AIRPLANE SEAT SHEETS

Richard Berge

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to provisional application 60/716,410, filed on September 13, 2005, entitled Airline Seat Sheet, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the field of seats, more specifically to seats of the type used on airlines and in passenger trains and other commercial carriers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Each year tens of millions of people fly in commercial airliners or on passenger trains. Many of these flights are long distance or so called "red-eye" flights, in which the flight takes off at night and arrives the next morning. Over any stretch of time, a passenger 's seat may have been used by hundreds of people before. As a result, the issue of germs and hygiene on the seat becomes a concern. Additionally, it is common that the seats are coarse and uncomfortable for a person who desires to sleep on the flight. There is a need for a sheet which can be easily used by airline passengers, to ensure cleanliness and comfortability.

There are a number of prior art seat covers in the patent literature. For example, polyethylene sheets or film for temporary protective seat covers for automobiles taken in for repairs have been disclosed in U.S. Patent No.

4,676,376. However, the plastic seat cover proposed in U.S. Patent No. 4,676,376 does not include an opening at its top nor does the cover include a pocket to limit rearward or lateral movement of the cover relative to the seat cushion.

U.S. Patent No. 4,694,511 proposes a garment for bathers that also can be used as a protective cover for a vehicle seat or a beach chair. In particular, FIG. 5 of U.S. Patent No. 4,694,511 shows the combination garment/protective cover where the neck collar portion is received over and positioned about the base of a headrest. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 of the '511 patent, the headrest appears to be integral and not moveable relative to the seat. The garment/protective cover also covers the top of the seat cushion and the front face of the seat cushion using straps 18 and 19 located on both sides of the seat cushion in an attempt to limit rearward movement of the garment/protective cover. The '511 patent in col. 1 , Ins. 19-27 further emphasizes the problems in the past of merely draping a towel on the vehicle seat since the towel would not be secured to the seat and the draped towel, without an opening, obscures the driver's rear view if the cover is used to cover a headrest, now present with most modern vehicle seats.

U.S. Patent No. 4,892,353 proposes a cover for a lounge chair where the front portion of the seat back includes an indicia which may be silk screened or appliqued to the fabric, as indicated in col. 4, Ins. 16-22. The proposed indicia may be decorative or may carry an advertising message, as for example, an advertisement for a particular resort or recreational product. As stated in col. 2,

Ins. 24-26 and Ins. 59-62 of the '353 patent, in one embodiment the material for covering the lounge chair is an absorbent toweling or terry cloth material.

U.S. Patent No. 5,150,945 proposes a vehicular child seat cover fabricated from sheet fabric, sheet plastic or plastic coated fabric. The cover of the '945 patent proposes an elasticized upper hem to provide a snug fitting sleeve top to fit a variety of backs without adjustment. The bottom hem of the cover is also elasticized for fitting seats of different sizes and shapes, as best shown in FIG. 1 of the '945 patent. The cover is also attached to the seat back by hook and loop fasteners to facilitate removal for cleaning.

A prior art product that is now commercially available from BMW of North America, Inc. This seat cover is fabricated from a polycotton fabric and its proposed use is to protect a seat from sun, sand, mud or snow.

U.S. Patent No. 4,536,028 discusses a fitted sheet for lounge chairs. A fitted sheet particularly adapted for use with lounge chairs of the type commonly used at poolside or the beach comprises a top panel for residing over the upper surface of the chair, pocket formations at each end of the top panel for fitting over the ends of the chair and transverse elastic straps for placement behind the chair at the points where the head and foot portions of the chair are hingedly connected to the horizontal central section of the chair. Gathering of the material in the central portion of the sheet provides enhanced versatility and increased conformity of the sheet to the chair.

U.S. Patent No. 5,615,425 discusses a fitted sheet for a disposable stretcher/gumey linen. A fitted sheet for use as a disposable stretcher/gumey

linen, comprising an elongated sheet having a length and a width adapted to accommodate and be placed onto a stretcher/gurney to cover a mattress carried by the stretcher/gurney and prevent the mattress from being soiled, the length dimension being greater than the width dimension, at least one end of the length dimension is protected for temporary connection with the mattress for retaining the sheet on the mattress when the sheet is placed onto the mattress, and a flap on each side of the sheet extends along the length dimension for use as carriers to lift the sheet and move it with an individual thereon from one place to another.

While there have been a number of seat covers in the prior art, there have not been any sheets for use on airliners, trains and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel sheet and seat cover which can be used by airline and passenger train passengers and which can be easily stored and washed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat cover for airliners and passenger trains by which passengers can hygienically and comfortably rest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a novel fitted sheet for a plane or train seat comprising a hood section for attachment to the top of the seat; a main body section covering the seat; and a means for attaching-the sheet to the bottom of the seat is disclosed.

In a further embodiment, the invention is a novel fitted sheet for a plane or train seat comprising a cotton hood section for attachment to the top of the seat; a main cotton body section affixed to the hood section for covering the seat; and a means for attaching the sheet to the bottom of the seat.

In still a further embodiment, the invention is a novel fitted sheet for a plane or train seat comprising: a cotton hood section for attachment to the top of the seat; a main cotton body section affixed to the hood section for covering the seat; a means for attaching the sheet to the bottom of the seat; and a carrying bag to store the sheet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1 and 2 are side views of the present invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective rear and front views of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of a carrying case for the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is described with reference to the enclosed Figures wherein the same numbers be used where applicable. -The present invention encompasses a novel fitted sheet 10 which is configured to fit on an airplane or train seat. The novel fitted sheet has both a front section 12 and rear section 13. The rear of the sheet 13 includes a hood 16 which is designed to secure the

sheet to the top of an airliner or train chair and to hold the sheet in place. The front side of the hood 14 which is adjacent to the user's head my be padded for added comfort.

The sheet includes a body member which divides into two major sections 20, 21. The first section 21 attaches to the top section of the seat 16 with the second overlaying the leg section 25. A middle section 18 overlays the seat section. The leg section may include an attachment means, such as an elastic strap 27, to secure the bottom of the sheet and prevent crumpling.

The sheet of the present invention can be constructed from a wide variety of materials including cotton, flannel, polyester, terry cloth or a cotton-polyester blend. The sheet may include an antibacterial agent to prevent germs.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet 10 of the present invention can be folded and stored in a bag 30 for travel and can be removed and washed. The travel bag 30 can be secured or closed with pull tie 29.

The present invention has been described with reference to the enclosed Figures. The true nature and scope of the class appended hereto.