Seat construction

Claim 2

A seat element comprising, in combination, a relatively rigid frame with pad-supporting means characterized by two spaced elongated shoulders contiguous to a dished elongated concave surface therebetween, a first foamed pad of relatively highdensity resilient material substantially spanning the effective width of said concave surface and directly supported by said surface near the shoulder limits of said surface, foamed-pad means of relatively low-density material adjacent the supported sides of said first pad, and upholstery covering said first pad and said pad means and anchored to said frame, whereby a body load on said seat element is sustained primarily by said highdensity material in its progressive reaction to the centering support afforded by spaced convergent locales of said concave surface.

Claim 3

A seat according to claim 1, in which said upholstery is tensed in compressionally loading relation with said pad and pad means primarily in the direction against said surface.

Claim 4

A seat according to claim 31, in which said foamed-pad means is generally U-shaped and is contiguous to said first pad along said shoulders and along one end of said first pad.

Claim 5

A seat according to claim 3, in which said upholstery includes a reinforced welt along substantially the alignment of adjacent edges of said first pad and of said pad means, said welt being tension-connected directly to frame locations on said surface.

Claim 6

A seat according to claim 4, in which a layer of slippery material is on one of the adjacent surfaces of one of said upholstery and pad and pad means.

Claim 7

A seat element comprising, in combination, a relatively rigid frame with a pad-supporting surface characterized by two spaced elongated shoulders and dished elongated concave-surface means therebetween, a first generally rectangularly prismatic foamed pad of resilient material spanning the effective width of said surface means and directly supported by said surface means at least near the shoulder limits of said surface means, said pad being uniformly thick in its unstressed condition, further foamed-pad means of resilient material contiguous to at least the concavity-supported sides and one of the ends of said first pad and overstanding said shoulders, said pad means being uniformly thick in its unstressed condition, a layer of self-lubricating flexible material covering both said first pad and said pad means, and upholstery compressionally covering said flexible layer and said first pad and said pad means and anchored to said frame at locations peripheral to said pad means and at locations along the interface between said pad and pad means.

Claim 8

A seat element comprising, in combination, a relatively rigid frame with a pad-supporting surface characterized by two spaced elongated shoulders and dished elongated concave-surface means therebetween, a first generally rectangularly prismatic foamed pad of resilient material spanning the effective width of said surface means and directly supported by said surface means at least near the shoulder limits of said surface means, said pad being uniformly thick in its unstressed condition, further foamed-pad means of resilient material contiguous to at least the concavity-supported sides and one of the ends of said first pad and overstanding said shoulders, said pad means being uniformly thick in its unstressed condition, a layer of self-lubricating flexible material covering both said first pad and said pad means, and upholstery compressionally covering said flexible layer and said first pad and said pad means and anchored to said frame at locations peripheral to said pad means and at locations along the interface between said pad and pad means.

Claim 9

A seat element according to claim 6, in which said pad is of greater density material than said pad means.

Claim 10

A seat element according to claim 7, in which said frame is a permanently fixed, integrally united, component of a vehicle body.

Claim 11

A vehicle seat, comprising a unitary seat frame, foamed resilient padding on said frame, and upholstery secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said padding; said frame comprising upstanding spaced side walls with mounting means near their bottom edges, spaced shoulders at the upper edges of said walls, and an upwardly facing relatively rigid dished concave surface extending between said shoulders; said foamed padding overstanding said surface and shoulders and including an element blanked from slab stock of substantially uniform thickness, said padding element deriving direct support from said surface near the side limits thereof, and said padding being compressed by said upholstery to deform said padding element into conformity with at least spaced parts of said surface and to deform the remainder of said padding at least in part aroUnd said shoulders into at least partial overlap with said side walls.

