Abstract:
A seat, seat cover and wall subassembly for installation into the upholstery of a vehicle seat or an after-market seat cover is disclosed. The invention is particularly advantages for use on a vehicle seat and provides a means of containment of items on the seat of a vehicle during transport.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of PCT patent application No. PCT/US11/65597, filed Dec. 16, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applications 61/560,622 filed Nov. 16, 2011 and 61/536,931 filed Sep. 20, 2011. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to the field of seat covers and seat accessories, particularly for vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many vehicle drivers prefer to use the passenger seat of their car to temporarily place objects such as letters, handbags, cellular phones, books, take-out food containers and bags, and small boxes. When objects are placed on the passenger seat of a vehicle, such objects often fall onto the floor in front of the passenger seat. This occurs, for instance, when the driver applies the brake or accelerates. Small items such as pens, cards, and combs, are likely to slip to the side of the seat in places where the items are hard to retrieve. This is particularly a problem with seats made of leather and imitation leather which have a somewhat slick surface. Computers and other delicate items are likely to be damaged during the fall from the seat to the floor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the invention and a typical automobile seat. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the invention and a typical automobile seat with the wall of the device in a flipped down, rest position. 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the invention and a typical automobile seat with wall of the device in a flipped up, active position. 
         FIG. 4  is a back perspective environmental view of an embodiment of the invention in an active position and a typical automobile seat with items placed within a walled area provided by the device. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the invention incorporated into a typical automobile seat upholstery with the wall flipped down. 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the invention in  FIG. 5  as incorporated into a typical automobile seat, with the wall flipped up to create a walled area. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An apparatus for temporary seat-top storage is disclosed. In a first embodiment, said apparatus is a wall subassembly in an after-market seat cover. In a second embodiment, said wall subassembly is disclosed. The wall subassembly may be incorporated by a manufacturer or upholsterer into upholstery of a seat or an after-market seat cover. The features of said apparatus are detailed in the following paragraphs. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the seat top storage device  1  is shown in exploded view to illustrate its various parts. The embodiment shown comprises a wall  2 , a seat cover portion  3 , and a wall support  4 . Seat cover portion  3  comprises a cover section  31 , middle section  32 , and seat straps  35 . Wall  2  comprises a wall material  23  and wall straps  25 . Wall support  4  comprises a wire  41  and preferably one or more side supports  42   a . Preferably, at least two side supports are employed. Wire  41  is incorporated into wall  2  at upper edge  21  thereof. Preferably a casing for wire  41  is formed by stitching as shown. Side supports  42   a  are incorporated into wall  2  at side support areas  42   b  shown in phantom. In one embodiment, the wall selvage  5   a  is sewn into a seat cover seam  5   b , as best seen in  FIG. 2 . In such case, the seat cover can be installed onto the vehicle seat. The wall  2  of the seat cover has a first flipped-down (rest) position and a second flipped-up (active) position. At rest, the seat cover middle section  32  may be sat upon by a vehicle occupant. However, when flipped up, the middle section  32  provides the surface onto which objects may be placed thereby. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 1 , steel wire  41  is sewn along the upper edge  21  of the wall  2 . Wall straps  25  are two additional straps which are optional but preferred. They function to maintain the upper edge  21  of the wall  2  in a flipped-up position (as seen in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  6 ), or when the wall  2  is in flipped-down position, the wall straps  25  pull the upper edge  21  tight against the seat (as seen in  FIGS. 2 and 5 ). Wall straps  25  may fasten together after going around the seat. Alternatively, a complementary fastener may be installed on the seat back or side for securement of wall strap  25  to the seat. Side supports  42   a  are wire supports to maintain the wall  2  upright when in use. Wire supports  42   a  will lie adjacent and “hug” the seat when the wall  2  is flipped down. As stated above, additional side supports  42   a  may optionally be employed in the wall  2 . Casings may be provided as illustrated (side support area  42   b ) by stitching two layers of wall material  23  together or by stitching or gluing a fabric to wall material  23 . 
