Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-16
2003-05-20
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565138
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a seating arrangement for a vehicle interior with at least one seatback which is adjacent to a wall of the vehicle body, whereby at least the seatback is adjustable relative to the wall of the vehicle body.
2. Background Art
Fashioning a seating arrangement in the area of a rear compartment in an adjustable fashion is generally known in passenger vehicles of the upper or luxury classes. In the process the upper area of the seatback of the seating arrangement is set against a rear wall of the vehicle interior so that bringing the seat cushion forward also inevitably leads to an increased slanting position, i.e. the decrease of the inclination of the seatback.
The task of the invention is to create a seating arrangement of the sort mentioned at the onset, which ensures improved adjustability as compared to the current state of the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This task will be solved thereby in that at least one screen apparatus is provided which is attached to the seatback, on the one hand, and to the wall of the vehicle body, on the other hand, and which is of a flexible form in order to permit movement of the seatback, and which is of a intrinsically rigid form in order at least to retain its shape during the movement of the seatback as far as possible. Through the solution according to the invention, the positioning of the seatback against the wall of the vehicle body, as is the case with the current state of the art, is no longer necessary. Rather, an extremely variable adjustability of the seating arrangement is ensured, in which the seat arrangement can be adjusted in the vehicie's longitudinal direction and in an up and down direction and furthermore the seatback can be placed in its folded down position since the seating arrangement no longer requires attachment to the wall of the vehicle body. The screen apparatus ensures that the distance or space between the seatback and the wall of the vehicle body according to the position of the seating arrangement is covered in every instance. As a result, the gap or space between the wall of the vehicle body and the seatback can be kept clean of dirt. A visually attractive and high-quality impression arises through the rigid construction of the screen apparatus, which furthermore can offer storage possibilities, for example, in extending an area for hats towards the front. This can occur as a result of the movement of the seatback and the seating arrangement by means of the flexible construction of the screen apparatus. The seating arrangement can be comprised of one or several individual seats or also of one bench. The seating arrangement according to the invention is especially preferable in the rear area of the interior of a passenger vehicle.
In the embodiment of the invention, the screen apparatus has several dimensionally-stable slats which are overlapped one over the other in a parallel fashion over flexible coupling segments. These slats extend when an adjustment occurs in the seating arrangement in a rear area of a passenger vehicle mainly in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle, i.e. they are lined up horizontally. The flexible coupling segments can be fashioned of hinges with dimensionally-stable hinge elements or also of an elastic hinge configuration.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the screen apparatus is connected on one side with a dimensionally-stable adapter that can be mounted on the wall of the vehicle body or the seat. Simple and removable installation is achieved through this. Prior assembly of the screen apparatus is possible by means of the adapter so that the positioning of the screen apparatus on the seating arrangement and on the wall of the vehicle body can be achieved with relatively low assembly cost.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the screen apparatus is mounted curved between the wall of the vehicle body and the seatback. By means of the preferably upward-curving orientation or downward-curving orientation of the screen apparatus, a defined outwards bend or crease of the screen apparatus is ensured upon the adjustment of the seating arrangement. By means of the curvature, the desired direction of the displacement of the screen apparatus is already preset when pressed together. The extension length-wise of the screen apparatus—in relation to the width of the gap or the space—is thus selected so that the screen apparatus is also not stretched out in the most extended position when the seating arrangement is adjusted, so that the screen apparatus is not exposed to tension, so that no recoil forces act upon the seat arrangement because of the mounting of the screen apparatus.
Further advantages and points of interest of the invention are presented in the claims as well as the following description of a preferred example of implementation of the invention, which is depicted in the drawings.
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BOS GmbH & Co. KG
Gordon Stephen T.
Greenberg Traurig P.C.
Morrow Jason
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