Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
.
1~ 75
;
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For some time, it has been desirable to have available
for various uses, including in ventilated seats and in indus-
trial pallets, an economical single sheet member formed from
resilient plastic which will support a body in spaced relation
to a supporting structure, where the member is formed from a
single sheet of plastic which is permanently deformed to pro-
duce spacing elements or protuberances which not only will
; space the upper surface of the member above the supporting
;10 structure but will resiliently rigidify the overall member to
prevent excessive flexing or any undesirable amount of flexing
in use.
In U.S. patents 3,162,487 and 3,162,488 of H. H.
Trotman, a single sheet of plastic is deformed to produce spac-
ing elements of protuberances in a ventilated seat cushion.
In these patents, however, the sheet of plastic, although ade-
quately performing the spacing function as part of the seat con-
, struction, requires additional stiffening members in order to
assure that the seat will retain its shape.
U.S. patent 2,948,334 of Goldstein is another ex-
ample of a prior art attempt to produce a ventilated seat
cushion from a sheet of plastic where the product lacks the
necessary combination of rigidity and resilience for a suc-
cessful product.
In U.S. patent 3,940,183, a support panel for use as
a ventilated body support mat is disclosed having a plurality
of integral T-shaped elements arrayed in columns and rows in
an attempt to attain the desired combination of rigidity and
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17717S
resilience. Here again the desideratum is not attained as is
evidenced by the provision of supplemental stiffening means.
In the past, industrial pallets have been designed
to be picked up by fork trucks thereby requiring relatively com-
plex supporting structures. More recently the concept of a
pallet which can be skidded onto a fork truck has been introduced.
The body support member of the present invention constitutes an
ideal structure for the latter method of handling palletized
loads.
By an ingenious interrelationship of elongated pro-
tuberances formed by permanent deformation of a sheet of plas-
tic material, the present invention supplies the deficiencies
of the prior art. By using a sheet of plastic material which,
when shaped in accordance with the present invention is resilient
in the realm of the forces exerted by the weight of a human
body, the formed sheet of plastic material of the present inven-
tion can be used as a member which is rigid enough to retain its
` shape while at the same time exhibiting a springy characteristic ~;
so as to act as a cushion between a human body and a supporting
structure. This is especially the case where the sheet of
plastic material is superposed on a cushion such as an automobile
seat cushion to achieve ventilation between the person supported
on the sheet of plastic material and the automobile seat. On
the other hand, the body support member of the present inven-
tion can perform the functions of an industrial pallet where no
cushioning action is desired but rather the desideratum is a
flat supporting surface of sufficient rigidity to act as a
skiddable base for a stack of industrial products, this being
. . . .
7S
attained by utilizing a heavier gage of plastic sheet material
with greater rigidity and strength.
Although from the foregoing and as description of the
present invention proceeds, it will be apparent that the body
support member of the present invention is applicable to fields
other than seat cushions, the invention will be described in
the seat cushion environment where the resilience of the thin
sheet of plastic material, taken in conjunction with the con-
figuration of the sheet, can be utilized to great advantage.
SUMMA~Y OF THE INVENTION
A supporting spacing member for use between a sup-
porting surface and a body to be supported comprising a sheet
of resilient plastic matererial having an upper surface and a
lower surface, a body support area provided by the sheet of
plastic material, a plurality of spaced elongated protuberances
permanently formed in the sheet throughout the body support
area and extending downwardly from the upper surface, the elon-
gated protuberances being open at the top and having side and
bottom walls, the plurality of elongated protuberances being
disposed side by side in spaced relation to one another and ex-
tending longitudinally along paths which extend across a dimen-
sion of the body support area, portions of the sheet of plastic
material which extend between the open tops of side by side
elongated protuberances coacting to form in the aggregate a
generally flat body engaging structure, the lowermost surfaces
of the bottom walls of protuberances coacting to form in the
aggregate a generally flat support structure for engaging the
supporting surface, each of the plurality of elongated protu-
1~7'717S
berances incorporating along its longitudinal dimension at leastone direction changing portion and portions connected to the
direction changing portion, successive direction changing por-
tions of elongated protuberances alternati~ng in the direction
of change along the paths across the body support area, alter-
nate direction changing portions of adjacent elongated protu-
berances along the paths across the body support area being in
overlapping relation to each other looking in the direction
the paths extend, the disposition of elongated protuberances
iO in paths across a dimension of the body support area and the
overlapping relationship of the alternate direction changing
portions resulting in a body support area in which all planes
normal to the generally flat body engaging structure will suc-
cessively intersect a plurality of elongated protuberances at
spaced points across a dimension of the body support area or
will repeatedly intersect alternately disposed portions con-
necting direction changing portions of a single elongated pro-
tuberance at a plurality of spaced points across a dimension of
the body support area.
- 20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi-
ment of the present invention in the form of a seat cushion es-
pecially suitable for use in an automobile where a ventilated
seat is desired;
Figure 2 is a veiw in vertical section taken on the
line 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a detail
. of Figure 2;
7175
Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan of a
portion of the seat of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a view in cross-section taken on the line
5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan
similar to Figure 4 of a modified embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 7 is a still further enlarged fragmentary
view in section taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 6;
- lO Figure 8 is a view similar to Figures 4 and 6 but
inverted of a still further modification of the present in-
- vention;
Figure 9 is a view in cross-section taken on the
line 9-9 of Figure 8;
Figure lO is a view in plan with portions removed
similar to Figure 4, of a still further modification of the
present invention;
Figure 11 is a view in cross-section taken on the line
- 11-11 of Figure 10;
Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view of optional
reinforcing struts suitable for use in the embodiments of
Figures 1 to 11;
Figure 13 is a diagrammatic view of a form of elon-
gated protuberances which can be substituted for some or all
of those in Figures 1 to 11;
Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view of another form of
elongated protuberances which can be substituted for some or
all of those shown in Figures 1 to 11; and
,~
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1~77175
Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view of another form of
elongated protuberances which can be substituted for some or
all of those shown in Figures 1 to 11.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As already mentioned, the principles and advantages
of the present invention will be described in the environment
of a car seat and a preferred form of the same is shown in
Figures 1 to 5. The member shown in these figures can be a
component of a car seat cushion, as will be evident as this
description proceeds, or the member alone can be the entire
` car seat cushion.
The car seat cushion illustrated is made up of a seat
member indicated generally by the reference numeral 20 and a
back member indicated generally by the reference numeral 22,
each member having an ornamental bead or marginal portion 24
circumscribing a body support area indicated generally at 23,
23. Normally the seat member and the back member will be formed
integrally from the same material, namely, a thin sheet of re-
silient plastic which can be heat formed in a vacuum or pressure ;
mold to give a desired permanent, three dimensional configura~tion to the sheet. An integral hinge section 25 joins the seat
and back portions.
Since the body support areas 23, 23 can have the same
configuration in the seat member and the back member and are
so shown in Figure 1, specific reference is made at this point
only to the seat member.
In the presently preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a plurality of elongated protuberances 26 are formed
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. : , -. :' - ~ ' ' '
in a flat sheet of plastic material in a vacuum mold in the
inverse position of seat member 20 as shown in Figure 1 so that
as the sheet is formed in the mold, the protuberances are di-
rected upwardl~. However, for convenience in describing the
present invention and without limitation in respect to what is
top and what is bottom in the various modifications shown, de-
scribed and covered by the appended claims, the surface of the
seat member which appears uppermost in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5
will be termed the top surface of the sheet and the opposite
side of the sheet will be termed the bottom surface. Thus, in
the seat member of these figures, the elongated protuberances
26 depend downwardly and are open upwardly. In the embodiment
af Figures 1-5, these elongated protuberances 26 extend con-
tinuously from marginal portion 24 on one side of the seat mem-
ber to marginal portion 24 on the other side of the seat member,
periodically changing direction along their length. Inspection
of Figure l shows that in this presently preferred embodiment
.~ the plurality of elongated protuberances 26, although incorpor-
; ating direction changing portions 27 and portions 28 connecting
20 the direction changing portions 27, nevertheless extend side
by side in generally parallel paths between the opposite mar-
ginal portions 24 of the seat member. Of course, the general
direction of the parallel paths of elongated protuberances 26
could be from the front of the seat to the back or diagonally
of the seat member without departing from the principles of the
invention.
