Abstract:
A saddle with proper deformability is provided. The saddle comprises a base, a pad, and a fastening device adapted to fasten the base and pad together. Therein, the materials of the pad comprise Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). Thereby, the saddle of this invention is adapted to deform appropriately according to the buttocks and the crotches of a cyclist and to absorb the vibration that is experienced during the ride, so that the comfort of the saddle is greatly improved.

Description:
This application claims priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 097112838 filed on Apr. 9, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/982,942 filed oil Oct. 26, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 

   CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention provides a saddle for a vehicle, in particular a saddle with great comfort for a bicycle. 
   2. Descriptions of the Related Art 
   In modern society, people are more and more concerned about recreation and body building. Among various sports, bicycle riding not only has a benefit on fitness, but also helps to relax the mind. Accordingly, as bicycles have become more of a means for recreation and physical exercise rather than merely a transportation tool. As a result, the demands on the bicycle requirements have increased accordingly as well. 
   When riding a bicycle, the weight of a cyclist is primarily supported by the buttocks. Because of the weight, the area of the buttocks that come into contact with the saddle are put under an extremely high stress. Therefore, if no provisions for alleviating the stress are made on the saddle, the cyclist is less willing to ride the bicycle. Hence, the comfort of the saddle has become an important factor with which people are concerned when making a purchase decision. 
   When a cyclist rides a bicycle on various road conditions, vibrations arising during the riding process often make the cyclist feels uncomfortable, and this makes it difficult for the cyclist to ride the bicycle in comfort for an extended time. Furthermore, for a commercially available bicycle saddle, a pad made of foam is typically provided on a base that is made of a hard material. However, the pad is generally too soft, so even though it can slightly decrease the stress incurred when the rider sits on the saddle, the buttocks or crotches of the cyclist will still feel uncomfortable due to the pressing action of the hard base. Moreover, some pads made of soft materials fail to deform in response to the different shapes of buttocks and crotches, and even may be gathered in areas where high stress is expected. Furthermore, some racing bicycles or road bicycles adopt pads integrally formed from a hard material, which makes the cyclists feel more uncomfortable. Therefore, the material of the saddle has become an important factor that dominates the riding comfort of the saddle. 
   In view of this, it is highly desirable in the art to provide a saddle with appropriate deformation and cushioning capabilities. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One objective of this invention is to provide a saddle with an appropriate deformation and cushioning capabilities to allow the cyclist to sit thereon in comfort. 
   The saddle of this invention comprises a base, a pad and a fastening device adapted to connect the base with the pad. The saddle of this invention is characterized in that the pad is made of a material comprising ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). As a result, the saddle of this invention is able to appropriately deform in response to the buttocks and crotches of different cyclists and absorb vibrations arising during the riding process. This remarkably improves the comfort of the saddle of this invention. 
   The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1A  is a front view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1B  is a rear view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1C  is a side view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1D  is a top view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1E  is a bottom view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1F  is an exploded view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1G  is an exploded view from another viewing angle of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1H  is a schematic assembled view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1I  is a partially cross-sectional exploded view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 1J  is a partially cross-sectional assembled view of the first embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 2A  is a top view of the second embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 2B  is a partially cross-sectional exploded view of the second embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 2C  is a partially cross-sectional assembled view of the second embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 3A  is a top view of the third embodiment of this invention; 
       FIG. 3B  is a partially cross-sectional exploded view of the third embodiment of this invention; and 
       FIG. 3C  is a partially cross-sectional assembled view of the third embodiment of this invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   This invention provides a saddle, which primarily comprises a base, a pad, a fastening device, a vent device and a rail device. The pad is made of a material comprising ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). This particular material provides the pad with appropriate deformation and cushioning capabilities as well as an appropriate supporting capability. The EVA material should be foamed to produce the pad  33  to further improve the deformation and cushioning capabilities of the pad  33 . It should be noted that the material of the pad may also be a composite formed by the EVA and other materials. 
     FIGS. 1A to 1J  depict a saddle  1  of the first embodiment of this invention. The saddle  1  of this embodiment comprises a base  31 , a pad  33 , a fastening device  35 , a vent device  37  and a rail device  39 . The base  31  may be made of a material including a variety of plastics, carbon fibers or the like. As previously described, the pad  33  is primarily made of the EVA, and may also be made of a composite formed by the EVA and other materials. 
