Patent Publication Number: US-2023150412-A1

Title: Tray bracket for car seat back

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       1 . Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a tray bracket, and more particularly, to a tray bracket structure for installing at the pillars of the headrest of a car seat and can be stowed or unfolded for use. 
       2 . The Prior Arts 
     Automobiles are a common transportation means for general public. Portable electronic products, such as, smart phones, tablet computers, etc., are tools for communication or entertainment for most people. While it is extremely dangerous for drivers to use portable electronic products, it is perfectly alright for the passengers to use portable electronic products in the car to avoid boredom in the car. 
     To provide a more comfortable riding space, some manufacturers have provided bracket assemblies for the car seat back for passengers in the rear seat. Some brackets are specially used to fix portable electronic products for passengers to watch movies, and some brackets provide collapsible dinner plates or cup holders to allow the passengers to temporarily place food or beverage bottles for eating and drinking. For this reason, the inventor aims at designing a multi-purpose bracket structure to meet the various needs of back-seat passengers and bring great convenience during the ride. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose tray bracket for car seat back, the structure can be easily fixed to a number of pillars, which are located in the car seat to support the headrest. After the structure is unfolded, a tray for storage can be provided, allowing passengers to obtain a temporary desktop in the back seat for placing food, beverage cups, laptops, etc.; in addition, various portable electronic products, such as smart phones, tablet PCs can also be clamped and fixed to allow back-seat passengers to watch videos more comfortably. In addition, a carton can also be fixed here for convenient use by back-seat passengers. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention is to provide a tray bracket for car seat back, including a fixing unit, a hanging board, a tray, and a placement unit; wherein the fixing unit is used to fix to the pillars of a car seat for supporting a headrest; the hanging board has a back area and a front area on opposite sides, the back area forms an array of adjustment components of different heights, the fixing unit is engaged with one of the adjustment components, the front area is disposed with a plurality of clips; the tray is pivotally connected to the bottom of the hanging board, the tray is close to the hanging board in the folded state, and can be in a horizontal position and perpendicular to the hanging board when opened; the placement unit is disposed on the tray at the side facing away from the hanging board, and the placement unit is for accommodating a carton between the placement unit and the tray. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the fixing unit is a strap provided with an adjusting fastener to control the length after tightening, and the strap can wrap around the periphery of the pillar to achieve tightening and fixing. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment component includes a bridge and a channel, a plurality of the bridges are distributed at different positions in the back area, and can be grouped according to different heights; each bridge forms a channel for the strap to pass through, so that the partial section of the fixing unit is restricted to the adjustment component. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the clips are arranged side by side at intervals, a portable electronic product can be clamped by at least one of the clips, and the portable electronic product in the clamped state is attached to the surface of the front area. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a cup holder is pivotally connected to the hanging board and located in the front area, the cup holder has at least one frame, and the cup holder can be turned upright and attached to the hanging board when not in use; after opening, the cup holder is in a horizontal position and perpendicular to the hanging board. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the placement unit includes at least one elastic band and a cover plate, the cover plate is connected to the tray via the elastic band, the distance between the cover plate and the tray is adjustable, and an opening is disposed at the center of the cover plate. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the placement unit includes at least one elastic band and a cloth bag, the cloth bag is connected to the tray via the elastic band, the cloth bag has an opening in the center, and the carton is wrapped in the cloth bag and fixed onto the tray. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the placement unit includes at least one elastic band and a mesh bag, the mesh bag is elastic and expandable in size by stretching, the mesh bag is connected to the tray via the elastic band, and the carton is placed in the mesh bag. 
     In a preferred embodiment, an outer wall of the tray forms at least a docking seat, and the docking seat can be used for installing other accessories. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the hanging board forms at least one hook on a vertical side wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention from an upward perspective; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the cup holder of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention in the folded state; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the tray of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention in the folded state; 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded view of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  6    is a first side view of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention in use state; 
         FIG.  7    is a second side view of the tray bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention in use state; 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of the tray bracket of the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic view of the tray bracket of the second embodiment of the present invention in use state; 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view of the tray bracket of the third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic view of the tray bracket of the third embodiment of the present invention in use state; 
         FIG.  12    is a schematic view of other accessories used in the tray holder of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , respectively are three-dimensional views of different angles of the tray bracket for car seat back of the present invention. The tray bracket includes a fixing unit  1 , a hanging board  2 , a tray  3 , and a placement unit  4 . The fixing unit  1  is used for fixing to a plurality of pillars. The hanging board  2  has a back area  21  and a front area  22  on opposite sides. The back area  21  forms an array of adjusting components  23  of different heights. The fixing unit  1  is engaged with at least one set of the adjusting components  23 . The front area  22  is disposed with a plurality of clips  24  arranged in a distributed manner; the tray  3  is pivotally connected to the bottom of the hanging board  2 , the tray  3  can be folded to stay close to the hanging board  2  in the folded state; when opened, the tray  3  is in a horizontal position and perpendicular to the hanging board  2 ; the placement unit  4  is disposed on the tray  3  at the side facing away from the hanging board  2 , and the placement unit  4  can accommodate a carton between the placement unit  4  and the tray  3 . As such, the tray  3  can be folded when not in use to save space. After unfolded, the tray  3  can stay horizontal for placing food, beverage cups, notebook computers, etc., or the portable electronic products can be fixed onto the hanging board  2  to improve the convenience of watching movies. The placement unit  4  can also fix a removable carton, such as a box of tissue papers, so that the tray holder is convenient to use, as well as provides good practicability and flexibility in a variety of usage scenarios. 
