TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of passenger seat in vehicles. More specifically, it pertains to an improved passenger seat for a railway coach that reduces maintenance cost.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] A train/railway passenger coach, also referred to as passenger car, commonly has seating accommodations such as seats/berths for seating or sleeping of passengers. The seat in the railway coach may be mounted over floor of the railway coach by means of a suitable supporting structure and typically includes a seating/sleeping portion to accommodate the occupant while travelling. They are also provided in suspended configuration for use as sleeping berths. Accordingly, any reference to a seat in the present disclosure shall include seats, such as those for single occupancy or multiple occupancy, mounted on floor of the railway coaches, as well as berths provided in the railway coaches in suspended configuration.
[0004] A conventional railway seat/berth includes a metal frame, a polyurethane pad arranged over the metal frame, a panel, such as made of compreg plywood sheet, sandwiched between the metal frame and the polyurethane pad, and a trim arranged over the polyurethane pad. The trim is permanently fixed with the polyurethane pad and the metal frame resulting in a seat.
[0005] The railway coach is used for public commuting and many occupants use the conventional railway seat/berth through the day and night. The seat may get damaged due to rough use by some occupants. However, the problem with the conventional seat/berth is that if any damage occurs in any of its constituent parts, i.e. the metal frame, polyurethane pad, and the trim due to irregular or rough use by the occupants, the damaged seat needs to be replaced with a complete new seat. The fixing of the seat trim with the pad and the metal 2
frame does not allow replacement of the damaged component, such as the trim or the polyurethane pad, which leads to high replacement cost and long time for replacement with the new seat.
[0006] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an improved, simple and cost effective seat assembly for a railway coach which can obviate above mentioned drawbacks of the conventional seats.
[0007] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0008] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
[0009] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved seat assembly for railway passenger coaches. 3
[0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved railway coach berth which can be easily repaired.
[0012] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular berth for a railway passenger coach to reduce maintenance cost of the railway passenger coach.
[0013] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular seat for the railway coaches that eases repairs in case of damage to parts such as the trim or the polyurethane pad, without having to replace the complete seat.
[0014] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular seat for the railway coaches, which enables quick replacement of damaged parts such as the trim or the polyurethane pad.
[0015] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a simple and cost effective modular seat for the railway coaches.
[0016] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a lighter modular seat for the railway coaches that reduces overall weight of the coach and affects fuel economy.
[0017] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular seat which can be easily implemented in existing railway coaches without any major modifications.
[0018] These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0019] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to passenger seat in railway coaches. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a modular seat or berth assembly for a railway coach which can be speedily and easily repaired at reduced cost. In an aspect, the disclosed seat assembly, on account of its modular construction, can be easily disassembled into various subassemblies, and assembled back, to allow replacement of a damaged subassembly, thereby avoiding replacement of the seat assembly with a new complete seat. The disclosed seat assembly may incorporate a plurality of snap locks and fasteners to allow quick assembly and disassembly of the modular seat assembly.
[0020] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a modular seat/ berth for a railway coach, the seat includes a pad assembly, which besides other things, includes at least one polyurethane pad and a seat trim arranged on upper side of the polyurethane pad, and a base 4
frame to support the pad assembly. In an aspect, the pad assembly can be quickly assembled or disassembled from the base frame, and therefore in event of any damage to any of the trim or the polyurethane pad or any other part of the pad assembly, the pad assembly can be easily removed and replaced with new or repaired pad assembly obviating the need to replace the complete seat.
[0021] In an aspect, the quick and easy assembly-disassembly is enabled by means of one or more pairs of locking hooks and lock plates fitted on under side of the pad assembly and on upper side of the base frame respectively, used in combination with one or more threaded fasteners. Thus, the pad assembly can be first engaged with the base frame by sliding the pad assembly, after it has been appropriately placed over the base frame. Sliding of the pad assembly over the base frame results in sliding of the lock plates within the hooks to retain the pad assembly over the base frame from vertical separation. Thereafter the threaded fasteners can be used to permanently fix the pad assembly over the base frame. Thus, the pad assembly can be quickly assembled, after a damaged pad assembly has been disassembled, without having to remove the complete seat assembly.
[0022] As in case of the assembly process, the pad assembly can be easily and quickly disassembled by opening the nuts and bolts and pulling the pad assembly towards front side of the seat after lifting the pad assembly at front side of the seat.
