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US 2021/0229815 A1Published application
Flexible headrest assembly
AssigneeSafran Seats USA LLC
InventorsOscar Ruiz Lara, Arthur Glain
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described are passenger seat headrest assemblies and seats including head-rest assemblies having a semi-rigid flap fixedly connected with an upper portion of the seat back or headrest assembly at a first location and movably connected with the seat back or headrest assembly at a receiving element separated from the first location. The distance of the movable connection from the first location can be adjusted to cause the flexible head-rest assembly to flex outward from the seat to provide a greater or lesser degree of support for a passenger.
Claims24
A seat, comprising:
- a seat back having a front side and an upper end;
- and
- a headrest assembly connected with seat back, the headrest assembly comprising:
- a semi-rigid flap connected with the upper end of the seat back at a first location, the semi-rigid flap extending downwardly along the front side of the seat back;
- and
- an adjustable connecting assembly comprising an attachment element attached with the flap and a receiving element attached with the front side of the seat back, the adjustable connecting assembly positioned to connect the flap with the seat back at a second location on the front side of the seat back and separated from the first location, the second location being movable such that a distance between the first and second locations can be increased or decreased, wherein decreasing the distance between the first and second locations causes the flap to extend away from the seat back
- wherein the attachment element comprises a locking protrusion and the receiving element comprises a discontinuous plurality of slots configured to receive the locking protrusion at a plurality of second locations corresponding to the plurality of slots, the distance between the first and second locations being adjustable depending on the slot of the discontinuous plurality of slots into which the locking protrusion is received.
4 more elements
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A headrest assembly, comprising:
- a semi-rigid flap configurable to connect with an upper portion of a seat back at a first location;
- and
- an adjustable connecting assembly comprising an attachment element attached with the flap and a receiving element configurable to attach with a front side of the seat back, the receiving element and attachment element being operable to connect the flap with the front side of the seat back at a second location separated from the first location, the second location being movable such that a distance between the first and second locations can be increased or decreased, wherein decreasing the distance between the first and second locations causes the flap to extend away from the seat back
- wherein the attachment element comprises a locking element having a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein the attachment element can be moved to vary the second location when the locking element is in the unlocked configuration, and wherein the attachment element is secured at the second location when the locking element is in the locked configuration.
1 more element
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A method of adjusting a headrest thickness, the method comprising:
- with a seat comprising a headrest assembly that comprises a semi-rigid flap fixedly connected with an upper portion of the seat at a first location and movably connected with a receiving element connected with a front of the seat by an attachment means at an initial second location separated from the first location by an initial distance;
- releasing the attachment means at the initial second location so that the attachment means can move relative to the initial second location;
- causing the flap to flex outward from the seat by moving the attachment means from the initial second location to a final second location separated from the initial second location such that a distance between the first location and final second location is less than the initial distance between the first location and initial second location;
- and
- securing the attachment means at the final second location
- wherein the attachment means comprises a locking protrusion, and the receiving element comprises a discontinuous plurality of slots configured to receive the locking protrusion at a plurality of second locations, and wherein:
- unlocking the attachment means comprises removing the locking protrusion from a first slot of the plurality of slots;
- and
- locking the attachment means at the final second location comprises inserting the locking protrusion at a second slot different from the first slot of the plurality of slots.
6 more elements
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A seat, comprising:
- a seat back having a front side and an upper end;
- and
- a headrest assembly connected with seat back, the headrest assembly comprising:
- a semi-rigid flap connected with the upper end of the seat back at a first location, the semi-rigid flap extending downwardly along the front side of the seat back;
- and
- an adjustable connecting assembly comprising an attachment element attached with the flap and a receiving element attached with the front side of the seat back, the adjustable connecting assembly positioned to connect the flap with the seat back at a second location on the front side of the seat back and separated from the first location, the second location being movable such that a distance between the first and second locations can be increased or decreased, wherein decreasing the distance between the first and second locations causes the flap to extend away from the seat back,
- wherein the attachment element comprises a hook portion of a touch fastener and wherein the receiving element comprises a fabric surface configured to receive the hook portion of the touch fastener.
4 more elements
A headrest assembly, comprising:
- a semi-rigid flap configurable to connect with an upper portion of a seat back at a first location;
- and
- an adjustable connecting assembly comprising an attachment element attached with the flap and a receiving element configurable to attach with a front side of the seat back, the receiving element and attachment element being operable to connect the flap with the front side of the seat back at a second location separated from the first location, the second location being movable such that a distance between the first and second locations can be increased or decreased, wherein decreasing the distance between the first and second locations causes the flap to extend away from the seat back.
- wherein the attachment element comprises a locking protrusion, and wherein the receiving element comprises a discontinuous plurality of slots configured to receive the locking protrusion at a plurality of second locations, the distance between the first and second locations being adjustable depending on the slot of the discontinuous plurality of slots into which the locking protrusion is received.
1 more element
A headrest assembly, comprising:
- a semi-rigid flap configurable to connect with an upper portion of a seat back at a first location;
- and
- an adjustable connecting assembly comprising an attachment element attached with the flap and a receiving element configurable to attach with a front side of the seat back, the receiving element and attachment element being operable to connect the flap with the front side of the seat back at a second location separated from the first location, the second location being movable such that a distance between the first and second locations can be increased or decreased, wherein decreasing the distance between the first and second locations causes the flap to extend away from the seat back,
- wherein the flap further comprises one or more side-supportive element that extend forward from one or more sides of the flap.
1 more element
A method of adjusting a headrest thickness, the method comprising:
- with a seat comprising a headrest assembly that comprises a semi-rigid flap fixedly connected with an upper portion of the seat at a first location and movably connected with a receiving element connected with a front of the seat by an attachment means at an initial second location separated from the first location by an initial distance;
- releasing the attachment means at the initial second location so that the attachment means can move relative to the initial second location;
- causing the flap to flex outward from the seat by moving the attachment means from the initial second location to a final second location separated from the initial second location such that a distance between the first location and final second location is less than the initial distance between the first location and initial second location;
- and
- securing the attachment means at the final second location,
- wherein the attachment means further comprises a spring-biased actuator configured to maintain the attachment means in a locked configuration and configured to release the attachment means to an unlocked configuration when the actuator is moved by a user, and wherein:
- unlocking the attachment means comprises moving the actuator;
- and
- locking the attachment means comprises releasing the actuator.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.