AU2005100678A4 - Seat Cover - Google Patents

Description

22/08/2005 23:26 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 03/14

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o SEAT COVER 0 ;Z FIELD OF THE INNOVATION This innovation relates to a seat cover adapted for displaying textual Sand/or graphic matter, for example logos, advertisements, sporting team symbols and the like.

BACKGROUND

0O This invention answers a need for new ways to promote brands. The

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term "brands" is here Intended to be interpreted in a broad sense, for example 0as including a signifier of a football, motor racing or other sporting team or t participant, as well as a trade mark of a supplier of goods or services.

OIt is known to sell to people clothing, souvenirs and the like that bear textual andfor graphic signs promoting such brands so that by using the goods they also provide free advertising to the supplier, or to the brand(s) marked on the goods.

It is a very common practice for people attending picnics, sporting events, social gatherings, the beach, and the like to bring their own chairs, especially chairs of a folding type. Some of these are of limited comfort.

The innovation arises from the recognition that it is possible to exploit people's use of portable chairs and seats to advertise and promote brands and at the same type provide consumers with a useful and amusing product.

SUMMARY OF THE INNOVATION The innovation provides in a first aspect a promotional seat cover for advertising and/or promoting brands the seat cover being removably securable to a seat or chair and having at least one surface that bears at least one marking signifying a brand said at least one surface being so positioned that when the seat cover is secured to a seat or chair the marking is displayed.

In the preferred embodiment, the cover comprises first second and third portions that in use of the seat cover respectively lie adjacent to: an upper surface of a base of the seat; a front surface of a seat back of the seat; and a rear surface of the seat back, COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22 22/06/2005 23:26 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 04/14 2 and wherein at least one of the said portions has a surface that bears a N said marking.

In a particularly advantageous form, the seat cover further comprises: 4a fourth portion secured to the first portion and that in use extends N 5 backwardly beneath the seat base and a fifth portion secured to the third portion that in use extends forwardly underneath the seat base; first connecting means for connecting the fifth and sixth portions; 00 rsecond connecting means for connecting points on opposing sides of IND the cover that are adjacent to the junction of the seat base and the seat back.

This form has the advantage that it can be fitted to a very wide variety of existing chairs or seats such as are used for example for picnics, at the beach, and by attendees at sporting events outdoor concerts and the like.

It is of course possible to provide seat covers with variations from the above basic elements, but still displaying markings signifying brands on surfaces that are visible when the cover is used. For example there may be provided armrest cover portions that are positionable and optionally securable over armrests of a seat or chair to which the cover is secured.

In a second aspect, the innovation provides a method for advertising and/or promoting brands comprising the step of supplying to a customer a seat or chair cover removably securable to the customer's seat or chair, the cover having at least one surface that bears at least one marking signifying a brand and that when the seat cover is secured to a seat or chair is so positioned that the marking is displayed.

The term "removably securable" in this specification means that the seat cover in question is able to be secured on a seat or chair, but is also able to be subsequently removed for storage. This is important in particular where a seat or chair is foldable, as this generally requires that there be nothing secured to the seat or chair.

In order that the innovation may be better understood, and further inventive features disclosed, there will now be described, non-limitingly, a preferred embodiment as shown in the attached Figures, of which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a seat cover according to the innovation, laid flat; COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22 22/06/2005 23:26 22/6/20523:6 613-9699-9B86 D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 51 PAGE 05/14 3 o Figure 2 is a side elevation of the seat cover as shown in Figure 1, as Cl seen looking in the direction of arrow Figure 3 is a side elevation of the seat cover of Figure 1, now secured on a seat, of which seat only a part is shown; Cl 5 Figure 4 is a perspective view of the seat cover and seat part of Figure Cl 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a further seat cover according to the 00 innovation, secured to a set.

o DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figures 1 and 2 shows a seat cover 1 according to the invention, in a V) state of readiness for placement on a chair or seat. Figures 3 and 4 show seat o cover 1 in use on a seat 2.

Cl Seat cover 1 is formed in the main from at least one layer of flat flexible sheet material such as a suitable fabric or plastics material or a fabric material with a coating of another flexible material, and comprises a linearly arranged array of five connected panels 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 together with securing straps 8, 9,10 and 11.

Textual and/or graphic material of any desired description are provided on any or all of the panels 4, 5 and 6 of the cover 1. By way of example, a single word-type logo 25, namely "Blogga" is shown on panels 4, 5 and 6, but any desired number of textual and/or graphic items may be so displayed.

These can be applied to the surface of cover 1 by any suitable method, eg by screen printing, machine embroidering or the like.

Secured to panel 3 of cover I are two transversely extending strips 12 and 13 each surfaced with either hooks or loops of the type used in hook-andloop-fasteners such as "Velcro" 1 fasteners. Straps 8 and 9 are secured to opposite sides of panel 7 and extend longitudinally. If strips 12 and 13 are faced with hooks, then straps 8 and 9 are faced with mating loops. Conversely if strips 12 and 13 are faced with loops then straps 8 and 9 are faced With mating hooks.

