U.S. patent application number 11/404341 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-19 for operator seat for an industrial vehicle.
This patent application is currently assigned to NMHG OREGON, LLC. Invention is credited to Peter W. Cantrill.
Application Number | 20060232118 11/404341 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37107813 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060232118 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cantrill; Peter W. |
October 19, 2006 |
Operator seat for an industrial vehicle
Abstract
An operator seat on an industrial vehicle provides a recess in
the seat back for receiving a safety harness or buckle. This allows
an operator to comfortably sit in the operator seat while at that
same time being attached to the safety harness. In one embodiment,
the seat back may include piping that extends from or around the
recess to further improve operator ergonomics.
Inventors: |
Cantrill; Peter W.; (Vaprio
D'adda (MI), IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARGER JOHNSON & MCCOLLOM, P.C.
210 SW MORRISON STREET, SUITE 400
PORTLAND
OR
97204
US
|
Assignee: |
NMHG OREGON, LLC
650 N.E. Holladay Street, Suite 1600
Portland
OR
97232
|
Family ID: |
37107813 |
Appl. No.: |
11/404341 |
Filed: |
April 13, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60671550 |
Apr 14, 2005 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/452.35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 2/643 20130101;
B60N 2/646 20130101; B60N 2/56 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/452.35 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/02 20060101
A47C007/02 |
Claims
1. A seat for an industrial vehicle, comprising: a bottom seat; and
a seat back including a recess that contains a safety apparatus
when the operator leans back against the seat back, the safety
apparatus attaching an operator of the industrial vehicle to the
industrial vehicle.
2. The seat according to claim 1 wherein the recess extends
vertically along the seat back and is sized to receive a harness
coupler that extends from the back of the operator, a clamp that
attaches to the harness coupler, and a tether that extends up from
the clamp.
3. The chair according to claim 1 including piping that extends
laterally out from the sides of the recess.
4. The chair according to claim 3 including additional piping that
extends around a bottom end of the recess.
5. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the recess is
approximately around 1.5 to 2 feet long, six inches wide, and has a
depth of approximately six inches at a bottom end that get
shallower toward a top end.
6. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the seat back has a
substantially flat surface area in a center location that contains
the recess and rounded sides that extend partially forward from the
sides of the center location.
7. A safety system for a lift truck, comprising: a harness that
attaches to an operator that operates the lift truck and includes a
connector; a tether that attaches at a first end to the lift truck
and attaches at a second end to the harness connector; and an
operator cushion located on the lift truck that includes a recess
sized and shaped to receive the harness connector and the tether
when the operator sits back or leans against the cushion.
8. The safety system according to clam 7 wherein the harness
connector extends from the harness at a back location of the
operator and the tether extends upward from the harness connector
to a location above the cushion.
9. The safety system according to claim 8 wherein the recess is
vertically elongated along a central axis of the cushion and is
sized to contain both the harness connector, the tether and a clamp
that connects the tether to the harness connector.
10. The harness system according to claim 9 including piping that
extends laterally from sides of the recess toward opposite sides of
the cushion.
11. The harness system according to claim 10 including other piping
that extends from one side of the cushion, around a bottom end of
the recess, and toward an opposite side of the cushion.
12. The harness system according to claim 7 including a bottom seat
attached to the cushion.
13. The harness system according to claim 12 including a second
recess located on an underside of the bottom seat sized and shaped
to receive the harness connector and the tether when the bottom
seat is in an upright folded position.
14. The harness system according to claim 7 wherein a height of the
cushion is adjustable in a vertical direction.
15. A vehicle seat, comprising: a bottom seat; and a seat back
including a cushioning material contained within a seat covering
material, the seat back including a vertically elongated channel
formed in the covering material and extending partially into the
cushioning material along a central length of the seat back.
16. The vehicle seat according to claim 15 including smaller
channels that extend laterally from the vertically elongated
channel toward sides of the seat back.
17. The vehicle seat according to claim 15 including another
smaller channel that extends from one side of the seat back, around
a bottom end of the vertically elongated channel and toward an
opposite side of the seat back.
18. The vehicle seat according to claim 15 wherein the vertically
elongated channel is sized to extend partially around opposite
sides of safety apparatus that extend from a back side of a vehicle
operator and connect the vehicle operator to a vehicle.
19. The vehicle seat according to claim 18 wherein the vertically
elongated channel is sized to receive a harness connector that
extends from a back side of the vehicle operator, a clamp that
connects to the harness connector, and a tether that is connected
at one end to the clamp and extends vertically upward and is
connected at a second end to the vehicle.