     The following describes the structure of each component: 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  6   , the fixing unit  1  is used to fix to a pillar  61 . The pillar  61  is located on the seat  62  in a car and supports a headrest  63 . Depending on the car, the number of pillars  61  one or plural. In the present embodiment, the fixing unit  1  is a strap  11 , and the strap  11  is provided with an adjusting fastener  12 . The adjusting fastener  12  controls the tightening length of the strap  11 , so that the fixing unit  1  can be wound and fixed to the pillar  61 . In addition, the fixing unit  1  may also be an elastic band or a buckle, as long as the function of fixing the pillar  61  can be achieved. 
     The hanging board  2  is a plate, which is fixed in an upright position when in use. The hanging board  2  has the back area  21  and the front area  22  on opposite sides. The back area  21  forms an array of adjusting components  23  of different heights, and the adjusting components  23  are used for passing the strap  11  of the fixing unit  1  to adjust the height of the hanging board  2  being fixed. Each adjustment component  23  includes a bridge  231  and a channel  232 . The channel  232  is formed under the bridge  231 . A plurality of bridges  231  are distributed at different positions of the back area  21  and are grouped according to different heights. In addition, the channel  232  of the same height can allow the strap  11  to pass through, so that a partial section of the strap  11  is restricted to the adjustment components  23 , so that the fixing unit  1  is engaged with the hanging board  2 . 
     The hanging board  2  has a plurality of protruding clips  24  distributed in the front area  22 . The clip  24  is partially connected to the hanging board  2  with elasticity, and the opening of the clip  24  faces upwards for the portable electronic product  7  to be inserted into the clip  24  from the top, so that the portable electronic product  7  can be close to the surface of the front area  22 . The portable electronic product  7  can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer or other audio-visual playback devices. In the present embodiment, a plurality of the clips  24  are arranged side by side in the front plate area  22  at equal intervals. When a tablet computer is to be fixed, two or three clips  24  can be used for clamping. In addition, one clip  24  can be used to hold the mobile phone in a straight manner, and two clips  24  can be used to hold the mobile phone in a horizontal manner to facilitate the user to watch the video. 
     In addition, the hanging board  2  is also provided with a cup holder  25  in the front area  22 . In the present embodiment, the cup holder  25  is a frame with two quadrilaterals, but it is not limited to this. The frame can also be round frame or C-shape, so as to hold cups or canned drinks conveniently. The cup holder  25  is pivotally connected to the hanging board  2  and is located in the front area  22 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , the cup holder  25  is in a horizontal position and perpendicular to the hanging board  2  when in use. As shown in  FIG.  3   , when not in use, the cup holder  25  can be flipped upward to attach to the hanging board  2  to save space. 
     In addition, the hanging board  2  has a hook  26  on each of the vertical walls on both sides. The hook  26  can be used for hanging a bag as a temporary hanging place for objects. 
     The tray  3  is pivotally connected to the bottom side of the hanging board  2 , and can be placed in a horizontal position and becomes perpendicular to the hanging board  2  after opened. As shown in  FIG.  4   , the tray  3  is in an upright position and attached to the hanging board  2  when in a folded state. As shown in  FIG.  1   , the tray  3  has a surrounding wall  31  on both sides, which is higher than the middle area, so that food or beverage cans, laptops or other items can be placed in the middle area of the tray  3  and not easy to fall out. The surrounding wall  31  additionally has at least one notch  311  and at least one clamping member  312 . The clamping member  312  is located inside the surrounding wall  31  and protrudes toward the center of the tray  3 . This structure is for installing and fixing the placement unit  4 . 
