Vehicle seat with fore-and-aft shock isolation

Claim 1

A seat suspension having a seat part supported on a suspension part for fore-and-aft motion relative to the suspension part, said seat suspension being characterized by: A. a latching member; B. cooperating means on the seat part and on said latching member connecting the latter with the seat part (1) to swing relative thereto about a first axis, between a normal position wherein a latch part on the latching member engages said suspension part to confine the latching member against fore-and-aft movement relative to the suspension part and a releasing position wherein said latch part is disengaged from the suspension part, and (2) said cooperating means providing for limited fore-and-aft sliding of the seat part relative to the latching member when the latter is in its normal position; C. a manually shiftable control member; D. pivot means connecting said control member with the latching member for swinging relative thereto about a second axis which is spaced from and parallel to said first axis, whereby said control member is carried between an intermediate position and a first limit position which is spaced in one direction from said intermediate position and wherein the control member leaves the latching member free for fore-and-aft sliding relative to the seat part; and E. cooperating abutment means on the seat part and on the control member, engaged when the control member is in its said intermediate position to confine the control member against fore-and-aft movement relative to the seat part to thus lock the latter to the latching member, said abutment means providing a fulcrum about which the control member can be swung in the opposite direction, from its intermediate position to the second limit position, while said pivot means constrains the latching member to swing to its releasing position.