U.S. patent application number 11/396979 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-08 for adjustable headrest bracket.
Invention is credited to Fa-Yu Chu.
Application Number | 20070052266 11/396979 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36915179 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070052266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chu; Fa-Yu |
March 8, 2007 |
Adjustable headrest bracket
Abstract
An adjustable headrest bracket includes a base and a coupling
member located on the base. The coupling member has two coupling
ends to couple with two separated headrest brackets. Each of the
headrest brackets has an insertion end insertable into a vehicle
seat and a hinge end coupled on the coupling end. Each of the
headrest brackets forms a swivel path about the hinge end and a
horizontal moving path relative to the coupling member. Thereby the
interval of the headrest brackets can be adjusted to be inserted
into different types of vehicle seats.
Inventors: |
Chu; Fa-Yu; (Sanchong City,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FRENKEL & ASSOCIATES
3975 UNIVERSITY DR., STE. 330
FAIRFAX
VA
22030
US
|
Family ID: |
36915179 |
Appl. No.: |
11/396979 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/217.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 2/818 20180201;
B60N 2/838 20180201; B61D 33/005 20130101; B60N 2/879 20180201;
B60N 2/821 20180201 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/217.3 |
International
Class: |
A47C 31/00 20060101
A47C031/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 8, 2005 |
TW |
094130800 |
Claims
1. An adjustable headrest bracket used on a headrest of a vehicle
seat that has a display panel to be inserted in a corresponding
insertion hole on the vehicle seat, comprising: a base which is
located in the headrest and holds the display panel; a coupling
member located on the base; and two separated headrest brackets
each having a hinge end coupled with the coupling member and an
insertion end coupled with the vehicle seat, and forming a swivel
path about the hinge end and a horizontal moving path relative to
the coupling member.
2. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the coupling
member is integrally formed on the base.
3. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein each of the
headrest brackets has a bending portion to divide the insertion end
and the hinge end.
4. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the coupling
member has two coupling ends to couple with the two hinge ends of
the headrest brackets.
5. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 4, wherein each of the
coupling ends has a coupling hole to receive the hinge end.
6. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 4, wherein the hinge
end is a hinge hole, the coupling member being inserted into the
hinge hole.
7. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the base has
a confining hole on one side corresponding to the vehicle seat to
limit the range of the horizontal moving path and the swivel
path.
8. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein each of the
headrest brackets is coupled with a coupling duct which has an
outer diameter corresponding to the insertion hole of the vehicle
seat.
9. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 8, wherein the coupling
duct has an anchor rib on an upper rim of the outer diameter.
10. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the
headrest brackets are hollow and have respectively two openings to
allow a power cord and signal line of the display panel to thread
through.
11. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 10, wherein the
coupling duct has a threading zone communicating with the openings
of the headrest brackets and a threading opening communicating with
the threading zone to receive the power cord and signal line.
12. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the
coupling member has a plurality of anchor plates connected by a
connection portion, the anchor plates being removable to allow the
headrest brackets to mate the interval of the insertion hole of the
vehicle seat.
13. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 1, wherein the
coupling member includes two coupling sleeves located on the
base.
14. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 13, wherein the
coupling sleeves are integrally formed on the base.
15. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 13, wherein the
coupling sleeves are spaced from each other at a distance such that
the headrest brackets are held between them at a minimum
interval.
16. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 13, wherein the
coupling sleeves have a plurality of anchor plates connected by a
connection portion, the anchor plates being removable to allow the
headrest brackets to mate the interval of the insertion hole of the
vehicle seat.
17. The adjustable headrest bracket of claim 13, wherein the
headrest brackets are hollow and have respectively two openings to
allow a power cord and signal line of the display panel to thread
through.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a headrest bracket and
particularly to an adjustable headrest bracket adaptable to a wide
variety of vehicle seats.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The vehicle industry is thriving and the interior design of
the vehicles is versatile these days. Vehicle seats also have many
different selections. Nowadays many headrests or vehicle seats
adopt various designs to accommodate audiovisual equipment to
provide desired entertainments for users. The conventional headrest
bracket as shown in FIG. 1 generally has a fixed interval to mate a
selected headrest. For different types of seats, new molds have to
be made to fabricate the corresponding headrest brackets. Such an
approach is not convenient or economic effective.