     The placement unit  4  is disposed on the side of the tray  3  facing away from the hanging board  2 , and the placement unit  4  is used to accommodate a carton between the placement unit  4  and the tray  3 . The placement unit  4  can be in a variety of different embodiments, and the following will illustrate a few exemplars. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , the placement unit  4  includes at least one elastic band  41  and a cover plate  42 . In the present embodiment, the elastic band  41  is partially connected around the cover plate  42 , and another section is connected to the tray  3 . The cover plate  42  has an opening  421  at the center. When the carton, such as, tissue box, is fixed between the cover plate  42  and the tray  3 , the opening  421  serves as a paper extraction opening. In the present embodiment, the elastic band  41  is ring-shaped, and a partial section is fixed to the cover plate  42 , so that the elastic band  41  forms a lug strap located on both sides of the cover plate  42 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , the elastic band  41  passes through the notch  311 , and a plurality of the clamping members  312  are hooked on a partial section of the elastic band  41 , so as to achieve the purpose of engaging the placement unit  4  with the tray  3 . If not in use, the elasticity of the elastic band  41  can be used to make the cover  42  close to the tray  3 . When a carton is to be placed, the stretch capability of the elastic band  41  can be used to adjust the distance between the cover  42  and the tray  3 . For different sizes and types of cartons, such as tissue paper boxes, sanitary paper boxes, and wet tissue boxes can all be placed here. 
       FIG.  6    and  FIG.  7    show the actual use of the tray bracket for car seat back according to the present invention. The tray bracket is installed behind the car seat  62 , and the headrest  63  is fixed on the seat  62  by at least one pillar  61 . The fixing unit  1  first uses the strap  11  to install at the corresponding height adjustment components  23  of the hanging board  2 , and then the strap  11  is wrapped around the periphery of the pillar  61  to fix the hanging board  2  to the seat  62  and behind the headrest  63 . As shown in  FIG.  6   , the tray  3  is pulled down to a horizontal position, and the cup holder  25  is also flipped down and becomes horizontal, so that the tray  3  can be used to receive the items to be placed on. The cup holder  25  can be used for placing beverage cups or beverage cans. A portable electronic product  7 , such as a tablet computer or a mobile phone, can be clamped at the bottom edge by the clip  24 , so that the portable electronic product  7  can be attached to the front area  22  for users to watch videos or use a mobile phone. A removable carton  8  can use the placement unit  4  to fix to the bottom surface of the tray  3 , and use the stretch capability of the elastic band  41  to expand to accommodate the carton  8  with different thicknesses. As shown in  FIG.  7   , the tray  3  is folded and attached to the hanging board  2 . As seen, no matter whether the tray  3  is in an upright or horizontal position, the user can easily extract the contents of the carton  8  for use. 
       FIG.  8    is a schematic view of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, another type of placement unit  4 A is used. The placement unit  4 A includes at least one elastic band  41  and a cloth bag  43 . The cloth bag  43  is combined with the elastic band  41 . The elastic band  41  is located on both sides of the cloth bag  43  in the shape of a lug strap. The cloth bag  43  can be elastic. For stretchable cloth or bags, the present embodiment also uses the elastic band  41  to be fixed to the surrounding wall  31  on both sides of the tray  3 . The cloth bag  43  has an opening  431  in the center, as shown in  FIG.  9   , so that the carton  8  can be wrapped by the cloth bag  43  and fixed to the bottom of the tray  3  when in use. 
       FIG.  10    is a schematic view of the third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, another type of placement unit  4 B is used. The placement unit  4 B includes at least one elastic band  41  and a stretchable and elastic mesh bag  44 . The elastic band  41  is located on both sides of the mesh bag  44  in the shape of a lug strap. The mesh bag  44  is an elastic and stretchable net. The elastic band  41  is used to fix to the surrounding wall  31  on both sides of the tray  3 . The mesh bag  44  has an opening  441  in the center, as shown in  FIG.  11   , so that the carton  8  can be wrapped by the cloth bag  43  and fixed to the bottom of the tray  3  when in use. 
     In summary, the placement unit  4  of the present invention is not limited to a single embodiment, as long as the structure that can fix the carton to one side of the tray  3  can be used as the placement unit of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG.  12   , the outer wall of the tray  3  can form at least one docking seat  33 ,  34 , and the structure of the docking seat  33 ,  34  can have a matching shape according to the structure of an accessory  9 . In the present embodiment, the accessory  9  is a socket set that can be used as an extension of the power supply. The accessory  9  is installed here to provide power for the portable electronic product  7 . Although three sets are drawn in the figure, only one set of accessories is actually used when in use. A plurality of different docking seats  33 ,  34  are convenient for users to install in the most favorable position. In addition, the types of accessories  9  are not limited to the present embodiment, and other accessories to be installed on the tray  3  can be selected according to the needs of the user. 
     In summary, the present invention provides a tray bracket for car seat back. The structure can be easily fixed to the pillar  61  on the seat  62  in a car. After the tray  3  is unfolded and laid flat, the passengers in the back seat can get a temporary flexible desktop for placing food, beverage cups, notebook computers, and so on. In addition, various portable electronic products, such as smart phones and tablet computers, can be clamped and fixed on the hanging board  2 , which is convenient for back-seat passengers to watch videos. Moreover, the removable carton can be accommodated by the placement unit  4 , which is convenient for back-seat passengers. The overall structure is practical and creative, and meets the patent application requirements. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.