Headrest Patents (Class 297/391)
  • Patent number: 10220751
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to bearings, guide sleeves and head restraint assemblies for automobiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN PERFORMANCE PLASTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Timothy J. Hagan, Abe Sanchez, Paul Haines, Heiko Jessler, Brandon S. Murphy, Vincent Dimartino, Chloe Echikson, Mirko Hundertmark
  • Patent number: 10220753
    Abstract: A vehicle headrest structure includes a fixing seat, having a plurality of buckle grooves and a buckle slot; two cover plates, detachably connected to the fixing seat; two axle portions, disposed at outer end portions of the fixing seat respectively and each provided with a protruding axle and at least one accommodation recess, a spring and a steel ball being provided in the accommodation recess; two headrest bodies, each including a turning arm, a headrest portion at one end of the turning arm, and a pivot portion at another end of the turning arm, an inner side of the pivot portion being provided with a plurality of positioning recesses arranged in a circle, an outer side of the pivot portion being provided with a stepped perforation; and a screw, inserted in the stepped perforation and screwed to the protruding axle of each of the axle portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Inventor: Hsueh-Chi Chiang
  • Patent number: 10201919
    Abstract: A headrest (400) is provided for a vehicle. The head rest (400) includes a front part (200) and a back part (100) with integrated lateral parts (104). The front part (200) and the back part (100) with integrated lateral parts (104) are formed in a complementary manner such that when they are assembled together, a closed space is formed in which a U-shaped curved support rod (300) can be inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Adient Luxembourg Holding S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Thomas Dillinger, Felix Manduzio
  • Patent number: 10188575
    Abstract: A cervical orthotic device is generally provided. The device includes a base, sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom, and a cervical support surface opposite the base. The cervical support surface unites the sidewalls. The sidewalls include opposingly paired lateral sidewalls and opposingly paired longitudinal sidewalls. The cervical support surface includes a first planar portion adjacent a first longitudinal sidewall of the opposingly paired longitudinal sidewalls, a second planar portion adjacent a second longitudinal sidewall of the opposingly paired longitudinal sidewalls, and an arcuate portion intermediate the planar portions. The arcuate portion of the cervical support surface delimits a cervical engagement ridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Core Products International, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul R. Norstrem
  • Patent number: 10173567
    Abstract: Described are lightweight headrests with a perimeter frame 200 with an open central region. The open central region is spanned by a suspension membrane 100 held in tension. The suspension membrane provides support and cushioning functions to a passenger head without the need for internal structures or compression cushions. The perimeter frame of the headrest may have additional cross members spanning the rear portion of the headrest. These cross members may provide additional structure or locate attachment points for the headrest onto the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Zodiac Seats US LLC
    Inventors: Jose Madrigal, Ty Parker, Patricia Luevano
  • Patent number: 10173565
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seatback with a back panel having a plurality of score lines defining a deflectable upper portion of the back panel. A headrest includes a housing with front and rear covers. The rear cover includes a plurality of score lines defining a deflectable lower portion of the rear cover. A trim ring is coupled between the deflectable upper portion of the seatback and the deflectable lower portion of the rear cover by one or more reinforcement brackets in assembly. The trim ring includes a plurality of notches disposed along a perimeter portion thereof. The notches of the trim ring cooperate to define deflection points of the trim ring along the perimeter thereof. The score lines and the notches of the vehicle seat provide for a dynamic impact energy management system for the seat at a head restraint thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Johnathan Andrew Line, Christian J. Hosbach, Rodney Charles Brinker, Richard Joseph Soyka
  • Patent number: 10155464
    Abstract: A head restraint assembly for a seat, the assembly including: At least one support for mounting a bun assembly above the seat back; a bun assembly including a core portion, the core portion having integral first bearing surfaces; a stationary hub mounted on the at least one support, the stationary hub disposed at least substantially within the core portion and pivotally supporting the core portion via the integral first bearing surfaces; and a lock pivotally supported within the core portion. The lock is selectively pivotally moveable between positions of engagement with, and disengagement from, the stationary hub. The position of engagement is characterized in that the core portion is fixed relative to the stationary hub and at least one support, and the position of disengagement is characterized in that the core portion is pivotally moveable relative to the stationary hub and at least one support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Gill Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Boks, John Witte, Robert Sutter
  • Patent number: 10149546
