US3583665A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle seat adjusting mechanism
Assignee: Honeywell International Inc
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Filing: 1969-06-03
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Granted: 1971-06-08
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Expires: 1989-06-03
Abstract
Abstract A vehicle seat supporting mechanism which serves as the means for adjusting a one-piece seat structure forwardly and rearwardly to accommodate different drivers and passengers and also as a means for pivoting the seat forwardly to permit access to the rear seat of the vehicle. The front of the seat is supported on a pair of spaced pivotal links and the rear portion is supported on a rod movable within a curvilinear slot so that upon movement of the seat the front end of the seat will be advanced forwardly and downwardly by the pair of links and the rear end will be advanced forwardly and upwardly by movement of the rod within the slot. The rear portion of the slot is relatively straight and a manually operable lock and release mechanism provides a means for locking the seat in a selected adjusted portion. A latch mechanism releases the lock mechanism and permits the seat to be moved forwardly of the straight portion of the slot to permit the seat to be tipped for access to the rear section of the vehicle.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas E Lohr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 19:55
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/02; B60N2/04; B60N2/045
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A vehicle seat-adjusting mechanism comprising: a seat unit; an upper support member attached to said seat unit; a lower support member rigidly attached to the floor of said vehicle, said member including a pair of spaced upstanding flange sections, each provided with an aligned curved slot; means angularly slidably securing the rear end of said upper support member to said pair of flange sections of said lower support member for movement along a curved path, dictated by said curved slots, longitudinally of said vehicle so that upon adjusting movement of said seat unit said unit is caused to move tiltingly longitudinally of said vehicle; and a lock and release mechanism disposed between said upper and said lower support member adapted to lock said seat unit to prevent said movement.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A vehicle seat-adjusting mechanism comprising: a seat unit; an upper support member attached to said seat unit; a lower support member rigidly attached to the floor of said vehicle, said member including a pair of spaced upstanding flange sections, each provided with an aligned curved slot; means angularly slidably securing the rear end of said upper support member to said pair of flange sections of said lower support member for movement along a curved path, dictated by said curved slots, longitudinally of said vehicle so that upon adjusting movement of said seat unit said unit is caused to move tiltingly longitudinally of said vehicle; and a lock and release mechanism disposed between said upper and said lower support member adapted to lock said seat unit to prevent said movement.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
In the adjusting mechanism as defined in claim 1, in which said means pivotally securing the front end of said upper support member to said lower support member comprises a pair of spaced links, each pivotally attached at one end to said side flanges of said upper support member and at the other end to said pair of upsTanding flanges of said lower support member to thus angularly and linearly guide said upper support member for movement within said slots.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
In the adjusting mechanism defined in claim 1, said lock and release mechanism comprising a pair of toothed racks disposed on said lower support member in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle and a catch member pivotally suspended from said upper support member so as to normally engage the toothed rack to prevent movement of said upper support member relative to said lower support member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
109 words
In the adjusting mechanism as defined in claim 1, said upper support member being comprised of a generally U-shaped cross section having an upper portion and downwardly depending side flanges, said upper portion being attached to the underside of said seat unit, said lower support member comprising a generally flat base attached to said floor of said vehicle, said pair of spaced upstanding flange sections secured to said base, said side flanges of said upper support member being adapted to extend over said pair of upstanding flanges of said lower support member closely adjacent thereto for lateral retainment of said upper support member relative to said lower support member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
In the adjusting mechanism defined in claim 4, a U-bracket secured to said upper support member between said side flanges having downwardly depending sides equally spaced from both of said side flanges a distance corresponding to the cross-sectional width of said upstanding flanges of said lower support member to thereby laterally retain said upper support member on said lower support member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
In the adjusting mechanism defined in claim 5, said sides of said U-bracket being provided with aligned apertures to permit the extension of said pin therethrough.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
In the adjusting mechanism as defined in claim 4, a pin slidably retained in said curved slots provided on said pair of flanges of said lower support member and extending through said aligned slots to thereby angularly slidably secure said upper support member to said lower support member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
132 words
In the adjusting mechanism defined in claim 1, said lock and release mechanism comprising a pair of toothed racks disposed on said lower support member in longitudinal direction of said vehicle, a catch member pivotally suspended from said upper support member so as to normally engage the toothed rack to prevent movement of said upper support member relative to said lower support member, a cam member pivotally supported on said upper support member rearwardly of said catch member and normally abutting a portion of said catch member, and manual release means adapted to pivot said cam member upwardly to exert a force on said catch member to move said catch member out of engagement with said toothed racks to permit movement of said upper support member relative to said lower support member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
In the adjusting mechanism defined in claim 8, said manual release means being normally maintained in an active position by spring means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
93 words
In the adjusting mechanism as defined in claim 8, said manual release means comprising a link pivotally attached to said cam member at one end and to one end of a bellcrank lever at the other end, said bellcrank lever being pivotally secured to said upper support member and a longitudinally movable rod pivotally connected to the other arm of said bellcrank lever to enable rotation of said bellcrank lever to thereby longitudinally move said link to pivot said cam member to move said catch member out of engagement with said toothed racks.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
In the adjusting mechanism as defined in claim 10, said longitudinally movable rod extending upwardly through the backrest portion of said seat unit and being connected to a slide member having gripping means extending outwardly of said backrest portion for actuation of said slide member to release said lock.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
127 words
The mechanism as defined in claim 1, and in which said securing means comprises a slot formed in one of said Support members and a pin received in said slot and carried by the other of said support members, said slot being disposed to extend longitudinally with respect to said vehicle and having a rearward relatively straight and horizontal portion and a forward upwardly curved portion whereby said slot guides the movement of said upper member with respect to said lower member through said pin and as said pin moves relative to said rearward portion of said slot said seat unit is maintained in a relatively horizontal position and as said pin moves relative to said forward portion of said slot said seat unit is tilted upwardly.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The mechanism as defined in claim 12, and including means for selectively locking said pin in a number of positions within the rearward portion of said slot.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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US1988638A
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GB630052A
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US2795265A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-06-07 | 1974-12-07 | 1975-06-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-06-07 | 1978-12-07 | 1979-06-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-06-07 | 1982-12-07 | 1983-06-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |