WO2021126122A1

WO2021126122A1 - A removable protective seat cover

Info

Publication number: WO2021126122A1
Application number: PCT/TR2020/051277
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seray AKSOY; Serhat Akcay; Zeynep ESMEN
Original assignee: Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2019-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-11
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Also published as: TR201920375A1

Abstract

A protective cover (100); fitted over vehicle seat (K) of commercial and passenger vehicles already having factory-spec upholstery and comprised of a headrest (B) supporting the user's head at the top, a seat cushion (T) connected to the floor of the vehicle and on which the user sits, and backrest (S) which is positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting; essentially comprises a headrest piece (109) which is fitted on top of a headrest (B) positioned on the uppermost part of a vehicle seat (K), has a loop (101) and a hook (102) positioned on lugs that extend outwards at its open edge provided on its lower part attached to the headrest (B) and close on top of each other, a seat cushion piece (111) which is fitted on a seat cushion (T) that is connected to a floor of the vehicle and on which the user sits, a backrest piece (110) which is fitted on a backrest (S) positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting on the vehicle seat (K).

Description

A REMOVABLE PROTECTIVE SEAT COVER Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a protective cover which can be easily attached on covers provided on factory-spec seats of commercial and passenger vehicles, which have the same style and technical features with the existing seat fabric, which can easily be removed from and fitted over the seat and washed when removed by the user.

Background of the Invention Today, quality, reasonable price, production in time and fulfillment of customer expectations are among the most important issues in fabric production for automotive textiles. The largest group of textile materials used in a middle class automobile is comprised of nonwoven fabrics that are produced from polypropylene or polyester fibers, used in shaped or plain form. In upholstery fabric group, which takes the second place, there are woven fabrics which are produced usually plain or with velvet technology from polyester yarns. Generally, in transport vehicles, resistance against sunlight (both color and fabric degradation by UV), abrasion resistance and flame retardancy are the main technical requirements for seat upholstery. Excessive strain, contact with wet surfaces and similar factors negatively affect the strength of the fabrics.

The factory-spec covers, which are covered on the seats of the vehicle, begin to wear as the usage time of the vehicle increases. Slippages occur especially in the seam parts of the seat covers. Protective covers are used to renew worn seat covers or to protect the vehicle's original seat upholstery against dirt and wearing. The protective seat cover is specially designed and manufactured for vehicle seats to protect vehicle seats from stains and dirt. The protective seat covers that are used today have a structure with one side left open for being attached to the backrest and seat cushion of the seat and the remaining 3 edges are closed with seams. These covers can be produced in two separate parts for seat cushion and backrest, as well as they can be produced as one-piece. Protective covers also have a separate configuration for the headrest piece positioned on the upper part of the seat. The most important disadvantage of the said protective seat covers is that it is difficult for the user to properly fit over the seat. On the other hand, these covers can pile up during use and an unaesthetic appearance can be created since there is no connection or fixation to the seat surface while being fitted over the seat. Another important issue in the use of protective covers is that the deployment of airbags in the seats of the vehicle should not be blocked by the cover.

United States patent document no DE102005001400 (Al), an application known in the state of the art, discloses a seat cover to be used in vehicles. The objective of the present is to provide a simple supporting cover on a frame part of a vehicle seat, in particular a backrest frame that is easy to mount without rework.

Chinese patent document no CN107521389, an application known in the state of the art, discloses a headrest cover to be used in vehicles which can be simply detached with respect to a headrest, and can be arranged on an accurate position. A headrest cover which can be simply detached with respect to a headrest, and can be arranged on an accurate position comprises a first locking part for locking a portion of the cover with a stay of the headrest; and a second locking part for locking another portion of the cover with the headrest.

German patent document no DE102012020555, an application known in the state of the art, discloses a hook and loop cushion which covers the seat cover of sitting surface in vehicles. The Problems Solved with the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide a protective cover which can be fitted on the seat covers upholstered on the seat frames of commercial and passenger vehicles from the factory, which has the same style and technical feature as the seat fabric and which can be removed and fitted by the user.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a protective cover which is prevented from clumping after being fitted over the seat thanks to its structure entering into the channels of the foam on the original seat upholstery on the vehicle.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a protective cover which does not prevent the deployment of airbags in the vehicle seat in the event of an accident.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A removable protective seat cover developed to fulfill the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 is the view of the protective cover of the present invention as mounted on the vehicle seat.

Figure 2 is the view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the headrest.

Figure 3 is the front view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the backrest.

Figure 4 is the rear view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the backrest.

Figure 5 is the view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the seat cushion. Figure 6 is the cross-sectional view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the backrest.

Figure 7 is the cross-sectional view of the protective cover of the present invention as fitted on the seat cushion.

