GB2312836A

GB2312836A - Seat cushion assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2312836A
Application number: GB9705247A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Stephens; Alan Bowen
Original assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Current assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority date: 1996-05-10
Filing date: 1997-03-13
Publication date: 1997-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-13
Also published as: GB2312836B; GB9705247D0

Abstract

In a seat cushion assembly a seat cover 220 is attached to a foam cushion 210 by means of an elongate plastic strip 217 having a mesh portion 218 embedded in the foam of the seat cushion and a rib portion 213 positioned in the bottom of a recess 211 in the seat cushion. A retainer means 230 is attached to the inner surface of the seat cover 220 for engagement with the elongate plastic strip 210 thereby securing the seat cover 220 in position.

Description

A SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY This invention relates to seats and in particular to a seat having a seat cushion made of a resilient foam material.

It is known to provide a seat having a resilient foam cushion which rests upon a seat frame and a fabric or vinyl seat cover for covering the foam cushion. In such a prior art seat the seat cover is attached to the foam cushion at a number of discrete points by means of hog rings which are engaged with a fixing means on the rear surface of the seat cover. The hog rings are also engaged with one or more steel bolster wires embedded in the foam cushion thereby securing the seat cover to the foam cushion. To provide access to the bolster wires a number of slots are formed in the upper surface of the foam cushion thereby exposing the bolster wires.

Such a construction has several disadvantages, firstly, the bolster wires are relatively expensive to manufacture particularly if a bent or curve form is required and secondly such a seat cushion construction is expensive and difficult to recycle as the foam material has to be stripped away from the bolster wires before it can be recycled.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved seat cushion assembly.

According to the invention there is provided a seat cushion assembly comprising a resilient foam seat cushion, a seat cover for covering the seat cushion and at least one seat cover retaining means for attaching the seat cover to the foam seat cushion, wherein the seat cover retaining means includes an elongate plastic strip having a rib portion and a mesh portion and a securing means attached to the seat cover for co-operation with the rib portion of the plastic strip, the mesh portion of the elongate plastic strip being embedded into the seat cushion during the foaming of the seat cushion material so as to retain the elongate plastic strip in position.

The rib portion of the or each elongate plastic strip may be located in a recess in the seat cushion.

Preferably, the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip is exposed along substantially its entire length.

The securing means used to attached the seat cover to the elongate plastic strip may comprise of a number of hog ring fasteners.

Alternatively the securing means used to attached the seat cover to the elongate plastic strip may comprise of a plastic elongate channel member having inwardly directed limbs for engagement with the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip or the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip may be of a channel section having inwardly directed limbs for engagement with a elongate plastic strip attached to the seat cover.

Advantageously, the elongate plastic strip and the seat cushion are made from a similar plastics material to allow them to be recycled by the same process.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing of which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of a foam seat cushion forming part of a seat cushion assembly according to the invention; Fig.2 is a pictorial section on the line II-II on Fig.l; Fig.3 is a cross section on the line III-III on Fig.1 showing a first modification to the invention; Fig.4 is a cross section similar to Fig.3 but showing the foam seat cushion in a fully trimmed state; Fig.5 is a cross section similar to Fig.4 but showing a modified seat cover retaining means according to the invention; Fig.6 is a cross section similar to Fig.3 but showing an alternative seat cover retaining means according to the invention.

With particular reference to Figs.1, 2 and 4 there is shown a resilient foam seat cushion 10 having a front edge 15 and a rear edge 16.

The seat cushion 10 has two transverse recess 11, 12 formed therein in each of which is located part of a seat cover retaining means 17 used to secure a seat cover 20 to the seat cushion 10.

The seat cover 20 is secured in place by securing means in the form of one of more hog rings 21 each of which is engaged with a fastening strip 22 sewn to the inner surface of the seat cover 20 and extends around a rib 13 forming part of an elongate plastic strip 17 embedded in the foam of the seat cushion 10.

The elongate plastic strip therefore forms part of the seat cover retaining means and comprises of the rib 13 and a strip of plastic mesh 18 joined along one edge to the rib 13. The mesh 18 is embedded in the foam material during foaming of the seat cushion 10 such that the rib 13 is positioned adjacent to the lower surface of the recess 11.

The seat cushion 10 and the elongate plastic strip 17 are both made from similar or identical plastic materials such as polypropylene and can therefore be recycled without the need to remove the elongate plastic strip 17 from the seat cushion 10. This greatly reduces the cost of recycling the seat cushion 10 at the end of its useful life.

