Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-25
2004-09-21
Gordon, Stephen (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S065090, C296S066000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06793265
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat arrangement for a vehicle, and in particular, the present invention relates to a seat arrangement for a vehicle, which enables forming a compartment having a flat bottom when the seats are in a folded state, while on the other hand, providing seating so that all passengers are facing forward with a forward view when the seats are deployed.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Published Utility Model No. Hei 02-28986, and in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-67760, a seat arrangement for a vehicle is known, in which seats are arranged to be stowed for enlarging usable space in the vehicle. In such a vehicle, room for luggage may be enlarged by folding and stowing open seats among the seats therein when only a few passengers are in the vehicle and a large amount of luggage must be loaded.
In recent years, minivan type or wagon type vehicles, which have three rows of seats for easily seating a number of passengers therein, have become popular on the market, and seat arrangements, in which seats are made foldable so that luggage may be conveniently loaded therein, have been proposed for such vehicles as well.
In such conventional vehicles having three rows of seats, a problem is encountered in that it is difficult to ensure spaces for accommodating second and third row seats in folded states because each of the three rows of seats is arranged one behind another. On the other hand, in such vehicles, another problem is also encountered in that the forward view for a passenger seated in the second or third row seat is easily blocked because each of the three rows of seats is arranged one behind another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a seat arrangement for a vehicle, in which seats are arranged so as to be easily stowed, while on the other hand, forward views for passengers seated in the seats are ensured so that visibilities and comfort of the passengers are improved.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a seat arrangement for a vehicle comprising: a floor having a first section, a second section, and a third section, each of which is arranged one behind another while rising stepwise from the section in front; a first row seat disposed on the first section of the floor; a second row seat which is disposed on the second section of the floor in use, and which includes a seat base that is raiseable and movable forward and a seatback that is foldable forward so as to be in substantially a level state; a third row seat which is disposed on the third section of the floor in use, and which includes a seat base and a seatback that is foldable onto the associated seat base, and that is rotatable backward along with the associated seat base so as to be in substantially a level state, wherein a luggage compartment is formed in a state in which the seatback of the second row seat is folded forward, and the seat base of the third row seat is rotated backward, whose bottom is substantially flat while extending from a place behind the first row seat to the back end of the third row seat in a rotated state.
According to the above seat arrangement of the present invention, the luggage compartment having the flat bottom, which enables ease of loading, is ensured by folding the second row seat and by stowing the third row seat, while on the other hand, when the seats are used, forward, wide views for passengers seated, specifically, in the second and third row seats may be ensured so that visibilities and comfort of the passengers are improved due to the floor rising in steps.
In the above seat arrangement, the bottom of the luggage compartment may include the seatback of the second row seat in a folded state and the seat base of the third row seat in the rotated state.
According to the above seat arrangement, the luggage compartment can be ensured whose bottom is made flat while extending from a place behind the first row seat to the back end of the third row seat in a rotated and level state.
In the above seat arrangement, the dimensions of steps included in the floor may be determined such that a forward view for a passenger seated in one of the second and third row seats is not blocked by another passenger who is of the same height, and who is seated in another of the first and second row seats.
According to the above seat arrangement, when the seats are used, forward views for passengers seated, specifically, in the second and third row seats may not be blocked by other passengers seated in front so that visibilities and comfort of the passengers can be improved.
In the above seat arrangement, the seat base of the second row seats may be made separable from the seatback thereof, and may be made movable to a place right behind the seatback of the first row seat.
According to the above seat arrangement, the size of the luggage compartment may be maximized.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4932709 (1990-06-01), Wainwright
patent: 5658046 (1997-08-01), Rus
patent: 5702145 (1997-12-01), Fowler et al.
patent: 6129404 (2000-10-01), Mattarella et al.
patent: 6318784 (2001-11-01), Nishide
patent: 6338516 (2002-01-01), Toyota et al.
patent: 6406084 (2002-06-01), de Campos et al.
patent: 6416107 (2002-07-01), Kanaguchi et al.
patent: 6582003 (2003-06-01), Fourrey et al.
patent: 2002/0153740 (2002-10-01), Miyahara et al.
patent: 1 211 128 (2002-05-01), None
patent: 2 380 933 (2003-04-01), None
patent: 2-28986 (1990-08-01), None
patent: 2001-0055067 (2001-02-01), None
patent: 2002-67760 (2002-03-01), None
Kamida Koji
Otsuki Jun
Gordon Stephen
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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