Vehicle seat
First Claim
1. A vehicle seat comprising:
- a seat bottom;
a side member pivotally mounted relative to said seat bottom about a first axis; and
a seat back rotatably mounted on said side member such that said seat back is rotatable about a horizontally extending second axis;
wherein said seat back is movable between multiple reclined seating positions by movement of said seat back about said first axis;
and wherein said seat back has a seating surface on one side thereof and a back surface on the other side thereof, said seat back being rotatable about said second axis between a first position, wherein said seating surface faces forward in a vehicle in which said seat is mounted and said back surface faces rearward in the vehicle, and a second position, wherein said seating surface faces rearward in the vehicle and said back surface faces forward in the vehicle.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle seat is movable between a seating position and a storage position to form a relatively flat horizontal load floor. The seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. A side member extends upward from the seat bottom. The seat back is rotatably mounted on the side member such that the seat back is rotatable about a horizontally extending axis. The seat back is preferably mounted on the side member so that the seat back can be rotated or flipped around by about 180 degrees so that a seating surface and a back surface of the seat back are rotatable to a reverse position. Preferably, the side member is pivotally attached to the seat bottom and is capable of moving the seat back into a generally horizontal position to define the load floor. An optional panel can be movably attached to the seat back. The panel is movable between a first position adjacent the seat back, and an extended position extending outward from the seat back and covering the seat bottom to further extend and define the load floor.
57 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat comprising:
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a seat bottom;
a side member pivotally mounted relative to said seat bottom about a first axis; and
a seat back rotatably mounted on said side member such that said seat back is rotatable about a horizontally extending second axis;
wherein said seat back is movable between multiple reclined seating positions by movement of said seat back about said first axis;
and wherein said seat back has a seating surface on one side thereof and a back surface on the other side thereof, said seat back being rotatable about said second axis between a first position, wherein said seating surface faces forward in a vehicle in which said seat is mounted and said back surface faces rearward in the vehicle, and a second position, wherein said seating surface faces rearward in the vehicle and said back surface faces forward in the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31)
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24. A method of moving a vehicle seat from a seating position to a storage position to form a load floor comprising the steps of:
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a. providing a vehicle seat including;
a seat bottom;
a side member having first and second ends, the first end pivotally attached relative to the seat bottom such that the side member is rotatable about a first axis; and
a seat back rotatably mounted to the second end of the side member such that the seat back rotates about a second axis, the seat back having a seating surface on one side thereof, and a back surface on the other side, the seat back being in a normal seating position wherein the seating surface faces forward in the vehicle and the back surface faces rearward in the vehicle;
b. rotating the seat back about the second axis such that the seating surface faces rearward in the vehicle and the back surface faces forward in the vehicle; and
c. subsequently to step (b), pivoting the side member about the first axis to move the seat back to a generally horizontal position such that the back surface faces upward, thereby forming a load floor defined by the back surface of the seat back. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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32. A vehicle seat comprising:
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a seat bottom;
a side member pivotally mounted relative to said seat bottom about a first axis; and
a seat back rotatably mounted on said side member such that said seat back is rotatable about a horizontally extending second axis, wherein said seat back has a seating surface on one side thereof and a back surface on the other side thereof, said seat back being rotatable about said second axis between a first position, wherein said seating surface faces forward in a vehicle in which said seat is mounted and said back surface faces rearward in the vehicle, and a second position, wherein said seating surface faces rearward in the vehicle and said back surface faces forward in the vehicle;
wherein said seat back is movable between said first and second positions without rotational movement of said side member about said first axis. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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Specification