EP0008986B1 - Method and means for covering stuffing with an upholstery sheet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to a method and to a button allowing the habilge by a trim sheet such as fabric or leather for example of a padding such as seat seating, backrests, decorative panels, bedding or soundproofing panels .

The dressing process concerned by the invention is of the type according to which the trim sheet is kept suitably stretched and pleated by buttons which are kept pressed against the padding in which they print a hollow part. These processes are well known and used by upholsterers. Usually, the button which is dressed so as to harmonize with the trim sheet has on its rear face a ring in which the upholsterer passes a cord which he comes to anchor by means of an upholsterer needle on the face of the padding opposite to that which receives the trim sheet, a counter-button being frequently used to ensure the correct anchoring of the cord under the padding.

This classic process is appreciated because it gives an aesthetic appearance called "upholsterer" to the coating thus produced. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of being relatively slow and delicate to execute, requiring specialized labor. In other words, this artisanal process is very expensive.

Also known, from Australian Patent No. 56,880, buttons for attaching a trim sheet to a padding, which buttons give said sheet a hollow and pleated appearance at the buttons, as shown above.

According to this patent, the buttons initially have a fabric covering and may include a small ring through which a cord is passed allowing the button to be fixed on the trim sheet and the padding, so that one is once again in the presence of an artisanal and expensive process as indicated above.

The buttons according to this patent may also include one or more integral rods passing through the trim sheet and the padding. And to fix the button, the rods are turned over on the other side of the padding, or there is provided some stop device mounted on the rod end protruding from the padding. Again, this is an artisanal method that requires time, expert manpower and is therefore expensive.

Finally, the aforementioned Australian patent provides an independent washer with teeth, interposed between the button and the trim sheet, and capable of being anchored on said sheet under the effect of the pressure of the button. Such a washer, anchored in the lining around the orifice traversed by the rods of the button, has the advantage of "retaining" the lining and of preventing it from being torn at the level of this orifice, which can obviously be produce if there is a lining made of a fragile material.

But such a washer, independent of the button, constitutes an additional accessory for mounting the button, so that in total, the manipulation of this washer and its prior mounting on the button fixing rod (s), give it a high price and a long assembly time.

The invention aims to remedy all the above drawbacks and proposes a new method for achieving the desired "upholsterer" effect, by the use of industrializable means much more economical than known artisanal methods. In addition, it is even possible, according to the invention, to accentuate the “upholsterer effect obtained by the previous methods by creating around the button placed more pronounced folds of the trim sheet than when it is simply stretched by the upholstered button handcrafted.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a method of covering a padding sheet with padding on which said sheet is kept suitably stretched and pleated with buttons which are kept pressed against the padding in which they print a part. hollow, characterized in that each button is produced in two parts, a first part of the button is placed under the lining which is folded around and under this part, the second part of the button is locked under the first part by enclosing between said two parts of the button a portion of trim surrounding said first part of the button and folded under it, and said second part is positioned on the padding in order to then anchor or hang it in said padding.

When the dressing is carried out in this way, it therefore appears that the button is covered on the visible face of the upholstered article, seat or the like, by a very part of the trim sheet, which makes it possible to use a one and the same simple standard button devoid of any coating to obtain the desired upholstery effect with buttons coated automatically in the same shade as the trim sheet itself since they are in fact on their visible face covered by this sheet.

The invention also relates to a button for implementing the method meeting the above-mentioned characteristics, characterized in that it comprises a first aforementioned part in the form of a flat button comprising on the one hand teeth or hooks capable of to hang in said trim portion folded under said face, and on the other hand a complementary locking means of another locking means carried by said second part of the button opposite its end which forms a harpoon, said locking means ensuring the connection of the two parts of the button, and said second part further comprising a surface against which said teeth or hooks of the first part come to bear when the two parts of the button are locked together.

According to another characteristic of the button of the invention, the bearing surface of said second button part is elastically deformable and comprises teeth or hooks cooperating with the teeth or hooks of the first part.

According to yet another characteristic of this button, the cooperating locking means of said two button parts are constituted by an axial bead formed on one of the parts which is force fitted into an axial bore formed in the other part.

