GB2350788A

GB2350788A - Kit for adapting the shape of a seat

Info

Publication number: GB2350788A
Application number: GB9913206A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Charles Sodeau; Nicholas Crosbie; Ron Arad
Original assignee: INFLATE Ltd
Current assignee: INFLATE Ltd
Priority date: 1999-06-07
Filing date: 1999-06-07
Publication date: 2000-12-13
Also published as: GB9913206D0

Abstract

A kit for adapting the shape of a seat, to conform to the shape of a user, which comprises a reusable mouldable pad 1 comprising a sealed bag 2 of flexible, gas impermeable material, eg. PVC, fitted with a valve 3 through which gas may pass and a plurality of filler particles, eg polystyrene beads located within the sealed bag; means, eg straps, for attaching the mouldable pad to the seat; and means for extracting gas from the sealed bag though the valve.

Description

2350788 KIT FOR ADAPTING THE SHAPE OF A SEAT This invention relates to a

kit for adapting the shape of a seat, preferably to conform to the shape of a user, a method for adapting the shape of a seat and a mouldable pad for use in such a method.

Many different types of seat are known. However, a seat which is comfortable for one person will often be very uncomfortable for another person. In general, a seat which feels comfortable will be one which has a shape which complements the shape of the user whereas the converse is true in the case of an uncomfortable seat.

However, few seats have any mechanisms for adjusting their shape and it is not always economically viable to dispose of and replace uncomfortable seats. Thus, many users will endure uncomfortable seats despite the attendant discomfort. Moreover, such uncomfortable seats will often force the user to assume an unnatural position in an attempt to find comfort with the result that medical problems such as backache may develop over a period of time.

The problems set out above are particularly common in the case of vehicle seats where a standard type of seat with limited, if any, facilities for adjustment will be fitted in a vehicle according to the type of vehicle rather than the shape of the user. Moreover, professional vehicle operators such as lorry drivers, train drivers, pilots etc. will often have to sit in such seats for long periods of time in the course of their work thereby exacerbating the problems referred to above.

Vehicle seats and other seats are known which provide facilities for adjusting the height of the seat portion, the angle of inclination of the back portion and the degree of lumbar support provided by the back portion. However, all these facilities have a limited 2 range of adjustment and will not therefore enable the shape of the seat to be altered sufficiently to conform to the shape of the user.

It is also known to fit a padded seat cover or a seat cover comprising a plurality of wooden beads strung together to form a mat to a vehicle seat with a view to enhancing the comfort of the seat. However, such seat covers do not fundamentally alter the shape of the seat and are therefore of limited success.

Inflatable seats and seats comprising bean bags are also known. These seats will adjust to some extent to conform to the shape of the user. However, once the user had arisen from the seat, they do not retain the desired shape. Also, such seats are clearly unsuitable for use is in a vehicle.

It is therefore clearly desirable to find a way of adapting the shape of an existing seat so that it is comfortable for a particular user which is cheap, simple to use and effective. It is also important that the adaptation is reversible so that the same seat can be utilised by a different person in comfort on another occasion.

According to the present invention there is therefore provided a kit for adapting the shape of a seat which comprises a mouldable pad comprising a sealed bag of flexible, gas impermeable material fitted with a sealable valve through which gas may pass and a plurality of filler particles located within the sealed bag; means for attaching the mouldable pad to the seat; and means for extracting gas from the sealed bag though the sealable valve.

It is preferred that the kit is used for adapting the shape of a seat to conform to the shape of a user.

However, it may be desirable for medical or other reasons to adapt the shape of a seat to a different shape which does not conform to the shape of the user. For instance, it may be desirable to adapt the shape of a seat to 3 provide a lumbar support of a specific shape in order to treat or prevent a back problem.

Preferably, the flexible, gas impermeable material is a plastics material, such as a nylon material or, more preferably, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material.

It is preferred that the filler particles comprise pellets of a resilient material as this enhances the degree of softness as perceived by the user. Polystyrene beads are particularly preferred in this respect.

Particle size is also important. In general, small particles are preferred because they allow better definition of the desired shape than large particles.

Preferably, the filler particles will have a particle size of 1 to 10 mm, more preferably 2 to 5 mm.

The sealed bag may be provided with one sealable valve in which case it is preferred that this valve is a two-way valve through which gas may pass into or out of the sealed bag. However, the flexible gas impermeable bag may be fitted with two valves, one through which gas may be extracted from the sealed bag and one through which gas may enter the sealed bag. Preferably, the gas is air.

The means for attaching the mouldable pad to the seat may comprise any suitable releasable securing means and this may be provided separately, in association with the mouldable pad, in association with the seat or in association with both the mouldable pad and the seat.