The components given in the figures are individually numbered where the numbers refer to the following:

100. Protective cover

101. Loop

102. Hook

103. Y profile

104. Seam

105. Tie-down

106. Zipper

107. Tie-down end

108. Y profile tab

109. Headrest piece

110. Backrest piece

111. Seat cushion piece K. Vehicle seat

S. Backrest B. Headrest

T. Seat cushion A protective cover (100); fitted over vehicle seat (K) of commercial and passenger vehicles already having factory-spec upholstery and comprised of a headrest (B) supporting the user's head at the top, a seat cushion (T) connected to the floor of the vehicle and on which the user sits, and a backrest (S) which is positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting; essentially comprises a headrest piece (109) which is fitted on top of a headrest (B) positioned on the uppermost part of a vehicle seat (K), and has a loop (101) and a hook (102) positioned on lugs that extend outwards at its open edge provided on its lower part attached to the headrest (B) and close on top of each other, a seat cushion piece (111) which is fitted on a seat cushion (T) that is connected to the floor of a vehicle and on which the user sits, a backrest piece (110) which is fitted on a backrest (S) positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting on the vehicle seat (K).

A protective cover (100) of the present invention is fitted over the factory-spec upholstery provided on the vehicle seats (K) of commercial and passenger vehicles. The protective cover (100) is in the same style and technical features as the existing vehicle seat (K) fabric. The protective cover (100) can be easily fitted over and removed from the vehicle seat (K) by the user and it can be washed when removed.

A protective cover (100) comprises a headrest piece (109) fitted on a headrest (B) which is positioned at the top of a vehicle seat (K) and supports the user's head; a seat cushion piece (111) connected to the floor of the vehicle and fitted on a seat cushion (T) on which the user sits; and a backrest piece (110) positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and placed on a backrest (S) on which the user rests while sitting on the vehicle seat (K).

When the protective cover (100) is fitted over a vehicle seat (K), first a headrest piece (109) is dressed on a headrest (B) by being fitted from top part facing the roof of the vehicle to bottom, towards a backrest (S). When a headrest piece (109) is dressed so that it can completely cover the headrest (B), the edges remaining on the top, right and left parts of the headrest (B) are covered. The lower edge of a headrest piece (109) has been left open for being fitted on the headrest (B). There are lugs extending outwards and closing on top of each other so that this open lower part is covered completely after being fitted onto the headrest (B). In order to prevent these lugs from separating when they are closed on top of each other, there is a loop (101) on the lug which extends forward from the back of the headrest piece (109), and a hook (102) which extends backwards from the front part and which covers the loop (101). When the hook (102) is closed on the loop (101), they adhere to each other and ensure that the headrest piece (109) completely surrounds the headrest (B) from its upper, lower, right, left, front and rear surfaces for fixing it in its place. The detachable headrest piece (109) can be removed from the headrest (B) by means of the separation of the loop (101) and the hook (102) from each other.

In order to dress a protective cover (100) over a backrest (S) of a vehicle seat (K), first a headrest (B) at the top is removed and then a backrest piece (110) is fitted on the backrest (S). In the central region of the backrest (S), Y profiles (103) are sewn to the its side parts with an existing seam (104). In the central region of the backrest (S), a loop (101) is sewn on the top part and a hook (102) is sewn on bottom part with an existing seam (104). In the lower central region of the backrest (S), tie downs (105) are sewn to the side parts with an existing seam (104). In the lower central region of a backrest piece (110), a hook (102) is sewn on the top part with an existing seam (104). A loop (101) is sewn on the lower part of the lower surface of a backrest piece (110). A backrest piece (110) is fixed with a zipper (106) positioned on the edge facing the back of a vehicle seat (K), completely closing it from the back of a backrest (S).

The seat cushion piece (111) of the protective cover (100) is fitted over the seat cushion (T) positioned on the lower part of the vehicle seat (K) connecting with the vehicle floor. In the central region of the seat cushion (T), Y profiles (103) are sewn to the side parts with an existing seam (104). In the central region of the seat cushion (T), the loop (101) is sewn to the top part with an existing seam (104). The hook (102) is sewn on the top part of the seat cushion (T). In the lower central region of the seat cushion (111), tie downs (105) are sewn on the side parts with an existing seam (104). In the lower central region of a seat cushion piece (111), the hook (102) is sewn on the top part with an existing seam (104). A loop (101) is sewn on the top part of the lower surface of the seat cushion piece (111). One side of a zipper (106) is sewn in the middle of the side surface of the seat cushion piece (T) and its other side is sewn on the edge of the side surface of the seat cushion piece (111) to surround its entire circumference.

