Folding seat having a belt member

• US 6,644,752 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takata, Yasuhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDELL, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US09/904,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20020033630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.1, 297/452.56, 297/284.2, 297/452.59, 297/440.11, 297/440.2, 297/440.22
• US Class Current: 297/452.56
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7011 of substantially two-dimensional shape, e.g. hammock-like, plastic shells, fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7094 Upholstery springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/75 Arm-rests

Abstract

A seat member 10 of the present invention is provided with a belt member 200 in the back side of each cushioning member, in which the belt member is held by engaging with an appropriate portion of a back frame 30 at its one end and with an appropriate portion of a seat frame 40 at the other end, is disposed in the vicinity of, at least, either right or left side of a sitting person in a direction along the longitudinal cross-section, and is designed to have the length in the overlapping area with the above-described cushioning members shorter than the length along an expanded state of the cushioning members in the same area and is designed to be made of a material having a higher stiffness than those of respective cushioning members. By disposing the belt member 200, when a person takes a seat, it becomes possible to support the waist of sitting person since a portion corresponding to the belt member is relatively bulged out. In addition, since a relatively bulged position of the place corresponding to the belt member differs in response to the physique (weight, etc.) of the sitting person, the waist-supporting function can be exhibited in response to difference in the physique so that the feeling of seating can be improved.

Claims

1. A seat comprising:

a seat cushion having a cushioning member and a back face, said cushioning member being supported by a seat frame, said seat frame including a pair of side frames and a front end frame coupled to each of said side frames;

a seat back having a cushioning member and a back face, the cushioning member being supported by a back frame including a pair of side frames and a upper end frame coupled to each of said side frames, said back frame being coupled to said seat frame so that it is pivotable with respect to said seat frame; and

a belt member having a first end and a second end, said belt member being adjacent to the back face of the cushioning member supported by said seat frame and the back face of the cushioning member supported by said back frame, said first end of said belt member being coupled to said back frame and said second end of said belt member being coupled to said seat frame, said belt member being positioned perpendicular to the front end frame and the upper end frame;

wherein a length of the belt member between the upper end frame and the front end frame is less than a length of the cushioning members between the upper end frame and the front end frame, said belt member being designed to be made of a material having a higher stiffness than those of each of the cushioning members; and

wherein, a raised portion of each of the cushioning members is adapted to relatively rise where portion of each of the cushioning members are proximate to the belt member when a load of a sitting person is received by each of the said cushioning members, said raised portion serves as a waist-supporting mechanism for the sitting person.

2. The seat according to claim 1, wherein said first end of said belt member is held by engaging with the upper end frame of said back frame and said second end of the belt member is held by engaging with the front end frame of said seat frame.

3. The seat according to claim 1, wherein a covering member is fixed on the back face of each of said cushioning members to form a substantially cylindrical shape with said back face of each of said cushioning members, and said belt member is inserted in a hollow portion formed by the covering member.

4. The seat according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning member supported by said seat frame and the cushioning member supported by said back frame are made of a net member having a three-dimensional structure, said net member having a front mesh layer and a back mesh layer interconnected to each other by a large number of piles.

5. The seat according to claim 4, wherein said net member has a one-piece structure.

6. The seat according to claim 1, wherein said belt member is disposed between a first sitting person and a second sitting person.

7. The seat according to claim 1, wherein said seat cushion and said seat back are formed for a plurality of persons, and said belt member is positioned between the side frames of said back frame and between the side frames of said seat frame.

8. The seat according to claim 1, wherein said belt member includes a restoration property.

9. The seat according to claim 1, wherein a distance between each of the side frames of said seat frame is wider than a distance between each of the side frames of said back frame, and

wherein said seat frame and said back frame are structured and arranged such that said back frame is surrounded by each of the side frames of said seat frame when said back frame is pivoted to said position when said back frame substantially overlies said seat frame.