Work vehicle

• US 9,403,560 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Nakao, Kohta, Tateishi, Kodai, Hirooka, Yoshimi, Kuramoto, Takashi, Kitaguchi, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): LYJAK, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/641,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20160090130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/10 tiltable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2875 take precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/309 rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/183 specially adapted for sports vehicles, e.g. race, dune buggies, go-karts tubular skeleton B62D23/005
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/027 movable

Abstract

A work vehicle includes a driver'"'"'s seat in a front section of the vehicle body. A rear seat is behind the driver'"'"'s seat and includes a seat portion and a back portion. A link member is supported by the vehicle body to allow switching between a seating mode and a storage mode. The seating mode arranges the back portion behind the seat portion. The storage mode arranges the back portion in a position anterior to the position in the seating mode. A carrier bed is in a rear section of the vehicle body. The link member is disposed on an outer side and can act or function as an arm rest.

Claims

1. A work vehicle comprising:

a driver'"'"'s seat arranged in a front section of a vehicle body;

a rear seat arranged behind the driver'"'"'s seat and comprising;

a seat portion;

a back portion; and

at least one link member arranged on a lateral side of the rear seat and being structured and arranged to allow switching between a seating mode and a storage mode, wherein, in said seating mode, the back portion is positioned behind the seat portion, and wherein, in said storage mode, the back portion is positioned in a more forward position; and

a carrier bed arranged in a rear section of the vehicle body.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a portion of said link member functions as arm rest when the rear seat is positioned in the seating mode.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

a first end of said link member is swingably or pivotally coupled to a portion of the vehicle body arranged below the seat portion when in the seating mode,

a second end of said link member is swingably or pivotally coupled at a location that is behind the back portion, and

a portion of said link member includes a bend.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein in the seating mode the bend is defined by:

a first portion that extends upward from the first end, and

a second portion that is angled upward and backward.

5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the second portion functions as the arm rest.

6. The work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the carrier bed is capable of assuming plural configuration modes which include a first mode and a second mode, and wherein, in said first mode, the rear seat is in the seating mode and in the second mode, the rear seat is in the storage mode.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein, in the first mode, a front end of the carrier bed is located behind a rear platform space containing the rear seat.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 7, wherein, in the second mode, the front end of the carrier bed at least one of:

extends into the rear platform space, and

is position adjacent the bend of the link member.

9. The work vehicle according to claim 8, wherein, in the storage mode, the second portion of the link member assumes a more upward orientation than in the seating mode.

10. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein in the storage mode, the second portion assumes a more upward orientation than in the seating mode.

11. The work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein, in the second mode, a front end of the carrier bed is located in front of a pivot axis of the first end of the link member.

12. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the storage mode, the seat portion is located below the back portion and a seating surface of the seat portion faces in a forward direction.

13. The work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an upward extending partition disposed between the carrier bed and the rear seat.

14. The work vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the upward extending partition extends upward from the back portion of the rear seat.

15. A work vehicle comprising:

a front seat arranged on a vehicle body;

a carrier bed arranged in a rear section of the vehicle body;

a rear seat arranged between the front seat and the carrier bed and comprising;

a seat bottom;

a seat back; and

at least one link coupled to a lateral side of the rear seat and being structured and arranged to allow the rear seat to move between a seating mode and a storage mode,

wherein, in said seating mode, a portion of the link can function as an arm rest, and

wherein, in said storage mode, the seat bottom assumes a generally vertical position, the seat back is positioned above the seat bottom, and a space is disposed behind the rear seat which can accommodate a portion of the carrier bed.

16. A work vehicle comprising:

a front seat arranged on a vehicle body;

a carrier bed mounted to the vehicle body and comprising at least one of;

an expandable volume configuration; and

a front end having folding panels;

a rear seat arranged between the front seat and the carrier bed and comprising;

a seat bottom;

a seat back; and

at least one link having a first end pivotally coupled below the seat bottom and a second end pivotally coupled to the seat back,

wherein the rear seat is movable between a seating mode and a storage mode,

wherein, in said storage mode, the seat bottom assumes a generally vertical position and a space is disposed behind the rear seat which can accommodate a portion of the carrier bed.