    Abstract: A cushion pad of a vehicle seat including: a cushion member including a soft pad and a hard pad which is harder than the soft pad, the soft pad being integrated with the hard pad so as to wrap the hard pad without covering a mounting side surface of the hard pad, wherein a groove, which is opened to the mounting side and having a size large enough to receive an exuding piece generated during molding of the soft pad, is provided in a periphery of the mounting side surface of the hard pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakao, Takeshi Shimosato
  • Patent number: 10098471
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a sofa pillow driving device, which comprises a side plate mounting member, a headrest mounting member, and a driving device, the sofa pillow driving device further comprises a rotation limit member and an elastic member, the rotation limit member being rotatably connected to the side plate mounting member, the headrest mounting member being rotatably connected to the rotation limit member, one end of the elastic member being connected to the headrest mounting member and the other end being connected to the rotation limit member, one end of the driving device being rotatably connected to the rotation limit member and the other end being rotatably connected to a backrest wood frame, the driving device drives the headrest mounting member to rotate by the rotation limit member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Remacro Machinery & Technology (Wujiang) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiaohong Li, Haibo Wang, Jiao Chen, Zhong Pang, Linlin Wu
  • Patent number: 10099591
    Abstract: A dual configuration headrest system includes a seat having a top side and a back edge. A backrest is attached to the seat and extends upwardly from the top side. A housing is attached the backrest and is positioned over an upper edge of the backrest. The housing has a top wall, a bottom wall, first lateral wall and a second lateral wall. A front side of the housing is open. A head support is mounted within the housing and has a first side and a second side positioned opposite of each other. The head support further has a top side, a bottom side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side. The head support is rotationally mounted within the housing such that the first side or the second side is positioned in an opening in the front side when the head support is rotated relative to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Inventor: David Flynn
  • Patent number: 10099592
    Abstract: A headrest assembly includes a linkage system that is at least partially disposed within a housing. The linkage system is operable between fore and aft positions relative to the housing. An adjustable cover assembly includes a first member coupled to the linkage system for movement therewith, and a second member pivotally coupled to the first member. The second member includes an engagement flange configured to contact a portion of the housing to pivot the second member rearwardly as the adjustable cover assembly is driven outward by the linkage system during the positioning of a headrest bun.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Johnathan Andrew Line, Marcos Silva Kondrad, Kevin Wayne Preuss, Daniel Ferretti, Nicholas Alphonse Billardello, David Frederick Lyons
  • Patent number: 10076190
    Abstract: A pillow comprising two wings and a bridging section connecting the wings, so that the wings and bridging section form a substantially U-shaped shape. An elastic member and a connecting assembly connect one portion of the elastic member to a first fixing point on a wing or the bridging section and another portion of the elastic member to a second fixing point on a wing or the bridging section, so that the elastic member or the connecting assembly, or both, can pass from one wing to the other, and the elastic member can urge the wings towards one another. The invention provides a more convenient and quicker way of lengthening the elastic member or connecting assembly passing from one wing to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: DG International Holdings Limited
    Inventors: Benjamin Atkinson, Jean-Philippe Henri Denat
  • Patent number: 10046680
    Abstract: The invention discloses a novel four-direction headrest, which comprises a headrest housing, a U-shaped headrest bar, a Z-direction sliding fixing socket, an unlocking mechanism bracket, a tab, a tab return spring, an X-direction sliding fixing socket, an X-direction sliding guide, an unlocking steel wire, an unlocking button, wherein the locking and unlocking among the X-direction sliding fixing socket, the unlocking mechanism bracket, and the U-shaped headrest bar is realized by the unlocking steel wire, and the locking and unlocking between the tab and the X-direction sliding guide is realized by the tab movement driven by the unlocking steel wire. The locking and unlocking mechanism of the invention is simple, efficient and controllable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: YANFENG ADIENT SEATING CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Yaowei Cao, Biao Li, Min Zhu, Xia Li, Donghai Xu
  • Patent number: 10023089
    Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a headrest that can have increased comfort and safety. This headrest is provided with: an affixed-side member provided to a headrest pillar; a mobile-side member that is joined to the affixed-side member with a mobile mechanism therebetween and that can move in the front-back direction with respect to the affixed-side member; and a front-back locking mechanism that has an engaged section and a lock member that engages the engaged section, and that locks and unlocks the movement of the mobile-side member in the front-back direction. Also, the mobile-side member has a front-side cover for supporting a head. Furthermore, the engaged section is attached to the back surface of the front-side cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: TS TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazunori Ishihara
