WO2007121766A1

WO2007121766A1 - Advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2007121766A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/003693
Authority: WO
Inventors: Georg Berger; Thomas Bulirsch
Original assignee: Inviseo Media Ltd
Priority date: 2006-04-21
Filing date: 2006-04-21
Publication date: 2007-11-01

Abstract

An advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle, comprising a seat cushion, a seat back, a supporting frame and a rear-side covering for the seat back, said seat back being provided with one of a recess in said rear-side covering or a pulldown table (32) which is articulatedly connected to the seat back, provided with a recess (44) on the side facing away from the seat back in the upright, folded away position of the pulldown table, said recess comprising an upper side wall (45), two lateral side walls and a lower side wall (46) as well as a bottom surface,- a slot (48) for receiving a tab or a flange (59) being provided in said upper side wall, the advertising system comprising in addition a receiving means for an advertising carrier in the form of a sheath consisting of a transparent cover plate (49), facing away from the seat back or the pulldown table, and a supporting wall (50) spaced from the cover plate (49), and sealed thereon except along the upper side where an insertion opening (51) for the introduction of the advertisement carrier is provided.

Description

,,ADVERTISING SYSTEM INCORPORATED INTO A SEAT ON A VEHICLE"

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle, said seat having a cushion, a seat back, a supporting frame as well as a rear-side covering for the seat back.

BACKGROUND ART

In the case of means of transport, in particular public means of transport, there is always the problem of passing information on to the passenger.

It is known, for example, to arrange information, particularly advertising information, on the outside of the means of transport, or in the ceiling area of it. Such information does, however, have the disadvantage that the passengers are not addressed intensively enough or do not have sufficient time to study the information in detail.

In order to address this problem the international patent application, published under international publication number WO 99/32016 discloses an advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle; consisting of an advertisement which is provided on a sheet that is preferably a thin layer of paper, cardboard, plastic or the like, wherein the advertisement may take the form of any conventional advertising which is typically in the nature of a picture, a drawing; a logo and a written word. The advertisement is mounted in the display position within a recess on a seat, which recess is configured to accept a tray table assembly. The tray table assembly consists of a wall which nests closely within the recess with the tray table assembly in a first position wherein a surface on the wall substantially fully blocks the advertisement as viewed from the rear of the seat. Through a linkage the tray table assembly is allowed to reposition to a second position wherein a surface, facing oppositely to the surface on the wall faces upwardly to provide a support for objects accessible to a passenger seated behind the seat. A repositionable catch maintains the tray table assembly in the first position. The advertisement on the back of the seat is viewable by a passenger sitting normally and facing forwardly in the following seat. The sheet is provided with a hook and loop type fastener element which allows the fastener element to directly adhere to the cloth layer defining the surface of the seat back. Accordingly the sheet can be placed in the display position by a simple press fit step without any modification of the seat. The fastener element can be suitably secured to the sheet as by an adhesive or by sewing. Two laterally spaced, vertically extending strips of the fastener element are applied to the sheet. This produces a stable mounting for the sheet, while facilitating its separation from the wall surface when the sheet is to be removed or replaced. This system is constructed so that maintenance crews can simply pull off sheets and effect a replacement thereon in a relatively simple operation.

However, since the advertisement is provided directly on a sheet that is a thin layer of paper, card board, plastic or the like, which is directly adhered to the back of the seat, it is exposed to pollution and damage by the passengers who can easily pull it off mischievously. Cleaning of the sheet is impossible without at the same time soiling and soaking the cloth of the seat back.

The object underlying the invention is therefore to create an advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle which can easily be cleaned without soiling and soaking the advertising sheet nor the cloth of a seat back of a seat on a vehicle, of which the advertising sheet can be easily replaced, while being protected against pollution and against mischievous manipulation by the passengers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention in an advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle in that it comprises a seat cushion, a seat back, a supporting frame and a rear-side covering for the seat back, said seat back being provided with one of a recess in said rear-side covering or a pulldown table which is articulatedly connected to the seat back and provided with a recess on the side facing away from the seat back in the upright, folded away position of the pulldown table; said recess comprising an upper side wall, two lateral side walls and a lower side wall as well as a bottom surface; the advertising system comprising in addition a receiving means for an advertisement carrier in the form of a sheath consisting of a transparent cover plate, facing away from the seat back or the pulldown table, and a supporting wall spaced from the cover plate and sealed thereto except along the upper side where an insertion opening for the introduction of the advertisement carrier is provided; said tab or flange being part of one of the cover plate or of a frame surrounding said cover plate and being sealed thereto; said tab or flange extending along and above said insertion opening, whereby when said tab or flange is introduced into said slot and the supporting wall of said receiving means is adhered to said bottom surface of said recess by any well-known means, said receiving means is nested in said recess and the advertisement carrier is protected against pollution, damage and mischievous manipulation by the passengers.

