Saftey vehicle headrest cover

Abstract

The headrest cover of the present invention can be viewed as a sleeve that can be draped over the conventional headrest of a vehicle seat back. Preferably, the sleeve encloses part, or all, of the headrest. The main function of the headrest cover is to enhance the safety of the passenger by shortening the distance between the back of the passenger's head and the front surface of the headrest. The front portion of the headrest cover includes a compartment in which a plurality of shock-absorbing cushions are deployed so as to extend outwardly from the front surface of the vehicle headrest toward the region of the normal head position of the passenger. The shock-absorbing cushions are preferably arrayed substantially vertically within the compartment. The shock-absorbing cushions are configured so as to be interchangeable. The thickness, number, shape and shock-absorbing properties of each shock-absorbing cushion determine the amount of forward extension of the compartment. The user is free to select the number and type of shock-absorbing cushions that will give the optimal distance between his/her head and the headrest.

1 . A headrest cover for whiplash protection of the head of a passenger in the seat having a headrest, the headrest cover comprising: 
 (a) a sleeve configured to substantially encase the headrest;    (b) a compartment associated with said sleeve, said compartment extending outwardly from a front surface of the headrest toward a region of normal head position the head of the passenger; and    (c) at least one shock-absorbing cushion deployed within said compartment and configured to substantially fill a volume defined by said compartment.    
   
   
       2 . The headrest cover of  claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is configured from substantially flexible material.  
   
   
       3 . The headrest cover of  claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is configured from substantially rigid material.  
   
   
       4 . The headrest cover of  claim 1 , wherein said compartment is permanently connected to said sleeve.  
   
   
       5 . The headrest cover of  claim 4 , wherein said compartment is accessible from inside said sleeve.  
   
   
       6 . The headrest cover of  claim 4 , wherein said compartment is accessible from outside said sleeve.  
   
   
       7 . The headrest cover of  claim 1 , wherein said compartment is detachably connected to said sleeve.  
   
   
       8 . The headrest cover of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one shock-absorbing cushion is implemented as a plurality of shock-absorbing cushions.  
   
   
       9 . The headrest cover of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions has shock-absorbing properties that are different from the others of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions.  
   
   
       10 . The headrest cover of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions has a shape that is different from the others of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions so as to configure the overall shape of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions to substantially fill a volume defined by said compartnent.  
   
   
       11 . The headrest cover of  claim 8 , wherein said compartment is configured from resilient material so as to conform to an overall shape of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions thereby accommodating a varying number said shock-absorbing cushions, and said number of shock-absorbing cushions is varied to accommodate whiplash protection requirements of the passenger.  
   
   
       12 . A headrest cover for whiplash protection of the head of a passenger in the seat having a headrest, the headrest cover comprising: 
 (a) a compartment extending outwardly from a front surface of the headrest toward a region of normal head position the head of the passenger;    (b) an attachment system associated with said compartment, said attachment system configured to attach said compartment to the headrest; and    (c) a plurality of shock-absorbing cushions deployed within said compartment and configured to substantially fill a volume defined by said compartment.    
   
   
       13 . The headrest cover of  claim 12 , wherein said attachment system is a sleeve configured to substantially encase the headrest.  
   
   
       14 . The headrest cover of  claim 12 , wherein said compartment is permanently connected to said attachment system.  
   
   
       15 . The headrest cover of  claim 14 , wherein said compartment is accessible from inside said attachment system.  
   
   
       16 . The headrest cover of  claim 14 , wherein said compartment is accessible from outside said attachment system.  
   
   
       17 . The headrest cover of  claim 12 , wherein said compartment is detachably connected to said attachment system.  
   
   
       18 . The headrest cover of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions has shock-absorbing properties that are different from the others of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions.  
   
   
       19 . The headrest cover of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions has a shape that is different from the others of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions so as to configure the overall shape of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions to substantially fill a volume defined by said compartment.  
   
   
       20 . The headrest cover of  claim 18 , wherein said compartment is configured from resilient material so as to conform to an overall shape of said plurality of shock-absorbing cushions thereby accommodating a varying number said shock-absorbing cushions, and said number of shock-absorbing cushions is varied to accommodate whiplash protection requirements of the passenger.