SEAT CUSHION WITH TRENCH FOR SECURING TRIM COVER

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to and all the benefits of United States

Provisional Application No. 61/022,382, filed on January 21, 2008 and entitled "Seat Cushion With Trench For Securing Trim Cover Assembly."

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to vehicle seat assemblies. More particularly, the invention relates to a foam pad with a trench for receiving an elongate attachment member to secure a trim cover to the foam pad.

2. Description of Related Art

[0003] An automotive vehicle includes seat assemblies for supporting occupants within the vehicle. Typically, a seat assembly includes a seat cushion and a seat back each having a foam pad mounted on a structural frame and covered over by a trim cover to provide passenger comfort as well as aesthetic appeal. Ideally, the trim cover should be fairly easy and inexpensive to attach to the foam pad, but should resist developing problems such as wrinkling and shifting around on the foam pad. Trim covers are attached to the foam pad of seat assemblies in a variety of ways. Some of the most common ways include the use of hog rings, protruding members secured to the trim cover that interlock with a base member secured to or molded-in the foam pad, hook and loop fasteners, and adhesives. While these methods satisfy the function of attaching the trim cover to the foam pad, without much wrinkling or shifting, they tend to be expensive and can be labor intensive. It is therefore desirable to provide a simpler, less expensive, accurate, and easy to assemble way for retaining a trim cover to a foam pad of a vehicle seat assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to one aspect of the invention, a cushion assembly for an automotive vehicle seat includes a foam pad and a trim cover. The foam pad has a front surface and the trim cover is provided for covering the front surface. The foam pad includes a trench formed in the front surface. The trench extends in a longitudinal direction and has opposing first and second undercuts formed therein. An elongate attachment member is coupled to the trim cover. The elongate attachment member engages the opposing first and second undercuts of the trench in the front surface of the foam pad for securing the trim cover to the foam pad.

[0005] According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for attaching a trim cover to a foam pad. The foam pad has a front surface with a trench and the trench includes opposing first and second undercuts. The trim cover includes an elongate attachment member. The method includes the steps of positioning the trim cover adjacent to the front surface of the foam pad; bending the foam pad backwards to a flexed position to open the trench for receiving the elongate attachment member therein; inserting the elongate attachment member into the opposing first and second undercuts; and returning the foam pad to an un-flexed position to retain the elongate attachment member in the trench thereby securing the trim cover to the foam pad.

[0006] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for attaching a trim cover to a foam pad. The foam pad has a front surface with a trench and the trench includes opposing first and second undercuts. The trim cover includes an elongate attachment member having an attachment strip and a locking strip coupled to the trim cover by the attachment strip. The locking strip includes opposing first and second flanges. The method includes the steps of positioning the trim cover adjacent to the front surface of the foam pad; manipulating the locking strip for insertion into the trench such that one of the opposing first and second flanges is leading; inserting the leading one of the opposing first and second flanges into the corresponding one of the opposing first and second undercuts; and rotating the locking strip to insert the other one of the opposing first and second flanges into the other corresponding one of the opposing first and second flanges to retain the locking strip in the trench thereby securing the trim cover to the foam pad.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0008] Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a cushion assembly for an automotive vehicle including a trim cover securely attached to a foam pad having a trench according to the invention;

[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the foam pad of Figure 1 ;

[0010] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 in Figure 2;

[0011 ] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the trim cover of Figure 1 ;

[0012] Figure 5 is a side view of the trim cover being assembled to the foam pad by bending the foam pad backwards; and

[0013] Figure 6 is a side view of the trim cover being assembled to the foam pad by manipulating an elongate attachment member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Referring to Figures 1 through 3, a foam pad 10 is shown for use with a seat back or seat cushion of an automotive vehicle seat. Typically, the seat back or seat cushion includes a rigid seat frame 12 for supporting the foam pad 10 encased by a trim cover 14, as is well known to one skilled in the vehicle seating art. The foam pad 10 is pre-contoured or prefabricated from any of a number of well known materials used as cushion materials, such as polyester or polyurethane. The foam pad 10 includes a seating or supporting surface 16 and an opposite back surface 17.

[0015] An inverted, generally T-shaped trench 18 is formed in the seating surface 16 of the foam pad 10 and extends in a longitudinal direction. Opposing first and second inner walls 20, 22 of the trench 18 define a first width Wl in a lateral direction. The trench 18 has

an open end 24 adjacent the seating surface 16 of the foam pad 10 and an opposite closed end 26. A first undercut or channel 28 is formed in the first inner wall 20 at the closed end 26 of the trench 18. Similarly, a second undercut or channel 30 is formed in the second inner wall 22 at the closed end 26 of the trench 18, directly opposing the first undercut 28. The first 28 and second 30 undercuts define a second width W2 in the lateral direction that is greater than the first width Wl defined by the first and second inner walls 20, 22. The first 28 and second 30 undercuts extend generally the entire length of the trench 18.

[0016] Referring to Figure 4, a trim cover assembly is generally shown at 32. The trim cover assembly 32 includes the trim cover 14 and an elongate attachment member 33 for securing the trim cover 14 to the foam pad 10. The attachment member 33 includes an attachment strip 34 and a rigid locking strip 36 coupled to the trim cover 14 by the attachment strip 34. The trim cover 14 is typically made from cloth, leather, vinyl, or a similar fabric or material, and is backed by a plus pad, as is well known in the art. hi the embodiment shown, the trim cover 14 includes a first panel 38 and a second panel 40, which are sewn together forming a seam 42 therebetween.