[0003] To remedy the aforesaid problem, adjustable headrest
brackets have been developed that have an adjustable interval to
facilitate installation on the vehicle seats. One example is R.O.C.
patent publication No. 372507 entitled "Adjustable vehicle
headrest" as shown in FIG. 2. It mainly includes a double-screw
axle, two clipping members, two movable insertion rods and screws.
The movable insertion rods are fastened by the screws. The
double-screw axle is coupled with two ends of the two movable
insertion rods. Applying the principle of fastening or unfastening
of the coupled male and female screw threads, an adjustable nut on
the double-screw axle can be moved via a wrench to adjust the
interval of the two movable insertion rods. Its structure is
complicated and a hand tool such as the wrench has to be used to do
adjustment. Installation, disassembly and adjustment are
difficult.
[0004] The conventional headrests mentioned above cannot be adapted
easily to different types of vehicle seats. Adjusting the interval
of the insertion rods is especially difficult. How to make the
headrest bracket modularized to reduce fabrication cost is an issue
remained to be overcome in the industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The primary object of the present invention is to solve the
aforesaid disadvantages. The present invention provides an
adjustable headrest bracket installable on the headrest of a
vehicle seat. It has a base and a coupling member located on the
base. The coupling member has two coupling ends to couple with two
separated headrest brackets. Each of the headrest brackets has an
insertion end insertable into a vehicle seat and a hinge end
coupling with the coupling end. The headrest bracket forms a swivel
path about the hinge end and a horizontal moving path relative to
the coupling end. The interval of the two headrest brackets can be
altered easily without using any hand tool and installed on a
vehicle seat.
[0006] Another object of the invention is to protect a power cord
and signal line of a display panel. The base holds a display panel.
The headrest bracket has a threading zone to allow the power cord
and signal line to be threaded through. Hence the power cord and
signal line are not exposed. Wiring of the power cord and signal
line is more convenient.
[0007] The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and
advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the
following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of conventional
techniques.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention.
[0011] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of the present invention
in operating conditions.
[0012] FIG. 6A is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 6B is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the
present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views of still another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4, the headrest 1 of the
invention is installed on a vehicle seat 5. It has a base 10 and
headrest brackets 22 formed by a structure 20. The base 10 has a
housing space on one side to hold a display panel 30. The base 10
is fastened to a hollow coupling member 21 through a fastening
element 40 that has coupling holes 212 on two ends. The fastening
element 40 runs through a fastening hole 211 formed on the coupling
member 21 to be fastened to the base 10 (the coupling member may
also be integrally formed on the base 10). The coupling holes 212
aim to hold the two headrest brackets 22. Each of the headrest
brackets 22 is bent to form a hinge end 221 and an insertion end
222. The insertion end 222 is inserted into a mating insertion hole
50 on the vehicle seat 5 that is formed to install the headrest 1.
The hinge end 221 is inserted into the coupling hole 212 (or
encases the coupling hole 212) to form a tight coupling. Thereby
the headrest bracket 22 forms a swivel path about the hinge end 221
and a horizontal moving path relative to the coupling member 21.
The swivel path allows the headrest 1 to be turned and adjusted at
an inclined angle to rest a user's head in a comfortable
manner.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 4, the base 10 has confining holes 11 to
allow the brackets 22 to pass through and limit the turning angle
of the headrest 1, and also define the maximum and minimum
horizontal moving distance. The horizontal moving distance varies
according to the interval specification of the insertion hole 50 of
the vehicle seat 5 of different vehicles. Hence the brackets 22 can
be adjusted at a suitable distance to facilitate insertion.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, when in use, depending on the
interval specification of the insertion holes 50 on the vehicle
seat 5, the distance of the two headrest brackets 22 can be
adjusted to facilitate insertion without using any tools. As shown
in the drawings, the coupling member 21 and the headrest brackets
22 are coupled together, and the hinge end 221 can be moved
horizontally in the coupling hole 212 relative to the coupling
member 21 to increase or decrease the distance of the insertion
ends 222. The confining holes 11 limit the distance within a
suitable range. Hence the adjustable headrest brackets 22 of the
invention can be adapted to the interval of the insertion holes 50
of any type of the vehicle seat 5 without using tools. It is simple
and easy.