The advantage of the inventive solution is to be seen in the fact that due to the arrangement of the advertisement carrier in the receiving means in the form of a sheath being nested in a recess of said seat back or of the pulldown table with said tab or flange being introduced into the slot in the upper wall of the recess, the advertisement carrier is completely inaccessible to manipulation, pollution, damage by the passenger and is essentially fluid tight, so that cleaning of the advertising system is possible without soiling and/or soaking the seat back and/or the advertisement carrier.

Preferably the supporting wall of said receiving means consists of a central depression, the size of which corresponding to the size of the advertisement carrier and a flange surrounding said central depression at three sides, except at the side where the insertion opening is provided, by cutting off the corresponding flange part, said flange being sealed to the back side of said cover plate and receiving an adhesion means for releasably adhering said receiving means in said recess.

One advantageous embodiment for example, provides for said frame having side walls, surrounding said cover plate, being opaque and also partly covering said cover plate, thereby creating an opening for viewing the advertisement carrier inserted underneath said cover plate, said side walls of said frame sealingly extending around said cover plate and the flange of said supporting wall. A further embodiment provides for adhesion means consisting of strips of cooperating hook and loop fastener elements, secured to the flange of said supporting wall and to corresponding areas of said surface of said recess by an adhesive or by sewing. In this way the receiving means is fastened in said recess by means of the upper tab or flange introduced into the slot of the recess and by the hook and loop fastener elements, the surface of the frame surrounding the cover plate being flush with the rear-side covering of the seat or the underside of the pulldown table and inaccessible to manipulation by the passengers.

In order to facilitate insertion and removal of the advertisement carrier, the supporting wall of the receiving means may comprise a central opening and/or a cut out at the edge adjacent to the insertion opening for gripping said advertisement carrier during insertion and removal of the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be become apparent upon reading the following description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, perspective illustration of an advertising system in a first embodiment of the inventive solution;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the seat similar to FIG. 1 in a second embodiment with a pulldown table pulled down;

FIG. 3 is an illustration similar to FIG. 2 of the second embodiment with a pulldown table folded away;

FIG. 4 is an illustration similar to FIG. 1 of a third embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of the receiving means for an advertisement carrier;

FIG. 6 is a perspective back view of the receiving means for an advertisement carrier and FIG. 7 is a sectional illustration along line VII-VII in FIG. 4.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents, as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of a seat comprising the advertising system designated as a whole as 10, in particular a seat for a commercial airplane, comprises a seat cushion 12, which has a seat surface 14, as well as a seat back 16 with a seat back surface 18.

The seat cushion 12 thereby rests on a supporting frame 20, with which the entire seat 10 is supported on a floor surface 22.

The seat back 16 is provided on the side opposite the seat back surface 18 with a rear-side covering 24 which, in the case of the first embodiment, has a covering plate 26 with a surface 28 facing a person located behind the seat 10.

The covering plate 26 thereby bears, preferably in the center in its upper half facing away from the supporting frame 20, an advertisement carrier 30 which is likewise visible to a person located, in particular sitting, behind the seat 10. This advertisement carrier 30 will be described in detail in the following form.

In a second embodiment of a seat comprising the advertising system designated as a whole as 10', the covering 24' comprises a covering plate 26' with a pulldown table 32 which is articulatedly connected to the covering plate 26' via arms 34, the pulldown table 32 being tiltable between a pulled down position, illustrated in FIG. 2 and a folded away position, illustrated in FIG. 3. in order to accommodate the pulldown table 32 in its folded away position, the covering plate 26' is provided with a recessed region 36, in which the pulldown table 32 is located in its folded away position illustrated in FIG. 3. The recessed region 36 has, for its part, a surface 38 which faces a person using the pulldown table 32 when the pulldown table 32 is in the pulled down position and in the folded away position of the pulldown table 32 faces an upper side 40 of the pulldown table so that in this position the underside 42 of the pulldown table 32 faces the person located behind the seat 10'.

In the second embodiment 10' of the seat comprising the advertising system, the advertisement carrier 30 is arranged on the surface 38 of the region 36 and likewise advantageously in an upper half thereof.

With respect to additional features, reference is made in full to the first embodiment and the same reference numerals as for the first embodiment are also used for the identical elements.

