Patent Application
20080087207
Referring to the drawings, a seam 10 for use in a vehicle on an armrest or other interior component 12 and a guide member 14 for making the seam 10 is disclosed. It should be noted that the upholstered seam 10 shown in the drawings may be for use on any interior component of an automotive vehicle. The figures show one use of such a seam 10 having a T-member 16 for use on a vehicle armrest 12. The seam 10 may be used with any type of material such as laminate back material, non-laminate back material, stock material, or any known covering material or fabric that may be or has been used to cover any vehicle interior components such as a seat, armrest, dashboard, etc., including but not limited to leather, cloth, vinyl, imitation leathers, or any other known material used on vehicle interior components. The use of the seam 10 according to the present invention will allow for quicker and easier installation of material or fabric over interior components such as an armrest 12. The seam 10 may include a mechanism to insure proper alignment of the seam with respect to any linear or nonlinear line on the armrest 12 or the like. The seam 10 will be made using any known sewing machine and guide member 14 as described herein. This will allow for increased efficiencies in the manufacturing process by creating a French seam or other seam in less time with more efficient implementation. It should be noted that any other type of seam other than a French seam may also be used and made by the present invention. However, the seam 10 shown in the drawings is that of a French seam. It should further be noted that any type of thread may be used for any of the connection or stitch lines in the seam 10 according to the present invention. Such threads may be plastic materials, composite materials, natural materials, cotton materials, polyester materials, or any other type of material used to make any known thread or contemplated threads.
As shown in
The first and second materials 20, 22 are connected to one another at the seam 10 according to the present invention. As noted above, the seam 10 according to the present invention generally has a French seam appearance. The seam 10 will have the first 20 and second material 22 joined along a stitching line that is a longitudinal joint or connection sew line 32. It should be noted that all of the stitching lines described herein including this one, is made with any known type of thread. The joint sew line 32 is positioned inboard of the longitudinal edges of the panels 20, 22 respectively. As used herein the term “inboard” should be understood to mean a direction essentially away from longitudinal edges, whereas the term “outboard” refers to the opposite direction toward the edges. Therefore, the joint sew line 32 runs the entire length of the first and second panels 20, 22 along the longitudinal edge. This will leave a predetermined flap edge 34, 36 for both the first and second materials 20, 22 that will be capable of being folded over to create a French seam appearance for the upholstered panel.
A T-member 16 is attached to the first and second panels 20, 22 via a stitch line through each panel. The T-member 16 generally has a T-shaped cross section with a first groove 38 and a second groove 40 arranged at predetermined positions. The grooves 38, 40 may also be parallel to one another. The grooves 38, 40 generally extend the entire length of the T-member 16. The T-member 16 also has arranged generally at a center point thereof an extension member 42 which extends a predetermined distance from a bottom surface of the T-member 16. It should be noted that the T-member 16 is generally made by an extrusion process with any known extrudable plastic material. However, it should also be noted that the T-member 16 may be made with any other type of molding technique, injection molding technique, or other methodologies for making plastic into a predetermined shape as described above. In the embodiment shown the T-member 16 is made through an extrusion process using any known plastic material. However, it should be noted that any other type of metal, ceramic, metal composite or natural material may also be used for the T-member 16. The extension 42 will be used to interact with the groove 30 located in the trench 28 of the foam 26. The first and second groove 38, 40 located on a bottom surface of the T-member 16 generally has a semi circular or semi oval shape, however any other shaped groove may be used for the T-member 16. It should be noted that the first and second grooves 38, 40 of the T-member 16 have a predetermined depth into the T-member 16 and that depth can be of any known dimension depending on the design requirements of the T-member 16. Furthermore, the extension 42 of the T-member 16 may extend any known distance from the T-member 16 depending on the design requirements of the T-member 16.
The T-member 16 is connected to the first material 20 and the second material 22 of the upholstery panel. As shown in
After the T-member 16 is arranged within the groove 30 of the trench 28 within the foam 26, the opposite or face ends of the first material 20 and second material 22 will be folded over and around and connected to the frame 24 of the armrest 12 via any known fastening methodology. This will create a complete covering for the armrest 12 that has a seam 10 which creates a more visually appealing interior for automotive vehicle interiors thus increasing the craftsmanship and overall value of the automotive vehicle. This creates a more pleasing appearance than that of the prior art where one piece of material may be used to cover the entire armrest with no seams showing thus reducing the desirability of such armrests and the value of the automotive vehicle in the consumers eyes. It should be noted that it is also contemplated to have various thickness T-members 16 such that the trench and the foam of the armrest or other interior component does not have to be too deep. However, in the embodiment shown the trench 28 in the foam 26 generally will create a smooth outer surface to the user of the exterior upholstery panel, thus creating a more eloquent and aesthetically pleasing interior component for the automotive manufacturers. It should be noted that the French seam 10 may also include a cord or filament arranged within the first material and second material to create a more defined hump for the French seam if so desired as disclosed in Applicant's prior invention filed as a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/494,329.
