VEHICLE SEAT ASSEMBLY HAVING A MODULAR ACCESSORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly having an accessory system and method of making the same. In at least one embodiment, the vehicle seat assembly comprises a seat cushion and a seat back connected to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion. In this embodiment, the seat back comprises a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame. In this embodiment, an accessory support structure is secured to the seat frame between the seat frame and the trim cover and has spaced apart support members extending over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back configured to selectively receive at least one vehicle occupant accessory assembly.
Latest LEAR CORPORATION Patents:
- Polarized connector for flat cable
- Track system with a support member
- Cable fastening system for electrical connector assembly
- On-board charger (OBC) method and system for detecting phase configuration of mains supply and for diagnosing status of OBC phase configuration relays
- System and method for parallel battery pack charging
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/911,642 filed Apr. 13, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly having a modular accessory system and method of making the same.
2. Background Art
Vehicle seat assemblies are known. Generally speaking, most vehicle seat assemblies include three fundamental components: (a) a frame to support the seat assembly and mount it to a vehicle body within an occupant compartment; (b) a foam cushion to cover the frame; and (c) trim material to cover the foam cushion and provide a durable surface for contact with a seat assembly occupant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to at least one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seat assembly is provided. In at least one embodiment, the vehicle seat assembly comprises a seat cushion and a seat back having a top and a bottom and being connected to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion. The seat back comprises a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame. The seat back has a front surface and an opposed rear surface. The vehicle seat assembly further comprises an accessory support structure disposed between the trim cover and the frame. The accessory support structure is secured to the seat frame and has spaced apart support members extending over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back. The support members are configured to selectively receive at least one vehicle occupant accessory assembly.
In at least another embodiment, the vehicle seat assembly comprises a seat cushion and a seat back having a top and a bottom which is connected to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion. The seat back comprises a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame. The vehicle seat assembly further comprises an accessory support structure secured to the seat frame between the seat frame and the trim cover. The accessory support structure has spaced apart support members that extend over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back. The vehicle seat assembly further comprises at least one vehicle occupant accessory supported on the accessory support structure with the accessory assembly comprising a carrier selectively supportable on the support members and at least one vehicle occupant accessory supportable on the carrier.
According to at least another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a vehicle seat assembly is provided. In at least one embodiment, the method comprises providing a seat cushion, providing a seat back having a top and a bottom, and connecting the seat back bottom to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion. The seat back comprises a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame. The seat back has a front surface and an opposed rear surface. The method further comprises supporting an accessory support structure on the frame such that the accessory support structure extends over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back and is disposed between the trim cover and the frame. The support members is configured to selectively receive at least one vehicle occupant accessory.
In at least one embodiment, the vehicle occupant accessory is an assembly comprising a carrier having attachment members that cooperate with receiving members on the support members. In at least a further embodiment, the assembly further comprises a vehicle occupant accessory supportable on the carrier.
In yet at least a further embodiment, the support structure is capable of supporting a plurality of carriers. The carriers can be the same size and populated with a variety of differing accessories, generally of the same or similar size, but with different functionality to fit various user's needs or lifestyle activities.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Moreover, except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numeral quantities in this description and in the claims are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broader scope of this invention. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the description of a group or class of materials may be suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures of any two or more members of that group or class may be equally suitable or preferred.
Referring now to the Figures, where like numerals are used to designate like structure throughout the drawings, a schematic vehicle seat assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention is generally shown at 10 in
As shown in
As schematically shown in
The seat frame 32 may be constructed from any material suitable for application within a vehicle seat assembly, such as aluminum, steel, another metal alloy, or a suitable polymer. Further, the seat frame 32 may be manufactured using a technique commonly known in the art, relative to the type of material employed. By way of example, manufacturing techniques may include stamping, welding, fastening or molding a suitable material to form a seat frame 32.
The foam pad 34 can be made of any suitable type of foam, such as polyurethane foam, for instance. It should also be understood that the pad 34 could also be made of some, or even all, non-foam material. The seat foam pad 34 may be conventionally secured to the seat frame 32 in any suitable manner, such as by an adhesive.
In at least the illustrated embodiment, the trim cover 36, as set forth above, is adapted to engage the foam pad 34 and the frame 32 in a covering relationship. The trim cover 36 may include any suitable construction and material commonly known in the art. For instance, in at least one embodiment, trim cover 36 could comprise a relatively hard backing 37 and a relatively soft trim material, such as fabric 39, as shown in
Another example of a suitable construction of the trim cover 36 is illustrated in
Referring back to
The vehicle occupant accessories supportable by the accessory ring 50 can be any accessories that the vehicle occupant would find useful to have while being a passenger in the vehicle, particularly a passenger in the back seat of the vehicle. For instance, the exemplary vehicle occupant accessories illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment in
As will be discussed further below, as the vehicle accessory assemblies 40-44 are selectively securable to the seat back 14, in at least one aspect of the present invention, seat assemblies may be readily varied which can enable the seat to be designed and/or modified by the user, i.e., the vehicle owner, after being delivered from the vehicle assembly plant, for instance at the point of sale, i.e., the dealership. Moreover, varying seat assemblies can be easily made at the vehicle assembly plant.
