VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

A vehicle entertainment system includes a console positioned behind a vehicle seat and houses electronics of the vehicle entertainment system. A mount extends rearwardly from the console and is attached to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat by which the console is attached to the vehicle seat. A display screen is movably attached to the console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein the display screen extends vertically upward from the console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in the extended position. The mount is low profile and does not interfere with the standard operation of the vehicle headrest.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/702,140, filed Sep. 17, 2012 and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/732,842, filed Jan. 10, 2013, each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vehicle entertainment systems, and more particularly, relating to a rear seat vehicle entertainment system having a console fixedly mounted to a vehicle seat and a display screen movably attached to the console between stowed and extending positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rear seat entertainment systems for vehicles are well known in the art. Recently there has been a desire to mount or attach these entertainment systems to the headrest of a vehicle seat to position the entertainment system behind the seat for viewing by a rear seated passenger. Attaching an entertainment system to the headrest eliminates many problems that existed with overhead mounted entertainment systems and with systems that are mounted within the headrest. Although the existing headrest mounted entertainment systems, devices, and methods meet their respective objective and requirements, they have many drawbacks. One drawback found in existing headrest mounted systems is the interfering with the operation of the headrest that can result in the headrest being improperly positioned to properly protect a passenger seated the seat. A second drawback is an excessive strain that is placed on the vehicle headrest in supporting the entertainment system. A third drawback is the display screen is placed at too low of an elevation for most passengers to comfortably view.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention addresses one or more of these needs by providing a rear seat entertainment system having a low profile mounting bracket that is configured to attach to headrest post guides rather than the headrest posts and without contacting the headrest posts.

Embodiments of the present invention also addresses one or more of these needs by providing a rear seat entertainment system having a configuration that locates system electronics separately from a movably display screen to reduce stress and fatigue on the mount and headrest guide posts that otherwise would be induced each time display screen is positioned.

To achieve these and other advantages, in one aspect a vehicle entertainment system includes a console mounted to and positioned behind a vehicle seat and houses electronics of the vehicle entertainment system. A display screen is movably attached to the console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein the display screen extends vertically upward from the console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in the extended position.

The display screen may be pivotally attached to the console for rotation towards and away from the console between the stowed position and the extended position. The console may be mounted to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat. The console may be solely mounted to the headrest post guides of the vehicle seat.

To achieve these and other advantages, in another aspect a vehicle entertainment system includes a console positioned behind a vehicle seat and houses electronics of the vehicle entertainment system. A mount extends rearwardly from the console and is attached to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat by which the console is attached to the vehicle seat. A display screen is movably attached to the console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein the display screen extends vertically upward from the console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in the extended position.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings illustrate by way of example and are included to provide further understanding of the invention for the purpose of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the embodiments in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. Identical reference numerals do not necessarily indicate an identical structure. Rather, the same reference numeral may be used to indicate a similar feature of a feature with similar functionality. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the a rear seat entertainment system constructed in accordance with the principles of an embodiment of the present invention, shown in use with a conventional vehicle seat and with a display screen in an extended position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear seat entertainment system, shown with the display screen in a stowed position;

FIG. 3 is a left side elevation view of the rear seat entertainment system;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the rear seat entertainment system;

FIG. 5 is a right side elevation view of the rear seat entertainment system;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the rear seat entertainment system illustrated in accordance with an exemplary configuration;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the rear seat entertainment system illustrated in accordance with another exemplary configuration; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the rear seat entertainment system illustrated in accordance with another exemplary configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 through 6, there is representatively illustrated an entertainment system 10 in accordance with an embodiment embodying the principles of the present invention. Entertainment system 10 provides a new and specially designed rear seat entertainment system (RSE) for rear seated passengers to, among other aspects, listen to music, watch movies, surf the internet and play games.

Entertainment system 10 is configured for use in connection with a conventional vehicle seat 12 having a headrest 14. Pair of headrest posts 16 extend downwardly from the headrest and are telescopically received by a corresponding headrest post guides 18, which extend into the vehicle seat from a top surface 20, to secure the headrest to the vehicle seat. The entertainment system 10 is attached or mounted to the vehicle seat 12 utilizing the headrest post guides 18 to position the entertainment system 10 behind the vehicle seat 12 for access by a rear seated passenger.

Entertainment system 10 is designed to prevent excess strain on the headrest post guides 18 (and headrest posts 16 through the guides) which the devices heretofore do not contemplate. Entertainment system 10 is also designed so that it does not interfere with the operation of the headrest 14, and particularly, so that is does not interfere with positioning the headrest at a required elevation for safety of the front seated passenger. Also the entertainment system 10 is designed to movably position a display screen of the system at eye level of the rear seated passenger.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 through 6, entertainment system 10 includes a console 22 that is configured to house the various electronics 24 of the entertainment system, such as, for example, an optical disc player or the like. In this embodiment, console has a loading slot 25 through its top surface for a disc player 24. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many different configurations of the entertainment system 10 are feasible. Thus, for example, electronics of the entertainment system 10 may include data drives, disc drives or the like, memory devices, memory card readers, wireless and wired communication devices to permit connectivity between other entertainment systems 10 and/or other entertainment devices, such as, but not limited to, smart phones, MP3 players, and tablet devices, etc. Thus it is to be understood the entertainment system 10 is not to be limited in scope to the various electronic components that it may comprise. It is desirable to position these electronic components 24 within console 22.