20. The vehicle seat according to claim 15 wherein the seat back
has a substantially flat surface along a vertically elongated
central area that contains the vertically elongated channel and has
rounded sides that curve forward from opposite sides of the
substantially flat central area.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Application 60/671,550, filed Apr. 14, 2005, and herein
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Workers are commonly harnessed to safety straps, for
example, while working high above the ground. In some situations
the worker may sit in a chair and operate a vehicle while being
harnessed to the safety strap. Unfortunately, the harness can be
very uncomfortable and awkward to wear while sitting in the vehicle
chair. The present invention addresses this and other problems
associated with the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An operator seat on an industrial vehicle provides a recess
in the seat back for receiving a safety harness or buckle. This
allows an operator to comfortably sit in the operator seat while at
that same time being attached to the safety harness. In one
embodiment, the seat back may include piping that extends from or
around the recess to further improve operator ergonomics.
[0004] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of
the invention will become more readily apparent from the following
detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention
which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial vehicle seat
designed to be used while an operator is attached to a safety
strap.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat shown in FIG. 1.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of the seat shown in FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a side view of the seat with an operator attached
to a safety strap.
[0009] FIG. 5 shows the operator sitting back in the seat while
still attached to the safety strap.
[0010] FIG. 6 is a top view showing the safety strap contained in a
recess in the seat back.
[0011] FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a folding seat in
an upright folded position.
[0012] FIG. 8 is a top view of the folding seat shown in FIG.
7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show a vehicle seat 12 that includes both
a bottom seat 18 and a seat back 14. The covering for the seat 12
may be made out of fabric, leather, plastic, vinyl, or any type of
material. The bottom seat 18 includes channels alternatively
referred to as piping 20. The piping 20 includes separate fingers
20A, 20B, and 20C that all extend forward and then outward from a
back end of bottom seat 18.
[0014] Of particular interest is a recess 15 that extends
vertically through the seat back 14. The recess 15 is alternatively
referred to as a channel, groove, etc. The recess 15 can be any
length, width, and depth, but in one embodiment is sized to contain
a safety apparatus 40 (FIG. 4) that connects a vehicle operator to
the vehicle.
[0015] The seat back 14 has a substantially flat central surface
area 19 (FIG. 2) that contains the recess 15. Rounded sides 17A and
17B then extend partially forward from the flat surface area 19.
The seat back 14 and bottom seat 18 include a cushioning material,
such as foam, that is contained within the seat covering material.
The recess 15 is formed in the covering material and extends at
least partially into the cushioning material.
[0016] In one embodiment, the recess 15 extends substantially along
most of the height of the seat back 14, around 1.5 feet, and has a
width of approximately between 4 to 6 inches. The depth of recess
15 can vary at different vertical positions in the seat back 14 and
in one example may be around 6 inches at the deepest portion at the
lower end of seat back 14. The depth of recess 15 may be relatively
deep towards the bottom of seat back 14 and may become shallower or
taper towards the top of seat back 14. Of course this is only one
example, and as mentioned above, the length, width, and depth of
recess 15 can vary according to the type of safety device that
needs to sit within the seat back 14.
[0017] In one embodiment, piping 16A and 16B extend outward from
the lateral sides of recess 15 towards opposite sides of the seat
back 14. Other piping 16C extends from a first side of the seat
back 14, around a bottom end of channel 15 and to an opposite end
of the seat back 14. The piping 16 provides air circulation both
into and out of the channel 15 and through other locations of the
back seat 14. The piping 16 and 20 can be any length, width and
depth, but in one embodiment may be around one inch wide and about
0.5 to 1.0 inches deep. The recess 15 in combination with piping 16
has the unexpected advantage of increasing ventilation along the
height of the seat back 14 while at the same time providing support
along the entire length of the operator's back regardless of
whether or not the operator 30 (FIG. 5) is using the safety
apparatus 40.
[0018] The pre-formed piping 20 in the bottom seat 18, and piping
16 in the seat back 14, is also alternatively referred to as
channels and provide greater operator comfort by allowing the seat
surface to be more flexible and resilient as the operator
compresses and decompresses the seat and as the operator moves in
various directions during operation of the vehicle. The piping 16
and 20 also significantly increase breathability and comfort by
reducing the overall surface contact with the operator and
providing air channels to carry away operator sweat.
