Automotive seat reconfigurable to work desk

• US 8,109,565 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient Luxembourg Holding S..R.L., Flagship Enterprise Center, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bright Automotive, Inc., Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Waters, John E., Friedman, Daniel A., Busch, David B., Nothwehr, Rollin, Cansfield, Jonathan Peter, Zadina, Emery Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Barfield, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US12/271,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 297/119, 297/124, 297/125, 297/126, 297/188.1, 297/331, 297/334, 297/335, 297/336, 297/129, 296/24.44, 296/37.15, 108/44
• US Class Current: 297/125
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/206 to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3013 the back-rest being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/001 of tables or trays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/043 mounted on or under a seat

Abstract

An automotive seat has a seat back and a seat bottom that are movable between a seating configuration and a work desk configuration. When moving from the seating configuration to the work desk configuration, the seat bottom pivots forwardly into a generally vertical orientation and the seat back pivots downwardly into a generally horizontal orientation. The seat bottom supports an end of the seat back when the seat bottom and the seat back are in the work desk configuration. The back surface of the seat back faces upwardly to provide a work surface when the seat bottom and the seat back are in the work desk configuration. Sufficient space is provided beneath the seat back when in the work desk configuration to accommodate a person'"'"'s legs underneath the seat back.

Claims

1. An automotive seat for a vehicle, the automotive seat comprising

a seat back having a top end and a bottom end with a pivot axis closer to the bottom end than to the top end, the seat back being pivotable about the pivot axis between a raised position in which a back surface of the seat back faces generally toward a rear of the vehicle and a lowered position in which the back surface of the seat back faces upwardly to serve as a work surface,

a seat bottom movable between a first position in which the seat bottom is generally horizontally oriented with a seating surface of the seat bottom facing generally upwardly and a second position in which the seat bottom is generally vertically oriented with the seating surface facing generally toward a front of the vehicle, the seat bottom being configured to support the seat back in the lowered position, wherein when the seat back is in the lowered position and the seat bottom is in the second position the automotive seat is in a work desk configuration in which sufficient space is provided beneath the seat back to permit legs of a person seated on an adjacent seat of the vehicle to fit underneath the seat back, and

wherein the pivot axis lies in a plane above the seat bottom in the second position, and

a latch configured to releasably secure the seat back to the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the second position supporting the seat back in the lowered position.

2. The automotive seat of claim 1, further comprising a linkage coupled to the seat bottom and coupled to a floor of the vehicle, the linkage being situated beneath a front region of the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the first position.

3. The automotive seat of claim 2, wherein the linkage extends generally vertically upwardly from the floor of the vehicle beneath the front region of the seat when the seat is in the first position and the linkage extends generally horizontally adjacent the floor of the vehicle when the seat bottom is in the second position.

4. The automotive seat of claim 2, wherein the linkage comprises a link having a first end coupled to the seat bottom and a second end pivotably coupled to the floor of the vehicle.

5. The automotive seat of claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is generally horizontal.

6. The automotive seat of claim 1, wherein the seat bottom has a support member that extends generally downwardly from a rear region of the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the first position, the support member extends generally horizontally from the seat bottom when the seat bottom is in the second position, and the seat back is supported by the support member when the seat back is in the lowered position.

7. The automotive seat of claim 1, wherein the latch comprises a first portion coupled to the seat bottom and a second portion coupled to the seat back.

8. The automotive seat of claim 1, further comprising a second latch to releasably secure the seat back in the raised position.

9. The automotive seat of claim 8, wherein the second latch comprises a first portion coupled to a top region of the seat back and a second portion coupled to the vehicle.

10. The automotive seat of claim 8, wherein the latch comprises a first portion coupled to the seat bottom and a second portion coupled to the seat back.

11. The automotive seat of claim 1, wherein the back surface of the seat back has at least one recess for receiving at least one item therein.

12. The automotive seat of claim 11, wherein the at least one recess includes a first recess configured to catch objects left on the work surface when the seat back is moved from the lowered position to the raised position.

13. The automotive seat of claim 11, wherein the at least one recess includes a recess configured as a cup holder.

14. The automotive seat of claim 11, wherein the at least one recess includes a recess configured to receive a laptop computer.

15. An automotive seat for a vehicle, the automotive seat comprising

a seat back having a top end, a bottom end, a front surface and a back surface,

a seat bottom having a rear end, a front end, and a seating surface,

wherein the seat back and seat bottom are coupled to the vehicle and moveable between a seating configuration in which the rear end of the seat bottom is situated adjacent the bottom end of the seat back and a work desk configuration in which the rear end of the seat bottom is situated generally vertically above the front end of the seat bottom and in which the top end of the seat back is supported by the seat bottom and is situated adjacent the rear end of the seat bottom, wherein when the seat back and the seat bottom are in the work desk configuration the back surface is above the seating surface and sufficient space is provided beneath the seat back to permit legs of a person seated on an adjacent seat of the vehicle to fit underneath the seat back, and

a latch configured to releasably secure the seat back to the seat bottom when the seat bottom and the seat back are in the work desk configuration.

16. The automotive seat of claim 15, further comprising a linkage that is coupled to the seat bottom near the front end and that is pivotably coupled to a floor of the vehicle, the linkage extending generally vertically and supporting the front end of the seat bottom above the floor when the seat back and seat bottom are in the seating configuration, and the linkage extending generally horizontally along the floor when the seat back and seat bottom are in the work desk configuration.

17. The automotive seat of claim 16, wherein the seat bottom has a support member extending from the seat bottom near the rear end, the support member extending downwardly when the seat back and the seat bottom are in the seating configuration, the support member extending generally horizontally when the seat back and the seat bottom are in the work desk configuration, and the top end of the seat back being supported atop the support member when the seat back and the seat bottom are in the work desk configuration.

18. The automotive seat of claim 17, further comprising a wherein the latch has a first portion coupled to the seat back near the top end and a second portion coupled to seat bottom near the rear end.

19. An automotive seat coupled to the floor of a vehicle, the automotive seat comprising

a seat back having a top end, a bottom end, a back surface and a front surface for supporting a person seated in the automotive seat,

a seat bottom having a rear end, a front end, and a seating surface,

wherein the seat bottom is movable between a seating position in which the seat bottom is generally horizontally oriented with the seating surface of the seat bottom facing generally upwardly and a work desk position in which the seat bottom is generally vertically oriented with the seating surface facing generally toward a front of the vehicle and in which the seat back is generally horizontal and the portion of the seat back at the intersection of the front surface and top end is next to the rear end of the seat bottom, and

a latch configured to releasably secure the seat back to the seat bottom when the seat bottom and the seat back are in the work desk position.