Abstract:
A seat comprising a base pan defining cutouts positioned under a seating area for a seated user, a resilient membrane over the cutouts, a cushion on the base pan, at least one air cell pad on the cushion at the seating area and a cover.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is the United States National Stage under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application Serial No. PCT/US2013/071572, having an International filing date of Nov. 25, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/746,302, filed Dec. 27, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The application relates generally to seating and, more specifically to a motorcycle seat that relieves pressure on various points of the rider&#39;s anatomy, absorbs road shock and improves ventilation at the interface between the rider and the cushion. Although the principles disclosed herein apply well to motorcycle seats, it will be understood that they can be applied to any seat where these characteristics are desired. 
     Motorcycle seats or saddles are well known. In general, a motorcycle seat is constructed to support the seated rider&#39;s buttocks and, depending upon the size and style, a portion of the upper thigh. Most motorcycle seats or saddles are constructed from firm support padding or foam with a leather or vinyl covering. In use the rider straddles the seat, thereby exposing the inner thigh, buttocks, ischial areas, and genital area to pressure and vibration. Due to the typical construction of a seat, the rider can bottom out on a firm seat on bumpy surfaces. Also, in warm weather there can be a buildup of moisture or heat which could, over long periods of time, lead to discomfort, wetness and possibly skin breakdown. If the rider is seated for long periods of time he can develop discomfort, soreness and even numbness in these regions of the anatomy due to pressure and vibration on the nerves. 
     It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a seat that provides support while relieving pressure on sensitive areas of the anatomy and reducing heat and moisture buildup. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, a motorcycle seat includes a pan, a foam cushion layer adjacent the pan and an air pad insert in the foam layer at the seating area. The air cell pad comprises a base, with an array of upstanding cells across the base. In one aspect, the cells are inflatable air cells that are interconnected such that pressure is spread across a wider area to reduce pressure points. The seat can comprise an operator&#39;s seat and a pillion seat. The pan under the seating areas includes cut-outs at the approximate ischial areas of the seated rider. The cut-outs can include a resilient, pliable membrane or diaphragm. The seat includes a cover over the foam cushion layer, the air pad insert, and the pan. The seat can be constructed from a moisture wicking or spacer mesh fabric and is secured over the seat by a perimeter elastic margin. 
     The cutouts in the pan provide pressure relief for the seated rider, particularly when riding for a long time. Moreover, the cut-outs reduce hard bottoming-out on bumpy surfaces. Also, the air pads in the foam cushion and the shock absorbing cut-outs cooperate to make a low profile seat, providing greater stability for the rider. 
     The air cell pad can be constructed in accordance with the principles of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/309,767, filed Dec. 2, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference. Briefly stated, the air cell pad may include air flow pathways between the cells that allow air to circulate among the cells to disperse heat and moisture. There is a midline pathway that is positioned under the perineum of the rider to provide pressure relief to the perineum and prostate of the male rider. The midline pathway also provides relief to the coccyx of the seated rider. 
     In one aspect, the insert is fabricated from a dip molded neoprene to enhance the support characteristics. In other aspects, the insert could be vacuum molded from a thermoplastic material as well. 
     In one aspect a pad other than an air cell pad is employed in the foam cushion layer. 
     In one aspect no additional pad is employed on the foam cushion layer 
     In one aspect, the seat cover includes a portion of the top and side walls of the cover constructed from a material having two-way stretch characteristics. Also, the cover includes seating areas comprised of a moisture repellant spacer fabric that allows airflow and wicking characteristics to reduce moisture build-up at the interface of the rider and the seat, particularly as the motorcycle is moving. 
     In another aspect, a plain vinyl or leather cover can be used. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one aspect of a seat 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a left side elevational view thereof; and 
         FIG. 4  an exploded view thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One aspect of a seat is indicated generally by reference number  10  in the drawings. Although illustrated as a motorcycle seat, it is understood that the principles of the disclosure are applicable to other types of seats. As illustrated, seat  10  includes an anteriorly positioned seat front  10 A and a posteriorly positioned seat rear  10 B. Seat  10 , as shown, includes two seating areas for riders, a forward seating area  12  for an operator and a rear seating area  14  or pillion seat for a passenger. It will be appreciated that the principles disclosed herein also apply to a seat that includes only one seating area for an operator. 
     Seat  10  includes a base or pan  16  that is attached to the frame of a motorcycle in any conventional manner. As shown most clearly in  FIG. 4 , the pan  16  includes a first surface  16 A, e.g., an upper surface, and an opposed second surface  16 B, e.g., a lower surface. Pan  16  comprises a light weight, durable, but substantially rigid material such as fiberglass, plastic, aluminum or any other suitable material. Pan  16  includes a pair of forward cutouts  18  and  20  that are located so as to be positioned under the forward seating area  12 , particularly under the buttocks and ischial bones of the seated operator. There may be thin, flexible diaphragms, such as rubber diaphragms  22  and  24 , extending over, but not within cutouts  18  and  20 . Similarly, in the illustrated seat there are rear cutouts  26  and  28  in pan  16  positioned under the rear seating area  14  and particularly under the buttocks and ischial bones of the seated passenger. In one aspect, diaphragms  30 ,  32 , are positioned to extend over, but not within, the rear cutouts  26  and  28 , respectively. In this embodiment, the forward cutouts  18 ,  20  and the rear cutouts  26 ,  28  are each devoid of any other structures. 
