Cushion plate for vehicle seat

• US 7,290,837 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Shinji, Kizawa, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US11/259,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.1, 297/452.31, 297/452.33, 297/452.36, 297/452.55, 297/284.4
• US Class Current: 297/452.55
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/66 Lumbar supports
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7094 Upholstery springs

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat back frame of a rectangular shape having a pair of side frames, upper and lower seat springs mounted between the side frames, and a flexible cushion plate in the form of a single plate attached to the seat springs. The cushion plate has a lower wide section supporting the vicinity of ilia (S) of a seated occupant (P), and a narrow middle section for reducing hold performance for the vicinity of a waist of the seated occupant (P). The cushion plate has an upper edge projecting slightly higher than a ninth dorsal vertebra (R) of the seated occupant (P).

Claims

1. A vehicle seat having a seat back engaged over a seat bottom comprising:

a seat back frame of a rectangular shape fixed within the seat back having a pair of side frames;

upper and lower seat springs engaged on the side frames;

a flexible cushion plate extending up from the bottom seat above a mid section of the seat back frame formed in a single plate attached to the upper and lower seat springs; and

a seat back cushion supported by the cushion plate;

wherein the cushion plate has an upper edge and a lower section wider than the upper edge along the width of the seat bottom;

wherein the lower section has a projection having concave side edges tapering downward along the longitudinal axis of the cushion plate from a lower edge of the cushion plate so that the projection is situated midway between the side frames;

wherein the upper edge has a gentle arcuate shape curving downward in the middle, and

wherein the cushion plate has a middle section narrower than either the upper edge or the lower edge.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the upper seat springs are engaged to the cushion plate at a height above that of the middle section.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the lower seat springs are engaged to the cushion plate at the junction of the middle section and the lower section.