This invention relates to seat covers. The invention has particular application to seat covers for motor vehicles especially four wheel drive vehicles but it does have application to seat covers for other vehicles and may even have application to seats other than vehicle seats.

Car seat covers can be used to improve the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle or its seats, protect the seats from wear and tear, and to improve driver and passenger comfort or some combination including more than one of those things.

Some car seat covers are manufactured in one piece which covers both the back rest of the seat and the butt rest of the seat while others are manufactured in two pieces, one piece for the back rest and the other for the butt rest. Heavy duty car seat covers are typically manufactured in two pieces with each part being largely constructed of canvas or similar material, and are generally aimed at protecting the seats and improving driver and passenger comfort. In the case of four wheel drive vehicles, trucks, tractors and other commercial vehicles, comfort and protection are particularly important because of the rough nature of the terrain on which they are expected to travel and/or the long hours in which they are often engaged in travelling. Comfort from that perspective not only refers to immediate comfort for the occupants but also comfort after the travelling has been completed. In that respect, it is desirable that post travel tiredness and soreness be avoided or at least reduced if possible.

Various car seats incorporate an adjustable lumbar support which can be moved forwards and backwards for increasing and decreasing engagement with the occupant's back but they offer only limited support. Retro-fit devices incorporating lumbar supports are also available and some of those do allow for greater adjustment. One such device is arranged to be attached to the head rest of a car seat so that it hangs down against the front face of the back rest of the seat and the lumbar support is connected in a manner whereby it can be moved up or down as desired by the occupant of the seat. In one such form, the lumbar support includes an inflatable bladder which can be inflated or deflated as required to suit the arch of the occupant's back. However, such devices are not as secure as desired for many drivers and passengers especially for rough uneven terrain and they tend to move relative to the seat, which can be distractive especially to the driver and they can also lead to discomfort. It is also desirable in some circumstances that the seats provide support for the side portions of the occupant's back and although some car seats are shaped to do so they are generally not readily adjustable in those areas. Suitable support in side areas is believed to improve comfort and safety . The present invention is aimed at providing a seat cover which incorporates one or more supports for supporting selected areas of the body beyond the support given by the seat on which the cover is intended to be fitted.

With the foregoing in view, in one aspect, the invention resides broadly in a seat cover for a seat comprising at least a back rest, the cover including: a front panel adapted to substantially cover the front face of the back rest and a back panel adapted to substantially cover the back face of the back rest, the front panel and the back panel together defining a space therebetween adapted to accommodate a substantial portion of the back rest to which it is to be fitted; said front panel including an outer layer adapted to be engaged in use on its outer face by an occupant's back and an inner layer adapted in use to engage the front face of the back rest, said outer layer and said inner layer defining therebetween a pocket adapted to receive therein a body support ; securing means operatively connected to said inner layer or said outer layer for securing a body support at any selected one of a plurality of positions in said pocket; and a body support being fitted in said pocket and secured in any selected one of said plurality of positions in said pocket . In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a seat cover for a seat comprising at least a back rest, the cover including: a front panel adapted to substantially cover the front face of the back rest and a back panel adapted to substantially cover the back face of the back rest, the front panel and the back panel together defining a space therebetween adapted to accommodate a substantial portion of the back rest to which it is to be fitted; said front panel including an outer layer adapted to be engaged in use on its outer face by an occupant's back and an inner layer adapted in use to engage the front face of the back rest, said outer layer and said inner layer defining therebetween a pocket adapted to receive therein a body support ; securing means operatively connected to said inner layer or said outer layer for securing a body support at any selected one of a plurality of positions in said pocket; and a body support adapted to be fitted in said pocket and secured in any selected one of said plurality of positions in said pocket by said securing means.

Preferably, said inner layer is secured to said outer layer on opposite sides of a centre line running down the front panel to form a pocket suitably positioned to encompass the small of the occupant's back. In one form, the inner and outer layer are secured by stitching along spaced apart lines which roughly follow the line where the sides of the occupant's back would be intended to meet the back rest of the seat. However, in another form, the lines follow the junction of the front panel and the back panel or the front panel and the respective side panels where side panels are provided between the front panel and the rear panel. Advantageously, such arrangements keep the inner layer and the outer layer taut relative to each other when in use which helps keep the body support tight within the pocket. In one preferred form, an access opening to the pocket is provided at the bottom of the inner layer for removing and replacing the body support therein or changing its position within the pocket.

Advantageously, such form is particularly suitable where the front panel is releasably connected to the back panel at the bottom, for example, by an overlapping flap releasably secured by hook and loop fasteners. However, in another form, an access opening to the pocket is provided towards the top of the pocket and aligns generally with a similar opening towards the top of the outer layer of the front panel. In such form, the opening in the outer layer and the opening in the inner layer are preferably closed by respective flaps which are also releasably secured by hook and loop fasteners. In such form, the bottom end of the pocket may be secured permanently such as by stitching or may be open and releasably secured as previously described. Where permanently closed, it is preferred that an opening be provided to accommodate the air hose for an inflatable body support.

