Cover For Beaded Seat Massager

Technical Field

This invention relates generally to seat covers, and this invention specifically relates to a cover for use with a beaded seat massager.

Background Art

Over the past several years, beaded seat massagers, such as those marketed under the Comfossager™ brand name by Fredco Enterprises, Avon, Ohio, have been utilized to provide comfort and support to persons seated in a particular seat for extended periods of time. Beaded seat massagers, although most commonly used in vehicles, can be used in any seats, whether in vehicles, offices, homes, or other locations where persons are seated in a particular seat for an extended period of time.

Beaded seat massagers generally consist of a series of wooden beads strung together with a length of nylon cord, similar to conventional fishing line. Strings of wooden beads are joined together to form the general configuration of a seat. The beaded seat massager is positioned upon the back and seat portions of the seat such that an individual sitting in the seat contacts the massager. Movement by the individual causes the wooden beads to rotate about the nylon cord, providing a massaging effect to the individual's back and seat.

Although the beaded seat massager provides comfort and support to its users, there are at least two major disadvantages associated with the device. First, the rotation of the wooden beads about the nylon line tends to deteriorate and otherwise wear away the surface material of the seat upon which the beaded seat massager is placed, particularly if the material is leather or velour. Second, the nylon cord has a tendency to get caught in the skin or hair of the legs of an individual who is sitting on the massager, causing the individual considerable pain and discomfort.

Although there are a number of seat covers available, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 1,836,302, to Bloomfield; U.S. Patent No. 4,019,776, to Takamatsu; U.S. Patent No. 4,693,511, to Seltzer et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 5,007,676, to lien, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, none of these covers provide a solution to both of the above-described disadvantages associated with beaded seat massagers.

For instance, the seat cover described in Seltzer et al. fits over the back and seat portions of a seat. If used in conjunction with a beaded seat massager, the seat cover described in Seltzer et al. would leave the beaded seat massager in contact with either the surface material of the seat (if the beaded seat massager is placed inside the seat cover, along with the seat) or the user (if the beaded seat massager is placed outside the seat cover). In either configuration, one of the two disadvantages associated with beaded seat massagers remains.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a device which prevents beaded seat. massagers from deteriorating or otherwise wearing away the surface material of the seats with which the massagers come into contact, without interfering with the beaded seat massager's functions.

There is an additional need in the art for a device which prevents the cord used to connect the beads used in beaded seat massagers from pinching or otherwise getting caught in the hair and/or skin of a user of a beaded seat massager, without interfering with the beaded seat massager's functions.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention fulfills the needs in the art. Broadly described, the present invention provides a cover which receives a beaded seat massager, creating a first barrier between the massager and the seat and a second barrier between the massager and the user.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the beaded seat massager cover comprises a front side comprising a front top edge, a front bottom edge, a first front side edge, and a second front side edge; a rear side comprising a rear top edge, a

rear bottom edge, a first rear side edge, and a second rear side edge; means for attaching said front side to said rear side so as to form an opening for receiving a beaded seat massager; and means for securing said beaded seat massager cover to a seat. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attaching means comprises a zipper which attaches three edges of said front side to three complementary edges of said rear side.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the securing means comprises a plurality of elastic straps which secure said cover to said seat.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the securing means further comprises a plurality of fabric strips which further secure said cover to said seat.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the attaching means comprises a first strip of adhesive hook and loop material attached to said front side and a second strip of adhesive hook and loop material, complementary to said first strip of adhesive hook and loop material, attached to said rear side, such that said first and second strips of adhesive hook and loop material removably adhere to one another.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the front and rear sides of the cover can be manufactured as one piece joined along one of the pairs of complementary side edges. In such an alternative embodiment, the securing means comprises attaching two, rather than three, complementary pairs of edges of the front and rear sides.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cover for use with beaded seat massagers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cover for use with beaded seat massagers which prevents beaded seat massagers from deteriorating or otherwise wearing away the surface material of the seats with which the massagers come into contact, without interfering with the beaded seat massager's functions. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cover for use with beaded seat massagers which prevents the cord used to connect the beads used in beaded seat massagers from

pinching or otherwise getting caught in the hair and/or skin of a user of a beaded seat massager, without interfering with the beaded seat massager's functions.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiment and by reference to the appended drawings and claims.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the pre-attached configuration of the two sides of the cover.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the attached configuration of the two sides of the cover with a beaded seat massager inserted therebetween.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the relationship between the cover and the seat is illustrated.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of an alternative configuration of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the beaded seat massager cover 10 of the present invention in its unassembled configuration. The beaded seat massager cover 10 includes a front side 20 and a rear side 30. The front side 20 and rear side 30 are manufactured from washable, reversible textile materials such as cotton and polyester. The front side 20 includes a front top edge 21, a front bottom edge 22, and a pair of front side edges 23, 24. The rear side 30 correspondingly includes a rear top edge 31, a rear bottom edge 32, and a pair of rear side edges 33, 34. The front side 20 also includes a fold line 25 and a pair of fabric strips 26 for securing the seat massager cover 10 to a seat (illustrated in FIG. 3). The rear side 30, in

addition to a fold line 35 and a pair of fabric strips 36, also includes a plurality of elastic straps 37 for securing the seat massager cover 10 to a seat (illustrated in FIG. 3).

