Seat Comprising Independently Mounted Blocks Of Deformable Elastic Padding

Abstract

Seat comprising deformable elastic padding which consists of blocks of elastic material which are juxtaposed to each other but are connected to each other only to the extent that their bases are connected to a common flexible mounting sheet.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Conventional upholstery for the seats of automobiles comprises an outer covering so mounted as to entirely cover the frame, the springs, and the padding. Under these conditions, any load imposed upon the supporting surfaces produces peripheral tensions all around the cover which result in undesirable resistance to depression of the padding and impair comfort. This defect is particularly noticeable in the cases of seats for sport cars because the vibrations of their suspensions must be considerably reduced due to the contour of their bodies.

The present invention has for its object a seat comprising deformable elastic padding, especially adapted for use in vehicles, which is characterized in that its upper surface, which receives the weight of the driver or passengers, consists of independent juxtaposed members which do not react with each other, but each of which yields freely and independently to the specific pressures which are applied thereto. These are attached at their bases to a common flexible sheet. Their depression avoids the limiting effects conventionally created by peripheral tensions.

In one embodiment of the invention, the padding of the seats consists of small blocks of elastic material such as foam rubber, for example, which are covered by a covering material individually surrounding each of these blocks. These blocks may be of various shapes, (cubical for example). They may also consist of elongated members of any section either transversely or longitudinally positioned. In certain cases, these elongated members may extend the full length or width of the seat surface, or of that portion of the seat surface within an encircling border. The group of blocks may be encircled by a peripheral border member.

The attached drawing illustrates by way of example one embodiment of the present invention. In this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through said seat; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view through said seat.

The seat of the vehicle shown comprises a peripheral border 1 within small cubical elastic blocks 2 are uniformly distributed. These blocks are attached at their bases to a flexible sheet 3, by heat-sealing them thereto, or in any other suitable manner. A small space i exists between the upper edges of each of the blocks but this may be reduced to zero, provided these edges remain free to move relative to each other. Intervals f, f.sub.1, and f.sub.2 are provided between the bases of the blocks and these may be of different dimensions, varying with the radius of curvature of the support, the greater the radius, the smaller the interval.

The elastic blocks 2 and border 1 are individually covered by a suitable covering material 7, preferably of plastic.

The support may comprise a rigid pre-shaped member 4 mounted on tubular mounting means 5 and covered by a thin resilient sheet 6 positioned beneath the flexible sheet 3 to which the blocks are attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of these elastic blocks may be compressed under the weight of a load P without substantially affecting the adjacent blocks. They may be attached to the flexible sheet 3 after it has been put in place. The seat proper and its back may be separate, or may on the contrary, as illustrated, be formed in one piece as a bucket seat. When the seat proper and the back are separate, the plastic blocks are formed into two groups, one for the seat proper, and one for the back, connected only by said flexible sheet.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A seat comprising a rigid surface divided into a seat part and a back part, each comprising a resilient sheet lying on a rigid preformed surface, and a single padding member which covers both parts, said padding member comprising a plurality of discrete elastic flexible padding units mounted side by side on a flexible sheet sealed to said resilient sheets and a peripheral border which surrounds said units and projects from said flexible sheet at least as far as said padding units, each of said units being individually covered by cover means which constitutes the general outer surface of said seat and individually sealed to said flexible sheet, and said units being connected together only by said flexible sheet.

2. A seat as claimed in claim 1 in which both the length and width of the padding member are divided into a plurality of individual padding units.