In a third embodiment of a seat 10" comprising the advertising system, illustrated in FIG. 4, the advertisement carrier 30 is not arranged in the recess 36, but on the underside 42 of the pulldown table 32 so that the information carrier is visible in the folded away state of the pulldown table 32.

With respect to the additional features, reference is made in full to the explanations concerning the first and second embodiments, the same elements having the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 7 the pulldown table is shown only in part and comprises side walls 33 of plastic sheet and a filling 35 of foamed plastic. In one of the side walls 33 a recess 44 is provided comprising an upper side wall 45, a lower side wall 46, not visible side walls and a bottom surface 47. In the upper side wall 45 as well as in the adjacent filling of foamed plastic a slot 48 is arranged, extending over the entire length of the upper side wall 45.

The purpose of the recess 44 is to receive a receiving means for an advertisement carrier 30 in the form of a sheath consisting of a transparent cover plate 49, facing away from the seat back 16 or the pulldown table 32, and of a supporting wall 50 spaced from the cover plate 49 and sealed thereto except along the upper side where an insertion opening 51 for the introduction of the advertisement carrier 30 is provided. A tab or flange 59 may be an integral part of the cover plate 49 but is preferably, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, part of a frame 56 surrounding and partly covering said cover plate 49 and being sealed thereto. By this means an opening 58 is provided in the frame 56 so that the advertisement carrier 30 may be viewed through said opening 58 and the transparent cover plate 49.

The frame 56 has side walls 57 surrounding and covering the edges of the flange 53 of said cover plate 59 and is preferably opaque and may be manufactured or painted in various colours adapted to the colour of the pulldown table 32 and/or of the seat back surface 18.

The supporting wall 50 consists of a central depression 52, the size of which corresponds to the size of the advertisement carrier 60, and of a flange 53 surrounding said central depression 52 at three sides, except at the side where the insertion opening 51 is provided by cutting off the corresponding flange part. The flange 53 is sealed to the back side of the cover plate 49 and receives an adhesion means in the form of strips 54, 55 of cooperating hook and loop fastener elements secured to the flange 53 of said supporting wall 50 and to corresponding areas of said surface 47 of said recess 44 by an adhesive or by sewing.

The supporting wall 50 comprises a central opening 61 and a cut out 62 at the edge adjacent to the insertion opening 51 for gripping the advertisement carrier 60 during insertion and removal of same.

Claims

WHAT CLAIMED IS:

1. An advertising system incorporated into a seat on a vehicle, comprising:

a seat cushion, a seat back, a supporting frame and a rear-side covering for the seat back, said seat back being provided with one of a recess in said rear-side covering or a pulldown table which is articulatedly connected to the seat back, provided with a recess on the side facing away from the seat back in the upright, folded away position of the pulldown table;

said recess comprising an upper side wall, two lateral side walls and a lower side wall as well as a bottom surface;

a slot for receiving a tab or a flange being provided in said upper side wall;

the advertising system comprising in addition a receiving means for an advertising carrier in the form of a sheath consisting of a transparent cover plate, facing away from the seat back or the pulldown table, and a supporting wall spaced from the cover plate, and sealed thereon except along the upper side where an insertion opening for the introduction of the advertisement carrier is provided;

said tab or flange being part of one of the cover plate or of a frame surrounding said cover plate and being sealed thereto;

said tab or flange extending along and above said insertion opening whereby when said tab or flange is introduced into said slot and the supporting wall of said receiving means is adhered to said bottom surface of said recess by any well- known means, said receiving means is nested in said recess and the advertisement carrier is protected against pollution, damage and mischievous manipulation by the passengers.

2. The advertising system as defined in claim 1, wherein the supporting wall consists of a central depression, the size of which corresponding to the size of the advertising carrier, and a flange surrounding said central depression at three sides, except at the side where the insertion opening is provided by cutting off the corresponding flange part, said flange being sealed to the back side of said cover plate and exhibiting an adhesion means for releasably adhering said receiving means in said recess.

3. The advertising system as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein said frame having side walls surrounding said cover plate, is opaque and also partly covers said cover plate, thereby creating an opening for viewing the advertisement carrier inserted underneath said cover plate, said side walls of said frame sealingly extending around said cover plate and the flange of said supporting wall.

4. The advertising system as defined in claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the adhesion means consists of strips of cooperating hook and loop fastener elements secured to the flange of said supporting wall and to corresponding areas of said bottom surface of said recess by an adhesive or by sewing.

5. The advertising system as defined in claim 1,, 2, 3 or 4, wherein said supporting wall comprises a central opening and/or a cut out at the edge adjacent to said insertion opening for gripping said advertisement carrier during insertion and removal of same.