US 5,106,161 · Granted 1992-04-21
The Seat That Breathes: Grammer's Air-Cooled Cushion Patent
Imagine a car or airplane seat that actually cools you down by pumping air through tiny holes. This patent describes a cushion with hidden air channels hidden beneath the surface, so air flows through the seat back and lets hot spots breathe without visible vents ruining the design.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a cushion assembly—like the backrest or seat bottom of a chair or vehicle seat—that includes a basic structural element, a removable cover, and a hidden cavity between them. What's protected is the specific arrangement of conical depressions and apertures that allow air to flow from the cavity into the cushion surface through small, strategically placed holes. Anyone manufacturing an air-cooled seat cushion using this same hidden-cavity-and-aperture system would need permission from Grammer.
Why it matters
Before this patent, seat ventilation either used obvious external vents or was simply not available in premium seating. Grammer's design lets luxury car and airplane seat manufacturers offer cooling comfort while keeping the cushion looking clean and seamless—a competitive advantage in high-end automotive and aerospace interiors where aesthetics matter as much as function.
Real-world use
When you sit in a luxury car with ventilated seats that feel cool without visible grates, you're likely experiencing technology descended from this air-channeling design hidden inside the cushion padding.
Original USPTO abstract
A cushion portion for the squab or the backrest of a seat with an air-conditioning zone comprises a basic element and a cover element disposed in an opening in the basic element. A cavity provided between the basic element and the cover element is in fluid communication with the top side of the cushion portion through a plurality of spaced-apart apertures extending through the cover element in conical depressions therein. Further apertures provide a fluid communication with the cavity at the edge of the basic element or the cover element.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,106,161
- Filing date
- 1990-08-27
- Grant date
- 1992-04-21
- Assignee
- Grammer Ag
- Inventor(s)
- MEILLER; HERMANN
- CPC class
- A47C7/742
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