US 6,062,641 · Granted 2000-05-16
The Ventilated Car Seat Patent That Keeps You Cool All Summer
Imagine a car seat that actually breathes air at you while you're sitting in it. This patent describes a seat cushion with hidden air vents that pump temperature-controlled air directly onto your back and bottom, so you don't stick to the leather on hot days.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a seat cushion with built-in air channels that run from underneath the cushion up through to the surface where you sit, connected to an air-producing device (like a fan or air pump) that can blow either warm or cool air through those channels. What's protected here is the specific arrangement of the cushion, the vents, the grooves on the sitting surface, and the system for routing temperature-controlled air through the entire assembly.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a real comfort problem in cars: hot, sweaty seats in summer and cold, stiff seats in winter. By integrating climate control directly into the seat structure itself, manufacturers can offer luxury comfort features without adding a separate air-conditioning system. Aisin Seiki, a major automotive supplier, was able to lock down this approach and license it to car makers wanting to compete on premium comfort features.
Real-world use
High-end luxury cars from the late 1990s onward began offering ventilated and heated seats; whenever you adjust the temperature dial on a modern car seat, you're using technology descended from this patent's core concept.
Original USPTO abstract
A seat apparatus includes a seat cushion, a seat back associated with the seat cushion, an air vent extending from the bottom side of the cushion towards the sitting side of the cushion, and an air producing device which blows air, preferably temperature controlled air, to the air vent and to a groove facing the sitting side of the cushion. The seat apparatus is thus able to distribute air, preferably temperature controlled air, to the seated individual.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,062,641
- Filing date
- 1998-11-10
- Grant date
- 2000-05-16
- Assignee
- Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventor(s)
- SUZUKI; SEIJI, NAKANE; HIDETOSHI, ITAKURA; MASATO, INAYOSHI; TOSHIHIRO
- CPC class
- B60N2/5635
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