  • Patent number: 10017084
    Abstract: A headrest arrangement on a motor vehicle the head rest assembly includes a headrest, a back rest, and at least a guide rod. The guide rod connects the back rest with the headrest. The headrest is adjustable between a first locking position and at least a second lock position. The headrest arrangement can occupy an adjustment and a lock mode while in lock mode the head rest in a lock position is locked and the headrest from the first to the at least second locking position is adjustable in the adjustment mode. The backrest includes a locking facility with a lock body to lock the headrest in the lock position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Matthias Maass, Daniel Assefa
  • Patent number: 10011205
    Abstract: A method of assembling a vehicle seat assembly is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing a preassembled front seatback module and a seatback frame. The method further includes assembling a seatback assembly by coupling the front seatback module to a preassembled rear seatback module around and interconnected to the seatback frame. The method further includes providing a preassembled seat module and pivotally coupling the seat module to the seatback assembly. The assembly method further includes coupling the seat module to a seat frame, and further coupling a preassembled headrest module to an upper portion of the seatback assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Johnathan Andrew Line, Marc Silva Kondrad, Brett Ronzi, Christian J. Hosbach, Daniel Ferretti
  • Patent number: 9987958
    Abstract: A headrest assembly includes a linkage system with a first adjustment mechanism configured to power fore and aft movement of a mounting plate. A headrest bun is slideably coupled to the mounting plate and is vertically adjustable via a second adjustment mechanism. A telescoping cover assembly is operable between stowed and deployed positions and configured to substantially conceal the linkage system as the linkage system moves between extended and retracted positions. A disconnect clip includes a first portion disposed on one or more support posts configured to support the headrest assembly, and a second portion disposed on the seatback frame. Power is provided to the first and second adjustment mechanisms when the first portion of the disconnect clip is electrically coupled to the second portion of the disconnect clip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Marcos Silva Kondrad, Johnathan Andrew Line, David Frederick Lyons, Nicholas Alphonse Billardello, Yalie Yan-rush, Christian J. Hosbach
  • Patent number: 9981587
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a skeleton member, panel members that are attached to the skeleton member and has a space inside, and a dynamic damper that is provided with a weight and an elastic body and arranged inside the space. The weight is fixed by being fitted into a fitting part, the fitting part being provided in the elastic body and formed so as to encircle and be able to be fitted to a part of an outer periphery part of the weight. A part other than the fitting part in the elastic body is fixed to the panel members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mizobata, Shuuhei Miyake
  • Patent number: 9981586
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seat back, and a headrest that is provided above the seat back. The headrest includes a pair of stays that form a part of a skeleton of the headrest, a pair of panel members that sandwich parts of the pair of stays from front and rear or above and below so as to connect the stays with each other, and are joined to each other through outer peripheries so as to form a space inside and form a part of the skeleton of the headrest, a cushion material that covers the pair of panel members and the parts of the pair of stays, and a dynamic damper arranged inside the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mizobata, Shuuhei Miyake, Fumitoshi Akaike
  • Patent number: 9981748
    Abstract: A forward translating headrest equipped with a ring brake assembly configured to lock a position of a headrest plate relative to a headrest base. A ring brake is disposed between spaced first and second magnets such that first and second reset plates push the ring brake in a direction of one of the first and second magnets to reset the ring brake assembly at both ends of the stroke to the free the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: John Iossifidis, Moises Perez
  • Patent number: 9950649
    Abstract: A child car seat that includes a headrest portion that is adjustable with respect to the car seat base in a vertical and horizontal direction, wherein the adjustment of the headrest in a vertical direction is accomplished via a screw-type mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: EVENFLO COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Brian Ralph Pleiman, Andrew R. Davis
  • Patent number: 9902301
    Abstract: A sleeve device for a headrest comprising a sleeve body to be inserted into an opening in a frame of a vehicle seat, the sleeve body comprising an inner axial passage to accommodate a rod of the headrest, the inner axial passage including an inner wall, a top end portion and a bottom end portion; a head portion; an external side; and an upper inner seat portion at the inner the wall of the top end portion of the axial passage, the upper inner seat portion for encircling an upper portion of the rod of the headrest; and an upper inner bushing overmoulded to the upper inner seat portion, the upper inner bushing being made from an antifriction resilient plastic material and comprising an inner axial opening for guiding the rod of the headrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Alberto Lardies Aquillue, Jordi Bielsa Bonet
