Not applicable.
This invention relates to the field of seat covers and seat accessories, particularly for vehicles.
Many vehicle drivers prefer to use the passenger seat of their car to temporarily place objects such as letters, handbags, cellular phones, books, take-out food containers and bags, and small boxes. When objects are placed on the passenger seat of a vehicle, such objects often fall onto the floor in front of the passenger seat. This occurs, for instance, when the driver applies the brake or accelerates. Small items such as pens, cards, and combs, are likely to slip to the side of the seat in places where the items are hard to retrieve. This is particularly a problem with seats made of leather and imitation leather which have a somewhat slick surface. Computers and other delicate items are likely to be damaged during the fall from the seat to the floor.
An apparatus for temporary seat-top storage is disclosed. In a first embodiment, said apparatus is a wall subassembly in an after-market seat cover. In a second embodiment, said wall subassembly is disclosed. The wall subassembly may be incorporated by a manufacturer or upholsterer into upholstery of a seat or an after-market seat cover. The features of said apparatus are detailed in the following paragraphs.
Referring to
As best shown in
Wall 2 is flipped down when the passenger or other seat is to be used by a passenger and does not interfere with any safety apparatuses of the seat nor cause discomfort to the passenger. When in use, as shown in
Wall 2 as shown in
In still another embodiment, wall 2 may be secured to upholstery by the use of fastening means instead of being stitched into a seam of seat upholstery. Such fastening means include, for example, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, zippers, and tacks. Other fastening means may also be suitable as long as wall 2 is capable of being transitioned from a first flipped-down position to a second flipped-up position and back.
Another embodiment may comprise a seat cover having a wall as described above, and further comprising a seat cover portion that covers seat back 101.
Wall 2 of the invention comprises a single section or multiple sections of a fabric or fabric-like material. Preferably, wall 2 is formed of two layers of fabric, an outer fabric and an inner fabric each having 2 long selvage edges and 2 short selvage edges, which layers are secured together by stitching, gluing or bonding along the respective selvage edges thereof. Most preferably, the selvage edges are hidden as is conventional in sewing technique so that a finished seam is visible to the user. The first long selvage edges are a part of the seam shown at upper edge 21 in
The multiple section embodiment preferably comprise two back sections, two mid sections, and a front section, each shaped so as to conform to the configuration of the vehicle seat of interest. Each of said sections has a wall selvage 5a and an upper selvage edge. Each of said midsections has a back side seam secured to said back section and front side seam secured to said front section. Side supports 42a may be secured along each of said side seams, or at least along said front side seam. A casing is formed at said upper edge 21, preferably by stitching, and wire 41 inserted in said casing along said upper edge.
Wire 41 can be any metal, plastic or other material which can support the wall and maintain the desired structure when the wall is flipped up or flipped down as illustrated in the drawings. As just one example, wire 41 may be a flat steel wire of approximate dimensions 1/16 by 1/32 inches (0.16 cm by 0.08 cm). Other dimensions can be used as long as the properties of the wire 41 permit the functions shown. High carbon steel, extruded nylon and polypropylene are examples of suitable materials. Side supports 42a may be of similar or different material. Although two are illustrated, additional or fewer side supports 42a may be utilized.
The wall of the invention may be integrated into the upholstery of any seat, and into seat covers for vehicle seats and similarly dimensioned seats and chairs. While it is envisioned to be particularly useful in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, rear van seats, boat seats, and many other seats may benefit from use of this invention.
This application is a continuation of PCT patent application No. PCT/US11/65597, filed Dec. 16, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applications 61/560,622 filed Nov. 16, 2011 and 61/536,931 filed Sep. 20, 2011.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2011/065597 | Dec 2011 | US |
Child | 13358704 | US |