Human body supporting structure, particularly bicycle saddle and method of making same
AssigneeSelle Royal S.P.A.
InventorStefano Segato
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSelle Royal S.P.A.
InventorStefano Segato
Estimating the term…
A human body supporting structure, particularly a bicycle saddle, includes a load-bearing shell having a topside designed to face towards a user and an underside designed to face a bicycle frame. The shell includes at least one continuous sheet element having at least one differently deformable portion located at particularly stressed regions of the user's body. The sheet element is formed of a thermoplastic resin matrix with reinforcement fibers embedded therein. The differently deformable portions have a smaller thickness (Si) and a locally greater average density (pi) than the rest of the extension of the shell, said portions are formed in a thermoforming step wherein a local thickness reduction is carried out by compression and by heating said sheet element to a temperature near the melting temperature of the thermoplastic matrix. A method of making such support structure is further provided.
A supporting structure, for a bicycle saddle and/or a seating surface of a chair, particularly for supporting parts of the human body, which comprises a load-bearing shell having a topside designed to face towards a user and an underside susceptible of being attached to a movable or stationary frame, wherein said shell comprises at least one continuous sheet element of predetermined extension, said at least one continuous sheet element having at least one differently deformable portion located at intensively stressed regions of the user's body and being formed of a resin matrix with reinforcement fibers embedded therein, wherein said resin matrix is of thermoplastic type, said at least one differently deformable portion having a smaller thickness (S1) and a locally greater average density (P1) as compared with the rest of its extension, thereby imparting to said continuous sheet element a higher mechanical strength and resilience at said at least one differently deformable portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.