Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to in-car video systems and in particular to arrangements for mounting a video screen in a car, for viewing by the rear-seat passengers. 
     2. Related Background Art 
     An in-car video entertainment system has been developed which comprises an LCD video screen embedded permanently in the rear of the front-seat headrest, for viewing by the rear-seat passengers. 
     I have now devised arrangements enabling video screens to be fitted in position without modification of existing vehicle installations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a mount for mounting a video screen in a vehicle, the mount being arranged for attaching to the headrest of a vehicle seat, such that at least a portion of the mount lies against the rear surface of the headrest, said portion of the mount comprising means for engagement by the rear of the video screen to secure the video screen against the rear surface of the headrest. 
     The mount in accordance with the present invention enables the video screen to be secured firmly in position against the rear surface of the headrest, so that rear-seat passengers can view the video output from a computer games device, video cassette/tape recorder or video disc player etc. The mount may be fitted to any existing headrest without any modification to the headrest being required. Preferably, the mount enables the video screen to be removed from the headrest, so that it can be stowed out of sight when the vehicle is left unattended. Moreover, the mount enables the in-car video system to be moved from car-to-car whenever desired. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the mount comprises a generally flat plate provided with the means for mounting engagement by the rear of the video screen, one or more straps being provided for tensioning around the headrest to attach the plate against the rear of the headrest. 
     In other embodiments, the mount may comprise a strap for passing around the headrest, either over the top and under the bottom of the headrest or around the opposite ends of the headrest, with the portion of the strap which lies against the rear surface of the headrest being provided with the means for mounting engagement by the rear of the video screen. 
     In a further embodiment, the mount may comprise a cover for fitting over the headrest, the cover being in the form of an envelope having an opening along e.g. its bottom edge, and including a rear portion or panel provided with the means for mounting engagement by the rear of the video screen. 
     In use, the video screen is mounted to the rear of the headrest and the video player is placed in any other desired location within the car or other vehicle. Preferably the video player and video screen are linked together by a single cable only, carrying both power and signals (audio and video) to the screen: typically, the power and signal ports are provided in one side edge of the screen and preferably the cable has a unitary terminal which attaches to the screen by engagement with these ports. Preferably an infra-red sensor is mounted at a front surface of the connector and is coupled, via the cable, to the video player, enabling remote control of the player by a rear-seat passenger using a hand-held infra red controller. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through consideration of the following detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a view of a car seat with a first embodiment of screen mount attached to its headrest; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the screen mount shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top-edge view of the screen mount; 
     FIG. 4 is a view of a car seat with a second embodiment of screen mount attached to its headrest; 
     FIG. 5 is a view of a car seat with a third embodiment of screen mount attached to its headrest; and 
     FIG. 6 is a view of a car seat with a fourth embodiment of screen mount attached to its headrest. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a car seat S having a headrest H mounted to it by means of a pair of upright posts P, which project from the underside of the headrest, being received in respective sockets in the top edge of the back of the seat. A mount  10  is attached to the rear of the headrest H: the mount  10  is arranged for a flat, LCD video screen to be fitted to it to secure the screen against the rear surface of the headrest. 
     The mount  10  comprises a flat, rectangular plate formed, adjacent each of its ends, with a pair of elongate apertures  12  aligned parallel with its length. Two straps  14  are provided, and are threaded through the respective pairs of apertures  12  and passed around the top and bottom of the headrest: each strap is pulled tight around the headrest and its free ends are fastened together (e.g. by means of hook-and-loop (Velcro) fasteners) to secure the mount  10  firmly against the rear of the headrest. The front face of the mount  10  may be formed with a pair of vertically-spaced studs  15  (as shown in FIG. 1) to facilitate the mounting of the video screen: instead, it may be formed with a projecting T-section rib  16  (as shown in FIGS.  2  and  3 ), running parallel to the opposite ends of the mount mid-way between them; the rib  16  enables a video screen, having a corresponding T-section groove in its rear, to be slidably mounted onto the mount  10 . 
     The mount  10  is formed of plastics material and is strengthened by a peripheral lip  11  on its rear surface, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. From FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the mount is symmetrical about both vertical and horizontal medial lines, so can be attached either way up to the headrest. 
     In order to enable adjustment to the orientation of the screen, i.e. the direction in which it faces, a sheet  18  of foam plastics material is interposed between the mount  10  and the rear surface of the headrest. The two straps  14  may be tightened by different amounts, so that the sheet of foam plastics material is compressed to different degrees adjacent its opposite ends, so that the screen is directed to left or right as required. Alternatively, the piece of foam plastics material may comprise a packing strip which is positioned as required towards one end or towards the top or bottom of the mount  10 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a second embodiment of screen mount attached to the headrest H of the car seat. In this embodiment, the screen mount comprises a strap  20  the ends of which are passed over the top and under the bottom of the headrest, and fastened together, e.g. by means of hook-and-loop (Velcro) fasteners. The strap  20  is provided with two projecting studs  22 , spaced apart along its length and therefore vertically when the strap is tied around the headrest, onto which the video screen may be mounted: the strap is tensioned sufficiently to hold the screen firmly in position. The strap  20  may be displaced around the headrest to direct the screen as required in the vertical plane: in order to deflect the screen to left or right, a packing strip may be interposed between the back of the screen and the rear of the headrest, towards the right or left end of the headrest. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a third embodiment of screen mount attached to the headrest H of the car seat. In this embodiment, the screen mount comprises a strap  30  the ends of which are passed around the opposite ends of the headrest and fastened together, e.g. by means of hook-and-loop (Velcro) fasteners. The strap  30  is provided with two projecting studs  32 , spaced across its width and therefore vertically when the strap is tied around the headrest, onto which the video screen may be mounted. The strap  30  is tensioned sufficiently to hold the screen firmly in position. The strap  30  may be displaced around the headrest to direct the screen as required in the vertical plane: in order to deflect the screen to left or right, a packing strip may be used in the manner described for the embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a fourth embodiment of screen mount attached to the headrest H of the car seat. In this embodiment, the mount comprises an elasticated cover  40  in the form of an envelope, open along its bottom edge, which is fitted over the top of the headrest. Because of its elasticated nature, the cover  40  grips the headrest firmly to maintain its position on the headrest. The cover  40  is provided, in its rear side, with a pair of projecting studs  42 , onto which the video screen may be mounted. The cover  40  may be displaced around the headrest to direct the screen as required in the vertical plane: a packing strip may be interposed between the screen and the headrest, as described for the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, to deflect the screen to left or right. 
     It will be appreciated that, in each of the embodiments which have been described, the video screen may be attached to the mount either after the mount is secured to the headrest, or beforehand. Similarly, the video screen may be removed from the mount either before the mount is removed from the headrest, or afterwards. 
     Upon leaving the car unattended, the video screen will normally be detached and stored in a safe place: the mount may be left in position on the headrest, or it may be removed. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Technology Category: 4