Abstract:
A motorcycle seat having a rigid support, a shock absorbing foam base on the support with air cell cushions inserts positioned under the ischial areas of the rider, and a cover. The air cell cushion comprises a base and a plurality of interconnected air cells. The air pressure within the air cell cushion is adjusted to comfort by the operator, either through an independent air pump or a built-in pump. The air cell cushion is designed to evenly distribute supportive force generally evenly across its surface.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/526,487, filed Dec. 3, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to vehicle seats in general, and more specifically to cushioned seat or saddle for use on a motorcycle.  
         [0003]     A well-recognized problem for Individuals who spend extended time seated on a motorcycle is that the rider can experience soreness in the area buttocks and legs, commonly referred to as being saddle sore. This problem can be compounded by the fact that some motorcycles are prone to vibration or do not have particularly efficient shock absorbing or dampening structures. Consequently, the rider not only experiences soreness, but also can experience numbness or loss of feeling in the buttocks, particularly the ischial areas, and in upper legs or thighs. It would be advantageous for riders who typically travel many miles on a cruiser style motorcycles to have a cushioned motorcycle saddle that provides optimum support under the ischial areas and also dampens or absorbs road shock and vibration.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is among the various aspects and objects of the invention to provide a motorcycle seat comprising a support, a shock absorbing foam base with air cell cushions inserts positioned under the ischial areas of the operator and the passenger. The air cell cushion comprises a base and a plurality of interconnected upstanding air cells. The air pressure within the air cell cushion is adjusted to comfort by the operator, either through an independent air pump or a built-in pump. The air cell cushion is designed to evenly distribute supportive force generally evenly across its surface.  
         [0005]     The support is semi-rigid in that it may accommodate some flexure, and is constructed of appropriate, such as fiberglass or metal and contoured to mount atop the motorcycle frame. The entire saddle is covered with an appropriate wear resistant material, such as leather or water repellant fabric. The cover at the area of the air cell cushion generally is elastic to get the maximum benefit of the air cell cushion. 
     
    
     BRIED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a motorcycle seat of the present invention;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view thereof;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the foam cushion;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the foam cushion with a deflated air cell cushion in place at the operator&#39;s position;  
         [0010]      FIG. 5 . is a perspective view of an inflated air cell cushion;  
         [0011]      FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the foam cushion with a deflated air cell cushion in place at the passenger&#39;s position;  
         [0012]      FIG. 7 . is a top plan view of another configuration of an air cell cushion;  
         [0013]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view, partially cut away, of an alternative configuration of a motorcycle seat of the present invention; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another alternative configuration of a motorcycle seat of the present invention, without a cover. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]     A motorcycle seat of the present invention is indicated generally as reference numeral  1  in  FIG. 1 . As shown, seat  1 , is a generally elongated saddle style having a front operator&#39;s seat  3  and a rear passenger seat  5 . Seat  1  is shown with a leather seat cover  7 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates the bottom side of seat  1  and shows the support  9  with mounting hardware  11 ,  13 . Support  9  is semi-rigid and supportive and may have minimal flex. As shown, support  9  is substantially elongated having a peripheral configuration of the desired configuration of seat  1 . The support can be fashioned from appropriate material such as fiberglass, sheet metal, tubular metal or the like. Mounting hardware  11 ,  13  allow attachment of the seat to the top surface of a motorcycle frame (not shown) generally behind or above the gas tank.  
         [0017]     Seat  1  comprises a shock absorbing foam base  15 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . Foam base has a peripheral configuration complementary to that of the support imparting the overall desired configuration to the seat. Foam base  15  is bonded or otherwise appropriately attached to support  9 . As shown, base  15  includes a front cavity  17  corresponding to the operator&#39;s seat position and a rear cavity  19  corresponding to the passenger&#39;s seat position. The cavities are formed in the base to contain an air cell cushion, as will now be explained.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a deflated air cell cushion  21  positioned in cavity  17 . As best seen in  FIG. 5 , air cell cushion  21  is comprised of a base  23  and a plurality of interconnected air cells  25  that stand erect, when inflated, as better seen in  FIG. 5 . The cells illustrated in  FIG. 5  each include 4 fins  26 , however, the cells can include any suitable number of fins and comprise other configurations, such as domed, rectangular or the like. The cells are arranged in transverse and longitudinal rows to form an array. The cushion can be formed from dip-molded neoprene in accordance with principals taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,136 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,236, which are incorporated herein by reference. The cells can be formed from vacuum molded plastic material as well. Cushion  21  includes an air inflation tube  27 . The cells  25  are interconnected so that when the air cells are inflated through tube  27  all will exist at the same pressure.  
         [0019]     The cushion will exert a generally uniform force or pressure on the surface area of the body supported on it. Thus, the user does not feel discomfort from seat pressure, for example under the ischial area, or the lower portion of the hip bone affording a more comfortable ride over long periods. The cell structure also relieves pressure on nerves that can result in tingling and numbness in the legs and hips. The cells can be interconnected with an airflow pattern that enhances the shock absorbing characteristics of the cushion, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,936, which is incorporated herein by reference.  FIG. 6  shows an air cell cushion  28  in rear cavity  19 . Cushion  28  has the same general structure and function as air cell cushion  21 .  FIG. 7  better illustrates the embodiment of a preferred arrangement of the cells  25  in an array on air cell cushion  21 . This arrangement includes ischial support cells  32 , transitional cells  34  and lateral rear bolster cells  36 .  
         [0020]     It will be appreciated that the illustrated cavities  17  and  19  are formed in foam base  15  so that they are position under the ischial area of an operator of the motorcycle and a passenger, respectively. Consequently, when the air cell cushions are positioned in the respective cavities, the air cell cushions are appropriately positioned under the ischial areas of the operator and passenger.  
         [0021]     Although the illustrated embodiment of the cushion shows an inflation tube  27  that used with a separate pump or air supply, seat  1  also can have a bulb pump attached to the inflation tube. The bulb is discreetly housed in the seat but minimally exposed for access. Also, the seat and cushion can have a built in pump, similar to the type of pump disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,225, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0022]      FIG. 8 . illustrates another configuration of motorcycle seat  40 . Seat  40  has a substantially triangular or traditional single passenger configuration. The seat includes a foam base  42 , and an air cell cushion  44  comprising an array of individual air cells  45  positioned in a cavity in the foam base under the ischial area of the operator. Seat  40  includes a cover  46 , in this example a leather cover that has a stretchable fabric area  48  positioned over the air cell cushion to allow optimal deflection and equalization of pressure of the air cells  45 . The fabric also generally is durable and waterproof.  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  illustrates another configuration of a motorcycle seat, indicated generally by reference numeral  50 . Seat  50  has a more traditional saddle style configuration with a support (not shown), a foam base  52  and an air cell cushion  54 . The air cell cushion is comprised of an array of interconnected four fin air cells  55 . Base  52  has a cavity  56  that extends nearly the length and width of the base. The air cell cushion  54  is positioned within cavity  56 . The entire assembly then is covered with an appropriate cover (not shown), such as leather, fabric or combination of leather and fabric, particularly stretchable fabric over the air cell cushion.  
         [0024]     It will be appreciated that the various embodiments of the motorcycle seat or presented for illustrative purposes only. The scope of the invention is intended to encompass any configuration of seat or saddle that employs a support, a shock absorbing base and one or more air cell cushions positioned at the operator and or passenger seating position. The seat assembly of the present invention includes a cover of durable, wear resistant material that may include a stretchable fabric section at the air cell cushion.