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Operator seat for an industrial vehicleOperator seat for an industrial vehicle description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060232118, Operator seat for an industrial vehicle. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 60/671,550, filed Apr. 14, 2005, and herein incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] Workers are commonly harnessed to safety straps, for example, while working high above the ground. In some situations the worker may sit in a chair and operate a vehicle while being harnessed to the safety strap. Unfortunately, the harness can be very uncomfortable and awkward to wear while sitting in the vehicle chair. The present invention addresses this and other problems associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0003] An operator seat on an industrial vehicle provides a recess in the seat back for receiving a safety harness or buckle. This allows an operator to comfortably sit in the operator seat while at that same time being attached to the safety harness. In one embodiment, the seat back may include piping that extends from or around the recess to further improve operator ergonomics. [0004] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial vehicle seat designed to be used while an operator is attached to a safety strap. [0006] FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat shown in FIG. 1. [0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of the seat shown in FIG. 1. [0008] FIG. 4 is a side view of the seat with an operator attached to a safety strap. [0009] FIG. 5 shows the operator sitting back in the seat while still attached to the safety strap. [0010] FIG. 6 is a top view showing the safety strap contained in a recess in the seat back. [0011] FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a folding seat in an upright folded position. [0012] FIG. 8 is a top view of the folding seat shown in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0013] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show a vehicle seat 12 that includes both a bottom seat 18 and a seat back 14. The covering for the seat 12 may be made out of fabric, leather, plastic, vinyl, or any type of material. The bottom seat 18 includes channels alternatively referred to as piping 20. The piping 20 includes separate fingers 20A, 20B, and 20C that all extend forward and then outward from a back end of bottom seat 18. [0014] Of particular interest is a recess 15 that extends vertically through the seat back 14. The recess 15 is alternatively referred to as a channel, groove, etc. The recess 15 can be any length, width, and depth, but in one embodiment is sized to contain a safety apparatus 40 (FIG. 4) that connects a vehicle operator to the vehicle. [0015] The seat back 14 has a substantially flat central surface area 19 (FIG. 2) that contains the recess 15. Rounded sides 17A and 17B then extend partially forward from the flat surface area 19. The seat back 14 and bottom seat 18 include a cushioning material, such as foam, that is contained within the seat covering material. The recess 15 is formed in the covering material and extends at least partially into the cushioning material. [0016] In one embodiment, the recess 15 extends substantially along most of the height of the seat back 14, around 1.5 feet, and has a width of approximately between 4 to 6 inches. The depth of recess 15 can vary at different vertical positions in the seat back 14 and in one example may be around 6 inches at the deepest portion at the lower end of seat back 14. The depth of recess 15 may be relatively deep towards the bottom of seat back 14 and may become shallower or taper towards the top of seat back 14. Of course this is only one example, and as mentioned above, the length, width, and depth of recess 15 can vary according to the type of safety device that needs to sit within the seat back 14. [0017] In one embodiment, piping 16A and 16B extend outward from the lateral sides of recess 15 towards opposite sides of the seat back 14. Other piping 16C extends from a first side of the seat back 14, around a bottom end of channel 15 and to an opposite end of the seat back 14. The piping 16 provides air circulation both into and out of the channel 15 and through other locations of the back seat 14. The piping 16 and 20 can be any length, width and depth, but in one embodiment may be around one inch wide and about 0.5 to 1.0 inches deep. The recess 15 in combination with piping 16 has the unexpected advantage of increasing ventilation along the height of the seat back 14 while at the same time providing support along the entire length of the operator's back regardless of whether or not the operator 30 (FIG. 5) is using the safety apparatus 40. [0018] The pre-formed piping 20 in the bottom seat 18, and piping 16 in the seat back 14, is also alternatively referred to as channels and provide greater operator comfort by allowing the seat surface to be more flexible and resilient as the operator compresses and decompresses the seat and as the operator moves in various directions during operation of the vehicle. The piping 16 and 20 also significantly increase breathability and comfort by reducing the overall surface contact with the operator and providing air channels to carry away operator sweat. [0019] FIG. 4 shows a first operator position where an operator 30 is sitting forward on bottom seat 18 and is connected to safety apparatus 40. The safety apparatus 40 includes a tether 32 having one end connected to a vehicle (not shown) such as a lift truck that is driven or operated by operator 30. The operator 30 may be connected to an opposite end of the tether 32 either with a waist belt 34 or a full body harness. The harness 34 is placed about the body of the operator 30 and is then connected to a bottom end of the tether 32 by means of a D-ring 37, or some other rigid connecting device. The bottom end of tether 32 may include a clamp 38 that connects with a harness ring 36 via D-ring 37. Connecting to tether 32 improves safety by holding the operator 30 to the vehicle when the vehicle is in an elevated position. [0020] Safety apparatus 40 includes D-ring 37, harness ring 36, clamp 38, harness 34 and tether 32 and is bulky and typically uncomfortable when the operator 30 sits down. For example, it could be painful for the operator 30 to lean back against a conventional seat back while attached to safety apparatus 40. To prevent this discomfort, the operator 30 may sit in the forward position shown in FIG. 4. However, this sitting position can also be uncomfortable and may increase operator fatigue. Continue reading about Operator seat for an industrial vehicle... Full patent description for Operator seat for an industrial vehicle Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Operator seat for an industrial vehicle patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Operator seat for an industrial vehicle or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Frame assembly for passenger seat Next Patent Application: Device for protecting passengers on the chairs of a chairlift Industry Class: Chairs and seats ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Operator seat for an industrial vehicle patent info. 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