Each elongated protuberance 26 has a bottom wall 30
and sidewalls 31, 32. The upper surface of the sheet of plas-
'75
tic material forming the seat member is formed in contact withthe surfaces of the mold as the hot plastic is drawn or forced
down into depressions in the mold and this bottom surface in
the mold becomes the upper surface in the finished seat member.
The surface portions 34 of this top surface of the sheet of
plastic material made up of the portions of the sheet which ex-
tend between the open tops of protuberances 26 constitute in
the aggregate a body engaging structure 33 of the seat and
preferably, but not necessarily, this structure is flat to form
a comfortable surface for contact with the body of the person
using the seat. It is also preferable for comfort in respect
to the body engaging structure that the area of plastic sheet
between the open tops of the protuberance be as large as pos-
sible, consistent with requisite strength in the elongated pro-
tuberances and therefore the area of body engaging structure 34
can, as shown, constitute more than one-half the area of the
body support area, which latter area of course includes the
open tops of the elongated protuberances. On the other hand
at the sacrifice of some comfort aspects, the aggregate area
of surfaces 34 may be less than one-half the body support area
23. Of course, surfaces 34 can vary in size and shape in the
same body support area 23.
Where desired, due to the nature of the plastic and
the fact that it has some memory, the body engaging structure
33 of the seat member can be slightly contoured, concavely up-
wardly, thereby enhancing the seat-like appearance. The bottom
walls 30 of the elongated protuberances are shown flat but can
be rounded and in either case the lowermost portions of elon-
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1~7~S
gated protuberances 26 can be coplanar and coact in the aggre-
gate to present an overall, generally flat bottom support
structure 35 for the member or, if desired, can be slightly
contoured as the body engaging structure 33. I~here desired,
the constuction of the die can be such as to have the elongated
protuberances gradually increase in depth toward their longi-
tudinal end portions, while their bottom surfaces remain co-
planar to give the body engaging structure 35 more contour.
Since the departure from a flat structure in respect to body
engaging structure 33 of the top of the sheet and corresponding ~ -
departures from a flat condition in the overall shape of the
bottom support structure 35 presented by the bottom walls 30
of the protuberances are not great in any case, the term "gen-
erally flat" has been adopted in this specification and in the
appended claims to embrace both flat configurations and slight
departures from flat configuration for the body engaging struc-
ture 33 and the bottom support structure 35.
For example, surface portions 34 can have some cur-
vature in going from one open elongated protuberance top to
the next while to a person seated on the member the structure
35 supporting the person is for support purposes generally flat.
Each elongated protuberance 26 terminates at its ends
in a slightly slanting endwall 36 integrally joined to the side-
walls 31, 32 and bottom wall 30 of the elongated protuberance
and preferably to the sheet portion entering marginal portion
24. This construction rigidifies the elongated protuberances
at their ends.
It will be evident from an inspection of the preferred
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1077175
form of seat member 20 that the direction changing portions 27
and portions 28 connectina the direction changing portions 27
of adjacent or side by side elongated protuberances generally
follow each other along the parallel paths of the protuber-
ances across the seat so as to result in the opposed sides of
side by side elongated protuberances being complementary in
shape or generally complementary in shape in the plane of body
support area 35 and the term complementary as used in this
specification and appended claims is intended to embrace a
complementary relationship in respect to only the opposed
sides of protuberances (see Figure 15, to be described, for a ;
different form of complementary relationship).
It will be evident that the seat member 20 of the
embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 and the other modifications can
be used along with or without the back member 22, as a seat
cushion in any environment, such as on a stadium bench, on the
ground in a picnic, beside a swimming pool or in any other en-
vironment where the spacing and cushioning effect are desired.
Where a ventilating function for the seat is a factor,
a plurality of ventilating holes 46 are punched through the
sheet, preferably in the flat body engaging structure 35, i.e.
in the sheet surface portions 34 between the open tops of the
elongated protuberances. Ventilating holes can be punched in
other places where desired so long as the structural character-
istics of the elongated protuberances is not lessened.
The integral hinge 25 preferably has a weakened bend `
line or "strike" 48 formed across its width adjacent ornamental
bead 24 of the seat member so that the hinge will tend to bend
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1077175
readily along this line. Alternatively, bend line 49 can be
formed across hinge 25 near the back member 22. Both such
bend lines can be used or one or more bend lines anywhere in
between.
Figures 6 and 7 show a modification of the present
invention in which the body engaging structure of a seat member
and/or a back member is covered by an ornamental cover material,
which may be reticulated or porous, e.g. a textile, where
ventilation is a factor and/or may be padded where superficial
cushioning is desired. Referring more specifically to Figures
6 and 7, a sheet of cover material 50 is shown on a seat member
which can be similar in all respects to the seat member 20 of
Figures 1 to 5 except that ornamental bead 24 had been omitted.
As shown in these figures, instead of the ornamental bead, a
marginal portion in the form of a flange 52 can surround the
body support area 23. The sheet of cover material 50 can then
be connected to flange 52 of the seat component by a welting
53 and stitching 54 or where preferred can be attached by an
adhesive at flange 52 or at other surfaces of the seat where
sheet 50 is adhered in any desired manner to surface portions
34, wear on the cover material by scrubbing action against the
support member is eliminated.
The modification of Figures 8 and 9 again illustrates
a member similar to seat member 20 and/or back member 22 of
Figures 1 to 5, but in this case the lowermost surfaces of
bottom walls 30 of elongated protuberances 26 coincide with and
are all or in part attached, as for example by heat fusion, to
a second sheet of resilient plastic material 56. Ventilating
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1~7~5
~ holes 57 can be punched through sheet 56 for ventilating pur-
poses. Where desired, sheet 56 can have an ornamental upwardly
turned flange 58 for connection to endwalls 36 of protuberances
26. In this embodiment, if desired, the seat can be inverted
and sheet 56 can present the body support surface and can ac-
cordingly be ornamented for aesthetic purposes or covered with
` a cover material 50.
The modification of Figures 10 and ll relates to a
form of member in which two components corresponding to seat
member 20 and/or back member 22 of Figure l are juxtaposed with
the elongated protuberances 26 making contact at spaced points,
for example, at the direction changing portions 27 and portions
i 28 between the direction changing portions with corresponding
portions 59 of elongated protuberances 64 of a similar component
60. The portions of elongated protuberances 26 which contact
elongated protuberances 64 of the lower component 60 are the
lowermost portions of the bottom walls 30 of elongated protu-
berances 26. On the other hand, it is the uppermost surfaces
of the top walls of inverted elongated protuberances 64 of com-
ponent 60 which do the contacting. The interrelationship of
these parts is illustrated in Figure 10 by the omission of a
` portion of the top component on the left hand side of the figure
and showing the omitted elongated protuberances 26 in phantom
and where they would contact elongated protuberances 64 of
lower component 60. The contacting surfaces are connected to-
gether in any suitable manner, such as by heat fusion. As in
the previously described modifications, ventilating holes 62
can be punched in component 60 similar to ventilating holes 46
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:~077175
of components 20 and 22.
Where desired, the position of component 60 of the
modification illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 can be reversed
relative to member 20 and/or 22 so that the bottom walls 30 of
the elongated protuberances 26 match up with and coincide with
the top surfaces of elongated protuberances 64 of component 60
along the full lengths of both elongated protuberances 26 and 64.
Again, component 60 can be connected in similar manner to sheet
56 of the Figures 8 and 9 modification, with the tops of elon-
- 10 gated protuberances 64 attached to sheet 56.
Figure 12 shows an example of reinforcing struts 63
which can be used where desired between elongated protuberances
26.