Looking next at FIG. 2, the assembled configuration of the seat massager cover 10 is illustrated. The front side 20 is attached to the rear side 30 by attaching any three of the edges 21, 22, 23, 24 of the front side 20 to the corresponding three edges 31, 32, 33, 34 of the rear side 30. In FIG. 2, for example, the front top edge 21 is attached to the rear top edge 31, and the front side edges 22, 23 are attached to the rear side edges 32, 33.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a number of ways by which to attach the front side 20 to the rear side 30. First, the cover 10 can include a zipper (not shown), manufactured from either nylon, plastic, or metal, extending the entire perimeter of the cover 10. The zipper is attached to the cover 10 such that each side 20, 30 of the cover 10 includes one of the two mating halves of a conventional zipper. When assembling the cover 10 with the zipper, the front side 20 may be attached to the rear side 30 either before or after the beaded seat massager 80 is positioned between the front side 20 and rear side 30, as detailed below.

If the front side 20 is attached to the rear side 3 O before the beaded seat massager 80 is positioned between the front side 20 and the rear side 30, then three corresponding edges, for example 21, 31, 23, 33, 24, 34, of each side 20, 30 are attached together by the zipper, as discussed above. The two edges 22, 32 not attached by the zipper form an opening 40 for receiving the beaded seat massager 80, which is positioned between the front side 20 and the rear side 30 by inserting the massager 80 through the opening 40. After the massager is positioned between the front side 20 and the rear side 30, the fourth corresponding edges 22, 32 are attached by the zipper, fully enclosing the beaded seat massager 80 between the front side 20 and the rear side 30 of the cover 10. If the front side 20 is attached to the rear side 30 after the massager 80 is positioned between the front side 20 and the rear side 30 of the cover 10, then all four pairs of corresponding

edges 21, 31, 22, 32, 23, 33, 24, 34 are attached by the zipper after the massager 80 is appropriately positioned.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the front side 20 and the rear side 30 may be manufactured such that they share a common edge. In such an alternative embodiment, the attachment of the front side 20 to the rear side 30 entails attaching two edges rather than three (in the situation where the massager 80 is positioned between the sides after the sides are attached) or three edges rather than four (in the situation where the massager 80 is positioned between the sides prior to the sides being attached so as to fully enclose the massager 80).

A second means for attaching the front side 20 to the rear side 30 is the use of adhesive hook and loop material, commercially marketed under the trademark VELCRO®. The use of adhesive hook and loop material to attach the sides 20, 30 to each other is identical to the use of the zipper except that the edges 21, 31, 22, 32, 23, 33, 24, 34 of each side 20, 30 of the cover 10 include a plurality of strips of adhesive hook and loop material, the two strips being complementary to one another. Additional means for attaching the front side 20 to the rear side 30 include buttons, snaps, and resealable locking channels, such as are present in plastic sandwich bags marketed under the ZIPLOC® trademark. Furthermore, three edges of each side may be permanently sewn together with the fourth edges attached using any of the above- discussed methods. Additionally, in lieu of removably attaching the front side 20 to the rear side 30, the two sides may be permanently sewn to one another with the beaded massager 80 permanently enclosed between the front side 20 and the rear side 30. FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the cover 10 in conjunction with a seat 90. The seat 90 may be either a vehicle seat, an office chair, or any other seat which may be occupied for an extended period of time. The assembled cover 10 is placed upon the portion of the seat 90 on which an individual sits, such that the cover 10 is folded along the fold lines 25, 35 to correspond to the contours of a back portion 92 and seat portion 94 of the seat 90. The elastic straps 37 of the cover 10 are stretched so as to extend over the

back portion 92 and seat portion 94 of the seat 90, thus securing the cover 10 to the seat 90. The cover 10 may be further secured to the seat 90 by tying the corresponding fabric strips 26, 36 to one another after wrapping the pairs of fabric strips 26, 36 around the back portion 92 and seat portion 94, respectively, of the seat 90.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the cover 210 of the present invention, for use in seats (not pictured) having a long, narrow upper portion 250 which may include a headrest. The alternative cover 210 includes a fold line 225 and a plurality of elastic straps 237 for securing the cover 210 to a seat, along with a plurality of pairs of fabric strips 226, 236 for further securing the cover 210 to a seat. The assembly and function of the alternative cover 210 are identical to the assembly and function of the cover 10 discussed in FIGS. 1-3.

Accordingly, it will be understood that the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed by way of example and that other modifications and alterations may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.