Seat cover

Abstract

To provide a seat cover that allows an easy closing operation even when the closing side terminal of a slide fastener is drawn inside of a cover.SOLUTION: A seat cover 1 includes a slide fastener 4 that opens and closes a joint line between a back-face cover piece 2 and a side-face cover piece 3 that are adjacent to each other. The seat cover 1 has a terminal T of the slide fastener 4 on the closing side which includes a rubber band 5 serving as an elastic member that causes an elastic force to act on the closing side terminal T so as to be drawn and folded back inside a cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat cover, and more particularly to a seat cover having a slide fastener that opens and closes the space between adjacent cover pieces. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a seat cover in which the seam between adjacent cover pieces can be opened or closed by opening and closing a slide fastener. This seat cover is provided with a locking portion that locks the closing end of the slide fastener in a state where it is pulled inside the cover. By locking with this locking portion, the closing end of the slide fastener is covered so that it cannot be seen from the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-55969 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the closing end of the slide fastener is pulled into the inside of the cover, so the slide fastener cannot be closed all the way to the closing end by simply sliding it straight. Therefore, the present invention provides a seat cover that can be easily closed even when the closing end of the slide fastener is pulled into the inside of the cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problems, the seat cover of the present invention employs the following means.

[0006] In other words, the first invention of the present invention is a seat cover having a slide fastener that opens and closes the joints between adjacent cover pieces, and has an elastic member that applies an elastic force to the closing end of the slide fastener to pull the closing end in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, when closing the slide fastener, the slide fastener is operated so as to close straight from the opening end, and the force of this operation can pull the closing end out of the cover against the elastic force of the elastic member. Therefore, the slide fastener can be easily closed by sliding straight along the folded portion of the closing end without changing direction midway. Furthermore, after closing the slide fastener, the force is removed, and the closing end can be returned to its folded-in state inside the cover by the elastic force of the elastic member.

[0008] The second invention of the present invention is a seat cover according to the first invention, wherein the elastic member is a rubber band connecting the tape terminal of one of a pair of tapes constituting the closing end of the slide fastener to one of the cover pieces.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the elastic member that pulls the closing end of the slide fastener in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0010] The third invention of the present invention is a seat cover according to the first or second invention, wherein one of the cover pieces is a back cover piece that covers the back of the seat back, and the other cover piece is a side cover piece that covers the side of the seat back, and the elastic member pulls the lower end, which is the closing end of the slide fastener, into the inside of the cover of the side cover piece.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the closing end of the slide fastener can be retracted to a position where it is difficult for rear seat passengers to reach it.

[0012] The fourth invention of the present invention is a seat cover according to the first or second invention, wherein the elastic member has the stretchability to allow the closing end of the slide fastener to be pulled out against the elastic force to its initial position before folding, exposing it to the outside of the cover.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the operation of closing the slide fastener can be performed more easily. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a seat cover according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view of the part with the side shield removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before the slide fastener is closed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the slide fastener in a closed state. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a seat cover according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a seat cover according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a seat cover according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] First Embodiment (Outline of seat cover configuration) First, the configuration of a seat cover according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to the directions shown in each figure.

[0017] Furthermore, when a direction such as the "seat width direction" is indicated with the word "seat," it refers to the direction relative to the seat back SB described below. Furthermore, in the following description, when a specific reference drawing is not shown or when there is no reference symbol corresponding to the reference drawing, any of Figures 1 to 4 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0018] 1, the seat cover according to this embodiment is configured as a back cover 1 that is placed over the seat back SB (backrest portion) of an automobile seat. The seat back SB has a metal back frame (not shown) that forms its framework, and a urethane foam back pad (not shown) that is placed over the front portion of the back frame.

[0019] The seat back SB has a back cover 1 made of synthetic leather that covers the entire surface of the seat back SB. The lower end portions of both the left and right sides of the seat back SB are covered from the outside in the seat width direction by side shields SH made of resin.

[0020] After the seat back SB is assembled to a seat cushion (not shown), the side shields SH are assembled to both the left and right sides of the seat cushion. By assembling these side shields SH, the connecting portions on the left and right sides between the seat back SB and the seat cushion and the lower cover terminals of the back cover 1 facing these connecting portions are covered from the outside.

[0021] The back cover 1 is in a bag shape and is assembled so as to cover the seat back SB from above. Specifically, the back cover 1 is configured by sewing together a plurality of cover pieces cut to fit the shapes of the respective surfaces of the seat back SB into a single bag shape.

[0022] Of these, a slide fastener 4 is provided between the rear cover piece 2 that covers the rear surface of the seat back SB and each side cover piece 3 that covers each side surface of the seat back SB, so that the joint between these pieces can be opened and closed. Each slide fastener 4 is configured to open the gap between the rear cover piece 2 and each side cover piece 3 by sliding it upward, and to close the gap by sliding it downward. Here, the rear cover piece 2 and each side cover piece 3 each correspond to the "cover piece" of the present invention.

