Patent ID: 7406733

Claim:
A load bearing surface for a body supporting application comprising: a support structure; an elastomeric seating surface secured to said support structure, said seating surface including an initial contact portion being deflectable under a load in accordance with a first deflection profile and a support portion deflectable under a load in accordance with a second deflection profile; and wherein at least one of said initial contact portion and said support portion is an elastomeric fabric having a plurality of elastomeric filaments extending in a first direction, said elastomeric fabric mounted to said support structure in a stretched condition wherein said elastomeric filaments are stretched in said first direction, said support portion including a plurality of undulations in said fabric extending in a second direction different from said first direction, said initial contact portion and said support portion cooperatively define an overall deflection profile for the load bearing surface, whereby an increasing number of said elastomeric filaments become engaged as a load increasingly deflects said elastomeric fabric.