     There is a foam cushion  34  positioned on pan  16 . Cushion  34  is complementary in configuration to the pan  16  and fits over the pan  16  and is secured to the pan  16  in any acceptable manner, including gluing, screws, rivets or other attachment means. As seen in  FIG. 4 , cushion  34  has a pair of cutouts or indentations  36 ,  38  in a peripheral side wall complementary in configuration to bulb pumps and hoses, as will be explained below. Cushion  34  comprises resilient, compressible foam, such as high density foam that has shock absorbing characteristics. 
     An inflatable air cell cushion or air pad  40  is positioned in a recess  42  in foam cushion  34  at the forward seating area  12 . Similarly, there is an inflatable air cell cushion or air pad  44  or pillion cushion positioned in a recess  46  in foam cushion  34  at the rear seating area  14 . Although the respective air pads  40 ,  44  may have different peripheral configurations, they have similar operative elements. For example, each air pad  40 ,  44  includes a base  48  with a plurality of upstanding air inflation cells  50  arranged in an array on the base  48 . In one aspect, cells  50  are inflatable air cells and are generally hollow open-bottomed cells connected through base  48 . Because cells  50  are interconnected by fluid flow channels, internal pressure is equalized among all the inflated cells  50  when a rider sits on an inflated cushion so as to spread the restoring force over a greater area. Hence, the design reduces pressure in discrete areas of the anatomy. Each air pad  40 ,  44  can include an air pump, such as bulb pumps  52  which can nest in indentations  36 ,  38  in the side of the foam cushion  34 . However, any pump apparatus will work. In one aspect, air pads  40 ,  44  are dip molded from neoprene, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,136, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     In one aspect of the cushion  34 , air pad  40  can have a perimeter configuration substantially similar to the outline of buttocks of a seated motorcycle rider and can be constructed in accordance with the principles of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/309,767, filed Dec. 2, 2011 or U.S. Pat. No. Des. 672,569, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Rear air pad  44  can have a peripheral configuration as shown in U.S. Pat. Des. 673,785, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, any configuration or construction is within the scope of the appended claims. 
     One skilled in the art will recognize that other types of pads, such as foam or gel pads or foam or gel filled cells, are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, the cells can be combinations of different cells, such as combinations of inflatable air cells, foam cells or gel filled cells as desired for modification of the support characteristics of the cushion. It will be appreciated that in other aspects, foam cushion  34  can be configured to use without any pad. 
     Seat  10  includes a cover  53 . Cover  53  has a peripheral configuration complementary to the configuration of foam cushion  34 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , cover  53  is configured to define the seating areas and give a molded or contoured appearance. Cover  53  has a top surface  54  and a circumferential side wall  56 . Top surface  54  can comprise a spacer fabric that defines the respective seating areas  12  and  14  and allows air circulation under the riders and reduces moisture buildup. The material can be moisture repellant as well. Peripheral side wall  56  can comprise a vinyl or leather or stretchy mesh material or a perforated or mesh fabric material. There is a band of elastic  58  around the bottom of the cover  53  that allows the cover  53  to be installed over the seat components. There are openings or other specific areas  60 ,  62  that allow access to the bulb pumps  52  by seated riders. 
     It will be understood that other types of covers  53  may be employed, such as vinyl or leather. 
     Seat  10  has enhanced shock absorbing characteristics. The cushion  34  provides a more comfortable ride while reducing pressure. The operator and/or the passenger mount their respective seating areas  12 ,  14  and each can access the bulb pump  52  of the air pad  40 ,  44  and inflate the air pad  40 ,  44  for optimum comfort. In another aspect, the air pads  40 ,  44  can be pre-inflated to an optimum level and sealed to maintain that level without pumping or adjustment. The cutouts in pan  16  under the buttocks, particularly cutouts including rubber diaphragms, enhance comfort and prevent bottoming out when riding over rough surfaces. The air pads  40 ,  44  are recessed in foam cushion  34  and provide excellent weight distribution and distribution of restoring forces. Moreover, the foam cushion  34  has vibration absorption qualities. Since the air pads  40 ,  44  are recessed in the foam cushion  34 , the seat  10  has a relatively low profile and provides better stability and handling of the motorcycle. 
     Although disclosed seat is described as a motorcycle seat for simplicity and clarity, it will be understood that the various elements of the seat can be employed in other environments to enhance comfort. For example, seats for other vehicles such as automobiles or ATVs can include the disclosed components. The seat can be used with wheelchairs or medical support surfaces. Various changes and modification may be made in seat of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the invention.