P. L. Porter Co.

Jim Zhuang

James O Eaton

Kevin N Tribbett

James V Parrinello

Greg Lawhead

A rack mounted within the housing of a mechanical lock translates. The rack, which has a rectangular cross-section, has teeth along one surface. A toothed pawl pivots housing between a locked and unlocked position. The teeth on the pawl engage the rack teeth when the pawl is locked. The pawl has a window that receives a cam. The cam has a first surface that engages a surface of the window when the cam is in the locked position. In that position, the cam prevents pawl movement teeth away from the teeth on the rack. A second surface of the cam pushes against a different surface of the window when the cam is in the unlocked position. In that position, the cam disengages the pawl teeth from the rack teeth. The window has a chamfered surface to move the pawl to its locked position.

Mechanical lock with a cam-driven locking pawl

Seat adjustment and dumping mechanism with memory adjustment coordinated

A system for controlling the recline and dumping of a seat has a master unit and a slave unit. The master unit has two base plates that attaches to a seat and pivots with respect to ground. A master lock, which attaches to the base plate, allows the base plates to pivot only when the lock is unlocked. A master seat plate, which connects to the seat and pivots on the master base plate. A latch normally secures the base and seat plates together so that pivoting the master plate pivots the seat plate except when the latches is not latched. The slave unit has a mechanical lock connected with the seat back directly, which allows the seat back and the master base plates to pivot only when both the master lock and the slave lock are unlocked. An input/output device unlocks the slave lock when the latch is unlocked. That allows the seat to dump. The input/output device also unlocks the slave lock when the latch on the master lock is unlocked. That allows the seat back to dump.

Growing community of inventors

Westfield, IN, United States of America

Jim Zhuang