One of straps 10 and 11 has hooks and the other has mating loops so that straps 10 and 11 form mating halves of a hook-and-loop fastener and can thus be secured to each other.

(ZOM ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22 22/08/2005 23:26 22/6/210 2326 +13-9699-996S D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 61 PAGE 06114 4 o The edges of cover 1 are doubled and stitched by stitching lines 18 for c-I neatness and robustness. Fold lines 19, also stitched, divide adjoining pairs of panels 3 7.

;Z Panels 5 and 6 of cover 1 are padded with a suitable material, for example with pads (not shown) of a flexible cellular expanded plastics foam.

This is achieved by making the whole of cover I of two thicknesses of flexible sheet material, with the foam pads held therebetween In their correct positions 00 due to the presence of stitching lines 18 and 19. (Another way, not shown, is IND to make cover 1 of a single thickness of sheet material, with a second thickness stitched only to panels 5 and 6.) Figures 3 and 4 show how cover I is secured on seat 2. In these Figures, seat 2 is shown only as an assembly of a seat base 20 and a seat back 21, without legs or armrests. This is purely for clarity, it being understood that actual seats will have legs and may also have armrests and possibly other parts. Further in Figure 3, cover 1 is not shown as contacting seat 2 at any point, whereas in actual practice there would be such contact. This is also for clarity of exposition of the fitting of cover 1 on seat 2.

Panel 5 of cover 1 is laid against the front of seat back 21 with panel 6 being laid over seat base 20. Panel 4 extends down the rear of seat back 21, with panel 3 being folded forward underneath seat base 20. Panel 7 is folded back underneath seat base 20 so that straps 8 and 9 can be laid against, and therefore secured by hook-and-loop action to, strips 12 and 13.

In addition, and as best shown in Figure 4, straps 10 and 11 are passed underneath the rear of seat base 20 and placed in lengthwise contact so as to engage each other in hook-and-loop manner. The purpose of straps and 11 is to ensure that the junction between panels 5 and 6 is positioned and held close to the junction of seat base 20 and seat back 21.

With these steps completed, the cover I is secured to seat 2 in such a way that the padded panels 5 and 6 are positioned respectively against seat back 21 and seat base 20 for comfort, and so that the graphics 25 on panels 4, 5 and 6 are all visible (except of course when seat 2 is not being sat on, when material on panels 5 and 6 will be obscured).

By its nature, cover I can be secured temporarily on many different types of seats or chairs such as may be used at sporting events, picnic spots COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22 22/08/2005 23:26 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 07/14 o or the like. Thus a user can buy cover 1 as a souvenir at a sporting event, for CLl example, and use it with an existing chair. Afterwards, the cover 1 can be removed for storage (and if applicable to permit folding of the chair or seat), stored and then later re-secured to the seat or chair.

Cl 5 Although cover 1 has been found advantageous, it will be recognized that very many variations may be made to its construction. As one example only, Figure 5 shows a seat cover la that is the same as seat cover 1 except 00 in one respect. In Figure 5, items corresponding directly to items in Figures 1 ra IND to 4 are numbered identically with those items of Figures 1 to 4 except for the ]0 addition of the suffix For example, item 6a is a panel the same as panel 6 of cover 1. Seat 2a differs from seat 2 only in having armrests 50 and as in Sthe case of seat 2, only the base 20a and back 21a of seat 2a are shown, for LC clarity. The difference between cover 1a and cover 1 is that cover la has two additional panels 51, each secured to and extending transversely outward from panel 6a when cover 1 a is laid flat. Each panel 51 can pass over one of the armrests 50 of seat 2a as shown in Figure 5. Each one of panels 51 has press-studs 52 to enable it to be secured over an armrest 50. (Hook-and-loop fasteners or any other suitable fasteners could of course be used instead of press-studs 52.) Side panels 51 provide additional comfort to a user of chair 2a and also allow more graphics 25a to be displayed.

It will be readily apparent that many other variations may be made without exceeding the spirit and scope of the innovation.

In this specification, the word "comprise", "comprises" and its derivatives when used in relation to a set of integers, elements, items or steps is to be taken to mean that the integers, elements, items or steps are present but not to be taken to preclude the possibility that other integers, elements, items or steps are or may be present also.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22

Claims (2)

1. 3. Seat cover according to claim 2 further comprising: a fourth portion secured to the first portion and that in use extends backwardly beneath the seat base and a fifth portion secured to the third portion that in use extends forwardly underneath the seat base; first connecting means for connecting the fifth and sixth portions; second connecting means for connecting points on opposing sides of the cover that are adjacent to the junction of the seat base and the seat back.
2. 4. Promotional seat cover substantially as described herein by reference to Figures 1 to 4. COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22 22/00/2005 23:26 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 09/14 7 0 0 Cl 5. Method for advertising and/or promoting brands comprising the step of supplying to a customer a seat or chair cover adapted to be secured to the customer's seat or chair, the cover having at least one surface that bears at least one marking signifying a brand and that when the seat cover is secured to a seat or chair is so positioned that the marking is displayed. 00 rO iO COMS ID No: SBMI-01437448 Received by IP Australia: Time 22:25 Date 2005-08-22