Apparatus and method for manufacturing a fabric suspension seat structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12213592-B2
Application number	US-202318202044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2023
Priority date	Aug 6, 2020
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A seat assembly includes a fabric component with a seat surface and with an interior segment directly attached to the fabric component. The interior segment extends from an exterior segment that has a greater flexural resistance than the interior segment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a seat assembly, the method comprising:
tensioning a fabric component; and
molding a thermoplastic material over the fabric component to form a frame having an inner segment that is directly molded to the fabric component and a skirt that is coupled to the inner segment by a living hinge, the inner segment having a flexural resistance that is greater than a flexural resistance of the skirt.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a flexural resistance of the living hinge is less than the flexural resistance of the inner segment of the frame.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flexural resistance of the skirt at an interior edge of the skirt is less than the flexural resistance of the skirt at a point between the interior edge of the skirt and the inner segment of the frame.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the skirt includes a plurality of grooves extending along a bottom surface of the skirt that is opposite the fabric component.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of gussets that are integrally formed with at least one of the frame and the skirt.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of gussets includes at least one of
a plurality of skirt gussets extending circumferentially along a bottom surface of the skirt; and
a plurality of frame gussets extending radially along a bottom surface of the frame.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fabric component is tensioned on a stretching assembly.

8. The method of claim 1 , further including
attaching a heat shield to a side of the fabric component, wherein the heat shield is a reusable polyester film.

9. A method of manufacturing a seat assembly, the method comprising:
tensioning a fabric component within a mold; and
injecting a thermoplastic material into the mold to form a frame having an inner segment that is directly molded to the fabric component and a skirt that is coupled to the inner segment by a living hinge, wherein a thickness of the skirt at an interior edge thereof is less than the thickness of the skirt at a point between the interior edge and the inner segment of the frame.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the frame has a flexural resistance that is greater than a flexural resistance of the skirt.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the flexural resistance of the skirt decreases moving away from the living hinge to the interior edge of the skirt.

12. The method of claim 9 further including attaching a heat shield to a side of the fabric component.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mold includes cooling lines integrally installed within the mold that are configured to remove heat from the mold.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mold includes a first molding block and a second molding block, the fabric component being tensioned to the first molding block.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fabric component is tensioned on a stretching assembly.

16. The method of claim 9 further including trimming excess fabric from the seat assembly.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein a plurality of gussets are integrally formed with at least one of the frame and the skirt, the plurality of gussets including:
a plurality of skirt gussets extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the skirt; and
a plurality of frame gussets extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the frame.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein a flexural resistance of the living hinge is less than a flexural resistance of the inner segment of the frame.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the skirt includes a plurality of undulations therealong.

20. A method of manufacturing a seat assembly, the method comprising:
receiving a fabric blank within a first molding block;
applying tension to the fabric blank within the first molding block;
attaching a heat shield to a side of the fabric blank that is exposed to a second molding block, wherein the heat shield comprises polyester material;
moving at least one of the first molding block or the second molding block toward the other;
injecting a liquid thermoplastic material through a mold cavity in the first molding block to form a frame;
removing the first or second molding block from the other;
ejecting the seat assembly, which includes the fabric blank and the frame;
discarding excess fabric from the seat assembly; and
separating the heat shield from the seat assembly.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Oomen Craig Martin
• Smith Samuel
• Bratty Robert A
• Long Michael
• Washburn Kelly

Classifications

• A47C7/16

  Seats made of wooden, plastics, or metal sheet material; Panel seats · CPC title

• A47C7/282 Primary

  with mesh-like supports, e.g. elastomeric membranes · CPC title

• B29L2031/771

  Seats · CPC title

• B29C45/14065

  Positioning or centering articles in the mould · CPC title

• B29C45/14336

  Coating a portion of the article, e.g. the edge of the article (B29C45/14573 and B29C45/14598 take precedence) · CPC title