US4034948A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle seat structure
Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
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Filing: 1975-12-04
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Granted: 1977-07-12
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Expires: 1995-12-04
Abstract
Abstract A vehicle seat structure comprises a seat pivotally connected to swing link means which are in turn pivotally connected to the base by substantially parallel links to allow the vehicle seat to be both raised and lowered or tilted with respect to the base. A height select pin and a tilt select pin are normally restrained within notches in respective height and tilt position members to fix thereby a given height and tilt attitude of the seat. An actuating bar controlled by a control lever acts to disengage either the height select or tilt select pin to permit the pin to be seated in a different notch, thereby enabling seat position to be varied. Compression springs act, for both tilt and height seat position variations, to provide means whereby the weight of the seat operator can be used to adjust seat position.
Inventors
- 👤 Roy D. Brownell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 14:36
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/02; B60N2/04; B60N2/16; B60N2/1605; B60N2/161; B60N2/1615; B60N2/18; B60N2/1807; B60N2/181; B60N2/1835
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A vehicle seat structure comprising: a base portion; a seat portion; first means operatively connecting said seat portion and said base portion for providing that said seat portion may be tilted with respect to said base portion; second means operatively connecting said seat portion and said base portion for providing that said seat portion may be raised and lowered with respect to said base portion; actuating bar means operatively controlling said first and second means, being movable to a first position to actuate said first means, being movable to a second position to actuate said second means, and being movable to a third position; and position control means operatively connected with said actuating bar means comprising means for selectively determining the height disposition of said seat portion while the tilt disposition of said seat portion remains unchanged and means for selectively determining the tilt disposition of said seat portion with the actuating bar means being in said third position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
159 words
A vehicle seat structure comprising: a base portion; a seat portion; first means operatively connecting said seat portion and said base portion for providing that said seat portion may be tilted with respect to said base portion; second means operatively connecting said seat portion and said base portion for providing that said seat portion may be raised and lowered with respect to said base portion; actuating bar means operatively controlling said first and second means, being movable to a first position to actuate said first means, being movable to a second position to actuate said second means, and being movable to a third position; and position control means operatively connected with said actuating bar means comprising means for selectively determining the height disposition of said seat portion while the tilt disposition of said seat portion remains unchanged and means for selectively determining the tilt disposition of said seat portion with the actuating bar means being in said third position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
The seat structure of claim 1, wherein the second means comprise swing link means operatively coupled at one end with said seat portion, and base link means pivotally connected at one end to said base portion, and pivotally connected at the other end to said swing link means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The seat structure of claim 2, wherein the first means comprise means for pivotally connecting said seat portion to said swing link means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
109 words
The seat structure of claim 3 wherein said means for selectively determining the tilt disposition of said seat portion comprises: a tilt position member anchored to said seat portion; a tilt select pin; and first link means pivotally connecting said tilt select pin to said swing link means, wherein said tilt position member defines a plurality of notches thereon for allowing said tilt select pin to be seated within a given one of said notches, and wherein said notches in said tilt position member are positioned such that seating of said tilt select pin in any one of said notches defines a separate tilt disposition for said seat portion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
109 words
The seat structure of claim 4, wherein said means for selectively determining the height disposition of said seat portion comprise: a height position member anchored to said base portion; a height select pin; and second link means pivotally connecting said height select pin to said swing link means, wherein said height position member defines a plurality of notches thereon for allowing said height select pin to be seated within a given one of said notches, and wherein said notches in said height position member are positioned such that seating of said height select pin in any one of said notches defines a separate height disposition for said seat portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
The seat structure of claim 5, wherein the means for selectively determining the tilt disposition of said seat portion further comprise restraining means for normally holding thereby said tilt select pin within a given one of said notches in said tilt position member.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The seat structure of claim 6, wherein the means for selectively determining the height disposition of said seat portion further comprise restraining means for normally holding thereby said height select pin within a given one of said notches in said height position member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
116 words
The seat structure of claim 7 wherein the said actuating bar means further comprise an actuating bar and a control lever fixed thereon, said actuating bar rotatably mounted on said swing link means such that when the control lever is moved to said first position, the actuating bar contacts said tilt select pin and disengages said tilt select pin from its present given notch, said control lever being operating with sufficient force to counteract said restraining means, to thereby allow the tilt operation of said first means with resultant seating of said tilt select pin in a new selected notch in said tilt position member when said control lever is moved back to said third position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
107 words
The seat structure of claim 8 wherein said actuating bar means further comprise said actuating bar rotatably mounted on said swing link means such that when the control lever is moved to said second position, the actuating bar contacts said height select pin and disengages said height select pin from its present given notch, said control lever being operated with sufficient force to counteract said restraining means, to thereby allow the height adjusting operation of said second means, with resultant seating of said height select pin in a new selected notch in said height position member when said control lever is moved back to said third position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The seat structure of claim 9 wherein the restraining means comprise spring means operatively connected between said first and second link means for normally holding thereby said height select pin and said tilt select pin within their given currently occupied notches.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
The seat structure of claim 1 wherein the first means further comprise tilt spring loading means for providing an increasing adjustment resistance as said seat portion tilt is increased, thereby allowing the operator to adjust the tilt of said seat portion merely by shifting his weight in the seat.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
The seat structure of claim 1 wherein the second means further comprise height spring loading means for providing an increasing adjustment resistance as said seat portion height is decreased, thereby allowing the operator to adjust said seat portion height merely by shifting his weight in the seat.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
96 words
The seat structure of claim 2 wherein the base link means comprise parallelogram linkage means pivotally connected between said base portion and said swing link means, said parallelogram linkage means comprising an upper link having an end pivotally attached to said swing link means and an opposite end pivotally attached to said base portion, and a lower link disposed in a space substantially parallel in relation to said upper link and having an end pivotally attached to said swing link means and an opposite end pivotally attached to said base portion to form thereby a parallelogram.
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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) | 1980-07-11 | 1981-01-10 | 1981-07-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-07-11 | 1985-01-10 | 1985-07-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-07-11 | 1989-01-10 | 1989-07-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |