The technical field of the present invention relates to vehicle seats, and may further relate to seats configured to accommodate backpacks and other equipment worn by a seated occupant.
In the accompanying drawings:
The instant invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and/or photographs, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be operative, enabling, and complete. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Unless otherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be given their broad ordinary and customary meaning not inconsistent with that applicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to any specific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one”, “single”, or similar language is used. When used herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list.
For exemplary methods or processes of the invention, the sequence and/or arrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal arrangement, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or arrangement, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and arrangements while still falling within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, any references to advantages, benefits, unexpected results, or operability of the present invention are not intended as an affirmation that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed. Likewise, unless stated otherwise, use of verbs in the past tense (present perfect or preterit) is not intended to indicate or imply that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed.
An exemplary vehicle seat with a convertible seat back in accordance with the present disclosure is indicated generally at reference numeral 1 in the drawing Figures. Referring initially to
A moveable first center cushion 9, shown in a first position in
The lower end 10 is attached to the seat back adjacent lumbar cushion 7, such as by stitching, or other permanent attachment means, while the upper end 11 may be secured to the seat back with a detachable fastener, such as with strips of hook and loop fastener material. The first center cushion is configured to thus be moveable by grasping and pulling the upper end away from the seat back with enough force to disengage any detachable fastener. A strap loop 15 or similar means may be provided at the upper end 11 for that purpose. Because the lower end of the cushion is attached to the seatback however, continuing to move the upper end away from the seat back will cause the cushion to pivot about its lower end, and swing down toward the seat pan 4.
Recess 17 is bounded at the bottom and sides by the lumbar and side cushions 5, 6, 7, and at an upper end by a headrest portion 19 of the seat back cushion, as shown for example in
The recess 17 is configured to accept a pack worn on the back of a seated occupant such that the occupant is preferably not held away from the seat by the pack when the pack is inside the recess, or caused to lean forward. Accordingly the seat back and cushions may be configured to produce a recess with a width, length, and depth selected for that to occur. In one particular embodiment the dimensions are selected to accommodate a typical hydration pack on the back of a seated occupant, having a width of approximately six to ten inches, and a length (vertical) of approximately twelve to sixteen inches.
In addition to the above noted benefits of revealing the recess 17 and simultaneously stowing the first center cushion without having to completely detach it, moving the first center cushion to the stowed position provides other benefits. First, the act of wrapping the center cushion around the lumbar cushion has the effect of increasing the thickness of the lumbar pad by the added thickness of the first center cushion. Consequently, a seated occupant is moved further away from the seat back, thereby increasing the distance from the occupant's back to the seat back in the recess. The net result is effectively doubling the depth of the recess. For example, a four inch thick pack on the back of a seated occupant may be accommodated using a center cushion that is only two inches thick.
Second, wrapping the first center cushion 9 around the lumbar 7 in the manner of
In addition to the first center cushion 9, the convertible seat back may also include a second center cushion 25.
The end result of continuing to bring the first center cushion 9 down over the lumbar cushion 7 until in the second, or stowed position, and pushing the second center cushion 25 back down against the seat back is shown in the converted configuration of
For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention it is noted that the use of relative terms, such as “substantially”, “generally”, “approximately”, and the like, are utilized herein to represent an inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described above. No element, act, or instruction used in this description should be construed as important, necessary, critical, or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Although only a few of the exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in these exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.
In the claims, any means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures. Unless the exact language “means for” (performing a particular function or step) is recited in the claims, a construction under § 112, 6th paragraph is not intended. Additionally, it is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
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