clip

Abstract

This product provides clips that allow the seat cover to be properly attached to the seat itself. [Solution] The clip 10 has a base 11 embedded in the sheet body 3 and two locking parts 16 and 17 formed on the upper surface of the base 11. The locking parts 16 and 17 are arranged vertically in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the base 11, and each locking part 16 and 17 is composed of a pair of locking pieces 18 that extend upward and face each other. Each locking piece 18 has an extension 25 connected to the upper surface of the base 11 and a claw 26 connected to the upper end of the extension 25. One of the locking pieces 18 is a single-sided locking piece 19, and the other is an elastic locking piece 22. Since the elastic force of the elastic locking piece 22 is smaller than the elastic force of the single-sided locking piece 19, the elastic locking piece 22 is more elastically deformable than the single-sided locking piece 19.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clip for attaching a cover to a seat such as an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] As a member used when attaching a seat cover to a seat such as an automobile, there is a locking tool described in Patent Document 1 below (hereinafter, the invention described in Patent Document 1 below is referred to as "Document Known 1 Invention"). In the Document Known 1 Invention, the locking tool is embedded in a groove of a urethane seat, and the seat cover is passed through the groove and attached to the locking tool. The locking tool is formed with two locking claw portions arranged in a vertical row, and each locking claw portion is composed of a pair of locking pieces facing each other. A longitudinal locking portion is attached to the back surface of the seat cover, and the locking portion is inserted between the locking pieces in a posture parallel to each locking piece and locked across each locking claw portion. Generally, since the locking pieces are made of resin, when the locking portion is inserted between the locking pieces, the locking pieces are elastically deformed and pushed apart in a direction away from each other, sandwiching the locking portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the Document Known 1 Invention, the locking portion of the seat cover may be in a posture intersecting the longitudinal direction of each locking claw portion of the locking tool. In this case, the locking portion may be locked to one locking claw portion and not to the other locking claw portion. Further, if the urethane forming the seat is crushed by the load when the locking portion is pressed against the locking claw portion, the locking tool sinks into the urethane and escapes from the locking portion, so that the locking portion may not be locked to the locking claw portion.

[0005] This invention was proposed in view of these circumstances and aims to provide a clip that can properly attach a seat cover to the seat body. In a broader sense, this invention aims to achieve excellent fuel efficiency through weight reduction and to address the universal issue of environmental considerations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a clip that can be attached to a seat body and engage with a locking portion of a seat cover that covers the seat body, thereby enabling the seat cover to be attached to the seat body, the clip comprising: a base embedded in the seat body; and a plurality of locking portions arranged vertically in the longitudinal direction of the locking portion on the upper surface of the base and engaging with the locking portion, wherein the locking portion is composed of a pair of locking pieces extending upward from the upper surface and facing each other, and the locking piece is composed of a one-sided locking piece which is one of the locking pieces, and an elastic locking piece which is the other locking piece which is more elastically deformable than the one-sided locking piece.

[0007] The clip according to the present invention is characterized in that the one-sided locking pieces of each of the adjacent locking parts are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

[0008] The clip according to the present invention is characterized in that the thickness of the one-sided locking piece portion and the thickness of the elastic locking piece portion are the same in the direction in which the pair of locking pieces face each other, and the width of the elastic locking piece portion in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the width of the one-sided locking piece portion.

[0009] The clip according to the present invention is characterized in that the height of the elastic locking piece is lower than the height of the one-sided locking piece relative to the base.

[0010] The clip according to the present invention is characterized in that the elastic locking pieces of adjacent locking portions are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction.

[0011] The clip according to the present invention is characterized in that the locking piece has an extended portion connected to the base and a claw portion connected to the upper end of the extended portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The clip according to the present invention is attached to a seat body and can be used to attach a seat cover to a seat body by engaging with a locking portion of the seat cover that covers the seat body. The clip has a base embedded in the seat body and a plurality of locking portions arranged vertically in the longitudinal direction of the locking portion on the upper surface of the base and engaging with the locking portion. The locking portion is composed of a pair of locking pieces that extend upward from the upper surface and face each other. The locking piece is composed of a one-sided locking piece and an elastic locking piece that is more elastically deformable than the one-sided locking piece. The locking portion is inserted between the locking pieces and sandwiched between the one-sided locking piece and the elastic locking piece. When the locking portion is pressed against the locking pieces, the position of the locking portion may tilt relative to the locking portion. Even in this case, since the elastic locking piece deforms elastically before the locking piece on one side, the part to be locked is inserted between the locking pieces and securely locked to the locking part. Therefore, the seat cover can be properly attached to the seat body.