  • Patent number: 9815432
    Abstract: A seat belt installation structure of a vehicle may include a seat which has a seat cushion and a seat back, and on which occupants can be seated alongside in a vehicle width direction. The seat belt installation structure may also include a three point seat belt device provided with a retractor that can wind a webbing, a through anchor that guides a shoulder belt part and a supporting part that supports a lap belt part. In the three point seat belt device, a through anchor for at least a first seat out of a plurality of seats adjacent to one another in the vehicle width direction may be attached to a headrest for a second seat located next to the first seat or a fixing part that fixes the headrest for the second seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kosuke Kuroda, Hironori Nozawa, Jun Tomiyama
  • Patent number: 9815393
    Abstract: Disclosed is a headrest fore-aft position adjuster including a displaceable body which receives load of an occupant's head and which displaces in a fore-aft direction with respect to a headrest pillar and a lock mechanism which locks and unlocks the displaceable body at a plurality of positions along the fore-aft direction, and the lock mechanism includes an engaging part which displaces in the fore-aft direction integrally with the displaceable body, a plurality of engaged part which is provided along a trajectory of the engaging part and which the engaging part is engaged with in a locked state and the engaging part is configured to engage with the engaged parts from a lateral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: TS TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuichi Shimizu, Yuji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9789795
    Abstract: A headrest is provided including a movable unit that can be shifted to multiple positions in the front-rear direction in a normal mode. A headrest includes first and second headrest pillars, a stationary unit disposed between the first and second headrest pillars, a movable unit movable apart from or close to the stationary unit toward a front or rear direction, an X linkage connecting the stationary unit to the movable unit and including an inside linkage segment and an outside linkage segment rotatably connected each other at a central connecting intersection, and a front-rear locking mechanism including a lock receiver and a locking component engageable with the lock receiver, to lock or unlock the movable unit movable relative to the stationary unit toward the front or rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: TS TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazunori Ishihara
  • Patent number: 9782007
    Abstract: A headrest support having a hollow cylindrical shape and into which a headrest stay is inserted, is inserted into a bracket that has a hollow cylindrical shape and is fixed to a seat back frame. A protrusion, a tip end of which is a pivot center of the headrest support, formed such that a protrusion amount thereof increases in response to insertion of the headrest stay, is provided on an outer peripheral surface of this headrest support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gen Takahashi, Akihide Ozaki
  • Patent number: 9783091
    Abstract: There is provided a seatback frame integrally formed by resin molding, the seatback frame including: an upper side frame section that includes a headrest retaining portion that extends along a seat width direction; a pair of side frame sections that extend along a seat up-down direction; and a reinforcing section that is formed in the upper side frame section by forming plural recessed portions, at least from the headrest retaining portion to the seat width direction end portion, wherein at least one or more of the recessed portions is open toward the seat rear side so as to provide a first wall face at the seat front side; and another one or more of the recessed portions is open toward the seat front side so as to provide a second wall face at the seat rear side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignees: NHK SPRING CO., LTD., TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kenzo Yasuda, Hiroshi Kushiku, Tomoyuki Onodera, Ryotaro Nagao
  • Patent number: 9782310
    Abstract: This invention pertains to medical accessories for wheelchairs. It specifically relates to a headrest system that can be attached to a wheelchair, medical chair, or bed for home use, hospitals or other medical centers. It is intended for use of patients with swallowing difficulties to prevent Aspiration Pneumonia during eating or drinking. This headrest would support the head in the proper position for deglutition that blocks the larynx entrance during swallowing and prevent food or drink from entering into respiratory system. Wherein, a serious problem for patients with lung diseases is, inhaling foreign material such as food and drink that could ultimately cause lung infection. This invention addresses this concern. The novelty introduced here is the design and technicalities of an attachable headrest with adjustable length and tilting head cushion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Space Technology Research LLC
    Inventor: Shahzadeh Khaligh
  • Patent number: 9738184
