Patent Description:
More specifically, the apparatus according to the invention provides for the use of components substantially comprising a light source placed at the base of a diffuser made of soft and transparent material which is inserted in a padding of saddles, seats, armchairs or sofas or the like so that a luminous symbol may appear on the external surface of the product, producing an important and attractive aesthetic effect during the activation thereof.

The present invention is advantageously applied in the sector of vehicle accessories, in particular in the field of paddings for saddles or seats for vehicles in general, but also for any other use including the sector of furnishing components such as armchairs or sofas and relative paddings.

It is known that in some sectors, such as in the automotive sector or in that of motorcycles or even in that of bicycles, components are realized which can be customized with the application of symbols, labels, or, on particular surfaces, of inserts.

More specifically, it is known that, in addition to the application of symbols or labels on the rigid components, such as on bodywork or hulls, some vehicle paddings, such as seats or saddles can also be customized, on which in some cases symbols or small decorations or images are applied or printed or inserted that can refer to the brand of the manufacturer or even to particular customizations representing a recall and that can enrich the aesthetic effect of the vehicle.

In other cases, the symbols can be obtained by means of embroidery made on the surface of the padding coating or by inserting inlays or other similar decorative techniques consisting in composing figures or designs with the same or different materials which are fixed on the surface of the underlying coating, obtaining compositions with aesthetic effect or a recall of the manufacturer or other customizations.

It is also known that in some cases luminous devices are used and applied on the edges of motor vehicle seats, in order to highlight the profile thereof, or as a reference for seatings, while in the sector of bicycles or the like in some cases it is provided that in the saddles luminous elements are introduced that act as a reference for rear visibility for the vehicles arriving during circulation in the evening or at night.

In this case, the luminous devices that protrude outward from a body partially inserted in the bicycle saddles, are aimed at emergency lighting.

Other traced solutions involve the use of luminous or luminescent elements that protrude from the seats of road vehicles, but also from seats or armchairs of aircraft or the like or that can be used in public environments such as cinemas, theatres or the like, in order to identify the location thereof also in the darkness.

These solutions involve the use of luminous or luminescent elements that fit by interlocking into the paddings but remaining distinct therefrom, so that the luminous elements protrude outside.

Some examples of prior art are known from documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>. <CIT> is the closest prior art.

The present invention proposes to make available an apparatus provided with at least one luminous element made in such a way as to allow viewing a luminous symbol through the soft surface of the padding coating of the seat or of a saddle or the like of a vehicle or the like, thus creating a condition capable of overcoming the limits highlighted above relating to known solutions.

In particular, the invention aims to provide a construction method for realizing saddles, seats or the like which provides for the possibility of viewing a luminous symbol with well-defined contours, which shines through the surface of the coating.

Another object of the invention is that of realizing a luminous symbol provided with a diffuser support, made in soft and transparent material, which remains completely embedded in the seat padding, maintaining the perfect homogeneous consistency of the surface.

This is achieved by means of a seat comprising an apparatus adapted to realize luminous symbols thereon, the characteristics of which are described in the independent claim <NUM>, and a process according to claim <NUM>.

The dependent claims of the present solution outline advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The main advantages of this solution concern the possibility of realizing saddles or seats provided with a particular perfectly integrated luminous symbol, therefore imperceptible under normal daylight conditions when it can be kept turned off, and perfectly viewable under conditions of darkness or limited ambient light when activated, producing a particular and surprising aesthetic effect of sure impact for the viewer.

A further advantage offered by the luminous symbol according to the invention is that it can be inserted both during the new step of realization of the seat or saddle or the like, or be inserted as a modification in existing saddles, possibly making the necessary changes to the materials of which the padding or the coating is made.

It is also envisaged that the symbol is made by preparing a luminous area whose outermost part located below the coating can be suitably treated with contours defined by suitable inks, or with pre-shaped blackout templates or the like, in order to obtain the design of the symbol without excessively affecting the costs of realization.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is also provided that the light source is represented by one or more LEDs of the polychromatic type which can create even more surprising light effects on the symbol to be viewed.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention provided by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the drawings illustrated in the appended tables of drawings, in which:.

With reference to the attached figures, and initially in particular to <FIG> and <FIG>, <NUM> generally denotes a saddle, seat, armchair, sofa or the like, comprising a padding <NUM> and at least one coating layer <NUM>.

In particular, the padding <NUM> is generally made of polyurethane foam by moulding in a foaming machine, which solidifies once injected into a thermoregulated mould.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is envisaged that, as shown in <FIG>, for the production of the polyurethane foam of the padding <NUM> a mould is used in which a seat <NUM> is formed into which a containment body <NUM> of a light source <NUM>, and of the activation and diffusion means thereof indicated as a whole with <NUM> are inserted in use.

With reference to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the light source assembly <NUM> comprises a support <NUM> associated with a base <NUM> adapted to contain electrical components for the activation of said light source <NUM>, which remain closed inside a lid <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, made of transparent material.

The support <NUM> is provided with a plurality of holes <NUM>' which allow the support itself to remain embedded in the base of said containment body <NUM>.

An electrical circuit <NUM> in turn comprising said light source <NUM>, which is of the LED type or the like, is applied on said base <NUM> of the support <NUM>.

It is also provided that the electrical circuit <NUM> is equipped with a module <NUM> for transceiving pulses and remote controls wirelessly.

According to a preferred embodiment, this module can be of the BT or BLE type, i.e. Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy, or other type of wireless module according to the needs.

