Vehicle seat cushion

• US 5,477,572 A
• Filed: 10/05/1993
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA Greiner & Sohne GmbH
• Original Assignee: CA Greiner & Sohne GmbH
• Inventors: Weingartner, Rudolf, Moseneder, Johann
• Primary Examiner(s): Saether, Flemming
• Application Number:
  US08/131,709
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 5/481, 5/459, 5/470, 5/473, 428/247, 428/257, 428/258, 428/259, 428/902, 428/920, 297/DIG. 5
• US Class Current: 297/452.48
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/00 Spring, stuffed or fluid mattresses or cushions specially adapted for chairs, beds or sofas
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/20 with reinforcement in the foam layer
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/26 with reinforcement of the external layer of the upholstery, e.g. vandal resistant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/242 Bus seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0647 Seats characterised by special upholstery or cushioning features
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/22 specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/14 Fabrics characterised by the incorporation by knitting, in one or more thread, fleece, or fabric layers, of reinforcing, binding, or decorative threads; Fabrics incorporating small auxiliary elements, e.g. for decorative purposes pile fabrics D04B21/02; non-woven fabrics in general D04H
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2505/08 Upholstery, mattresses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/05 Fireproof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/06 Hook and loop type fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/07 Rocker/recliner
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/902 High modulus filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/92 Fire or heat protection feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 5/922 with hook and loop type fastener

Abstract

A seat cushion comprises a supporting body of an open-celled, resilient foamed plastic material, an outer flame-resistant covering material encasing at least portions of the seat cushion, and a flame-resistant protective layer encasing the supporting body and connected thereto, the protective layer underlying the covering material and consisting of machine-knitted, multi-layered material. This protective layer material comprises warp threads arranged in two superposed planes and spaced apart a predetermined distance, the warp threads in an upper one of the planes being staggered in a woof direction by half the predetermined distance from the warp threads in a lower one of the planes, and the warp threads extending in a longitudinal direction, and a group of eight weft threads adjacent each other in the longitudinal direction. Two of the eight weft threads are looped around each warp thread in the upper plane, a respective one of the two weft threads is additionally looped around alternating ones of the wrap threads in the lower plane, three of the six additional weft threads are arranged between the two weft threads and are looped around different warp threads arranged only in one of the two planes, and each warp thread in each plane is looped around by only three weft threads.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle seat, a seat cushion comprising

(a) a supporting body of an open-celled, resilient foamed plastic material,

(b) an outer flame-resistant covering material encasing at least portions of the seat cushion, and

(c) a flame-resistant protective layer encasing the supporting body and connected thereto, the protective layer underlying the covering material and consisting of machine-knitted, multi-layered material comprising

(1) warp threads arranged in two superposed planes and being spaced apart a predetermined distance, the warp threads in an upper one of the planes being staggered in a woof direction by half the predetermined distance from the warp threads in a lower one of the planes, and the warp threads extending in a longitudinal direction, and

(2) a group of eight weft threads adjacent each other in the longitudinal direction, two of the eight weft threads being looped around each warp thread in the upper plane, a respective one of the two weft threads being additionally looped around alternating ones of the warp threads in the lower plane, three of the six additional weft threads being arranged between the two weft threads and being looped around different warp threads arranged only in one of the two planes, and each warp thread in each plane being looped around by only three of said weft threads.

2. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

3. The seat cushion of claim 1, further comprising means detachably connecting the covering material to the seat cushion.

4. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein a first one of the three weft threads adjacent one of the two weft threads is looped around the warp threads in the lower plane around which the one weft thread is not looped, a second one of the three weft threads adjacent the first weft thread is looped around only those warp threads in the lower plane around which the one weft thread is looped, a third one of the three weft threads adjacent the second weft thread is looped around only alternating ones of the warp threads in the upper plane, a fourth one of the six additional weft threads adjacent the other one of the two weft threads is looped around the warp threads in the lower plane around which the other weft thread is not looped, a fifth one of the six additional weft threads adjacent the fourth weft thread is looped around only those warp threads in the lower plane around which the other weft thread is looped, and a sixth one of the six additional weft threads adjacent the fifth weft thread is looped around only alternating ones of the warp threads in the upper plane.

5. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the weft threads looped around the warp threads in the two planes extend between the warp threads arranged in the two planes.

6. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the lower plane of the protective layer material faces the supporting body.

7. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein at least some of the threads are formed of polyamide fibers.

8. The seat cushion of claim 7, wherein the polyamide is a polyaromatic amide.

9. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the threads are coated with a synthetic resin material.

10. The seat cushion of claim 9, wherein the synthetic resin material is a synthetic resin selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride and polyurethane.

11. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein a portion of the threads are formed of preoxidized polyacrylonitrile and another portion of the threads is formed of polyamide.

12. The seat cushion of claim 11, wherein the polyamide is a polyaromatic amide.

13. The seat cushion of claim 11, wherein the portion of preoxidized polyacrylonitrile threads is 30% and the other portion of polyamide threads is 70%.

14. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the threads are slightly twisted.

15. The seat cushion of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive bonding at least portions of the protective layer to the supporting body, the adhesive fixing the threads on the supporting body in a prestressed state.

16. The seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the supporting body is foamed onto a surface of the protective layer and thereby bonded thereto, the surface facing away from a user of the cushion seat.

17. The seat cushion of claim 16, further comprising a fluid-tight film interposed between the protective layer and the supporting body.

18. The seat cushion of claim 16, further comprising a further protective layer bonded to a surface of the supporting body, the surface facing a user of the cushion seat.

19. The seat cushion of claim 18, further comprising an air-permeable adhesive layer bonding the further protective layer to the surface of the supporting body.

20. The seat cushion of claim 1, further comprising a flame-proofing layer of an open-celled, elastic plastic material interposed between the supporting body and the protective layer, the plastic material having a different density than the supporting body.

21. The seat cushion of claim 20, wherein the flameproofing layer is laminated to a surface of the protective layer facing away from the supporting body.