Composite Seat Cushion

Abstract

A composite seat cushion includes a high-resiliency inner foam core, at least one gel-infused memory foam layer extending over at least a portion of a top surface of the inner foam core, and a first down proof tick layer positioned on top of the gel-infused memory foam layer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/002,532, filed May 23, 2014 (pending) the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a seat cushion and, more particularly, to composite seat cushion for providing increased comfort to an article of furniture.

BACKGROUND

Seat cushions are known for use with chairs, couches, benches, and other articles of furniture to provide increased comfort to persons sitting on such furniture.

Seat cushions require a certain balance between softness and stiffness in order to maximize comfort. Seat cushions that are overly soft may fail to provide support to a person, while seat cushions that are overly stiff may be uncomfortable. High-comfort seat cushions that exhibit a proper balance of softness and stiffness are generally expensive to manufacture, and thus may be costly to consumers. On the other hand, cheaply-made seat cushions frequently exhibit poor durability and wear down after repeated use. Therefore, a need exists for an inexpensive and durable seat cushion that provides a high level of comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a composite seat cushion in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the composite seat cushion of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary composite seat cushion 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown. The seat cushion 10 may include a high-resiliency inner foam core 12 having a top surface, a bottom surface (not shown), and four side surfaces. In this embodiment, the inner foam core 12 comprises a generally rectangular shape. However, it will be appreciated that the inner foam core 12 may comprise any other shape, such as square, circular, triangular, or any other shape suitable for a seat cushion 10. The thickness (T) of the inner foam core 12 may be related to the size of a cushion casing (not shown) that is intended to be encase inner foam core 12. For example, the thickness (T) of the inner foam core 12 may be substantially equal to a width dimension of a panel of the cushion casing.

The seat cushion 10 may further include a first gel-infused memory foam layer 14 positioned on the top surface of the inner foam core 12. In the embodiment shown, a second gel-infused memory foam layer 16 is positioned on the bottom surface of the inner foam core 12. The gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 may substantially cover the top and bottom surfaces, as shown, or may extend over any portions thereof. In other embodiments, the seat cushion 10 may not include a second gel-infused memory foam layer 16. Moreover, it will be appreciated that, instead of using separate pieces of gel-infused memory foam material for the first and second layers 14, 16, a single piece of gel-infused memory foam material may be wrapped around the inner foam core 12 to form the first and second layers 14, 16 over a portion of the top surface and a portion of the bottom surface of the inner foam core 12.

The gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 may comprise a viscofoam material, such as that sold by Hickory Springs Manufacturing Solutions, located in Hickory Springs, North Carolina. The gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 may comprise a shape substantially similar to that of the inner foam core 12. In one embodiment, the gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 each have a thickness (t) that is substantially equal to about 1 inch, in order to provide comfort and resilience. If a gel-infused memory foam layer is substantially thicker than about 1 inch, the composite seat cushion 10 may exhibit poor rebound, such that it may fail to resume its undeformed shape in a timely manner after a user stands up. Conversely, if a gel-infused memory foam layer comprises a thickness (t) that is substantially less than about 1 inch, the composite seat cushion 10 may fail to provide the desired level of comfort. However, those skilled in the art of seat cushion manufacturing will appreciate that thickness (t) may vary slightly, such as by typical manufacturing tolerances for such material. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 may have thicknesses (t) other than about 1 inch, for providing varying levels of comfort as may be desired.

In one embodiment, one or both of the gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 may be adhered to the inner foam core 12 with glue to prevent relative movement between the gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 and the inner foam core 12. It will be appreciated, however, that various other methods of joining the gel-infused memory foam layers 14, 16 to the inner foam core 12 may be used.

