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EP0563709B1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

A seat with improved lumbar support, particularly for motor vehicles

Assignee: Fiat Auto SpA
•
Filing: 1993-03-19
•
Granted: 1996-10-02
•
Expires: 2013-03-19
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Abstract

No abstract record available.

Inventors

  • 👤 Antonio Dal Monte

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-07 12:00
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/64; B60N2/66; B60N2/666; B60N2/667; B60N2/6671; B60N2/6673

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim 85 words
A seat including a backrest (B) with a support element (4) for cooperating with and supporting the lumbar portion of the occupant's back, said support element (4) having associated movement means (12, 13; 12a, 12b; 13a, 13b) for selectively varying the vertical position of the element (4) relative to the backrest (B), characterised in that the lumbar support element (4) is supported in the backrest (1) with the interposition of means (5) for enabling the element (4) to pivot generally about a substantially horizontal axis.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 19 words
A seat according to Claim 1, characterised in that the lumbar support element (4) is generally hourglass- or butterfly-shaped.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 30 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the element (4) carries associated resilient means (5) for supporting the element (4) in the backrest (B).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 28 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the movement means include at least one flexible-cable control (12, 13; 12a, 12b; 13a, 13b).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 24 words
A seat according to Claim 4, characterised in that the movement means (12, 13) act in a generally central position of the backrest (B).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 38 words
A seat according to Claim 5, characterised in that the movement means (12, 13) are associated with means for distributing the forces (7) applied by the movement means (12) to the lumbar support element (4) as a whole.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 51 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support element (4) has associated resilient means (9) for biasing it towards an end position of its vertical adjustment movement, and in that the movement means (12, 13) act in opposition to the resilient biasing means (9).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 42 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the movement means include at least two flexible-cable controls (12a,12b) which operate in a complementary manner in order to move the lumbar support element (4) upwards and downwards, respectively.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 39 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the movement means include two movement units (12a, 12b; 13a, 13b) acting on different portions of the lumbar support element (4) in a generally symmetrical arrangement.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 20 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the movement means are operated manually (15).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 20 words
A seat according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the movement means are motor-driven (15).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 62 words
A seat according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that, in addition to the movement means (12a, 13a; 12b, 13b) for selectively controlling the vertical position of the lumbar support element (4), the lumbar support element (4) is associated with further movement means (16) for selectively varying at least one further characteristic of the lumbar support element (4).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 54 words
A seat according to Claim 12, characterised in that the further movement means (16) can selectively vary at least one characteristic of the lumbar support element (4) selected from the group constituted by: - the fore-and-aft position of the lumbar support element (4), - the degree of concavity of the lumbar support element (4).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 34 words
A seat according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, characterised in that the movement means (12a, 13a; 12b, 13b) and the further movement means (16) carry associated drive means (15a, 17) of different kinds.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 30 words
A seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lumbar support element (4) is fixed to a mass of padding (18) of the backrest (B).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 46 words
A seat according to Claim 15, characterised in that the padding (18) has grooves (19), preferably in its rear face, for facilitating the compression and extension of the padding (18) as a result of the adjustment of the vertical position of the lumbar support element (4).

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