WO2010026588A1

WO2010026588A1 - Single seater sledge, head support, and car seat apparatus with electrical seat warmer

Info

Publication number: WO2010026588A1
Application number: PCT/IL2009/000863
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Presman; Constantin Presman
Original assignee: Ben Bat Ltd
Priority date: 2008-09-08
Filing date: 2009-09-06
Publication date: 2010-03-11
Also published as: KR20110065416A

Abstract

Single seater sledges (100) capable of being chained head (103) to tail (104) into a chain of sledges. Head supports (200) including a head rest (202) having a central recess (203) for receiving the back of a user's head, left and right neck rests (204, 207), and bulb-like left and right chin rests (206, 208) for providing head, neck and chin support for preventing a user's head from falling sideways or forward. Car seat apparatus (300) including a removable washable cover (301) including fasteners for fastening to a car seat, an electrical seat warmer (306) for insertion into the removable washable cover (301), and a heating current controller (308) for controlling the electrical seat warmer (306).

Description

SINGLE SEATER SLEDGE, HEAD SUPPORT, AND CAR SEAT APPARATUS WITH ELECTRICAL SEAT WARMER

Field of the Invention This invention relates to single seater sledges, head supports, and car seat apparatus with an electrical seat warmer.

Background of the Invention

Single seater sledges are well known in the art. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0176376 Al entitled Snow

Glider to Maier illustrates and describes a single seater sledge employing a user's weight to connect one single seater sledge to another single seater sledge.

Additional single seater sledges are illustrated and described in inter alia US Patent No. 3,635,490 to DeMaree et al, US Patent No. 4,199,163 to James et al., US Patent No. 4,524,984 to Axelson, US Patent No. 4,603,870 to Javier, US Patent No. 7,458,592 to Mark, DE 3 503 142, and DE 3 151 643.

Head supports for supporting a user's head are well known in the art. US Patent No. 5,339,472 entitled Infant Head and Neck Support to Yin illustrates and describes a head support including a generally rectangular head support pillow including a central keyhole region and a pair of opposite keyhole wings.

Additional head supports are illustrated and described in inter alia US Patent Application Publication No. 2009013471 to Xiaohong, and WO 2003/047474.

Car seat apparatus including an electrical seat warmer are known in the art. Exemplary car seat apparatus is illustrated and described in inter alia US Patent 6,194,687 to Joseph et al., DE 19961647, DE 202006008065 and DE 102004015118. Summary of the Invention

The first aspect of the present invention is directed towards single seater sledges capable of being chained head to tail into a chain of sledges. The sledges preferably include a single seater seat having a leading loop and a trailing hook such that a trailing sledge's loop can be suspended from a leading sledge's hook. The sledges are preferably formed with a carrying handle at their leading ends. The sledges can be used as single seaters or chained into multiple seaters, for example, for use by two or more family members. The sledges are conveniently sized for storage and transportation purposes. The second aspect of the present invention is directed towards head supports providing head, neck and chin support for preventing a user's head from falling sideways or forward. The head supports include a head rest having a generally circular central recess for receiving the back of a user's head, left and right neck rests, and bulb-like left and right chin rests defining a neck aperture for receiving a user's neck. The head supports can be padded or inflatable. The head supports can be provided in a range of sizes for different ages of users ranging from babies through infants to adults. The head support is suitable for use in the car, airplane, etc. The head supports are preferably made from machine washable fabrics, plastics, and the like. The third aspect of the present invention is directed toward car seat apparatus with an electrical seat warmer for insertion into a removable washable cover. Removal of a washable cover from an electrical seat warmer enables the cover to be machine laundered to remove food stains and the like rather than being limited to being washed by hand to avoid water damage to the electrical seat warmer. The car seat apparatus is preferably supplied with a set of at least two washable covers to avoid situations which may arise if an electrical seat warmer is supplied with a single washable cover situations in which a user cannot use the electrical seat warmer because its only washable cover is being laundered. Brief Description of Drawings

In order to understand the invention and to see how it can be carried out in practice, preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of non- limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front isometric view of a single seater sledge; Fig. 2 is a rear isometric view of Figure 1 's sledge; Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of Figure 1 's sledge; Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of the head to tail chaining of a leading sledge and a trailing sledge;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the detail labeled A in Figure 4 showing the trailing sledge's leading anchor member hooked onto the leading sledge's trailing anchor member;

Fig. 6 is a front isometric view of a head support; Fig. 7 is a rear isometric view of Figure 6's head support;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation view of Figure 6's head support; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross section of an alternative embodiment of Figure 6's head support;

Fig. 10 is a pictorial representation showing the use of Figure 6's head support for preventing a user's head falling sideways or forwards;

Fig. 11 is a pictorial representation showing the deployment of Figure 6's head support for supporting a traveler's head;

Fig. 12 is a front elevation view of car seat apparatus including an electrical seat warmer; Fig. 13 is a rear elevation view of Figure 12's car seat apparatus;

Fig. 14 is a pictorial representation showing removal of the electrical seat warmer from Figure 12's car seat apparatus; and

Fig. 15 is a pictorial representation showing installation of Figure 12's car seat apparatus on a car seat. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

Single Seater Sledge

Figures 1 to 3 show a single seater sledge 100 having a longitudinal axis 101 and including a single seater seat 102 having a leading end 103 and a trailing end 104. The seat 102 has a shallow bowl-like shape with front and rear surfaces 106 and 107 and an uppermost rim 108. The seat 102 is sufficiently dimensioned that a user can sit towards the trailing end 104 and place his feet towards the leading end 103. The sledges 100 are preferably made from polypropylene with TPR over mold. The sledges 100 can be provided with images of faces of people, animals, and the like, on their front and rear surfaces 106 and 107.

