US 6,003,950 · Granted 1999-12-21
The Ventilated Car Seat Patent That Sucks Away Summer Sweat
Imagine a car seat that actually breathes. This patent describes a clever system that pulls hot, sweaty air out of your seat cushion through tiny holes, then sucks it away with a vacuum-like device hidden underneath. It's the tech that keeps you from sticking to leather on a 95-degree day.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a ventilation system for chair seats consisting of an air-permeable fabric layer over the cushion, a specially designed insert with air channels sandwiched between the fabric and filling, and a suction device that pulls air through openings in both the fabric and insert. What's protected here is the specific way these layers work together—the insert acts as a duct that channels air away from the filling material itself, keeping the suction system isolated and efficient.
Why it matters
Ventilated seats have become a luxury feature in high-end cars, and this early patent helped establish the basic architecture for how automakers could offer active climate control for seating. By separating the air pathway from the filling material, the design makes the system more reliable and easier to manufacture than earlier attempts. For a company like Walinov, this patent represented a way to license the core technology to furniture and automotive manufacturers worldwide.
Real-world use
When you sit in a luxury car with climate-controlled seats on a hot day and feel air being gently pulled away from your back and legs, you're experiencing this patented ventilation system in action.
Original USPTO abstract
A device for ventilating chairs which has an air-permeable covering portion (13, 14) which is applied over the filling (7) of the chair, an insert (15; 59) located between the covering portion and the filling and a suction device (26) which through a system of suction openings in the covering (57, 60) and the insert (40, 56) evacuates the ventilating air. The insert (15) is joined with the covering (9) of the chair to an integrated unit, which is tightened against the filling (7), and from the insert (15) there extends a duct connection (40, 25) tightly separated from the filling, which leads the air to the suction device.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,003,950
- Filing date
- 1996-09-12
- Grant date
- 1999-12-21
- Assignee
- Walinov Ab
- Inventor(s)
- LARSSON; STEFAN GUNNAR
- CPC class
- B60N2/00
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