In operation, generally the first and second piece of material 20, 22 are connected to the T-member 16 before being placed over the foam 26 and frame 24 of the armrest 12. The connection of the first and second material 20, 22 to the T-member 16 generally is accomplished by using any known sewing machine that includes a guide member 14 as disclosed in
Arranged on the top surface of the body 50 as described above is a track 52. The track 52 generally includes a groove 62 in a surface along a center line thereof. The groove 62 generally has a depth that will mimic or be approximately the same as the extension 42 of the T-member 16 being passed through the guide member 14. The track 52 also will include a plurality of inward extending flanges 64 that create a partially enclosed track for the T-member 16 to ride or pass along. In the embodiment shown there are four inwardly extending flanges 64, one arranged at or near each corner of the body 50. The inward extending flanges 64 partially extend a predetermined distance along the length of the body 50 of the guide member 14. The inward extending flanges 64 will generally create a partial T-shape cross sectional view of the track 52 when viewed from an end of the guide member 14. The T-member 16 will be placed in the track 52 and ran or passed through the guide member 14 at a predetermined speed so attachment of the first and second material 20, 22 to the T-member 16 can occur. The guide member 14 also includes a first and second orifice 66, 68 arranged along the groove 62, one on each side thereof. In the embodiment shown the orifices 66, 68 generally are rectangular in shape, however any other shaped orifice may be used in the surface of the body 50. The orifices 66, 68 will allow for the needles of the sewing machine to pass through the first and second material 20, 22 and the T-member 16 thus creating the proper stitch lines for the French seam 10. It should be noted that it is contemplated to have just one orifice through the body 50 of the guide member 14 depending on the stitch line needed and the design required for the seam for connecting the material to the T-member 16. The bottom portion of the guide member 14 will include a plurality of bosses or extension members 70 that will help in guiding the thread to the proper position to create the proper stitch between the first and second material 20, 22 and the T-members 16. The guide member 14 has a curved surface on one end of the track 52, and a flat surface on the opposite end of the track 52. In operation, the T-member 16 will be fed in on the curved surface side of the track 52 and exit on the flat side of the guide member 14 after being attached to the first and second fabric or material 20, 22. It should be noted that the guide member 14 may be made of any type of plastic, ceramic, composite, natural material, or metal depending on the design requirements and environment in which the guide member 14 will be used in the sewing machine. In the embodiment shown it is generally made out of a hard plastic material.
In operation the making of the seam 10 according to the present invention will involve the operator of a sewing machine attaching the guide member 14 to the appropriate position on the arm of the sewing machine. The attachment is done with any known fastener or fastening technique. Next the operator of the sewing machine will take a spool of T-member 16 and feed it into the curved surface entry way of the guide member 14. Next a connection stitch line 32 will be made between a first material 20 and second material 22 which will be used to create the seam 10. The joint connection sew line 32 may be performed on the same sewing machine as that using the guide member 14 or it may be conducted on a separate machine and then the two pieces of material 20, 22 with the joint connection sewn line 32 therein is brought to the sewing machine having the guide member 14. The first and second material 20, 22 will then be placed within the guide member 14 such that the flap 34, 36 of the first and second material 20, 26 will be in contact with a top surface of the T-member 16. This is accomplished by having the operator of the sewing machine align the end of the flap 36 of the first material 20 with one end of the T-member 16 and the end of the flap 36 of the second material 22 with the opposite end of the T-member 16. The T-member 16 is then placed onto the curved surface of the track 52 of the guide member 14 such that the flap 34, 36 of the first material 20 and second material 22 engages with a top surface of the guide track 52 and the T-member 16 engages with a bottom portion of the guide track 52. The combination of the T-member 16 and first and second material 20, 22 is then fed through the guide member 14 at a predetermined speed, after the first and second materials 20, 22 face ends are folded over such that the joint connection seam 32 is generally aligned with the mid point of the T-member 16 which generally is where the extension 42 extends from the bottom surface of the T-member 16. The appropriate stitch line 44, 46 is placed into the first material 20 and second material 22 simultaneously by the sewing machine, such that the first stitch line 44 and second stitch line 46 pass through the first and second groove 38, 40 respectively of the T-member 16. This will create the French seam 10 for the first and second material 20, 22 with both materials connected to the T-member 16 after passing through the guide member 14 of the sewing machine. After the T-member 16 is sewn along the entire longitudinal length of the first and second material 20, 22, the French seam 10 will be complete. Then the operator of the sewing machine will take the first and second material 20, 22 which is now one exterior or upholstery panel for a vehicle armrest or other interior component and place the automotive upholstery panel onto the armrest 12 such that the extension 42 of the T-member 16 will be placed in and aligned along the groove 30 of the foam 26 in the armrest 12. Then the free ends of the first material 20 and second material 22 will be folded over the remainder of the exposed foam material 26 and at least a portion of the armrest frame 24 and be connected to the armrest frame 24 via any known fastener or connecting methodology. This will create an armrest 12 having two pieces of material and a French seam 10 arranged along a predetermined portion of the armrest thus creating a more pleasing visual exterior upholstery panel and increasing the value of the automotive vehicle and the status of the automotive vehicle in the consumer market.
It should be noted that any known manual or automatic methodology of moving the T-member 16 and the first and second material 20, 22 through the sewing machine and guide member 14 may be used depending on the design requirement and manufacturing methodologies of the present invention. Complete automation of the process is possible including placement of the upholstery with the T-member 16 onto the vehicle armrest or interior component. It should further be noted that any type of material may be used for the threads and/or upholstery material for use on the armrest.
The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
