Seat storage structure for a passenger car

Details Seat storage structure for a passenger car Seat storage structure for a passenger car

1999-04-27

2001-05-15

Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Seats with body modifications

C296S065050, C296S065090, C296S065030, C297S014000, C297S331000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231101

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear seat storage structure.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-119743, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10
is a view showing a related-art seat arrangement of a passenger car. In the drawing, a passenger car
100
is provided with a front seat
101
, a middle seat
102
, and a rear seat
103
as a third seat.
Of the passenger cars of this type, those which are designed so that the rear seat
103
can be received in a floor
104
in order to secure a rear luggage room are the main current. The rearrangement at that time will be described below.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
are drawings for explaining the related-art rear seat storage.
FIG.
11
A: Make a seat back
106
fall down forward. This operation is performed in the car room.
FIG.
11
B: Make the seat back
106
turn by approximately 270 degrees together with a seat cushion
107
so as to be received in a storage concave portion
108
. This turning operation is also performed in the car room. The main reason why the rearrangement is performed in the car is as follows. Firstly, if the seat back
106
is folded down forward, the top end of the seat back
106
comes close to the center of the room to make the operation from the outside of the car difficult. Secondly, in a related-art passenger car, a reclining mechanism and a seat lock mechanism for locking the seat cushion to the floor are designed to be unlocked from inside the car.
As described above, the rearrangement operation is performed mainly from inside the car. However, this tends to be difficult because of the limit in height (room height) so that a person is required to perform the operation at a stoop.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seat storage structure in which the rear seat rearrangement operation can be performed more easily.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a seat storage structure for a passenger car according to the present invention. In the car, a tail gate is provided in a rear portion thereof and a rear seat having a seat cushion and a seat back is disposed adjacent to the tail gate. The seat storage structure comprises a storage concave portion formed in a floor of the car and behind the rear seat, wherein the seat back is folded onto the seat cushion, the rear seat is rotated backward and received in the storage concave portion to make a bottom of the seat cushion substantially even with the floor. And the seat storage structure further comprises a pull fitting being provided in a back of the seat back for pulling the rear seat backward while the seat back is folded onto the seat cushion side, thereby receiving the rear seat in the storage concave portion.
An operator opens the tail gate, and stretches his/her arm through the tail gate to make the seat back fall down forward. Then, the operator pulls the pull fitting to make both the seat back and the seat cushion turn over backward so as to be received in the storage concave portion. This design allows an operator to perform the rear seat rearrangement in a very easy posture from the outside of a car.
Preferably, a lock member for locking the pull fitting not in use is provided in the back of the rear seat.
The pull fitting is fastened to the back of the seat back. This makes it possible to prevent the swinging of the pull fitting, etc.
In one embodiment of the above seat storage structure, a first bracket is fixed to a skeleton frame provided in the seat back, a second bracket attached to a base of the pull fitting is attached to the first bracket, a skin of the back seat is held between a receiving member and a garnish in a manner so that the receiving member and the garnish are put on the skin from a back and a front of the skin to cover an opening formed in the skin. A base of the pull fitting is disposed to face the garnish and the receiving member, and the receiving member is made to abut against the second bracket.
Thus, since the skin is held between the receiving member and the garnish, the opening of the skin is prevented from being deformed. In addition, since the receiving member is made to abut against the second bracket, the receiving member prevented from displacing laterally and the receiving member and the garnish are prevented from rattling.
Preferably, a first unlocking lever for unlocking a reclining mechanism is provided on the back surface of the seat back.
Since the first unlocking lever is provided in the back of the seat back, the reclining mechanism can be unlocked from the tail gate side. Therefore, by the operations of the first unlocking lever together with the pull fitting of claim
1
, the rear seat rearrangement can be performed easily from the outside of the car.
In one embodiment of the above seat storage structure, a third bracket for swingably supporting the first unlocking lever is fixed to a skeleton frame provided in the seat back, a receiving having an opening is extended from the third bracket to a vicinity of a skin of the seat back so that the opening of the receiving member is made coincident with an opening formed in the skin, and a garnish is inserted in the opening of the receiving member so as to press the opening of the skin so that the skin is held between the garnish and the receiving member.
Since the skin is held between the receiving member and the garnish, the opening of the skin is prevented from being deformed. In addition, since the third bracket supporting the first unlocking lever is fixed to the skeleton frame, a large force can be applied to the first unlocking lever.
Preferably, a second unlocking lever for unlocking a seat lock mechanism which locks the seat cushion to the floor is provided in a rear portion of the seat cushion.
Since the second unlocking lever is provided in a rear portion of the seat cushion, the seat locking mechanism can be unlocked from the tail gate side. Therefore, by the operations of the first unlocking lever together with the pull fitting of claim
1
, the rear seat rearrangement can be performed easily from the outside of the car.
Features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments described in conjunction with attached drawings.


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