Chairs and seats – Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover – Slipcover for bottom or back
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-23
2002-11-19
White, Rodney B. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover
Slipcover for bottom or back
C297S224000, C297S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481793
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a protective cover for objects. More particularly, the invention relates to a seat cover for the protection of a motor vehicle seat, especially for initially equipping. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such seat covers of plastic foil.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Seat covers made of plastic foil are put on, or drawn over automobile seats in order to avoid soiling the automobile seat by workers and other persons. The use of such seat covers has been known in car repair shops when an inspection or a repair is carried out at the automobiles. Also when initially equipping an automobile, i.e. in the automobile manufacturing plant, when the automobile is assembled, the automobile seats are already exposed to a possibility of being dirtied. This risk of being dirtied starts already in the automobile seat manufacturing plant and when supplying the seats to the automobile manufacturing plant. It continues when the seats are placed on the conveyors which, in the end, lead to the assembly line of the automobile. Also during the assembly of the automobile, a plurality of mechanics successively comes in contact with the automobile seats. Finally, the assembled automobile must be driven off the belt, driven onto trucks or freight cars and finally handled again several times at the car dealer, until finally the automobile is turned over into the hands of the buyer or purchaser, respectively. From the fabrication of the seat at the supplier until the delivery of the automobile to the purchaser or customer, the automobile seats come into contact with approximately 30 to 35 mechanics and other persons, so that there is a considerable dirt risk. In order to counteract this dirt risk, seat covers made of plastic foil have been known which are pulled over the automobile seats, especially over the driver's seat, often already at the seat manufacturer, but at the latest at the automobile manufacture, and are removed just before the automobile is delivered to the customer. Such temporary seat covers do not normally differ from the seat covers which are used during the inspection or repair of an automobile. They can be made of a comparatively thick plastic foil which withstands greater wear.
A seat cover is known from German patent DE 41 32 714 C1. The regions of the rear layer forming the two pockets are connected by connection strips which extend across the free edges of the regions forming the pockets along the transverse welding. The connecting strips are also connected with the front layer so that the substantially continuous rear layer includes a recess with closed edges. The two layers of the seat cover, i.e. the front layer and the rear layer, thus includes a contour of the same size and are joined with each other at all four edges, continuously in the region of the transverse welding as well as in the region of the longitudinal edges. While the front layer is designed as a continuously closed piece, there is a recess in the rear layer which is arranged at all sides and at a distance from the contour of the seat cover lying flat and represents the only recess by means of which the seat cover can be pulled over the backrest and the seat cushion. By means of the connecting strips, apart from the two previously known pockets, additional transverse pockets connecting the pockets are created which reach behind the backrest in the transition region and, thus, effectively protect the automobile seat in these exposed places against dirt. The risk of the seat cover slipping off when using the automobile seat which is protected by the seat cover has practically been eliminated. In spite of that, handwork is avoided totally during the manufacture of this seat cover. The additional use of rubber bands, foil strips and the like is no longer required either, and there is no additional assembly work any more. Rather, when pulling on the seat cover, it automatically arrives in its protecting position enveloping the seat cushion as well as the backrest. By means of transverse welding the front layer is continuously joined with the rear layer at each seat. On the other hand, the transverse welding can be done in a way that the individual seat covers are separated from each other at the same time, so that they can be put down stacked one upon the other and in this manner can be shipped to the seat manufacturer or the automobile manufacturer. Besides, it is also possible to leave the individual seat covers joined by perforations and to wind such an endless line on a storage spool. The plastic foil used to manufacture the seat covers has only minor thickness for reasons of economizing on material, so that when pulling it on, there is a risk of tearing. In such a case the proper fit of the seat cover on the automobile seat is no longer guaranteed.
When automobile seats suspended from a conveyor belt with their backrests pointing downward are supplied to the assembly line of the automobile, there is further the risk that the seat covers inadvertently slip from the automobile seat and drop. Thus, they no longer fulfill their protective function. In order to counteract this risk, it has been known to use a rubber band as separate part of the seat cover which, after pulling the seat cover over the backrest, is guided over the backrest as closed loop in a way that it fits between the seat cushion and the backrest in the transition region. Through this step the unintentional dropping of a seat cover from a suspendedly conveyed automobile seat is prevented. At the same time, the front layer of the seat cover is fixed by the rubber band in the transition region between seat cushion and backrest, so that the risk of slipping out of place is counteracted. However, the use of such rubber bands in addition to seat covers is more costly and is only a limited cure against the risk of dirt.
Instead of the additional use of a rubber band, it has also been known to weld two foil strips to approximately the middle region of the free edge of the pocket which envelopes the backrest. These two foil strips are looped forward across the seat, in the way of strings of an apron, and are knotted together there, so that also here a tighter fit of the front layer of the seat cover in the transition region between seat cushion and backrest is achieved. The manufacture of this additional foil strip and especially the welding is costly, after placing the seat cover it requires an additional knotting step and, furthermore, also is only a limited remedy against the risk of dirt. Compared with a rubber band, the foil strips are placed comparatively too high at the backrest.
It is also known in the art to manufacture a seat cover as described in German DE-AS 16 30 878. The known seat cover has been further developed, as it is generally known in the art. After separating the line of plastic into the individual seat covers, a half-tube is welded along the free edges of the pockets formed by the rear layer as well as along the free edges of the front layer in the region not covered by the pockets. When welding the half-tube, a rubber band in the form of a loop is inserted. With this rubber band an opening is created at the seat cover, which is used to pull it over the automobile seat, the rubber band exerting a certain stretching effect so that especially the front layer of the seat cover is held closer to the seat cushion and to the backrest. Such a seat cover is especially time-consuming and expensive because of the welding of the half-tube with the rubber band, which is done by hand, but on the other hand it achieves effective protection. Putting such a seat cover over an automobile seat is comparatively more difficult than is the case with the seat cover described initially.
Further, it has been known to shrink the seat cushion on the one hand and the backrest on the other hand into one each shrink foil piece already at the manufacturer's of the automobile seat, and only subsequently when mounting the seat, to bring the seat cushion and the backrest
Horn & Bauer GmbH & Co. KG
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley
White Rodney B.
LandOfFree
Seat cover for protecting motor vehicle seats does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Seat cover for protecting motor vehicle seats, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Seat cover for protecting motor vehicle seats will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2943831