The purpose of Figure 13 is to illustrate the fact
that the elongated protuberances of a component such as com-
ponent 20 can have the continuity along their length periodic-
ally terminated with some loss of sheet stiffening and loss of
most spring action but otherwise retaining many of the advan-
tages of the present invention. In this modification, instead
of the elongated protuberances 26 being continuous from margin
to margin of the body support area, each elongated protuberance
is severed or discontinued at some point or points 65 along
its length where in the earlier described modification there is :
a direction changing portion. At the severance points, the ;:
severed elongated protuberances terminate at slightly slanting
walls 66 similar to walls 36 closing each end of elongated
protuberances 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the severance :~
points 65 alternate with direction changing portions 27 along
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. ~, ' :: . ' -
~ 77~75
- the length of each elongated protuberance and the severed points
65 in adjacent or side by side elongated protuberances alter-
nate in location so that a direction changing portion 27 in
one elongated protuberance 26 is opposite a severance point 65
in the adjacent elongated protuberance. It will be obvious that
every second or third or more illustrated severance 65 can be
omitted in some or all elongated protuberances so that the
elongated protuberances 26 retain several consecutive direction
changing portions 27 between severance points 65.
The elongated protuberances 26 of applicants' Figures
1 to 5 embodiment can be made up of straight sections and
angular direction changing portions or, in other words, a zig-
zag configuration. The modification of Figure 14 falls in this
category but the elongated protuberances 67 in this modification
have a sinuous configuration in the portions 68 extending be-
tween the direction changing portions 69 to thereby strengthen
the sidewalls of the elongated protuberances.
The modification of Figure 15 discloses elongated
protuberances with two types of direction changing portions
and two types of portions extending between the direction chang-
ing portions, the configurations of the protuberances in this
modification being such that the degree of change in direction
at alternate succeeding direction changing portions along the
length of a protuberance varies in alternating manner. There-
fore, pairs of side by side protuberances are complementary in
shape and the direction changing portions are overlapping look- -
ing in the direction of the length of the protuberances. Ap-
plicants' advantages are therefore achieved with this modifi
-14-
.
- ' ' ' . '
.
1~77~75
cation.
Referring in more detail to Figure 15, it will be
seen that all the elongated protuberances are the same shape
but unlike the previously described elongated protuberances
each one is asymmetrical in respect to a straight line extend-
ing along the length of the elongated protuberance equidistant
from the direction changing portions. However, the elongated
protuberances are so shaped that not only can two of them be
paired together with opposed sides complementary but the outer
sides of this pair of juxtaposed elongated protuberances will fit
in complementary relationship with the outer sides of adjacent
pairs on each side of the first pair of juxtaposed elongated
protuberances. At the same time, the complementary portions
of all the elongated protuberances have overlapping relation-
ship, looking in the direction of the length of the elongated
protuberances.
In Figure 15, each elongated protuberance 80 has
less sharply angled direction changing portions 82 along one
side and more sharply angled direction changing portions 84
along the other side. Juxtaposed elongated protuberance 86
arranged in side by side relationship to elongated protuber-
ance 80 completes one of the pairs just referred to and it will
be observed that the opposed sides of the side by side elon-
gated protuberances 80 and 86 are complementary in shape with
elongated protuberance 86 having less sharply angled direction
changing portions 88 and more sharply angled direction changing
portions 90, the opposed sides of the more sharply angled di-
rection changing portions and the less sharply angled direction
-15-
-
:
- 10771~5
changing portions being complementary and the outer sides of
the less sharply angled direction changing portions of adjacent
pairs of elongated protuberances being complementary. The
desired overlapping relationship of the elongated protuberances
80 and 86, forming one pair of elongated protuberances, with
adjacent elongated protuberances of adjacent pairs is achieved
by virtue of the fact that the less sharply angled direction
changing portions 82 and 88 do have sufficient angularity so as
to overlap with the less sharply angled direction changing por-
tions 92 of an adjacent elongated protuberance 94 of an adjacentpair of elongated protuberances arranged in the same manner as
the pair just described. With these different direction chang-
ing angularities but nevertheless overlapping relationship of
direction changing portions, applicants' desideratum of combined
resilience and rigidity, together with inherent spring action,
are attained.
The protuberance arrangement of Figure 15 may be con-
sidered more aesthetic than those of the earlier described
forms and it will be apparent that other aesthetic forms of
protuberances incorporating the principles of applicants' in~
vention can be arrived at in similar manner.
