Metal working – Upholstered article making – Method
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-15
2004-12-21
Johnstone, Adrienne C. (Department: 1733)
Metal working
Upholstered article making
Method
C029S091500, C156S090000, C156S212000, C156S213000, C156S214000, C156S256000, C156S267000, C156S293000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06832421
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a vehicle seat and, particularly, it relates to a vehicle seat used outdoors and a method of manufacturing a vehicle seat, which has good finish, good physical properties, durability and weather resistance and which can be manufactured efficiently, as well as a skin material for the vehicle seat.
2. Statement of the Related Art
A vehicle seat has been formed, for example, by disposing a cushioning material on a bottom plate and covering with a skin material. For the vehicle seat, a concave/convex shape has been proposed particularly in view of aesthetics and comfort in riding. For example, a method of using a tack last technique for forming the concave/convex portion and the covering a cushioning material with a skin material by stitching have been used in manufacturing seats of concave/convex shape.
In the tack last method, as shown in
FIG. 10
, a concave line is formed to a cushioning material
120
and a skin material
110
is tack lasted by a tack last means (tack last string)
140
to a bottom plate
130
.
The tack last seat described above involves a problem in that a distinct feeling for the concave/convex shape can not be obtained when the concave line forms a complicated curve (such as an S-shaped curve) or a three dimensional curve, unless many tack last points are set on every turning point of the curve.
However, if the number of tack last points is increased in order to overcome the above-described problem, the result is a dimple-like appearance of the outer surface, as well as less efficiency in the assembling operation. Further, since the tack last portions receive concentrated forces, the skin material and the tack last means are sometimes detached.
The method of covering a cushioning member
120
with a skin material
110
having the concave/convex shape formed by stitching suffer from the drawback that the skin material
120
and the cushioning material
120
separate at the concave/convex portion, particularly, at the concave portion.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, vehicle seats have been formed by applying an adhesive to the seating area of the cushioning material and bonding the skin material thereto. In this vehicle seat, the adhesive is applied to predetermined portions including ridges of the cushioning material.
However, when a rider sits on the seat, since the load is concentrated on the ridges of the cushioning material where the skin material is secured, excessive force is exerted on the skin material to undesirably flex or crease the seat.
Further, in covering the cushioning material
120
with the skin material
110
, it is necessary to prevent water and dust from entering into the cushioning material
120
where the skin materials
110
are joined to each other by stitching. For this purpose, a water proof film (not illustrated) is disposed between the skin material
110
and the cushioning material
120
at the stitched portions of the skin material
110
to prevent intrusion of rain water or the like.
In using the water proof film described above, it is necessary to dispose the water proof film accurately to prevent water and dust from intruding.
Further, in a vehicle seat formed by covering the cushioning material
120
with the skin material
110
by stitching, since the skin material
110
and cushioning material
120
tend to separate at the concave/convex portions, particularly, at concave portions, in one method an adhesive is applied between the skin material
110
and the cushioning material
120
to prevent separation.
When the adhesive is applied between the skin material
110
and the cushioning material
120
, if the water proof film is not disposed at an appropriate position, the water proof film comes into the region of the adhesive and become twisted or the water proof film, if between the adhesive and the skin material
110
, interferes with the adhesion between the skin material
110
and the cushioning material
120
.
Therefore, it is necessary to accurately cut off the water proof film at exact positions, but the operation while confirming the cut off position is laborious and inefficient.
Further, the vehicle seat is generally formed as an integral cellular molding comprising a skin material, a cushioning material and a bottom plate, for example, a polyvinyl chloride skin material and a polyurethane cellular material.
As shown, for example, in FIG.
15
and
FIG. 16
, the vehicle seat comprises a skin material
110
and a cushioning material
120
, and the skin material
110
includes an acrylic material
111
applied to a synthetic resin
112
or to a synthetic resin
112
laminated on a substrate fabric
113
. Then, the skin material
110
is bonded to the surface of the synthetic resin
112
or the substrate fabric
113
using an adhesive
140
.
In the prior art described above, if a polyvinyl chloride skin material is used, for example, as the synthetic resin
112
, an undesirable vinyl resin-like gloss appears on the surface.
Further, contact between the skin material
110
and the cushioning material
120
results in the following disadvantages.
(1) A plasticizer contained in the synthetic resin
112
migrates to and degrades the cushioning material
120
.
(2) When a plasticizer contained in the synthetic resin
112
migrates to the cushioning material
120
, the amount of the plasticizer contained in the synthetic resin
112
is decreased to make the synthetic resin
112
hard and to worsen the feel upon sitting on the seat.
(3) Amine catalyst contained in the cushioning material
120
adversely affects the synthetic resin
112
to cause discoloration or fading of the synthetic resin
112
, thereby detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle seat.
(4) If a solvent type adhesive is used as the adhesive
140
for bonding the skin material
110
to the cushioning material
120
, the solvent contained in the adhesive migrates to the synthetic resin
112
to discolor the synthetic resin
112
.
For overcoming the drawbacks described above, a method has been developed for preventing migration of the plasticizer or the amine catalyst, which method involves placing an amide type resin film or a polyethylene type resin film between the skin material and the cushioning material, but this method increases the number of components, makes the manufacturing cost expensive and increases the number of steps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat in which a water proof film is disposed accurately at stitched portions of a skin material covering a cushioning material and reliably preventing water or dust from intruding through the stitched portions of the skin material, as well as to provide a method of manufacturing such a vehicle seat.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat with a preferred finish, having high durability and capable of being manufactured efficiently, as well as to provide a method of manufacturing such a vehicle seat.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a skin material for use in a vehicle seat having a satisfactory appearance, and capable of preventing a plasticizer contained in the synthetic resin of the skin from migrating into the cushioning material without increasing the number of components or number of steps, thereby preventing an uncomfortable feeling upon sitting on the seat and degradation of the cushioning material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a skin material for use in a vehicle seat free from the worry of discoloration or fading of the skin material caused by an amine catalyst contained in the cushioning material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a skin material for use in a vehicle seat capable of resisting discoloration by migration of a solvent to the skin material when a solvent type adhesive is used for bonding the skin material to the cushioning material.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a skin material for use in
Ashida Nobukatsu
Miyajima Iwao
Sugimoto Akira
Johnstone Adrienne C.
Lorusso, Loud & Kelly
TS Tech Co. Ltd.
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