    Abstract: A seat supporting member designed to support, from below, a seat member in its closed position, is provided on a body frame for allowing the seat member to be attached to and detached from the seat supporting member. A rear part of the seat member and an intermediate part of the seat supporting member in a front-rear direction thereof are connected to each other via a swinging arm. The seat member is supported on a body frame while its position is variable between a closed position where the seat member allows an occupant to sit thereon while covering at least one of maintenance spaces and a housing space from above; and an open position where an upper opening of the at least one of the maintenance spaces and the housing space is widely, almost completely opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Miyazawa, Tatsuya Shiokawa
  • Patent number: 9713973
    Abstract: Provided is a headrest that is capable of improving the rigidity of a headrest frame and preventing the leakage of a foaming agent upon integral foam formation of the headrest. The headrest, which is disposed on the upper part of a seatback and includes a headrest frame inside the headrest, includes a retaining portion of a headrest stay guide in the headrest frame. Further, the headrest is configured in a manner that a headrest skin is sandwiched between the headrest stay guide and the headrest frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Tachikawa, Shigeru Adachi, Hiroshi Izawa
  • Patent number: 9694730
    Abstract: Paired mounting portions to which holders are attached are each formed as a notch or a through hole extending in an up-down direction of an upper frame, so that the paired mounting portions are disposed across a central position of the upper frame in a seat-width direction, and the holders are attached to the paired mounting portions, respectively, and then fixed to an upper face portion and a lower face portion of the upper frame at a seat rearward position relative to a seating face portion of the upper frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignees: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hidekazu Kitou
  • Patent number: 9681751
    Abstract: An electric support system for headrest includes first sliders connected with and slid on each other, first and second fasteners, and first to fourth connecting rods; the first and second sliders are respectively fixed to the first fastener and the first connecting rod, an upper end of the first connecting rod and one end of the second connecting rod are respectively connected to the second fastener, one end of the third connecting rod is connected to the first connecting rod, the other end of the third connecting rod is pivotally connected to one end of the fourth connecting rod, the other end of the fourth connecting rod is pivotally connected to the first slider, the other end of the second connecting rod is pivotally connected to the third connecting rod between the two ends thereof, and a linear drive device having an output shaft for driving the first connecting rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: DONGGUAN WEIHONG HARDWARE AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wei Lu
  • Patent number: 9649958
    Abstract: An adjustable headrest wherein the headrest independently moves along the substantially vertical axes of the mounting rods in response to a first-applied substantially vertical force applied to the headrest when the button I simultaneously actuated, and further wherein the headrest independently moves along the substantially horizontal axis of the slide rail in response to a second-applied substantially horizontal force applied to the headrest when the button is simultaneously actuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: DAIMAY NORTH AMERICA AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
    Inventors: Jianhua Wang, Yingtai Jiang, Chengke Tong, Xiaoguang Wang
  • Patent number: 9630536
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seatback, a support installed on the seatback, and a headrest having a stay inserted into the support. The support has a flanged head disposed outside the seatback and into which the stay is inserted, and a body disposed inside the seatback, and when the support is installed on the seatback, the head of the support depresses the seatback. The head has an overhang part, and a narrowed part that is provided between the overhang part and the body and that is narrower than the overhang part. A degree of narrowing of the narrowed part is set in such a way that, when the narrowed part of the head of the support depresses the seatback with the support installed on the seatback, the overhang part is in contact with a depressed surface of the seatback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Hirai, Shinsuke Yamano
  • Patent number: 9615682
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present disclosure are related to a supportive apparatus for the head and neck. Embodiments of the invention incorporate a C-shaped apparatus shaped to support the posterior region of the neck. A center region found in certain embodiments of the C-shaped apparatus is placed on the posterior of a neck. Lateral supports found in certain embodiments of the C-shaped apparatus are placed on the lateral aspect of a neck. Embodiments of the invention include an opening across a center region functioning to support the apparatus, and to further act as to ventilate a user's nape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: BullRest LLC
    Inventors: Glenn Maddocks, Sean O'Meara
  • Patent number: 9616788
