1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to headrests and more particularly to a new and improved headrest protector for drivers and passengers of motor vehicles and more particularly wherein the seat for the driver and passenger is slightly ahead of the rear window of the vehicle and which can also provide an unobstructed view therethrough.
2. Description Of Prior Art
Motor vehicles are routinely equipped with headrests typically mounted to the backs of the front and back seats in an adjustable holder that is built into the seat during manufacture. In certain vehicles such as trucks, vans, models having small cab fronts, and the back doors of station wagons, the passenger's and/or driver's head is positioned in close proximity to the rear window. Consequently, in case of a sudden stop, front or rear impact, or even sudden rear movement of the driver or passenger, the individual's head could impact the rear window in the absence of some form of protective device. Additionally, the passenger's and driver's head are also positioned in close proximity to the side windows. Consequently, in the case of a side impact, the individual's head could impact on the side window in the absence of some form of protective device.
Certain references of interest are concerned with headrests of one sort or another, yet none is believed to fulfill the above indicated needs.
The following U.S. patents are believed to exemplify the present state of the art with respect to headrests for vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,483 relates to a headrest for securing to the window in the cab of a truck, or to any supporting surface in other types of vehicles, employing a cushion of porous plastic material surrounded by a nonporous material. The cushion has a port extending through the casing and into the porous material. A valve is mounted on the casing to control air flow through the port upon head impact with the cushion and substantially closing the port upon inflow of air through the port and into the cushion after impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,275 relates to a cushion headrest in a vehicle comprising an elastic, foamed and resilient cushion body having a contoured face portion and a flat back portion wherein at least the face portion is covered by a finished surface and wherein the back portion carries a pressure sensitive, moisture activatable or heat activatable adhesive suitably protected by a removable coverstrip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,575 relates to a head cushion support comprising a cushion support tray upon which the head cushion is carried, the cushion support itself being mounted on a vertically adjustable locking column. The locking column includes a medially disposed, locking joint and end members which are adapted to fit behind the window frame of a vehicle. A telescoping, adjustment piece is provided to extend or shorten the length of the locking column, and this adjustment piece enables the locking column to be properly sized for any given window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,287 relates to a safety head protector for use in a pickup truck cab or other vehicle with a rear window immediately behind the occupant's head. The protector is made of a foam cushion mounted on a sturdy support and covered by an outer cover. The protector is mounted onto the rear window glass by fasteners which allow vertical position adjustment. The support behind the foam cushion acts to prevent the occupant's head from breaking the rear window glass, which the foam cushion alone would not.
Other prior art devices that are of general interest to show the state-of-the-art are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,855; 4,900,089; 4,807,933; 4,607,886; 4,440,443; and 3,220,770.
These prior art devices are not exhaustive but are exemplary of the state of the art which relates to headrest devices for vehicles.
While these prior art patents provide improvements in the areas intended, there still exists a great need for a new and improved safety headrest protector for drivers and passengers, which also provides an unobstructed view and which is relatively simple in construction.
Accordingly, a principle desirable object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved headrest protector for drivers and passengers of motor vehicles and more particularly wherein the seat for the driver and passenger is slightly ahead of a rear window of the vehicle and which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art headrests for vehicles.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved headrest device for a driver or passenger in a vehicle, where the driver and/or passenger are positioned slightly ahead of the rear window of the vehicle.
A further desirable object of the present invention is to provide a safety headrest device which is visually transparent to maintain visibility through the window to which the headrest device is attached.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to provide a detachable headrest which can be mounted on a vehicle's side window adjacent a driver and/or passenger and which is transparent in order to maintain side window visibility.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to achieve the above desirable objects with an essentially simple structure lending itself to inexpensive mass production.
These and other desirable objects of the present invention will in part appear hereinafter and will in part become apparent after consideration of the specification with reference to the drawings and the claims.