[0023] The back cover 1 is placed over the seat back SB from above with the slide fasteners 4 open. Then, by sliding the slide fasteners 4 downward and closing them, the back cover 1 is stretched and tightly attached to the entire surface of the seat back SB. With the back cover 1 stretched in this manner, a back pad (not shown) is fixed in position while being pressed against the back frame.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the closing end T of each slide fastener 4 is folded back and pulled into the inside of the cover of each side cover piece 3 by rubber bands 5 provided between each slide fastener 4 and each side cover piece 3. This pulling keeps the closing end T of each slide fastener 4 from being exposed to the outside of the cover. Here, rubber band 5 corresponds to the "elastic member" of the present invention.

[0025] Specifically, each slide fastener 4 has a pair of long, strip-shaped tapes 4A sewn along the edges of the corresponding back cover piece 2 and side cover piece 3. On the inner edge of each tape 4A, a plurality of elements 4B that function as a fastener by interlocking with each other are provided so as to be aligned at a constant pitch along each edge.

[0026] Each slide fastener 4 also has a slider 4C that is operated to engage and disengage the corresponding elements 4B by sliding the corresponding tape 4A along the elements 4B. As each slider 4C of each slide fastener 4 is operated to slide downward, the corresponding elements 4B gradually engage with each other, gradually closing the gap between the rear cover piece 2 and each side cover piece 3.

[0027] 3, when each slide fastener 4 is operated so that its slider 4C slides upward, the corresponding elements 4B gradually disengage from each other, gradually opening the gap between the back cover piece 2 and each side cover piece 3. One end of a rubber band 5 is sewn to a tape terminal A1 of each slide fastener 4, which forms the closing end T of the tape 4A that is sewn to the side cover piece 3.

[0028] Each rubber band 5 is sewn to the tape terminal A1 so as to extend in a band shape in the band length direction of the tape 4A. The other end of each rubber band 5 is sewn to a band sewn portion 3A on the inner cover surface of the corresponding side cover piece 3. Each band sewn portion 3A is set at an intermediate position spaced apart from the lower edge and rear edge of each side cover piece 3.

[0029] With the above configuration, an elastic force is applied to the tape 4A sewn to each rubber band 5 so that the tape end A1 on the closing side is bent in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the band and pulled into the sewn band portion 3A of the side cover piece 3. As a result, the tape end A1 of the tape 4A sewn to each rubber band 5 is pulled in a folded manner inside the cover of the corresponding side cover piece 3.

[0030] 4, when each slide fastener 4 is operated so that its slider 4C slides toward its closing end T, the closing end T is pulled out by the operating force of the slider 4C against the elastic force of the rubber band 5. Specifically, the closing end T of each slide fastener 4 is pulled out against the elastic force of the corresponding rubber band 5 to its initial position before folding (a position exposed to the outside of the cover) where it is flush with the rear cover piece 2.

[0031] In other words, each rubber band 5 is configured to have enough stretchability to allow the closing end T to be pulled out to the above-mentioned position. Therefore, each slider 4C can be easily closed by sliding it in a straight line from the opening end (not shown) to the closing end T. In other words, each slider 4C can be easily closed by sliding it in a straight line along the folded back portion of the closing end T that has been pulled in, without having to change direction midway.

[0032] After each slide fastener 4 is closed up to its closing end T by the above-mentioned sliding, the force is removed, and each closing end T is pulled back to the back side of the cover again by the elastic force of the corresponding rubber band 5. Specifically, when the closing end T of each slide fastener 4 is completely closed, the tape terminals A1 of the respective tapes 4A are joined together in an integrated state.

[0033] 2, the tape terminals A1 of the tapes 4A are pulled together in a folded manner into the inside of the cover of the corresponding side cover piece 3 by the elastic force of the corresponding rubber band 5. This pulling causes the corresponding sliders 4C to be pulled into the inside of the cover together with the tape terminals A1.

[0034] This allows the closing end T and slider 4C of each slide fastener 4 to be retracted to a position where they are less likely to be touched by rear seat passengers. Also, by retracting each slider 4C and the closing end T into the inside of the cover, they can be made less likely to flap and less likely to interfere with the side shield SH described above in Figure 1.

[0035] Furthermore, each slider 4C is disposed in a lower position on the seat back SB far from the ears of the occupant, and is disposed in a position retracted to the rear side of the back cover 1. Therefore, even if each slider 4C makes a clicking sound due to shaking or vibration while the vehicle is running, the sound is unlikely to reach the ears of the occupant.

[0036] To summarize the above, the back cover 1 according to this embodiment has the following configuration: Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective components shown in the above embodiment.