We will also add here that in order to ensure good hooking of the harpoon in the padding, it is provided with a frame, a trellis, a resistant canvas, a panel pierced with holes or the like, through the mesh of which or from which can anchor said harpoons. If one chooses the mesh of the mesh, the reinforcement or similar sufficiently tight, one thus obtains a perfect positioning of the button and one avoids any local fatigue of the quilting by distributing well the traction force on all the surface of the mesh used and it avoids the tearing of the buttons. Thus, the upholstered object is better held over time, in particular in the case of motor vehicle seats subjected to particularly accentuated fatigue stresses.

• La figure 1 est une vue en coupe faite à travers un bouton conçu selon l'invention et maintenant en place une feuille de garniture sur la matelassure par exemple d'un siège tout en assurant le plissement de la feuille de garniture autour du bouton ;
• la figure 2 montre en coupe la partie du bouton illustrée à la figure 1 et autour de laquelle sera pincée une portion de la feuille de garniture ;
• la figure 3 montre en coupe l'autre partie formant harpon du bouton et coopérant avec la partie de bouton illustrée à la figure 2 ;
• la figure 4 montre en coupe une première phase du processus de mise en place du bouton sous la garniture ;
• les figures 5 et 6 montrent comme la figure 4 deux phases successives de la mise en place du bouton sous la garniture ;
• la figure 7 montre, vu par-dessous, une garniture équipée d'un certain nombre de boutons ;
• la figure 8 montre une matelassure repérée prête à recevoir la garniture équipée des boutons de la figure 7 ;
• la figure 9 montre en coupe, sensiblement selon un plan IX-IX des figures 7 et 8, le siège après mise en place des boutons ;
• la figure 10 illustre un siège pour véhicule tapissé selon l'invention.

The invention will appear more clearly with the aid of the description which follows, made with reference to the appended drawings, which gives, by way of illustration only, an embodiment of the invention. In these drawings:

• Figure 1 is a sectional view through a button designed according to the invention and holding in place a trim sheet on the padding for example of a seat while ensuring the folding of the trim sheet around the button;
• Figure 2 shows in section the part of the button illustrated in Figure 1 and around which will be pinched a portion of the trim sheet;
• Figure 3 shows in section the other harpoon part of the button and cooperating with the button part illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figure 4 shows in section a first phase of the process of placing the button under the trim;
• Figures 5 and 6 show like Figure 4 two successive phases of the establishment of the button under the trim;
• Figure 7 shows, seen from below, a trim fitted with a number of buttons;
• Figure 8 shows a padding marked ready to receive the trim fitted with the buttons of Figure 7;
• Figure 9 shows in section, substantially along a plane IX-IX of Figures 7 and 8, the seat after placement of the buttons;
• FIG. 10 illustrates a seat for an upholstered vehicle according to the invention.

We will firstly refer to FIG. 1 in which we see a lining or lining sheet 1, for example of fabric, leather or synthetic covering, which comes to cover a padding 2 which can be constituted for example of synthetic foam, vegetable or animal matter, armed or not with springs for example for the constitution of a seat base.

At the place of the cut made in FIG. 1, the trim sheet 1 is pressed against the padding 2 by means of a button which essentially consists of a first part 3 and a second part 4. The first part 3 or head of the button which appears on the top of the upholstered piece, is for the most part covered and coated in the lining 1. More specifically, a portion 1a of the lining is folded under the head 3 of the button and is pinched between this part 3 of the button and the surface 4a opposite part 4 of the button.

More precisely, and as it appears more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower face 3a of the head 3 of the button comprises teeth 3b which engage and wedge the lining 1 against the surface 4a of the part 4 of the button , which surface also advantageously has teeth or cooperating hooks 4b.

On the other hand, it appears that the part 4 of the button has at its upper part an axial bead 4c which engages by forcibly snapping into an axial bore 3c suitably formed from the head 3 of the button. When the locking is ensured in the position illustrated in FIG. 1, the trim sheet 1, leather, fabric or synthetic covering, is strongly pinched and pinched elastically by the teeth 3b, 4b of the two parts of the button and by a certain elastic deformation of the surface 4a of the plate 4d of the button part 4. The two parts of the button are advantageously made of a light plastic material molded with suitable mechanical properties of resistance and elasticity.

It also appears that the part 4 of the button is extended under the plate 4d and, axially, by a rod 4e which ends in a harpoon 4f with two hooks in the example illustrated.

The length of the rod 4e is calculated so that when the button locked under the lining 1 is pushed through the padding 2, the harpoon crosses and hangs under a frame, a trellis, a resistant canvas, a pierced panel of holes or the like 6 suitably positioned in the padding and for example under it, ensuring the desired penetration of the padding at this location to give the effect "upholsterer sought.

The trellis or frame 6 can for example be produced by a weft of synthetic or metallic wires or a suitable resistance fabric or by a rigid or semi-rigid panel. The trellis ou.armature can constitute a structural element such as the bottom of a seat or a decorative support.

The positioning of the button under the lining will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

To put the button under the lining, the head 3 of the button is placed under the lining, at the desired location, and this part 3 of the button under the lining is pushed, as illustrated in FIG. 4, through a orifice 7 of a matrix 8. The thickness of the matrix is chosen so as to leave a certain portion of the lining entrained in orifice 7 under the head 3 of the button, over a depth e.

Then, as illustrated in Figure 5, we push against the die 8 and in the axis of the orifice 7, the second part of the button 4 which comes with its plate 4d hold in place the lining 1 around the orifice 7 .

It then suffices, as illustrated in FIG. 6, to push back according to arrow 9, the head 3 of the button against the part 4 to ensure the mutual locking of the parts 4c, 3c of the button while pinching and making captive between the two parts of the button close together and locked the portion 1a of the lining which had been previously reserved in the orifice 7 of the matrix.

To make the upholstered article, for example a seat cushion, it is therefore sufficient first of all to provide the upholstery or cover of the seat, at the places previously and suitably marked 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7, with the number of buttons desired by following the implementation process which has just been described.

In FIG. 7, five buttons 11 have been located, four locations 10 still having to receive buttons. It is clear that by having a matrix of suitable shape and dimensions, the operation of fitting all the buttons on the surface of the entire cap can be done simultaneously.

When the cap or trim has been suitably provided with all of its buttons, each with their harpoon, it suffices to present the cap thus equipped above the padding of the seat suitably marked as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 8. It suffices to apply each harpoon of each button 11 through the padding 2 at the place indicated by the marks 12.

The finished seat is thus obtained as illustrated in section in FIG. 9 with the harpoons of each button 11 coming to anchor under the fabric 6, arranged in the example illustrated, under the padding.

In Figure 10, we can see the aesthetic appearance obtained by using the buttons according to the invention with a very pronounced accentuation of the "upholsterer" effect sought.

Claims (5)

1. Method of covering a stuffing (2) with a cover sheet (1), on which said cover sheet (1) is maintained in a conveniently stretched and folded state by buttons (3, 4, 11) which are maintained in a pressed condition against the stuffing (2) in which they produce a hollow zone, characterized by the steps of realizing each button with two parts (3, 4), placing a first part (3) of the button under the sheet which is folded around and under said part, locking the second part (4) of the button under the first part (3) by enclosing between said two button parts (3, 4) a sheet portion (1a) surrounding said first part of the button and folded back under it, and positioning on said stuffing said second part (4) for anchoring and hooking it in said stuffing.

2. Button for putting into practice the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a first part (3) in form of a flat button comprising on its under-face (3a) teeth and hooks (3b) capable of becoming hooked in said sheet portion (1a) which is folded back under said face (3a) and a locking means (3c) complementary to another locking means (4c) supported by the second button part (4) in opposite to its end which constitutes a harpoon (4f), said locking means ensuring the connection of the two button parts (3, 4), and the second part (4) comprises further a surface (4a) against which the said teeth or hooks (3b) of the first part (3) will abut when the two parts (3, 4) of the button are connected together.

3. Button according to claim 2, characterized in that said surface (4a) for supporting said second button part (4) is resiliantly deformable and comprises teeth or hooks (4b) co-operating with the teeth or hooks (3b) of the first part (3).

4. Button according to any of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the locking means (3c, 4c) cooperating with one another of the two button parts (3, 4) are formed by an axial wad (4c) formed on one of the parts, which is introduced by force in an axial hole (3c) made in the other part.

5. Seat the stuffing of which comprises buttons according to any of the claims 2 to 4.

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