[0017] The rigid locking strip 36, which is coupled to the trim cover 14 by the attachment strip 34, is provided for engaging the first and second undercuts 28, 30 of the trench 18 to secure the trim cover 14 to the foam pad 10 and is typically made from plastic. The locking strip 36 is rectangular in shape, defining a third width W3 in the lateral direction, and includes a first side or surface 44 and a second side or surface 46. The locking strip 36 extends generally the entire length of the trench 18 and the third width W3 defined by the locking strip 36 is generally the same as the second width W2 defined by the first and second undercuts 28, 30. While the locking strip 36 is shown as a flat blade, it is contemplated that the locking strip 36 may be any of a variety of shapes capable of being retained in the trench 18. Rather than extending generally the entire length of the trench 18, it is contemplated that the locking strip 36 may include multiple shorter segments for securing the trim cover 14 to the foam pad 10 without varying from the scope of the invention.

[0018] The attachment strip 34 extends generally the entire length of the locking strip

36 and includes a flexible fabric portion 48 and a more rigid plastic portion 50. The fabric

portion 48 is sewn to the trim cover 14 adjacent the seam 42 that is formed by sewing the first and second panels 38, 40 together. More specifically, in the embodiment shown, the fabric portion 48 is sewn to ends 52, 54 of the first and second panels 38, 40 that extend beyond the seam 42. The plastic portion 50 is bonded to the first surface 44 of the locking strip 36 by any suitable means, such as with an adhesive. Rather than extending generally the entire length of the locking strip 36, it is contemplated that the attachment strip 34 may include multiple shorter segments for attaching the locking strip 36 to the trim cover 14 without varying from the scope of the invention. The attachment strip 34 is oriented so that the fabric portion 48 extends longitudinally, generally along the center of the locking strip 36, such that the locking strip 36 defines a first flange 56 extending from one side of the attachment strip 34 and a second flange 58 extending from the other side of the attachment strip 34. The fabric portion 48 of the attachment strip 34 allows the orientation of the locking strip 36 to be freely manipulated relative to the trim cover 14, one reason for which is to allow assembly of the trim cover 14 to the foam pad 10 as described below. In the embodiment shown, the attachment strip 34 is sewn to the trim cover 14 adjacent the seam 42, however, it is contemplated that the attachment strip 34 could be secured at any location on the trim cover 14 and by any suitable means.

[0019] hi operation, referring to Figure 5, the trim cover 14 can be attached to the foam pad 10 by first bending the foam pad 10 backwards from an un- flexed position to a flexed position such that the seating surface 16 becomes generally convex which further opens the open end 24 of the trench 18 by separating the first and second inner walls 20, 22 of the trench 18. Next, the locking strip 36 is aligned longitudinally with the trench 18 and inserted into the trench 18 such that the first flange 56 is disposed in the first undercut 28 and the second flange 58 is disposed in the second undercut 30. It is appreciated that depending on the width of the open end 24 of the trench 18 when the foam pad 10 is in the flexed position, it may be necessary to manipulate the locking strip 36 such that one of the first and second flanges 56, 58 is leading prior to inserting the locking strip 36 into the trench 18. The foam pad 10 is then returned to the un-flexed position, which allows the open end 24 of the trench 18 to return to its initial position. The locking strip 36 is now firmly anchored within the foam pad 10 due to the fact that the third width W3 defined by the locking strip 36 is greater than the first width Wl defined by the first and second inner walls 20, 22 of the

trench 18. The foam pad 10 with the trim cover 14 attached thereto is then mounted to the seat frame 12 by any suitable means known to those skilled in the art. The seat frame 12 prevents backwards bending of the foam pad 10 which would re-open the trench 18 and release the locking strip 36. Thus, the locking strip 36 is not easily removable from the foam pad 10. After the locking strip 36 is securely attached to the foam pad 10, the trim cover 14 is pulled taut over the rest of the foam pad 10. It is appreciated that the trench 18 can be any length depending on the desired amount of attachment between the trim cover 14 and the foam pad 10.

[0020] Alternatively, referring to Figure 6, the trim cover 14 may be attached to the foam pad 10 after the foam pad 10 is already mounted to the seat frame 12. In this case, the seat frame 12 prevents backwards bending of the foam pad 10 to further open the open end 24 of the trench 18 for receiving the locking strip 36 therein. Instead, the orientation of the locking strip 36 is manipulated such that one of the first and second flanges 56, 58 is leading, hi Figure 6, the second flange 58 is leading. The second flange 58 is inserted into the open end 24 of the trench 18 and then the locking strip 36 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (when viewed from Figure 6) to dispose the second flange 58 into the corresponding second undercut 30. As the second flange 58 is disposed into the second undercut 30, the first flange 56 causes the first inner wall 20 of the trench 18 to deform slightly, thereby allowing the first flange 56 to enter into the corresponding first undercut 28. During this rotation step, the locking strip 36 moves from a position generally perpendicular to the seating surface 16 of the foam pad 10 to a position generally parallel to the seating surface 16. The locking strip 36 is now firmly anchored within the foam pad 10 due to the fact that the third width W3 defined by the locking strip 36 is greater than the first width Wl defined by the first and second inner walls 20, 22 of the trench 18. Thus, the locking strip 36 is not easily removable from the foam pad 10. After the locking strip 36 is securely attached to the foam pad 10, the trim cover 14 is pulled taut over the rest of the foam pad 10.

[0021] The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be

understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.