Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Bottom and back movable as a unit
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-30
2003-04-15
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Bottom and back movable as a unit
C297S378100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06547331
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a long slide rail device on which a vehicle seat is mounted for fore-and-aft movement therealong. Particularly, the invention is directed to an arrangement for securing the long slide rail device to the floor of vehicle or automobile.
2. Description of Prior Art
A conventional long slide rail device is normally utilized in a relatively large vehicle, such as a van-type vehicle, in which a second or third rear seats are movable towards a front seat to widen the rearward area of the vehicle cabin to provide a load-carrying platform behind the front seat. According to the long slide rail device, a pair of long slide rails are securely attached on the floor of vehicle or automobile, allowing the second and/or third rear seats to be slidingly moved therealong to attain a wide space in the rearward area of cabin. Typically, in the case of a vehicle or automobile of this kind with a second rear seat for instance, the long slide rail has the following two areas defined therein: a seat home position area (see the designation (B) in
FIG. 1
) wherein the second seat is normally positioned a certain distance from a front seat so that a passenger can climb and sit thereon, and a seat storage area (see the designation (A) in
FIG. 1
) where the second seat is stored in a folded-down state behind the front seat, thereby providing a wide space or load-carrying platform in the rearward area of vehicle cabin. The long side rail itself comprises a lower rail fixed on the floor of the vehicle and an upper rail slidably fitted in the lower rail. The second seat and/or third seat, for instance, are/is fixedly attached on the upper rail and may be provided with a seat belt for restraining a passenger to the seat.
In most cases, the long slide rail is firmly secured in a recessed groove formed in the floor to avoid projection from the surface of floor, the recessed groove being normally of a dimensions generally same width or slightly larger than those of lower rail of the long slide rail. Specifically, in this conventional structure, the slide rail has a plurality of horizontal extending securing lugs formed in the lower rail thereof, which extend horizontally and symmetrically from the upper surface of the lower rail. By fastening those securing lugs to the adjacent surface areas of floor, the slide rail per se is firmly secured in the groove. But, there are some cases that such groove has a depth greater than or about twice the height-wise thickness of a lower rail of the long slide rail and then a support leg must be provided to compensate for that height-wise difference in size between the lower rail and groove. In other words, the support leg must be provided between the lower rail and the bottom of the groove in order to place the upper side of the lower rail in registry with the upper surface of floor, which is realized for instance by welding the support leg to the bottom side of the lower rail and firmly attaching the leg to the bottom of the groove. In this sort of long slide rail, a pair of forward and rearward support legs are provided in the lower rail thereof to support the whole length of the slide rail. However, such provision of two support legs has the problem that an intermediate portion of long slide rail between the two support legs is prone to downward bending due to a great load being applied thereto from the seat.
The prior art is known to teach an additional support member between forward and rearward support legs below a slide rail in an attempt to prevent a lower rail of the slide rail against downward bending due to a great force being applied thereto in a direction rearwardly of the seat.
However, such arrangement has not been applied to a long slide rail in the past. In particular, as stated above, a seat home position area is defined in the rearward region of the long slide rail whereas a seat storage area defined in the forward region thereof, so that a rear seat, be it a second or third seat, can be positioned or stored as required. Further, in the case where the rear seat is provided with a seat belt for restraining a passenger thereto and such rear seat is set in the seat positioning area, a great force will be applied through the seat belt to a point forwardly of the seat home position area in a collision case or the like, resulting in a downward bending of the long slide rail at that particular point. In other words, a deformation will occur at the side of the seat storage area in the long slide rail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-stated drawbacks, it is a primary purpose of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for securing a long slide rail device to a vehicle.
In order to achieve such purpose, in accordance with the present invention, there is basically provided an arrangement for securing a long slide rail device to a floor of vehicle having a groove formed therein, in combination with a vehicle seat, the floor of vehicle including, defined therein, a seat storage area where the vehicle seat is to be stored to widen a space in the floor of vehicle and a seat home position area where the vehicle seat is to be set to enable a passenger to sit thereon,
wherein the long slide rail device includes a long lower rail means fixed at the floor of vehicle, which long lower rail means has a forward region corresponding to the seat storage area and a rearward region corresponding to the seat home position area;
wherein the long slide rail device includes an upper rail means slidably fitted in the long lower rail means, which upper rail means is to be fixed at the vehicle seat to allow movement of the vehicle seat along the long lower rail means in a direction between the seat storage and home position areas;
wherein at least two support leg means are each fixedly provided at the forward and rearward regions of the lower rail means, respectively, while being both firmly attached in the groove; and
wherein another leg means is fixedly provided at a point in the long lower rail means between the at least two support leg means such as to be disposed in the groove.
Accordingly, the above-noted point in the lower rail means is prevented against deformation when a great force is caused from the vehicle seat, attempting to draw upwardly the rearward region of the long lower rail means.
In one aspect of the invention, the foregoing another leg means is large in width-wise length relative to the at least two support leg means and of a generally trapezoidal shape small in height-wise length relative to the at least two support leg means, having a bottom wall large in area relative to the bottom walls of the latter.
Another various features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the descriptions hereinafter with reference to the annexed drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4691946 (1987-09-01), Sburlati et al.
patent: 5280987 (1994-01-01), Miller
patent: 5364152 (1994-11-01), Mastrangelo et al.
patent: 5711505 (1998-01-01), Nemoto
patent: 5785292 (1998-07-01), Muraishi et al.
patent: 5800015 (1998-09-01), Tsuchiya et al.
patent: 5961088 (1999-10-01), Chabanne et al.
patent: 6059345 (2000-05-01), Yokota
patent: 6293622 (2001-09-01), Horisawa
Ishizuka Takanori
Kunisawa Atsushi
Browdy and Neimark
Burnham Sarah C.
Cuomo Peter M.
Tachi-S Co. Ltd.
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