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Method of making a cover and foam body seat component

  • US 5,231,745 A
  • Filed: 07/12/1991
  • Issued: 08/03/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of making a seat cover and foam body component including an occupant-engaging panel of cover material having a predetermined exterior surface configuration and an imperforate interior surface with foamable material foamed in place thereon so as to resiliently yieldingly retain the exterior surface in said predetermined configuration, said predetermined configuration being with a periphery of said panel and having at least one elongated sharply concave styling character line therein, said method comprising the steps ofutilizing (1) a plastic strip of thin elongated cross-sectional configuration having a central portion of reduced thickness dividing the strip along a severance line into opposite exterior and interior edge portions and (2) a plurality of pieces of cover material of different exterior surface appearance to form said cover material panel,sewing marginal edges of said plurality of cover material pieces with said strip disposed between exterior surfaces of the marginal edges in a configuration coincident with said elongated sharply concave styling character line to form a seam in which a line of stitches extends through the marginal edges of the cover material pieces and the reduced thickness central portion of the strip along the severance line or slightly outwardly thereof.applying a tape of imperforate material along the seam in sealed relation with the imperforate interior surfaces of the cover material pieces,positioning the sewn and taped panel so that the exterior surface thereof is in facing relation to a mold member having a mold surface formed with a mirror image of said predetermined configuration including an elongated sharply convex ridge corresponding with said sharply concave character line having an elongated slot therein,inserting the exterior edge portion of the strip into said elongated slot so as to accurately locate the seam of the panel along said elongated sharply convex styling character line,creating negative pressure conditions between the mold surface of the molding member and the exterior surface of the panel through openings in the mold surface so as to conform the exterior surface of the panel to the mold surface of the mold member,establishing a confined space on the interior surface of the panel,charging foamable material into the confined space,foaming the foamable material within the confined space so as to adhere a body of foamed material to the interior surface of said panel while the exterior surface is in conformity with the mold surface,removing the panel with the body of foamed material adhered to the interior surface thereof from the mold surface including the exterior edge portion of the strip from the elongated slot, andremoving the exterior edge portion of said strip along the severance line thereof from the panel.

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