[0023] In an aspect, the one or more pairs of locking hooks and lock plates can be provided along any or a combination of rear side and two lateral sides of the seat, and the one or more threaded fasteners can be used on a front side of the seat, which is easily accessible for fastening and unfastening of the threaded fasteners while the seat is still in its position in the coach.
[0024] In another aspect, the threaded fasteners can be bolts and nuts, with the bolts being fixed to underside of the pad assembly in projecting configuration, and the nuts fastened to the bolts after the bolts have engaged and passed through corresponding holes in the base frame. Thus, when the pad assembly is being slid over the base frame for engaging the lock plates with the corresponding hooks, the front side of the pad assembly can be kept raised to provide relief for the projecting bolts, and lowered after the bolts have aligned with corresponding holes in the base frame.
[0025] In an embodiment, besides the at least one polyurethane pad and the trim, the pad assembly can include a wire frame over which the polyurethane pads and the trim can be 5
assembled using “C-rings”. The one or more bolts and one or more locking hooks can be fixed on lower side of the wire frame.
[0026] In an embodiment, the pad assembly may also include a fire retardant sheet that is sandwiched between the seat trim and the polyurethane pad.
[0027] In an embodiment, the base frame can be made of any or a combination of a fibre-reinforced plastic and metal alloy. The one or more lock plates can be fixed to the embedded in the fibre-reinforced plastic.
[0028] In an aspect, the proposed configuration results in reduction in weight of the seat, which, considering number of fixed berths in each coach, and number of coaches in each train, can result in substantial reduction in haulage weight and result in reduced fuel /energy consumption for hauling the train.
[0029] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 1A and 1B are representations of an exploded view and a top view, respectively, of a conventional seat/berth of a railway coach.
[0032] FIGs. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary exploded view and prospective view, respectively, of the proposed seat, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0033] FIG. 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary bottom view of a pad assembly and top view of a base frame, respectively, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary section view of the proposed seat showing engagement of lock plates with locking hooks and fitment threaded fasteners., in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
6
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0036] If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[0037] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This disclosure may however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
[0038] Various terms as used herein. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.
[0039] Embodiments explained herein relate to seating accommodations in a railway coach. In particular, it pertains to an improved passenger seat/berth for a railway coach to reduce maintenance cost of the seat.
[0040] FIG. 1A and 1B show exploded view and a top view, respectively, of a conventional seat/berth 100, which includes a metal frame 102, a polyurethane pad 104 arranged over the metal frame 102, a compreg sheet 106 sandwiched between the metal frame 102 and the polyurethane pad 104, and a sheet trim 108 arranged over the polyurethane pad 104. The sheet trim 108 is wrapped all around the polyurethane pad 104, and the metal frame 102. The seat trim 108 is permanently fixed with the polyurethane pad 104 and the 7
metal frame 102 resulting in a seat assembly 100 as shown in FIG. 1B. However, the problem with the typical seat/berth 100 is that if any damage occurs in any of the metal frame 102, compreg sheet 106, polyurethane pad 104, and the sheet trim 108 the damaged seat needs to be replaced with a complete new seat. The permanent fixing of the seat trim 108 with the pad 104 and the metal frame 102 does not allow replacement of the damaged parts of the seat 100, which leads to high replacement cost and long time for replacement.
[0041] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a modular seat/ berth, which includes a pad assembly, and a base frame to support the pad assembly. In an aspect, the pad assembly can be quickly assembled or disassembled from the base frame, and therefore in event of any damage to any of the trim or the polyurethane pad or any other part of the pad assembly, the pad assembly can be easily removed and replaced with new or repaired pad assembly obviating the need to replace the complete seat. The quick and easy assembly-disassembly is enabled by means of one or more pairs of locking hooks and lock plates used in combination with one or more threaded fasteners. The pad assembly can be first engaged with the base frame by first placing the pad assembly over the base frame in appropriate position and thereafter sliding the pad assembly for the lock plates to engage with the locking hooks to retain the pad assembly over the base frame from vertical separation. Thereafter, the threaded fasteners are used to permanently fix the pad assembly over the base frame. Thus, the pad assembly can be quickly assembled, after a damaged pad assembly has been disassembled, which can be done by reversing the process of assembly, without having to remove the complete seat assembly.
[0042] It is to be appreciated that though various embodiments have been explained here with reference to application of seat of the present disclosure in a railway coach, it can with suitable modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art, be applied for other similar applications, such as road vehicles including cars and buses, and aircrafts, and all such applications are well within the scope of the present disclosure without any limitations.
