The present invention relates in general to a swivel arrangement for the seat of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle swivel seat construction that has multiple improvements and that is easy to operate. Even more particularly, the present invention pertains to a vehicle swivel seat construction that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and that provides a means for enhanced access to the vehicle seat.
There are various structures shown in the prior art pertaining to swivel arrangements for vehicle seats. For example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,529 to Tulley or U.S. Pat. No. 9,242,581 to Farooq et al. In both of these seat structures virtually the entire seat mechanism is adapted to swivel.
Another type of a swivel arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,339 to Cherniak. However, this construction is of very simple type and does not provide for any substantial swivelling of the seat structure itself. The Cherniak '339 patent simply shows a pad that is disposed on top of the seat rather than a seat arrangement as in accordance with the present invention where only the seat base pivots.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle swivel seat construction wherein only the seat base swivels between a forward position and a sidewards position, while the seat back remains stationary and non-swiveling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle swivel seat construction incorporating a lever arrangement that enables the seat to be held in either a forward position or a sideways position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle swivel seat that is relatively simple in construction, that is easy to operate and which can be manufactured relatively inexpensively.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a vehicle seat apparatus comprising: a bottom assembly that is attached to a floor of the vehicle; a top assembly that is for the support of a seat structure; a turntable that is mounted between the bottom assembly and the top assembly and rotatable to allow rotational motion of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; and a lever mechanism secured to the top assembly and pivotal relative to the bottom assembly in order to pivot the top assembly and seat structure from a more forward position to a more sideways position so as to provide enhanced access to the seat structure. With the present invention the swivel action occurs wherein only the seat cushion swivels while the seat back remains fixed in position.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention including a seat board that is secured between the top assembly and the vehicle seat structure; wherein the seat structure includes a seat base and an upright seat back; wherein the lever mechanism includes an outer handle that is moveable to pivot the lever mechanism, an intermediate section that is secured to the top assembly and an end section that engages with bottom assembly; wherein the end section of the lever mechanism includes a cam member that engages in a slot that is defined in a bottom plate of the bottom assembly; wherein the slot that is defined in a bottom plate of the bottom assembly is arcuate in shape and the cam member engages into the arcuate slot; wherein the turntable includes an inner turntable disc and an outer turntable disc, one of which is attached to the top assembly and the other of which is attached to the bottom assembly; wherein the turntable has an open middle portion and further including a pivot member disposed within the open middle portion of the turntable and that functions as a pivot axis of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; including a first set of fasteners for securing the inner turntable disc to the top assembly and a second set of fasteners for securing the outer turntable disc to the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member is disposed offset from a central location of the bottom assembly; wherein the pivot member includes a pivot bolt that is disposed at the top assembly and engages with a nut at the bottom assembly; wherein the turntable includes an inner turntable disc and an outer turntable disc, one of which is attached to the top assembly and the other of which is attached to the bottom assembly; wherein the turntable has an open middle portion and further including a pivot member disposed within the open middle portion of the turntable and that functions as a pivot axis of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; including a first set of fasteners for securing the inner turntable disc to the top assembly and a second set of fasteners for securing the outer turntable disc to the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member is disposed offset from a central location of the bottom assembly; and wherein the pivot member includes a pivot bolt that is disposed at the top assembly and engages with a nut at the bottom assembly.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a vehicle seat system that enables a vehicle seat structure to rotate from a more forward position to a more sideways position so as to provide access by a user to the seat structure, said vehicle seat system being comprised of a bottom assembly that is attached to a floor of the vehicle; a top assembly that is for the support of the seat structure; a turntable that is mounted between the bottom assembly and the top assembly and rotatable to allow rotational motion of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; and a lever mechanism that is operable between the top assembly and the bottom assembly in order to pivot the top assembly and seat structure from the more forward position to the more sideways position.
In accordance with still other aspects of the present invention the lever mechanism includes an outer handle that is moveable to pivot the lever mechanism, an intermediate section that is secured to the top assembly and an end section that engages with bottom assembly, and wherein the end section of the lever mechanism includes a cam member that engages in a slot that is defined in a bottom plate of the bottom assembly; the turntable includes an inner turntable disc and an outer turntable disc, one of which is attached to the top assembly and the other of which is attached to the bottom assembly, and wherein the turntable has an open middle portion and further including a pivot member disposed within the open middle portion of the turntable and that functions as a pivot axis of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; including a first set of fasteners for securing the inner turntable disc to the top assembly and a second set of fasteners for securing the outer turntable disc to the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member is disposed offset from a central location of the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member includes a pivot bolt that is disposed at the top assembly and engages with a nut at the bottom assembly.