In the illustrated configuration, entertainment system 10 includes one or more USB connections 26, HDMI connection 28, smart card reader 30, A/V input 32, and audio out/microphone input 34. Of course other electrical connections to the entertainment system 10 may be included or substituted for any one of these exemplary connections. The entertainment system 10 may also include a touch screen 36 for providing a user with various control selections to operate the entertainment system. The touch screen 36 may be disposed on a forward facing surface or side of the console 22.

Console 22 is secured or mounted to the headrest post guides 18 by a bracket 38 that extends rearwardly from the console so as to position the console 22 at a location behind the vehicle seat 12. The console 22 generally depends downwardly from bracket 38 and may rest against the back side 40 of the vehicle seat 12.

A display screen 42, supported by frame 44, is pivotally attached to the console 22 for rotation towards and away from the console between a stowed position (seen in FIG. 2) and an extended position (seen in FIG. 1.). In the stowed position, the display screen 42 lays generally flat against or nearly against the front side 46 of the console 22. In the extended position, the display screen 42 extends vertically upward from the console 22 and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of the headrest 14. In this position, the display screen is at about eye level for the average rear seated passenger. In an embodiment, not shown, the display screen 42 may be slidably attached or otherwise movably attached to the console 22 for positioning between the stowed and extended positions. Console 22 is configured such that the touch screen 36 is accessible by a user whether the display screen 42 is in the stowed or extend position.

With reference particularly to FIG. 6, bracket 38 includes a first member 48 and a second member 50 that is perpendicular to and slidably attached to the first member by sliding coupling 54. The first member 48 extends laterally between the headrest post guides 18 and is secured at opposite ends 50, 52 to a corresponding headrest post guide. The first member 48 is extendable to adjust to the spacing between the headrest post guides 18. The second member 50 may be integral with the console 22 or otherwise attached to the console such that it extends rearwardly from the console. Coupling 54 permits the second bracket member 50 to be moved relative to the first bracket member 48 along a forward/aft direction relative to the vehicle seat 12 to adjust to the thickness of seat to properly position the console behind the seat. Coupling 54 is operated to lock the relative position between the first and second members 48 and 50. Bracket 38 may embody the bracket assembly described by commonly owned and pending patent application Ser. No. 13/790,318, filed Mar. 8, 2013, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, display screen latches 56, 58 extend outwardly from the front side 46 of the console 22. Latches 56 and 58 are laterally spaced about a distance that is equal to the width of the display screen 42 and frame 44 such that when the display screen is in the stowed position, the latches 56 and 58 engage opposite sides of the frame and retain the display screen and frame in the stowed position. Latches 56 and 58 are operable to disengage with the frame 44 and to allow the frame and display screen 42 is be rotated into the extended position. In an embodiment, latches 56, 58 are entirely made of a resilient material, such as, but not limited to a rubber material or the like, so that the latches do not prevent a safety hazard for a rear seated passenger from impacting or contacting the latches. Console 22 may also be fitted with stops 60, 62 on the front side 46 to provide a cushioned contact between the display screen 42 and the console.

Console 22 may also be configured to include one or more pockets 68 on opposite sides for receiving and holding various portable electronics, such as telephones, MP3 players, etc.

Entertainment system 10 may also include wireless connectivity for uni-directional or bi-directional communication with various other audio/visual components. For example, entertainment system 10 may include IR, RF, Wi-Fi, wireless FM modulation and/or Bluetooth connectivity to connect wireless headphones, wireless remote controls, smart phones and tablet computers and the like for audio/visual streaming to the entertainment system and/or connecting the entertainment system to internet hotspots.

It is also contemplated that the display screen 42 is an LED, OLED, LCD screen and may also be a capacitive touch screen to provide a graphical user interface for a use to interact with the entertainment system. The entertainment system 10 may also include a rear facing camera 64 to enable video conferencing through various applications. The camera 64 may be located on frame 44 or at another suitable location on console 22. The entertainment system 10 may also include an IR transceiver 66 to facilitate IR connectivity, for example, with headphone and/or remote control units. The IR transceiver 66 may be located on frame 44 or at another suitable location on console 22.

It is also contemplated that the entertainment system 10 may be provided with pre-loaded programs that facilitate, for example, user social networking, internet web browsing, gaming, video streaming from various subscriber movie on demand applications (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.).

It will be readily appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in this field that many different software and hardware configurations are possible for the entertainment system 10, and the entertainment system 10 should not be limited to the specific hardware and software configured discussed above.

