Chairs and seats – Bottom or back – Having fluent material
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-03-27
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Bottom or back
Having fluent material
C297S284300, C297S284600, C005S644000, C005S654000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206474
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a upholstery for a car seat and to a car seat with a upholstery of that kind.
Known car seats are composed of a supporting structure (usually with so-called “base springing”), padding (usually made of a foam material) and a seat cover.
DE 43 36 746 A1 discloses, for example, placing several water cushions in a car seat. The water cushions of the known car seat, however, are not connected to one another. Moreover, control of the resilience and damping properties of the set is not suggested.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,722 discloses an air- or liquid-filled upholstery with a special structure having two outer cover layers and two inner intermediate layers. The upholstery is designed for use in the medical field, especially for bed-ridden persons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is addressed to the problem of providing upholstery for car seats by which new possibilities are created for padding car seats, with advantages in seat comfort and adaptability to different customer requirements.
This problem has been solved in accordance with the present invention with the general recognition of the desirability of replacing the conventional padding partially or entirely with upholstery having liquid-filled chambers. The upholstery according to the invention can be used in many ways through the entire range of contact with a car's occupants, for example in the area of the seat upholstery, the back rest or the head support.
According to the present invention, full-breadth upholstery is proposed for the frame of a car seat, covering the entire or most of the surface of the car seat. With the liquid-filled chambers, which are connected to one another through channels, a differential adjustment of the degree of firmness of the individual areas of the contact surface of the seat is achieved. The invention therefore makes possible by selective sizing of the channels between the chambers to produce different rates of the liquid flow between the individual chambers, and thus to control the resiliency and damping properties of the seat. Zones of different firmness can also be created by liquids of differing viscosity, even though the areas with different liquids have no connection with one another. For example, the outlying chambers of the upholstery of the seat or back rest can be filled with a thinner medium than the more greatly stressed central areas of the seat or back rest upholstery. The upholstery according to the invention has a positive influence also on the vibration of the car seat.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention only certain select areas of the car seat are provided with one or more liquid-filled chambers. For example, such chambers can be used in connection with an upper leg brace or a lordosis brace. The upholstery can be integrated into a conventional car seat, for example with foam padding material and textile covering. Depending on the application, however, seats are conceivable with relatively stiff plastic shells or mesh cradles into which liquid-filled chambers are integrated at one or more places. Such upholstery is conceivable, for example, for open recreation vehicles and is characterized by great resistance to weather. The upholstery can be installed and removed with ease.
A plurality of separate cushions can be arranged on a seat such that they support the occupant's body selectively at the latter's points of contact with the seat. The car seat is preferably provided with functionally separate cushioning for the seat surface and for the back rest, while within the two cushions the individual chambers are at least partially connected together. The padding of the seat and back rest are joined together along their marginal areas. Of course, a plurality of independently working cushions can be connected together within the seat upholstery and back rest.
Upholstery is of simple construction and accordingly inexpensive to manufacture. The welded seams create depressions between the chambers which are maintained even under stress and thus assure an exchange of air in the area of contact with the seat. Improved ventilation of those areas of the upholstery that are in contact with the body of the occupant is achieved by one embodiment of the present invention which provides a corresponding permeability of the support layer beneath it. In addition, active ventilation, for example by a blower, can be provided.
Upholstery can be designed for car seats without textile covering, in which the seat contact surface is constituted by the film itself. The transparent, possibly colored plastic material provides a special visual effect, especially when the chambers are filled with dyed liquids. If liquids of different viscosity are provided with different dyes, the “firmness” of the (individual areas of the) upholstery is indicated either within a pad or when upholstery is replaced with a different one.
Special advantages result from an embodiment of the invention where the inserts for a chamber consist preferably of a plurality of small, solid bodies which, together with the liquid, fill the interior of the chamber. The inserts prevent the complete collapse of the chamber under stress, since they are preferably larger than the openings of the passages between the individual chambers, so that the inserts in a chamber remain permanently in order. In addition, it is likewise possible to coordinate the size of the inserts and passages such that the inserts are exchanged between the individual chambers. The flow of the liquid can also be controlled by the inserts.
The individual bodies can vary in size and firmness according to the position of the chamber with respect to the car's occupants and thus according to the specific stress at the particular point on the seat. The bodies prevent, for example, the complete flattening of a chamber. They can be so designed as to their size and resilience, for example, that they produce a massaging effect. The inserts can also be used selectively as a design element if the film is made transparent. By varying the color and/or shape of the inserts (e.g., spherical or lenticular, but basically also angular shapes) visual effects can be achieved, while the shape of the inserts also affects the seat properties. The specific gravity of the inserts is to be coordinated with the liquid in the chamber, so that the inserts either float, sink or are suspended in the liquid. Especially inserts of limited compressibility and resilience can improve seating comfort. The inserts themselves can be in the form of liquid-filled hollow bodies, for example.
By providing a pressurizing system, the pressure of the liquid in the chamber can be actively varied. In comparison with an only passive adjustment of the pressure distribution by the car occupant's body weight, the resilience and damping properties of the seat can be actively influenced in order to achieve improved seating comfort and also to improve safety for the car's occupants. Preferably the upholstery has a plurality of liquid-filled chambers which can be connected to one another as described above. Due to the contemplation of an external supply of pressure, the springs of the car seat can be eliminated, resulting in a considerable saving of cost.
By another embodiment of the invention an oppositely phased pressure build-up can be produced in the liquid-filled chamber in order to counteract the vibration transmitted to the seat. Thus a balancing of the resonance system of the occupants' car seat is possible, so that a decided improvement of their tolerance of vibration is achieved. Due to the closed control circuit vibrational stress on the car's occupants is minimized. Moreover, the movements of the chambers also set the air around the upholstery in motion, thus achieving an effective ventilation and dehumidification.
The occupant of the vehicle can establish the desired firmness and vibrational properties of the upholstery, which means one can vary the characteristics of the seat and control on
Geib Willi
Kruse Klaudia
Schiefer Ulrich
Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
Cuomo Peter M.
Evenson, McKeown, Edwards & Lenahan P.L.L.C.
White Rodney B.
LandOfFree
Padding for a vehicle seat does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Padding for a vehicle seat, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Padding for a vehicle seat will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2496525