Lear Corporation

Robert L Hecht

Alan Sturt

Marcel C Ban

Donald A Lux

Roman Jach

An automotive seat assembly for accommodating rear passengers in a passenger compartment. The seat assembly includes a base that may be secured to the vehicle floor structure and an articulated seat frame that supports a lower seat portion, a back portion of the seat assembly being foldable forward. The articulated frame includes forward and rearward legs, one leg being biased by a spring toward a normal passenger supporting position and the other leg being biased by a spring towards a folded position of the seat assembly. The spring force acting on one leg acts on a variable moment arm so that the force moment created by the spring force on the other leg is opposed, the seat assembly assuming a folded position as an over center position of the forward arm is reached, the variable moment arm of the spring force acting on the one arm maintaining the legs in a normal upright position when the seat assembly is in use.

Foldable automotive seat

An alert system for alerting the driver of a vehicle when a seatback is unlatched includes a seatback movable between latched and unlatched positions, and a latch for retaining the seatback in the latched position. A handle is connected to the latch and includes a first portion movable for operating the latch to facilitate movement of the seatback to the unlatched position and a second portion operable for alerting the driver when the seatback is in its unlatched position. The first and second portions of the handle are sufficiently pivotable and unitary that movement of the first portion for operating the latch simultaneously operates the second portion for alerting the driver.

Vehicle driver alerting system

A vehicle rear seat assembly includes left and right rear seat portions with a center seat portion positioned therebetween. The center seat portion is pivotally connected with respect to the left and right seat portions. The center seat portion has a seat cushion on one side and a utility compartment on an opposing side thereof. The center seat portion is pivotable between a collapsed position for seating and an upright position for facilitating access to the utility compartment. The utility compartment preferably comprises a pivotable tray mounted therein for pivotal movement to a position extended from the utility compartment, as well as a cupholder pivotally mounted within the utility compartment.

Pivotable rear seat center cushion assembly with utility compartment

A vehicle seat headrest assembly includes a substantially U-shaped support member having first and second ends and a middle portion between the first and second ends. A headrest pouch is attached to the middle portion and pivotable about the middle portion for selective attachment to one of the first and second ends for head support adjustment. The headrest pouch includes a pocket formed therein for receiving a pillow. Preferably, a reversible attachment member is secured to a distal end of the headrest pouch for attaching the headrest pouch to the selected end of the support member.

Growing community of inventors

Trollhattan, Sweden

Robert L Hecht