Patent Application
20190263297
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of headrests of existing art and more specifically relates to headrests for children.
A “car seat” (infant safety seat, child restraint system, child seat, baby seat, restraining car seat, etc.) is a seat designed to protect younger children from injury or death during car travel collisions and to restrain the child during car travel. Most car seats include head and neck protection in case of a car accident. Car seats are required in most cases, depending upon the child's age, by law.
However, car seats do not provide head and/or neck support in a forward direction for a child that may fall asleep or a child that does not have the neck strength to support one's own head. Therefore a suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,330 to Meagan D. Lincoln relates to a children's car seat pillow. The described children's car seat pillow includes children's pillow adapted for use with a children's car seat comprising: a central area adapted to receive at least a rearward portion of a child's head; a first lateral wing extending from the central area; a second lateral wing extending from the central area; a neck support region; and a retainer adapted to mount the children's pillow to the children's car seat, where the neck support region extends between the first lateral wing and the second lateral wing.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known headrests with seat attachment for children's seat art, the present disclosure provides a novel head support for a child car seat and method. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a head support for a child car seat and method.
A head support for a child car seat is disclosed herein. The head support including a left pad configured to support a neck and head of the child from the left side; a right pad configured to support the neck and head of the child from the right side; a front-closure configured to removably couple the left pad to the right pad on the front; a rear-closure configured to removably couple the left pad to the right pad on the back, opposite the front closure and about the neck of the child; a car seat mount affixable to the child car-seat, and configured to couple the head support to the child car seat; and a pair of collar-straps configured to couple the left pad and the right pad to the car seat mount, respectively. According to another embodiment, a method of using a head support for a child car seat is also disclosed herein. The method includes providing the head support as described above; affixing the head support to the child car seat; adjusting the head support to accommodate a head size of the child; placing the child in the child car-seat; and placing the head support about the neck of the child.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a head support for a child car seat, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a headrests with seat attachment for children's seat and more particularly to a head support for a child car seat and method as used to improve the stability of a child's neck and head while using a car seat.
Generally, the novel head support for a child car seat is designed to be a stand-alone attachment that can be used with all makes and models of car safety seats. It will wrap gently around the child's head and provides twin cushions to provide the best angle for the child's rest and comfort. The positions of the twin cushions can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the straps that connect the cushions to the car seat, which also slip through the slots provided for the shoulder belts.
There is an adjustable (e.g., hook-and-loop, buttons, snaps, etc.) strap joining the two cushions, which can be extended as the child grows bigger. The cushions themselves may be made from a memory foam material. There may be patches attached to the shoulder belts of the safety seat in order to keep the cushions in a secure position around the child's neck.
For example, aspects of the head support may include a front, a back, a left side, and a right side relative to a seated child. The left pad is configured to support the neck and head of the child from the left side, and the right pad is configured to support the neck and head of the child from the right side. The left pad and the right pad are further configured to interface with, and support, a jaw of the child from the left side and the right side, respectively.
The front-closure is configured to removably couple the left pad to the right pad on the front, and the rear-closure is configured to removably couple the left pad to the right pad on the back, opposite the front closure and about the neck of the child. Included is a car seat mount affixable to the child car-seat, configured to couple the head support to the child car seat. Also included is a pair of collar-straps configured to couple the left pad and the right pad to the car seat mount, respectively. At least one of the car seat mount and the pair of collar-straps are adjustable. The car seat mount includes a collar-strap fastener configured to removably couple with the pair of collar-straps.
Also, the pair of collar-straps includes at least one attachment-fastener configured to removably couple the left pad and the right pad to the car seat mount with the attachment-fastener including at least one of a hook-and-loop fastener, a plurality of buttons, a plurality of twist-studs, or a plurality of clips.
Additionally, the car seat mount includes a pair of adjustable seat-straps, each seat-strap including at least one adjustment-fastener, with the adjustment-fastener configured to adjust a length of the respective seat-strap. The adjustment-fastener of each of the seat-straps includes at least one of a hook-and-loop fastener, a plurality of buttons, and a plurality of twist-studs.
The pair of adjustable seat-straps is preferably constructed from an elastic material. Also, the neck-support is preferably made of flame-resistant materials and anti-fungal materials. Also, collar-straps are constructed from an elastic material.
The front-closure includes a hook-and-loop fastener configured to provide adjustability in fit to the front-closure. Similarly, rear-closure includes a hook-and-loop fastener configured to provide adjustability in fit to the rear-closure. Each of the left pad and the right pad include a memory-foam core. The bottom side of each the left pad and right pad each include a textured surface to improve traction.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
According to one embodiment, the head support for a child car seat 100 may be arranged as a kit 105. In particular, the head support 100 may further include a set of instructions 107. The instructions 107 may detail functional relationships in relation to the structure of the head support 100 such that the head support 100 can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner.
The left pad 120 may be configured to support a neck and head of the child 5 (
Front-closure 124 may be configured to removably couple left pad 120 to right pad 122 on the front. Also, rear-closure 126 may be configured to removably couple left pad 120 to right pad 122 on the back, opposite front-closure 124 and about the neck of the child. Car seat mount 128 may be affixable to a child car-seat 15 (
Car seat mount 128 may include collar-strap fastener 132 configured to removably couple with the pair of collar-straps 130, where the pair of collar-straps 130 may be adjustable in length. Additionally, the pair of collar-straps 130 may include at least one attachment-fastener 134 configured to removably couple left pad 120 and right pad 122 to car seat mount 128. Attachment-fastener 134 may include at least one of a hook-and-loop fastener, a plurality of buttons, a plurality of twist-studs, and a plurality of clips.
According to one embodiment, the car seat mount 128 (
The pair of adjustable seat-straps 136 may be constructed from an elastic material, and the left pad 120 and right pad 122 may be made of flame-resistant materials. Also, head support 100 may be made of anti-fungal materials and pair of collar-straps 130 may be constructed from an elastic material.
Front-closure 124 may include a hook-and-loop fastener configured to provide adjustability in fit to the front-closure 124, and rear-closure 126 may also include a hook-and-loop fastener configured to provide adjustability in fit to the rear-closure 126.
It should be noted that step six 506 and step seven 507 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
