Vehicle seat with inflatable bladder
First Claim
1. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising (a) a seat base having (1) a seat occupant supporting surface and (2) a sidewall joined to said seat occupant supporting surface by a corner, and (b) a bladder having (1) an inflatable chamber carried by said seat occupant supporting surface and (2) an integral control flap having at least a portion of said control flap disposed along said sidewall, wherein said control flap is constructed and arranged to facilitate gas flow into or out of said chamber.
18 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle seat having a bladder with more than two inflatable chambers and an integral control flap, all of one piece, integral construction. To maximize inflatable volume of each chamber, each chamber preferably has a sidewall portion that is generally perpendicular. The control flap has passages in communication with the chambers and valving for selectively controlling inflation of the chambers. Valving preferably includes pinch valves having a generally T-shaped body with legs that pinch passages in the control flap to retain gas in a chamber and selectively inflate or deflate the chamber. The bladder is connected to a gas supply having a pump in communication with a reservoir for storing a charge of pressurized gas in the reservoir so that the pump need not immediately operate when gas is needed to inflate a chamber. To maintain a charge of gas in the reservoir, the gas supply preferably includes a pressure switch for energizing the pump when the reservoir pressure drops below a lower threshold and deenergizing the pump when pressure rises above an upper threshold. A preferred bladder has a chamber for cushioning the thighs of a seat occupant, a chamber for cushioning the buttocks and can have a chamber for providing lumbar support. A bladder of this invention can be assembled as part of a motorcycle seat having a bladder for the driver and a bladder for the passenger. The bladder also can be used in automotive and off road vehicle seating applications.
209 Citations
51 Claims
- 1. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising (a) a seat base having (1) a seat occupant supporting surface and (2) a sidewall joined to said seat occupant supporting surface by a corner, and (b) a bladder having (1) an inflatable chamber carried by said seat occupant supporting surface and (2) an integral control flap having at least a portion of said control flap disposed along said sidewall, wherein said control flap is constructed and arranged to facilitate gas flow into or out of said chamber.
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18. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a seat occupant supporting surface; (b) a bladder carried by said seat occupant supporting surface with said bladder having an inflatable chamber, a control flap, and a gas supply passage extending from said control flap to said chamber for communicating gas to said chamber; (c) a gas supply in gas flow communication with said control flap for supplying gas to said supply passage to inflate said chamber, said gas supply having a reservoir storing a charge of gas and said storage reservoir in gas flow communication with said gas supply passage, a gas pump in gas flow communication with said storage reservoir supplying said reservoir with gas, and a pressure sensing switch in gas flow communication with said reservoir for sensing the pressure of gas within said reservoir, said pressure sensing switch connected to said pump for controlling operation of said pump, and (1) said pressure sensing switch having a lower threshold pressure level wherein said switch energizes said pump to charge said reservoir with gas when the gas pressure in said reservoir is less than or equal to said lower threshold pressure level and (2) said switch having an upper threshold pressure level wherein said switch deenergizes said pump when the gas pressure within said reservoir is equal to or greater than said upper threshold pressure level; and (d) a gas flow control valve between said storage reservoir and said inflatable chamber, said valve controlling gas flow from said storage reservoir to said inflatable chamber. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A seat for a motorcycle comprising:
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(a) a seat occupant supporting saddle for supporting a rider of the motorcycle with said saddle having (1) a seat occupant supporting surface on its top and (2) a sidewall; (b) a bladder having (1) an inflatable chamber carried by said saddle and (2) an integral control flap disposed along side said sidewall; (c) a valve operably associated with said control flap for controlling gas flow into or out of said inflatable chamber; and (d) a seat covering overlying said saddle and said inflatable chamber. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A method of operating a seat for providing adjustable support to a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) providing a bladder having an inflatable chamber a gas supply having a reservoir for storing a charge of gas for supplying gas to the chamber to inflate the chamber, a compressor for charging the reservoir with gas, and a pressure switch having an upper and lower threshold pressure level for sensing the pressure of gas within the reservoir and controlling operation of the compressor, and a valve operably associated with the bladder having a first position for retaining gas in the chamber and a second position for admitting gas into the chamber; (b) sensing the pressure of the gas within the reservoir; (c) energizing the compressor to charge the reservoir with gas if the gas pressure within the reservoir is less than the lower threshold pressure level; and (d) deenergizing the compressor when the pressure of the gas in the reservoir is greater than the upper threshold pressure level. