Supports – Stand – Horizontally movable support surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-19
2001-10-09
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Stand
Horizontally movable support surface
C297S341000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299121
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for fixing vehicle seats, vehicle seats having such devices and slide bars for such vehicle seats.
More specifically, the invention relates to a fixing device for mounting the seat part of a seat on a vehicle floor, this fixing device comprising:
a base which is designed to be joined to the seat part, the floor and the base being referred to hereafter one as a first supporting element and the other as a second supporting element,
positioning means joined to the first supporting element and complementary positioning means joined to the second supporting element, designed to cooperate reciprocally by a simple vertical interlocking action for horizontally positioning the base on the vehicle floor,
at least one rigid anchoring member joined to the first supporting element,
at least one latch, slidably mounted on the second supporting element between a locking position on the one hand in which said latch may co-operate with the anchoring member to immobilize the base vertically on the vehicle floor and, on the other, a released position in which the latch does not immobilize the base on the vehicle floor,
and resilient means for biasing the latch into the locking position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Document GB-A-2 008 938 describes such a fixing device, comprising two latches which are mounted on the base and each of which co-operates with two anchoring members mounted on the vehicle floor. In order to fix the seat to the vehicle floor, the operator must simultaneously position the seat on the anchoring members and displace the two latches into the released position against the action of the resilient means. This fixing device of the prior art is therefore awkward to operate.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The specific objective of the invention is to overcome this disadvantage.
To this end, the invention proposes a fixing device of the type in question which is essentially characterized in that it has at least one trigger which initially maintains the latch in its released position, this trigger being mounted on the second supporting element and being disposed so as to act on the first supporting element when the seat is positioned on the vehicle floor so that it can then be shifted into its locking position under the action of the resilient means.
As a result of these features, the operation of fixing the base to the vehicle floor is simple and quick since the operator simply has to locate the seat vertically on the vehicle floor in a single movement.
Furthermore, the fixing device proposed by the invention is simple and inexpensive.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, one and/or the other of following features may be incorporated:
the trigger is borne by the latch and has a hooking finger which can be displaced between:
on the one hand a stand-by position in which said hooking finger is hooked onto the second supporting element,
and on the other a clear position in which the hooking finger is not hooked into the second supporting element, the hooking finger, when in the stand-by position, being disposed so that it acts on the anchoring member when the base is positioned on the vehicle floor so that the hooking finger can then be displaced from its stand-by position to its clear position, releasing the latch;
the second supporting element has a slot which is designed to receive the hooking finger when the latch is in the locking position so that it will then block this latch;
the latch is of a metal plate design, out of which at least one flexible tongue is cut so as to form the trigger, this tongue extending as far as a folded-back end which forms the hooking finger of the trigger;
the resilient means comprise at least one extension spring having a flexible end branch forming the trigger, this end branch being fixed to the latch and extending as far as a folded-back end forming the hooking finger of the trigger;
the anchoring member is a vertical pin which has a shoulder and which engages in a slot of the second supporting element whilst the latch is designed as a horizontal plate with at least one oblong hole cut out therefrom, this oblong hole having a wide end which is extended by a narrower zone, the wide end of the oblong hole being disposed so as to coincide with the slot of the second supporting element when the latch is in its released position, to allow the vertical pin to engage in said slot, and the narrow zone of the oblong hole being designed to locate on the shoulder of the vertical pin when the latch is in its locking position;
the fixing device has at least two of said anchoring members, which are designed to locate vertically in two slots provided in the second supporting element, these anchoring members forming at least part of said positioning means and these slots forming at least part of said complementary positioning means;
the fixing device has at least two anchoring members co-operating with a same latch;
the fixing device has at least two anchoring members, each co-operating with a latch;
the latch slides in a guide and has a viewing zone which is visible on the exterior of the guide at least when the latch is in its released position;
the first supporting element consists of the base and the second support element is the vehicle floor,
the first supporting element is the vehicle floor and the second supporting element is the base.
In addition, another object of the invention is a vehicle seat designed to be mounted on a vehicle floor by means of at least one fixing device as defined above, this seat comprising:
said base, fixed to the seat part,
said complementary positioning means,
said latch,
said resilient means,
and said trigger.
Finally, another object of the invention is to provide a slide bar for regulating the longitudinal position of a vehicle seat as defined above, this slide bar having at least one fixed section belonging to the base and bearing said complementary positioning means, said latch, said resilient means and said trigger. Advantageously, the fixed section has a substantially U-shaped cross section, open at the top, with a horizontal base and two vertical wings, the latch being slidably mounted in the fixed section on the base of this section.
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patent: 6126133 (2000-10-01), Timon et al.
Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
Le Tan
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
Ramirez Ramon O.
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