Moveable seat with tapered swivel assembly and cable track wheel

• US 20060108848A1
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Williamson, John, Anglese, Kurt, Meneses, Pedro, Chintapudi, Sreekanth
• Granted Patent: US 7,108,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/344.240
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/18 Chairs or stools with rotatable seat adjustable in height by rotation A47C3/24
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/062 transversally slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0717 Rounded, e.g. circular
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/08 characterised by the locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/146 characterised by the locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats

Abstract

A moveable seat comprising a seat frame assembly and a tapered swivel assembly, the tapered swivel assembly having components that are laterally immobile with respect to each other, despite forces from the seat frame assembly upon the tapered swivel assembly. A cable tracking wheel capable of controlling all movement of the moveable seat is also disclosed.

Claims

1-4. -4. (canceled)

5. A moveable seat, comprising:

a seat frame assembly;

a tracking assembly comprising moveable parts that move the seat frame assembly, and a cable tracking wheel capable of controlling movement of the tracking assembly; and

a tapered swivel assembly having components that are substantially laterally immobile with respect to each other, despite forces from the seat frame assembly upon the tapered swivel assembly, wherein the cable tracking wheel is operably connected to at least one locking pin of the tapered swivel assembly for selectively controlling rotation of the seat frame assembly.

6. The moveable seat of claim 5, wherein the cable tracking wheel is operably connected to ring brakes of the tracking assembly which control releasing of the movable parts for lateral movement of the seat frame assembly.

8. The moveable seat of claim 5, wherein the laterally immobile components of the tapered swivel assembly comprise:

a top swivel plate

a tapered swivel bearing,

a bottom swivel plate, and

a locking ring.

9. The moveable seat of claim 8 wherein said at least one locking pin is configured on the top swivel plate and the locking ring is generally annular with an inner circumference including a plurality of grooves configured for receiving said at least one locking pin.

10. The moveable seat of claim 9 wherein said at least one locking pin comprises a spring for urging said at least one locking pin into the plurality of grooves.

11. The moveable seat of claim 5 further comprising a cable connecting the cable tracking wheel with said at least one locking pin for retracting said at least one locking pin to allow rotation of the seat frame assembly.

12. The moveable seat of claim 6 further comprising at least one cable connecting the cable tracking wheel with said ring brakes.

13. The moveable seat of claim 12 wherein said at least one cable comprises a first cable extending across the cable tracking wheel and a second cable extending across the first cable and being generally perpendicular to the first cable.

7. (canceled)

14. A moveable seat comprising:

a fixed base for mounting the moveable seat to a surface;

a seat assembly including a seatback portion and a seatbase portion;

a tracking assembly for moving the seat assembly laterally in a horizontal plane above the fixed base, the tracking assembly including a tracking plate connected to the seatbase portion and a cable tracking wheel rotatably mounted on the tracking plate;

a swivel assembly for rotating the seat assembly above the fixed base, the swivel assembly including a generally annular lock ring with an inner circumference including a plurality of grooves, a top swivel plate connected to the tracking assembly and including at least one locking pin normally biased to engage the plurality of grooves, a bottom swivel plate connected to the fixed base, and a tapered swivel bearing sandwiched between the top and bottom swivel plates; and

a release mechanism coupled with the tracking assembly and the swivel assembly for controlling rotation and lateral movement of the seat assembly.

15. The moveable seat of claim 14 wherein the release mechanism is coupled to at least one of said at least one locking pin and said cable tracking wheel.

16. The moveable seat of claim 14 wherein the release mechanism comprises a cable coupled to said at least one locking pin for retracting said at least one locking pin from said plurality of grooves.

17. The moveable seat of claim 14 wherein the tracking assembly further comprises ring brakes coupled with the cable tracking wheel.

18. The moveable seat of claim 17 wherein the tracking assembly further comprises at least one cable connecting the ring brakes to the cable tracking wheel.

19. The moveable seat of claim 18 wherein the release mechanism is coupled to the cable tracking wheel for rotating said cable tracking wheel to reduce a length of the cable thereby releasing the ring brakes.

20. The moveable seat of claim 15 wherein the release mechanism comprises a cable extending from said at least one locking pin to said cable tracking wheel for substantially simultaneously enabling rotation and lateral movement of the seat assembly.

21. An apparatus for laterally moving and rotating a seat frame assembly of a seat having a base mounted to a surface, the apparatus comprising:

a tracking assembly including a tracking plate for connection to a horizontal portion of the seat frame assebmly, and a cable tracking wheel rotatably mounted on the tracking plate;

a swivel assembly for rotating the seat frame assembly, the swivel assembly including a generally annular lock ring with an inner circumference including a plurality of grooves, a bottom swivel plate connected to the base and to the generally annular lock ring, a top swivel plate connected to the tracking assembly and including at least one locking pin normally biased to engage the plurality of grooves, and a tapered swivel bearing sandwiched between the top and bottom swivel plates; and

a release mechanism coupled with the tracking assembly and the swivel assembly for selectively controlling rotation and lateral movement of the horizontal seating surface.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the release mechanism is coupled to at least one of said at least one locking pin and said cable tracking wheel.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the release mechanism comprises a cable extending from said at least one locking pin to said cable tracking wheel for substantially simultaneously retracts said at least one locking pin from said plurality of grooves for enabling rotation of the horizontal seating surface and rotates said cable tracking wheel for enabling lateral movement of the horizontal seating surface.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the tracking assembly further comprises:

ring brakes; and

at least one cable coupled with the ring brakes and the cable tracking wheel.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the release mechanism is connected with the cable tracking wheel for rotating said cable tracking wheel, wherein reducing a length of said at least one cable releases the ring brakes.