Fold flat seat assembly

Details Fold flat seat assembly Fold flat seat assembly

2001-12-11

2003-10-28

Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)

Chairs and seats

Movable bottom

Tiltable

C297S335000, C005S043000, C296S065080

Reexamination Certificate

active

06637819

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a fold flat seat assembly wherein the seat cushion is rotated from a seating position to a fold flat position in response to rearward sliding movement of the seat assembly from a forward position to a rearward position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seat assemblies for automotive vehicles commonly including one or more rows of rear seat assemblies including a seat cushion and a seat back coupled to the seat cushion. It is often desirable to pivot or fold both the seat cushion and seat back downwardly and against the floor of the vehicle to a fold flat position providing a cargo load floor in the vehicle. The seat cushion is commonly pivotally coupled to the floor of the vehicle by seat risers and pivotal from a generally horizontal seating position to a forwardly folded and upright position. The seat back is commonly pivotal from a generally upright position to a forwardly folded flat position adjacent the upright seat cushion.
It is also commonly known to pivot the seat back downwardly onto the seat cushion to a folded position. However, the overall stack height of the seat back on top of the seat cushion consumes much of the desired storage space in the vehicle and frustrates the desire for a flat and flush cargo load floor.
Therefore, it remains desirable to provide a seat assembly which folds flat having the seat cushion flush with the seat back to form a flat load floor in the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seat assembly for an automotive vehicle comprising a main support frame adapted to secure the seat assembly to the floor of the vehicle. A seat cushion is rotatable journaled to the main support frame for rotation between a seating position and a fold flat position rotated generally 180 degrees about the frame. A seat back is pivotally coupled to the main support frame for rotation between a generally upright seating position to a fold flat position aligned generally flush with the seat cushion in the fold flat position. A lower track is fixedly secured to the main support frame and an upper track is fixedly secured to the seat back and slidably secured to the lower track. An automatic fold mechanism is operatively coupled between the upper track and the seat cushion for automatically rotating the seat cushion between the seating position and the fold flat position in response to fore and aft sliding movement of the upper track along the lower track.


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