While a protective cover (100) is dressed on a vehicle seat (K), firstly; a headrest (B) is detached by being pulled upwards over a backrest (S). Then a backrest piece (110) is dressed by being pulled down from the upper side of a backrest (S) facing the vehicle roof, towards the floor of the vehicle where a seat cushion (T) is located. The tie downs (105) on the lower center surface of the seat cushion piece (110) are fixed to the split Y profiles (103) in the central region of the backrest (S) by applying force from the top. With the force applied from the top, the Y profiles (103) stretch and contain a plastic tie down end (107). Y profile tabs (108) fix the tie down end (107) and prevent from being displaced. The hook (102) on the lower central surface of a backrest piece (110) is fixed with a loop (101) in the central region of a backrest (S). The loop (101) on the lower part of the lower surface of a backrest piece (110) and a hook (102) on the lower region of the backrest (S) are fixed to each other. Then, by closing the zipper (106) located behind the backrest piece (110), the process of dressing the protective backrest piece (110) on the backrest (S) is completed. After the backrest piece (110) is dressed on the backrest (S), the tie downs (105) on the lower center surface of the seat cushion piece (111) are fixed to the split Y profiles (103) in the center region of the seat cushion (T) by applying top force. When the Y profile (103), which stretches with the force applied from the top, receives the tie down end (107) therein, the Y profile tab (108) fixes the tie down end (107) and prevents it from coming out. After the backrest piece (110) is dressed on the backrest (S), the hook (102) on the lower central surface of the seat cushion piece (110) is fixed with the loop (101) on the central region of the seat cushion (S). The loop (101) on the lower part of the lower surface of the seat cushion piece (110) and the hook (102) on the lower region of the seat cushion (S) are fixed to each other. The process of fitting/dressing a protective cover (100) on a vehicle seat (K) is completed by joining and closing one side of the zipper (106) sewn to the side of the seat cushion (S) and the other side of the zipper (106) sewn to the edge of the side surface of the seat cushion piece (111).

In order to detach/remove the protective cover (100) from the vehicle seat (K), the loop (101) and the hook (102) positioned at the bottom of the headrest piece (109) are separated from each other, and the headrest piece (109) is removed from the headrest (B). After the headrest (B) is removed from the backrest (S), the zipper (106) behind the backrest piece (110) is opened, and the hook (102) and the loop

(101) on the backrest piece (110) are separated from the loop (101) and the hook

(102) on the backrest (S). The backrest piece (110) is removed from the backrest (S) by sliding off the tie down end (108) inside the Y profile (103). After the backrest piece (110) is removed from the backrest (S), the zipper (106) next to the seat cushion piece (111) is opened, and the hook (102) and the loop (101) on the seat cushion piece (111) are separated from the loop (101) and the hook (102) on the seat cushion (T). Then, the seat cushion piece (111) is removed/detached from the seat cushion (T) by sliding off the tie down end (107) inside the Y profile

(103). By removing the seat cushion piece (111) from the seat cushion (T), the protective cover (100) is completely removed from the vehicle seat (K). Finally, the vehicle seat (K) becomes ready for use by fixing the headrest (B) back on the backrest (S).

Claims

1. A protective cover (100); fitted over vehicle seat (K) of commercial and passenger vehicles already having factory-spec upholstery and comprised of a headrest (B) supporting the user's head at the top, a seat cushion (T) connected to the floor of the vehicle and on which the user sits, and a backrest (S) which is positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting; characterized by a headrest piece (109) which is attached on top of a headrest (B) positioned on the uppermost part of a vehicle seat (K), and has a loop (101) and a hook (102) positioned on lugs that extend outwards at its open edge provided on its lower part attached to the headrest (B) and close on top of each other, a seat cushion piece (111) which is fitted on a seat cushion (T) that is connected to the floor of a vehicle and on which the user sits, a backrest piece (110) which is fitted on a backrest (S) positioned between the headrest (B) and the seat cushion (T) and on which the user rests while sitting on the vehicle seat (K).

2. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a backrest piece (110) wherein loop (101) is sewn on the lower part of the lower central surface located in the middle of its resting surface; a hook (102) is sewn on the upper part of the lower central surface located in the middle of its resting surface; a tie down (105) is sewn on the side parts of the lower central surface located in the middle of its resting surface; a zipper (106) is positioned at the edge facing behind a vehicle seat (K) in order to completely cover a backrest (S) from behind.

3. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a seat cushion piece (111) wherein a loop (101) is sewn on the upper part of its lower surface and a hook (102) is sewn on the upper part of its lower central surface.

4. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a lug; which is positioned on the lower part of a headrest piece (109) facing a backrest (S) of a vehicle seat (K), and includes thereon a loop (101) and a hook (102) on which the loop (101) is closed by extending backwards from the front; and which extends from the back to the front.

5. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a zipper (106) one side of which is sewn in the middle of the side surface of the seat cushion piece (T) to surround its entire circumference and the other side of which is sewn on the edge of the side surface of the seat cushion piece (111) to surround its entire circumference.

6. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a Y profile (103) which is connected with a seam (104) to the side part of the central region located in the middle of the resting surface of the backrest (S) on which the user rests their back when sitting on the vehicle seat (K), and to the side part of the central region in the middle part of the seat cushion (T) forming the sitting surface of the vehicle seat (K).

7. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a loop (101) which is sewn to the top part of the central region located in the middle of the resting surface of the backrest (S) on which the user rests their back when sitting on the vehicle seat (K), and to the top part of the central region in the middle part of the seat cushion (T) forming the sitting surface of the vehicle seat (K).

8. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising a hook (102) which is sewn to the lower part of the central region located in the middle of the resting surface of the backrest (S) on which the user rests their back when sitting on the vehicle seat (K), and to the top part of the seat cushion (T) forming the sitting surface of the vehicle seat (K).

9. A protective seat cover (100) according to claim 1, comprising tie downs (105) which are sewn from the side part on the lower central surface of the seat cushion (T) forming the sitting surface of the vehicle seat (K).