Seating system

• US 6,189,852 B1
• Filed: 03/08/1999
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Manchester Metropolitan University
• Original Assignee: Manchester Metropolitan University
• Inventors: Read, George, Hopley, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORRISON, NASCHICA SANDERS
• Application Number:
  US09/263,804
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 248/429, 248/430, 248/384.47, 414/749, 296/65.13, 296/65.14, 244/118.1, 244/118.6
• US Class Current: 248/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01591 with wheels coupled to the seat

Abstract

This invention relates to methods of fastening seating to the floor of vehicles, and in particular to systems for allowing the seating to slide for adjustment or removal. Accordingly, a seating system is provided in which the longitudinal configuration and spacing of the seats may be more easily altered, without compromising safety. There is provided a seat anchorage system for seating carried in a vehicle including a track adapted to be attached to the load area of a vehicle, a traveller member configured to inter-engage with the track for longitudinal movement therealong and fixable to a seat, and securing means operative to permit securing of a seat associated with said traveller member in a desired position so as to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat. The traveller member is provided with longitudinally aligned bearings operative between the track and traveller member, the arrangement being such that the bearings maintain the traveller member aligned to facilitate longitudinal motion along said track.

Claims

1. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising:

(i) a track adapted to be attached to a load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinally extending recess,

(ii) a traveller member comprising an elongate truck received in the recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support of a seat and at a rear region thereof to a rear support of the seat,

(iii) securing means for securing said traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat attached to the traveller member relative to said track,

(iv) longitudinally aligned bearings for the truck received in the recess and operative between the track and the truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and the seat fixed thereto along said track,

said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between said front and rear supports of the seat and being provided with an elongate track cooperating member comprising one or more elongate flanges provided on the truck and extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said track being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the truck from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the elongate flanges of the truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said truck cooperating element of said track, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller member along the track during a crash.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said track cooperating member comprises two elongate flanges, one on each side of the truck, and the upper surface portion comprises an upper surface portion of each side flange.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the front and rear seat supports comprise respective front and rear seat legs.

4. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising:

(i) a track adapted to be attached to a load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinally extending recess, said track having a narrow slot formed in a top wall thereof opening into said recess, said top wall comprising lip portions on either side of said narrow slot,

(ii) a traveller member comprising an elongate truck received in the recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support of a seat and at a rear region thereof to a rear support of the seat through the narrow slot,

(iii) securing means for securing said traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat attached to the traveller member relative to said track,

(iv) longitudinally aligned bearings for the truck received in the recess and operative between the track and the truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and the seat fixed thereto along said track,

said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between said front and rear supports of the seat and being provided with an elongate track cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said lip portions of the track being configured to prevent the truck from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track cooperating member of the truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said lip portions of said track, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller member along the track during a crash.

5. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising:

(i) a track adapted to be attached to a load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinally extending recess,

(ii) a traveller member comprising an elongate truck received in the recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support of a seat and at a rear region thereof to a rear support of the seat,

(iii) securing means for securing said traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat attached to the traveller member relative to said track,

(iv) longitudinally aligned bearings for the truck received in the recess and operative between the track and the truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and the seat fixed thereto along said track,

(v) said truck having horizontal axis wheel means for supporting the truck on a lower inside wall of the track and facilitating longitudinal movement of the truck in the recess upon release of the securing means,

said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between said front and rear supports of the seat and being provided with an elongate track cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said truck being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the truck from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track cooperating member of the truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said truck cooperating element of said track, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller member along the track during a crash.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the horizontal axis wheel means comprises a plurality of rollers, each roller being rotatably attached to the truck.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the rollers are positioned at front and rear end regions of the truck.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the bearings comprise laterally facing edge portions of the rollers, said edge portions each facing a sidewall of the track and together serving to prevent skewing of the truck in the recess.

9. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the longitudinally aligned bearings comprise vertical axis wheel means carried on said truck facing side walls of the track, thereby to prevent jamming of the truck against side walls as the seats are moved.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the vertical axis wheel means comprise a pair of wheels, one rotatably mounted at a front end of the truck, and the other rotatably mounted at a rear end of the truck.

11. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising;

(i) a track adapted to be attached to a load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinally extending recess,

(ii) a plurality of traveller members each comprising an elongate truck received in the recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support of a seat and at a rear end thereof to a rear support of the same seat,

(iii) securing means for securing said traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat attached to the traveller member relative to said track, said securing means comprising at least one spring-loaded plunger associated with each truck and adapted to engage one of an array of longitudinally spaced stops in said track, each plunger being provided with a remote release operable by a single action for all the seats on a track en masse,

(iv) longitudinally aligned bearings for each truck received in the recess and operative between the track and the truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and the seat fixed thereto along said track,

said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between said front and rear supports of the seat and being provided with an elongate track cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said track being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the trucks from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track cooperating member of each truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said truck cooperating element of said track, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller members along the track during a crash.

12. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising;

(i) a plurality of parallel aligned tracks, each track being adapted to be attached to a load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinally extending recess,

(ii) a plurality of seats each including a left side pair of legs and a right side pair of legs, each pair of legs being attached to an elongate truck of a traveller member, the front leg being attached at a front region of the truck and the rear leg being attached at a rear region of the truck, and one of said trucks being accommodated in the recess of one of said tracks and another of said trucks being accommodated in the recess of another of said tracks,

(iii) securing means for securing each traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat attached to the traveller member relative to said track,

(iv) longitudinally aligned bearings for each truck received in the recess and operative between the track and the truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and the seat fixed thereto along said track,

said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between said front and rear legs of the seat and being provided with an elongate track cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said track being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the trucks from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track cooperating member of each truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of said truck cooperating element of said track, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller members along the track during a crash.

13. In a seating system for a vehicle comprising at least a pair of tracks adapted to be attached to a substantial load area of a vehicle and defining an elongate longitudinal extending recess, a traveller member comprising an elongate truck accommodated in each recess for longitudinal movement therealong and attached at a front region thereof to a front support of a seat and at a rear region thereof to a rear support of the seat, securing means for securing each traveller member in a desired position to prevent longitudinal movement of a seat attached to the traveller member relative to the track, longitudinally aligned bearings for each truck, each said bearings being received in the recess and operative between the track and truck to maintain said truck aligned in the recess to facilitate longitudinal motion of the truck and a seat fixed thereto along the track, said truck being at least as long as floor level spacing between front and rear support means of the seat and being provided with an elongated track cooperating member extending along substantially the whole length of the truck, said track being configured to provide an elongate longitudinal truck cooperating element for preventing the truck from lifting out of the recess, the arrangement being such, that in the event of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, any longitudinal tipping of the seat forwards or backwards causes an upper surface portion of the track cooperating member of the truck to be urged against an adjacent underside portion of the truck cooperating element, thereby forming an intimate contact therewith serving substantially to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement of the traveller member along the track during a crash, a plurality of seats each including a pair of legs and a truck attached to each pair of legs, one truck being received in one of said tracks and the other truck being received in another of said tracks, a method of converting a vehicle having the substantial load area for the carrying of passenger cargo comprising attaching the tracks of said seating system in the load area either directly to the vehicle floor or to a sub-frame located on the vehicle floor.