The composite seat cushion 10 may further include a first down proof tick layer 18 positioned on top of the first gel-infused memory foam layer 14. In the embodiment shown, a second down proof tick layer 20 is positioned below the second gel-infused memory foam layer 16. It should be noted that other embodiments may not include a second down proof tick layer 20. The down proof tick layers 18, 20 include a fill material. In one embodiment, the fill material may comprise a blend of fiber material with one or more of duck feather and down. In the embodiment shown, the down proof tick layers 18, 20 each include channels 22 for maintaining even distribution of the fill material throughout the down proof tick layers.

In another embodiment, a method of making a seat cushion 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes positioning at least one gel-infused memory foam layer 14 over at least a portion of a top surface of a high-resiliency inner foam core 12, and positioning a down proof tick layer 18 on top of the gel-infused memory foam layer 14. The method may also include adhering the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer 14 to the inner foam core 12. In another embodiment, the method may include adhering the down proof tick layer 18 to the gel-infused memory foam layer 14. The method may further include positioning the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer 14 over at least a portion of a bottom surface of the inner foam core 12. For example, a single gel-infused memory foam layer may be wrapped around the inner foam core 12, such that the gel-infused memory layer may extend over a portion of the top surface and a portion of the bottom surface. Alternatively, the method may include positioning a first gel-infused memory foam layer 14 over at least a portion of the top surface and positioning a second gel-infused memory layer 16 over at least a portion of the bottom surface. The method may further include positioning a second down proof tick layer 20 on the bottom of the second gel-infused memory foam layer 16. In one embodiment, the method may include encasing the seat cushion 10 within a cushion casing having a side panel defined by a width dimension that is substantially equal to a thickness of the inner foam core 12.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of the general inventive concept.

Claims

1. A composite seat cushion for use with an article of furniture, the seat cushion comprising:

a high-resiliency inner foam core having a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one side surface;

at least one gel-infused memory foam layer extending over at least a portion of the top surface; and

a first down proof tick layer positioned on top of the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer.

2. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer has a thickness of about 1 inch.

3. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the first down proof tick layer includes a fill material comprising a blend of fiber material with at least one of duck feather or down.

4. The composite seat cushion of claim 3, wherein the first down proof tick layer comprises a plurality of channels for maintaining even distribution of the fill material.

5. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gel-infused memory foam layer is adhered to the inner foam core, or the first down proof tick layer is adhered to the gel-infused memory foam layer.

6. The composite seat cushion of claim 5, wherein the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer is adhered to the top surface of the inner foam core by glue.

7. The composite seat cushion of claim 5, wherein the first down proof tick layer is adhered to the top of the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer by glue.

8. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer further extends over at least a portion of the bottom surface.

9. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer comprises a first gel-infused memory foam layer extending over at least a portion of the top surface and a second gel-infused memory foam layer extending over at least a portion of the bottom surface, and further comprising a second down proof tick layer positioned on the bottom of the second gel-infused memory foam layer.

10. The composite seat cushion of claim 1, further comprising a cushion casing for encasing the seat cushion, wherein the cushion casing includes a side panel having a width dimension and a length dimension.

11. The composite seat cushion of claim 10, wherein the thickness of the inner foam core is substantially equal to the width dimension of the side panel of the cushion casing.

12. A method of constructing a composite seat cushion, comprising:

providing a high-resiliency inner foam core having a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one side surface;

positioning at least one gel-infused memory foam layer over at least a portion of the top surface; and

positioning a first down proof tick layer on top of the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising adhering at least one of the gel-infused memory foam layer to the inner foam core or the first down proof tick layer to the gel-infused memory foam layer.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising positioning the at least one gel-infused memory foam layer over at least a portion of the bottom surface.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of positioning at least one gel-infused memory foam layer includes positioning a first gel-infused memory foam layer over at least a portion of the top surface and positioning a second gel-infused memory layer over at least a portion of the bottom surface, and further comprising positioning a second down proof tick layer on the bottom of the second gel-infused memory foam layer.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising encasing the seat cushion within a cushion casing having a side panel defined by a width dimension that is substantially equal to a thickness of the inner foam core.