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US6669295B2 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly

Assignee: BE Aerospace Inc
•
Filing: 2001-11-21
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Granted: 2003-12-30
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Expires: 2021-11-21
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Abstract

Abstract A passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly, including a recline unit for controlling movement of the seat back and locking the seat back in a desired recline position. A hydraulic cylinder assembly is pivotally-mounted by a first end thereof to a section assembly module of the seat and by an opposite second end thereof to the seat back unit. The cylinder assembly has a longitudinally-extending axis extending in alignment with the longitudinally-extending, generally vertical plane of the seat back. An actuator is positioned astride and operatively connected to the fluid cylinder adjacent one or the other of the first and second ends thereof. An occupant-activated seat back recline control allows the occupant to maintain the seat back in a normally-locked condition relative to the seat bottom chassis and for permitting the occupant to release the normally-locked condition of the cylinder assembly by activating the seat back recline control to thus permit movement of the seat back to a desired position and deactivating the seat back recline control to lock the seat back in the desired position.

Inventors

  • 👤 John Williamson

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-07 13:35
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64D; B64D11/00; B64D11/06; B64D11/0639; B64D11/064; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/005; B60N2/015; B60N2/02; B60N2/04; B60N2/06; B60N2/062; B60N2/22; B60N2/23; B60N2/231; B60N2/24; B60N2/42; B60N2/427; B60N2/42727; B60N2/42745; B60N3/00; B60N3/001; B60N3/002; B60N3/004; B64D11/0638

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 258 words
A passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly, comprising: (a) a seat bottom chassis including a plurality of leg modules and a plurality of section assembly modules; (b) a plurality of beam elements carrying said leg modules and section assembly modules in spaced-apart relation to each other to define a ladder frame assembly; (c) a seat back unit pivotally-mounted between two of the section assembly modules for permitting the angle of the seat back relative to the seat bottom chassis to be varied as desired by the passenger; (d) a recline unit for controlling movement of the seat back and locking the seat back in a desired recline position, and comprising: (i) a fluid cylinder assembly pivotally-mounted by a first end thereof to a section assembly module of the seat and by an opposite second end thereof to the seat back unit, the cylinder assembly having a longitudinally-extending axis extending in alignment with the longitudinally-extending, generally vertical plane of the seat back; (ii) an actuator positioned beside and operatively connected to the fluid cylinder adjacent one of said first and second ends thereof; and (iii) an occupant-activated seat back recline control for maintaining the seat back in a normally-locked condition relative to the seat bottom chassis and for permitting the occupant to release the normally-locked condition of the cylinder assembly by activating the seat back recline control to thus permit movement of the seat back to a desired position and deactivating the seat back recline control to lock the seat back in the desired position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 258 words
A passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly, comprising: (a) a seat bottom chassis including a plurality of leg modules and a plurality of section assembly modules; (b) a plurality of beam elements carrying said leg modules and section assembly modules in spaced-apart relation to each other to define a ladder frame assembly; (c) a seat back unit pivotally-mounted between two of the section assembly modules for permitting the angle of the seat back relative to the seat bottom chassis to be varied as desired by the passenger; (d) a recline unit for controlling movement of the seat back and locking the seat back in a desired recline position, and comprising: (i) a fluid cylinder assembly pivotally-mounted by a first end thereof to a section assembly module of the seat and by an opposite second end thereof to the seat back unit, the cylinder assembly having a longitudinally-extending axis extending in alignment with the longitudinally-extending, generally vertical plane of the seat back; (ii) an actuator positioned beside and operatively connected to the fluid cylinder adjacent one of said first and second ends thereof; and (iii) an occupant-activated seat back recline control for maintaining the seat back in a normally-locked condition relative to the seat bottom chassis and for permitting the occupant to release the normally-locked condition of the cylinder assembly by activating the seat back recline control to thus permit movement of the seat back to a desired position and deactivating the seat back recline control to lock the seat back in the desired position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 74 words
A passenger seat according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid cylinder assembly is pivotally-mounted to the section assembly module of the seat by a stepped pivot shaft having a first axially-extending segment having a pivot axis which is radially-offset from a second axially-extending segment for providing translational movement to the fluid cylinder assembly simultaneously with the pivotal movement of the fluid cylinder assembly for increasing the effective stroke of the fluid cylinder assembly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 65 words
A passenger seat according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid cylinder assembly is pivotally-mounted by the first and second ends thereof to the section assembly module by respective first and second pivot tubes on which the fluid cylinder assembly is mounted and by said first and second pivot tubes being positioned in respective first and second pivot holes formed in the section assembly module.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 39 words
A passenger seat according to claim 3 , and including first and second locking spacer collars positioned in surrounding position on respective first and second pivot tubes intermediate the section assembly module and the seat back unit pivoted thereto.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 41 words
A passenger seat according to claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second collars include an attachment device for locking the respective first and second collars to the section assembly module against both axial and radial movement relative thereto.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 36 words
A passenger seat according to claim 5 , wherein the attachment devices each comprise an elongate member positioned through an attachment hole in the collar and a mating attachment hole formed in the section assembly module.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 16 words
A passenger seat according to claim 6 , wherein the elongate members each comprise a screw.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 27 words
A passenger seat according to claim 7 , wherein each said collar is pear-shaped and the attachment hole therein is radially offset from the pivot hole therein.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 111 words
A passenger seat according to one of claims 6 , 7 , and 8 , wherein: (a) the section assembly module includes a stepped surface underlying the attachment hole in each of the first and second collars whereby when the portion of each of the collars surrounding the respective pivot hole is in contact with the section assembly module, the portion of the collar surrounding the pivot hole is spaced-apart from the attachment hole in the section assembly module; and (b) by tightening the attachment member each of the collars is deflected inwardly towards the respective attachment screw hole in the section assembly module and locked against the respective pivot tubes.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

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US3588172A Cited
US4394047A Cited
US5029822A Cited
US5282665A Cited
US5758544A Cited
US6119980A Cited
US6450580B1 Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2006-12-29 2007-06-30 2007-12-30 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2010-12-29 2011-06-30 2011-12-30 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2014-12-29 2015-06-30 2015-12-30 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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