Notched seam design for interior trim upholstery pieces
First Claim
1. A process for joining adjacent edges of upholstery panels for vehicle interior trim, wherein at least one of the edges is curved, the process comprising the steps of:
- forming a plurality of U-shaped notches along an edge of a first upholstery panel, wherein the edge is a first edge;
positioning an edge of a second upholstery panel in substantial alignment with the first edge, wherein the edge is a second edge;
attaching the first and second panels with a join sew oriented substantially parallel to the first and second edges, wherein the join sew is offset from the first and second edges by a distance greater than a depth of the notches;
stitching portions of the first and second panels outboard of the join sew to either the first or second panel along a stitch line positioned outboard of the join sew and inboard of the notches.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a process for joining adjacent edges of vehicle upholstery panels, particularly in applications wherein at least one of the edges is curved. The process includes the step of forming a plurality of U-shaped notches along a curved edge of a first upholstery panel, wherein the notches may be about 3 mm in width and about 3 mm in depth and substantially evenly spaced along a portion of the curved length of the upholstery panel edge. The process further includes the step of positioning at least a portion of an edge of a second upholstery panel in substantial alignment with a portion of the curved edge of the first upholstery panel. The process further includes the step of stitching the first and second panels along a stitch line substantially parallel to edges of the first and second panels, wherein the stitch line is offset from aligned edges of the first and second panels by a distance greater than the depth of the notches, and wherein successive portions of the edges are brought into alignment as stitching progresses.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A process for joining adjacent edges of upholstery panels for vehicle interior trim, wherein at least one of the edges is curved, the process comprising the steps of:
-
forming a plurality of U-shaped notches along an edge of a first upholstery panel, wherein the edge is a first edge;
positioning an edge of a second upholstery panel in substantial alignment with the first edge, wherein the edge is a second edge;
attaching the first and second panels with a join sew oriented substantially parallel to the first and second edges, wherein the join sew is offset from the first and second edges by a distance greater than a depth of the notches;
stitching portions of the first and second panels outboard of the join sew to either the first or second panel along a stitch line positioned outboard of the join sew and inboard of the notches. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A process for joining adjacent edges of upholstery panels for vehicle interior trim, wherein at least one of the edges is curved, the process comprising the steps of:
-
forming a plurality of U-shaped notches along an edge of a first upholstery panel, wherein the edge is a first edge;
positioning an edge of a second upholstery panel in substantial alignment with the first edge, wherein the edge is a second edge;
attaching the first and second panels with a join sew oriented substantially parallel to the first and second edges, wherein the join sew is offset from the first and second edges by a distance greater than a depth of the notches;
folding portions of the first and second panels outboard of the join sew in opposite directions, and against inboard portions of the panels;
stitching the folded outboard portions to the inboard portions of the respective upholstery panels along stitching lines located outboard of the join sew, and positioned inboard of the edges a distance greater than a depth of the notches. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. An upholstered vehicle trim member comprising:
-
a cushion;
a first upholstery panel overlaying said cushion and having at least one curved edge, wherein the first upholstery panel defines a set of substantially evenly spaced U-shaped notches along the curved edge;
a second upholstery panel overlaying said cushion and having a second edge;
said first and second upholstery panels being attached along a join sew oriented substantially parallel to the first and second edges, and positioned inboard of said edges a distance greater than a depth of the notches;
a stitching line attaching portions of said first and second panels outboard of the join sew to said first or said second panel inboard of the join sew. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A process for manufacturing an upholstered vehicle trim member wherein two upholstery panels are joined along adjacent edges, and wherein at least one of the adjacent edges is a curved edge, the process comprising the steps of:
-
positioning an edge of a first upholstery panel defining a plurality of U-shaped notches in alignment with an edge of a second upholstery panel;
attaching the first and second panels proximate the first and second edges with a join sew positioned inboard of the U-shaped notches and oriented substantially parallel to the edges;
attaching portions of the first and second panels outboard of the join sew to either of the first and second upholstery panels with stitches positioned outboard of the join sew and inboard from the edges a distance greater than a depth of the notches;
positioning the attached first and second panels around a trim member backing. - View Dependent Claims (17)
-
-
18. An upholstery covering for a piece of vehicle trim having reduced material volume along an interface of joined upholstery panels comprising:
-
a first upholstery sheet defining a set of U-shaped notches substantially evenly spaced along a curved edge;
a second upholstery sheet stitched to the first sheet and having an edge substantially aligned with the curved edge, wherein the second sheet is stitched to the first sheet along a join sew positioned inboard of the edges of the upholstery sheets a distance that is up to about four times a depth of the notches;
wherein the U-shaped notches reduce upholstery material volume along the edge of the first sheet, thereby imparting a curved surface contour at an interface of the first and second upholstery sheets that is substantially free from wrinkling. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
Specification