Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-09
2003-07-29
Gordon, Stephen L. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S065160, C296S069000, C297S334000, C297S335000, C297S341000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598926
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to seating systems for vehicles that fold or are otherwise configurable to reduce the vertical space that is occupied by the seating system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many vehicles have a cargo area located at the rear of the vehicle. The cargo area is often bordered on one side by a passenger seating apparatus that folds or is otherwise configurable to reduce the vertical space occupied by the seating apparatus and thereby expand the cargo area.
The prior art includes seating apparatuses that are removable from the vehicle to expand the cargo area. Removable seating apparatuses maximize cargo space when removed because no space within the vehicle is occupied by the seating apparatus. Removable seating apparatuses are also advantageous because a flat vehicle floor may be exposed when the seating apparatus is removed, thereby facilitating cargo loading and increasing cargo stability during transportation.
Removal of a seating apparatus from a vehicle as a means to expand the cargo area may result in certain disadvantages. Seating apparatuses may be heavy or awkward and may therefore require significant physical exertion to remove from a vehicle. A vehicle user must have a place to safely store a seating apparatus when it is removed from a vehicle. The storage problem is exacerbated when a vehicle user must remove a seating apparatus to load cargo at a location remote from the vehicle user's residence or place of business because inadequate storage means at the remote location may leave the seating apparatus vulnerable to damage or theft. Furthermore, the vehicle user must return to the place of removal to retrieve the seats.
The prior art also includes seating apparatuses that are stowable within a vehicle or otherwise configurable to reduce the vertical space occupied by the seating apparatuses and thereby expand the cargo area. Typically, a surface of the stowed seating apparatus will function as a cargo floor for the expanded cargo area. For example, some seating apparatuses have a seatback that rotates forward to lie horizontally above a seat cushion, and the exposed surface of the folded seatback serves as a cargo floor.
The prior art stowable seating apparatuses enable expansion of the cargo area without the drawbacks associated with seating apparatus removal, but typically do not optimize vertical cargo space within the vehicle because the seatback does not rest horizontally directly upon the vehicle floor when in its stowed position. Vehicle floor surface area is characterized by protrusions, such as other seating apparatuses and rear lift gates. These protrusions are significant packaging constraints that limit the ability of the seatback to rest directly upon the vehicle floor. Furthermore, if the seatback is folded such that its occupiable surface is exposed, damage could occur to the seating surface by cargo placed upon it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,834, issued Feb. 19, 2002 to Couasnon, discloses a stowable seating apparatus wherein the seatback rests horizontally along the surface of the vehicle floor. The effects of packaging constraints are alleviated by a seat cushion configured to move forward when the seatback member is placed in its stowed position, and by a seatback member configured to rotate when stowed such that the occupiable surface is juxtaposed to the surface of the vehicle floor when in the stowed position. The invention disclosed and claimed in the '834 patent is mechanically complex, and the design is not easily modifiable by automotive designers for use in vehicles with differing packaging constraints.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A stowable seating apparatus maximizes vertical cargo space in a vehicle when the seating apparatus is in its stowed position. The seating apparatus is characterized by its mechanical simplicity and adaptable design that easily accommodates differing packaging constraints found in different vehicle interiors.
The seating apparatus comprises a first bracket and a second bracket mounted with respect to a vehicle floor a fixed distance apart. A first link with two pivotable connections is pivotably connected at one pivotable connection to the first bracket and is pivotably connected at the other to a seat cushion member at a location on the seat cushion member. A second link with two pivotable connections is pivotably connected at one pivotable connection to the second bracket and is pivotably connected at the other to a seatback member at a location on the seatback member. The seatback member has an occupiable surface against which an occupant of the seating apparatus rests. The pivotable connections of the first and second links to the first and second brackets, respectively, are a fixed and non-adjustable distance apart.
The distance between the first bracket and the second bracket; the distance between the pivotable connections on the first link; the distance between the pivotable connections on the second link; the locations on the seat cushion member and the seatback member; and the distance between the pivotable connections of the first and second links to the first and second brackets, respectively, are selected, or predetermined, such that the seating apparatus is moveable between an upright, occupiable configuration and a stowed configuration.
In the upright, occupiable configuration, the seatback member is generally upright, with the occupiable surface facing a generally forward direction. The seatback member extends from an upper extent to a lower extent. The lower extent of the seatback member substantially abuts the rear portion of the seat cushion member.
In the stowed configuration, the first link is rotated about its pivotable connection to the first bracket, thereby altering the placement of the seat cushion member. The second link is rotated about its pivotable connection to the second bracket and the seatback member is rotated about its pivotable connection to the second link, such that the upper extent of the seatback member is adjacent to the rear portion of the seat cushion member and the occupiable surface is juxtaposed to the vehicle floor.
The stowable seating apparatus of the invention maximizes vertical cargo space when in its stowed position by positioning the seatback member such that its smallest dimension, i.e., its thickness, is vertically oriented; by eliminating or minimizing overlap between the seat cushion member and the seatback member; and by positioning the seatback member closely adjacent to the vehicle floor.
The combined movements of the seat cushion member and the seatback member enable designers to configure the seating apparatus to avoid packaging constraints such as other seating apparatuses and rear liftgates by increasing vehicle floor surface area available for the seatback member to rest upon.
The stowable seating apparatus of the invention also improves upon the prior art because its design is readily and easily reconfigurable to adapt to vehicles of differing design constraints. Modification of the lengths of the links, for example, will yield significant changes in the placement of the seat cushion member and seatback member relative to the vehicle floor.
Correspondingly, a method for reconfiguring the design of a stowable seating apparatus for different vehicle interior configurations is provided. The method includes designing a stowable seating apparatus for a first vehicle interior configuration, wherein the stowable seating apparatus includes the elements and characteristics of the seating apparatus described above.
The method also includes redesigning the stowable seating apparatus for a second vehicle interior configuration by changing the predetermined distance between the pivotable connections of the first link, the predetermined distance between the pivotable connections of the second link, the predetermined location of the pivotable connection of the first link on the seat cushion member, the predetermined location of the pivotable connection of the second link on the seatback member, or the predetermi
Hinzmann Mark R.
McAdoo-Wilson Heidi H.
Price Clifford Lee
Engle Patricia L.
General Motors Corporation
Gordon Stephen L.
Hargitt Laura C.
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