[0013] In the clip according to the present invention, the locking pieces on each side of adjacent locking parts are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction. When the part to be locked is pressed against the locking part, even if the orientation of the part to be locked is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the locking part, the elastic locking pieces on both sides of the part to be locked will elastically deform before the respective locking pieces, so that the part to be locked is inserted between the locking pieces and securely locked to the locking part. Therefore, the seat cover can be properly attached to the seat body. When the part to be locked that comes into contact with the locking piece on the side that is not more elastically deformable of the pair is pushed towards the elastic locking piece by the resistance force from the locking piece on the side. However, because the locking pieces on the side are arranged alternately, the direction in which the part to be locked is pushed is opposite at each locking part. That is, a force acts on the part to be locked in a direction that rotates it from an inclined position to an orientation along the longitudinal direction, correcting it to the appropriate position. Therefore, the seat cover can be properly attached to the seat itself.

[0014] In the clip according to the present invention, the thickness of the one-sided locking piece and the thickness of the elastic locking piece are the same in the direction in which the pair of locking pieces face each other, and the width of the elastic locking piece in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the width of the one-sided locking piece. Because the width is shorter, the elastic locking piece is more elastically deformable than the one-sided locking piece. Therefore, the ease of elastic deformation can be easily controlled by adjusting the width. On the other hand, since there is no need to adjust the thickness, dimensional control is easy.

[0015] In the clip according to the present invention, the height of the elastic locking piece is lower than the height of the single-sided locking piece relative to the base. When the part to be locked approaches the locking part from above, it first contacts the higher single-sided locking piece, which guides it toward the lower elastic locking piece, and the part to be locked is inserted between the locking pieces and securely locked to the locking part. Therefore, the seat cover can be properly attached to the seat body.

[0016] The clip according to the present invention has elastic locking piece portions of adjacent locking portions arranged alternately in the vertical column direction. When the locked portion hits one-sided locking piece portion and is guided toward the elastic locking piece portion, the elastic locking piece portion elastically deforms more reliably than the one-sided locking piece portion, so that the locked portion is inserted between the locking piece portions and is reliably locked to the locking portion. Therefore, the seat cover can be appropriately attached to the seat body.

[0017] The clip according to the present invention has an extending portion connected to the base portion and a claw portion connected to the upper end of the extending portion in the locking piece portion. By the claw portion locking to the locked portion, the locked portion is reliably locked to the locking portion. Therefore, the seat cover can be appropriately attached to the seat body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat using the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken along line II-II of FIG. 1, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of a seat body to which the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a first explanatory perspective view for explaining the first use state of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a second explanatory perspective view for explaining the second use state of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a third explanatory perspective view for explaining the third use state of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] The following is an explanation of the clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a sheet 1 using the clip 10 according to this embodiment is shown, and in FIG. 2, a partial cross-section of the sheet 1 in a state where the clip 10 is embedded in the sheet 1 is shown.

[0020] The clip 10 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, for attaching the seat cover 2 to the seat body 5 in a seat 1 of an automobile or the like (not shown). The seat 1 has a seat cover 2 such as leather covering the seat body 5, and is composed of a seat cushion 6, a seat back 7, a headrest 8, and the like. The seat body 5 is, for example, made by foaming and curing a polyurethane raw material or the like, and is formed by a metal mold (not shown). The seat cover 2 is, for example, natural leather, artificial leather, synthetic leather, or the like.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, a suspension cotton cloth 3 is sewn on the back side of the seat cover 2. The suspension cotton cloth 3 is used to attach the seat cover 2 to the seat body 5, and a locked portion 4 is attached to the lower end thereof. The locked portion 4 is sandwiched at the lower end of the suspension cotton cloth 3 and is a longitudinal rod shape along the lower end of the suspension cotton cloth 3. The locked portion 4 is made of resin, and is manufactured, for example, by extrusion molding of polypropylene or the like. The clip 10 is embedded in the groove portion 9 of the seat body 5, and when the seat cover 2 is attached to the seat body 5, the locked portion 4 of the seat cover 2 is locked.

