Seat, particularly a vehicle seat

• US 4,798,416 A
• Filed: 07/10/1987
• Issued: 01/17/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Ohlhausen, Otto, Niethammer, Kurt, Faust, Eberhard, Bossert, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Zugel, Francis K.
• Application Number:
  US07/072,169
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 297/DIG. 1, 297/452, 297/219, 297/218, 5/471, 5/474
• US Class Current: 297/452.62
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/70 Upholstery springs ; Upholstery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/01 Foam

Abstract

In the case of a seat, particularly a vehicle seat having a supporting frame, there is provided a spring system that is fastened at said supporting frame, an upholstered part that rests on said spring system, and a cover that covers said upholstered part, and for achieving a shaping tension of the upholstery, is braced in its border area in the direction of the supporting frame. The cover, in order to achieve a soft surface, is fixed a first time in the transition area from the upholstered part to the spring system, in which case this area receives a bearing capacity created by stiffening means, such as the surrounding frame, the seat shell or the dimensionally stable upholstery material, said bearing capacity being capable of absorbing the preloading forces introduced via the lower cover portion, without repercussion on the area of the upholstered part that is on the side of the seat surface.

Claims

1. A seat, particularly a vehicle seat, having a supporting frame;

a spring system that is fastened at the supporting frame;

an upholstered part having side edges and a dimensionally stable upholstery means arranged above the spring system;

a cover means having an upper portion covering the upholstered part;

said cover means having a lower portion fsatened with a first fastening means at said supporting frame, wherein it is tensioned at a border of the supporting frame for producing a spring preloading on the seat;

the cover means having an additional fastening means located above its first fastening means for fastening the upper portion of the cover means to the dimensionally stable upholstery means at a transition area between the upholstered part and the spring system to thereby define a junction of said upper and lower portions of the cover means; and

wherein the cover means in the transition area between the upholstered part and the spring system defines a preload force absorbing means for absorbing said spring preloading without allowing the force due to the spring loading to be applied to the upper portion of the cover means that surrounds said side edges of the upholstered part.

2. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the upholstered part also has an upholstery layer that supports itself at the upholstery frame means;

the preload force absorbing cover means acting through the dimensionally stable upholstery means;

the dimensionally stable upholstery means carries a surrounding clamping channel profile that forms the additional fastening means for the cover in which borders of the cover.are fastened; and

wherein the dimensionally stable upholstery means is connected with the spring system.

3. A seat according to claim 2, wherein the dimensionally stable upholstery means is an upholstery frame means that forms a part of the spring system itself.

4. A seat according to claim 2, wherein the clamping channel profile is molded integrally at the dimensionally stable upholstery means.

5. A seat according to claim 2, wherein the spring system is developed as a profiled-wire spring core with an upper frame that is spring-cushioned on the supporting frame, and wherein the dimensionally stable upholstery means is formed by the upper frame.

6. A seat according to claim 2, wherein the spring system is developed as a double lever frame, having an intermediate frame that pivots at the supporting frame against at the intermediate frame against at least one additional supporting spring, and wherein the dimensionally stable upholstery means is formed by the upper frame.

7. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the upholstered part has a molded shell and upholstery layer;

flanks on said molded shell which carry a surrounding clamping channel profile in which borders of the cover means are fastened; and

wherein the molded shell is connected firmly with the spring system.

8. A seat according to claim 7, wherein the surrounding clamping channel profile is molded into or onto the molded shell.

9. A seat accoridng to claim 8, wherein the spring system is developed as a coil spring core with coil springs that are fastened at the supporting frame means and project away from it at an approximately right angle, and wherein the molded shell sits on free ends of the coil springs and is directly and firmly connected with them.

10. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the upholstered part has a molded shell and an upholstered layer;

the spring systme being developed as a swinging frame that pivots at the supporting frame means against at least one supporting spring;

the molded shell being held at the swinging frame; and

wherein the swinging frame carries a surrounding clamping channel profile in which borders of the cover means are fastened.