In still another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a vehicle seat system that enables a vehicle seat structure to rotate from a more forward position to a more sideways position so as to provide access by a user to the seat structure, said vehicle seat system being comprised of a bottom assembly that is attached to a floor of the vehicle; a top assembly that is for the support of the seat structure; a turntable that is mounted between the bottom assembly and the top assembly and rotatable to allow rotational motion of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; and a lever mechanism that is operable between the top assembly and the bottom assembly in order to pivot the top assembly and seat structure from the more forward position to the more sideways position, wherein the turntable includes an inner turntable disc and an outer turntable disc, one of which is attached to the top assembly and the other of which is attached to the bottom assembly, and wherein the turntable has an open middle portion and further including a pivot member disposed within the open middle portion of the turntable and that functions as a pivot axis of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly, including a first set of fasteners for securing the inner turntable disc to the top assembly and a second set of fasteners for securing the outer turntable disc to the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member is disposed offset from a central location of the bottom assembly, and wherein the pivot member includes a pivot bolt that is disposed at the top assembly and engages with a nut at the bottom assembly.
In accordance with further aspects of the present invention the lever mechanism includes an outer handle that is moveable to pivot the lever mechanism, an intermediate section that is secured to the top assembly and an end section that engages with bottom assembly, and wherein the end section of the lever mechanism includes a cam member that engages in a slot that is defined in a bottom plate of the bottom assembly.
It should be understood that the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to define the limits of the disclosure. In the drawings depicting the present invention, all dimensions are to scale. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the embodiments described herein will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the background section we discussed a certain prior art in which the complete seat swivels such as shown in the Tulley and Farooq et al. patents. However, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a seat swivel arrangement in which basically only the base cushion swivels. The swivel arrangement of the present invention allows for a person to egress or ingress a seat more easily by means of allowing basically only the seat cushion to swivel. Other supporting structures typically under a seat would stay in place. The swivel system of the present invention also allows for the cushion swivelling to be locked into the forward driving position. The cushion can then be swivelled to either the left or the right depending upon the location of the seat in the vehicle.
In accordance with the present invention it is noted that only the seat cushion swivels or rotates. In accordance with, for example,
In this regard, repetitive exits from a vehicle can be difficult due to the forward lock position of the seat relative to the desired egress direction (inboard or outboard). When the entire seat structure is pivoted, this requires heavy reinforcement to meet safety requirements that adds costs and weight to the seat. Accordingly, in the present invention there is provided a system in which basically only the seat cushion pivots thus providing an economic tradeoff. Moreover, by providing an off-center pivot that is biased toward the pivot direction, this allows for an enhanced ease for entry and exit.
Also in accordance with the present invention, such as illustrated in
Reference is now made to the drawings for an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention. In this regard,
Reference is now made to
Reference is made first to
For example,
It has been mentioned that the upright back C may be pivoted, in this regard reference may be made to
The vehicle seat apparatus of the present invention is comprised of a bottom assembly 2 that is for attachment to the floor of the vehicle by way of and over the base assembly A. This bottom assembly 2 is comprised primarily of the plate 2A. Refer also to the underside view of
The top assembly 4 is also illustrated in
As also illustrated in
The lever assembly or mechanism is constructed primarily of an elongated lever 17. Again refer to the exploded view of
The vehicle seat construction of the present invention includes a seat board 1 that is secured between the top assembly and the vehicle seat structure. The turntable 5 is basically comprised of an inner turntable disk 5A and an outer turntable disk 5B, one of which is attached to the top assembly and the other of which is attached to the bottom assembly. As is also depicted in
For further details of the turntable construction, reference is now made to the enlarged fragmentary view of
The turntable 5 comprised of separate inner and outer turntable disks is constructed so that these interlock with each other, such as shown in the cross-sectional view of
The following is a parts list of the main components shown in the drawings:
Having now described a limited number of embodiments of the present invention, it should now be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous other embodiments and modifications thereof are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the lever mechanism is pivoted from the top assembly and engages a slot in the bottom assembly. In an alternate embodiment the lever mechanism may be supported from the bottom assembly and the slot provided in the top assembly. In either case the lever mechanism provides for the swiveling function of the seat structure relative to a base piece supported over the floor of the vehicle.
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