[0022] Here, the clip 10 will be described in detail based on the drawings. FIGS. 3 to 5 show the appearance of the clip 10. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the locked portion 4 (see FIG. 6) is forward or backward, the direction orthogonal to the locked portion 4 is rightward or leftward, and the direction in which the locked portion 4 is attached and detached is upward or downward.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the clip 10 has a base portion 11 embedded in the sheet body 5 and two locking portions 15 formed on the upper surface of the base portion 11. The base portion 11 is thin plate-shaped and is roughly rectangular in length. A right flange portion 12 is connected to the right end of the base portion 11, and a left flange portion 13 is connected to the left end of the base portion 11. Both flange portions 12 and 13 are roughly L-shaped when viewed from the front or rear, extending upward from the left and right side ends of the base portion 11 and extending to the left and right sides from the extended tips. Multiple holes 14 are formed in both flange portions 12 and 13.

[0024] The locking portions 15 are arranged vertically in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the base portion 11. Each locking portion 15 is composed of a pair of locking pieces 18 that extend upward from the upper surface and face each other. Each locking piece 18 has an extension portion 25 connected to the upper surface of the base portion 11 and a claw portion 26 connected to the upper end of the extension portion 25. The extension portion 25 is curved in a direction that protrudes laterally. The upper surface portion 27 of the claw portion 26 is curved in a direction that protrudes upward. Also, the upper surface portion 27 gradually slopes downward as it goes inward. One of the locking pieces 18 is a single-sided locking piece 19, and the other is an elastic locking piece 22. Since the elastic force of the elastic locking piece 22 is smaller than that of the single-sided locking piece 19, the elastic locking piece 22 is more elastically deformable than the single-sided locking piece 19.

[0025] Specifically, the front locking portion 16, which is the front locking portion 15, is composed of a front single-sided locking piece 20 and a front elastic locking piece 23, with the front single-sided locking piece 20 on the right side and the front elastic locking piece 23 on the left side. On the other hand, the rear locking portion 17, which is the rear locking portion 15, is composed of a rear single-sided locking piece 21 and a rear elastic locking piece 24, with the rear single-sided locking piece 21 on the left side and the rear elastic locking piece 24 on the right side. Therefore, the front single-sided locking piece 20 and the rear elastic locking piece 24 are adjacent in the front-rear direction, and the front elastic locking piece 23 and the rear single-sided locking piece 21 are adjacent in the front-rear direction. Thus, the individual locking pieces 20 and 21 of adjacent locking parts 15 in the front-rear direction are arranged alternately in the direction in which the front locking part 16 and the rear locking piece 17 are aligned vertically (front-rear direction), and the elastic locking pieces 23 and 24 are also arranged alternately in the front-rear direction.

[0026] When the direction in which the one-sided locking piece 19 and the elastic locking piece 22 face each other (left-right direction) is defined as the thickness, the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the one-sided locking piece 19 is the same as the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the elastic locking piece 22. When the front-rear direction of the locking piece 15 is defined as the width, the width of the extended portion 25 of the elastic locking piece 22 is shorter than the width of the extended portion 25 of the one-sided locking piece 19. Therefore, the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the front one-sided locking piece 20 is the same as the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the front elastic locking piece 23, and the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the rear one-sided locking piece 21 is the same as the thickness of the extended portion 25 of the rear elastic locking piece 24. Furthermore, the width of the extended portion 25 of the front elastic locking piece 23 is shorter than the width of the extended portion 25 of the front one-sided locking piece 20, and the width of the extended portion 25 of the rear elastic locking piece 24 is shorter than the width of the extended portion 25 of the rear one-sided locking piece 21.

[0027] With respect to the base 11, the height of the elastic locking piece 22 is lower than the height of the one-sided locking piece 19. Therefore, the height of the front elastic locking piece 23 is lower than the height of the front one-sided locking piece 20, and the height of the rear elastic locking piece 24 is lower than the height of the rear one-sided locking piece 21.

[0028] As described above, clip 10 is configured as shown. Next, the procedure for using clip 10 will be explained along with its function and effects.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the clip 10 is pre-embedded in the sheet body 5. Specifically, the clip 10 is pre-installed in the mold for the sheet body 5, and a material such as polyurethane is poured into the mold. When the polyurethane material foams, it fills the holes 14 in the right flange portion 12 and the left flange portion 13 and adheres tightly to both flange portions 12 and 13. As the polyurethane material hardens, it fits into both flange portions 12 and 13 and firmly fixes itself to the clip 10. After going through a predetermined process, the sheet body 5 is completed with the clip 10 embedded. The base portion 11 and both flange portions 12 and 13 of the clip 10 are embedded in the sheet body 5, and the locking portion 15 is exposed in the groove portion 9. The groove portion 9 extends to the upper surface of the sheet body 5.