11. A seat according to claim 2, wherein the clamping channel profile is developed as a double clamping channel profile having upper borders of a flexible screen made of at least one of a fabric and imitation leather;

said flexible seen being tensionally fastened at the supporting frame means and forming the lower portion of the cover means that absorbs spring loading forces.

12. A seat according to claim 11, wherein the supporting frame carries a surrounding clamping channel profile for lower borders of the flexible screen.

13. A seat according to claim 7, wherein the molded shell is developed to be self-supporting and the spring system is developed as a swinging frame that pivots at the supporting frame against at least one supporting spring;

and wherein said swinging frame defines a supporting frame of a seat bracket and is formed by the molded shell.

14. A seat according to claim 13, wherein the connection point of the molded shell with the spring system occurs in a lower shell area;

and wherein the supporting spring is developed as a tension spring means that acts upon the supporting frame on one side thereof and engages in an upper shell area of the molded shell on another side thereof.

15. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the upholstered part has an essentially dimensionally stable cushion layer with a cover stuffing the rests on it, at least in partial areas;

and wherein the additional fastening means of the cover means are formed by a least one of clamps, adhesive strips, and Velcro strips, held at a border of the cushion layer at the transition area of the upholstered part.

16. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the upholstered part comprises a cushion layer having a cover stuffing that rests on it, at least in partial areas;

a plastic molded shell, that reaches around the cushion layer up to close to a foamed material layer of the upholstered part; and

wherein the additional fastening means of the coverf means is arranged at end edge of the molded shell at the transition area of the upholstered part.

17. A seat according to claim 15, wherein a surrounding strip means is sewn on along the connecting junction of the upper and lower portion of the cover means;

and wherein the strip is fixed directly along a contact line at the upholstered part by the additional fastening means.

18. A seat according to claim 17, wherein the surrounding strip is made of plastic as an extruded profile and has a strip head, that in its cross-section is approximately circular, and a web portion integrally connected to the strip head;

the cover means being sewn together with said web portion;

at least one of a wire and a plastic string being held along an end of the web portion that faces away from the strip head;

plural clamp means fitted through the web portion in an axial direction of the strip and at a distance from one another; and

wherein clamp means reach around the at least wire and plastic string and are stapled into the cushion layer.

19. A seat according to claim 18, wherein the surrounding strip is developed as a double-eye profile with a web portion that is disposed in-between, and wherein the at least one wire and plastic string lies inside one eye.

20. A seat according to claim 17, wherein the surrounding strip is made of plastic as an extruded profile and has a strip head, that is approximately circular in its cross-section and a web portion that integrally connects to the strp head;

a free end of said web portion carrying one profile part of a zipper; and

wherein another profile part of the zipper being fastened to the cushion layer.

21. A seat according to claim 17, wherein the surrounding strip is made of plastic as an extruded profile has a strip head, that is approximately circular in its cross-section and a web portion that integrally connects to the strip head;

a free end of said web portion carrying one part of a snap connection; and

wherein another part of the snap connection is fastened to the cushion layer.

22. A seat according to claim 19, wherein a recess is provided in the cushion layer for receiving the web portion with at least one of an eye, a zipper part and a snap connection part, so that only the strip head projects at an upholstery border.

23. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the essentially dimensionally stable cushion layer has a cover stuffing that rests on it in partial areas;

the additional fastening means of the cover means provides separate fastening of the upper and lower portion of the cover means on a bottom side of the cushion layer; and

wherein an upper frame of the spring system rests against the bottom side of the cushion layer.

24. A seat according to claim 23, wherein the fastening of the upper portion of the cover means is formed by at least one of fastening means such as adhesive strips, Velcro-strips, and clamps.

25. A seat according to claim 23, wherein the first fastening means of the lower portion of the cover means at the dimensionally stable upholstery frame means of is formed by a clamping channel profile that is connected with the lower portion by sewing.

26. A seat according to claim 1, wherein said preload force absorbing cover means acts through the dimensionally stable means which is configured as an upholstery frame means.

27. A seat according to claim 1, wherein said preload force absorbing cover means acts through a shaped seat shell.

28. A seat according to claim 1, wherein said preload force absorbing cover means is a dimensionally stable upholstery material.