Entertainment system mountable in a vehicle seat

• US 7,791,586 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Original Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Inventors: Shalam, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Nitin
• Application Number:
  US11/593,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20070052618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-160, 297/217.3, 348/61, 348/148, 348/837, 361/679.21, 408/607
• US Class Current: 345/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0017 Head-rests

Abstract

An entertainment system includes a housing adapted for being mounted within a seat of a vehicle and a media unit housed within the housing and pivotably coupled to the housing. The housing includes at least one of a groove formed within a sidewall of the housing adapted to engage a movable latch of the media unit, a first flexible member provided on a sidewall of the housing to engage a portion of the media unit for snapping the media unit into place within the housing, or a second flexible member disposed in a face of the housing to provide a spring force on the media unit in a direction away from the housing.

Claims

1. An entertainment system for a seat of a vehicle comprising:

a housing adapted for being mounted within a seat of a vehicle; and

a media unit housed within the housing and pivotably coupled to the housing, and wherein the housing includes a curved groove formed within a sidewall of the housing adapted to engage a laterally movable latch located on a backside of the media unit, wherein the latch includes a tab and a handle attached to the tab, and wherein the tab of the latch can be extended to engage the curved groove or retracted such that the tab of the latch is not engaged with the curved groove by sliding the handle of the latch in opposite lateral directions.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible member provided on a sidewall of the housing to engage a portion of the media unit for snapping the media unit into place within the housing.

3. The entertainment system of claim 2, wherein the portion of the media unit engaging the flexible member includes a tab, and wherein the flexible member flexes away from a center of the housing by pressure from the tab when the media unit is pivoted into the housing and once the tab passes the flexible member, the flexible member flexes toward the center of the housing.

4. The entertainment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible member disposed in a face of the housing to provide a spring force on the media unit in a direction away from the housing.

5. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted in a headrest of the seat of the vehicle.

6. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the media unit includes at least one of a DVD player, an MPEG player or a video game player.

7. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the groove follows rotation of the media unit with respect to the housing.

8. The entertainment system of claim 7, wherein engagement of the movable latch with the groove restricts the angle of rotation of the media unit with respect to the housing in a range of about 0 degrees to about 45 degrees.

9. The entertainment system of claim 1, wherein the media unit is pivotably connected to the housing via a hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly includes a first hinge portion located on a side of the media unit, the first hinge portion including a plate through which a fixing device is driven into a recess formed in the housing.

10. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein the hinge assembly further includes a second hinge portion formed on a side of the media unit opposite to the side of the media unit on which the first hinge portion is formed, and the second hinge portion being adapted to fit in a recess formed in the housing.

11. The entertainment system of claim 10, wherein the media unit may be pivoted to an angle of about 135 degrees with respect to the housing.

12. The entertainment system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connection assembly for electrically connecting the media unit to wire leads running through a support rod of a headrest of the seat of the vehicle.

13. The entertainment system of claim 12, wherein the electrical connection assembly includes an electrical connector positioned at a rear portion of the media unit having first and second opposing pin connectors, a first mating pin connector positioned in the headrest, and a second mating pin connector positioned in the media unit, and wherein the first opposing pin connector connects to the first mating pin connector and the second opposing pin connector connects to the second mating pin connector.

14. The entertainment system of claim 13, wherein the housing includes an opening for receiving therein at least the second opposing pin connector.

15. The entertainment system of claim 13, further comprising a cover affixed to the rear portion of the media unit for holding the electrical connector in place and for covering at least the second opposing pin connector and the second mating pin connector which are connected to one another.

16. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the cover further includes a hole for receiving a fixing device therein.

17. The entertainment system of claim 16, wherein the cover further includes tabs for fitting into slots in the media unit.

