GB2366181A

GB2366181A - Personal head-rest

Info

Publication number: GB2366181A
Application number: GB0120402A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Francis Flaherty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-08-22
Filing date: 2001-08-22
Publication date: 2002-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 2021-08-22
Also published as: GB2366181B; GB0020573D0; GB0120402D0

Abstract

A personal head-rest for comfort whilst travelling comprises a first plate portion 2 for abutting a side of the wearer's head, and a second plate portion 4 for abutting the wearer's adjacent shoulder, the first and second plate portions being substantially rigidly connected and angled with respect to each other to provide the said support for the wearer's head. The plate portions, which are preferably formed from a single shaped sheet of eg. aluminium or rigid plastics material, are preferably enclosed within a covering of soft, cushioned material, eg. an inner layer of foam covered with an outer fleece layer. An adjustable strap 8 with a fastener may retain the rest on the wearer. The plates 2,4 may be joined by a strut 6.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> PERSONAL HEADREST This invention relates to a personal headrest, more particularly to a headrest for personal use by someone travelling in an aeroplane or other kind of vehicle, especially whilst sleeping or resting. Travel often presents a problem of how to get reasonable rest or sleep, especially over long distances or times, when nowadays aeroplanes, trains, coaches or other forms of transport provide increasingly less in the way of personal space and bodily comfort while the traveller is in their seat. Support for the traveller's head is especially important in such situations, particularly when trying to sleep or rest whilst in one's seat. There are commercially available various examples of head supports for use whilst travelling, or "travel-pillows", but these known products are generally inadequate in providing a sufficient and sufficiently stable and comfortable degree of head support, particularly for the head in a substantially upright position, whilst also being of simple and cheap construction. Accordingly, the present invention provides a personal headrest for supporting a wearer's head whilst travelling, comprising a first plate portion for abutting a side of the wearer's head, and a second plate portion for abutting the wearer's adjacent shoulder, the first and second plate portions being substantially rigidly connected and angled with respect to each other so as to provide the said support for the wearer's head. Preferably the second plate portion of the headrest includes a pair of lateral curved wing portions extending from either side of a central plate portion, such that the second plate portion is arcuate in section, ie. it has an inverted channel shape, so that the second plate portion substantially fits the contour of the wearer's shoulder when the headrest is in position.

In preferred practical embodiments the first and second plate portions of the headrest are integrally formed from a single plate of substantially rigid material. This may be for example of sheet aluminium, or possibly of rigid plastics material. Depending on the material, the basic sheet material can be appropriately formed into the required shape by appropriate bending or forming, with or without tooling and/or heat, as necessary and as the person skilled in this field will readily know about. Preferably the first and second plate portions constituting the headrest are enclosed within a soft, cushioned material to provide the desired degree of comfort for the wearer. The soft, cushioned material may for example comprise an inner layer of a foam material (eg. foam rubber) with an outer covering of a fleece material (such as the pill fleece material commonly used in clothing), eg. Draylon. In certain embodiments of the invention, for additional rigidity and support the headrest may further incorporate a supporting strut linking the first and second plate portions. The strut may be anchored by rivets or any other suitable means. The headrest of the invention may further include a strap of adjustable length for use in anchoring the headrest to the wearer's body. Conveniently the strap may incorporate within its length an openable and closable clip or buckle, so that the strap can be readily connected and disconnected as and when required. By way of example, a preferred embodiment of the headrest of the invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic sketch of the exemplary headrest in position being worn by a wearer;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the headrest itself; Figure 3 is a schematic sketch of the strap that holds the headrest in position on the wearer's body; and Figure 4 is a plan view of the unitary plate of material from which the core of the exemplary headrest is formed. Referring firstly to Figure 1, the general configuration of the headrest is shown with respect to a person, typically someone seated while travelling, eg. in an aeroplane or other vehicle. The headrest, indicated generally as 1, comprises a first plate portion 2 for abutting and thus supporting the wearer's head, and a rigidly connected second plate portion 4 for abutting the wearer's shoulder (which may be the right or the left shoulder, depending on the wearer's preference or need, and given that headrest is preferably symmetrical so that it may be used on either side). The first and second plate portions 2, 4 may be angled substantially at a right-angle as illustrated, or they may be angled somewhat less or more of an angle than this, depending on the needs and wishes of the wearer. The first and second plate portions 2, 4 are formed from a single, unitary sheet of light metal or plastics material, such as aluminium, the general shape of which is shown in Figure 4. Thus, the core (ie. the first and second plate portions) of the headrest is formed by appropriate bending, forming or shaping of the basic plate, with or without the use of external means such as appropriate tooling, heat, etc, as will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in the art. The second plate portion 4 (which contacts the wearer's shoulder in use) comprises a central portion 4c and two laterally extending wing portions 4a, 4b, which when appropriately shaped gives the second plate portion an inverted channel-shape which fits the contour (ie. sits on and fits around) the wearer's shoulder.

The first and second plate portions 2, 4 are encased within a soft, cushioned covering 10 which provides softness and comfort for the wearer. This covering may typically comprise an inner layer of synthetic foam material covered with an outer layer of a fleece-type material, eg. Draylon. The individual parts of the headrest are shown more clearly in Figure 2. For added strength and rigidity the first and second plate portions 2, 4 may be joined by a supporting strut 6, conveniently of the same material as the plate portions themselves, and suitably attached thereto by eg. rivets 7. A strap 8, eg. of conventional plastics or woven material, is attached to the headrest conveniently through the gap formed between the plate portions 2, 4 and the strut 6, and is used to anchor the headrest to the wearer's body by being placed around the wearer's shoulder and under their arm. As shown in Figure 3, the strap includes an adjustable buckle 16 for adjusting its length to suit the wearer, as well as connectable clip or buckle elements 12, 14 at each respective end by which the strap can be readily done up or undone when the wearer needs to put the headrest on or take it off, thereby avoiding the need to place the strap over the wearer's head in so doing.

Claims

Claims: 1. A personal headrest for supporting a wearer's head whilst travelling, comprising a first plate portion for abutting a side of the wearer's head, and a second plate portion for abutting the wearer's adjacent shoulder, the first and second plate portions being substantially rigidly connected and angled with respect to each other so as to provide the said support for the wearer's head.
2. A headrest according to claim 1, wherein the second plate portion includes lateral curved wing portions extending from either side of a central plate portion, such that the second plate portion is arcuate in section so as substantially to fit the contour of the wearer's shoulder.
3. A headrest according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and second plate portions are integrally formed from a single plate of substantially rigid material.
4. A headrest according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second plate portions are enclosed within a soft, cushioned material.
5. A headrest according to claim 4, wherein the soft, cushioned material comprises an inner layer of a foam material and an outer covering of a fleece material.
6. A headrest according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a supporting strut linking the first and second plate portions.

<Desc/Clms Page number 6>
7. A headrest according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a strap of adjustable length for anchoring the headrest to the wearer's body.
8. A headrest according to claim 7, wherein the strap includes within its length an openable and closable clip or buckle.
9. A personal headrest substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.