Supports – Stand – Horizontally movable support surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-23
2001-07-10
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Stand
Horizontally movable support surface
C248S424000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257541
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns slides for vehicle seats and seats including such slides.
The invention is more particularly concerned with a vehicle seat slide including:
a fixed section adapted to be attached to the floor of the vehicle,
a mobile section mounted to slide along the fixed section and adapted to be attached to the squab of the seat to enable the squab to move forward and backward in a longitudinal direction,
a slide lock mounted on the mobile section and movable between a locked position in which said slide lock co-operates with the fixed section to immobilize the mobile section and an unlocked position in which said slide lock does not co-operate with the fixed section and allows said mobile section to slide, the slide lock being spring-loaded towards its locked position,
a memory shoe mounted to slide relative to the fixed section parallel to the longitudinal direction, the memory shoe defining a memorized position of the mobile section,
a shoe fastener device mounted on the mobile section and mobile between a coupled position in which said fastener device fastens the memory shoe to the mobile section and a decoupled position in which said fastener device does not fasten the memory shoe to the mobile section,
a first actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a first unlocked state in which the slide lock is in its unlocked position and the fastener device is in its coupled position to enable simultaneous sliding of the mobile section and the memory shoe relative to the fixed section, either forward or backward, to adjust the memorized position of the seat, and
a second actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a second unlocked state, in which the slide lock is in its unlocked position and the fastener device is in its decoupled position, to enable the mobile section to slide forward without the memory shoe moving, the memory shoe then limiting backward movement of the mobile section.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Document EP-A-0 723 889 describes one example of a slide of the above kind.
In prior art slides of this type the slide lock co-operates with the fastener device either when the first actuator device is operated or when the second actuator device is operated.
This co-operation makes slides of the kind in question relatively complex and limits the possible configurations of such slides because the fastener device and the memory shoe must be in the immediate vicinity of the slide lock.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aim of the present invention is to alleviate these drawbacks.
To this end, a slide of the kind in question and in accordance with the invention is essentially characterised in that the first or second actuator device further includes a cable transmission device, called the fastener actuator cable system, which is connected to the fastener device to actuate the fastener device, and the slide lock does not co-operate with the fastener device.
The slide lock and the fastener device can then be operated simultaneously without any direct mechanical co-operation between the fastener device and the slide lock.
This limits the complexity of the slide and makes the locations of the slide lock and the fastener device independent of each other, the cable being able to follow a relatively long and sinuous path to the fastener device if necessary.
Preferred embodiments of the invention can have any of the following features:
the first actuator device includes a first actuator member mobile between a rest position and an actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, the second actuator device includes a second actuator member mobile parallel to the first actuator member between a rest position and an actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, the first or second actuator member, referred to hereinafter as fastener actuator members, is connected to the fastener actuator cable system, and the other actuator member is disposed so that movement of the fastener actuator member from its rest position to its actuation position moves said other actuator member from its rest position to its actuation position and movement of said other actuator member from its rest position to its actuation position does not move the fastener actuator member;
the fastener device is spring-loaded toward its decoupled position and the fastener actuator cable system is connected to the first actuator member to move the fastener device into its coupled position when said first actuator member is moved from its rest position to its actuation position;
the memory shoe includes a shoe lock mobile between a locked position in which said shoe lock co-operates with the fixed section to immobilize the memory shoe relative to said fixed section and an unlocked position in which said shoe lock does not co-operate with the fixed section but co-operates with the mobile section to fasten the memory shoe to said mobile section, the shoe lock is spring-loaded towards its locked position, so that said shoe lock is part of the fastener device, and the fastener device further includes an actuator member which is operated by the fastener actuator cable system and which co-operates with the shoe lock to move said shoe lock into its unlocked position on operation of the first actuator device;
the actuator member which is part of the fastener device takes the form of a lever mounted to pivot on the mobile section about a vertical axis, the lever includes a vertical actuator finger disposed laterally relative to the slide and adapted to act on the shoe lock and the memory shoe is also disposed laterally relative to the slide;
the mobile section is attached to a lug that covers the memory shoe at least partly when said mobile section is in its memorized position and the lug is shaped to co-operate with at least one part of the shoe lock when said shoe lock is in the unlocked position so that the memory shoe is then fastened to the mobile section.
The invention further consists in a seat including a squab carried by at least one slide as defined hereinabove.
This slide, referred to as a memory slide, is preferably associated with an additional slide comprising:
a fixed section extending in said longitudinal direction,
a mobile section mounted to slide along the fixed section and attached to the squab of the seat, and
a slide lock mounted on the mobile section and mobile between a locked position in which said slide lock co-operates with the fixed section of the additional slide to immobilize the mobile section of that slide and an unlocked position in which said slide lock does not co-operate with the fixed section of the additional slide and allows said mobile section of that slide to slide, the slide lock of the additional slide being spring-loaded toward its locked position,
wherein the slide locks of the memory slide and the additional slide are operated by respective parallel first and second rigid links extending transversely relative to the slides, the first link is attached to the second actuator member and mounted to slide relative to the first actuator member and the second link is mounted to slide relative to the first and second actuator members,
the first and second actuator devices comprise respective first and second lock actuator cable systems which each include a flexible outer sheath and a flexible inner cable, the outer sheaths of the first and second lock actuator cable systems are attached to a common rigid block mounted to slide relative to the first link and attached to the second link, the inner cables of the first and second lock actuator cable systems are mounted to slide relative to said rigid block, the second actuator member is disposed between the first actuator member and the rigid block, said rigid block is disposed toward the memory slide, and at least one compression spring is disposed between said rigid block and the second actuator member,
the fastener actuator cable system includes a flexible outer sheath
Casellas Pierre Moradell
Timon Michel
Baxter Gwendolyn
Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
King Anita M.
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
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