Bichambered convertible headrest cover with padded insert

A removable headrest cover includes a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber. The inner chamber contains padding and is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel and the outer chamber is accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud. The shroud is configured to enclose a chair headrest within the outer chamber, and when removed from the chair, to be rolled or folded into multiple stacked portions the outermost portion of which includes an end segment of the outer opening that can enclose the other rolled or stacked portions within the outer chamber to form a pillow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to padded covers for headrests, and more specifically to removable headrest covers for temporary installation on chair tops, and especially on headrests on passenger seats in vehicles.

Description of Related Art

Padded headrests on chairs are well known in the art, for providing comfort and support to a seated individual. Most such headrests are an integral part of the chair, and may not provided the level of comfort desired by a particular user. This is because the padding is usually designed to abut the back of the user's head, and is not equipped to provide support for the user's neck. The discomfort is aggravated in the case of passengers traveling long distances, for example, by car, train, or airplane, where the passenger must remain seated for many hours with inadequate head and neck support.

Some solutions already exist that seek to address this very problem. For example, many seats on American Airlines® passenger planes are equipped with headrests that include padded, adjustable side panels that provide a passenger with head and neck support when the passenger lies her head to the left or right. Other solutions are portable pillow-like devices specifically designed for neck support. One such product is tubular pillow designed for placement between the headrest and the back of the passenger's neck. Another similar product is U-shaped so that during usage, middle part of the U rests behind the passenger's neck and the legs of the U provide support on both sides of the passenger's neck. And of course there are small, conventional pillows made available by most airlines to passengers, to provide a cushion against the window or their fellow passenger.

None of these solutions, however, protect the passenger from coming into contact with headrest residue left behind by a prior passenger. In some cases, the residue may simply be an annoying, albeit benevolent substance such as an oily or sticky film. In other cases, the residue may contain germs left by sick passengers who have coughed or drooled on, or otherwise infected the headrest. What is needed is a portable headrest cover with head and neck support that can be installed and removed by passengers for improved comfort and sanitation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a portable headrest cover that can be installed onto the headrest portion of a chair to form a comfortable, protective barrier between the headrest and the head and neck of an individual seated in the chair. When removed from the chair, the headrest cover can be converted into a pillow to provide an alternative means of comfort for the individual or collapsed for easy transport and storage.

In one embodiment according to the invention, a removable headrest cover for installation on a headrest portion of a chair includes a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber. The inner chamber is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber, the outer chamber is accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud, and the inner chamber is accessible through an inner opening defined through the inner panel. Padding is enclosed within the inner chamber. The flexible shroud is configured to enclose within the outer chamber a headrest portion of a passenger seat in a commercial airplane, so that the padding within the inner chamber provides additional comfort to an individual seated there.

In one embodiment of the invention, the removable headrest cover can be collapsed or converted into a pillow. This is made possible by the shroud and padding being made from material such as polyurethane fabric or soft, synthetic rubber that can be easily folded multiple times. For example, the flexible shroud with padded insert may be configured to allow the headrest cover to be folded into a stack of thirds comprising a lower third, a central third, and an upper third wherein each third includes at least a portion of the outer opening and wherein the outer opening is maintained inside the stack, so that the lower third and the central third can be tucked inside the outer opening portion of the upper third, thereby converting the headrest cover into a trifolded pillow.

In another embodiment, the padding can have a size substantially matching the volume of the inner chamber. A pillowcase may be provided to further enclose the padding. The pillowcase may further provide one or more pockets formed on a surface of the pillowcase for containing neck pads. The neck pads can be provided on either side of center, to provide additional neck support. In one embodiment, the neck pads may be dome-shaped and made of a soft, resilient material such as synthetic rubber. The flexible shroud may also include means for closing the inner opening and outer opening, such as zippers or hook-and-loop (Velcro®) fasteners.

In other embodiments, the flexible shroud of the headrest cover may define various shapes and sizes. For example, the headrest cover may have a generally rectangular volume. The flexible shroud may have a length between about 18 inches and about 20 inches, the outer opening or the inner opening may have a length between about 11 inches and about 13 inches, the outer opening may be substantially centered on the outer surface of the shroud, or the inner opening may be substantially centered on the inner panel.

