Protective cover for a headrest of a passenger seat, passenger seat provided with a protective cover, combination of such a passenger seat and further passenger seat, aircraft, vessel, vehicle or carriage provided with such a passenger seat and use of a protective cover

Abstract

The present invention relates to a removable, loose cover-like protective cover for a headrest of a passenger seat. The protective cover has a front section for covering the front face with which the passenger's head will come into contact and a rear section for covering the rear face of the headrest facing away from the passenger's head. The rear section is provided with at least one compartment that in particular is pocket-like. The present invention further relates to a passenger seat provided with a protective cover according to the invention, a combination of a passenger seat according to the invention and a further passenger seat, an aircraft, vessel, vehicle or carriage provided with a passenger seat according to the invention and to the use of a protective cover according to the invention.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a removable, loose cover-like protective cover for a headrest of a passenger seat, the protective cover having a front section for covering a front face of the headrest with which a passenger's head will come into contact.

[0002] Protective covers of this type are generally known for covering the headrests of passenger seats in aircraft, vessels, vehicles or carriages. In this way the headrests of the passenger seats are prevented from becoming soiled by, in particular, the passengers' hair. The protective cover can be removed each time it has been used by a passenger or otherwise with some regularity in order to be replaced by a new protective cover or at least a clean protective cover. The protective cover that has been removed and taken away can then either be thrown away or, if appropriate, cleaned for re-use, depending on the material used for it.

[0003] In aircraft, buses, etc., the passengers are usually provided with food, drink and other snacks or the passengers have brought their own food, drinks or snacks, especially in the case of long journeys over a relatively long distance. The waste associated with this food and these drinks and snacks frequently lands on the floor, certainly in the absence of waste containers, then ends up, for example, under the seats and has to be cleaned up later by the staff. On the one hand this is slovenly and on the other hand it entails additional work involved in cleaning up.

[0004] The aim of the present invention is to provide a solution to the abovementioned problem.

[0005] The abovementioned aim is achieved according to the invention by providing a removable, loose cover-like protective cover for a headrest of a passenger seat, the protective cover having a front section for covering a front face of the headrest with which a passenger's head will come into contact and also having a rear section for covering a rear face of the headrest facing away from said passenger's head, and the rear section being provided with at least one compartment.

[0006] By providing the rear section of the protective cover with at least one compartment, for example 1, 2, 3 or more compartments, it becomes possible to deposit waste in said at least one compartment. This waste can originate, for example, from food, drinks or other snacks. However, the waste can also be of a different origin. When the protective covers are removed the waste collected in the compartments provided therein is then removed at the same time. In the case of a protective cover according to the invention it is conceivable both that the passenger deposits his or her waste in the compartments which are provided in the rear section of the protective cover on his own headrest and that the passenger deposits his or her waste in the compartments in the rear section of the protective cover over the headrest of a passenger seat located in front of that passenger. In addition to being suitable for waste, the compartments are also suitable for storing small items, which can belong to the passenger him- or herself (for example reading glasses, pen, sweets, etc.) and/or can be provided by third parties, such as the transport company (for example wet tissues, dry tissues, eye shades for covering the eyes when sleeping, sweets, advertising samples, etc.).

[0007] In order to prevent the at least one compartment starting to leak in the case of moist or partially moist waste, such as, for example, lids of yoghurt pots or other material, and then, for example, soiling the upholstery on the underlying headrest of the passenger seat, it is preferable according to the invention if the at least one compartment is moisture-resistant, in particular water-repellent or watertight. To this end the at least one compartment can have been subjected to a specific treatment or provided with a conventional inner or outer lining. From the standpoint of production engineering it will be preferable if the protective cover and the at least one compartment are made of the same material, preferably in one piece, and if that material is moisture-resistant, in particular water-repellent or watertight. The at least one compartment can, for example, be produced in one piece with the protective cover by extending the rear section of the protective cover at the bottom, folding up this extended section onto the rear section and joining this folded up section to the rear section by means of stitching, adhesive joins or some other type of join.