    Abstract: A patch element 20 of a doughnut-like disc shape is fixedly provided, by sewing or adhesive, to a reverse surface of a seat-back-side area 12a defined in a trim cover assembly section covering a top region 12 of a headrest HR, in such a fashion that the patch element 20 circumscribes an entire edge of a headrest stay passage hole 14. Additionally, the patch element 20 is formed from a material capable of being impregnated with a liquid foaming agent injected in the trim cover assembly 2. Such patch element 20 has been impregnated with the liquid foaming agent S injected in the trim cover assembly 2 during a foaming process to form the headrest HR. Consequently, a density of the patch element 20 itself becomes extremely high, and therefore a strength of the patch element 20 can be increased to a great degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Tabata
  • Patent number: 9610874
    Abstract: A head restraint having a housing which is at least partially movable relative to a supporting rod, by which the head restraint is arranged on the backrest of a vehicle seat, toward and away from the head of the occupant of the seat. A slide is provided on the housing, with a positive connecting and/or non-positive connecting device along the longitudinal extent thereof, which can be brought into engagement with a respective locking device, and as a result can secure the housing in the respective position thereof as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: JOHNSON CONTROLS GMBH
    Inventor: Thomas Frotz
  • Patent number: 9585483
    Abstract: An adjustable head support apparatus includes a head support and an adjusting assembly disposed within the seat back of a chair. The adjusting assembly includes a positioning base, a rotating block, a moving base and a latch base. The positioning base is disposed at a rear end of the seat back and the rotating block is pivoted within the positioning base. The moving base is installed at the rear end of the positioning base to move the head support. The latch base is installed at the front end of the head support and engaged with the latch. When the head support is pulled up enough to move the moving base upward, the moving base will rotate the latch of the rotating block. Therefore, the height of the head support can be adjusted to satisfy different people and the support of the head can be provided properly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Inventor: Yao-Chuan Wu
  • Patent number: 9573499
    Abstract: A headrest assembly having a bracket mount affixed to an upper portion of a seatback frame and at least one headrest bun supporting tube pivotally secured to the bracket mount. A spring biased cam is pivotally secured to the bracket mount and, in a normally biased position, engages an underside projection of a selected one of the supporting tubes, the cam also having an outwardly projecting pin. At least one wheel shaped component is rotatably mounted to an exterior of the bracket mount in proximity to the cam, the wheel having an outer circumferential location which, upon being rotated, contacts the projecting pin causing the cam to pivot in a downward unseating direction from the supporting tube, triggering release of the headrest and supporting tubes in a forwardly rotating and dump position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: BAE Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Tavis Lutzka
  • Patent number: 9575503
    Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a head array system for a power wheelchair, including a head array body and one or more lateral arms. The head array body includes shafts. Each of the shafts includes lateral arm receiving sections. The one or more lateral arms are detachably coupled to one of the lateral arm receiving sections of one of the shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: PERMOBIL AB
    Inventors: Johannes Engelmundus Leonardus Mathias Josten, Jeremy Michael Sedlak, Hymie Pogir, Hans Leon Fraeyman
  • Patent number: 9561742
    Abstract: A vehicle head restraint assembly has a guide member mounted proximate to a vehicle seat back. A head restraint is mounted to another guide member. A button actuator is mounted to an outboard side of the head restraint for movement of the button actuator in a direction perpendicular to a lateral direction of the head restraint. A locking mechanism cooperates with the first guide member and the second guide member for locking the second guide member relative to the first guide member. The locking mechanism is connected to the button actuator so that actuation of the button actuator disengages the locking mechanism and permits adjustment of the position of the head restraint relative to the vehicle seat back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: LEAR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ralph Fey, Zdzislaw Sobieski
  • Patent number: 9545862
    Abstract: A headrest is mounted to a seat back by inserting a support into a support hole of a holder and inserting a stay of the headrest into to stay hole of the support inserted into the support hole of the holder. A gap occupying part provided in the support moves between an advanced position at which the gap occupying part protrudes from an outer wall of the support and is capable of touching an inner surface of the support hole, and a retracted position at which the gap occupying part is retracted to an inner side of the stay hole from the advanced position. The gap occupying part moves toward the retracted position from the advanced position when the support is inserted into the support hole, and moves toward the advanced position when the stay is inserted into the stay hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitou, Akihide Ozaki
  • Patent number: 9539922
    Abstract: A vehicle seat is disclosed as having a seat structure with an upper transverse strut for receiving a headrest of the vehicle seat. The headrest has right and left headrest rods for coupling with the upper transverse strut. The transverse strut 6 includes right and left receiving openings for the right and left headrest rods. The headrest may be arranged with the headrest rods in various guide channels to define first and second mounting positions relative to the upper transverse strut. The headrest in the first mounting position is offset transversely to the seat direction with respect to the headrest in the second mounting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Udo Mildner, Lothar Teske
