Chairs and seats – Headrest – Wall- or ceiling-supported
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-15
2004-07-06
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Headrest
Wall- or ceiling-supported
C280S751000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06758527
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to headrests for motor vehicle seats, and relates more specifically to a headrest that is retractable into a headliner of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many motor vehicles, particularly sport utility vehicles and minivans, are equipped with rear seats that can be moved from a seating configuration, in which passengers can sit in the seat, to a so-called “load floor” configuration where the back support of the seat is folded downwardly to assume a horizontal orientation and thereby facilitate cargo stowage. Typically, locking mechanisms are provided for holding the seat in the seating configuration, and the locking mechanisms can be released to permit moving the seat to the load floor configuration.
Various arrangements have been proposed for retracting a headrest of the seat in order to provide the seat with a more compact profile when folded. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,940 shows several embodiments of a seat having an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of a headrest according to the pivoting of a seatback relative to a seat cushion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a headrest assembly for a motor vehicle. The headrest assembly comprises a headrest pivotable from a first position to a second position. In the first position, the headrest is generally proximate a seatback of the motor vehicle. In the second position, the headrest is generally proximate a headliner of the motor vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly of the type described above in which the headrest is separated from a seatback.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the type described above that allows the seatback to be more easily stowed inside or outside of the vehicle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the type described above that may be operated either manually or automatically.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the type described above which is easy to use and cost-effective.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2649142 (1953-08-01), New
patent: 3188112 (1965-06-01), Oelkrug
patent: 3310342 (1967-03-01), Drelichowski
patent: 3964788 (1976-06-01), Kmetyko
patent: 4190291 (1980-02-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 4249754 (1981-02-01), Best
patent: 4458919 (1984-07-01), Kawashima et al.
patent: 4576413 (1986-03-01), Hatta
patent: 4623166 (1986-11-01), Andres et al.
patent: 4711494 (1987-12-01), Duvenkamp
patent: 4762367 (1988-08-01), Denton
patent: 4822102 (1989-04-01), Duvenkamp
patent: 5011225 (1991-04-01), Nemoto
patent: 5145233 (1992-09-01), Nagashima
patent: 5295711 (1994-03-01), Huan
patent: 5669668 (1997-09-01), Leuchtmann
patent: 5752742 (1998-05-01), Kerner et al.
patent: 5918940 (1999-07-01), Wakamatsu et al.
patent: 6074010 (2000-06-01), Takeda
patent: 6113192 (2000-09-01), Schneider
patent: 6129421 (2000-10-01), Gilson et al.
patent: 6192565 (2001-02-01), Tame
patent: 6290298 (2001-09-01), Lee
patent: 6299254 (2001-10-01), Dinh et al.
patent: 6302485 (2001-10-01), Nakane et al.
Forker Michael O
Krajcirovic Rudi
Schambre John E
Washington Marcus G
Cuomo Peter M.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Vu Stephen
Wallace Donald J.
LandOfFree
Headrest retractable against motor vehicle headliner does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Headrest retractable against motor vehicle headliner, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Headrest retractable against motor vehicle headliner will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3200514