Seat back latch

Claim 2

In a front vehicular seat assembly of the type including a seat cushion and a seat back having a frame structure including a hinge arm member extending downwardly from the outboard side of the seat back and pivotally secured at its lower end to said seat cushion to mount said seat back, in conjunction with pivot means at the inboard side of said seat back, for pivotal movement relative to said seat cushion about a generally horizontal axis between a generally upright seating position and a forwardly tilted position allowing access to the rear portion of the vehicle passenger compartment; a latch assembly for releasably maintaining said seat back in its upright seating position, said latch assembly comprising: A. means defining an aperture in said hinge arm; B. a first latch element mounted on said seat cushion; C. a second latch element mounted on said seat back inboard of said hinge arm for latching coaction with said first latch element to maintain said seat back in its upright seating position; D. spring means biasing said second latch element for movement in an unlatching direction out of latching coaction with said first latch element; E. a detent member comprising a pivotally mounted detent arm mounted on said seat back and releasably engageable with sAid second latch element to maintain the latter in its position of latching coaction with said first latch element; and F. an actuator member comprising a rod member extending through said hinge arm aperture for pushing engagement at its inboard end with said detent member to move said detent out of engagement with said second latch member to allow said second latch member to move under the urging of said spring means to its unlatched position and thereby allow said seat back to be moved to its forwardly tilted position, said actuator member further having a pushbutton member at the outboard end of said rod member and a leaf spring member secured at one end to said seat back and having said pushbutton member secured to the outboard face thereof to mount said pushbutton member for spring biased, cantilever movement with respect to said seat back.

Claim 3

In a front vehicular seat assembly of the type including a seat cushion and a seat back having a frame structure including a hinge arm member extending downwardly from the outboard side of the seat back and pivotally secured at its lower end to said seat cushion to mount said seat back, in conjunction with pivot means at the inboard side of said seat back, for pivotal movement relative to said seat cushion about a generally horizontal axis between a generally upright seating position and a forwardly tilted position allowing access to the rear portion of the vehicle passenger compartment; a latch assembly for releasably maintaining said seat back in its upright seating position, said latch assembly comprising: A. means defining an aperture in said hinge arm; B. a first latch element mounted on said seat cushion; C. a second latch element mounted on said seat back inboard of said hinge arm for latching coaction with said first latch element to maintain said seat back in its upright seating position; D. spring means biasing said second latch element for movement in an unlatching direction out of latching coaction with said first latch element; E. a detent member comprising a pivotally mounted detent arm mounted on said seat back and releasably engageable with said second latch element to maintain the latter in its position of latching coaction with said first latch element; F. a hinge arm cover overlying and secured to the outboard face of said hinge arm and having an aperture in alignment with said hinge arm aperture; G. an actuator member comprising a rod member having a pushbutton member at its outboard end, said rod extending through said hinge arm aperture for pushing engagement at its inboard end with said detent member to move said detent out of engagement with said second latch member to allow said second latch member to move under the urging of said spring means to its unlatched position and thereby allow said seat back to be moved to its forwardly tilted position; and H. a leaf spring member secured at one end to the inboard face of said hinge arm cover and projecting into said hinge arm cover aperture with said pushbutton member being secured to the outboard face of said leaf spring member so that the leaf spring member mounts said pushbutton member within said hinge arm cover aperture for inward cantilever movement with to said hinge arm cover.

Claim 4

In a front vehicular seat assembly of the type including a seat cushion and a seat back having a frame structure including a hinge arm member extending downwardly from the outboard side of the seat back and pivotally secured at its lower end to said seat cushion to mount said seat back, in conjunction with pivot means at the inboard side of said seat back, for pivotal movement relative to said seat cushion about a generally horizontal axis between a generally upright seating position and a forwardly tilted position allowing access to the rear portion of the vehicle passenger compartment; a latch assembly for releasably maintaining said seat back in its upright seating position, said latch assembly comprising: A. means defining an aperture in said hinge arm; B. a first latch element mounted on said seat cushion; C. a second latch element mounted on said seat back inboard of said hinge arm for latching coaction with said first latch element to maintain said seat back in its upright seating position; D. spring means biasing said second latch element for movement in an unlatching direction out of latching coaction with said first latch element; E. a detent member comprising a pivotally mounted detent arm mounted on said seat back and releasably engageable with said second latch element to maintain the latter in its position of latching coaction with said first latch element; F. a hinge arm cover overlying and secured to the outboard face of said hinge arm and having an aperture in alignment with said hinge arm aperture; G. an actuator member comprising a rod member having a pushbutton member at its outboard end, said rod extending through said hinge arm aperture for pushing engagement at its inboard end with said detent member to move said detent out of engagement with said second latch member to allow said second latch member to move under the urging of said spring means to its unlatched position and thereby allow said seat back to be moved to its forwardly tilted position; and H. a leaf spring member secured at one end to the inboard face of said hinge arm cover and projecting into said hinge arm cover aperture with said pushbutton member being secured to the outboard face of said leaf spring member so that the leaf spring member mounts said pushbutton member within said hinge arm cover aperture for inward cantilever movement with to said hinge arm cover.

Claim 5

In a front vehicular seat assembly of the type including a seat cushion and a seat back having a frame structure including a hinge arm member extending downwardly from the outboard side of the seat back and pivotally secured at its lower end to said seat cushion to mount said seat back, in conjunction with pivot means at the inboard side of said seat back, for pivotal movement relative to said seat cushion about a generally horizontal axis between a generally upright seating position and a forwardly tilted position allowing access to the rear portion of the vehicle passenger compartment; a latch assembly for releasably maintaining said seat back in its upright seating position, said latch assembly comprising: A. means defining an aperture in said hinge arm; B. a first latch element mounted on said seat cushion; C. a second latch element mounted on a pin for rotary movement on said seat back inboard of said hinge arm for latching coaction with said first latch element to maintain said seat back in its upright seating position; D. spring means biasing said second latch element for movement in an unlatching direction out of latching coaction with said first latch element; E. a detent member mounted on said seat back and releasably engageable with said second latch element to maintain the latter in its position of latching coaction with said first latch element, said detent comprising a generally flat plate having opposite end portions and positioned in a plane generally parallel to said second latch element, said detent being pivotally supported intermediate said end portions so as to pivot about an axis generally centrally of said plate and having a detent tooth at one end portion of said plate engageable with said second latch element, with said opposite end portion on the other side of said plate pivot axis from said tooth providing an actuator engageable surface; F. an actuator member comprising a rod member having a pushbutton member at the outboard end thereof to provide a push surface for engagement by the operator, said rod extending through said hinge arm aperture for engagement at its inboard end with said detent member to move said detent out of engagement with said second latch member to allow said second latch member to move under the urging of said spring means to its unlatched position and thereby allow said seat back to be moved to its forwardly tilted position; and G. said rod member having a movement generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said second latch member and said rod member contacting said detent plate on the plate end portion on the side opposite of the plate pivot axis from said detent tooth.

Claim 6

In a front vehicular seat assembly of the type including a seat cushion and a seat back having a frame structure including a hinge arm member extending downwardly from the outboard side of the seat back and pivotally secured at its lower end to said seat cushion to mount said seat back, in conjunction with pivot means at the inboard side of said seat back, for pivotal movement relative to said seat cushion about a generally horizontal axis between a generally upright seating position and a forwardly tilted position allowing access to the rear portion of the vehicle passenger compartment; a latch assembly for releasably maintaining said seat back in its upright seating position, said latch assembly comprising: A. means defining an aperture in said hinge arm; B. a first latch element mounted on said seat cushion; C. a second latch element mounted on a pin for rotary movement on said seat back inboard of said hinge arm for latching coaction with said first latch element to maintain said seat back in its upright seating position; D. spring means biasing said second latch element for movement in an unlatching direction out of latching coaction with said first latch element; E. a detent member mounted on said seat back and releasably engageable with said second latch element to maintain the latter in its position of latching coaction with said first latch element, said detent comprising a generally flat plate having opposite end portions and positioned in a plane generally parallel to said second latch element, said detent being pivotally supported intermediate said end portions so as to pivot about an axis generally centrally of said plate and having a detent tooth at one end portion of said plate engageable with said second latch element, with said opposite end portion on the other side of said plate pivot axis from said tooth providing an actuator engageable surface; F. an actuator member comprising a rod member having a pushbutton member at the outboard end thereof to provide a push surface for engagement by the operator, said rod extending through said hinge arm aperture for engagement at its inboard end with said detent member to move said detent out of engagement with said second latch member to allow said second latch member to move under the urging of said spring means to its unlatched position and thereby allow said seat back to be moved to its forwardly tilted position; and G. said rod member having a movement generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said second latch member and said rod member contacting said detent plate on the plate end portion on the side opposite of the plate pivot axis from said detent tooth.