The lid <NUM> has the function of closing on the base <NUM> and of keeping the electrical components placed in its inside sealed.

The lid <NUM>, made of transparent material, is provided with a semi-spherical lens <NUM>, also transparent, whose centre is placed on the same axis perpendicular to the base <NUM> passing through the centre of the light-emitting element <NUM>, in order to allow the propagation of light around <NUM>°.

The electrical components described above are connected by cable to an independent power supply source or to a power socket connected to the vehicle circuit to which they are associated.

According to the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the containment body <NUM> has an extension orthogonal to the covering layer <NUM> which runs from the source <NUM> up to the coating layer <NUM> to guide the light emitted by the source <NUM> up to said covering layer <NUM>. In practice it is a single body that defines a single (silicone) layer of light guide and not a plurality of layers.

The aforesaid containment body <NUM>, which is made by moulding soft and transparent material, has a prismatic or cylindrical conformation or other three-dimensional shape that is more suitable according to the requirements, the base of which can be associated with the support <NUM> of the light source group <NUM> with the above-described activation and diffusion means thereof indicated as a whole with <NUM>.

According to the embodiment shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the containment body <NUM> has an enlarged area <NUM> opposite to the support <NUM> so as to define a "mushroom" shape.

The seat <NUM> of the padding <NUM> also has a respective enlargement <NUM> having dimensions corresponding to those of the aforesaid enlarged area <NUM>, so that the containment body <NUM> together with the light group <NUM> can be inserted into the seat <NUM> collimating perfectly as if to become a single body.

In other words, the enlarged area <NUM> of the containment body <NUM>, by matching with the widening <NUM> of the seat <NUM>, allows the two assembled components to form a single body practically of the same consistency and with the surface area placed at the same level, without solution of continuity.

More specifically, from the constructive point of view, the containment body <NUM> is made by pouring transparent silicone gel into a mould where the light source group <NUM> has been previously positioned, so that the support <NUM> provided with the holes <NUM>', together with the components of the light source group <NUM>, remains embedded in the base of the containment body <NUM>, so as to form a single body, in such a manner that the light emitted by the source <NUM> can be perfectly diffused in the containment body <NUM>.

It should be noted that the transparency gradient of the containment body <NUM> can be any, even if it is preferable to use a material that is not completely transparent but opal, so that the light on the surface is perfectly homogeneous.

The coating layer <NUM> is designed to coat the padding <NUM> in which the containment body <NUM> is inserted and, in order to allow the light diffused through the containment body <NUM> to be viewed from the outside, it is made of a special material that is permeable to light.

According to the invention, the coating layer <NUM> is made of fabric or other suitable material which allows the passage of the light rays emitted by the source <NUM> diffused through the lens <NUM> and through the containment body <NUM>.

Additionally, the coating layer <NUM> is entirely made of fabric or other suitable material which allows the passage of light rays (preferably spreadable PVC).

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, represented in <FIG> and <FIG>, the inner side of the coating <NUM> is treated with an ink layer <NUM> opaque to light rays, preferably only at the containment body <NUM> from which the light comes where the symbol to be viewed is defined.

Said ink layer can be obtained from a design formed by transparent areas alternating with opaque areas, according to a conformation that represents the symbol to be viewed through the coating <NUM>.

In this way, from the outside on the coating <NUM> no surface differences or micro-perforations visible to the human eye appear (even with the light source <NUM> turned off) since:.

Alternatively, the ink layer <NUM> can also be realized by producing labels obtained by printing or by laser cutting opaque layers which are shaped with a design corresponding to the desired symbol to be viewed.

In other words, the coating layer <NUM> is associated with the emitting side of the transparent body <NUM> and said layer <NUM> of material applied on the inner side of the coating <NUM> facing the padding, has some opaque areas to block the light at some areas and let it pass at others.

The assembly of the components described above, as shown in <FIG>, involves the following steps:.

According to one embodiment of the invention, in order to realize the containment body <NUM> a mould comprising a counter-shape having a conformation of the light-emitting group <NUM> which is inserted together with the support (<NUM>) with circuitry <NUM> and LED <NUM> is used, the silicone mould is filled and the solidification thereof is awaited.

Claim 1:
A seat comprising an apparatus for realizing a luminous symbol comprising:
a padding (<NUM>) in soft material and a coating layer (<NUM>) adapted to be applied above said padding (<NUM>), a light source and a containment body (<NUM>) of said light source (<NUM>), in use, positioned inside a seat (<NUM>) obtained in said padding (<NUM>); said containment body (<NUM>) being made of transparent and soft material so as to let the light rays emitted by said light source (<NUM>) pass outside said containment body towards said coating layer (<NUM>); said containment body (<NUM>) being made as a solid body and defining a single layer;
said padding defining said seat (<NUM>) which is counter-shaped with respect to said containment body (<NUM>) in which the latter is inserted;
characterized in that said coating (<NUM>) has an inner surface thereof on which a covering layer (<NUM>) which is opaque to light rays is applied wherein, at an area thereof adjacent to said containment body (<NUM>), it defines a design of said luminous symbol with an alternation of areas that are transparent to the luminous rays with respect to said opaque areas;
said coating layer (<NUM>) is entirely made of a material which allows the passage of the light rays emitted by the source (<NUM>) through the containment body (<NUM>); wherein the coating layer (<NUM>) is entirely made of fabric or other suitable material which allows the passage of light rays and not only at the containment body (<NUM>) from which the light comes.