[0030] The locking portion 4 of the seat cover 2 is inserted into the groove 9 and locks into the locking portion 15. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the locking portion 4 is inserted between the locking pieces 18 and sandwiched between the one-sided locking piece 19 and the elastic locking piece 22. When the locking portion 4 is pressed against the locking portion 15, the locking portion 4 first contacts the claw portion 26 of the one-sided locking piece 19. The locking portion 4 first contacts the taller one-sided locking piece 19, slides along the upper surface 27 of the claw portion 26, and is guided toward the shorter elastic locking piece 22. Here, since the width of the extended portion 25 of the elastic locking piece 22 is shorter than the width of the extended portion 25 of the one-sided locking piece 19, the elastic locking piece 22 is more elastically deformable than the one-sided locking piece 19 due to its shorter width. Therefore, when the locked portion 4 comes into contact with the claw portion 26 of the elastic locking piece 22, the elastic locking piece 22 elastically deforms and spreads laterally. At this time, the one-sided locking piece 19 does not elastically deform, or deforms only slightly compared to the elastic locking piece 22. As the space between the locking pieces 18 widens, the locked portion 4 is inserted between the locking pieces 18 and locked (see Figure 2). In particular, the one-sided locking piece 19 and the claw portion 26 of the elastic locking piece 22 engage with the locked portion 4, thereby ensuring that the locked portion 4 is securely locked to the locking piece 15.

[0031] As described above, the seat cover 2 is properly attached to the seat body 5 by the clip 10. Furthermore, the clip 10 has a structure that allows for easy control of its elastic deformation by adjusting the width of the single-sided locking piece 19 and the elastic locking piece 22. On the other hand, since there is no need to adjust the thickness of the single-sided locking piece 19 and the elastic locking piece 22, dimensional control is easy.

[0032] Incidentally, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, when the locked portion 4 is pressed against the locking portion 15, the orientation of the locked portion 4 may tilt relative to the locking portion 15, and the locked portion 4 may end up in an orientation that intersects the front-rear direction. That is, the locked portion 4 may rotate in a plane that includes the front-rear and left-right directions, with the vertical direction as its axis, and may deviate from the virtual axis 28 in the front-rear direction. Even in this case, since the elastic locking piece 22 is easily elastically deformed, the front elastic locking piece 23 and the rear elastic locking piece 24 on both sides of the locked portion 4 will elastically deform before the front single-sided locking piece 20 and the rear single-sided locking piece 21.

[0033] For example, as shown in Figure 7, suppose the locking piece 4 is displaced counterclockwise around the virtual axis 28 with respect to the vertical axis. Since the front elastic locking piece 23 and rear elastic locking piece 24 of the front locking piece 16 and rear locking piece 17, which are adjacent in the front-rear direction, are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction, the front elastic locking piece 23 and rear elastic locking piece 24 that are pressed against by the locking piece 4 undergo elastic deformation. At the same time, the locked portion 4 is subjected to a force acting on it in a clockwise direction around the vertical axis (see clockwise rotation direction 29 in the figure) due to the resistance force from the front elastic locking piece 23 and rear elastic locking piece 24, correcting it from a tilted position to a position aligned with the virtual axis 28. Therefore, the seat cover 2 can be properly attached to the seat body 5.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, as shown in Figure 8, suppose that the locking piece 4 is shifted clockwise with respect to the virtual axis 28, with the vertical direction as the axis. Since the front one-sided locking piece 20 and the rear one-sided locking piece 21 of the front locking piece 16 and the rear locking piece 17, which are adjacent in the front-rear direction, are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction, the locking piece 4 pressed against the front one-sided locking piece 20 and the rear one-sided locking piece 21 is pushed towards the front elastic locking piece 23 by the resistance force from the front one-sided locking piece 20, and pushed towards the rear elastic locking piece 24 by the resistance force from the rear one-sided locking piece 21. As a result, the direction in which the locked portion 4 is pushed is from right to left in the case of the front locking piece 16, and from left to right in the case of the rear locking piece 17. In other words, since the direction in which the locked portion 4 is pushed is opposite at each of the locking portions 16 and 17, a force acts on the locked portion 4 in a counterclockwise direction (see counterclockwise rotation direction 30 in the figure) from a tilted position toward a position along the virtual axis 28, correcting it to the appropriate position. Therefore, the seat cover 2 can be properly attached to the seat body 5.

