Bae Industries, Inc.

Stanley D Pacolt

Tavis Lutzka

Stephen C Bruck

David M Grable

Jason Hamilton

David L Quittschreiber

Paul Dennis Lesperance

Mark L Gleason

Craig Thompson

A rear row vehicle seat in which a pair of spaced apart and fixed supports are mounted upon a floor of a vehicle. A seat bottom exhibits a pair of side plates pivotally secured between said fixed supports. A seat back is pivotally mounted at its side ends to axially aligning locations of the side plates, offset from a pivot axis established between the seat bottom and the fixed supports, and such that upward pivoting of the seat bottom causes a combined pivotal and vertically induced displacement of the seatback. A latch is mounted to a rear facing location of the seatback and an elongated striker bar is mounted to a structurally supported and elevated location of the vehicle. The striker bar exhibits a combined arcuate and vertically extending profile for engaging the latch while accommodating vertical sliding of the seatback.

Fold up or drop down rear seat incorporating a seatback supported rear facing latch for slidably engaging an elongated striker

A height compensating latch supported upon an underside of a rotatable vehicle seat and including a pair of spaced apart support plates, between which are pivotally supported a hook rotatable between a floor supported striker engaging position and a further position permitting rotation of the seat. A cam is also supported between the plates and triggers actuation of the hook. A pair of pliant and resilient portions are supported within mounting apertures associated with the plate, an open interior of each resilient portion receiving a mounting fastener for securing the plate to the seat and providing a degree of height compensation between the latch and striker. The pliant and resilient portions include a pair of rubberized bushings sandwiched between the support plates, each of the bushings further including an integrally formed grommet supported within first and second aligning pairs of mounting apertures associated with the plates.

Floor latch mounted to a seat bottom and compensating for vehicle striker height variation

The present invention teaches a high handle seat latch incorporated into a rotating seatback including a body integrated into the seatback and exhibiting a rear facing hook engaging a package shelf supported striker in an upright design position. A lift handle is supported at an upper end of the body and is accessible from a top of the seatback. A linkage interconnects the handle with the hook and is responsive to upward rotation of the handle to rotate the hook to a striker release and forward dump position. A cable actuates the linkage independent of the lift handle to actuate the hook to the release position.

High back seat latch with integrated handle

An incrementally adjustable armrest associated with a seatback having an armrest supported in pivotal fashion to a frame location of the seatback. At least one sector is fixed to the seatback frame and supports a pivotal location associated with the armrest. A plurality of teeth are located along a circumferential edge extending location of the sector corresponding to a range of adjustment associated with the armrest. A plurality of pawls are arranged in a stacked relationship and are pivotally secured to the armrest at a location such that additional teeth associated with the pawls are biased in an engaging direction against the sector. A teethed pattern associated with a selected pawl individually seats within a circumferential location associated with the sector teeth.

Armrest exhibiting multiple stacked and fixed sectors in alignment with retractable pawls and exhibiting offset engaging teeth for ensuring incremental pivotal adjustability

A pivoting headrest assembly including a bracket supported upon a seatback frame. A headrest support secures a bun and is pivotally secured to the bracket in a forward biased direction. A sector is pivotally secured to the bracket and to which is attached the headrest support. A release catch is pivotally supported at a further location of the bracket and is biased in a first upward direction so that the catch abuts a projecting pin associated with the sector in an upright design position established by the headrest support. A cable is secured to a support fixed to a side of the bracket and engages the catch at a location offset from its pivot axis relative to the bracket. Upon displacement of the cable, the catch is actuated out of engagement with the sector, resulting in the headrest support pivoting relative to the seatback.

Pivoting headrest with cable operated release catch

An improved seat assembly in which the first and second pairs of seatback and floor mounted latches associated with first and second sides of prior dump and tumble assemblies are substituted by an improved design incorporating a single reinforced lock and release seatback latch and either a single or pair of floor latches arranged on opposite sides of the seat. Additional supports include a free pivoting and secondary seatback latch, as well as an optional floor supported riser assembly in lieu of the second floor latch and which are positioned at alternating inboard/outboard seatback and floor locations of the seat assembly. In cooperation with the redesigned fully functional latches, the free pivot seatback and optional floor riser latches provide a cost advantageous design exhibiting reduced part count.

Dual latch second row dump and tumble seat with offsetting free pivot seatback and floor latches

A release mechanism for use with a latch associated with a vehicle seat pivotally secured to a vehicle floor. A three-dimensional housing encloses an actuator mounted in axially translatable fashion upon the vehicle floor. A coil spring secures at a first end to an interior location of the housing, a second end of the spring engages the actuator in a selected biasing direction. A lever pivotally secures to a bracket extending from an underside location of the vehicle seat, an extending end of the lever engaging the actuator through the housing, a torsion spring biasing the lever in a given pivoting direction relative to the mounting bracket. A cable extends between the lever and the vehicle latch and, upon the actuator translating in a selected direction, the lever is caused to pivot and the cable to translate in order to disengage the latch and to permit pivoting of the seat relative to the vehicle floor.

Growing community of inventors

Clarkston, MI, United States of America

Stanley D Pacolt