Rotating car seat mechanism

• US 6,981,746 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pro-Glory Enterprise Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Pro-Glory Enterprise Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, Tien-Tung, Shen, Hsiu-Chu
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARRETT, ERIKA P
• Application Number:
  US10/867,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20050179302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 297/344.21, 297/344.22, 297/344.24, 296/65.06, 296/65.07, 296/65.08, 248/425, 248/131, 248/249.1
• US Class Current: 297/344.21
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/18 Chairs or stools with rotatable seat adjustable in height by rotation A47C3/24
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/245 for handicapped persons

Abstract

A rotating car seat mechanism includes a seat base, a sliding plate, a rotating plate, a guiding socket plate, an axle defining an axis of rotation and a cylindrical pivot rod. The sliding plate is placed inside a car, allowing an upper end of the cylindrical pivot rod to be positioned at the exit of the guiding socket, further enabling the rotation out of the car door and sliding the cylindrical pivot rod into the guiding socket. Due to the path defined by the guiding socket customizing the movement of the cylindrical pivot rod, the rotating plate not only rotates on the axle, but also drives the axle forward. After applying a suitable degree of motion, the rotating plate exceeds out of a narrow space of the car, whereas an opposite amount of motion enables the rotating plate to return to the original point.

Claims

1. A rotating car seat mechanism, comprising:

a seat base, having a base frame and a sliding track, wherein the base frame secured to a floorboard of a car therein;

a sliding plate, securing to an upper side of the sliding track on the seat base, wherein the sliding plate is movable forward and backward along the sliding track;

a rotating plate, having an axle inserting hole, wherein a top surface of the rotating plate is adapted for securing a conventional car seat or a wheelchair;

the rotating plate further having a guiding socket plate formed on a lower side thereof, wherein a guiding socket with designated shape formed thereon defines a path having a segment with a large radius, a segment with a smaller radius and a segment extending along a straight line;

an axle defining an axis of rotation, disposed near a rear end of the sliding plate and close to a car door;

a thrust bearing associated with the axle, and an axle cover configured on the upper side of the axle;

wherein the axle insertion hole of the rotating plate is set onto an upper side of the outer circumference of the axle, thereby enabling the rotating plate to hold firmly against the thrust bearing;

the axle cover is secured to an upper side screw aperture of the axle, thus allowing the rotating plate to rotate on the axle about said axis of rotation on the upper side of the sliding plate;

when the sliding plate moves forward and backward on the sliding track, the rotating plate moves correspondingly by means of the axle;

a cylindrical pivot rod, having an outer circumference fitted into the guiding socket of the guiding socket plate;

wherein a bottom end of the cylindrical pivot rod is assembled to the base frame or secured to directly below on the car floorboard;

wherein the sliding plate is moved to an appropriate position inside the car when in operation, allowing an upper end of the cylindrical pivot rod to be positioned at an exit of the guiding socket thereon;

when the rotating plate is rotated towards the car door, the cylindrical pivot rod slides into the guiding socket simultaneously;

the rotating plate is continually pushed until extended out of the car door, and because the movement of the guiding socket is driven by the fixed cylindrical pivot rod, the rotating plate not only rotates on the axle, but the axle also drives the rotating plate forward, thereby enabling the sliding plate and the axle to slide forward;

this configuration allows a suitable degree of motion of the rotating plate to exceed out of a narrow space of the car, whereas reversing the operation enables the rotating plate to return to the original position.

2. The rotating car seat mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the path of the guiding socket is designed suitably by assembling curves and straight lines together according to parameters, including seat position, space limit of a car seat, shape of car door, the exceeding position of the rotating plate outside a car door, of a car.