Interkal, Inc.

Other

American Seating Company

Vaughn L Clark

Keith A McDowell

A fire-resistant seating component. In a first embodiment, seat backs and pans are equipped with an enclosure containing a fire-retardant material which can flow out of early-release openings in the enclosure. The enclosure comprises at least one meltable zone which causes dispensation of the fire-resistant material at a temperature which is below the ignition temperature of the seating component. The enclosure is located at the lower portion of either a seat pan, a seat back, or both, so that burning rubbish such as paper cups and similar flammable debris disposed under a seat can be extinguished by the fire-retardant material as it flows vertically downward into the space beneath the seat. In a second embodiment, interior spaces within a seating component are coated or filled with non-combustible material to reduce the transfer of heat and the spread of fire. Such material may completely occupy the interior space within the component, or the material may simply coat the interior surfaces of the component. The non-combustible material may remain in contact, such as by adhesion, with the interior surfaces of the component to limit the amount of oxygen which comes into contact with the interior surfaces, thus limiting the tendency for the component to burn. Alternatively, the interior space within the component may be completely or partially filled with a highly heat absorbing material, such as water stabilized with a super absorbent polymer.

Fire retardant seating

A fire-resistant seating component. In a first embodiment, seat backs and pans are equipped with an enclosure containing a fire-retardant material which can flow out of early-release openings in the enclosure. The enclosure comprises at least one meltable zone which causes dispensation of the fire-resistant material at a temperature which is below the ignition temperature of the seating component. The enclosure is located at the lower portion of either a seat pan, a seat back, or both, so that burning rubbish such as paper cups and similar flammable debris disposed under a seat can be extinguished by the fire-retardant material as it flows vertically downwardly into the space beneath the seat. In a second embodiment, interior spaces within a seating component are coated or filled with non-combustible material to reduce the transfer of heat and the spread of fire. Such material may completely occupy the interior space within the component, or the material may simply coat the interior surfaces of the component. The non-combustible material may remain in contact, such as by adhesion, with the interior surfaces of the component to limit the amount of oxygen which comes into contact with the interior surfaces, thus limiting the tendency for the component to burn. Alternatively, the interior space within the component may be completely or partially filled with a highly heat absorbing material, such as water stabilized with a super absorbent polymer.

A vandal resistant upholstered seat or seat insert comprises a substrate formed of a hard material such as plastic, fiberglass, steel or the like; a vertical pile fabric having a non-coated backing covering the outer surface of the seat insert, with the vertical pile fabric including a plurality of generally upright fibers embedded in a backing material, with the fibers and the backing material being formed such that the backing and vertical fibers are accessible to a liquid adhesive applied to the underside of the backing material; and a layer of high-strength adhesive permeating the backing material from the underside and bonding securely the backing material and upright fibers to the substrate, the adhesive providing a fabric to substrate bond that exceeds the tensile strength of the fabric itself or has a peeling strength of at least twenty-five (25) pounds per inch width of fabric.

Growing community of inventors

Martin, MI, United States of America

Vaughn L Clark