[0008] According to the invention the protective cover can be multi-angular, such as rectangular or with more angles.

[0009] The protective cover according to the invention can be made of a wide variety of types of material, in particular of materials which are already known per se for loose covers for passenger seat headrests. The material from which so-called surgical clothing is manufactured may, for example, also be mentioned as an example of a very suitable material. In a more general sense, the protective cover can be made of plastic, such as polypropylene, from woven fabric, from fibres, from paper or any combination thereof.

[0010] With a view to simple fixing over a headrest of a passenger seat, it is advantageous according to the invention if the protective cover, for example a rectangular protective cover or multi-angular protective cover of some other type, is made in the form of a loose cover. Such a loose cover, the dimensions of which will usually be matched to the dimensions of the headrest concerned, can easily be slid over the headrest from the top in order to surround such a headrest on all sides. A loose cover of this type can optionally be open at the side and have one or more bands, optionally elastic bands, joining the front and the rear section to one another.

[0011] In order to fix the protective cover to the headrest it is preferable according to the invention if the protective cover is provided with an adhesive strip for detachable fixing to the headrest. The adhesive strip can be a touch-and-close strip, but can also be implemented on the basis of an adhesive, said adhesive then, as is known per se from the prior art, been so chosen that it leaves no residues behind on the headrest.

[0012] According to a particular embodiment, it is preferable if the protective cover, or at least part thereof, can be printed and in particular is printed. Incidentally, instructions for use or advertising messages or other types of messages can be applied to the protective cover.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rear section of the protective cover is provided with a cut-out. In this way it is possible, inter alia, to make the protective cover fit around a monitor or some other device provided in the rear of a passenger seat.

[0014] According to the invention, the at least one compartment will advantageously be made pocket-like. In this context pocket-like is understood in particular to mean that when the protective cover is in use the at least one compartment is provided only at the top with an entry for waste, which entry can optionally be closed off by a flap.

[0015] According to a further aspect the invention relates to a passenger seat having a headrest that is provided with a protective cover according to the invention.

[0016] According to yet a further aspect, the present invention relates to a combination of a passenger seat according to the invention and a further passenger seat arranged behind it with the seat facing forwards, which further passenger seat will preferably likewise be according to the invention.

[0017] According to yet a further aspect, the present invention relates to an aircraft, vessel, vehicle or carriage provided with at least one passenger seat according to the invention or at least one passenger seat combination according to the invention.

[0018] According to yet a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of a protective cover according to the invention for covering a headrest of a passenger seat.

[0019] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown diagrammatically in the drawing. In the drawing:

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a protective cover according to the invention laid out flat;

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic, perspective view of the rear of the passenger seat provided with a protective cover according to the invention;

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a perspective, diagrammatic view of the front of a passenger seat according to the invention;

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view corresponding to the perspective view in FIG. 2, but now of a passenger seat having a video screen and protective cover according to the invention adapted to this;

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a highly diagrammatic side view of two passenger seats positioned one behind the other and provided with a protective cover according to the invention.

[0025] With reference to FIG. 1, the protective cover consists of a front section 1, a rear section 2 and an intermediate section 3 located between them. The rear section 2 is provided with three compartments 4. The compartments 4 are pocket-like with an entry 5. The intermediate section 3 is provided with an adhesive strip 6. The protective cover, indicated in its entirety by 10, has been produced from a single piece of material that initially was larger than is shown in FIG. 1. The rear section 2 was extended on the left. This extended section was folded back along a fold line 7, now bottom edge 7 of the rear section 2, to come into contact with the rear section 2 and was then fixed to said rear section 2 by means of four parallel stitched seams 8. The three pocket-like compartments 4 are formed in this way.