For instance, elastic strips could be fitted to the pad or the seat which pass over the seat or pad respectively or elastic bands could be provided separately which pass over both the pad and seat. Alternatively, straps could be provided independently or attached to the pad and/or seat which are fitted with a suitable fastening means such as a velcro strip, popper, buckle or clip which communicates with a corresponding fastening means on the other end of the same strap or a corresponding strap attached to the pad and/or seat. It is also envisaged 4 that a zip fastener could be used where one part of the zip fastener is attached to the pad and the other corresponding part is attached to the seat. However, a strap fitted with a velcro strip is particularly preferred to facilitate speedy attachment and adjustment for size of pad or seat.

The means for extracting gas from the sealed bag may be anything which enables gas to be extracted from the sealed bag through the sealable valve and therefore embraces any suction device, whether mechanically or electrically operated. For instance, the means for extracting gas could be a pump, a vacuum cleaner or, more preferably, an extractor fan. However, it is also envisaged that the means for extracting gas could comprise a person who sucks the air from the sealed bag by mouth.

Although the means for extracting gas may be permanently attached to the mouldable pad, it is preferred that it is detachable.

The mouldable pad may be shaped to fit any seat such as a chair, bench, stool, sunlounger etc. Where the seat has a seat portion and a back portion, separate mouldable pads may be fitted to the seat portion and the back portion. However, it is preferred that a single mouldable pad is fitted which covers the seat portion and the back portion of the seat and itself comprises a seat portion and a back portion which correspond to those of the seat. Preferably, such a mouldable pad narrows at the juncture between the seat portion and the back portion of the cover to facilitate bending of the pad to fit the seat. Alternatively or in addition, the pad may be provided with an aperture, preferably an elongate aperture, in the vicinity of the juncture between the seat portion and the back portion to facilitate bending of the pad.

In some cases, the nature of the filler particles may be such that they tend to flow readily within the sealed bag with the result that it may be difficult to retain a desired shape in the mouldable pad. In such cases, it may be advantageous to use a flexible, gas impermeable material which is contoured to facilitate retention of the filler particles in a desired area of the mouldable pad. The contouring may serve to retain the filler particles in the contoured area or to direct the filler particles to another area of the mouldable pad. Contouring of the flexible, gas impermeable material may be achieved by imprinting a pattern thereon.

It is preferred that the seat is a vehicle seat, such as a seat for a car, van, lorry, train or aircraft, especially a car seat. In such a case, the means for extracting gas is preferably electrically powered and a convenient power source may be provided within the vehicle. This power source may be a battery or, in the case of a car, van or lorry, a cigarette lighter socket may be utilised.

It is also envisaged that the mouldable pad could be covered with a suitable fabric so that it coordinates with the upholstery of the seat to which it is to be attached. Thus, if the mouldable pad is to be attached to a car seat, the mouldable pad could be upholstered to match the upholstery of the car.

The invention also provides a method for adapting the shape of a seat which comprises selecting a kit as defined above, attaching the mouldable pad to the seat, opening the sealable valve, forming the mouldable pad into a desired shape, extracting gas from the sealed bag and sealing the sealable valve so that the desired shape of the sealed bag is retained.

Preferably, the shape of the seat is adapted to conform to the shape of a user. Thus, the invention also provides a method for adapting the shape of a seat to conform to the shape of a user which comprises selecting a kit as defined above, attaching the mouldable pad to the seat, opening the sealable valve, having the user sit 6 on the mouldable pad, extracting gas from the sealed bag and sealing the sealable valve so that the adapted shape of the sealed bag is retained when the user arises from the seat.

When the seat is to be used by a different user or conformed to a different shape, the sealable valve may be opened to allow gas to enter the sealed bag and thus allow the filler particles to move within the sealed bag to assume a new shape. The new user may then sit on the mouldable pad or the new shape may be otherwise formed, gas is extracted from the sealed bag and the sealable valve then sealed so that the new shape of the sealed bag is retained in accordance with the methods described above.

is A mouldable pad for use in the methods described above is also provided.

It will be apparent from the above that the kit of the present invention is particularly advantageous in that it can be applied to any seat, irrespective of the shape of the seat, and in that it is portable. It is therefore envisaged that such a kit could be provided with a given seat by the seat manufacturer in order to enhance the comfort of the seat for a particular user.

