Automotive seat and method of forming same

• US 4,840,430 A
• Filed: 01/04/1988
• Issued: 06/20/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tachi-S Company Limited, Tahi-S Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tachi-S Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimada, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, James T.
• Application Number:
  US07/143,222
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 156/212, 156/213, 156/216, 156/219, 156/228, 297/DIG. 1, 297/452, 297/458, 297/459, 297/460
• US Class Current: 297/452.61
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0092 Producing upholstery articles, e.g. cushions, seats B29C63/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/01 Foam
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1028 by bending, drawing or stretch forming sheet to assume shape of configured lamina while in contact therewith

Abstract

An automotive seat comprising a main pad having an unevenly shaped upper surface, a sub pad bonded to such upper surface of the main pad and a covering member bonded to the sub pad, and a method of forming the automotive seat.

According to the method disclosed, a sub pad of a flat-plate-like slab material and a covering member are firstly pressed and bonded together in a shape conforming to the unevenly shaped upper surface of a main pad, and then those two bonded elements are bonded to the upper surface of the main pad.

In this way the seat is obtained in which the sub pad is bonded positively along the unevenly shaped upper surface of the main pad.

Claims

1. An automotive seat comprising:

a foam main pad which is so foamed in a mold that a central portion of its upper surface is recessed;

a sub pad bonded to said main pad such that said sub pad conforms in shape to said upper surface of said main pad, wherein said sub pad is also bonded to a covering member; and

a decorative recessed groove provided between said main pad and said sub pad such that it is defined laterally of said main and sub pads;

wherein said sub pad is formed into an uneven shape, so that the size of said sub pad is conformed to that of said main pad, the free end part of said covering member being inserted into a boundary between said sub pad and said main pad.

2. The automotive seat according to claim 1, wherein said sub pad is formed of a flat-plate-like foam slab material.

3. A method of forming an automotive seat, comprising the steps of:

providing a pre-formed main pad which has a recessed area defined in its central portion;

applying subsequently pressure by means of a press working device to a foam sub pad and a covering member to reshape said foam sub pad into an uneven shape, and at the same time bonding said sub pad and covering member together, such that a non-bonded surface of said sub pad conforms in shape to said upper surface of said main pad while an upper surface of said covering member is formed in conformity with an outer contour of said seat; and

thereafter, bonding said sub pad with said covering member bonded thereto to said upper surface of said main pad by means of an adhesive.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said press working device includes an upper die formed in a shape conforming to said upper surface of said main pad and a lower die formed in conformity with the shape of said upper die, and wherein the method includes the steps of:

applying a pressure, by means of said upper and lower die, to both said sub pad and covering member and at the same time bonding said sub pad and covering member together by means of an adhesive;

thereafter, removing said upper die from said sub pad and covering member, and placing said main pad upon said sub pad such that said upper surface of said main pad is superposed on said non-bonded surface of said sub pad; and

applying a pressure, by means of an upper die having a plane pressure surface, to said main pad so as to bond said main pad integrally to said sub pad by means of an adhesive.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said sub pad is formed of a flat-plate-like slab material, prior to being pressed by said press working device.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein it further comprises the step of mounting on a frame said main pad which has been bonded to said sub pad with said covering member bonded thereto.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein it further comprises the steps of:

forming said main and sub pads so as to create a recessed groove along a boundary between said two pads when they are bonded together; and

inserting and bonding a part of said covering member into said recessed groove,

whereby a decorative deep groove is formed in said seat.

8. An automotive seat comprising:

a foam main pad having an upper surface which is recessed in a central portion thereof and raised at side portions thereof;

a sub pad/covering member subassembly extending across the entire upper surface of said foam main pad and being laminated thereto, said subassembly comprising a covering member and a generally planar sub pad reshaped to conform in shape to said upper surface of said main pad, said covering member being laminated to said reshaped sub pad along an upper surface thereof during reshaping thereof; and

a decorative recessed groove provided along a boundary between said main pad and said sub pad such that it is defined laterally of said main pad and said sub pad, a portion of said covering member being inserted into said recessed groove.