Folding and reclining seat for vehicle

• US 9,308,836 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hausler, Henry, Langner, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): GABLER, PHILIP F
• Application Number:
  US11/586,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,456 Days
• Field of Search: 297/331, 297/14, 297/334, 297/317, 297/342, 297/343, 296/65.09, 296/65.01, 296/65.13, 296/65.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2209 by longitudinal displacement of the cushion, e.g. back-rest hinged on the bottom to the cushion and linked on the top to the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3031 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame

Abstract

A folding and reclining seat that can be folded against the back wall of the interior of an extended cab or super cab pick up vehicle is disclosed. The seat may be folded flush into the back wall thereby maximizing usable interior cargo space when not in use. The angle of the back seat can be adjusted by selective fore-and-aft movement of the seat cushion.

Claims

1. A stowable vehicle seat system for use in a vehicle cabin, the seat system comprising:

a substantially vertical vehicle back wall and a substantially horizontal vehicle floor;

a movable seat back assembly having an upper portion operatively associated with said substantially vertical vehicle seat back wall, said seat back assembly including a back cushion frame including an elongated frame member that extends from near the upper portion towards a lower portion;

a seat cushion assembly hingedly coupled to the seat back assembly, such that the seat cushion assembly is movable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position, said seat cushion assembly including a lower seat cushion frame and an inner seat cushion frame slidably coupled to the lower seat cushion frame, such that the seat cushion assembly is reversibly movable from a forward position to a rearward position when the inner seat cushion frame slides on the lower seat cushion frame, wherein the lower seat cushion frame is pivotably attached directly to the back cushion frame near the lower portion; and

a pivot bracket connected to said substantially horizontal vehicle floor, said lower seat cushion frame being pivotably attached to said pivoting bracket,

wherein the inner seat cushion frame includes another elongated member that includes a first portion generally co-planar with a seat cushion and a second portion that extends at an angle from the first portion and that pivotably attaches directly to the back cushion frame.

2. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 1 wherein said seat back assembly is pivotably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle seat back wall.

3. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 2 wherein said seat back assembly includes a slide bar and a pivoting wall bracket attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall, said slide bar and said pivoting wall bracket being operatively related.

4. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 2 wherein said seat back assembly includes a link bar and a pivoting wall bracket attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall, said link bar and said pivoting wall bracket being operatively related.

5. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 1 including a locking mechanism to lock said inner seat cushion frame to said lower seat cushion frame.

6. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 1 wherein said back cushion frame is movably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall.

7. A stowable vehicle seat system for use in a vehicle cabin, the seat system comprising:

a substantially vertical vehicle back wall and a substantially horizontal vehicle floor;

a moveable seat back having an upper portion and a lower portion and pivotably and slidably coupled to the substantially vertical vehicle back wall near the upper portion, the moveable seat back including a back cushion frame near the lower portion;

a seat cushion assembly having a lower frame member and an inner frame member that are slidably coupled to one another to allow for selective and reversible movement of said seat cushion assembly from a forward position to a rearward position, wherein the inner frame member is pivotably coupled directly to the back cushion frame near the lower portion, and

a pivot bracket pivotably connecting said lower seat cushion frame to said substantially horizontal floor, wherein the system includes a first pivotable attachment that pivotably attaches the inner frame member to the back cushion frame and a second pivotable attachment that pivotably attaches the lower cushion frame to the pivot bracket.

8. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 7 wherein said seat back assembly is pivotably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle seat back wall.

9. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 8 wherein said seat back assembly includes a slide bar and a pivoting wall bracket attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall, said slide bar and said pivoting wall bracket being operatively related.

10. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 8 wherein said seat back assembly includes a link bar and a pivoting wall bracket attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall, said link bar and said pivoting wall bracket being operatively related.

11. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 7 including a locking mechanism to lock said inner seat cushion frame to said lower seat cushion frame.

12. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 7 wherein said back cushion frame is movably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall.

13. A stowable vehicle seat system for use in a vehicle cabin, the seat system comprising:

a substantially vertical vehicle back wall and a substantially horizontal vehicle floor;

a movable seat back assembly having a back cushion frame;

a seat cushion assembly movable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position, said assembly having a lower seat cushion frame and an inner seat cushion frame directly pivotably connected to said back cushion frame, said inner seat cushion frame and said lower seat cushion frame being slidably connected to allow for selective and reversible movement of said seat cushion assembly from a forward position to a rearward position, said seat assembly further comprising a locking mechanism to lock said inner seat cushion frame to said lower seat cushion frame; and

a pivot bracket pivotably connecting said lower seat cushion frame to said substantially horizontal vehicle floor, wherein the system includes a first pivotable attachment that pivotably attaches the inner frame member to the back cushion frame and a second pivotable attachment that pivotably attaches the lower seat cushion frame to the pivot bracket.

14. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 13 wherein said seat back assembly is pivotably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall.

15. The stowable vehicle seat system of claim 13 wherein said back cushion frame is movably attached to said substantially vertical vehicle back wall.