   In this embodiment, the fastening device  35  is adapted to be fixedly connected the base  31  and the pad  33 . The fastening device  35  comprises three fastening pins  351 , three fastening caps  353 , three first through-holes  357  and three second through-holes  359 . As depicted in  FIGS. 1F to 1J , the first through-holes  357  are dispersedly formed in the base  31 . The second through-holes  359  are formed in the pad  33  at locations corresponding to the first through-holes  357  respectively. Each of the fastening pins  351  are inserted through both the first through-hole  357  and the corresponding second through-hole  359  to be interlocked with the corresponding fastening cap  353  to fix the pad  33  onto the base  31 . 
   As depicted in  FIGS. 1F ,  1 G,  1 I and  1 J, each of the fastening pins  351  comprises a neck portion  351   a , a cap portion  351   b  and a snap fit head  351   c . Each of the fastening cap  353  comprises a cap portion  353   a  and a snap fit hole  353   b . When the snap fit head  351   c  of the fastening pin  351  are engaged into the snap fit hole  353   b  of the fastening cap  353  to fix the pad  33  onto the base  31 , a base portion of the cap portion  351   b  of the fastening pin  351  abuts against a top surface of the pad  33 , a base portion of the cap portion  353   a  of the fastening caps  353  abuts against a bottom surface of the base  31 , and the neck portion  351   a  of the fastening pin  351  is inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359 . In other words, the base  31  and the pad  33  are adapted to be clamped by the cap portion  351   b  of the fastening pin  351  and the cap portion  353   a  of the fastening cap  353 . 
   To improve the air permeability of the saddle  1  and prevent the fastening device  35  from protruding beyond the pad  33 , the pad  33  has three grooves  331  on the top surface so the second through-holes  359  in the pad  33  are formed in the corresponding grooves  331  respectively. In this embodiment, each of the grooves  331  has a depth greater than (in other embodiments, may also be equal to) a cap height of each of the fastening pin  351  to prevent the fastening device  35  from protruding beyond the pad  33 . 
   In other examples, the fastening pin  351  may also be inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359  from a reverse direction to clamp the base  31  and the pad  33  together. In this case, the base portion of the cap portion  351   b  of the fastening pin  351  abuts against the bottom surface of the base  31 , and the base portion of the fastening cap  353  abuts against the top surface of the pad  33 . Also, each of the grooves  331  has a depth greater than or equal to a cap height of each of the fastening cap  353 . Furthermore, the number of the fastening pins  351 , the fastening caps  353 , the first through-holes  357 , the second through-holes  359  and the grooves  331  is not merely limited to three, but may also be another number. It should be noted that when the number of these elements is different from that of this embodiment, the same objectives can also be accomplished simply by correspondingly designing the relative locations. Therefore, such equivalent modifications shall also fall within the scope of the claims of this invention. 
   The vent device  37  comprises a first vent  371  and a second vent  373 . The first vent  371  is formed on the base  31  and extends from the top surface to the bottom surface of the base  31  to guide air from the bottom surface of the base  31  to the pad  33 . The second vent  373  is formed on the pad  33  corresponding to the first vent  371  and extends from the top surface to the bottom surface of the pad  33  to guide air from the bottom surface of the base  31  to the top surface of the pad  33 . With such an arrangement, a cyclist can sit on the saddle  1  and ride the bicycle in comfort without the feeling stuffy. It should be noted that although the vent device  37  is used in this embodiment, the vent device may also be eliminated or formed with additional vents in other embodiments to match the requirements in terms of weight, air permeability or the like. 
   The rail device  39  is located on the bottom surface of the base  31 , with which the saddle can be fixedly connected to a bicycle frame via elements, such as seat posts and seat post clamps. The rail device  39  is preferably made of a material selected from a group consisting of magnesium, magnesium alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, nickel and nickel alloy to provide adequate support for the base  31  while still cater for the tendency towards lightweight bicycle parts. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 2A to 2C , the second embodiment of this invention is depicted therein. A saddle  2  of the second embodiment is similar to the saddle  1  of the first embodiment except that the fastening device  35 ′ fixes the base  31  and the pad  33  together by a different means. In this embodiment, the fastening device  35 ′ also comprises three first through-holes  357  and three second through-holes  359 . However, the three fastening pins  351  and the three fastening caps  353  used in the first embodiment are replaced by three cowl fasteners  355 , i.e., each of the cowl fasteners  355  is adapted to provide functions similar to a fastening pin  351  in combination with a fastening cap  353 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2A , in the fastening device  35 ′ of this embodiment, the first through-holes  357  are also dispersedly formed in the base  31 , and the second through-holes  359  are also formed in the pad  33  at locations corresponding to the first through-holes  357  respectively. The fastening device  35 ′ simply uses the cowl fasteners  355  inserted through both a first through-hole  357  and a corresponding second through-hole  359  respectively to fix the pad  33  onto the base  31 . 
