Temporary protective seat cover

• US 4,676,376 A
• Filed: 10/04/1985
• Issued: 06/30/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Petoskey Plastis Incorporated Petoskey Emmet Michigan
• Original Assignee: Petoskey Plastics Inc.
• Inventors: Keiswetter, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ehrhardt, Brenda J.
• Application Number:
  US06/784,817
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 206/449, 206/494, 206/554, 150/52 R, 221/47, 221/33, 297/219, 297/229, 383/35
• US Class Current: 206/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/60 Removable protective coverings

Abstract

A temporary protective cover for an automobile seat or the like which comprises an elongated strip of film with a pocket or cap at the upper end that fits over the upper end of the set, with the remaining portion of the film extending downwardly over the front surface of the seat. The film is a co-extruded film formed of two different thermoplastic materials having different cling properties, such that a sticky side of the film faces inwardly against the seat and a slippery side faces outwardly. High density polyethylene forms one surface and low density or linear low density polyethylene forms the other surface. A seat cover thus formed clings to the seat and prevents dislodging of the seat cover even though the seat cover may be subjected to a sideways displacement force when a person or other object slides across the exterior surface of the seat cover. The seat covers are folded and stored individually in a convenient dispense box prior to use, with each cover being folded so that the inward sticky side contacts itself, leaving the exterior slippery side exposed for easy removal of the covers from the box. Also, when the sticky sides are separated, a static charge is generated that enhances the cling properties of the sticky side of the cover.

Claims

1. A temporary protective cover for protecting the surface of a seat or the like comprising a plastic film that is shaped to cover the surface and is integrally formed of at least two plastic resins having different cling properties, each of the plastic resins forming one of the opposite surface layers of the plastic film and cover, one plastic resin having properties that cause the surface formed of that resin to be relatively sticky such that it tends to cling or stick to protected surfaces such as seat upholstery or the like, the other plastic resin having properties that cause the surface formed of that resin to be relatively slippery such that the surface permits objects to slide over the surface with less clinging attraction, the cling properties of the two plastic surfaces being sufficiently different that the cover tends to remain in its protective covering position when the sticky surface is placed against the protected surface, even though the more slippery side of the cover is subjected to a sideways dislodging force by a person or other object sliding across the cover.

2. A protective cover according to claim 1 wherein the cover comprises an elongated strip of plastic film that is long enough to cover the back and seat portion of a seat and width enough to cover at least an individual seat width of a seat, the cover having a pocket formed at an upper end thereof that fits over the top of the back of the seat so as to retain the upper end on the back of the seat, the cover over the back and seat portions of the seat with the sticky side of the cover facing the seat.

3. A protective cover according to claim 2 wherein the cover is wide enough to cover the entire width of the back and seat portions of a bench seat in an automobile.

4. A protective cover according to claim 1 wherein the cover is folded prior to use, with the sticky side of the cover being folded over against itself, such that when the cover is unfolded the clinging nature of the sticky side is enhanced by static electricity generated by separating the facing sticky sides of the cover.

5. A protective cover according to claim 4 wherein the cover is folded such that the slippery surface faces the exterior of the folded cover, thus permitting easy separation of separate covers that are stacked together for packaging.

6. A protective cover according to claim 5 wherein the folded cover is packed in multiple units in a dispenser box for removal of the covers one at a time for use, the slippery outer surfaces of the folded covers facilitating removal of the covers one at a time without sticking to the other covers in the box.

7. A protective cover according to claim 1 wherein the cover is formed of co-extruded plastic film, with the sticky side being formed of linear low density polyethylene or low density polyethylene and the slippery side being formed of high density polyethylene.

8. A protective seat cover according to claim 7 wherein the film is about 0.3 to 2.0 mils thick.

9. A protective seat cover according to claim 8 where the film is about 0.8 to 1.0 mils thick.

10. A protective seat cover according to claim 9 wherein high density polyethylene comprises a surface layer at least about five percent (5%) of the thickness of the film.

11. A protective seat cover according to claim 10 wherein the high density polyethylene comprises a surface layer about 10-20% of the thickness of the film.

12. A temporary, protective cover for a protected surface comprising a co-extruded plastic film formed of at least two plastic resins having different cling properties, one resin having enhanced cling properties relative to the other resin, the two resins being segregated at the opposite surfaces of the film such that the resin having enhanced cling properties forms a sticky surface on one side of the film and the other resin forms a relatively slippery surface on the other side of the film, the film being shaped to fit on and cover a surface to be protected with the sticky side facing the surface to be protected, the sticky side clinging to the surface and resisting displacement therefrom in the presence of a sideways displacement force exerted against the slippery side, whereby the cover permits objects to slide easily over the cover while causing the cover to cling or stick to the protecred surface.

13. A protective cover according to claim 12 wherein the resin with enhanced cling properties is linear low density polyethylene or low density polyethylene and the other resin is high density polyethylene, with the low density polyethylene or linear low density polyethylene being positioned against the protected surface, the layer of high density polyethylene having a thickness of 5% to 95% of the thickness of the film.

14. A protective cover according to claim 13 wherein the high molecular weight high density polyethylene comprises 10-20% of the thickness of the film.

15. A protective seat cover according to claim 13 wherein the film comprises surface layers of linear low density polyethylene and medium molecular weight high density polyethylene.

16. A temporary seat cover for the purpose of providing protection, constructed from a plastic film integrally formed from at least two differing plastic materials of dissimilar cling properties, one plastic material forming one side and the other plastic material forming the other side of the film, such plastic film exhibiting a relatively sticky side and a relatively slippery side and such sides being appropriately oriented in the construction of said seat cover so that the inwardly oriented sticky side contacts the protected seat and the outwardly slippery side forms the exterior surface of said seat cover.

17. A temporary seat cover as in claim 16, where the inwardly oriented sticky side also has the property of static attraction which is compatibly adherent to the protected seat.

18. A temporary seat cover as in claim 16, where the plastic film is comprised of a co-extrusion of at least two different plastic resins, the plastic resins being a high density polyethylene and a linear low density polyethylene.

19. A temporary cover as in claim 16, where said cover is configured to be storable with other like covers where contact during storage is limited to the slippery sides of such covers and the inwardly sticky side in each such seat cover is substantially limited to contact with itself.

20. A temporary seat cover as in claim 19, where the storable configuration of the cover enhances the retention of static potential on the inwardly oriented sticky side.