  • Patent number: 9522619
    Abstract: A bushing allows for adjustability of a position of a headrest. The bushing includes a head portion having an opening and a passageway opening. The bushing also includes a body portion defining an internal passageway. The passageway opening of the head portion is aligned with the internal passageway of the body portion. The body portion includes a wall surrounding an area of reduced thickness, and a protrusion is located on an internal surface of the area of reduced thickness. The bushing also includes a moveable portion received in the opening of the head portion. The moveable portion is moveable between a first position where a feature engages a notch of a post receivable in the internal passageway of the body portion and the passageway opening of the head portion to retain the headrest in a position and a second position where the feature is disengaged from the notch of the post, allowing the post and the headrest to move relative to the bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc., Gen-X Engineering Solution, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Ronzi, Troy Allen Isaacson
  • Patent number: 9498056
    Abstract: A resting apparatus and system. The apparatus and system comprise two telescoping legs having two longitudinal rotatable leg anchors having frictional padding to prevent slipping. The telescoping legs are attached to a locking mechanism that uses a bracket having a clip that fits into various holes depending on the user's desired sleep angle. The bracket is integrally formed in the body of the substantially u-shaped pillow. The telescoping legs also have a height locking system primarily comprising of two separate channels, a first channel allowing for vertical movement and side channels used to lock in the desired height. The resting apparatus and system can be broken down such that the rotatable leg anchors form a handle for ease of use while traveling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventors: Alan Mills, Julia Silva Rettig
  • Patent number: 9487114
    Abstract: A headrest system comprises a headrest, a guide bracket to which the headrest is mounted and an actuator coupled to the headrest and the guide bracket. The actuator is configured to displace the headrest relative to the guide bracket. The actuator comprises a spindle transmission and a power drive coupled to the spindle transmission. The spindle transmission comprises a spindle and a spindle nut engaged with the spindle. The power drive is arranged in a cavity defined within an outer shell of the headrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Schukra Gerätebau GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Falster, Klaus Junker
  • Patent number: 9469226
    Abstract: A fastening arrangement (1) for a headrest, in particular for a vehicle seat has a main body (2) which is intended to hold a head-supporting part. The main body can be fixed to a retaining rod (4) by a fastening element (6). The fastening element (6) is integrally connected to the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: JOHNSON CONTROLS GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Manduzio, Christophe Morinière
  • Patent number: 9457699
    Abstract: A seat assembly having an automatically adjustable head restraint is provided. A seat back is mounted within a vehicle and a head restraint assembly is adjustably mounted to the vehicle and disposed adjacent the seat back. The seat back includes a sensor mounted adjacent an upper portion of the seat back for detecting the presence and position of a passenger relative to the head restraint. A controller is in communication with the sensor and receives the output signal of the sensor. The controller then generates a control signal in order to position the head restraint based on the output signals of the sensor. An actuator is connected to the head restraint for positioning the head restraint based on a control signal received from the control module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: LEAR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arjun Yetukuri, David A. Hein, Sai Prasad Jammalamadaka
  • Patent number: 9456948
    Abstract: A dental chair is provided including a chair assembly comprising a backrest, a seat, and a base; and at least one set of utility ports disposed on the chair, adjacent to the seat, each port having a quick release fitting for receiving a flexible conduit connected to a hand piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Inventor: Sargon Lazarof
  • Patent number: 9456947
    Abstract: A head positioning device for use in radio therapy is described for positioning a patient's head. The head positioning device comprises a head plate for supporting a patient's head; a base plate for connection to a mechanical couch; and a head plate adjustment assembly connecting the head plate to the base plate wherein the head plate adjustment assembly is arranged to vary the relative pitch, yaw and roll of the head plate relative to the base plate. The head positioning device is arranged to be attached to a mechanical couch with the head plate and the head plate adjustment assembly cantilevered off the end of the couch and the head plate adjustment assembly suspended beneath the head plate and the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: VISION RT LIMITED
    Inventors: Dana M Dawson, Umar M Baharom, Martin Allen, Norman R Smith