US 5,398,393 AGranted

Seat cushion and cover assembly apparatus

AssigneeLabor Aiding Systems, Inc.

InventorStephen E. Bentschneider

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Abstract

Assembly apparatus for assembling a compressible foam cushion and a flexible cover having favorable ergonomic characteristics. The apparatus includes a plate supporting the inverted cushion top having a flexible cover preliminarily positioned thereto, and a second plate engages the inverted cover bottom. A linear motor raises and lowers the second plate to selectively compress the cushion, and cover engaging rollers lift the cover adjacent the cushion sides during cushion compression to permit the cover to be attached to the cushion bottom. The cover engaging rollers are operated by a linear motor and are adjustable transverse to the direction of cushion compression to permit accommodation of various cushion configurations, and the cushion supporting plates are rotatable by a motor and selectively restrained against rotation by a brake to permit all sides of the cushion to be enclosed by the cover.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A cushion and cover assembly apparatus for assembling a flexible cover upon a compressible foam cushion having sides, a top, a bottom and a fastener receiving member incorporated into the cushion adjacent the cushion bottom comprising, in combination, a frame having a longitudinal axis, a first plate for engaging the cushion top mounted on said frame, a second plate for engaging the cushion bottom mounted on said frame, said plates being in spaced opposed relationship for receiving a cushion therebetween having a flexible cover preliminarily positioned adjacent the cushion top, cushion compression means mounted on said frame operatively associated with at least one of said plates for selectively displacing the associated plate in the axial direction of said frame to compress the cushion, cover engaging and displacing means mounted on said frame adjacent said first plate adapted to engage the cushion cover and selectively translate the cushion cover along the cushion sides toward the cushion bottom in a direction substantially parallel to the frame axis, a cover engaging and displacing means actuator mounted on said frame operatively connected to said cover engaging and displacing means displaceable between cover displacement and retracted positions, and control means operating said cushion compression means and said actuator.

A cushion and cover assembly apparatus for assembling a flexible cover upon a compressible foam cushion having sides, a top, a bottom and a fastener receiving member incorporated into the cushion adjacent the cushion bottom comprising, in combination, a frame having a vertical axis, an upper region and a lower region, a first shaft rotatably mounted on said frame lower region having a vertically oriented axis coincident with said frame axis, a first plate mounted upon said first shaft adapted to support the top of an inverted foam cushion having a cover preliminarily positioned thereon, a second shaft rotatably mounted on said frame upper region having a vertically oriented axis coincident with said first shaft axis, a second plate mounted on said second shaft in vertically opposed relation to said first plate adapted to engage the bottom of an inverted foam cushion supported on said first plate, a second shaft linear motor mounted on said frame upper region operatively connected to said second shaft to selectively axially translate said second shaft and said second plate between a raised retracted position and a lowered cushion compression position, cushion cover engaging and displacing means movably mounted on said frame lower region adjacent said first plate vertically movable between a lowered retracted position and a raised cover lifting position locating the cushion cover adjacent the cushion sides upon the cushion being compressed between said plates, a cover engaging and displacing means actuator mounted on said frame lower region selectively moving said means between said lower and raised positions, and controls mounted on said frame controlling said linear motor and said actuator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.