Supports – Hold-down – Vehicle-mounted; for vehicle appurtenance
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2001-07-03
Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Hold-down
Vehicle-mounted; for vehicle appurtenance
C296S065030, C297S336000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254054
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to assemblies used for mounting seats in motor vehicles, and more particularly, to a quick release mechanism that permits a passenger or an operator seat in the inside of a van or other conveyance to be easily unfastened and removed from the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In motorized vehicles such as vans or other big passenger vehicles, situations frequently arise where it is desirable to quickly disconnect and remove one or more of the vehicle seats to increase available cargo space or to permit easy access to certain interior portions of the vehicle, perhaps for maintenance and/or repair purposes. A number of inventions have been conceived that provide release mechanisms for seats to be selectively removed from within the interior of a vehicle.
One such invention, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,067, consists of a quick release pedestal for a vehicle seat, comprising a base member rigidly attachable to a floor portion of a vehicle and having first and second pairs of elongated slots extending in spaced, parallel relation. A seat support member is releasably attached to the base member and includes two pairs of members each having the general shape of a hook, and oriented so as to be receivable into respective slots. The seat support member also includes a mechanism for releasing the support member from engagement to the base member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,571, discloses a mounting device for removably attaching a seat usable in a boat or other conveyance. The device includes a flanged lower plate which may be attached by screws, bolts or other means to the vehicle floor. The device further includes a flanged upper plate which at its top surface attaches to a seat base. The flanges at one of the ends of each plate contain a hole that receives a peg for fastening the flanges together. The flanges at the other of the ends of each plate contain a slot so that a latch can be moved vertically through the flanges allowing the plates to be disengaged. A user must align the latches with the slot and screw the latch in manually.
A detachable seat supporting structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,952, wherein a locking mechanism in the supporting structure uses two slots in a base plate fastened to the floor of a motor vehicle to releasably lock the seat into a secure position. A first locking mechanism rod is inserted into a U-shaped base plate slot with a detention at a bottom portion which provides a pivot point. The U-shaped slot allows the seat to be removed from the vehicle by lifting the rod out of the slot. A second locking mechanism rod associates with an L-shaped slot. The first and second rods are interconnected such that by rotating a handle on the second rod the rods move within the designated slots and provide a snap lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,245 discloses a movable, as well as removable, vehicle seat including a fixing mechanism for connecting the seat structure to the floor of a vehicle. The mechanism, which is mounted to move relative to the seat structure, includes a latch having a shoulder. The latch penetrates an opening in the vehicle floor and is capable of taking up either an unlocking position or a locking position.
The above mentioned inventions all permit a seat to be detached to allow greater room in the vehicle, and also to attach the seat to the vehicle for use. However, all of the inventions lack a mechanism which can be secured so that there is little movement between the base plate and the seat member. Also, the prior art fails to describe a seat mechanism which can be quickly situated and released. The present invention overcomes this and other deficiencies associated with prior art vehicle seat release mechanisms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a quick release mechanism for a seat of a vehicle. The mechanism generally comprises: a base plate which is rigidly attached to the floor of the vehicle; a riser member which releasably attaches at its bottom surface to the base plate and is secured at its upper extremities to the vehicle seat and a cammed locking means that is rigidly mounted to the interior of the riser member and that secures the riser member to the base plate.
The base plate is comprised of a thin, yet strong metallic material and is formed by stamping the material into a generally rectangular form having gently rounded corners and slightly flanged edges on all of its four sides . The base plate is also provided with a number of other features including: apertures that are located near each of the corners of the base plate; detents that are located proximate to the apertures; an elongated slot that is positioned in the central region of the base plate and a T-shaped opening that is situated to the side of the elongated slot. The apertures are used for securing the base plate to the floor of the vehicle with bolts or other types of fasteners. The elongated slot and the T-shaped opening receive elements of the cammed locking means to secure the riser member to the base plate.
Like the base plate, the riser member is fabricated from relatively thin metal plate. The riser member generally resembles a U-shaped channel having an elongated, horizontal base portion that when viewed from the top or bottom is rectangularly shaped, and two relatively flat side portions that extend upwardly from opposing ends of the base portion in a generally vertical direction. A plurality of hub-like projections are provided on the underside of the base portion and are located to coincide with the detents provided in the base plate. The hub-like projections are received by the detents and work in cooperation with them not only to align the riser member into locking position, but also to provide a means for engaging the riser member and the base plate. An elongated slot and a T-shaped opening are provided in the base portion of the riser member. The slot and the opening in the riser member correspond in size and location to the slot and opening provided in the base plate.
The cammed locking means includes a box-shaped frame through which passes a rotatable shaft. The shaft is provided with a handle portion which is created by a bend in the shaft that is outside of the box-shaped frame. The shaft is further provided with an extending tab and two compression cams, each of which cam is positioned at the outside surface of opposing end portions of the frame. The shaft also passes through a T-shaped locking tab that extends vertically downward and through a slot provided in the bottom side of the frame and that communicates with a spring positioned between a top portion of the frame and the upper end of the locking tab. The cammed locking means is positioned on the bottom portion of the riser member so that the extending tab is aligned with the elongated slot provided through the riser and the locking tab projects through the T-shaped opening.
The riser member is principally secured to the base plate by means of the T-shaped locking tab. When the hub-like projections of the riser engage the detents in the base plate, the elongated slot in the base plate receives the T-shaped locking tab of the cammed locking means. By rotating the handle portion of the shaft the compression cams are turned and thereby cause the shaft and the T-shaped locking tab to be moved upwardly so that the locking tab makes contact with the under side of the base plate. At the same time, the extending tab downwardly rotates to fit into the elongated slots in the base plate and in the riser member and thereby acts to reduce any lateral movement between the base plate and the riser member. The extending tab also ensures that the compression cams and the locking tab are secured in a locked position.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved release mechanism for a vehicle seat, which may be quickly attached and detached.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a quick release mechanism for a v
Braun Leslie A.
Le Tan
Norco Industries Inc.
Oldham & Oldham Co. LPA
LandOfFree
Quick release mechanism for vehicle seating does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Quick release mechanism for vehicle seating, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Quick release mechanism for vehicle seating will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2447303