To help enable the variability of seat assembly designs, the accessory ring 50 is disposed on the rear of the seat back 14. In the illustrated embodiments, the accessory ring 50 is secured to the frame 32 and is covered by the trim cover 36. In at least the embodiment illustrated in
One or more of the transverse members 56, 58 and 62 and/or rails 52 can have holes 64 or other openings for securing the ring 50 to the frame 32. As can be readily understood, fasteners such as screws or rivets (not shown) can extend through holes 64 for securing the ring 50 to the frame 32. Further, as shown in the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
As shown in the embodiment illustrated in
The back surface 26 of the seat back 14 can be provided with openings 70 that generally align with the holes 54 on the accessory ring 50. The openings 70, as can be seen in
Each of the vehicle occupant accessories will include at least one attachment member, which is schematically illustrated in
As shown in
Referring to
As discussed above, it is envisioned that a variety of various vehicle occupant accessories could be employed and the types of accessories are not to be limited by the disclosure herein, which should be considered exemplary.
Moreover, it should be understood that the accessory ring 50 can be made out of any suitable material and by any suitable process. For instance, the accessory ring 50 can be made of any suitable plastic or metallic material and could be made by any suitable molding process or stamping. Furthermore, the accessory ring 50 could have any suitable shape, including those not limited to a ring-shape.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
- a seat cushion;
- a seat back having a top and a bottom, the seat back bottom being connected to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion, the seat back comprising a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame, the seat back having a front surface and an opposed rear surface; and
- an accessory support structure secured to the seat frame between the seat frame and the trim cover, the support structure having spaced apart support members extending over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back, the support members being configured to selectively receive at least one vehicle occupant accessory assembly.
2. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the vehicle occupant accessory assembly comprises a carrier having attachment members that cooperate with receiving members on the support members to selectively support the vehicle occupant accessory assembly on the support members.
3. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the vehicle occupant accessory assembly comprises a carrier having a structure cooperable with opposing structure on the accessory support structure to selectively support the carrier on the support structure, the accessory assembly further comprising a vehicle occupant accessory supportable on the carrier.
4. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the accessory support structure is capable of receiving a plurality of vehicle occupant accessories.
5. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 4 wherein the accessory support structure is capable of receiving a plurality of carriers, each carrier capable of supporting a different type of vehicle occupant accessory.
6. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the accessory support structure comprises a ring structure comprising the spaced apart support members and at least one transverse member extending between and connecting the support members.
7. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 3 wherein the support members have a first pair of spaced apart openings which the carrier is snap-fittable into and the carrier has a second pair of openings which the accessory is snap-fittable into.
8. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the ring structure supports at least three carriers.
9. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 further comprising a mounting bracket secured to the frame, the accessory support structure being secured to the mounting bracket.
10. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the accessory support structure extends between 60 and 90 percent of the length of the seat back.
11. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 5 wherein at least one of the vehicle accessories comprises an entertainment system holder.
12. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 5 wherein at least one of the vehicle accessories comprises a stowable tray or active platform.
13. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 5 wherein at least one of the vehicle accessories comprises a bag holder.
14. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
- a seat cushion;
- a seat back having a top and a bottom, the seat back bottom being connected to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion, the seat back comprising a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame;
- an accessory support structure secured to the seat frame between the seat frame and the trim cover, the accessory support structure having spaced apart support members extending over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back; and
- at least one vehicle occupant accessory assembly supported on the accessory support structure, the accessory assembly comprising a carrier selectively supportable on the support members and at least one vehicle occupant accessory supportable on the carrier.
15. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the accessory support structure is capable of receiving a plurality of vehicle occupant accessories.
16. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 15 wherein the accessory support structure is capable of receiving a plurality of carriers, each carrier capable of receiving a different type of vehicle occupant accessory.
17. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein the carriers comprises three separate carriers.
18. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the trim cover comprises at least in part a hard plastic structure extending along a rear of the seat assembly.
19. A method of making a vehicle seat assembly, the method comprising:
- providing a seat cushion;
- providing a seat back having a top and a bottom;
- connecting the seat back bottom to the seat cushion such that the seat back is extendable in a generally upright position relative to the seat cushion, the seat back comprising a seat frame, a foam pad supported by the seat frame, and a trim cover extending about the pad and the seat frame, the seat back having a front surface and an opposed rear surface; and
- supporting an accessory support structure on the frame between the cover and the frame such that the accessory support structure extends over at least 60 percent of the length or width of the seat back, with the support members being configured to selectively receive at least one vehicle occupant accessory.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the accessory comprises a carrier having attachment members that cooperates with receiving members on the support members to selectively support the vehicle occupant accessory on the support members.
Type: Application
Filed: May 2, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 16, 2008
Applicant: LEAR CORPORATION (Southfield, MI)
Inventors: Jaron Rothkop (Royal Oak, MI), Yu-Jin J. Song (Sterling Heights, MI), Thomas S. Hicks (Livonia, MI)
Application Number: 11/743,187
International Classification: A47C 7/02 (20060101);