Chairs and seats – Crash seat – Bottom and back movable as unit in response to force
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2003-06-17
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Crash seat
Bottom and back movable as unit in response to force
C297S452100, C280S730200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578911
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement of a seat having an air bag module provided in a side of a seat back thereof for absorbing side-shock, in which an air bag can be inflated and deployed due to a gas pressure generated by an inflator.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, as a seat provided with an air bag module, there has been proposed a seat in which a breaking portion of a trim cover is formed by pinching and sewing terminals of the trim cover together with respective terminals of two stay cloths in the trim cover, an air bag module is wrapped up by the two stay cloths and mounted to a side plate of a seat back frame, and all elements for a seat back, including the air bag module, are covered by the trim cover (Japanese Patent Application laid open under Provisionary Publication No. 11-115676).
In the conventional seat provided with the air bag module, the two stay cloths are separated into two directions from the sewing portion of the trim cover which serves as a breaking portion of the trim cover, one of the stay cloths is rolled in a rear side of a back pad from a side portion of the back pad, the other of the stay cloths is rolled in a front side of the back pad from a bank portion of the back pad, and the stay cloths are taken into an interior of the back pad through holes for suspending the trim cover, and end portions of the stay cloths which are taken in the interior of the back pad are coupled to each other by a hooking clip, whereby the stay cloths are attached to the back pad.
In the seat provided with the air bag module, the stay cloths cover several areas of the back pad, so that an inflating pressure of the air bag causes the back pad to be deflected and deformed, to thereby cause the stay cloths to be dragged. Therefore, the seat with the air bag module has a disadvantage in that an inflating pressure of the air bag can not be concentrated on the sewing portion of the trim cover which acts as the breaking portion of the trim cover.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to avoid the foregoing disadvantage of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a seat with an air bag module, in which stay cloths are installed inside a trim cover by sewing the stay cloths together with a sewing portion of the trim cover which forms a breaking portion, and taken into a cavity of a back pad, an air bag module is covered directly by the taken-in stay cloths, and the stay cloths are steadily and securely supported to a seat back frame through a support wire system, so that an inflating pressure of an air bag can be efficiently concentrated on the sewing portion corresponding to the breaking portion, thereby quickly inflating and developing the air bag.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the seat as stated above, wherein the stay cloths can be easily supported to the seat back frame.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a seat provided with an air bag module. The seat comprises a seat back having a back pad, a seat back frame for supporting the back pad, and a trim cover covering the back pad and the seat back frame, an air bag module having an air bag and an inflator for causing the air bag to be inflated and developed, the back pad having a cavity, the air bag module being accommodated in the cavity of the back pad and mounted to the seat back frame, the trim cover having a sewing portion acting as a breaking portion broken according to an inflation and development of the air bag, first and second stay cloths provided in the trim cover by sewing the first and second stay cloths together with the sewing portion of the trim cover, terminals of the first and second stay cloths being taken into the cavity of the back pad so as to wrap the air bag module, and a support wire system arranged at the back of the air bag module for pulling and supporting the first and second stay cloths, the support wire system being coupled to the terminals of the first and second stay cloths and engaged with the seat back frame.
The seat may further include an engaging member mounted to the seat back frame. The support wire system may comprise a first support wire for pulling and supporting the first stay cloth and a second support wire for pulling and supporting the second stay cloth. The first support wire comprises a first support portion coupled to a terminal of the first stay cloth, the first support portion having first and second ends, first and second spaced apart arm portions extending from the first and second ends perpendicularly to the first support portion and being parallel to each other, first and second hook portions formed into substantially U-shapes by bending end portions of the first and second arm portions, the first and second hook portions being suspended on and engaged with the engaging member, and first and second lock portions formed by bending free end portions of the first and second hook portions. The second support wire comprises a second support portion coupled to a terminal of the second stay cloth, the second support portion having third and fourth ends, third and fourth spaced apart arm portions extending from the third and fourth ends perpendicularly to the second support portion and being parallel to each other, third and fourth hook portions formed into substantially U-shapes by bending end portions of the third and fourth arm portions, the third and fourth hook portions being suspended on and engaged with the engaging member, and third and fourth lock portions formed by bending free end portions of the third and fourth hook portions. The first lock portion of the first support wire and the third lock portion of the second support wire are engaged and interlocked with each other. The second lock portion of the first support wire and the fourth lock portion of the second support wire are engaged and interlocked with each other.
The first and second lock portions of the first support wire extend laterally from the free end portions of the first and second hook portions. The third and fourth lock portions of the second support wire extend upwardly from the free end portions of the third and fourth hook portions. The free end portions of the third and fourth hook portions of the second support wire may extend obliquely. The third and fourth lock portions of the second support wire may be formed into substantially U-shapes and offset relative to the third and fourth arm portions of the second support wire.
The engaging member may include first and second valley portions. The first hook portion of the first support wire and the third hook portion of the second support wire are engaged with the first valley portion, and the second hook portion of the first support wire and the fourth hook portion of the second support wire are engaged with the second valley portion.
Each of the first and second stay cloths may be formed into a loop-shape. The first support portion of the first support wire has a length corresponding to the width of the first stay cloth and is fed through the first loop-like stay cloth. The second support portion of the second support wire has a length corresponding to the width of the second stay cloth and is fed through the second loop-like stay cloth. The first support wire further includes first and second shoulder portions formed by bending inwardly regions between the first and second ends of the first support portion and the first and second arm portions. The second support wire further includes third and fourth shoulder portions formed by bending inwardly regions between the third and fourth ends of the second support portion and the first and second arm portions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5727811 (1998-03-01), Nagata et al.
patent: 5893579 (1999-04-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 5927749 (1999-07-01), Homier et al.
patent: 5967546 (1999-10-01), Homier et al.
patent: 5992878 (1999-11-01), Narita et al.
patent: 6003939 (1999-12-01), Nakai et al.
patent: 6045151 (2000-04-01), Wu
patent: 6357789
Harada Masami
Tanabe Jinichi
Cuomo Peter M.
Dann Dorfman Herrell and Skillman, P.C.
Harris Stephanie
TS Tech Co. Ltd.
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