Chairs and seats – Movable back – Tiltable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-13
2003-12-16
White, Rodney B. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable back
Tiltable
C297S331000, C297S341000, C296S069000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06663179
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile seat and, more specifically, to an improved automobile seat having a seat back capable of being inclined forward and set in a horizontal position to form a low luggage compartment floor without obstructing the sliding and reclining operations of the seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a station wagon
1
is provided with a backseat having a seat cushion
4
, and a seat back
3
that can be inclined forward. Generally, the thickness of the seat cushion
4
is increased toward the front in order that the seat cushion
4
is able to support a passenger seated thereon firmly and the passenger is able to sit comfortably thereon. Therefore, when the seat back
3
is inclined forward over the seat cushion
4
, the back surface
3
a
of the seat back
3
slopes up toward the front. Although the sloping back surface
3
a
of the seat back
3
is continuous with the surface of the floor board
5
of a luggage compartment
2
, the same is unable to form a wide flat surface in the luggage compartment
2
together with the surface of the floor board
5
.
Another conventional seat shown in
FIG. 6
has a seat cushion
4
, and a seat back
3
connected to the seat cushion
4
by an improved hinge mechanism and capable of being inclined forward so that its back surface
3
a
is set in the horizontal position. Although the back surface
3
a
is horizontal, there is an undesirable big difference in level between the back surface
3
a
of the seat back
3
and the surface of the floor board
5
of a luggage compartment
2
.
A third conventional seat shown in
FIG. 7
has a seat cushion
4
and a seat back
3
. A front part of the seat cushion
4
is supported pivotally. The seat cushion
4
can be turned and set in a vertical position, and the seat back
3
can be inclined forward and set on the floor such that the back surface
3
a
of the seat back
3
is flush with the surface of the floor board
5
of a luggage compartment
2
. Thus, a flat, wide, low-level surface is formed in the luggage compartment
2
. However, since the seat cushion
4
of the backseat is set in a vertical position behind the seat back
6
of a front seat disposed in front of the backseat, the front seat cannot be slid rearward and cannot be reclined.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a an improved automobile seat having a seat back capable of being inclined forward and set in the horizontal position to form a low luggage compartment floor without obstructing the sliding and reclining operations of a seat disposed in front thereof.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an automobile seat including a seat cushion, and a seat back capable of being inclined forward so that its back surface is flush with the surface of the floor board of a luggage compartment extending behind the seat cushion, wherein the seat cushion is divided into a stationary block and a movable block, the stationary block underlies the seat back when the seat back is inclined forward and set in the horizontal position, and the movable block can be moved between a first position where the movable block forms the seat cushion together with the stationary block and a second position in front of and on a level below that of the first position, where the movable block does not interfere with the seat back when the seat back is inclined forward and set in the horizontal position.
When the seat back of the automobile seat of the present invention is inclined forward and set in the horizontal position to enlarge a luggage compartment, the stationary block that does not interfere with the seat back is kept in place, while the movable block that interferes with the seat back when kept at the first position is shifted to the second position. Since only the movable part, i.e., a small part of the seat cushion, is shifted forward and downward, the movable block placed at the second position does not obstruct the sliding and reclining operations of the seat in front of the automobile seat of the present invention.
The movable block of the seat cushion may be a front block, i.e., a thigh support block for supporting the thighs of a passenger seated on the seat cushion, of the seat cushion, formed in a relatively big thickness in order that the seat cushion is able to support a passenger seated thereon firmly and the passenger is able to sit comfortably thereon, and the stationary block may be a rear block, i.e., a buttock support block for supporting the buttocks of the passenger, of the seat cushion, formed in a relatively small thickness.
The movable block may be an upper front part of a thigh support block of the seat cushion, and the stationary block may be the rest of the cushion seat.
The seat back may be inclined forward such that the back surface thereof is horizontal and a back part of the seat back may be formed of the same hardboard and the same covering material as those forming the floor of the luggage compartment.
The automobile seat may further include a support mechanism for supporting the movable block so as to be moved between the first and the second position. The support mechanism may be a hinge mechanism capable of supporting the movable block so as to be turnable in a vertical plane or a linkage capable of supporting the movable block so as to be simultaneously turnable and longitudinally movable in a vertical plane.
The stationary block may be divided into upper and lower parts and, when turning the seat back forward and setting the same in the horizontal position, the movable block may be shifted from the first position to the second position, and the upper part of the stationary block may be shifted to the first position.
When the upper part of the stationary block is shifted to the first position from which the front block has been shifted to the second position, the thickness of the part of the seat cushion underlying the seat back set in the horizontal position is reduced, so that the back surface of the seat back set in the horizontal position can be extended on a low level, and hence the surface of the floor board of the luggage compartment can be formed on a low level.
The seat back of a second seat disposed in front of the automobile seat may be capable of being inclined forward such that the back surface of the same is flush with the back surface of the seat back of the automobile seat, set in the horizontal position.
When the seat back of the automobile seat and that of the second seat are inclined forward and set in the horizontal position, the surface of the floor board of the luggage compartment extending behind the automobile seat can be expanded over the back surface of the seat back of the automobile seat and the back surface of the seat back of the second seat.
The automobile seat of the present invention and the seat disposed in front of the automobile seat of the present invention may be identical in the structure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4191417 (1980-03-01), Ferrara
patent: 5741046 (1998-04-01), Leuchtmann et al.
patent: 5795023 (1998-08-01), Kayumi
patent: 5913570 (1999-06-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 6000751 (1999-12-01), Kato et al.
patent: 6089641 (2000-07-01), Mattarella et al.
patent: 6193317 (2001-02-01), Mitschelen et al.
patent: 6375255 (2002-04-01), Maruta et al.
patent: 6386629 (2002-05-01), Severinski et al.
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Harris Stephanie
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
White Rodney B.
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