Abstract: A composite underbody cushioning and ventilating structure of general use and especially useful as a seat pad for the occupants of vehicles, formed of two sheet members with padding material between them, one sheet member being of woven, fibrous decorative material designed for ready passage of air therethrough and the other sheet member being a formed plastic three-dimensional preferably air impervious sheet member that serves the multi-purposes of (a) spacing the sheet members apart for passage of ventilating air between them; (b) presenting an exterior surface that ventilates by lateral air movement and thermal current air movement within local areas of the member; (c) acting as a support for a body while contacting the body in measurably less than 50% of the area of the body; and (d) presenting an exterior surface having a decorative appearance. The present invention also involves the features of the formed plastic sheet member, per se.

Abstract: A composite underbody cushioning and ventilating structure of general use and especially useful as a seat pad for the occupants of vehicles, formed of two sheet members with padding material between them, one sheet member being of woven, fibrous decorative material designed for ready passage of air therethrough and the other sheet member being a formed plastic three-dimensional preferably air impervious sheet member that serves the multi-purposes of (a) spacing the sheet members apart for passage of ventilating air between them; (b) presenting an exterior surface that ventilates by lateral air movement and thermal current air movement within local areas of the member; (c) acting as a support for a body while contacting the body in measurably less than 50% of the area of the body; and (d) presenting an exterior surface having a decorative appearance. The present invention also involves the features of the formed plastic sheet member, per se.

Abstract: A body support member for spacing a body above a supporting structure which comprises a sheet of resilient plastic material permanently deformed to produce downwardly disposed, laterally spaced, elongated protuberances distributed over a body support area for engaging the supporting surface, adjacent elongated protuberances being complementary in shape with each one having a plurality of reversed direction portions along its length, the reversed direction portions in adjacent protuberances being in overlapping relation in the plane of the body support area looking in the direction the elongated protuberances extend, whereby the body support area of the member will resist flexing along all straight lines traversing the body support area.

Abstract: A covered body support member for spacing a body above a supporting structure which comprises a sheet of resilient plastic material permanently deformed to produce downwardly disposed, laterally spaced, protuberances distributed over a body support area for engaging the supporting surface, adjacent protuberances being complementary in shape and disposed in overlapping relation to each other, whereby the body support area of the member will resist flexing along any straight line traversing the body support area. An attachable and detachable cover member formed of readily flexible material extends over the body support area of the body support member and is held in place on the body support member by the provision of pockets formed in the cover material, the pockets snugly receiving end portions of the sheet of resilient plastic material. The cover material is readily applied to or removed from the body support member by slight flexure of the sheet of resilient plastic material.

Abstract: A body support member for spacing a body above a supporting structure which comprises a sheet of resilient plastic material permanently deformed to produce downwardly disposed, laterally spaced, elongated protuberances distributed over a body support area for engaging the supporting surface, adjacent elongated protuberances being complementary in shape with each one having a plurality of reversed direction portions along its length, the reversed direction portions in adjacent protuberances being in overlapping relation in the plane of the body support area looking in the direction the elongated protuberances extend, whereby the body support area of the member will resist flexing along all lines traversing the body support area. Where desired, the resiliency of the plastic material of the body support member can be such that the reversed direction portions of the elongated protuberances incorporate an inherent spring-like action under the weight of a supported body to cushion the same.

Abstract: A ventilating seat cushion for use between a body and a supporting surface which comprises a panel or grid in the form of a sheet of resilient plastic material having a plurality of protuberances arranged in columns and rows which act to support the body in spaced relation to the supporting surface with a lattice of channels formed by the protuberances between the supporting surface and the body for ventilation, certain of the protuberances being star-shaped in plan view, each star-shaped protuberance including portions extending toward adjacent protuberances in the associated row and portions extending toward adjacent protuberances in the associated column, the extending portions of adjacent protuberances in adjacent rows overlapping each other in the direction of the columns and the extending portions of the adjacent protuberances in adjacent columns overlapping each other in the direction of the rows to stiffen the sheet of plastic material against flexure along any straight line extending across the suppo