Closure for a seat trim cover

• US 5,401,075 A
• Filed: 02/09/1994
• Issued: 03/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoover Universal Incorporated (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Hoover Universal Incorporated (Adient plc)
• Inventors: Sutton, Amy R., Venuto, Dennis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US08/194,216
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 297/218, 297/219.1, 297/220, 297/228.1, 297/228.13, 297/391, 297/396, 297/452.59, 297/452.60, 24/587
• US Class Current: 297/218.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/023 connecting upholstery to frames, e.g. by hooks, clips, snap fasteners, clamping means or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5816 attachments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5825 by hooks, staples, clips, snap fasteners or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/803 fixed

Abstract

A closure for an opening in a trim cover of an upholstered article. The closure includes a pair of elongated clips with one clip attached to one edge of the trim cover opening and forming a receiving pocket with an open end and the other attaching clip joined to an opposite edge of the trim cover opening and has a barb shape projection for insertion into the receiving pocket of the first clip. The barb shaped projection and the receiving pocket have mating shoulders that engage one another once the barb shaped projection is inserted into the receiving pocket to prevent release of the barb shaped projection and to hold the edges of the trim cover together whereby the opening in the trim cover is closed.

Claims

1. A closure for a trim cover of an upholstered article, the upholstered article having an internal support structure covered by the trim cover and the trim cover having a pair of elongated edges to be attached to one another after the trim cover is placed over the internal structure, said closure comprising:

a first elongated attaching clip joined to one of said pair of elongated edges and extending longitudinally along said one of said pair of edges, said first attaching clip having a receiving pocket formed by a pair of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending legs, said receiving pocket having an elongated open end, and said legs having flanges that extend toward one another into said pocket at said open end; and

a second elongated attaching clip joined to the other of said pair of edges and extending longitudinally along said other of said pair of edges, said second attaching clip having an elongated barb shaped projection for insertion into said receiving pocket of said first elongated attaching clip, said barb shaped projection having shoulders that engage the flanges of the receiving pocket once said barb shaped projection is inserted therein to positively prevent release of the barb shaped projection to hold said edges together whereby said pair of edges in said trim cover are attached to one another.

2. The closure of claim 1 wherein said first elongated attaching clip further comprises means for mounting said first elongated attaching clip to the internal support structure of the upholstered article.

3. The closure of claim 2 wherein said means for mounting said first attaching clip to the internal supporting structure of the upholstered article includes an extending flange having a return bent configuration forming a hook.

4. The closure of claim 1 wherein said first elongated attaching clip includes a first joining portion where said first attaching clip is joined to one of said edges, said first joining portion being formed by a distal end of one of said legs forming said receiving pocket extending beyond said open end of said receiving pocket whereby said receiving pocket opens in a direction toward the trim cover edge joined to said first attaching clip.

5. The closure of claim 4 wherein said second elongated attaching clip further comprises a second joining portion where said second attaching clip is joined to the other of said trim cover edges and said barb shaped projection extends from said second joining portion whereby when said barb shaped projection is inserted into said receiving pocket said second joining portion is disposed adjacent to said first joining portion.

6. An upholstery cover for a seat back of the type having a hole formed therethrough, said seat back having a front side and a rear side, said upholstery cover comprising:

front and rear cover sections for covering the front and rear sides of the seat back respectively, each said cover section having an opening for alignment with said seat back hole and each said cover section having an edge surrounding said opening, said front and rear cover sections also having peripheral edges and being assembled together along a substantial portion of said peripheral edges to form an envelope having an open end for insertion of said seat back into said envelope;

an elongated front attaching clip attached to said front cover section along a portion of said front cover section edge surrounding said opening, said front attaching clip having a substantially uniform cross sectional shape along the length thereof; and

an elongated rear attaching clip attached to said rear cover section along a portion of said rear cover edge surrounding said opening, said rear attaching a clip having a substantially uniform cross sectional shape along the length thereof, and said front and rear attaching clips having cooperating means for joining said front and rear attaching clips to one another to join said front and rear cover sections together in said seat back hole.

7. The upholstery cover of claim 6 wherein said seat back includes a support structure and one of said front and rear attaching clips includes means for mounting said one clip to the support structure of the seat back.

8. The upholstery cover of claim 7 wherein said means for attaching said one clip to the support structure of the seat back includes an extending flange having a return bent configuration forming a hook.

9. The upholstery cover of claim 6 wherein said means for joining said front and rear attaching clips to one another includes projecting means on one of said attaching clips and receiving means on the other of said attaching clips for receiving said projecting means and positively holding said projecting means to join said attaching clips to one another.

10. The upholstery cover of claim 6 wherein:

one of said attaching clips includes a joining portion where said one attaching clip is joined to one of said cover sections and a receiving pocket having on open end formed by a pair of spaced legs having inwardly directed flanges that extend toward one another at said open end; and

the other of said attaching clips includes a joining portion where said other attaching clip is joined to the other of said cover sections and a barb shaped projection extending from said joining portion for insertion into said receiving pocket, said barb shaped projection having shoulders that engage the flanges of the receiving pocket once inserted therein to positively prevent release of the barb shaped projection whereby said receiving pocket and said barb shaped projection form said means for joining said front and rear attaching clips to one another.

11. The upholstery cover of claim 10 wherein said joining portion of said one attaching clip is formed by a distal end of one of said legs forming said receiving pocket extending beyond said open end of said receiving pocket whereby said receiving pocket opens in a direction toward the cover section joined to said one attaching clip.

12. The upholstery cover of claim 10 wherein said seat back includes a support structure and said one attaching clip includes an extending flange having a bent return configuration forming a hook for mounting said one attaching clip to the support structure of the seat back, said hook having an opening which faces toward the said joining portion of said one attaching clip whereby tension in said one cover section joined to said one attaching clip draws said hook onto the support structure.

13. The upholstery cover of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of said front attaching clips attached to said front cover section along portions of said front cover section edge surrounding said opening and an equal number of said a rear attaching clips attached to said rear cover section along portions of said rear cover section edge surrounding said opening.