18. An entertainment system mounted in a headrest of a seat of a vehicle comprising:

a media unit housing mounted within the headrest, the housing having a first sidewall, second sidewall, third sidewall and fourth sidewall and a face, the first and second sidewalls being connected to each other via the third and fourth sidewalls, and the first, second, third and fourth sidewalls each being substantially perpendicular to the face, wherein the housing includes a pair of first flexible members provided on one of the sidewalls of the housing; and

a media unit housed within the housing and pivotably coupled to the housing, wherein the first flexible members snap over a pair of tabs located on a surface of the media unit to hold the media unit in place within the housing.

19. The entertainment system of claim 18, further comprising:

a pair of second flexible members disposed in the face of the housing to provide a spring force on the media unit in a direction away from the housing.

20. The entertainment system of claim 18, wherein the detachable media unit includes a laterally movable latch located at the rear of the media unit for engaging a curved groove formed in the first sidewall of the housing.

21. The entertainment system of claim 18, further comprising an electrical connection assembly for electrically connecting the media unit to wire leads running through a support rod of the headrest, wherein the electrical connection assembly comprises an electrical connector having first and second opposing pin connectors, a first mating pin connector positioned in the headrest, and a second mating pin connector positioned in the media unit, wherein the first opposing pin connector connects to the first mating pin connector and the second opposing pin connector connects to the second mating pin connector.

22. The entertainment system of claim 21, wherein the housing includes an opening for receiving therein at least the second opposing pin connector.

23. The entertainment system of claim 21, further comprising a cover affixed within an opening in the rear portion of the media unit for holding the electrical connector in place.

24. A support structure for supporting an entertainment system within a seat of a vehicle comprising:

a housing adapted for being mounted within the seat of a vehicle and for pivotably housing a media unit therein,

wherein the housing includes first biased members disposed within a face of the housing to provide a force on the media unit in a direction away from the housing.

25. The support structure of claim 24, wherein the housing further includes a curved groove formed within a sidewall of the housing which follows rotation of the media unit with respect to the housing, wherein the curved groove engages a movable latch located within a rear portion of the media unit to restrict an angle of rotation of the media unit with respect to the housing.

26. The entertainment system of claim 24, further comprising second biased members disposed on a sidewall of the housing, wherein the second biased members flex in a first direction by pressure from tabs located on the media unit when the media unit is pivoted into the housing and once the tabs pass the biased members, the second biased members flex in a second direction opposite the first direction to snap the media unit into place within the housing.

27. The support structure of claim 24, wherein the housing includes an opening therein through which at least a portion of an electrical connection assembly for electrically connecting the media unit to wire leads running through the seat of the vehicle may be received.

28. An electrical connection assembly for electrically connecting a media unit housed within a seat of a vehicle to wire leads running through the seat of the vehicle comprising:

an electrical connector having first and second opposing pin connectors;

a first mating pin connector positioned in the seat of the vehicle, and a second mating pin connector positioned in the media unit, and wherein the first opposing pin connector connects to the first mating pin connector and the second opposing pin connector connects to the second mating pin connector; and

a cover for holding the electrical connector in place and affixed within a portion of the media unit wherein the second opposing pin connector and the second mating pin connector are positioned.

29. An entertainment system for a seat of a vehicle comprising:

a housing adapted for being mounted within a seat of a vehicle; and

a media unit housed within the housing and pivotably coupled to the housing, and wherein the housing includes at least one of a groove formed within a sidewall of the housing adapted to engage a movable latch of the media unit, a first flexible member provided on a sidewall of the housing to engage a portion of the media unit for snapping the media unit into place within the housing, or a second flexible member disposed in a face of the housing to provide a spring force on the media unit in a direction away from the housing.

30. The entertainment system of claim 29, wherein the housing includes the groove and the groove is a curved groove which follows rotation of the media unit with respect to the housing.

31. The entertainment system of claim 30, wherein the housing includes the first flexible member, the portion of the media unit engaging the first flexible member includes a tab, and wherein the first flexible member flexes away from a center of the housing by pressure from the tab when the media unit is pivoted into the housing and once the tab passes the flexible member, the flexible member flexes toward the center of the housing.

32. The entertainment system of claim 30, wherein the housing includes the second flexible member.