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a bladder having an inflatable chamber; (b) a gas storage reservoir bag in gas flow communication with said inflatable chamber and which is composed of a resilient and flexible material constructed and arranged to be substantially gas tight so as to hold gas at a pressure greater than the pressure of gas in said inflatable chamber; and (c) a gas pump in gas flow communication with said reservoir bag for charging said reservoir bag with gas. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a seat base having a seat occupant supporting surface; (b) a bladder carried by said seat base with said bladder having an inflatable chamber and a gas passage leading to said chamber; (c) a valve in operable communication with said gas passage for (1) allowing gas flow through said passage when said valve is in an open position and (2) opposing gas flow through said passage when said valve is in a closed position; (d) a gas storage reservoir in gas flow communication with said gas passage upstream of (1) said valve and (2) said inflatable chamber for storing a charge of gas under pressure that is supplied to said inflatable chamber when said valve is disposed in said open position, wherein said gas storage reservoir comprises a gas tight bag constructed of a flexible and resilient elastomeric material; and (e) a gas compressor in gas flow communication with said reservoir bag for supplying said reservoir bag with gas. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a seat base having a seat occupant supporting surface; (b) a bladder carried by said seat base with said bladder having an inflatable chamber and a gas passage leading to said chamber; (c) a valve in operable communication with said gas passage for (1) allowing gas flow through said passage when said valve is in an open position and (2) opposing gas flow through said passage when said valve is in a closed position; (d) a gas storage reservoir in gas flow communication with said gas passage upstream of said valve and said inflatable chamber for storing a charge of gas under pressure that is supplied to said inflatable chamber when said valve is disposed in said open position; (e) an electrically powered gas compressor in gas flow communication with said gas storage reservoir for charging said reservoir with gas; and (f) a gas pressure sensing switch in communication with said gas in said storage reservoir and electrically connected to said gas compressor for controlling operation of said compressor to cause said compressor to maintain gas at a pressure of at least about thirteen pounds per square inch inside said storage reservoir when said valve is closed so that said storage reservoir supplies gas under pressure to said inflatable chamber when said valve is opened. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a seat base having a seat occupant supporting surface; (b) a bladder carried by said base and having (1) a first pair of spaced apart inflatable chambers in gas flow communication with each other by a first interconnecting gas passage, and (2) a second pair of inflatable chambers in gas flow communication with each other by a second interconnecting gas passage with said second pair of inflatable chambers spaced rearwardly from said first pair of inflatable chambers relative to a seat occupant sitting in the seat; and (c) wherein (1) one of said chambers of said first pair underlies one of the thighs of a seat occupant and the other of said chambers of said first pair underlies the other of the thighs of a seat occupant when a seat occupant is sitting on the seat, and (2) one of said chambers of said second pair underlies one of the buttocks of a seat occupant and the other of said chambers of said second pair underlies the other of the buttocks of a seat occupant when a seat occupant is sitting on the seat. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a bladder carried by the seat with said bladder having (1) an inflatable chamber and (2) a control flap with said control flap (i) in operable communication with said bladder and (ii) in gas flow communication with said inflatable chamber, wherein said control flap is comprised of (1) a first wall and a second wall constructed of a resilient material oriented such that one of said walls overlies the other of said walls with a seal joining said walls and defining a gas passage leading from said control flap to said inflatable chamber, and (2) a split line where said first wall and second wall separate from each other exposing said gas passage; and (b) a gas flow control valve having a fitting that is received between said first wall and second wall of said control flap in gas flow communication with said gas passage to enable said valve to control gas flow through said gas passage. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A seat for supporting a seat occupant comprising:
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(a) a bladder carried by the seat with said bladder comprised of (1) a first wall and a second wall constructed of a resilient material oriented such that one of said walls overlies the other of said walls with a seal joining said walls and defining an inflatable chamber and a gas passage in gas flow communication with said inflatable chamber, and (2) a split line where said first wall and said second wall separate from each other exposing said gas passage; and (b) a gas flow control valve having a fitting that is received between said first wall and second wall of said bladder in gas flow communication with said gas passage to enable said valve to control gas flow through said gas passage.
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Specification