In another embodiment, a bichambered headrest cover according to the invention includes a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber. The inner chamber contains padding and is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber. The outer chamber is accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud. The flexible shroud is configured to enclose a chair headrest within the outer chamber and, when removed from the chair, to be folded into multiple stacked portions and an outermost stacked portion, wherein the outermost stacked portion includes an end segment of the outer opening. The end segment of the outer opening can at least partially enclose the multiple stacked portions within the outer chamber, thereby collapsing the headrest cover into a pillow.

In another embodiment, a bichambered headrest cover includes a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber. The inner chamber contains padding and is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber. The outer chamber is accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud. The flexible shroud is configured to enclose a chair headrest within the outer chamber and, when removed from the chair, to be rolled into a compressed volume that can be tucked into an end segment of the outer opening to form a pillow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a portable headrest cover that can be installed onto the headrest portion of a chair to form a comfortable, protective barrier between the headrest and the head and neck of an individual seated in the chair. When removed from the chair, the headrest cover can be converted into a pillow to provide an alternative means of comfort for the individual or collapsed for easy transport and storage.

FIG. 1shows a frontal perspective view of one embodiment according to the invention of a bichambered convertible headrest cover10with a padded insert. The headrest cover10includes a shroud20that is preferably made from a flexible material such as fabric, for example, cotton or polyurethane or other cloth made from natural or synthetic fibers, or a blend of both. The shroud20encloses the internal parts of the headrest cover and forms a soft, comfortable surface all around the headrest cover. The shrouded headrest cover may be generally rectangular in shape, as it is preferably intended for use on commercial airline seats that have headrests that are also generally rectangular, although other shapes and applications are possible. Preferably, the material of headrest cover10is a machine-washable sterilizable fabric that can be easily manually installed on a headrest by pulling and stretching the headrest cover around the headrest being covered, and that can also be easily manually removed from a headrest using the same method, as a pillowcase is installed to cover a pillow, or as a fitted sheet is installed to cover a mattress.

In one embodiment, the length of the shroud20is between about 18 and 20 inches, the height of shroud20is between about 8 and 10 inches, and the depth of shroud20is between about 2 and 4 inches. The shroud20may be fabricated by conventional stitching techniques to create a side wall or panel18bordered by a front stitch22and a rear stitch24. The side wall18may run partially or completely around the perimeter of the shroud20. In one embodiment, the headrest cover10is formed as a trifoldable headrest cover having a right third12, a main third14, and a left third16. This fractional terminology is a rough approximation used only for purposes of illustration, and does not limit the invention in size or scale.

FIG. 2shows a perspective view of the headrest cover10being trifolded into a stack of thirds. In this example, the trifold is achieved by tucking or folding the left third16inward between the right third12and the main third14. As shown in the figure, the main third14is situated on the bottom of the stack, and when so stacked may be referred to herein as the lower third14. The left third16is being situated in the middle of the stack, and when so stacked may be referred to herein as the middle third16. The right third12is being situated on the top of the stack, and when so stacked may be referred to herein as the upper third12. An optional pull tab26may be affixed to the shroud20to assist in the stacking and tucking process.

FIG. 3shows a perspective view of the headrest cover10in a fully trifolded (or collapsed) state that forms a pillow. The lower third14and middle third16have been tucked into a portion of the outer chamber29of the upper third12to form the pillow. Alternatively, rather than folding the headrest cover10into thirds or into some other fractional sections for stacking, embodiments of the invention also allow the headrest cover to be rolled in a longitudinal direction (i.e. along the direction of the seams28,30) and the resulting roll tucked into the same portion of the outer chamber29to form a pillow.

FIG. 4shows a bottom perspective view of the headrest cover10, to illustrate the bichambered internal configuration. The bichambered configuration consists of an inner chamber33and an outer chamber29. The inner chamber33and outer chamber29are separated by an inner panel, which is composed of a top part36and a bottom part38. An inner opening is defined through the inner panel between the top part36of the inner panel and the bottom part38of the inner panel. This inner opening leads to the inner chamber33. An outer opening27is defined through the rear surface40of the headrest cover10underneath the top flap35, as shown. In one embodiment, the inner opening into chamber33and the outer opening27into chamber29may each have a length between about 11 inches and about 13 inches. The inner chamber33may be configured to enclose padding, and the outer chamber29may be configured to accommodate, and hold the headrest cover to, a headrest portion of a chair. Optional means for closing the inner opening and the outer opening27may also be provided, such as the hook-and-loop fasteners32,34, or by a zipper, buttons, or other conventional methods. In this embodiment, the upper flap35, lower flap45, and bottom surface40are formed from the same material used to form the front surface of shroud20. The flaps may be strengthened by a reinforced fold at the border of the outer opening27, as indicated by stitching28,30.

