Johnson Controls Technology Company

Prince Corporation

Johnson Controls Technology LLC

Joseph M Thompson

Robert C Fitzpatrick

Rick A Anderson

David J Spykerman

Gregory Brncick

Brian R Dexter

Michael Robert Catlin

John A Hall

Jeffrey T Stout

Paul C Schutter

Alan G Greene

Steven D Lepley

Michael J Burns

Gregory N Brncick

A seating and console system for use in a seating row and configurable between a seating configuration and a console configuration. The system comprises a seat including a seat base and a seat back, and a console mounted to an opposite side of the seat back. The seat back rotates between a first position to provide the seating configuration and a second position to provide the console configuration that divides the seating row.

Configurable seating and console system

A load floor system ( ) for a vehicle with a seat assembly, a structural member under the seat assembly, and a floor space adjacent the seat assembly. The load floor system ( ) includes a retractable panel coupled to the structural member, a first link coupled to the retractable panel, and a second link coupled to the retractable panel ( ). The retractable panel ( ), the first link, and the second link cooperate as a portion of a four-bar mechanism to translate the retractable panel from a retracted position under the seat assembly to an extended position over the floor space thereby forming a load floor ( ).

Load floor system

An arcuate spring is coupled between a fixed vehicle member and a movable vehicle member with a pivot connection between the members interposed between the ends of the spring such that, as the movable member is moved from a first position, the axis of the pivot connection is located outside of a line intersecting the ends of the spring, thereby holding the movable member in a first position. When the movable member is moved to a second position, the pivot connection lies between the spring and a line connecting the end points of the spring to provide a bias force which holds the movable member in a second position. In one embodiment, the over-center spring is integrated with a grab handle for holding the grab handle in a deployed or retracted position. In another embodiment, the spring is associated with a vehicle panel.

Over-center spring control

A storage divider includes a first frame which has one edge pivotally mounted to the floor of the vehicle and a second frame pivotally mounted to the first frame member remote from its connection to the vehicle floor. Together the frames move from a co-planar collapsed stored position to a raised position elevating a storage platform positioned on the second frame above the floor area of the vehicle while leaving the floor area of the vehicle open for additional storage. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second frame includes one edge with extensions which hook into sockets mounted to the sidewalls of the vehicle for holding the storage divider in an extended use position. In one embodiment also, the platform mounted to the second frame can be a collapsible, segregated storage divider for providing additional horizontally divided storage spaces elevated above the vehicle floor when the divider is in an extended use position or at the floor level of the vehicle when the divider is in its collapsed position.

Storage divider shelf

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

Joseph M Thompson