In such form it is also preferred that the inner layer be secured to the outer layer at or near the top of the front panel, for example, by stitching or adhesive to keep the liner taut. It is also preferred that the access opening be closable by way of a closure such as hook and loop fasteners or a zipper thereby providing means whereby the inner layer and the outer layer are held taut relative to each other in the vertical direction also. In one such form, the hook and loop fasteners or the zipper, as the case may be, extend fully across the access opening.

Preferably, the seat cover is constructed of a non- stretch fabric such as canvas whereby when it is fitted to a complementary back rest, relative movement between the seat cover and the back rest is practically prevented or at least heavily restricted thereby in turn preventing relative movement between the front panel of the seat cover and the body support mounted in the pocket . Preferably, said securing means and said body support include complementary attachment means for attaching the body support to the securing means in a manner which secures the body support so that relative movement between the body support and the front panel of the seat cover in use is prevented or at least substantially inhibited. In a preferred form, hook and loop fasteners are used for such purpose. Preferably, the front and rear panels of the seat cover have complementary bottom securing means whereby the front panel can be secured to the back panel when fitted to the seat for which it is made, at the bottom end, that is so that the cover can be held down and prevented from sliding up the back rest of the seat. In such form, it is also preferred that a lower section of the back panel be arranged so that it can be selectively connected to and disconnected from the front panel at least when the bottom securing means is released. Advantageously, when the front panel is released from the rear panel such feature allows the front panel to be pulled forwards from the back rest thereby allowing better access for adjusting the position of the body support in the pocket or even its removal and replacement without the need to remove the seat cover from the back rest of the seat.

In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a seat cover for a seat comprising at least a back rest, the cover including: a front panel adapted to substantially cover the front face of the back rest and a back panel adapted to substantially cover the back face of the back rest, the front panel and the back panel together defining a space therebetween adapted to accommodate a substantial portion of the back rest to which it is to be fitted; said front panel including securing means operatively connected to said front panel for securing a body support at any selected one of a plurality of positions against the inner face of said front panel; and a body support secured in any selected one of said plurality of positions by said securing means. In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a seat cover for a seat comprising at least a back rest, the cover including: a front panel adapted to substantially cover the front face of the back rest and a back panel adapted to substantially cover the back face of the back rest, the front panel and the back panel together defining a space therebetween adapted to accommodate a substantial portion of the back rest to which it is to be fitted; said front panel including securing means operatively connected to said front panel for securing a body support at any selected one of a plurality of positions against the inner face of said front panel; and a body support adapted to be secured in any selected one of said plurality of positions by said securing means.

In a further aspect, the invention resides broadly in a method of providing support for the back of an occupant to be seated in a vehicle seat having a back rest, the method including : providing a seat cover having a front panel having an inner face adapted to substantially cover the front face of the back rest and a back panel adapted to cover at least some of the back face of the back rest of the vehicle seat, the inner face being also adapted to secure an adjustable body support at any selected one of a plurality of positions between the inner face of said front panel and the front face of the back rest; and interposing an adjustable body support between the inner of said front panel and the front face of the back rest. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom" and similar terms are used herein to describe aspects of the invention in its normal fitted in use position and are not intended to limit the invention to use in any particular orientation. Further, while terms such as "vertical" and "horizontal" may be used they are intended only to refer to a direction which is generally upward or generally sideward respectively. Also, the terms "front panel", "rear panel", and "side panel" used herein are not intended to be limited to distinct separate panels but rather the portions of the seat cover which are intended to engage the front of the back rest, the back of the back rest and the sides of the back rest respectively .

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig.l is a pictorial representation of a car seat cover according to the invention fitted to the backrest of a car ; Fig.2 is a pictorial representation of the car seat cover shown in Fig. 1 with the bottom flap closed as when in the fitted position on the back rest of the car seat;

Fig.3 is a pictorial representation of the car seat cover of Fig. 2 with the bottom flap open and the liner closure open ready for the lumbar support to be fitted prior to fitting the seat cover to the back rest of the car seat as shown in Fig.l;

Fig.4 is a pictorial representation of the lumbar support shown in dashed lines in Fig.l; and Fig.5 is a sectional elevation from one side of the back rest of the car seat and cover shown in Fig.l.

The car seat cover 10 illustrated in the drawings includes a front panel 11 and a back panel 12 which together define a space 13 therebetween, the space being adapted to accommodate the backrest of a car seat as can be seen in Fig.l. Suitably, the front and back panels are joined at the top and terminate in an opening 14 at the bottom which can be selectively closed by a closure flap 15 once the cover has been fitted to the back rest of a car seat by passing the flap around the bottom of the back rest.

In the embodiment illustrated, the front panel and the back panel both comprise an outer layer of canvas and an inner layer of a synthetic textile such as nylon. Suitably, the liner is selected to provide protection for the car seat fabric against damage from the canvas. However, in other embodiments where the seat fabric does not require protection by way of a seat cover liner only the front panel is provided with an inner layer. Also, in the embodiment illustrated, the front panel and the back panel are both full panels but in other embodiments, the back panel at least could be comprised of spaced apart strap like sections instead of a full panel.

