Locking assembly for a folding seat

Claim 1

A locking assembly in combination with a foldable seat movable between a folded position and a supporting position, the seat including a support member extending between two of said legs and also including a step having a portion that is moved toward and away from the support member during movement of the seat between the folded and supporting positions, and said portion of the step being supported on the support member in the supporting position, the assembly comprising: a support plate fixedly mounted to the lower side of the step at said portion thereof, said support plate including a pair of spaced apertures and an integral flange downwardly depending from the support plate between the pair of apertures, and a broad rigid hook having one end portion extending through said apertures and over said flange to pivotally connect the hook to the step, said hook having a second end portion for engaging the support member in a locked position of the hook to selectively secure the step to the support member and thereby prevent movement of the step with respect to the legs, said hook having a stop on the one end portion thereof for engaging the support plate to position the second end portion thereof for engagement with the support member upon movement toward the support member, said end portions of the hook each having a ribbed construction, and said hook being movable to disengage the support member to thereby permit movement of the seat to the folded position.