US 5,076,643 · Granted 1991-12-31
The Adjustable Lumbar Support That Made Car Seats Actually Comfortable
Imagine a car seat backrest that can be customized to fit your spine perfectly by inflating or deflating an air bladder hidden inside. When you push on the seat, air releases and the support reshapes itself to match your body — no twisting knobs or confusing levers required.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a lumbar support system built into a seat backrest that uses a pneumatic (air-filled) bladder connected to a control valve. What's protected here is the specific mechanical arrangement: a rigid mounting member held by springs, a contoured plate that flexes to push the bladder into shape, guide rails that keep the plate aligned, and a remote-controlled valve that lets air escape when pressure is applied to the backrest, allowing the lumbar curve to adjust smoothly.
Why it matters
This patent solved a real pain point in automotive seating: most lumbar supports were either fixed one-size-fits-all designs or required clunky manual adjustment buttons and dials. By making the support respond pneumatically to force applied directly to the backrest, Lear created a more intuitive, seamless adjustment system that could theoretically work in any vehicle. The innovation positioned the company to capture a growing market for comfort features that could justify higher vehicle prices.
Real-world use
Every time you lean back in a luxury or mid-range car and feel the backrest subtly reshape to support your lower spine without reaching for controls, you're experiencing this patented technology in action.
Original USPTO abstract
A lumbar support assembly for a seat having a seat frame and a backrest. The assembly (10) includes a rigid mounting member (18) within the seat frame (14) supported by a plurality of springs (28) or alternatively by integral clips (58). A pneumatic bladder (32) is supported on the mounting member (18) by a plurality of fasteners (61). A contoured plate (42) is disposed adjacent the mounting member (18) and the bladder (32) is supported between the contoured plate (42) and the mounting member (18), as the bowed contoured plate (42) urges the bladder (32) toward the inflated position. A plurality of guides (30) are disposed upon the mounting member (18) and are adapted to slideably receive a plurality of fingers (56) integrally disposed on the contoured plate (42). A pneumatic tube (34) extends from the bladder (32) to a normally closed pneumatic control valve (36) which is attached to any remote location. Upon opening of the valve (36) the inflated bladder (32) adjusts toward a deflated state as air is released in response to force being applied to the backrest (16) allowing for incremental adjustments in contour.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,076,643
- Filing date
- 1990-08-20
- Grant date
- 1991-12-31
- Assignee
- Lear Seating Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- COLASANTI; ARDUINO, ZIMMER; PAUL J.
- CPC class
- B60N2/665
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