Cervical support harness assembly

Abstract

A cervical support harness for a head of a user seated in a seat in a generally upright position has a flexible elastic headband and a cross strap that is configured to extend across the top of the user's head, from front to back. A crescent or U-shaped neck pillow is secured to a back portion of the headband by an attachment strap that extends downwardly from the headband, when the headband is positioned on the user's head. An elongated flexible securing band attached, at one of its ends, to the front portion of the headband is adapted for wrapping around the back of the seat and for securing at the front of the headband, thus preventing undesirable jolting movement of the user's head. A front visor shields the eyes and upper part of the user's head.

1 . A cervical support harness assembly for supporting a head of user seated in a seat in a generally upright position, the assembly comprising:
 a headband formed from a flexible resilient material and configured for positioning around a user's head, said headband having a front portion and a back portion;   a cross strap configured to extend across from the front portion of the headband to the back portion of the headband;   a neck support member secured to the cross strap by an attachment strap; and   a means for detachably securing the harness assembly to a back of the seat.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said means for detachably securing the harness assembly comprises an elongated securing band having a first end secured to a front portion of the headband and a second end configured for detachable engagement with the first end. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said securing band has longitudinal dimensions sufficient to extend around the back of the seat and form a closed loop when the first end is detachably engaged with the second end. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the securing band has longitudinal dimensions to extend around a back of an infant car seat. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the securing band has longitudinal dimensions to extend around a back of a car seat. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the securing band has longitudinal dimensions to extend around a back of an airplane seat. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first end of the securing band is provided with an engagement member and the second end of the securing band is provided with a matching engagement member configured to engage the first end. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said headband is formed from an elastic material to facilitate adjustment of the headband to the user's head. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said neck pillow has a generally U-shaped configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the attachment strap extends in a general alignment to the cross strap and is secured to the back portion of the headband. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a visor secured to the front portion of the headband, said visor configured to shield at least an upper part of a user's face. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said visor is formed from a non-transparent material. 
     
     
         13 . A method of supporting a head of a user seated in a seat in a generally upright position, comprising the steps:
 providing a cervical support harness assembly comprising a headband formed from a flexible resilient material, said headband having a front portion and a back portion, a cross strap configured to extend across from the front portion of the headband to the back portion of the headband, a neck support member secured to the cross strap by an attachment strap, and an elongated securing strap having a first end secured to the front portion of the headband and a second end;   positioning the headband on the user's head, while the user is seated in the seat, while orienting the cross strap to extend along a top of the user's head, from a front to a back of the user's head;   positioning the neck support member behind a user's neck; and   wrapping the securing member around a back of the seat, in which the user is seated, and then joining the first end of the securing band with the second end of the securing band to form a closed loop, thereby restraining movement of the user's head while supporting the user's head seated in the seat.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the user is an infant and the seat is an infant car seat. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the seat is a car seat. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the seat is an airplane seat. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising a step of providing a visor and securing the visor to the front portion of the headband. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said visor is configured to shield at least an upper part of a user's face. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the visor is formed from a non-transparent material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first end of the securing band is provided with an engagement member and the second end of the securing band is provided with a matching engagement member configured to engage the first end. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said neck pillow has a generally U-shaped configuration. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the attachment strap extends in a general alignment to the cross strap and is secured to the back portion of the headband. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said headband is formed from an elastic material configured to facilitate adjustment of the headband to different size heads.