SEAT BELT ANCHOR MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTABLE SEAT

• US 3,758,158 A
• Filed: 12/29/1971
• Issued: 09/11/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bostrom Seating Corporation
• Original Assignee: Arthur O. Radke, Donald C. Galbraith
• Inventors: Radke, Arthur O., Galbraith, Donald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunberg, Casmir A.
• Application Number:
  US05/213,621
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 248/377,378,399,419,421,429 297/308,385,386,388 296/65R,65O 74/469 280/150,9B
• US Class Current: 297/468
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

Seat belt anchor mechanism for vertically movable suspension seat having fore and aft adjustment feature provides an anchor point for a lap belt which is spaced from the floor and movable vertically relative to the floor. The anchor point is carried by a slide on the upper movable seat frame and is movable vertically with the seat suspension but remains stationary when the upper movable seat frame is adjusted fore and aft. Thus, a tether belt connecting the slide to the floor can be kept taut when the suspension is at the upper end of its ride zone, irrespective of the position of the seat in a fore and aft direction. The mechanism includes a plurality of pivot links which are related to each other in such a manner that the anchor point for the lap belt has no horizontal component of movement as the seat suspension goes up and down through its entire movement range.

Claims

1. A seat belt anchor mechanism for a suspension seat having an upper seat support frame movable vertically and horizontally relative to a lower seat frame and to the frame of a vehicle to which the lower seat frame is adapted to be fastened, characterized in that said anchor mechanism comprises slide means including a guide member and a slide member slidable on said guide member, one of saId members being fixed to said upper seat support frame and the other of said members being connected to the lower seat frame by pivot link means comprising an upper pivot link member which is attached at one end to the anchor support means, said upper link being attached to the lower seat support frame by a pair of pivoted links which are of different lengths and which are pivotally connected at one of their ends to said lower seat support frame and at their opposite ends to the opposite end and to an intermediate portion of said upper pivot link, and seat belt anchor support means integral with said other of said members and movable therewith, said anchor support means being movable vertically in response to up and down movements of said upper seat support frame but remaining stationary relative to the lower seat support frame in response to horizontal fore and aft adjustment movements of said upper seat support frame.

2. A seat belt anchor mechanism in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pair of pivoted links are mounted to said lower seat support frame at points spaced from each other, at least the major portion of the length of each of said plurality of pivot link members being positioned at all times to the rear of said seat belt anchor support means.

3. A seat belt anchor mechanism in accordance with claim 1 wherein a first link of said pair of pivoted links is at least as long as the vertical movement range of the seat suspension, the second link of said pair of pivoted links being spaced from the first link by the length of the first link and being connected to said upper pivoted link at a point lying on a line bisecting the angle formed by the first link and the line connecting the lower pivot points of said first and second links.

4. A seat belt anchor mechanism in accordance with claim 1 wherein a first link of said pair of links has a length equal to the vertical movement range of the seat suspension, the second link of said pair has a length equal to Square Root 3/2 times the length of the first link, the upper link has a length equal to the combined length of the pair of links, the pair of links have their lower pivots spaced apart by the length of said first link, with the lower pivot point for said first link being directly under the seat belt anchor support means, and said intermediate portion of said upper pivot link being spaced from its ends by distances equal to the lengths of said first and second links.