| US 7,458,640 B1 | ||
| Adjustable vehicle headrest assembly | ||
| Gregory C. Hill, 101 Courtyard Way, Enterprise, Ala. 36330 (US) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 22, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/232,348. | ||
| Int. Cl. A47C 1/10 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 297—410 [297/408] | 12 Claims |

| 1. A power operated vehicle headrest assembly selectively adjustable between a plurality of alternate positions, said vehicle
headrest assembly comprising:
a vehicle seat including a back rest;
a headrest directly conjoined to said back rest and selectively adaptable between raised and lowered positions when a transmission
gear shifter of the vehicle is biased between forward and reverse driving positions; and
means for automatically adapting said headrest between said raised and lowered positions when the vehicle is selectively biased
between the forward and reverse driving positions such that a driver can effectively monitor surrounding driving conditions
through a rear view window of the vehicle without having to manually recline said headrest;
wherein said automatic adapting means is power operated and electrically coupled to an internal power supply source of the
vehicle, said automatic adapting means being directly and operably connected to the transmission gear shifter such that the
headrest automatically biases between the raised and lowered positions without requiring the driver to manually reposition
the headrest while transitioning the vehicle between the forward and the reverse positions;
wherein said automatic adapting means comprises:
an elliptical motor selectively rotatable about clockwise and counter clockwise directions, said motor including a drive shaft
oriented orthogonal to a vertical path along which said headrest is displaced within said groove, said elliptical motor further
including an actuator arm having a linear shape and being provided with axially opposed end portions directly conjoined to
said drive shaft and radially terminating away therefrom respectively;
an elongated shaft having a longitudinal length greater than a longitudinal length of said actuator arm, said shaft having
axially opposed end portions directly conjoined to said actuator arm and protruding upwardly beyond said top end of said back
rest, said shaft being statically affixed to said actuator arm such that said shaft simultaneously moves along a vertical
path corresponding to a rotary movement of said actuator arm, said rotary movement of said actuator arm being extending along
an arcuate path defined between a maximum of two quadrants; and
a upper flange pivotally connected directly to a top one of said shaft end portions and said headrest respectively, said upper
flange including pivotally attached first and second sections wherein said second portion maintains a static and vertical
relationship with said top end of said back rest while said first section selectively adapts between horizontal and vertical
positions as said shaft vertical travels between raised and lowered positions respectively.
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