Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HYGIENIC TRAVEL HEADREST ACCESSORY SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
100011 This application relates to textile travel accessories in general,
and to a hygienic travel headrest accessory
system, in particular.
SUMMARY
100021 According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided a hygienic travel headrest accessory
system that can be used when travelling by plane, car, bus, train, etc. to
enable a traveller to adapt any travel seat to
hygienically protect their head while providing a convenient system for
organizing travel accessories. More particularly,
there is provided a hygienic travel headrest accessory system including an
elongate textile component having an
operative side for covering a portion of a headrest of the seat of a traveller
and a manipulative side for abutting against
the head of the traveller. The system further includes a headrest strap
connected to the textile component at one end and
extending freely for a predetermined distance thereafter sufficient to go
around the headrest, the headrest strap having an
operative side with a non-slip component; a cinching mechanism connecting the
free end of the headrest strap to the
other end of the textile component for cinching the headrest strap and textile
component around the headrest thereby
positioning the textile component between the headrest and the head of the
traveller; and an accessory attachment
component provided at least on one end of the textile component for receiving
travel accessories. The traveller can use
the cinching mechanism to both configure the headrest strap to cinch around
the headrest so as to ensure that the
headrest strap remains in place when cinched around the headrest while
positioning the textile component hygienically
bctwccn the headrest and thc travelkrs hcad and to secure the accessory
attachment component for receiving travel
accessories in a "stowed and at ready" position or in an "in use" position.
100031 Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become
apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art
upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of a hygienic
travel headrest accessory system in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
100041 Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of
example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawing figures, wherein:
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Figure 1 is a front left perspective view of an example pair of airline seats;
Figure 2 is a front perspective view of a seat of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a front left perspective view of a headrest of the seat of Figure
2;
Figure 4 is a right rear perspective view of a headrest of the seat of Figure
2;
Figure 5 is a top perspective view of a seatrest of seat of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a top perspective view of an operational side of an example
hygienic headrest accessory system;
Figure 7 is a top perspective view of a manipulative side of the example
hygienic headrest accessory system of
Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 6 operating on
the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 9 is a front left perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 6
operating on the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 10 is a right rear perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 6
operating on the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 11 is a front perspective view of an example accessory attachment
component;
Figure 12 is a front perspective view of the example accessory attachment
component of Figure 11 with a strap
attached;
Figure 13 is a front perspective view of an example eye mask accessory
component using two of the accessory
attachment components of Figure 11;
Figure 14 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 6 operating
on the seat of Figure 2 and the eye mask accessory of Figure 13;
Figure 15 is a front perspective view of an example accessory attachment
component;
Figure 16 is a front perspective view of a three example accessory attachment
components of Figure 15 for
improved manipulation of three different example travel accessories;
Figure 17 is a front perspective view of the example multiple accessory
attachment component of Figure 15 for
improved manipulation of three different example travel accessories;
Figure 18 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 6 co-
operating with the seat of Figure 2, the eye mask accessory of Figure 13, and
the multiple accessory attachment
component of Figure 15:
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Figure 19 is a front perspective view of an alternative example hygienic
headrest accessory system co-operating
with the seat of Figure 2, the eye mask accessory of Figure 13, and
integrating the multiple accessory
attachment feature of Figure 15;
Figure 20 is a front perspective view of an alternative example of Figure 12
integrating the multiple accessory
attachment feature of Figure 15;
Figure 21 is a top perspective view of an operational side of an alternative
example hygienic headrest accessory
system;
Figure 22 is a top perspective view of a pocket feature of the alternative
example hygienic headrest accessory
system of Figure 21;
Figure 23 is a top perspective view of a reversible storage feature of the
alternative example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 21;
Figure 24 is a front perspective view of an example accessory attachment
component having a D-ring;
Figure 25 is a front perspective view of an example eye mask accessory
component using two of the accessory
attachment components of Figure 24 to attach to an example hygienic headrest
accessory system operating on
the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 26 is a right rear perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 25
operating on the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 27 is a front left perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
accessory system of Figure 25
operating on the seat of Figure 2;
Figure 28 is a front perspective view of the example eye mask accessory
component of Figure 25 using two of
the accessory attachment components of Figure 24;
Figure 29 is a front perspective view of an alternative to the example
hygienic headrest accessory system of
Figure 25; and
Figure 30 is a top perspective view of a pocket feature of the example
hygienic headrest accessory system of
Figure 29.
