The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 23, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 18, 2001
Jason R. Ferguson, Northville, MI (US);
Eric M. May, Sterling Heights, MI (US);
James A. Dykla, Livonia, MI (US);
Johnson Controls Technology Company, Plymouth, MI (US);
Abstract
A footrest is mounted to the frame of a forward seat and is pivotally mounted thereto to be movable between a raised stored position adjacent the back of the seat to a lowered use position for supporting a second row passenger's feet. The footrest responds to a force above a predetermined level to breakaway to prevent damage to the footrest which can be subsequently returned to the use or stored position. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the footrest comprises a generally U-shaped member having a mounting bracket including the pivot coupling to opposite ends of the member to allow such pivotal movement. In addition, the mounting bracket and U-shaped footrest include a deformable stop extending between the two which holds the footrest in a use position and allows the footrest to pivot downwardly if an excessive force is placed thereon.