Fold-away auxiliary seat unit for a vehicle

Claim 1

Improved auxiliary seat unit for combining with a vehicle comprising a floor defining a cavity which has an opening, a bottom and lateral walls which together define an enclosure for housing said seat unit in a folded away position thereof, a movable cover for closing said cavity when said seat unit is placed therein, said seat unit comprising in combination: a seat, a frame for said seat, which frame comprises lateral members and outer and inner cross-bars, and a backrest, a frame for said backrest, which backrest frame comprises lateral posts and upper and lower cross-members, said seat unit further comprising two lateral arms each having a free end portion adapted to bear on said bottom, an anchored end portion, a first pivot connecting said anchored end portion to a respective one of said lateral posts, an intermediate portion, a second pivot connecting said intermediate portion to a respective one of said lateral members of said seat frame, an articulation which defines a pivot axis for said seat unit and said cover and which comprises a fixed part connected to a respective one of said lateral walls of said cavity in proximity to said opening and a movable part which carries said frame of said backrest and said cover, and retaining means cooperative with said inner cross-bar of said seat frame for maintaining said seat unit in an unfolded position out of said cavity in which it is capable of receiving an occupant after pivoting from a folded away position in said cavity, said pivots being so disposed that when said seat unit passes from said unfolded position to said folded away position, said seat and said backrest are relatively offset in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which said pivot axis extends.