[0026] FIGS. 2 and 3 show the protective cover 10 fitted on a passenger seat 20. The passenger seat 20 is shown highly diagrammatically and is made up of a seat 21, a backrest 22 and a headrest 23 on top of the latter. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the seat side of the passenger seat 20. The front of the headrest 23 is oriented towards this seat side. The front section 1 of the protective cover 10 is in contact with the front of the headrest 23 to protect it against soil. The intermediate section 3 is on the top edge of the headrest 23 and is fixed to said top of the headrest 23 by means of the adhesive strip 6. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the rear section 2 of the protective cover 10 according to the invention lies against the rear of the headrest 23 and there provides three compartments 4 for depositing waste. FIG. 5 shows, highly diagrammatically, two passenger seats 20 one behind the other, each provided with a protective cover 10 according to the invention. This illustrates that the passenger in the rear passenger seat 20 is easily able to reach the compartments 4 in the protective cover 10 on the front passenger seat 20 in order to deposit waste in these.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a perspective and diagrammatic view of the rear of a passenger seat 30 with a protective cover 40 according to the invention. The passenger seat 30 has a seat 31, a backrest 32 and a headrest 33. A video screen 34 is provided in the back of the headrest so that a passenger in a passenger seat behind it can see images on the video screen. The protective cover 40 has an intermediate section 43, that once again clings to the top edge of the headrest 33, and a rear section 42 that, in order to leave the video screen 34 exposed, is provided with a cut-out with a pocket-like compartment 44 on either side. Completely separately from the cut-out for the video screen 34, the protective cover 40 is provided on either side with bands 45 to join the front section 41 and rear section 42 of the protective cover 40 to one another in order, as it were, to form a loose cover that is open at the sides. It should be clear that the front section 41 and the rear section 42 can optionally also be joined on either side in a closed manner by an insert of the sheet-like material so as, as it were, to form a closed loose cover.

[0028] The protective cover according to the invention can essentially be made from any type of material. The protective cover will in particular be made of a material that does not pollute the environment or at least does not pollute it to any great extent and that thus can be thrown away and can be further processed as waste by the conventional route. The protective cover according to the invention will advantageously be printed with, for example, instructions for use or advertising messages. In order to prevent moist materials and/or waste from leaking through, the compartments will preferably be lined on the inside, and optionally on the outside, with a hydrophobic lining in order to render the compartment moisture-repellent or moisture-tight. It is also conceivable that the compartments are rendered hydrophobic not so much by lining with a material suitable for this purpose but because the material from which the compartments have been made is itself hydrophobic. It is also conceivable that the entire protective cover is produced from a hydrophobic material or optionally material provided with a hydrophobic lining.

Claims

1. Removable, loose cover-like protective cover (10) for a headrest (23) of a passenger seat (20), the protective cover (10) having a front section (1) for covering a front face of the headrest (23) with which a passenger's head will come into contact and also having a rear section (2) for covering a rear face of the headrest (23) facing away from said passenger's head, and the rear section (2) being provided with at least one compartment (4).

2. Protective cover (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one compartment (4) is moisture-resistant, in particular water-repellent or watertight.

3. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10) and the at least one compartment (4) are made of the same material, preferably in one piece, and wherein that material is moisture-resistant, in particular water-repellent or watertight.

4. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10) is multi-angular.

5. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10) is made of plastic, such as polypropylene, of woven fabric, of fibres, of paper or of any combination thereof.

6. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10) is made in the form of a loose cover.

7. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10) is provided with an adhesive strip (6) for detachable fixing to the headrest (23).

8. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cover (10), or at least part thereof, can be printed and preferably is printed.

9. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear section (2) is provided with a cut-out.

10. Protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one compartment (4) is pocket-like.

11. Passenger seat (20) having a headrest (23) provided with a protective cover (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

12. Combination of a passenger seat (20) according to claim 11 and a further passenger seat (20) arranged behind it with the seat (21) facing forwards, which further passenger seat (20) is preferably also in accordance with claim 11.

13. Aircraft, vessel, vehicle or carriage provided with at least one passenger seat (20) according to claim 11 or at least one passenger seat (20) combination according to claim 12.

14. Use of a protective cover (10) according to one of claims 1-10 for covering a headrest (23) of a passenger seat (20).