Velcro is “permanently attached to the rearward side of the headrest”. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,945 there is disclosed a head sheet that is disposable, attached by Velcro means with a means for attaching to the top of the seat. Another approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,701 wherein a disposable sheet is attached to the top edge of the seat and including a use detector for indicating if the headrest sheet has been used by a passenger.
It is clear that the present state of the art is directed to the convenience of the transportation vehicle owner and not the passenger. It is also clear that the present methods of attaching and using disposable head sheets involves permanent attachments to the seat itself. It would be useful therefore if there were a disposable head sheet that could be obtained and used by the passenger, affixed without permanent attachments and relatively easy to use without interfering with the use of the transportation seat especially the back.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt has been discovered that a disposable sheet with a laterally positioned attachment means would solve the problems associated with the current state of the art. Such a disposable sheet could be purchased at the airport or bus terminal by a passenger and attached to virtually any seat without the need for a permanent attachment to the seat and disposed after use.
Accordingly, an aspect of the invention relates to a removable and disposable headrest sheet for attaching to the top front of a transportation seat back comprising:
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- a. a sheet of soft pliable disposable material;
- b. a seat attachment means attached to a top portion of the sheet and laterally disposed from a left and right side of the sheet such that it is attachable to a transportation seat and completely removable from the seat to which it has been applied.
The present invention accomplishes solving the problems and disadvantages of the above disclosed headrest sheets by its novel and unobvious attachment means as well as the positioning of the attachment means of the invention.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the are in view of the following description, examples of the invention and the like when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings where like numbers refer to like or equivalent parts.
The general description of the invention including the headrest sheet and attachment means are stated in the Brief Summary above. This detailed description defines the meaning of the terms used herein and specifically describes specific embodiments shown in the figures in order for those skilled in the art to practice the invention.
As used herein a “sheet of soft pliable disposable material” refers to those sheets of materials of fiber, usually non-woven, usually synthetic, cast or the like designed for single use. This would be as opposed to woven natural fibers such as cotton and the like which are designed to be washed and reused. These types of sheets are well know in the art and a variety of different disposable materials are described in the references sited in the background of the invention. These sheets include single layer and multi-layer sheets of fibers such as cellulosic fibers, olefin and other polymeric type fibers and the like. Normally, there would be at least one layer of the sheet comprising an absorbent material but also water impermeable layers could also be included in the sheet construction or the sheet could consist solely of a water impermeable sheet. Generally these sheets are relatively thin and are sized to fit the seat generally they would be of rectangular construction and running from about 8-10 inches on a side up to 15-20 inches on a long side. However, one skilled in the art will be able to pick sheets of appropriate size shape and thickness suitable for a headrest sheet. So, for example, round sheets, multi sided sheets and the like could also be used consistent with a disposable nature for the sheets.
As used herein “attachment means” refers to a device of attaching a disposable sheet to a transportation seat without having to permanently attach something to the seat itself such that the attachment means is self contained and removable from the seat after use. A number of specific embodiments are considered within the scope of this invention. One method is adhesive backed paper or polymer tape. This is usually covered with a removable backing covering the adhesive for removal prior to use one time. Another means for attachment would be clips, such as alligator type clips or pins such as a safety pin. In this type of attachment means, a wing much like the tape would be added as a means of using the clips or pins without having to attach the pins or clips directly to the disposable sheet. Yet another embodiment of seat attachment means would be an elastic or rubberized band that would be attached to the disposable sheet as well as a strap that clipped in back of the seat. As one element of the present invention, all the attachment means are attached to a top portion of the sheet and laterally disposed from a left and right side of the sheet. As used herein “top portion” refers to approximately the top third of the disposable sheet such that gravity holds the bottom potion in place and the portion above the attachment means does not appreciably fold down over the attachment means. The attachment means in the present invention essentially extends left and right from the disposable sheet. This can be from a side where the sheet is rectangular but where the sheet is another shape such as circular or the like it would just be on opposite sides and close to a designated top of the sheet.
The attachment means can attach to the front of the seat, the sides of the seat or in yet another embodiment the back of the seat. Where the attachment means uses the front or side of the seat, it can be by attachment means such as adhesive backed tape, clips, pins or the like. While the same means can be used to attach to the back of the seat, the attachment means can meet and join to form a loop holding the sheet in place. So, for example, the attachment means could be an elastic band or clips that lock as in the drawings. Yet another embodiment of the attachment means could have an adjustable length to adjust to different seat sizes or to attach to a choice of either the front, side or back of a transportation seat.
The attachment means can be attached to the disposable sheet by any number of methods. For example, they can be glued or sewn on either the front or back of the sheet. They also could be pressed into or be an integral part of the sheet itself. In one embodiment the sheet is folded over from the top and the elastic band or other attachment means threaded through the pocket thus formed.
In one embodiment of the invention, the attachment means is reusable and detachable from the disposable sheet. In that embodiment, the user meanly disposes of the sheet and reuses the attachment means such as in
Now referring to the drawings,
In
In
Lastly,
The drawings and the description herein is not intended to be limiting. Substitution of attachment means, sewing and adhesive methods, sizes, lengths, and materials are within the scope of one skilled in the art in view of the disclosure. The following claims are to be read in light of that breadth of scope.
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A removable and disposable headrest sheet for attaching to the top front of a transportation seat back consisting essentially of:
- a) a sheet of soft pliable disposable material having an elastic band pocket; and
- b) an elastic band positioned through the pocket capable of attaching to the top portion of a transportation seat.
18. A headrest sheet according to claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the sheet is made of an absorbent material.
19. A headrest sheet according to claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the sheet is made of a water impermeable material.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 6, 2007
Publication Date: Feb 12, 2009
Inventor: Laura Smith (Ayden, NC)
Application Number: 11/834,123