[0019] FIG. 4 shows a first operator position where an operator 30
is sitting forward on bottom seat 18 and is connected to safety
apparatus 40. The safety apparatus 40 includes a tether 32 having
one end connected to a vehicle (not shown) such as a lift truck
that is driven or operated by operator 30. The operator 30 may be
connected to an opposite end of the tether 32 either with a waist
belt 34 or a full body harness. The harness 34 is placed about the
body of the operator 30 and is then connected to a bottom end of
the tether 32 by means of a D-ring 37, or some other rigid
connecting device. The bottom end of tether 32 may include a clamp
38 that connects with a harness ring 36 via D-ring 37. Connecting
to tether 32 improves safety by holding the operator 30 to the
vehicle when the vehicle is in an elevated position.
[0020] Safety apparatus 40 includes D-ring 37, harness ring 36,
clamp 38, harness 34 and tether 32 and is bulky and typically
uncomfortable when the operator 30 sits down. For example, it could
be painful for the operator 30 to lean back against a conventional
seat back while attached to safety apparatus 40. To prevent this
discomfort, the operator 30 may sit in the forward position shown
in FIG. 4. However, this sitting position can also be uncomfortable
and may increase operator fatigue.
[0021] FIG. 5 shows how the recess 15 allows the operator 30 to
lean back in chair 12 without the discomfort of leaning directly
against the safety apparatus 40. As the operator 30 leans back, the
safety apparatus 40 is received and contained within the recess 15.
At the same time, the back of operator 30 is supported by the sides
17A and 17B (FIG. 1) of seat back 14. Thus, the recess 15 contains
the safety apparatus 40 while the operator 30 sits more comfortably
in seat 12.
[0022] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the seat 12 while the safety
apparatus 40 is contained within the recess 15. As mentioned above,
the shape and size of the recess 15 can be adapted to whatever type
of safety apparatus is used to connect the operator 30 to the
vehicle. In one example, the seat 12 may be designed to let the
safety apparatus 40 sit loosely in recess 15. Alternatively, the
seat 12 may be designed so that the safety apparatus 40 is snugly
retained in recess 15. For example, the recess 15 may be just as
deep as shown in FIG. 6, but may be narrower in width. This would
allow the side walls of the recess 15 to snugly press against the
opposite sides of the safety apparatus 40 keeping the safety
apparatus 40 from freely swinging around in recess 15. This may
also provide the additional advantage of providing more surface
area on the seat back 14 for supporting the back of operator
30.
[0023] The recess 15 may also have the benefit of providing longer
wear for the seat 12 by reducing scuffing between the safety device
40 and the covering of seat back 14. In one embodiment, the
material used in recess 15 may be made out of a more rugged
material than the material used to cover the rest of seat 12. For
example, the material in recess 15 may be made of an industrial
rubber material such as the type used for tires or wheel mud flaps.
Alternatively, the material in recess 15 could be made of a rugged
leather material or possibly a metal material that is sewn into the
material used for the rest of chair 12. Keep in mind that the back
of the operator 30 typically will not rest against the inside walls
of recess 15. Therefore, a more rugged and possibly less pliable or
soft material can be used in recess 15.
[0024] In yet another embodiment, the recess 15 may extend through
the entire seat back 14. In this embodiment, the two sides 17A and
17B may be connected together with metal bars that extend through
the back side of seat back 14. A space between the two sides 17A
and 17B operates as the recess for containing the safety apparatus
40. This would have the advantage of additional ventilation and
provide further space for containing the safety apparatus 40.
[0025] In a further embodiment, a back support cushion including
the recess 15 may be provided. The back support cushion may be
similar to the seat back 14 without a bottom seat 18 attached. In
this embodiment, the operator 30 may lean against the back support
while standing in an operator cabin, wherein the safety apparatus
40 otherwise rests in the recess 15 as previously described. The
back support cushion may be repositionable in a vertical direction
to compensate for a difference in operator height.
[0026] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a side and top view of a folding seat 50
in an upright folded position. A second recess 52 may be provided
on the underside of a bottom seat 54 of folding seat 50 that may be
folded against a top seat 56. The recess 15 included in the
underside of the bottom seat 54 may similarly retain the safety
apparatus 40 when the operator 30 (FIG. 5) is standing and leaning
against the underside of the bottom seat 54 in the upright folded
position. A first recess 58 may be included in the seat back 56, in
the underside of the bottom seat 54, or in both the seat back 56
and the underside of the bottom seat 54. A seat height may be
repositionable in a vertical direction to compensate for a change
in height of the safety apparatus with the operator 30 in a seated
or standing position, for example.
[0027] Having described and illustrated the principles of the
invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent
that the invention may be modified in arrangement and detail
without departing from such principles. I claim all modifications
and variation coming within the spirit and scope of the following
claims.
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