FIG. 5shows a perspective view of one embodiment of padding for the headrest cover10. In this figure the padding comprises a pillowcase50that contains a padding material such as foam rubber or other natural or synthetic pillow stuffing that conforms to the shape of its container. The pillowcase50may include corner pockets54,56for containing neck pads58. The surface52of the pillowcase50may be formed from the same fabric as the shroud20, or from a different fabric. Whether or not enclosed in the pillowcase50, the padding is inserted within the inner chamber33of the shroud20when a headrest cover according to the invention is fully assembled. Preferably, the padding has a size that substantially matches the volume and shape of the inner chamber33, or that enables the padding to generally assume the volume and shape of the inner chamber33when stuffed therewithin. Reinforced flaps such as57may be stitched to strengthen the borders of the pockets54,56. Means for closing the pockets54,56may also be provided, such as hook-and-loop fasteners59,60, or by a zipper, buttons, or other conventional methods.

FIG. 6shows a frontal view of the headrest cover10in a fully extended, or unfolded condition. This view illustrates the generally rectangular shape of the headrest cover, and general divisions thereof into the left third16, main third14, and right third12. This is the view that a user would see when facing the headrest when the headrest cover10is installed on the headrest of a chair. This view further illustrates how the shape of side wall18is somewhat formable, due to the flexibility of fabric used to manufacture the headrest cover, and to the formability of the enclosed padding. For example, though generally rectangular, the side wall18may define curved sides and corners around the rectangle to improve its fit to a particular headrest.

FIG. 7shows a rear view of the headrest cover10in a fully extended, or unfolded condition, with the outer opening27closed under the flap35. This is the view that a user would see when facing the back of a headrest when the headrest cover10is installed on the headrest of a chair. Preferably, when flap35is closed, the headrest is completed enveloped by the headrest cover10.

FIGS. 8 and 9show, respectively, lower and upper side views of the headrest cover10. These views illustrate the locations of bulging neck pads58on either side of the headrest cover at locations64and66. The neck pads may be securely held within pockets54and56of pillowcase50, as depicted inFIG. 5. Alternatively, shroud20may be configured with similarly located pockets for securely holding the neck pads. However configured, a headrest cover according to the invention may provide a means for attaching one or more neck pads to or within the shroud to provide added support for the head and neck of an individual seated in a chair having a headrest portion to which headrest cover10has been attached by means of the outer chamber of the shroud20. Attaching structures for the neck pads can also include buttons, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners.

FIGS. 10 and 11show, respectively, right side and left side views of the headrest cover10, again illustrating the locations of bulging neck pads58on either side of the headrest cover at locations64and66. The neck pads58are preferably made from a material that is soft and pliable for comfort, but that is also somewhat resilient to provide support for a user's head and neck. Silicone, or other synthetic rubbers or elastomers may be used for this purpose. In one embodiment, the neck pads58are dome-shaped.

In view of the foregoing disclosure, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the present invention for a headrest cover, in a broad sense, may be expressed as a removable headrest cover for installation on a headrest portion of a chair. Furthermore, the invention may include a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber, the inner chamber separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber, the outer chamber accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud, and the inner chamber accessible through an inner opening defined through the inner panel. Furthermore, the invention may include padding enclosed within the inner chamber.

The skilled artisan will further recognize that a more elaborate embodiment of the invention may be expressed as a headrest cover having a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber and the following additional features: The inner chamber contains padding and is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber. The outer chamber s accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud. The flexible shroud is configured to enclose a chair headrest within the outer chamber and, when removed from the chair, to be folded into multiple stacked portions and an outermost stacked portion, wherein the outermost stacked portion includes an end segment of the outer opening. And, wherein the end segment of the outer opening can at least partially enclose the multiple stacked portions within the outer chamber to form a pillow.

The skilled artisan will also recognize that another important aspect of the invention may be expressed as a headrest cover that includes a flexible shroud having an inner chamber and an outer chamber, wherein the inner chamber contains padding and is separated from the outer chamber by an inner panel disposed within the outer chamber, wherein the outer chamber is accessible through an outer opening defined through an outer surface of the shroud, wherein the flexible shroud is configured to enclose a chair headrest within the outer chamber and, when removed from the chair, to be rolled into a compressed volume that can be tucked into an end segment of the outer opening to form a pillow.