     Wall  2  is flipped down when the passenger or other seat is to be used by a passenger and does not interfere with any safety apparatuses of the seat nor cause discomfort to the passenger. When in use, as shown in  FIG. 4 , wall  2  is flipped up. Wire  41  and steel side supports  42   a  maintain wall  2  in a flipped-up, upright position. Any items placed in walled area  37  thereby formed on the passenger seat are restrained from falling off the seat. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are a second embodiment of the invention in which a wall  2  is incorporated into the upholstery of a vehicle seat. Upholstery sitting area  103  has a seat seam  5   c . Said seat seam  5   c  secures to wall selvage  5   a  of wall  2  to create a joined seam. Upper edge  21  defines the top of wall  2 . Spring wire  41  and side supports  42   a  help wall  2  retain its shape. When wall  2  is in the upright position, wall  2  and middle section  32  define a walled area  37 . Wall straps  25 , which provide support for wall  2  may also be secured to the upholstery as seen in  FIG. 5 . 
     Wall  2  as shown in  FIG. 1 , with wire  41  and wire supports  42   a  incorporated therein, may be provided as a subassembly component to manufacturers of after-market seat covers or to upholsters of vehicle seats. As seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the subcomponent may be installed permanently into the upholstery of a vehicle seat by stitching or gluing selvage  5   a  into a seat seam  5   c  of the upholstery or otherwise attached thereto. When the selvage is stitched into seam  5   c , it lies adjacent the side sections of seat bottom  100  and upholstery sitting area  103  as best seen in  FIG. 5  with wall  2  in a first flipped-down position. Wall  2  can be flipped up to a second flipped-up position as best seen in  FIG. 6 , whereby a walled area  37  is formed on the seat. Small objects can be placed on the seat in walled area  37 , whereby wall  2  will prevent such objects from falling onto the floor of the vehicle or to the right or left of the seat. 
     In still another embodiment, wall  2  may be secured to upholstery by the use of fastening means instead of being stitched into a seam of seat upholstery. Such fastening means include, for example, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, zippers, and tacks. Other fastening means may also be suitable as long as wall  2  is capable of being transitioned from a first flipped-down position to a second flipped-up position and back. 
     Another embodiment may comprise a seat cover having a wall as described above, and further comprising a seat cover portion that covers seat back  101 . 
     Wall  2  of the invention comprises a single section or multiple sections of a fabric or fabric-like material. Preferably, wall  2  is formed of two layers of fabric, an outer fabric and an inner fabric each having 2 long selvage edges and 2 short selvage edges, which layers are secured together by stitching, gluing or bonding along the respective selvage edges thereof. Most preferably, the selvage edges are hidden as is conventional in sewing technique so that a finished seam is visible to the user. The first long selvage edges are a part of the seam shown at upper edge  21  in  FIG. 1  and the second long selvage edges (wall selvage  5   a ) are a part of seam  5   b  as best seen in  FIG. 2  or seam  5   c  as best seen in  FIG. 5 . Wire  41  is inserted in a casing formed by stitching near upper edge  21 . Side support areas  42   b  may be formed by stitching through the two layers or by addition of another fabric strip in the desired area which is stitched, glued or otherwise secured onto wall  2  to from side support areas  42   b  which are adapted to receive side supports  42   a.    
     The multiple section embodiment preferably comprise two back sections, two mid sections, and a front section, each shaped so as to conform to the configuration of the vehicle seat of interest. Each of said sections has a wall selvage  5   a  and an upper selvage edge. Each of said midsections has a back side seam secured to said back section and front side seam secured to said front section. Side supports  42   a  may be secured along each of said side seams, or at least along said front side seam. A casing is formed at said upper edge  21 , preferably by stitching, and wire  41  inserted in said casing along said upper edge. 
     Wire  41  can be any metal, plastic or other material which can support the wall and maintain the desired structure when the wall is flipped up or flipped down as illustrated in the drawings. As just one example, wire  41  may be a flat steel wire of approximate dimensions 1/16 by 1/32 inches (0.16 cm by 0.08 cm). Other dimensions can be used as long as the properties of the wire  41  permit the functions shown. High carbon steel, extruded nylon and polypropylene are examples of suitable materials. Side supports  42   a  may be of similar or different material. Although two are illustrated, additional or fewer side supports  42   a  may be utilized. 
     The wall of the invention may be integrated into the upholstery of any seat, and into seat covers for vehicle seats and similarly dimensioned seats and chairs. While it is envisioned to be particularly useful in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, rear van seats, boat seats, and many other seats may benefit from use of this invention.