ADJUSTABLE SEAT SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY

• US 3,669,398 A
• Filed: 07/23/1970
• Issued: 06/13/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lear Siegler Jennings Corp (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: David S. Robinson
• Inventors: Robinson, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsons, Jr., Marion
• Application Number:
  US05/057,692
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 248/371,372,373,378,382,383,384,394,396,397,421,423
• US Class Current: 248/592
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1803 with independent front and/or rear adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/181 Rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1885 with weight compensating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1892 characterised by a lock
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1896 Stepwise movement mechanisms, e.g. ratchets B60N2/1882 takes precedence

Abstract

An adjustable seat supporting assembly including a pair of spaced seat support members and base means. The seat support members are supported on the base means by elongated levers. Each lever is pivotally connected to the base means and independently pivotally connected to the seat support members. There are two sets of levers on each side of the assembly. The levers on each side of the assembly have ends facing one another with notches therein. Control links and latching plates are secured to the seat support members for selectively allowing the levers to pivot to adjust the vertical position of the seat support members. The improvement comprises the use of a torsion bar associated with the levers at the rear of the assembly. The torsion bar is twisted to react between the seat support members and the rear levers to urge the rear levers to pivot in a manner to raise the rear portion of the seat support members.

Claims

1. An adjustable seat supporting assembly comprising:

at least one seat support member having longitudinally opposite ends, base means adapted for attachment to a support structure, positioning means interconnecting at least one of said opposite ends of said seat support member and said base means for allowing vertical movEment of said seat support member relative to said base means, pivot means interconnecting said seat support member and said base means at the other of said ends to accommodate said vertical movement, said positioning means including a lever means pivotally connected to said base means and independently pivotally connected to said seat support member, a laterally extending torsion bar having a preloaded, twisted position and reacting between said lever means and one of said base means and said seat support member for constantly biasing said lever means to pivot relative to said base means and relative to said seat support member to move said seat support member relative to said base means so as to displace said seat support member vertically upwardly, and manually operable latch means for locking said seat support member in each of several vertically spaced positions against the bias of said torsion bar.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said positioning means includes adjustment means for adjusting the amount of twist in said torsion bar to adjust the amount of torque applied to said lever means by said torsion bar.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said torsion bar comprises a plurality of strips disposed in side by side relationship to define a four sided torsion bar.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 including means for non-rotatably attaching a first portion of said torsion bar to said lever means and means for non-rotatably attaching a second portion of said torsion bar to said seat support member.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 including a second seat support member disposed in spaced relationship to said first mentioned seat support member, and wherein said lever means includes a first lever interconnecting said first seat support member and said base means and a second lever interconnecting said second seat support member and said base means.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said positioning means includes connection means pivotally interconnecting said seat support members and said base means at positions spaced from said first and second levers.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said torsion bar has its opposite ends non-rotatably connected to said first and second seat support members respectively.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 including a torque member interconnecting said first and second levers and restraint means non-rotatably attaching the central portion of said torsion bar to said torque member.

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 including adjustment means interconnecting said torsion bar and said seat support members for adjusting the amount of twist in said torsion bar to adjust the amount of torque applied to said levers by said torsion bar.

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said torque member comprises a tube secured at its ends to said first and second levers, said torsion bar being disposed within said tube and extending through said levers and said seat support members.

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said restraint means comprises a restraint member non-rotatably attached to said torsion bar midway between the ends thereof and extending radially through a slot in said tube.

12. An assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said torsion bar comprises a plurality of strips disposed in side by side relationship to define a four sided torsion bar.

13. An assembly as set forth in claim 12 including adjustment means interconnecting the ends of said torsion bar and said seat support members for adjusting the amount of twist in said torsion bar to adjust the amount of torque applied to said levers by said torsion bar.

14. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said adjustment means includes a circular member non-rotatably secured to each end of said torsion bar, each circular member having a plurality of slots about the circumference thereof, a fastener disposed in one of said slots and removably cOnnected to the adjacent seat supporting member.

15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said connection means includes third and fourth levers and first and second links, said links being pivotally connected at one end to said base means and pivotally connected at the other end to said third and fourth levers, said levers being pivotally connected to said seat support members, a second torque tube interconnecting said third and fourth levers, said first and third levers having spaced first ends extending toward one another, said second and fourth levers having spaced first ends extending toward one another, said control means being supported by said seat support members for selectively engaging said first ends of said levers to independently control pivotal movement of said levers.

16. An assembly as claimed in claim 15 wherein said levers have notches in said first ends thereof, said control means includes a first latch plate rotatably connected to said first seat support member for movement into and out of engagement with said notches in said first lever, a second latch plate rotatably connected to said first seat support member for movement into and out of engagement with said notches in said third lever, a third latch plate rotatably connected to said second seat support member for movement into and out of engagement with said notches in said second lever, a fourth latch plate rotatably connected to said second seat support member for movement into and out of engagement with said notches in said fourth lever, a first control link connejted to said first seat support member between said first and second latch plates and engageable therewith for selectively disengaging said first and second latch plates from said first and third levers, a second control link connected to said second seat support member between said third and fourth latch plates and engageable therewith for selectively disengaging said third and fourth latch plates from said second and fourth levers, means interconnecting said control links and actuator means for selectively moving said control links.