Chairs and seats – Straddle seat
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-07
2001-05-15
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Straddle seat
C297S214000, C297S215160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231122
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bicycle saddles and more particularly to a saddle that includes a contoured upper seating surface that primarily supports the rider's ischeal tuberosities and thereby reduces the pressure placed on the perineum.
2. Background of the Related Art
The shape of modem performance oriented bicycle saddles are generally horizontal in profile with a narrow front end portion and a wider rear portion with a concave intermediate portion for inner thigh clearance while riding. Most modem high performance saddles consist of a rigid or semi-rigid molded plastic or nylon shell over which a padded leather, plastic or vinyl cover is fitted. The use of these materials in modem saddles has resulted in a lighter, more durable and more appealing saddle than those of even a few years ago, but the seat contours have remained substantially the same.
The desired characteristics of a good high performance or competitive saddle include minimal weight, moderate stiffness, good comfort, and a functional outer surface contour that aids the rider's performance during competitive cycling.
A traditional road saddle design is generally comprised of a plastic shell, padding, a seat cover, and a suspension rail for mounting the saddle on the bicycle. The saddle disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,912 is a typical example. The rail is made from a piece of relatively thick metal wire (e.g., about ¼ inch diameter), bent into a complex shape. The rail is attached to the shell by inserting it under a moderate preload compression into sockets molded into the forward and rear edges of the shell. Foam padding is applied to the outer surface of the shell, and the cover, usually leather, is applied over the padding. The preload secures and stiffens the shell. The rails are slightly longer than the maximum distance between the front sockets, causing the rails to deflect slightly when they are seated into the sockets. The rider's pelvis normally bears on the saddle near the center when viewed from the side view. The padding deforms elastically to provide a cushion for the rider, and the shell elastically deforms a small amount under this load to provide additional cushioning.
A recent trend in the art has been the manufacture of extremely lightweight racing saddles that make extensive use of advances in materials technology to achieve a reduced overall weight. These saddles typically employ a lightweight perforated resin nylon base shell, which is mated to a pair of titanium rails arranged along the underside shell (or base) surface in the conventional manner. The top surface of the nylon-based shell is provided with dense foam padding and a cover stretched thereover and secured to the underside of the shell. A common problem with these and similar saddle designs is the tendency of the saddle rails to sag or bend after extensive use thereby producing an upwardly-bowed bend on the upper surface of the saddle shell. This causes extreme discomfort to the rider as the contact points of the pelvic bones ride on the hard surface of the shell.
The saddle must also adequately support and distribute the load associated with the pressure points of the rider's lower pelvis region on the saddle surface to ensure rider comfort for prolonged periods of use. While most modem day saddle manufacturers take advantage of advances made in plastics, composites and metallurgy for designing a saddle which is both lightweight and comfortable, compromises are usually made to one or more of the desired characteristics of the ideal performance saddle.
Accordingly, a bicycle saddle providing better support for the rider to both increase riding comfort and reduce fatigue is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A bicycle saddle that includes a novel contoured upper seating surface that primarily supports the rider's ischeal tuberosities and further includes a depressed, extremely soft central anterior portion to reduce pressure placed on the perineum is disclosed. The saddle is essentially constructed from a shell formed by a wire support structure, foam padding, a self-contained gelatin pack, a leather cover, and a suspension rail for mounting the saddle onto a bicycle. The wire support structure, gelatin pack, padding and cover are fabricated in especially novel shapes and are assembled in an especially novel fashion so as to produce the desired contour for the seating surface for the rider.
In particular, the seating surface of the saddle includes laterally spaced apart right and left cup-shaped posterior support surfaces for supporting primarily the right and left ischeal tuberosities in the buttocks of the bicycle rider. The right and left posterior support surfaces are formed essentially by a pair of concave depressions in the posterior portion of the shell of the saddle, and corresponding concave depressions in the foam padding covering the shell.
The bicycle saddle disclosed herein further includes a gelatin pack in the center of the anterior portion of the saddle to provide an extraordinarily soft seating surface in the area where the rider's perineum normally rests.
The novel bicycle saddle disclosed herein therefore provides a seating surface for supporting the rider's weight on the area of the body that is substantially more comfortable to the rider than prior art saddles, thereby reducing rider fatigue. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the arts of bicycle riding and bicycle design.
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Boyle James F.
Boyle Fredrickson Newholm Stein & Gratz
Brown Peter R.
Trek Bicycle Corporation
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