In addition, unlike steel wires the elongate plastic strip is relatively flexible and can be easily positioned in the mould or positioned to follow a curved or non-planar path. This is particularly relevant if the upper surface of the seat cushion 10 is heavily contoured as in such circumstances the steel wires have to be specially made to fit such a contour. In addition the ease with which the elongate strip can be distorted to follow a curved path means that it is often possible to use a single strip to secure the covering to the seat cushion 10 instead of several separate wires.

With particular reference to Fig.3 there is shown a first modification to the invention in which the rib 14 of the elongate plastic strip 117 sits in a through slot 12 in the seat cushion 110 and not at the bottom of a recess as previously described.

This construction allows access to the rib 14 from both sides of the seat cushion 110.

As can be seen in Fig.l irrespective of whether the plastic strip is located in a recess or a through slot each of the ribs 13, 14 is available along its entire length so that there is no restriction as to the position where the seat cover can be secured in place.

With particular reference to Fig.5 there is shown a seat cover retaining means which in some respects is similar to that described above but in which no hog rings are used to secure the seat cover in place.

The elongate plastic strip 217 has a rib 213 attached along one edge of a plastic mesh strip 218 which as previously described is embedded into the foam material at the base of a recess 211 in the seat cushion 210. To attach the seat cover 220 to the seat cushion 210 a securing means in the form of a channelled sectioned plastic member 230 is attached to the inside of the seat cover 220 by sewing or bonding.

The channelled sectioned member 230 has a pair of inwardly directed limbs 231, 232 which allow the channelled member to be easily engaged with the rib 213 but prevent dis-engagement occurring unless a large load is applied.

It is therefore a simple process to secure the seat cover 220 in place on the seat cushions 210 by merely aligning the channel member 230 with the elongate plastic strip 217 and then pushing the two parts into engagement.

In addition because there is contact along the entire length of the elongate plastic strip 217 the appearance on the outer surface of the seat cover 220 is more uniform than if fixings are used at discrete points along the length of the elongate plastic strip 217 as is the case when using hog rings.

With particular reference to Fig.6 their is shown a seat cover retaining means which is in many respects similar to that described above with reference to Fig.5.

The elongate plastic strip 317 has a channel shaped rib 313 attached to one edge of a plastic mesh strip 318 which is embedded into the foam material at the base of a recess 311 in the seat cushion 310.

To attach the seat cover 320 to the seat cushion 310 a securing means in the form of a plastic strip 330 is attached to the inside of the seat cover 320 by sewing or bonding. The channel section 313 has a pair of inwardly directed limbs 331, 332 which allow a rib 337 extending along the edge of the plastic strip 330 to be easily engaged with the channel sectioned rib 313 but prevent disengagement occurring unless a large load is applied.

Therefore as before it is a simple process to secure the seat cover 320 in place on the seat cushion 310.

Claims

1. A seat cushion assembly comprising a resilient foam seat cushion, a seat cover for covering the seat cushion and at least one seat cover retaining means for attaching the seat cover to the foam seat cushion, wherein the cover retaining means include an elongate plastic strip having a ribbed portion and a mesh portion and a securing means attached to the seat cover for co-operation with the rib portion of the plastic strip, the mesh portion of the elongate plastic strip being embedded into the seat cushion during foaming of the seat cushion material so as to retain the elongate plastic strip in position.

2 An assembly as claimed in Claim 1 in which the rib portion of the or each elongate plastic strip is located in a recess in the seat cushion.

3 An assembly as claimed in any proceeding claim in which the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip is exposed along substantially its entire length.

4 An assembly as claimed in any proceeding claim in which the securing means used to attach the seat cover to the elongate plastic strip comprises of a number of spaced apart hog ring fasteners.

5 An assembly as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 in which the securing means used to attach the seat cover to the elongate plastic strip is a plastic elongate channel member having inwardly directed limbs for engagement with the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip.

6 An assembly as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 in which the rib portion of the elongate plastic strip is of a channel section having inwardly directed limbs for engagement with an elongate plastic strip attached to the inner surface of the seat cover.

7 An assembly as claimed in any proceeding claim in which the elongate plastic strip and the seat cushion are made from a similar plastics material to allow them to be recycled by the same process.

8 A seat cushion assembly substancially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.