# US 10,864,833 B2 · Rigid carpet vehicle seat backer arrangement and vehicle seat with rigid carpet seat backer arrangement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,833 B2 - Document ID: US10864833B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/263,423 - Filed: 2019-01-31 - Published: 2019-08-15 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-09 - Assignees: Adient Engineering and IP GmbH - Applicants: Adient Engineering and IP GmbH - Inventors: Liviu Rus; Dorel Baciu; Gregory Steinke; Matt Romak - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864833B2 ## CPC - B60N 2/5825: {by hooks, staples, clips, snap fasteners or the like} - B60N 2/5891: {characterised by the manufacturing process; manufacturing seat coverings not otherwise provided for} - B60N 2/6009: {covering more than only the seat} - B60N 2/686: {Panel like structures} - B60N 3/046: {characterised by the fixing means} - B60N 2/3011: {the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"} - B60N 2002/363: {characterised by provisions for enhancing the cargo floor surface, e.g. elements closing gaps or enlarging the back-rest surface} - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly includes a carpet piece and resin/fiber material joined and molded to form a resin/fiber backer panel of a defined shape. A flexible toe-kick portion is provided a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion. A method includes providing a carpet piece cut to a size and shape and a sized resin/fiber panel material. The resin/fiber panel material is heated and placed with a top section of the carpet in a molding press to fuse them together. A shaped assembly is then formed with flanges which are inserted in channels of a seat. A polypropylene reinforcement sheet is attached to a lower section of the carpet that was not subjected to the molding press. Elastic bands are sewn to the lower edge of the backer assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly comprising: a carpet piece with a predefined carpet perimeter contour and comprising an upper carpet portion and a lower carpet portion; and a resin/fiber material, the upper carpet portion and the resin/fiber material being joined and molded to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape, wherein the lower carpet portion is not joined with the resin/fiber material and forms a flexible toe-kick portion with a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion, wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of the defined shape is formed by at least partially heating the resin/fiber material and molding at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material together with the upper carpet portion to press together and fuse together at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material and the upper carpet portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1, wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion includes an at least semi ridged back panel surface and an at least semi ridged outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the back panel surface and extending away from the back panel surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible carpet reinforcement, wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement is connected to the lower carpet portion to form a reinforcement backing for the flexible toe-kick portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 3, wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement comprises polypropylene reinforcement material sewn to an inner surface of the lower carpet portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 3, wherein edges of the lower carpet portion are hemmed over the flexible carpet reinforcement to provide a hemmed over portion sewn to the flexible carpet reinforcement and sewn to a front side of the carpet piece. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1, further comprising elastic bands sewn to a lower edge of the flexible lower carpet portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1, further comprising push pins fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 7, wherein the lower edge of the resin/fiber material is not fused to the upper carpet portion in a region of the push pins, whereby the not fused resin/fiber material forms a backing material free edge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a flange element staked to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material. ### Claim 10 A vehicle seat comprising: a vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel; and a carpet backer assembly comprising: a carpet piece with a predefined carpet perimeter contour and comprising an upper carpet portion and a lower carpet portion; and a resin/fiber material, the upper carpet portion and the resin/fiber material being joined and molded to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape, wherein the lower carpet portion is not joined with the resin/fiber material and forms a flexible toe-kick portion with a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion, wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of the defined shape is formed by at least partially heating the resin/fiber material and molding at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material together with the upper carpet to press together and fuse together at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material and the upper carpet portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein: the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprises a peripheral channel; the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion includes an at least semi ridged back panel surface and an at least semi ridged outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the back panel surface and extending away from the back panel surface; the peripheral channel receives the rigid outer flange to position the vehicle seat carpet seat backer assembly relative to the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein: push pins are fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material; and the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprises push pin openings receiving the push pins fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber backer panel. ### Claim 13 A method comprising the steps of: providing carpet piece having a predetermined size and shape; providing a resin/fiber panel material having a predetermined size and shape; heating at least a portion of the resin/fiber panel material; placing at least an upper carpet portion of the carpet piece along with at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber panel material in a molding press and, with the molding press, pressing a backside of the carpet piece to the resin/fiber panel material in the molding press to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape; and removing the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion from the molding press. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, wherein the molding press includes a molding tool forming the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion with a back panel surface and a rigid outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and extending away from the back panel surface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14, further comprising: providing a vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprising a peripheral channel; placing the rigid outer flange in the peripheral channel extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion to position the vehicle seat carpet seat backer assembly relative to the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A method of forming a vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein: the lower edge of the resin/fiber material is not fused to the upper carpet portion, whereby a backing material free edge is formed; fixing push pins to the backing material free edge; providing the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel with push pin openings; and pushing the push pins into the push pin openings. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, wherein a lower carpet portion of the carpet piece is not placed in the molding press such that the lower carpet portion is flexible and is not fused to the resin/fiber material and further comprising the step of providing a flexible carpet reinforcement and attaching the flexible carpet reinforcement to the lower carpet portion to form reinforced flexible lower carpet portion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A method according to claim 17, wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement comprises polypropylene reinforcement material fixed to an inner surface of the carpet piece and further comprising hemming edges of the lower carpet portion over the backing to form a hemmed over portion that is sewn to the backing and to a front side of the carpet piece. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of: providing elastic bands; and sewing the elastic bands to a lower edge of the flexible lower carpet portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of providing a flange element staked to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material.