Numerous inventions have been created to act as a cover or to provide extra padding to bicycle saddles. Such inventions were primarily created for the purpose of overcoming the generally uncomfortable design of the typical bicycle seat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,083 by J. Marchello provides a seat cover that is essentially a foam cushion having air spaces to allow deformation of the pad thereby providing a mechanism to reduce shock transmission from the seat to the rider. Likewise, another seat cover described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,908 is primarily a foam pad.
Other saddle cushions designed for damping vibrations and distributing pressure include U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,249 by F. Weber in which a bicycle seat is disclosed which incorporates a bladder of limited volume capacity. This design includes the bladder to help dampen initial shock forces and vibration over a viscoelastic gel support pad. Although this invention includes a valve for adjustable regulation of bladder pressure, the invention as a whole is designed not as a universal seat cover for any saddle, but as a stand alone saddle in and of itself. Moreover, the pressure within the bladder is not intended to provide cushion for the entire shock load and further cannot easily be inflated and deflated on demand without accessing a remote high pressure source to supply means of inflating the bladder.
Yet other mechanisms to absorb shock have been disclosed which comprise various arrangements of spring means. For instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,140 by S. Yu discloses a U shaped lever spring while U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,553,916 and 5,558,396 by T. Yu describe saddles having complex arrangements of coil springs.
Finally, other inventions such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,705 by B. Voigt provide shock absorbing means comprising piston/coil spring shock absorbers attached to the seat and seat post.
The inventions disclosed above are unlike the current invention in that they are susceptible to debilitating problems such as material fatigue or reduction of thickness of cushioning materials, with the result that there is either a decrease in body support area and/or a loss in shock absorption. Moreover, such designs often utilized attachment means susceptible to fatigue including string and elastic. Additionally, none of the above mentioned designs provides, effectively, an increase in surface area for distribution of weight.
Further, each of the above inventions lack all of the elements of the current invention and none of such disclosures suggest the simple combination provided herein. Generally, the prior inventions have been comprised of foams which have proven unsatisfactory due to their compressibility resulting in loss of shock absorbance to the rider. Moreover, such materials have been prone to breaking down over a period of use rendering the seats and seat covers useless. In contrast, the current invention comprises an adjustable air bladder within a thick polyurethane vinyl which is resistant to breakdown, is simple in construction, and is easy to inflate, deflate, attach and remove without fatigue to its component parts.
Additionally, it has been recognized by certain practitioners within the medical field that the typical current design of bicycle seats pose a detriment to nerves and arteries in the crotch area. Specifically, constant compression of nerves and arteries may give rise to impotence as well as numbing and painful conditions. Although cyclist stress that a rider should seek proper fitting of body to saddle, even such fitting may not solve the problems arising from a cyclist experiencing a constant hard compression on his or her perincum. The current invention provides a solution to such compression problems by furnishing an increased surface area to disperse pressure on such vital body parts and by providing a thick, low vibration compressible air cushion in that vital area.