Bicycle and exerciser seat

A seat or saddle for use on a bicycle or bicycle type exerciser has a flexible plastic frame in the general shape and contour of the seat which has a large opening formed therein. Mounted in the opening and running between the forward and rear inner edges of the opening in a converging arrangement are a plurality of horizontal coil springs which are spaced from each other over the area of such opening. Attached to the frame and mounted over the springs is a foam rubber piece which is in the shape of the seat and which is thick enough to provide substantial cushioning. Mounted over the foam rubber piece and attached thereto and the bottom edge portion of the frame is a vinyl covering. A pair of large coil springs are vertically mounted normal to the horizontal springs on opposite sides of the bottom rear portion of the frame; these springs being supported on the bottom ends by support brackets which extend from the forward portion of the frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to bicycle and exerciser seats or saddles and more 
particularly to such a seat having a frame with some degree of flexibility 
and both horizontal and vertical springs along with foam rubber padding to 
provide improved comfort. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Most bicycle and exercise seats or saddles of the prior art utilize large 
vertically mounted coil springs under the rear portion of the seat. This 
in conjunction with cushioning is generally all that is used to make the 
seat more comfortable to the rider. Some prior art seats have small 
mattress type springs mounted horizontally in the seat frame. Seats of 
this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 589,581 issued Sep. 7, 1897 to W. 
W. Shoe; U.S. Pat. No. 1,813,672 issued Aug. 13, 1929 to F. Mesinger, U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,331,213 issued Oct. 5, 1943 to H. Mesinger; and U.S. Pat. No. 
1,936,403 issued Nov. 21, 1933 to F. Mesinger. In Shoe, the springs are 
mounted in a diverging relationship in the rear portion of a metal frame. 
While the springs are mounted in a converging arrangement in the Mesinger 
'403 and '672 patents, they are not contained within an opening in the 
frame. Such prior art seats while providing adequate cushioning for more 
experienced younger riders generally do not satisfy the needs of the 
occasional rider and older or disabled riders who require greater seat 
comfort. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The device of the present invention is a seat or saddle for use on a 
bicycle or bicycle type exerciser which affords exceptional comfort to the 
rider. This is achieved by employing a frame for the seat preferably 
fabricated of a lightweight high strength plastic which forms the basic 
structure thereof and is contoured to establish the basic shape of the 
seat. The frame provides support with some degree of flexibility. This 
frame has a large opening in the central portion thereof, this opening 
following the general contours of the seat, being narrower at the forward 
end and widening towards the rear end. Strung between the inner forward 
and rear edges of the opening are a plurality of horizontal elongated coil 
springs, these springs being spaced over the entire area of the opening 
and converging towards the forward edge thereof. Such springs are 
relatively loosely mounted so that they readily give resiliently in 
directions normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. 
Mounted over the springs to form the upper body of the seat is a relatively 
thick seat pad of resilient material such as foam rubber. A cover which 
may be of vinyl is stretched over the seat pad and attached to both the 
pad and the underside of the frame. A pair of large vertical springs are 
mounted on the opposite sides of the under rear portion of the frame, 
these springs being oriented substantially normally to the horizontal 
elongated springs. A bracket is attached to the lower end of each of the 
vertical springs, such brackets being attached at the opposite ends to the 
forward end of the seat frame. The seat thus has three fold cushioning 
which is provided by the horizontal springs, the resilient pad, and the 
vertical springs. Further, the seat frame provides support for the rider 
with a degree of flexibility not afforded in prior art seats employing 
frames made of steel and other such hard material. 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a seat for a bicycle 
or bicycle type exerciser which provides exceptional comfort to the user. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bicycle or exerciser 
seat which combines the resilient action of horizontally oriented springs, 
a seat pad, a frame and vertical springs to afford cushioning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the Figures, a preferred embodiment of the invention is 
illustrated. 
The seat has a conventional shape with a narrow forward portion 11a which 
flanges outwardly to a rear widened portion 11b. The main body of the seat 
is formed by a frame 14 fabricated of a durable light weight material 
having some degree of flexibility which may be an engineering plastic 
compound such as polypropylene. Frame 14 is contoured to form the basic 
shape of the seat and has a large opening 14a in the central portion 
thereof and a downwardly bowed bridge portion 14b which reinforces the 
frame structure. 
A plurality of elongated coil springs are strung across opening 14a. These 
springs are spaced from each other in a converging arrangement to evenly 
cover the opening and are hooked at their opposite ends in holes 14c 
formed along the rear edge of the opening and holes 14d formed along the 
forward edge of such opening. The springs are fairly loosely strung so as 
to readily respond resiliently to forces normal to the longitudinal axis 
thereof. 
As can best be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, cloth covering 19 is fixedly attached 
to the top surface of frame 14 and overlies the frame and springs 17. Pad 
21 is contoured to form the top portion of the seat and is fixedly 
attached to cloth covering 19 and the side portions of frame 14. Pad 21 is 
relatively thick at its center(about 1" in the preferred embodiment) and 
is made of a resilient material such as polyurethane foam rubber. 
The top surface of the seat is covered with cover 26 which is tightly drawn 
over pad 21 and attached both to the lower edges of pad 21 and frame 
member 14 by means of adhesive. Cover 26 may be of a flexible and durable 
vinyl material. 
As best can be seen in FIG. 9, a pair of large vertical springs 30 are 
attached to opposite portions of the rear of frame 14 by means of bolts 32 
and nuts 33. The opposite ends of the springs are braced by means of 
interconnecting bar 35 and bracing bars 37 which are attached to the 
bottom ends of the springs by means of bolts 39 and nuts 40. Bracing bars 
37 are retained in holder member 42 formed integrally with the forward 
bottom portion of frame 14. 
The seat of the invention thus provides extensive cushioning for the rider 
or user of the exerciser by virtue of the combined cushioning effect of 
the horizontal springs 17, the frame 14, the pad 21 and the vertical 
springs 30. 
While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to 
be clearly understood that this is intended by way of illustration and 
example only and not by way of limitation, the scope of the invention 
being limited only by the terms of the following claims.