Patent ID: 7461894
Filing Date: 2008-12-09
Classification: A45C,A45F,A47C,B60N,C08L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An airline seat assembly, comprising: a seat having a hip/thigh support secured rigidly to a supporting surface on an airplane, a back support hingedly connected to the hip/thigh support and movable from a fully erect condition to a condition reclined relative to the hip/thigh support, at least one gap being defined between the hip/thigh support and the back support to accommodate hinged movement therebetween; and a seating pad assembly removably positionable on the seat, the seating pad assembly including a unitary viscoelastic foam cushion having a bottom surface facing the seat, a top surface opposite the bottom surface for supporting a traveler, a width slightly less than a width defined by the airline seat and a length at least equal to a length of the hip/thigh support and the back support measured in directions substantially perpendicular to the hinged connection therebetween, the unitary viscoelastic foam cushion of the pad having a density and hardness selected to permit portions of the viscoelastic foam adjacent the bottom surface to flow into and conform to the gap between the hip/thigh support and the back support to define a convex lower conformal area nesting with the gap, and the unitary viscoelastic foam cushion of the pad further having firmness, resiliency and thickness characteristics so that a concave upper conformal area caused by weight of the traveler is spaced sufficiently to support the traveler across the gap and above the hip/thigh support and the back support, the seating pad assembly further comprising a cover assembly substantially surrounding the unitary viscoelastic foam cushion and being sufficiently stretchable or loose to permit substantially unimpeded deformation of the unitary viscoelastic foam cushion into the gap of the seat.