Turning to FIG. 7, there is diagrammatically illustrated entertainment system 10 in an exemplary configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, including a smartphone 70 connected to the entertainment system via a wireless connection 72 to stream audio and/or video to the entertainment system. Wireless connection 72 may be a Wi-Fi DLNA connection or another other suitable wireless connection. Although a wireless connection 72 is illustrated, smartphone 70 could be connected to the entertainment system 10 via a wired connection such as through a USB connection.

Turning to FIG. 8, there is diagrammatically illustrated entertainment system 10 in an exemplary configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, including two separate entertainment systems 10 that are connected for bi-directional communication across wireless connection 74. Media can be played and viewed from either entertainment system via the wireless connection 74. Similarly, wireless connection 74 may be a Wi-Fi DLNA connection or another other suitable wireless connection. And wireless connection 74 could be substituted by a wired connection between the entertainment systems 10.

Turning to FIG. 9, there is diagrammatically illustrated entertainment system 10 in an exemplary configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, including one or more entertainment systems 10 and a vehicle head unit 76 connected to the one or more entertainment systems via a wireless connection 78, 80 to stream audio and/video to the entertainment systems. As discussed above, wireless connection 78, 80 may be a Wi-Fi DLNA connection or another other suitable wireless connection. And wireless connection 78, 80 could be substituted by a wired connection between the entertainment systems 10. Optionally, a review view camera 82 may be connectable to the head unit via wireless or wired connection 84.

It should now be apparent that an important distinction between the entertainment system 10 according to embodiments of the present invention and existing entertainment systems that mount or secure to a vehicle seat/headrest is found in the location of the system electronics separately from the display screen, and particularly, the placement of the system electronics within the console. Existing entertainment systems locate the system electronics within the same housing as the display screen, and as a result the housing is relatively heavy and places strain on the mount of the housing each time the display screen is adjusted. In addition, co-location of system electronics with the display screen prevents system modulation, wherein different display screens and/or other audio/visual components are not modular with the entertainment system.

Accordingly, by locating the system electronics separately from the display screen system modulation is more readily available. Further, by locating the system electronics within system mount the electronics are held stationary with the bracket and strain is not placed on the bracket when adjusting the position of screen. Further yet, by locating system electronics within the console the electronics are moved closer to the attachment point between the bracket and the vehicle seat, e.g. the headrest post guides and thus torque loading is reduced on the attachment point which in turn reduces part fatigue and increases part life.

A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle entertainment system comprising:

a console mounted to and positioned behind a vehicle seat, said console housing electronics of the vehicle entertainment system; and

a display screen movably attached to said console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein said display screen extends vertically upward from said console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in said extended position.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein said display screen is pivotally attached to said console for rotation towards and away from said console between said stowed position and said extended position.

3. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein said console is mounted to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat.

4. The entertainment system of claim 3, wherein said console is solely mounted to the headrest post guides of the vehicle seat.

5. A vehicle entertainment system comprising:

a console positioned behind a vehicle seat, said console housing electronics of the vehicle entertainment system;

a mount extending rearwardly from said console, said mount attached to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat by which said console is attached to the vehicle seat; and

a display screen movably attached to said console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein said display screen extends vertically upward from said console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in said extended position.

6. The entertainment system of claim 5, wherein said display screen is pivotally attached to said console for rotation towards and away from said console between said stowed position and said extended position.

7. The entertainment system of claim 5, wherein said console is solely mounted to the headrest post guides of the vehicle seat.

8. The entertainment system of claim 5, wherein said mount extends rearwardly from said console at a position adjacent to a rear top edge of said console.

9. The entertainment system of claim 8, wherein said console downwardly depends from said mount.

10. The entertainment system of claim 5, wherein said console includes one or more recesses configured to removably hold an article.

11. The entertainment system of claim 5, further comprising:

first and second latch members extending forwardly from said console, said first and second latch members configured to grip opposite sides of said monitor and releasable retain said monitor in said stowed position.

12. The entertainment system of claim 11, wherein each of said first and said second latch members are entirely made of a resilient material.

13. The entertainment system of claim 5, wherein said display screen is positioned behind the vehicle seat at an elevation substantially below the headrest of the vehicle seat when in said stowed position.

14. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein said console is rigidly attached to said mount.

15. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein said display screen is positioned behind the vehicle seat at an elevation substantially below the headrest of the vehicle seat when in said stowed position.

16. A vehicle entertainment system comprising:

a console positioned behind a vehicle seat, said console housing electronics of the vehicle entertainment system;

a mount extending rearwardly from said console at a position adjacent to a rear top edge of said console, said mount attached to headrest post guides of the vehicle seat and attaching said console the vehicle seat; and

a display screen movably attached to said console for positioning between stowed and extended positions, wherein said display screen extends vertically upward from said console and is positioned behind and at about the same elevation of a headrest of the vehicle seat when in said extended position, and wherein said display screen is positioned behind the vehicle seat at an elevation substantially below the headrest of the vehicle seat when in said stowed position.