[0005] Like reference numerals are used in different figures to denote
similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Referring to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front left perspective view
of an example pair of airline seats. As
illustrated, the seats include a headrest 12, a backrest 15, a seatrest 14,
and one or more armrest 13. A typical example of
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this kind of seating is found on commercial aircraft, busses, trains,
automobiles, etc. Typically, there are jacks for
earphones provided in the armrests to be used to listen to music, or more
generally audio such as from an on-board
entertainment system, while seated, usually when the seatbelt light is turned
off. Although not shown, the back of the
backrest 15 of the seat 10 immediately in front of a given seat 10 may include
an on-board entertainment system that the
traveller can control.
100071 Figure 2 is a front perspective view of one of the seats of Figure
1. As illustrated the seat 10 includes a
headrest 12 where a traveller rests their head, a backrest 15, and a seatrest
14. One difficulty a traveller faces when
travelling is that space is at a premium in their seat 10, and it can be
difficult to organize all the accessories one travels
with such as an eye mask, earphones, blanket 38, headphones 36 etc. Another
difficulty a traveller faces when travelling
is that they must rest their head on a headrest 12 that has been extensively
used by other travellers. Being proximate to
eyes, mouth, nose, hair, and ears, the headrest 12 is very unhygienic. Ye
another difficulty a traveller faces when
travelling is that they may fall asleep and if they are in a bad posture their
sleep can be very uncomfortable, non-
ergonomic, and even cause a kink or pain in their neck and back due to
sleeping in an awkward position. What's more, a
sleeping traveller may inadvertently drift into the seat 10 space of a
neighbouring further causing discomfort to a typical
traveller.
100081 Figure 3 is a front left perspective view of the headrest 12 of the
seat 10 of Figure 2. As illustrated, the
headrest 12 has a substantially concave shape to receive the head of a
traveller, being raised on the edges, and shallower
in the centre. Although this is the shape illustrated, the present disclosure
works with all manner of headrest 12, be they
concave as illustrated, concave, integrated, fixed, or attached to the seat
10, so long as the top of the headrest 12 is
positioned within a predetermined distance, e.g. 4 inches, from the top of the
head of a traveller. In some seats, there is
no clear distinction between the backrest 15 and the headrest 12, such that
what is meant as a headrest 12 in those kinds
of seat 10, is the top of the backrest 15.
100091 Figure 4 is a right rear perspective view of the headrest 12 of the
seat 10 of Figure 2. The back of headrest
12 is typically flat or concave, but even in the case of a convex back of a
headrest 12, the techniques of the present
disclosure are effective. Although not shown in the drawing, in some seats,
such as in particular airline seats, and in
some vehicle, e.g. car seats, an on-board entertainment system may be
provided. Advantageously, the techniques of the
present invention work with such headrest
100101 Figure 5 is a top perspective view of the seatrest 14 of die seat
10 of Figure 2. As illustrated, the footprint that
a traveller has when seen in two dimensions is quite limited.
