Rotatable seat support

• US 6,691,970 B1
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aeorspace Systems & Components, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aerospace Systems & Components, Inc. (Great Plains Ventures, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sutton, Warren Dale Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZUMNY, JONATHON A
• Application Number:
  US10/201,234
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 248/424, 248/425, 248/429, 248/430, 297/344.21, 297/344.22, 297/344.24, 297/344.25, 297/344.26
• US Class Current: 248/425
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/062 transversally slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0696 Means for fastening seats to floors, e.g. to floor rails
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A seat support having a clevis having an annular base and upper and lower arms rotatably mounted on and extending radially outward from the annular base; at least a first support column extending downwardly from the annular base; seat mounting ball bushings having at least a first laterally extending tongue, the at least first tongue being received by the clevis; and at least a first clevis pin attaching the at least first tongue to the clevis.

Claims

1. A seat support comprising:

(a) a clevis having upper and lower arms, the upper and lower arms having inner and outer ends, the clevis comprising an annular stator having an inner end, the annular stator spanning vertically between the inner ends of the upper and lower arms, the upper and lower arms being rotatably mounted upon and extending radially outward from the annular stator;

(b) at least a first support column extending downwardly from the inner end of the annular stator;

(c) seat mounting means comprising at least a first tongue received by the clevis; and

,

(d) at least a first clevis pin fixedly attaching the at least first tongue to the clevis.

2. The seat support of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower arms respectively comprise substantially square or rectangular upper and lower plates.

3. The seat support of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of annular races extending into the upper and lower plates and into the annular stator, and further comprising a plurality of roller or ball bearings nestingly received within the annular races.

4. The seat support of claim 3 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises a member adapted for facilitating horizontal seat movement, such member being selected from the group consisting of slide bar receiving ball bushings, slide bar receiving plain bushings, slide ridge and slide channel mounts, slide shaft and slide sleeve mounts, roller and roller track mounts, and ball bearing and ball bearing track mounts.

5. The seat support of claim 3 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises a second, a third, and a fourth tongue, each being received by the clevis, the first, second, third, and fourth tongues being positioned at corners of the substantially square or rectangular upper and lower plates.

6. The seat support of claim 5 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises first, second, third, and fourth ball bushings, the first, second, third, and fourth tongues respectively extending laterally inward therefrom.

7. The seat support of claim 6 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises first and second slide bars, each such bar extending through a pair of ball bushings among the first, second, third, and fourth ball bushings.

8. The seat support of claim 7 further comprising fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings, and third and fourth slide bars, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings being attached to ends of the first and second slide bars, each slide bar among the third and fourth slide bars extending through a pair of ball bushings among the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings.

9. The seat support of claim 8 further comprising a rigid seat frame fixedly mounted upon the third and fourth slide bars.

10. The seat support of claim 3 wherein the substantially square or rectangular upper plate has a stator access aperture extending therethrough.

11. The seat support of claim 10 wherein the annular stator has an annular outer peripheral surface, said surface having a multiplicity of locking member receiving concavities.

12. The seat support of claim 11 further comprising a roller or ball, and further comprising means for selectively and alternately extending and retracting the roller or ball, said means being fixedly attached to the upper and lower arms of the clevis and being capable of selectively extending the roller or ball into one of the annular stator'"'"'s locking member receiving concavities for locking the substantially square or rectangular upper and lower plates upon the stator.

13. The seat support of claim 12 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises a second, a third, and a fourth tongue, each being received by the clevis, the first, second, third, and fourth tongues being positioned at corners of the substantially square or rectangular upper and lower plates.

14. The seat support of claim 13 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises first, second, third, and fourth ball bushings, the first, second, third, and fourth tongues respectively extending laterally therefrom.

15. The seat support of claim 14 wherein the seat mounting means further comprises a first slide bar and a second slide bar, each such bar extending through a pair of ball bushings among the first, second, third, and fourth ball bushings.

16. The seat support of claim 15 further comprising fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings, and third and fourth slide bars, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings being attached to ends of the first and second slide bars, each slide bar among the third and fourth slide bars extending through a pair of ball bushings among the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ball bushings.

17. The seat support of claim 16 further comprising a rigid seat frame fixedly mounted upon the third and fourth slide bars.