The leading end 103 is formed with an outer loop constituting a carrying handle 109 and an inner loop constituting a leading anchor member 111. The trailing end 104 is formed with a hook constituting a trailing anchor member 112. The carrying handle 109 and the leading anchor member 111 are preferably co-planar with the uppermost rim 108. The trailing anchor member 112 is slightly raised with respect to the uppermost rim 108.

Figures 4 and 5 show head to tail chaining of a leading sledge IOOA and a trailing sledge IOOB by way of the trailing sledge lOOB's loop 111 being hooked onto the leading sledge lOOA's hook 112.

Head Support

Figures 6 to 8 show a head support 200 having a longitudinal axis 201 and including a padded head rest 202 having a left head rest side 202A and a right head rest side 202B. The head rest 202 has a generally circular central recess 203 for receiving the back of a user's head. The central recess 203 is preferably constituted by a throughgoing aperture whereby the head rest 202 assumes a generally toroidal configuration. The central recess 203 can be closed by a single ply crosspiece 203A (see Figure 9). The left head rest side 202 has a padded left neck rest 204 longitudinally extending therefrom and broadening into a bulb-like padded left chin rest 206. The right head rest side 202B has a padded right neck rest 207 longitudinally extending therefrom and broadening into a bulb-like padded right chin rest 208. The head rest 202, the left neck and chin rests 204 and 206, and the right neck and chin rests 207 and 208 define a neck aperture 209 for receiving a user's neck.

The head support 200 includes a securing mechanism 211 for securing the left chin rest's innermost surface 206A to the right chin rest's innermost surface 208A. The securing mechanism 211 can be in the form of a magnetic arrangement, Velcro type arrangement, and the like. The head support 200 includes fastening means 212 in the form of loops, straps, etc for fastening the head support 200 to a car seat, airplane seat, etc. The head support 200 can be provisioned with extremities 213, for example, ears, feet, and the like such that the head supports can resemble people, animals, and the like. One of the chin rests 206 and 208 is formed with a pocket 214 for an electronic device, for example, an I-pod, and the like.

Figures 10 and 11 show the use of head support 200 for providing head, neck and chin support to a user's head to prevent the user's head from falling sideways or forward. The back of the user's head is received in the central recess 203, the left and right neck rests 204 and 207 support opposite sides of the user's neck and the left and right chin rests 206 and 208 support opposite sides of the user's chin.

Car Seat Apparatus with Electrical Seat Warmer

Figures 12 to 15 show car seat apparatus 300 for use in a car including a car seat and an electrical lighter socket; The car seat apparatus 300 includes a removable washable cover 301 having fasteners for fastening the car seat apparatus 300 on a car seat. The washable cover 301 has a two ply construction including a front sheet 302 and a back sheet 303 defining an elongated pocket 304 therebetween. The back sheet 303 is split into a top part 303A and a bottom part 303B enabling access to the pocket 304 from the rear of the cover 301.

The car seat apparatus 300 includes a generally planar rectangular electrical seat warmer 306 for insertion into the pocket 304. The electrical seat warmer 306 including an electrical plug 307 for insertion into a car's electrical lighter socket and a heating current controller 308 for controlling the electrical seat warmer 306. Alternatively, the car seat apparatus 300 can be battery operated.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A single seater sledge having a longitudinal axis and comprising a single seater seat having a leading end with a leading anchor member and a trailing end with a trailing anchor member, said leading anchor member capable of being removably linked to a trailing anchor member of a leading single seater sledge and said trailing anchor member capable of being removably linked to a leading anchor member of a trailing single seater sledge thereby enabling single seater sledges to be chained head to tail into a chain of single seater sledges.

2. The sledge according to claim 1 wherein said leading anchor member is constituted by a loop and said trailing anchor member is constituted by a hook for hooking onto a loop of a trailing single seater sledge.

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3. The sledge according to either claim 1 or 2 and further including a carrying handle attached to said leading end.

4. A head support having a longitudinal axis and comprising: (a) a head rest having a central recess for receiving the back of a user's head, a left head rest side and a right head rest side;

(b) a left neck rest longitudinally extending from said left head rest side and broadening into a bulb-like left chin rest; and

(c) a right neck rest longitudinally extending from said right head rest side and broadening into a bulb-like right chin rest; said head rest, said left neck and chin rests, and said right neck and chin rests defining a neck aperture for receiving a user's neck, said central recess receiving the back of the user's head, said left and right neck rests supporting opposite sides of the user's neck and said left and right chin rests supporting opposite sides of the user's chin thereby providing head, neck and chin support to prevent the user's head from falling sideways or forward.

5. The head support according to claim 4 wherein said recess is constituted by a central throughgoing aperture whereby said head rest assumes a generally toroidal configuration.

6. The head support according to either claim 4 or 5 wherein each of said left and right chin rests has an innermost surface and a securing mechanism for securing said left chin rest's innermost surface to said right chin rest's innermost surface.

7. The head support according to any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein at least one said chin rest is formed with a pocket for an electronic device.

8. Car seat apparatus for use in a car including a car seat, the car seat apparatus comprising:

(a) a removable washable cover including fasteners for fastening the car seat apparatus to the car seat;

(b) a generally planar electrical seat warmer for insertion into said removable washable cover; and (c) a heating current controller for controlling said electrical seat warmer.

9. Car seat apparatus according to claim 8 and further comprising a set of at least two said removable washable covers.