Alternatively, it is envisaged that a person may purchase such a kit for their personal use in order to adapt the shape of any seat which they may wish to use to conform to their own shape to enhance their own comfort. Such an arrangement could be particularly advantageous for a person suffering from, for instance, back problems for whom the shape of a seat is particularly important if pain is to be avoided.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a kit according to the present invention fitted to a vehicle seat; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the mouldable pad of the kit 7 shown in Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a mouldable pad 1 comprises a sealed bag 2 of PVC material in which a sealable valve 3 is located. A plurality of polystyrene beads (not shown) are located within the sealed bag 2 which act as a filler.

The mouldable pad 1 has a seat portion 4 and a back portion 5. The pad 1 narrows at the juncture between seat portion 4 and back portion 5 so that the pad 1 has a shape similar to that of an hourglass in order to facilitate bending of the pad 1. Patterns 6 and 7 are imprinted upon seat portion 4 and back portion 5 respectively which serve to contour the sealed bag 2 in order to facilitate retention of the polystyrene beads in a desired configuration. An aperture 8 is also provided in the vicinity of the junction between seat portion 4 and back portion 5 to facilitate further the bending of pad 1.

Straps 9 and 10 are attached to back portion 5 of pad 1 for securing pad 1 to the back portion 11 of seat 12. Straps 9 and 10 are fastened by means of velcro strips (not shown). The seat portion 4 of pad 1 rests on the seat portion 13 of seat 12 but is not attached thereto.

In use, pad 1 is attached to seat 12 as described above, valve 3 is opened and the user then sits on pad 1 thereby forcing the polystyrene beads to move so that the pad assumes a shape conforming to the shape of the user.

An electrically powered extractor fan (not shown) is then connected to valve 3 via hose 14 and the extractor fan connected to a suitable power source (not shown). The extractor fan is then activated so that air is sucked out of sealed bag 2 via valve 3 with the result that the PVC material is sucked onto the polystyrene beads and thus assumes the shape defined by the polystyrene beads.

Valve 3 is then sealed so that sealed bag 2 and the polystyrene beads within it are retained in the shape 8 which they have assumed which conforms to the shape of the user.

When a different user wishes to use the seat, valve 3 is opened thereby allowing air to reenter sealed bag 2.

This enables the polystyrene beads to move around again and the process of forming the pad 1 into a new shape may then be repeated.

It will be appreciated that, although this invention had been described in relation to a particular embodiment, modifications of detail may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

9

Claims

1. A kit for adapting the shape of a seat which comprises a mouldable pad comprising a sealed bag of flexible, gas impermeable material fitted with a sealable valve through which gas may pass and a plurality of filler particles located within the sealed bag; means for attaching the mouldable pad to the seat; and means for extracting gas from the sealed bag though the sealable valve.

2. A kit according to claim 1 in which the flexible, gas impermeable material is a plastics material.

is

3. A kit according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the filler particles comprise pellets of a resilient material.

4. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims in which the flexible, gas impermeable material is fitted with two valves, one through which gas may be extracted from the sealed bag and one through which gas may enter the sealed bag.

5. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims in which the means for attaching the mouldable pad to a seat comprises a strap fitted with a velcro strip.

6. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims in which the means for extracting gas is detachable from the mouldable pad.

7. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims in which the means for extracting gas comprises an extractor fan.

8. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims in which the mouldable pad has a seat portion and a back portion.

9. A kit according to claim 8 in which the mouldable pad narrows at the juncture between the seat portion and the back portion.

10. A kit according to claim 8 or claim 9 in which the 10 mouldable pad is provided with an aperture in the vicinity of the juncture between the seat portion and the back portion.

11. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims is in which the flexible, gas-impermeable material is contoured to facilitate retention of the filler particles in a desired area of the mouldable pad.

12. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims 20 in which the seat is a vehicle seat.

13. A kit according to claim 12 in which the means for extracting gas is electrically powered and a cigarette lighter socket within the vehicle is utilised as a power 25 source for the means for extracting gas.

14. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims for use in adapting the shape of a seat to conform to the shape of a user. 30

15. A method for adapting the shape of a seat which comprises selecting a kit as defined in any one of the preceding claims, attaching the mouldable pad to the seat, opening the sealable valve, forming the mouldable 35 pad into a desired shape, extracting gas from the sealed bag and sealing the sealable valve so that the desired shape of the sealed bag is retained.

16. A method for adapting the shape of a seat to conform to the shape of a user which comprises selecting a kit as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14, attaching the mouldable pad to the seat, opening the sealable valve, having the user sit on the mouldable pad, extracting gas from the sealed bag and sealing the sealable valve so that the adapted shape of the sealed bag is retained when the user arises from the seat.

17. A mouldable pad for use in a method according to claim 15 or claim 16.

18. A kit for adapting the shape of a seat substantially is as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A method for adapting the shape of a seat substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.