[0035] In particular, when the locking portion 4 is pressed against the locking portion 15, the locking portion 4 first contacts the taller front single-sided locking piece 20 and the rear single-sided locking piece 21, slides along the upper surface of the claw portion 26 of both single-sided locking pieces 20 and 21, and is then guided toward the shorter front elastic locking piece 23 and the rear elastic locking piece 24. Since both elastic locking pieces 23 and 24 elastically deform before both single-sided locking pieces 20 and 21, the locking portion 4 is inserted between the locking pieces 18 and securely locked to the locking portion 15. Therefore, the seat cover 2 can be properly attached to the seat body 5.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present invention, when the thickness, height, width, etc. are "the same," this includes cases where they are approximately the same. In other embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the base is arbitrary. For example, the base may be square, polygonal, circular, elliptical, etc. In another embodiment, the number of locking parts is arbitrary. For example, the number of locking parts may be three or more. In another embodiment, one side of the locking piece has a claw portion, while the elastic locking piece does not have a claw portion. In another embodiment, the elastic locking piece has a claw portion, but the one-sided locking piece does not have a claw portion. In another embodiment, the locking piece on one side does not undergo elastic deformation. In another embodiment, the thickness of the one-sided locking piece and the thickness of the elastic locking piece are different. For example, the thickness of the elastic locking piece is thinner than the thickness of the one-sided locking piece. In this invention, since the elastic locking piece is more elastically deformable than the one-sided locking piece, if the elastic locking piece is configured to be elastically deformable by having a thinner thickness than the one-sided locking piece, the width of the elastic locking piece and the width of the one-sided locking piece may be the same, or the width of the elastic locking piece may be wider than the width of the one-sided locking piece. In another embodiment, the height of the one-sided locking piece and the height of the elastic locking piece are the same relative to the base. In another embodiment, the height of the elastic locking piece is greater than the height of the one-sided locking piece relative to the base. In another embodiment, the locking pieces on each side of adjacent locking portions are arranged in the same row in the longitudinal direction, and the elastic locking pieces are also arranged in the same row in the longitudinal direction.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Furthermore, various design modifications are possible as long as they do not depart from the matters described in the claims. The seats in which the present invention is used include, for example, vehicles such as automobiles, trains, ships, and aircraft, as well as indoor facilities such as theaters. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 sheet 2 Seat Covers 3 Hanging cotton cloth 4 Locked part 5 Seat Body 6 seat cushions 7 Seatback 8 headrests 9 grooves 10 clips 11 Base 12 Right-side flange section 13 Left flange section 14 holes 15 Locking part 16 Front locking part 17 Rear locking part 18 Locking piece 19 One-sided locking piece 20 Front one-sided locking piece 21 Rear one-sided locking piece 22 Elastic locking piece 23 Front elastic locking piece 24 Rear elastic locking piece 25 Extension section 26 Nail part 27 Top part 28 Virtual Axis 29 Right rotation direction 30 Left rotation direction

Claims

1. A clip that can be attached to the seat body and engages with a locking portion of the seat cover that covers the seat body, thereby attaching the seat cover to the seat body, The base embedded in the sheet body, The base has a plurality of locking parts arranged vertically in the longitudinal direction of the locking part on the upper surface of the base, which locks with the locking part. The locking portion is composed of a pair of locking pieces that extend upward from the upper surface and face each other. The locking piece is composed of one side locking piece and the other side locking piece which is more elastically deformable than the side locking piece. A clip characterized by the following features.

2. The one-sided locking pieces of each of the adjacent locking parts are arranged alternately in the vertical direction. The clip as described in feature 1.

3. The thickness of one of the locking pieces in the direction in which the pair of locking pieces face each other is the same as the thickness of the elastic locking piece. The width of the elastic locking piece in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the width of the locking piece on one side. A clip as described in claim 1 or 2.

4. With respect to the base, the height of the elastic locking piece is lower than the height of the one-sided locking piece. A clip as described in claim 1 or 2.

5. The elastic locking pieces of adjacent locking portions are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction. The clip according to feature 4.

6. The locking piece has an extended portion connected to the base and a claw portion connected to the upper end of the extended portion. A clip as described in claim 1 or 2.

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