[0020] Refer to FIGS. 6A and 6B for an embodiment of the invention.
A coupling duct 23 is provided with an outer diameter mating the
size of the insertion hole 50 of varying vehicles to facilitate
insertion and a mating inner diameter to hold the insertion end 222
of the headrest bracket 22. Such a structure allows the headrest 1
to be mounted onto the vehicle seat 5. The coupling duct 23 or the
headrest bracket 22 further has an anchor rib 231 on an upper rim
to latch on the confining hole 11. Because of the anchor rib 231,
the headrest 1 can be adjusted and moved up and down through the
coupling relationship of the insertion end 222 and the coupling
duct 23.
[0021] The invention further provides another feature, namely
provides a protection means for a power cord and single line 31 of
the display panel 30. Referring to FIG. 4 again, the headrest
bracket structure 20 of the invention has a threading zone 24 to
allow the power cord and signal line 31 to thread through. The
threading zone 24 is located on the insertion end 222 which has two
openings 2221 and 2222 at one end and at the bending portion. The
two openings 2221 and 2222 communicate with each other in the
hollow space. The power cord and signal sine 31 of the display
panel 30 thread through one opening 2221 into the threading zone 24
and thread out through another opening 2222 so that they are
protected by the headrest bracket 22 without exposing to prevent
damage.
[0022] Refer to FIG. 7 for another embodiment of the invention. The
coupling member 21 is hollow and has a threading opening 213. The
headrest brackets 22 also are hollow and have respectively openings
2211 and 2222 on the hinge end 221 and insertion end 222 to form a
threading zone 24. The hollow interior of the coupling member 21
communicates with the interior of the headrest brackets 22. The
power cord and signal line 31 of the display panel 30 enter the
threading zone through the threading opening 213 and exit through
the opening 2222.
[0023] Refer to FIG. 8 for yet another embodiment of the invention.
The coupling member 21 has removable anchor plates 214 on two sides
to limit the interval of the headrest brackets 22. The anchor
plates 214 are linked by a connection portion 215, or the anchor
plates 214 are connected to the coupling member 21 through the
connection portion 215. A selected number of the anchor plates 214
may be removed from the connection portion 215 to adjust the
interval of the two headrest brackets 22 to mate the interval of
the insertion holes 50 of the vehicle seat 5. Such a design can
provide a wider range of horizontal moving path to suit various
types of vehicle seats 5.
[0024] Refer to FIGS. 9A and 9B for still another embodiment of the
invention. The coupling member 21 includes two coupling sleeves 21'
located on the base 10 to hold the headrest brackets 22. The
coupling sleeves 21' can be integrally formed on the base 10 or two
independent coupling sleeves 21' installed in the base 10. The two
coupling sleeves 21' are spaced from each other at a distance to
allow the headrest brackets 22 to be installed thereon at a minimum
interval. According to the interval of the insertion holes 50, the
insertion direction of the headrest brackets 22 can be changed on
the coupling sleeves 21'. The coupling sleeves 21' may also have
removable anchor plates 214 to achieve the function previously
discussed.
[0025] In the embodiments set forth above, the headrest brackets 22
may also have latch notches 224 formed thereon corresponding to the
insertion holes 50 to adjust the elevation of the headrest 1
according to user's requirement. The headrest brackets 22 can be
moved in the insertion holes 50 and latched on the latch notches
224 at a desired elevation. This technique is known in the art,
hence details are omitted.
[0026] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been
set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the
disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments
thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the
appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *