Leg seat track fitting with improved bearing member

Claim 1

A leg seat track fitting adapted to be removably secured in a track carrying an airplane seat wherein said track has an elongated groove disposed lengthwise in the track which is partially covered by a pair of spaced apart lips which are parallel to each other and provide a gap there between and have therein a series of aligned pairs of slots which provide a series of receptacle sections in the said track fitting comprising a body member having a base and a wall element extending outwardly from the base, an enlarged leg holding section integral with the wall element and including a spherical bearing member for receiving pin means which is attached to the leg of the airplane seat, and a rear yoke mounting section integral with the wall, said spherical bearing member being received within an opening in the wall element and comprising (a) a tubular member having opposed open ends connected by a passageway which receives the pin means, said tubular member having a raised, external portion intermediate said ends which has a segmented, convex spherical bearing surface, and (b) a pair of retainer elements having internal, segmented, concave, spherical surfaces which conform to the spherical bearing surface, each retainer element being on opposite sides of the raised external portion of the tubular member and press fitted in the opening in the wall element to hold the tubular member in position, said base being generally flat and adapted to abut the floor of the track when the fitting is placed in the track, with the wall extending outwardly through the gap between the lips, integral with the body member, a plurality of spaced apart pairs of tabs, with the tabs of each pair being on opposite sides of the wall and projecting outwardly from the wall generally at a right angle to the wall, with the distance between said pairs of tabs being equal to the distance between adjacent pairs of receptacle sections, said tabs being adapted to grip the underside of the lips between adjacent pairs of receptacles when aligned therewith and the fitting received in the groove, said tabs also being adapted to be received in the groove by passing through corresponding receptacles and laterally moving the fitting in the groove to bring the tabs into registration with the underside of the lips between adjacent pairs of slots, a detent element pivotally mounted to the end of the body member opposite the yoke mounting section and adjacent the base, said detent element being adapted to being received snugly in a receptacle section upon insertion therein, said detent element upon being inserted into a receptacle acting to prevent sliding movement of the fitting in the track, and a yoke member mounted on the yoke mounting section and including a screw-type fastener for moving the yoke member towards and away from the body member, said yoke member having a pair of plunger elements, with each plunger element being on opposite sides of the wall and adapted to be received snugly in a receptacle section.