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100111 Figure 6 is a top perspective view of the operational side of an
example hygienic headrest 12 accessory
system. As illustrated, the system is illustrated on the seatrest 14 to
provide a sense of scale in the limited footprint
available to a traveller. As illustrated, a main elongate rectangular textile
component 16 is illustrated and, in one
example embodiment, measures 6 inches high by 10 inches wide. Other sizes are
considered to be within the scope of
the present application. Onto this rectangular textile component 16 is sewn a
headiest strap 18, which as illustrated, is
sewn throughout its full length a small distance from the top of the
rectangular textile component 16, and extending
freely for a predetermined distance thereafter. In alternative embodiments,
the headrest strap 18 need not be sewn on the
full length of the rectangular textile component 16 and may be provided in two
parts, each part sewn only on respective
ends of the rectangular textile component 16. In alternative embodiments, the
headrest strap 18 could be elastic, or be
made of a non-elastic material. In the example embodiment, the headrest strap
18 measures 1/2 inch in height, is at 1
inch from the top, and is of a predetermined length sufficient to go around
the headrest 12, e.g. 24 inches in length. In
some embodiments, the headrest strap 18 includes an elastic component, such as
is used in waistbands in the textile
industry. As illustrated, the side that is exposed of the headrest strap 18
and that is meant to operate on the headrest 12
includes a non-slip component 20, such as a rubber coating, to ensure that the
headrest strap 18 remains in place when
cinched around the headrest 12. At one side of the rectangular textile there
is provided a releasable buckle 22
component that is compatible with a corresponding releasable buckle 24
component provided on the loose end of the
headrest strap 18 that extends beyond the end of the rectangular textile
component 16. The rectangular textile
component 16 is made of a material that is comfortable for a traveller's head
to rest against, such as for example polar
fleece or cotton. The choice of materials can be adapted to the materials of a
specific seat 10, such as if the seat 10 is
made of fabric or leather, etc. Advantageously, the rectangular textile
component 16 provides a hygienic covering to the
headrest 12 for the traveller since the side that abuts against the headrest
12, the operative side, is always different than
the side that abuts against the traveller's head, the manipulative side, as
will be more clearly shown in other figures.
100121 Figure 7 is a top perspective view of the manipulative side of the
example hygienic headrest 12 accessoiy
system of Figure 6. As illustrated, the other side of the rectangular textile
component 16 includes a pair of releasable
buckle 22 components provided near opposite ends of the rectangular textile
component 16, a fixed distance from each
side and the top of the rectangular textile component 16. For example, as
illustrated the releasable buckles are provided
an inch from each side and the top of the rectangular textile component 16.
Advantageously, the releasable buckles
provide a manipulative solution for manipulating travel accessories, as will
be illustrated further in the following figures.
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[0013] Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic
headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 6
operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2. Figure 9 is a front left perspective
view of the example hygienic headrest 12
accessory system of Figure 6 operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2. Figure 10
is a right rear perspective view of the
example hygienic headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 6 operating on the
seat 10 of Figure 2. Advantageously, the
system can be attached to the headrest 12 of the traveller's seat 10 despite
the minimal footprint that a traveller has in
their seat 10. Further advantageously, the releasable buckles provide a
manipulative solution for manipulating travel
accessories, as will be illustrated further in the following figures. Yet
further advantageously, the rectangular textile
component 16 provides a hygienic covering to the headrest 12 for the
traveller. Still yet further advantageously, the
headrest strap 18 is dimensioned and can be positioned onto the headrest 12 so
as to not interfere with an on-board
entertainment system (not illustrated) of the seat 10 immediately behind the
traveller, if present, by being
advantageously at the top of the headrest 12, while the releasable buckles can
be provided at a different height.
[0014] Figure 11 is a front perspective view of an example accessory
attachment 26 component. Figure 12 is a front
perspective view of an example accessory attachment 26 component with a strap
28 attached. The component includes a
releasable buckle 22 that is compatible with the buckles described in relation
to Figure 8. To the buckle is attached a
strap 28, not necessarily made of the same materials as the headrest strap 18
sewn onto the rectangular textile component
16, as well as a strap buckle 10 able to receive a strap 28, such as that of
an eye mask, for example.
100151 Figure 13 is a front perspective view of an example eye mask accessory
32 component using two of the
accessory attachment 26 components of Figure 11. Advantageously, the eye mask
strap 29 can be cinched at each side,
thereby facilitating the manipulation of the eye mask when the eye mask is
clipped into each of a releasable buckle 22 of
the system.
[0016] Figure 14 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic
headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 6
cooperating with the seat 10 of Figure 2 and the eye mask accessory 32 of
Figure 13. Advantageously, when not in use,
the eye mask can be clipped into only one of the releasable buckle 22 provided
on the headrest 12, thereby facilitating
manipulation of the eye mask in a stowed position that is at a ready for use
by simple manipulation of only one end of
the eye mask strap 29, an advantage given the limited footprint provided to
the traveller.
[0017] Figure 15 is a front perspective view of an example accessory
attachment 26 component Instead of a strap
buckle 30 of Figure 11, a ring 34, such as a key ring 34, is provided, as a
convenience to the traveller for manipulating
accessories into a stowed and at ready position, again an advantage given the
limited footprint provided to the traveller.
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[0018] Figure 16 is a front perspective view of three example accessory
attachment 26 components of Figure 15 for
improved manipulation of three different example travel accessories. As shown,
advantageously, the component of
Figure 15 can be used to stow at a ready a set of headphones 36, a blanket 38,
or a pair of eyeglasses 40.
[0019] Figure 17 is a front perspective view of one example multiple accessory
attachment 26 component of Figure
15 for improved manipulation of three different example travel accessories. As
shown, advantageously, a single
component of Figure 15 can be used to stow at ready multiple accessories at
once, such as a set of headphones 36, a
blanket 38, and a pair of eyeglasses 40.
[0020] Figure 18 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic headrest
12 accessory system of Figure 6
operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2, the eye mask accessory 32 of Figure 13,
and the multiple accessory attachment 26
component of Figure 15. Advantageously, a traveller's accessories are stowed
in an at-ready state despite the minimal
footprint afforded to the traveller, while .the headrest 12 is adapted for
hygienic rest of the head of the traveller.
[0021] Figure 19 is a front perspective view of an alternative example
hygienic headrest 12 accessory system
operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2, the eye mask accessory 32 of Figure 13,
and integrating the multiple accessory
attachment 26 feature of Figure 15. Advantageously, the eye mask can be
utilized while the accessories remain in a
.. stowed and ready state. Advantageously, the accessory attachment 26 using a
ring 34 is provided with a strap 28 sewn
such that this feature is integrated into the rectangular textile component 16
on the manipulative side. As shown, the
releasable buckle 22 component on the right side remains available to receive
the corresponding releasable buckle 24 of
the eye mask accessory 32 while simultaneously ensuring that the traveller's
travel accessories remain in an at a ready
state.
[0022] Figure 20 is a front perspective view of an alternative example of
Figure 12 integrating the multiple accessory
attachment 26 feature of Figure 15. The ring 34 is provided between the
corresponding releasable buckle 24 and the
strap buckle 30 and is dimensioned to stay captive by the strap 28 there
between. The ring 34 can be a key ring 34 or a
rubber ring 34 like a rubber band.
[0023] Figure 21 is a top perspective view of the operational side of an
alternative example hygienic headrest 12
accessory system. In addition to the headrest strap 18, non-slip component 20,
releasable buckle 22, and corresponding
releasable buckle 24, a pocket 42 is provided in the rectangular textile
component 16 for stowing and retrieving
components of the system, travel accessories, or other items as will be shown
further below.
[0024] Figure 22 is a top perspective view showing ihe pocket 42 feature
of the alternative example hygienic
headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 21. The rectangular textile portion is
doubled and a slit is provided to form a
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pocket 42 on the inside so as to store items and accessories that are not in
use, such as unused accessory attachment 26
components, travel accessories, and travel documents 44 such as a boarding
pass and passport, wallet, money, credit
cards, cellular phone, keys, etc. Advantageously, items stowed in the pocket
42 are secure behind their head, whenever
the traveller is seated, and especially when sleeping. Further advantageously,
the pocket 42 allows the traveller to use
the system as a money belt or fanny pack while boarding and leaving the plane,
train, bus, car, etc. for both convenience,
and security as the system can be hidden under layers of traveller's clothing,
thereby reducing the risk of theft. Further
advantageously, the pocket 42 can be stuffed with a pillow when provided in
some flights, trdins, or busses, or any other
textile item such as a blanket 38, shirt, sweater, coat, etc. to create a
pillow that can be fixed to the headrest 12 of the
seat 10 for added comfort and security.
1002.9 Figure 23 is a top perspective view showing the reversible storage
feature of the alternative example hygienic
headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 21. Advantageously, the pocket 42 can
be fully inverted inside-out, thereby
providing a way of storing all of the components of the system for shipping
and handling during sales, and for compact
manipulation by the traveller, who can also store travel accessories,
documents, etc. in the system in this reversed
configuration.