   As depicted in  FIGS. 2B and 2C , each of the cowl fasteners  355  comprises a neck portion  355   a , a cap portion  355   b  and a discontinuous conical portion  355   c . When the cowl fastener  355  fixes the pad  33  onto the base  31 , a base portion of the cap portion  355   b  of the cowl fastener  355  abuts against a top surface of the pad  33 , while a support portion of the discontinuous conical portion  355   c  of the cowl fastener  355  abuts against the bottom surface of the base  31 . Similarly, the neck portion  355   a  of the cowl fastener  355  is inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359 . In other words, the base  31  and the pad  33  are adapted to be clamped by the cap portion  355   b  and the discontinuous conical portion  355   c  of the cowl fastener  355 . 
   In this embodiment, the pad  33  has three grooves  331  on the top surface, so the second through-holes  359  in the pad  33  are formed in the corresponding grooves  331  respectively. In this embodiment, each of the grooves  331  has a depth greater than (in other embodiments, may also be equal to) a cap height of each of the cowl fasteners  355  to prevent the fastening device  35  from protruding beyond the pad  33 . 
   In other examples, the cowl fasteners  355  of this embodiment may also be inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359  from the reverse direction. In this case, the base portion of the cap portion  355   b  of the cowl fastener  355  abuts against the bottom surface of the base  31 , while the support portion of the discontinuous conical portion  355   c  of the cowl fastener  355  abuts against the top surface of the pad  33 . Also, each of the grooves  331  has a depth greater than or equal to a discontinuous conical height of each of the cowl fasteners  355 . Furthermore, the number of the cowl fastener  355 , the first through-holes  357 , the second through-holes  359  and the grooves  331  is not merely limited to three, but may also be another number. It should be noted that when the number of these elements is different from that of this embodiment, the same objectives can also be accomplished simply by correspondingly designing the relative locations. Therefore, such equivalent modifications shall also fall within the scope of the claims of this invention. Other parts of this embodiment are similar in structure and material to those of the first embodiment, and thus will not be further described again herein. 
   The third embodiment of this invention is a saddle  3 , which is depicted in  FIGS. 3A to 3C . The saddle  3  of this embodiment is similar to the saddle  2  of the second embodiment. In more detail, the base  31 , the pad  33 , the vent device  37 , the rail device  39  and other parts of the saddle  3  are all the same as those of the saddle  2  of the second embodiment. However, the third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that six cowl fasteners  355  are provided in the third embodiment. The pad  33  of the third embodiment also has six recesses  333  instead of three grooves on the top surface to accommodate the cap portions  355   b  or the discontinuous conical portions  355   c  of the cowl fasteners  355 . 
   Accordingly, the base  31  comprises six first through-holes  357 , while the pad  33  comprises six second through-holes  359  formed in the six recesses  333  respectively. In this embodiment, each of the recesses  333  has a depth greater than (in other embodiments, may also be equal to) the cap height of each of the cowl fasteners  355 . Similar to the second embodiment, each of the cowl fasteners  355  of this embodiment is inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359  from the positive direction. However, in other examples, each of the cowl fasteners  355  of this embodiment may also be inserted through the first through-hole  357  and the second through-hole  359  from the reverse direction, in which case, each of the recesses  331  has a depth greater than or equal to the discontinuous conical height of each of the cowl fasteners  355 . 
   In other examples, the fastening device of this invention may also be in the form of various different fastening means such as threading, riveting, gluing, inserting or other means. In other words, any fastening means that is able to fix the EVA pad of this invention to the base can be applied to this invention. If the fastening means described in the first, the second or the third embodiments or even threading means are used in the saddle of this invention to fix the pad to the base, the pad can be detachably fixed to the base. Hence, when a dirty or worn pad needs to be replaced, or a pad of a different size or style is desired, or other situations requiring replacement of a pad arise, the pad may be detached from the base and replaced. This results in a greatly improved applicability and industrial competitiveness of the pad of this invention. Furthermore, the application of the saddle of this invention is not merely limited to bicycles, and the same concepts may also be applied to motorcycles, automobiles or other transportation vehicles. 
   The pad of the saddle of this invention is made of a material comprising the EVA, which is deformable in response to the different stress distribution to conform to the figure of the cyclist. When the cyclist sits on the saddle of this invention, the pad will experience an appropriate deformation under the action of the weight of the cyclist to conform to the shapes of the buttocks and crotches of the cyclist. On the other hand, this material can also absorb vibrations arising during the riding process, and provide an improved cushioning and supporting capabilities, thus remarkably improving comfort of the riding process. 
   The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.