Claim 12

A vehicle seat, comprising a unitary seat frame, foamed resilient padding on said frame, and upholstery secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said padding; said frame comprising upstanding spaced side walls with mounting means near their bottom edges, spaced shoulders at the upper edges of said walls, and an upwardly facing relatively rigid dished concave surface extending between said shoulders; said foamed padding overstanding said surface and shoulders and including an element blanked from slab stock of substantially uniform thickness, said padding element deriving direct support from said surface near the side limits thereof, and said padding being compressed by said upholstery to deform said padding element into conformity with at least spaced parts of said surface and to deform the remainder of said padding at least in part aroUnd said shoulders into at least partial overlap with said side walls.

Claim 13

A vehicle seat according to claim 9, in which said foamed padding comprises at least two separate and contiguous pieces blanked from slabbed stock, one of said pieces being said element and substantially conforming in planform area and configuration to the planform area of said surface, the other of said pieces substantially conforming in planform area and configuration to the adjacent contiguous planform area at least at said shoulders, and tensioned means securing said upholstery to said surface while also compressing said padding along an alignment substantially matching the interface between foamed pieces.

Claim 14

A vehicle seat according to claim 10, in which the total effective planform area and configuration of blanked stock exceeds the planform area of said frame, with foamed edges projecting beyond both said sides, whereby said upholstery may deform a substantial quantity of foamed material into overlap with said side walls.

Claim 15

The seat of claim 11, in which said unitary seat frame is formed of stamped sheet metal, at least for the shoulders and concave surface thereof.

Claim 16

The seat of claim 12, in which said unitary seat is formed of plastic laminate at least for the shoulders and concave surface thereof.

Claim 17

The seat of claim 13, and including a unitary upstanding back frame connected to said seat frame and comprising upstanding spaced side walls terminating in spaced shoulders at the forward edges of said back-frame side walls, and a forwardly facing relatively rigid dished concave surface extending between said back-frame side walls; foamed resilient padding spanning said back-frame shoulders and including an element blanked from slab stock of substantially uniform thickness and deriving direct support from said concave surface near the side limits thereof; and upholstery secured to said back frame in compressionally loading relation with said padding to an extent deforming said last-mentioned padding element into conformity with at least spaced parts of said back-frame surface and deforming at least part of the remaining padding around the adjacent shoulders into at least partial overlap with said upstanding back-frame side walls.

Claim 18

An upholstered unit, comprising a relatively rigid frame with an elongated generally cylindrically arcuate concave pad-supporting surface extending between spaced elongated sides, a pad of foamed resilient material substantially spanning the arc of said surface and deriving direct primary support from said surface near the side limits thereof, and an upholstery covering said pad and secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said pad.

Claim 19

An upholstered unit, comprising a relatively rigid frame with an elongated generally cylindrically arcuate concave pad-supporting surface extending between spaced elongated sides, a pad of foamed resilient material substantially spanning the arc of said surface and deriving direct primary support from said surface near the side limits thereof, and an upholstery covering said pad and secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said pad.

Claim 20

A seat according to claim 15, wherein the central portion of the span of said pad is spaced from the corresponding central portion of said surface.

Claim 21

A seat according to claim 15, wherein the front and back edges of said seat extend transverse to the axial direction of said surface.

Claim 22

A seat according to claim 15, wherein the front and back edges of said seat extend substantially parallel to the axial direction of said surface.

Claim 23

A seat according to claim 18, in which the axial elongation of said surface is at least equal to the combined side-by-side seating width of two adults.

Claim 24

An upholstered unit, comprising a relatively rigid frame with depressed concave pad-supporting surface means extending between spaced outwardly diverging elongated sides, a pad of foamed resilient material substantially spanning said surface means and deriving direct primary support from said diverging sides near the side limits thereof, and an upholstery covering said pad and secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said pad.

Claim 25

An upholstered unit, comprising a relatively rigid frame with depressed concave pad-supporting surface means extending between spaced outwardly diverging elongated sides, a pad of foamed resilient material substantially spanning said surface means and deriving direct primary support from said diverging sides near the side limits thereof, and an upholstery covering said pad and secured to said frame in compressionally loading relation with said pad.