100261 Figure 24 is a front perspective view of an example accessory
attachment 26 component having a D-ring 46.
The D-ring 46 is particularly advantageous to enable one to cinch the strap 28
by manipulation in tight quarters, in the
dark, or by feel alone when one's eyes are closed or covered with an eye mask
and therefore ideal to provide in an eye
mask strap 29 where corresponding releasable buckle 24 would be clipped into
releasable buckle 22 of the rectangular
textile are proximate to one's temple. Furthermore, the D-ring 46 can double
as a ring 34 for holding other ttavel
accessories as has been illustrated in other drawings using a circular ring
34.
10027] Figure 25 is a front perspective view of an example eye mask accessory
32 component using two of the
accessory attachment 26 components of Figure 24 to attach to an example
hygienic headrest 12 accessory system
operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2. Figure 26 is a right rear perspective
view of the example hygienic headrest 12
accessory system of Figure 25 operating on the seat 10 of Figure 2. Figure 27
is a front left perspective view of the
example hygienic headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 25 operating on the
seat 10 of Figure 2. In addition to the use
of the accessory attachment 26 component of Figure 24, an elastic strap 48 is
provided on the eye mask accessory 32 to
facilitate securing the eye mask over one's eyes. As compared with the
rectangular textile component 16 illustrated in
other Figures, the one of Figure 25 is more compact, provides the headiest
strap 18 in two pans, each at a respective end
of the rectangular textile component 16, and has a pocket 42 for putting in
and taking out items such as the travel
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documents 44 illustrated. Advantageously, a clip 50 is provided on the loose
end of the headrest strap 18 so that the
slack can be taken up to keep the headrest strap 18 taught, or as illustrated
to create a loop to hold travel accessories such
as the headphones 36 illustrated.
100281 Figure 28 is a front perspective view of the example eye mask accessory
32 component of Figure 25.
Advantageously, the eye mask strap 29 can be cinched at each side using the
provided corresponding D-ring 46, thereby
further facilitating the manipulation of the eye mask when the eye mask is
clipped into each of a releasable buckle 22 of
the system. Further advantageously, an elastic strap 48 is provided on the eye
mask accessory 32 so as to facilitate
placement onto a traveller's head and to keep the eye mask covering their eyes
whether the eye mask accessory 32 is
clipped onto the rectangular textile area or not. Further advantageously, a
piping 54 is provided on the periphery of the
eye mask accessory 32 to provide a tighter seal with the varied faces of
travellers and for improved comfort. Yet further
advantageously, a label 52 is provided for branding purposes such that a
service provider could brand the system to
provide to travellers for promotional purposes, or to advise a traveller that
they are using the original system and not a
counterfeit of the original.
100291 Figure 14 is a front perspective view of the example hygienic
headrest 12 accessory system of Figure 6
cooperating with the seat 10 of Figure 2 and the eye mask accessory 32 of
Figure 13. Advantageously, when not in use,
the eye mask can be clipped into only one of the releasable buckle 22 provided
on the headrest 12, thereby facilitating
manipulation of the eye mask in a stowed position that is at a ready for use
by simple manipulation of only one end of
the eye mask strap 29, an advantage given the limited footprint provided to
the traveller.
[0030] Figure 29 is a front perspective view of an alternative to the
example hygienic headrest 12 accessory system
of Figure 25. As can be seen, instead of only one releasable buckle 22 being
provided at each end of the rectangular
textile component 16, on one end a pair of releasable buckle 22 are provided
thereby ensuring that at least one other
travel accessory can be clipped onto the system while an eye mask accessory 32
is clipped onto the system.
100311 Figure 30 is a top perspective view of a pocket 42 feature of the
example hygienic headrest 12 accessory
system of Figure 29. As illustrated, components of the system and other items
can be stowed in and out of the pocket 42
provided in the rectangular textile area.
[0032] The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are
intended to be examples only. Those of skill
in the art may effect alterations, modifications and variations to the
particular embodiments without departing from the
scope of the disclosure.
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