Supports – Stand – Horizontally movable support surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-08
2001-02-20
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Stand
Horizontally movable support surface
C248S429000, C296S065130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189852
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to methods of fastening seating to the floor of vehicles, and in particular to systems for allowing the seating to slide for adjustment or removal.
Seats in minibuses may be fastened to the floor of a vehicle by many methods. The most common method is simply to bolt the seats directly to the floor of the vehicle. However, in many vehicles, this is not a sufficiently strong method to retain the seat in place in the event of an accident. Furthermore, in order to give vehicles increased flexibility in their load carrying configuration or capability, it may be desirable for the seats to be movable. It is then possible to adjust the spacing between seats, or to remove seats in order to allow more space for cargo such as luggage. Unless a different method of seat anchorage is used, new holes have to be drilled for the new seat positions. process.
Known automobile seats are adjustable for legroom by means of sliding mechanisms which permit the seat body to be moved longitudinally with respect to anchorage points for the seat. Only a limited amount of motion is possible.
In order to allow a greater degree of seat position variation, and in certain circumstances removal of seats, there has been tried a method which involves engaging seats with recessed channels in a vehicle so that the seats may be slid along the tracks and then fixed in position in the configuration desired by tightening of the bolts. Typically attachment is by means of bolts which act between ends of the seat legs and the channel. The bolts must each be loosened when it is desired to move the seats. This is a very fiddly and time consuming process, especially since the seats have a tendency to jam if they become even slightly skewed with respect to the channels as they are slid forward. Attempts to facilitate sliding forwards of the seats have foundered because of safety concerns arising from possible concertinaing of seats during a collision of the vehicle carrying the seats.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a seating system in which the longitudinal configuration and spacing of the seats may more easily altered, without compromising safety.
According to the present invention there is provided a seat anchorage system for seating carried in a vehicle, which system comprises:
track means adapted to be attached to the load area of a vehicle and configured to define an elongate longitudinally running recess,
a traveller member comprising an elongate truck received in the recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support means of a seat and at a rear end thereof to a rear support means of the seat,
securing means for securing said traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of a seat attached to the traveller member relative to the track means,
longitudinally aligned bearing means for the truck, said bearing means being received in the recess and operative between the recess and the truck to maintain the truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and a seat fixed thereto along the track means,
the truck being at least as floor level spacing between front and rear support means of the seat and being provided with an elongate track means cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, the track means being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the truck from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track means cooperating member of the truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said truck cooperating element, thereby forming an intimate contact which serves substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller member along the track means during a crash.
Because the traveller members are provided with longitudinally aligned bearing means, there is no tendency for the traveller members to jam as they are moved along the track means. The traveller means is preferably longer than it is wide.
During extreme loading, such as a frontal collision where tipping of the seats tends to occur, one end of the traveller member will tend to lift and/or to be urged against the elongate track means feature. This means that the collision loading actually enhances the frictional contact between the traveller member and the track means and help prevent unwanted longitudinal motion of the seats during an accident. Indeed it has been found that the track means itself will distort rather than permit forwards motion of the seat under extreme loading, the distortion jamming the traveller member substantially in its original position on the track means. one or more elongate flanges provided on the traveller member. In a preferred embodiment there are two side flanges, one on each side of the traveller member, and the upper surface portion comprises an upper portion of each side flange.
The truck may be enclosed in said recess. The truck may be adapted to be attached to a seat through a narrow longitudinal slot formed in a top wall of the recess. In this way the lip portions of the recess, adjacent the slot, constitute the elongate feature which prevents lifting of the traveller member.
The truck comprises an elongate member adapted to be attached at front region thereof to a front support means of a seat and at a rear end thereof to a rear support means of the seat. In this way a single truck may be used to attach one side of a seat to the vehicle floor. During an accident one end of the truck will tend to rise, pivoting about the other end of the truck which tends to dive. In this way the truck is effectively wedged in place and prevented from moving during extreme loading. The front and rear support means typically comprise front and rear seat legs, but could together comprise a single rigid sheet member or framework. Preferably the length of the truck is at least as long as the floor level spacing between front and rear legs of a seat.
The truck may be provided with first wheel means adapted to support the truck on a lower wall of the recess and facilitate longitudinal movement in the recess when the securing means is released. The first wheel means may comprise a plurality of rollers, each roller rotatably attached to the truck. The rollers may be positioned at front and rear end regions of the truck. The said wheel means may comprise cylindrical rollers, wheels or other roller bearings. In one embodiment there are four generally hemi-spherical or frusto-conical rollers, two of which are disposed at a front region of the truck, and two of which are disposed at a rear region of the truck. Each roller in each pair is preferably laterally spaced one from the other.
The longitudinally aligned bearing means may comprise laterally facing edge portions of the rollers, which edge portions each face either sidewall of the recess.
Alternatively the longitudinally aligned bearing means may comprise second wheel means carried on said truck for rotation about a vertical axis, thereby to prevent jamming of the truck against side walls of the recess as the seats are moved. The second wheel means may comprise a pair of wheels, one rotatably mounted at a front end of the truck, and the other rotatably mounted at a rear end of the truck.
The securing means may be included in, or carried by, the traveller member, or may be separate therefrom and, for example carried by the seat. Preferably the securing means may comprise one or more spring-loaded plungers associated with each truck and adapted to engage an array of longitudinally spaced features in each track means. The remote release means may be provided for the plungers, which remote release means is adapted to be operable by a single action for all seats on a track means en masse. Release may be ef
Hopley Ian
Read George
King Anita M.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Nixon & Vanderhye
Sanders Naschica C.
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