Granted Patent B2

US 12,213,592 · App. 18/202,044 · Granted Feb 4, 2025

Inventors: Craig Martin Oomen (Lowell, MI); Samuel Smith (Allendale, MI); Robert A. Bratty (Stanton, MI); Michael Long (Sparta, MI); Kelly Washburn (Middleville, MI)

Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.

A47C1/03261A47C7/16A47C7/282

Abstract

Claims (38)

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.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (41)