Seatcover with tray

• US 5,947,033 A
• Filed: 11/03/1998
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jeff B. Lombardo
• Original Assignee: Jeff B. Lombardo
• Inventors: Lombardo, Jeff B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US09/184,942
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 108/43, 108/44, 108/45, 297/188.04, 297/188.06, 297/163, 224/275
• US Class Current: 108/44
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/004 of foldable trays mounted on the back-rest

Abstract

A tray for accommodating eating, reading, and writing activities for a passenger seated in a transport vehicle, and a seat cover supporting the tray on a seat back of a seat of the transport vehicle. The seat cover has a plurality of connectors enabling the tray to be manually connected to the seat cover and thereby supported. The tray has a flat floor, a peripheral wall, and two receptacles for supporting cups or bowls. Two hooks project forwardly from the tray, for engaging two of the connectors. Two support struts are pivotally journalled respectively to right and left sides of the tray. The free ends of the two struts are received in two of four connectors of the seat cover. Each of these four connectors has a socket for receiving a strut. Four different ways of connecting the tray to the seat cover are thus provided, each one way resulting in inclination of the tray relative to the seat cover which differs from the other possible inclinations. The four possible inclinations range from horizontal to vertical, with two intermediate inclinations.

Claims

1. A tray usable for accommodating eating, reading, and writing activities and mountable to a seat back of a seat of a transport vehicle, comprising:

a working platform having

a flat support surface, a forward edge, a rear edge, and lateral edges, and a short, upstanding wall projecting from said flat support surface at said forward edge, said rear edge, and said lateral edges of said working platform,

attachment means for manually and detachably attaching said working platform to a supporting object, said attachment means fixed to said working platform,

support struts projecting from said working platform, said support struts having pivotal attachment elements enabling each said support strut to swivel relative to said working platform; and

a seat cover disposed to engage the seat back of the seat of the transport vehicle, said seat cover having a right side, a left side, first anchorage elements disposed to engage said attachment means for attaching said working platform, and second anchorage elements including engagement members disposed to removably receive and retain said support struts.

2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said first anchorage elements comprise two spaced apart walls disposed to project from said seat cover towards said working platform, and a bar connected to and spanning said two spaced apart walls.

3. The tray according to claim 1, wherein attachment means comprise hooks, and said first anchorage elements comprise two spaced apart walls disposed to project from said seat cover towards said working platform, and a plurality of bars connected to and spanning said two spaced apart walls, each said bar being spaced apart from all other said bars sufficiently to enable said hooks selectively to engage any one said bar.

4. The tray according to claim 1, wherein

said support struts are two in number, and

four said second anchorage elements are provided, there being two said second anchorage elements disposed at said right side of said seat cover in vertically arrayed, spaced apart locations, and two said second anchorage elements disposed at said left side of said seat cover in vertically arrayed, spaced apart locations, whereby each support strut is selectively received in more than one said second anchorage element.

5. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said working platform has a first vessel receptacle having an inclined lateral wall open at the top and at the bottom.

6. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said working platform has a second vessel receptacle having a floor.

7. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said attachment means are two in number and each said hook opens downwardly, and said support struts are two in number, wherein one said support strut is disposed at one said lateral edge of said working platform and the other said support strut is disposed at an opposed said lateral edge of said working platform.

8. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said short, upstanding wall is taller at said rear edge of said working platform than at said forward edge and at said lateral edges of said working platform, thereby forming a ledge for supporting books when said tray is disposed at a steep inclination relative to said seat cover.

9. A tray usable for accommodating eating, reading, and writing activities and mountable to a seat back of a seat of a transport vehicle, comprising:

a working platform having

a flat support surface, a forward edge, a rear edge, and lateral edges, a first vessel receptacle and a second vessel receptacle both disposed in said working platform, said first vessel receptacle having an inclined wall and being open at the bottom and at the top, said second vessel receptacle having a floor, and a short, upstanding wall projecting from said flat support surface at said forward edge, said rear edge, and said lateral edges of said working platform, wherein said short, upstanding wall is taller at said rear edge than at said forward edge and said lateral edges of said working platform, thereby forming a ledge for supporting books when said tray is disposed at a steep inclination relative to said seat cover,

two downwardly open hooks projecting from said forward edge of said working platform, and

two support struts projecting from said working platform, said support struts having pivotal attachment elements enabling each said support strut to swivel relative to said working platform, wherein one said support strut is located at one said lateral edge of said working platform and the other said support strut is located at an opposed said lateral edge of said working platform; and

a seat cover disposed to engage the seat back of the seat of the transport vehicle, said seat cover having a right side, a left side, two first anchorage elements disposed to engage said hooks, wherein each one of said first anchorage elements comprises two spaced apart walls disposed to project from said seat cover towards said working platform, and four second anchorage elements, there being two said second anchorage elements disposed at said right side of said seat cover in vertically arrayed, spaced apart locations, and two said second anchorage elements disposed at said left side of said seat cover in vertically arrayed, spaced apart locations, each one of said second anchorage elements including a socket disposed to receive said support struts, and a plurality of bars connected to and spanning said two spaced apart walls, wherein said bars are spaced apart from one another sufficiently to enable a said hook to engage any one said bar.