Although the elongated protuberances 26 are shown in
all modifications except that of Figure 15 as being serpentine ;
in form with straight connecting portions 28 in between direc-
tion changing portions 27, the present invention contemplates
the elongated protuberances being made up of widely curved re-
versals of sine wave form or the elongated protuberances being
made up of straight portions and sharp angle direction changing
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- . . . - :~ . '
.. ~ - ~ . . .
7~
portions giving a zigzag configuration. The principle which
is fundamental to the applicants' form of protuberance is that,
despite the fact that the body engaging structure 35 can or
need not occupy more than one-half the area of the body support
area 23, in every case the direction changing portions of the
elongated protuberances in the adjacent or side by side pro-
tuberances must overlap each other looking in the direction of
the length of the elongated protuberances or in other words in
the direction of the generally parallel paths the side by side
elongated protuberances follow. From this structure follows
the advantage that there is no line of weakness in respect to
flexure in any direction throughout body support area 23 of
seat member 20 or back member 22. This will be made evident by
considering the two lines 40, 40 and 42, 42 as examples. A
plane normal to the plane of body support area 23 containing
line 40, 40, or containing any other similar straight line at
an angle to the length dimension of the elongated protuberances
26, will pass through a plurality of protuberances 26 and flex-
ure along these lines will be resisted by the traversed por-
tions of the protuberances acting as beams in bending or intorsion. A plane normal to the plane of the body support area
containing line 42, 42, although not passing through a plurality
of protuberances 26 will, because of the direction changing
portions 27 and portions 28 connecting direction changing por-
tions of the protuberance involved, pass a plurality of times
through portions 28 connecting the direction changing portions
of the protuberance and therefore flexure along line 42, 42
will be resisted by the intercepted portions of the protuberance
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- . -: '
. . . .
- 107'71~5
involved. It will further be evident that any plane normal to
the plane of the body support area passing through the body
support area which is parallel to the line 42, 42 will either
meet the same conditions as the plane containing line 42, 42
in respect to a single protuberance or will intersect the di-
rection changing portions of adjacent protuberances because of
the overlapping relationship of the direction changing portions
of side by side protuberances.
In addition to the foregoing advantages of the over-
lapping direction changing portions of the elongated protuber-
ances, is an unexpected advantage which arised from ~his over-
lapping direction changing characteristic of the elongated
protuberances taken with the structural continuity of the di-
rection changing portions with the portions connecting the
direction changing portions and the side by side coaction of
the elongated protuberances, namely, an inherent spring action
present in the body support area 23. This spring action stems
from the various portions of the elongated protuberances in-
teracting with adjacent elongated protuberances and contiguous
portions of the same elongated protuberance because of the
physical properties and inherent resilience of the sheet of
plastic material and the fact that the various portions of the
elongated protuberances are flexed slightly, some in the same
and some in different directions, the open tops of protuber-
ances 26 spreading in one location and narrowing in another.
The theory behind this spring action is difficult to describe
but the effect is as though a number of coiled tension springs
extending in all directions were present in body support area
-18-
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.
~07717~
23. The overall effect is an enhanced cushioning effect for
a supported body.
A manufactured sample seat member will now be de-
scribed: The body support area measured 17-1/2" in width and
15-1/2" in depth. There were eight complete elongated protu-
berances extending across the entire width of the body support
area, each protuberance being 1/2" wide at the top and about
1/4" wide at the bottom with a depth of 1/2". The width of
sheet extending between the open tops of adjacent protuberances
,~
varied between 1-1/2" and 3/4". 1/2" ventilation holes were
spaced about 1" apart in the body support surface between pro-
tuberances. The direction changing portions changed the di-
rection between portions of each elongated protuberance con-
necting direction changing portions by about 90 each time.
The protuberances were rounded at each direction changing por-
tion and the portions joining direction changing portions were
straight and measured about 3". Where a back member such as
member 22 was involved, the parts were hinged through the
medium of an integral hinge formed from the same sheet of plas-
tic material the hinge being about 7" wide and 1-1/4" long.
The plastic material from which the sample was formed was
HERCULES No. 7823 polypropylene copolymer and the gage 45 mils.
Other plastics can be used and the gage and dimensions of the
sample were not critical.
.
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