The outer layer 16 of the front panel 11 comprises a centre portion 11a and two side portions lib and 11c respectively on opposite sides of the centre portion while the outer layer 17 of the back panel is formed in one piece which is connected to the outer vertical edges 31 and 32 of the front panel thereby in use forming contiguous side panels 17a and 17b as well. The inner layer 18 of the back panel is formed in one piece which is stitched to the outer layer 17 of the back panel along the junction of the back panel outer layer 17 and the front panel outer layer 16.

In Figs. 1 and 2 it can be seen that the inner layer 19 of the front panel matches the front panel outer layer 16 to the extent that it comprises a centre portion 19a and two spaced apart side portions 19b and 19c respectively. The centre portion is stitched to the outer layer vertically along the same lines as the side portions of the outer layer to form a pocket 23 between the front outer layer and the front inner layer. The pocket is closed along the two vertical sides and the top but open at the bottom. Advantageously, the bottom opening 24 can be selectively closed by way of a hook and loop fastener 26 which has its complementary halves 26a and 26b attached to the front panel outer layer 16 along its inner face and the opposed outer face of the front panel inner layer 19 respectively.

Two spaced apart strips of hook and loop fastening material 27 and 28, such as that sold under the trade mark "Velcro", are stitched within the pocket 23 to the front panel inner layer and the strips are reinforced by complementary strips of strapping material 29 and 30 respectively extending vertically along their full lengths on the other side of the inner layer, that is, between the back rest of the seat and the inner layer (or liner) . The hook and loop halves are arranged to engage with complementary hook and loop halves provided on a lumbar support 50 as will be described in more detail later. In other embodiments, the strips of hook and loop fastening material are stitched to the inner layer on the outside of the pocket and the reinforcing strips of strapping material are stitched on the side within the pocket. In such form, the strips of hook and loop fastening material and the strapping material can be stitched fully through the inner layer and the outer layer of the front panel if desired for extra strength. However, in embodiments where the lumbar support 50 is not contained within a pocket such as pocket 23 but instead is outside the pocket between the car seat and the front panel of the cover, it will be appreciated that the lumbar support does not have the protection of the liner and is not contained as well as when secured within the pocket.

Advantageously, the positions of the hook and loop fastener halves in the pocket (or outside the pocket) are selected to extend downwards roughly from the shoulder blades of an occupant to slightly above the buttocks so as to ensure that the lumbar support can be positioned to suit any likely occupant. Suitably, the spaced apart strips of fastening material provide for easy and secure positioning of the lumbar support as will be described later.

The lumbar support 50 comprises a canvas bag 51 formed substantially of two slightly elongate opposed canvas side panels 52 and 53 and an inflatable bladder 54 which is located in the bag. The bag has an opening 56 through which the inflatable bladder can be fitted and removed if necessary for replacement. The inflatable bag is inflated by way of a bulb pump 57 which is connected to the bladder via a flexible hose 58. A strip of hook and loop fastener material extends across the outer face of each of the side panels and is arranged to engage each of the complementary strips of fastener material within the pocket 23. Advantageously, each length of hook and loop fastener is selected to engage both of the complementary strips in the pocket whereby the lumbar support can be held secure in any orientation selected by an occupant and at any selected position along the strips. In other embodiments, a pre-shaped lumbar support could be inserted in the bag 51 instead of an inflatable one. In order to provide for easy adjustment of the lumbar support 50 in the pocket 23, the lower part of the back panel 12 is split at 59 along one side to separate a side panel portion 12d from the centre part 12e of the back panel and is releasably connected to the centre part by a tag 61 of hook and loop fastener material. Such arrangement allows the lower end portions of the side panel and the back panel to be selectively separated so that they both can act as releasable flaps to allow greater access to the lumbar support. In use, the seat cover is fitted to the backrest 62 of a car seat with the front panel engaging the front face of the back rest of the car seat and the back panel engaging the back face of the back rest. Prior to securing the flaps 15 and 16, the pocket 23 is opened and the lumbar support is fitted to the pocket by reaching upwards into the pocket from the bottom end of the seat cover through opening 24. Once the lumbar support is fitted in the desired position, the tube is allowed to pass through the opening and then the rear flap 15 is closed and then the bottom flap 14 is closed. At that time, the occupant can sit in the car seat and using the bulb pump can pump the bladder up until the lumbar support reaches the desired size and pressure on the occupant's back. If the lumbar support is not required it can be stored in the storage pocket 64 provided on the back of the back panel or simply evacuated and allowed to remain in the pocket 23.

Advantageously, the structure of the pocket within the car seat cover provides for the lumbar support to have practically no movement relative to the car seat cover and the arrangement of the car seat cover is such that it fits tightly onto the car seat and accordingly has very little movement relative to the car seat itself. It will be appreciated that similar arrangements can be made for creating pockets in other locations in the seat cover whereby body supports for other parts of an occupant's body may be placed. While the foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in many other forms and all such forms are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as described herein and defined by the independent claims.