Chairs and seats – Bottom or back – Framework
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2001-07-17
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Bottom or back
Framework
C297S248000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260924
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to seating systems for a vehicle and, more particularly, to modular seat back systems and methods for supplying such systems to different vehicle lines, and to both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive versions of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
Typically, an automotive manufacturer has three or more different vehicle lines or platforms which are used to produce their product lines. For example, a smaller vehicle platform, a medium-sized vehicle platform, and a larger vehicle platform would typically cover the passenger car segments of the manufactures product lines. These platforms often have different wheelbases (the distance between the axles of the vehicle) and different tracks (the distance between the wheels on a particular axle). The rear track of a vehicle is one of the key factors that determine the available width of a rear seating system. The fact that an automotive manufacturer sells vehicles of different sizes often dictates that the automotive manufacturer produce rear seating systems with different widths.
Using the conventional techniques in the art, rear seating system manufacturers have supplied different and unique rear seating systems for each of these different sized vehicles. In their effort, these manufacturers have encountered the enormous cost associated with engineering, tooling, manufacturing, and validating separate seating systems. There exists a tremendous desire to reduce or eliminate many or all of these costs in a continuing effort to reduce the overall cost of producing a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, this invention provides for a modular seat back system that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the conventional techniques in the art. The present invention also provides for a modular seat back system that avoids or reduces the costs associated with engineering, tooling, manufacturing, and validating separate seat back systems for vehicle architectures of different available widths.
Briefly, the modular seat back system of the present invention includes a type-A seat back frame having a center shoulder seatbelt anchorage, and a type-B seat back frame having a width less than the width of the type-A seat back frame. The left edges of the type-A and type-B seat back frames are substantially similar in shape and size, and the right edges of the type-A and type-B seat back frames are substantially similar in shape and size. The symmetry between the edges allows the modular seat back system to form a “40/40 configuration” with two type-B seat back frames in smaller vehicles, a “40/60 configuration” with one type-A and one type-B seat back frame in medium-sized vehicles, and a “60/60 configuration” with two type-A seat back frames in larger vehicles. Further, the dual-nature of the center shoulder seatbelt anchorage allows the modular seat back system to form a “40/60 configuration” in left-hand-drive versions of a particular vehicle line, and a “60/40 configuration” for the right-hand-drive versions.
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Briggs Kevin E.
Jones William H.
Vo Benny T.
Foley & Lardner
Johnson Controls Technology Company
Jr. Milton Nelson
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