Seat skinning apparatus and method

A mechanism for aiding an operator to skin a pillow-type membrane cover having an open end and an apex opposite the open end, the open end having a front portion and a rear portion, onto a polymeric foam vehicle seat body comprising:

• a frame;
• means to releasably hold a front portion of the end of the cover in a generally horizontal orientation with an apex of the cover extending vertically downward;
• means to releasably hold a rear portion of the end of the cover in a generally horizontal orientation spaced from the front portion of the cover end providing an opening in the cover;
• a first reaction member moved by a first cylinder in a generally horizontal direction for compressing the seat cover and the vehicle seat body in a generally horizontal direction;
• and
• a bottom plate with side arms, the side arms having sheeting strip support surfaces, the bottom plate also having operatively associated flexible strips having a first fixed end connected with the frame and a second free end placed over the sheeting strip support surface and into the cover before an operator insertion of the vehicle seat body into the cover, and the bottom plate and side arms being connected with a pop-up cylinder for extending the vehicle seat body upward from the mechanism after the operator insertion of the seat body into the cover, allowing the sheeting strips to be pulled out of the cover.

A method for skinning a membrane pillow-type cover with an open end with front and rear portions and an apex opposite the open end onto a predefined form polymeric foam vehicle seat body comprising:

• holding the front end portion of the cover in a generally horizontal fixed orientation with an apex of the cover extending vertically downward;
• holding the rear end portion of the cover in a generally horizontal fixed orientation spaced from the front end portion providing an opening in the cover;
• inserting the vehicle seat body into the cover in a generally downward direction;
• and
• compressing the vehicle seat body within the cover in a generally horizontal direction, by reducing the thickness of the vehicle seat body after said vehicle seat body is inserted into said cover while the front end portion and the rear end portion of the cover are held in a horizontally fixed position, than allowing the cover to be closed upon the vehicle seat body after releasing the front and rear portion of the cover.