Locking mechanism for a tray of an automotive seat

Claim 1

A locking mechanism having a locked state and unlocked state for locking a tray to an automotive seat, in which said seat is formed with a recess having edges therein and said tray is at one end rotatably connected to said recess, thereby allowing said tray to be stored therein and drawn out therefrom, comprising: a lock lever which is rotatably connected to a free end of said tray at a center of rotation; and a lock rod provided in said recess or opening, said lock rod being biased by a spring means in a direction projecting from said recess opening and being adapted to be latchingly engageable with said lock lever; wherein, said tray is locked in said recess when said lock lever is engaged with said lock rod, and rotatively operates said lock lever to release said tray from a said locked state by said lock rod; wherein said lock ever has a flat surface at its frontal side presenting a frontal vertical flat surface and a cambered surface at its rear side presenting an outwardly arced surface, whereby, when said tray is locked in said recess opening, said lock rod is abutted against said flat frontal surface of said lock lever, said frontal vertical flat surface of said lock rod is fully contacted with a frontal surface of said lock lever thus ensuring such locked state of said tray, and when said tray is returned into said recess or opening, said cambered rear surface of said lock lever is to be slidingly contacted with said lock rod, this allowing said tray to be easily locked in said recess or opening by simply pressing said tray thereinto; and wherein, said lock rod frontal flat surface extends in said lock state in contact with said lock lever frontal surface to a point which is further away from one of said recess edges then said lock lever center of rotation.