[0043] In an embodiment, the pad assembly can include a polyurethane pad, a wire frame with the bolts and locking hooks fitted on lower side of the polyurethane pad, a seat trim arranged on upper side of the polyurethane pad, and a fire retardant sheet that is sandwiched between the seat trim and the polyurethane pad. Since the seat trim and the polyurethane pads are most likely to get damaged, the proposed modular concept that enables 8
easy and quick replacement of the pad assembly takes care of majority of repair requirements of the seat.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 2A and 2B, where an exploded view and prospective view respectively, of the proposed seat for a railway coach are shown, the disclosed seat 200 can include a pad assembly 202 and a base frame 204 to support the pad assembly 202. The base frame 204 can be fixed to floor of the coach, or can be of suspended configuration when used the seat 200 is used as an upper sleeping berth. The pad assembly 202 can include one or more polyurethane pads 206, a wire frame 208 with one or more bolts and one or more locking hooks (shown in FIG. 3A) fitted on underside of the wire frame 208, a seat trim 210 arranged on upper side of the polyurethane pad 206, and a fire retardant sheet 212 that is sandwiched between the seat trim 210 and the polyurethane pad 206.
[0045] In an embodiment, the seat trim 210 can be attached to the polyurethane pad 206 and the wire frame 208 using a plurality of fasteners such as C-rings.
[0046] In an embodiment, the wire frame 208 can be insert-moulded during forming of the polyurethane pad 206.
[0047] In an embodiment, the base frame 204 can include a plate portion 214, and a projection portion 216 that projects upward and is configured along periphery of the plate portion 214.
[0048] In an embodiment, the base frame 204 can be made of any or a combination of a fibre-reinforced plastic and metal alloy.
[0049] In an aspect, the proposed configuration results in reduction in weight of the seat, which, considering number of fixed berths in each coach, and number of coaches in each train, can result in substantial reduction in haulage weight and result in reduced fuel /energy consumption for hauling the train. In an exemplary implementation, for a coach having 72 berths, such as an AC 3 Tier coach on Indian Railways,, the proposed modular seat results in total weight reduction of approx. 440 kgf per coach over the conventional fixed berths. This results, for a train rack having 22 coaches, in approx. 9.6 Tons reduction in weight of the train. As can be appreciated, this would results in considerable fuel saving for the Railways.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 3A and 3B, respectively showing a bottom view of the pad assembly 202 and a top view of the base frame 204 of the proposed seat 200, the pad assembly 202 can includes one or more bolts such as a bolt 302-1, 302-2, 302-3, and 302-4, (collectively referred to as bolts 302) and one or more locking hooks such as a locking hook 9
304-1, 304-2, 304-3, 304-4, 304-5 and 304-6 (collectively referred to as locking hooks 304) fitted on underside of the pad assembly 202.
[0051] In an embodiment, the bolts 302 can be fitted along a front side 310 of the pad assembly 202, and the locking hooks 304 can be fitted along any one or a combination of a rear side 312 and two lateral sides of the pad assembly 202.
[0052] In an embodiment, the base fame 204 can include one or more holes, such as a holes 306-1, 306-2, 306-3, and 306-4 (collectively referred to as holes 306), and one or more lock plates such as a lock plates 308-1, 308-2, 308-3, 308-4, 308-5 and 308-6 (collectively referred to as lock plates 308) fitted on upper side of the base frame 204.
[0053] In an embodiment, the openings 306 can be located at front side 310 of the base frame 204 in positions matching the position of one or more bolts 302 on the pad assembly 202, and lock plates 308 can be located along rear side 312 and two sides of the base frame 204 in positions matching positions of the locking hooks fitted on the pad assembly 202.
[0054] In an embodiment, the bolts 302 and the locking hooks 304 of the pad assembly and the opening 306 and lock plates 308 of the base frame 204 are adapted to enable detachable fitment of the pad assembly 202 over the base frame 204.
[0055] In an embodiment, for fitment of the pad assembly 202 over the base frame 204, the rear side 312 of the pad assembly 202 can be placed over the base frame 204 aligned with the rear side 312 of the base frame 204, and pushed to slide towards the rear side 312, such that the locking hooks 304 get engaged with the corresponding lock plates 308 of the base frame 204 and the bolts 302 fitted on the pad assembly 202 align with the corresponding holes 306 in the base frame 204. Thereafter the front side 310 of the pad assembly 202 can be lowered so that the bolts 302 get inserted into the corresponding holes 306 of the base frame 204.
[0056] In an embodiment, the bolts 302 are tightened using washers and nuts from below after the bolts 302 are inserted into the corresponding holes 306 of the base frame 204 to prevent slag and looseness in the seat.
[0057] In an embodiment, the base frame can have depressions in the region of the holes 306 so that the bolt 302 and the nut do not project below the lower surface of the base frame 204. 10
[0058] In an embodiment, engagement of the locking hooks 304 with the corresponding lock plates 308 restrain lifting of the pad assembly 202 from rear side 312 and two lateral sides of the seat 200.
[0059] In an embodiment, engagement of the bolts 302 with the corresponding holes 306 restrains lifting of the pad assembly 202 from front side 310 of the seat 200.
[0060] In an embodiment, the pad assembly 202 can be easily detached from the base frame 204 by removing the nuts from the bolts 302 and pulling the pad assembly 202 towards front side 310 after the front side of the pad assembly 202 has been lifted up to disengage the bolts 302 from the corresponding holes 306.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 4, where a section view of the proposed seat 200 is shown, the disclosed section A-A of the seat 200 shows engagement of the bolt 302 of the pad assembly 202 with corresponding hole 306 of the base frame 204, and engagement of the locking hooks 304 of the pad assembly 202 with the corresponding lock plates 308 of the base fame 204. Specifically, details at CD show engagement of a locking hook 304-1 located at rear side 312 of the pad assembly 202 with a corresponding lock plate 308-1 located at rear side 312 of the base frame 204, details at CE show engagement of a locking hook 304-5 located at a side of the pad assembly 202 with a corresponding lock plate 308-5 located at a side of the base frame 204, details at CC show engagement of a bolt 302-1 located at front side 310 of the pad assembly 202 with a corresponding opening 306-1 located at front side 310 of the base frame 204.
[0062] Thus, the present discloses provides a modular seat for a railway coach, which can be easily dismantled to allow replacement of any component of the seat in case of any partial damage to the seat, thereby avoiding requirement to replace the complete seat with a new seat.
[0063] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, 11
components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C ….and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[0064] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0065] The present disclosure provides an improved railway coach berth which can be easily repaired.
[0066] The present disclosure provides a modular berth for a railway passenger coach to reduce maintenance cost of the railway passenger coach.
[0067] The present disclosure provides a modular seat for the railway coaches that eases repairs in case of damage to parts such as the trim, the compreg sheet or the polyurethane pad, without having to replace the complete seat.
[0068] The present disclosure provides a modular seat for the railway coaches, which enables quick replacement of damaged parts such as the trim or the polyurethane pad.
[0069] The present disclosure provides a simple and cost effective modular seat for the railway coaches. 12
[0070] The present disclosure provides a lighter modular seat for the railway coaches that reduces overall weight of the coach and affects fuel economy.
[0071] The present disclosure provides a modular seat which can be easily implemented in existing railway coaches without any major modifications.

We Claim:
1. A modular seat assembly comprising:
a base frame; and
a pad assembly detachably fixed on the base frame;
wherein the pad assembly is slidably engaged with the base frame through one or more lock plates and one or more locking hooks against lifting of the pad assembly from the base frame, the one or more lock plates and one or more locking hooks being arranged along at least one a first side of the seat assembly; and
wherein after the slidable engagement of the pad assembly with the base frame, the pad assembly with the base frame are fixed to each other through one or more threaded fasteners along a second side that is opposite the first side.
2. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more lock plates are positioned on the base frame, and one or more locking hooks are positioned on the pad assembly along at least a rear side of the seat assembly, and wherein the slidable engagement of the one or more lock plates with the one or more locking hooks takes place by rearward sliding of the pad assembly after the pad assembly has been positioned over the base frame.
3. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more lock plates and the one or more locking hooks are also positioned along two opposite lateral sides of the base frame and the pad assembly respectively.
4. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more threaded fasteners includes one or more bolts fixed to the pad assembly that engage through one or more holes on the base frame, and fastened with one or more nuts.
5. The seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pad assembly comprises at least one polyurethane pad, a wire frame and a seat trim arranged on upper side of the at least one polyurethane pad.
6. The seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more bolts and the one or more locking hooks are fixed on lower side of the wire frame.
7. The seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pad assembly comprises a fire retardant sheet that is sandwiched between the seat trim and the at least one polyurethane pad. 14
8. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more threaded fasteners include one or more washers positioned between the base frame and the one or more nuts.
9. The seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the base frame comprises a plate portion and a projection portion, and the one or more holes and the one or more lock plates are located on the plate portion.
10. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base frame is made of any or a combination of a fibre-reinforced plastic and metal alloy.