[0037] That is, the seat cover (1) has a slide fastener (4) that opens and closes the joint between adjacent cover pieces (2, 3), and also has an elastic member (5) that applies an elastic force to the closing end (T) of the slide fastener (4) to draw the closing end (T) in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover.

[0038] According to the above configuration, when closing the slide fastener (4), the slide fastener (4) is operated so as to close straight from the opening end, and the force of this operation can pull the closing end (T) out of the cover against the elastic force of the elastic member (5). Therefore, the slide fastener (4) can be easily closed by sliding straight, without having to change direction midway along the fold of the closing end (T). Furthermore, after closing the slide fastener (4), the force is removed, and the closing end (T) can be returned to its folded-back state inside the cover by the elastic force of the elastic member (5).

[0039] The elastic member 5 is a rubber band 5 that connects the tape end A1 of one of the pair of tapes 4A that make up the closing end T of the slide fastener 4 to one of the cover pieces 3. With the above configuration, the elastic member 5 that pulls the closing end T of the slide fastener 4 in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0040] Furthermore, one cover piece (2) is a rear cover piece (2) that covers the rear surface of the seat back (SB). The other cover piece (3) is a side cover piece (3) that covers the side surface of the seat back (SB). The elastic member (5) is configured to retract the lower end (T) of the slide fastener (4), which is the closing end, into the inside of the cover of the side cover piece (3). With this configuration, the closing end (T) of the slide fastener (4) can be retracted to a position where it is difficult for rear seat passengers to touch it.

[0041] In addition, the elastic member (5) has the flexibility to pull out the closing end (T) of the slide fastener (4) against the elastic force to the initial position before folding back where the closing end (T) is exposed to the outside of the cover. With the above configuration, the operation of closing the slide fastener (4) can be performed more easily.

[0042] Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various forms other than the above embodiment.

[0043] 1. The seat cover of the present invention can be widely applied to seat structures other than seat backs, such as seat cushions, headrests, ottomans, etc. For example, the seat cover may be one in which a slide fastener is provided to open and close the joint between the bottom cover piece and the lining cover piece that covers the peripheral side of the seat cushion.

[0044] The seat cover may also be applied to seats installed in vehicles other than automobiles, such as trains, or seats installed in vehicles other than automobiles, such as airplanes and ships.The seat cover may also be applied to seats used for purposes other than vehicles, such as sports facilities, theaters, concert venues, and event venues.

[0045] 2. The seat cover may be made of synthetic leather, natural leather, or fabric. The elastic member may be a rubber band or a spring such as a tension spring or a torsion spring.

[0046] 3. The elastic member (e.g., rubber band 5) is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be sewn anywhere as long as the closing end (end T) can be pulled into the inside of the seat cover (e.g., side cover piece 3). For example, the location of the band sewn portion 3A shown in Figures 2 and 3 may be changed to the vicinity of the tape 4A. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the band sewn portion may be located at the position indicated by 3B near the tape 4A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the band sewn portion may be located at the position indicated by 3C on the tape 4A.

[0047] 7, the cover end of the cover piece may be extended to the tape end and the two may be sewn together, in which case the location of the sewn band of the rubber band 5 may be the position indicated by 3D on the cover end of the cover piece and the position indicated by 3E on the middle part of the cover. Even with this configuration, it is possible to obtain a configuration in which the elastic member exerts an elastic force on the closing end of the slide fastener to pull the end in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover.

[0048] Furthermore, the elastic member need only be stretchable enough to allow the closing end of the slide fastener to be pulled out from the folded position to a position where it is exposed outside the cover against the elastic force, and does not necessarily have to be able to pull out the closing end to its initial position before folding. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Back cover (seat cover) 2 Rear cover piece (cover piece) 3 Side cover piece (cover piece) 3A Band stitching 3B band stitching 3C band stitching 3D band stitching 3E band stitching 4 slide fasteners 4A Tape A1 Tape Terminal 4B Element 4C Slider 5. Rubber band (elastic material) T Closing terminal SB seat back SH Side Shield

Claims

1. A seat cover having a slide fastener for opening and closing the seam between adjacent cover pieces, The seat cover has an elastic member that applies an elastic force to the closing end of the slide fastener to draw the closing end in a folded manner toward the inside of the cover.

2. The seat cover according to claim 1, The seat cover is such that the elastic member is a rubber band connecting the tape terminal of one of a pair of tapes constituting the closing end of the slide fastener to one of the cover pieces.

3. The seat cover according to claim 1 or 2, One of the cover pieces is a rear cover piece that covers the rear surface of the seat back, The other cover piece is a side cover piece that covers a side surface of the seat back, The elastic member pulls the lower end of the slide fastener, which is the closing end, into the inside of the cover of the side cover piece.

4. The seat cover according to claim 1 or 2, The seat cover has a stretchability such that the elastic member can be pulled out to an initial position before folding back, where the closing end of the slide fastener is exposed to the outside of the cover against the elastic force.

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