Chairs and seats – Upholstery cover detachably connected to frame – Cover connector attached to cushion
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-25
2001-03-27
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Upholstery cover detachably connected to frame
Cover connector attached to cushion
C297S452600, C297SDIG006
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206467
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an upholstery element having a flexible core and a cover, which are fastened to one another by a hook-fastener connection comprising a hook strip having a plurality of hooks overlaid by a fleece strip having a plurality of elements, behind which the hooks engage, the strips being fastened one to the core and one to the cover.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The covers of upholstery elements, e.g. the seats of a motor vehicle, are frequently fastened by means of hook-fastener connections which enable simple and rapid fitting as well as removal of the covers for exchange or cleaning purposes. The hook-fastener connection comprises two cooperating strips, of which one is provided with a plurality of hooks, which may be, for example, single hooks, multiple hooks or profile- or mushroom-shaped elements for rear engagement. The hooks engage into mostly loop-like elements of the second strip, which is referred to as the fleece strip. By virtue of a uniform distribution of hooks and the elements cooperating therewith on the strip surfaces, mutual fixing in any desired position relative to one another is possible. Since, as a rule, both the hooks and the loops are made of a flexible material, the connection is releasable by exerting an adequate tensile force, under which hooks and/or elements elastically deform and slide out of one another.
Frequently the strip, which is fastened to the core of the upholstery element and is generally the hook strip, is disposed in a shallow trough. Its projection beyond the surrounding surface of the core is thereby prevented so that a bulging of the cover situated on top and an intrusive raising of the upholstery surface is avoided. The strip fastened to the core is generally provided at the rear with a fibrous web which is incorporated into the foam material of the core.
By virtue of its construction, during a deformation of the hook-fastener connection several hooks as a rule disengage from the loops, with there being, upon termination of the load, mostly a renewed engagement into the same or other loops. If, however, the hook-fastener connection is subjected to a high number of load changes, as is the case particularly when it is fitted on or in the edge region of a seat surface, there is a risk that it will, given time, open independently or that the position of the strips relative to one another will alter. There is moreover in this manner an increased wear of hooks and loops leading to a reduction in the stability under load. Thus, with conventional hook-fastener connections it is impossible to achieve the tear-out resistances which are possible with other methods of fastening the cover, such as a fixing to wire inserts which are incorporated into the foam material of the core. This applies particularly when the fleece strip, as is customary in prior art, is sewn in a U-shape around a seam of the cover so that only a narrow end face of this strip is in contact with the hook strip.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to develop an upholstery element having a hook-fastener connection which presents an increased stability under load.
According to the invention a strip fastened to the core is disposed at the base of a channel in the core, the depth of the channel is greater than the sum of the thicknesses of both strips and the strip fastened to the cover is attached to a distance element, which is in turn fastened to the cover.
The invention proceeds from the idea that, upon a loading of the upholstery element, different regions of its core experience differing degrees of deformation. Whereas the surface under each load considerably deforms and adapts to the shape of articles lying against it, underlying regions of the core alter their shape to a far lesser extent. Often they deform only under extreme loads, such as when a person lowers himself into a seat.
The invention therefore proposes that the hook-fastener connection be disposed at a distance from the surface of the core. To this end, the core has in its surface a channel, to the base of which one of the strips of the hook-fastener connection is fastened. The depth of the channel is greater than the thickness of both strips when fastened to one another so that the hook-fastener connection is always at a distance from the surface of the core and hence from the cover. The effect thereby achieved is that the hook-fastener connection under smaller loads, such as when a person alters his seating position on the upholstery element, is subject to no or substantially reduced deformation. The sliding of individual hooks out of the elements of the fleece strip cooperating therewith is accordingly avoided. The attachment of the second strip of the hook-fastener connection to the cover is effected by means of a distance element fastened to both in order to enable an extensively smooth surface of the cover.
The advantage of the upholstery element according to the invention lies in an increased stability under load of the hook-fastener connection which, even given long-term use of the upholstery element, is maintained virtually unaltered. A contributory factor is that a displacement of both strips of the hook-fastener connection relative to one another and hence displacements of the cover parallel to the surface of the upholstery element are ruled out because the position of the strips is defined by the side walls of the channel. To this end, the lateral boundaries of the channel preferably extend approximately at right angles to the plane of the strips or the channel widens in its cross section at the base. In this manner, the precise arrangement of the cover on the core is moreover ensured so that the manufacture of the upholstery element is substantially simplified and is also possible in a precise manner without a tool, especially when the surfaces of both strips have identical dimensions.
In order to achieve a sufficient distance of the hook-fastener connection from the surface of the upholstery element, the depth of the channel is advantageously at least a quarter of the thickness of the core or of the upholstery element. Also conceivable, however, are much greater channel depths, with the channel in extreme cases penetrating the entire core. In this case, the attachment of one strip of the hook-fastener connection to a frame supporting the core is possible.
In the simplest case, the distance element between cover and hook-fastener connection is a fold introduced, e.g. sewn, into the cover. Preferably, however, the distance element is a fabric strip or hooks, which are advantageously sewn onto the cover as well as onto the strip of the hook-fastener connection. Instead of individual hooks, a continuous profile is conceivable as a distance element, which may be manufactured in an advantageous manner by extrusion.
The core is preferably made of a foam material, with polyurethanes in particular having proved successful as an upholstery material. In such a case, it is advantageous when the strip fastened to the core is provided at the rear with threads which protrude from its surface and are incorporated into the foam material of the core. The resultant effect for a low outlay is an intensive connection, particularly when the threads are formed into loops, which are fastened at both ends to the strip and form a positive engagement connection to the material of the core. It is advantageous when a large number of threads are uniformly distributed over the strip and engage deep into the foam, resulting in a connection which is extremely stable under load.
Particularly suitable as threads for anchoring the strip are threads made of natural fibers which, by virtue of their surface structure and capillary indentations, enter into an intensive positive engagement connection with the surrounding foam material. An additional factor is chemical bonding between the foam material and the threads, especially when hydroxyl groups on the surface of the fibers during the expansion process for manufacturing the core react with the isocyanate g
Leckert Charlotte
Mense Hubert
Brown Peter R.
F.S. Fehrer GmbH & Co. KG
McGlew and Tuttle , P.C.
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