IE46835B1 - Improvements in or relating to seats - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to seats, and in particular to tip-up seats for use, for example, in land vehicles such as vans whereby the vans can be readily converted from passenger-carrying to goods-carrying use.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tip-up seat comprising:- a seat-back frame having a plurality of spaced-apart support members, the support members being provided with feet through which the frame is adapted to be secured to a vehicle floor; a seat-frame having at each end a cross-member, the seat-frame being pivotally connected via at least the said end cross-members to at least the endmost support members of said seat-back frame, for movement between a down swung deployed position and an upswung stowed position; and at each end of the seat, a respective length-adjustable strut which extends between and is pivotally jointed both to the endmost of said feet and to the adjacent end crossmember of said seat frame at a position remote from the pivot connection between the seat-frame and the back-frame; and locking means for each strut to enable it to be locked in each of the two positions corresponding to deployed and stowed positions of said seat-frame.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a tip-up seat according to the present invention, in which a seat frame is shown in the stowed position; FIG, 2 is a side elevation similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but with the seat-frame shown in the deployed position - 2 46835 FIG. 3 is a plan view of one end portion of the tip-up seat with the seat frame shown in the stowed position; and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same portion of the tipup seat as shown in FIG 1 but with the seat frame shown in the deployed position.

The tip-up seat, when mounted in a van (not shown) comprises a seat-back frame 10 formed of a series of four back supports 11 longitudinally spaced apart along one of the two opposed sides of the van, the first and fourth of said back supports 11 forming end members of the frame (only first and second supports 11 shown in FIGS 3 and 4).

The bottoms of said supports 11 have feet 12 which are all similarly secured to the floor of the van, and the tops of said supports are all similarly secured to the side of said van, said supports 11 being slightly inclined upwardly from the floor to the side of the van. Each foot 12 extends a short distance from the support 11 parallel to and resting on the floor- and at a predetermined height thereabove a plate 14 is provided on each support 11, the foot 12 and plate both extending therefrom Inwardly of the van and each plates 14 being similarly positioned on the respective support 11. A seat-frame 15 has an elongate framework (FIG 4) with two longitudinals 16 of the same length as the distance between the end members of the seat-back frame 10, the longitudinals 16 being spaced apart by two end members 17 and being strengthened by a series of cross members 18, parallel to the end members 17, secured at intervals along the length of said frame-work, the cross members 18 being equi-spaced from each other and from the end members 17. The frame 15 is pivotally connected at 20 to the plates 14 on said supports 11 and Is movable between a stowed position in which the frame 15 is slightly inclined away from the supports 11, and a deployed position in which the frame 15 extends laterally from said supports 11 to be in a cushion-carrying position for passenger seating use. Four length-adjustable struts 19, one pertaining to each support 11, extend between and are pivotally jointed to the feet 12 of said supports 11 and said frame 15 to support said frame 15. Each strut 19 has locking means lockable in each of two positions corresponding to the deployed ' and stowed positions of said frame 15. Each length15 adjustable strut 19 comprises a rod 21 slidably engaged in a tube 22 and in each lockable position, a diametrical hole in the rod 21 aligns with two diametrically-opposed apertures in the tube 22. A pin 25 is provided to engage in the hole and apertures when so aligned. Each strut 19 is mounted with the unattached end of the tube 22 pivotally connected at 23 to the outer end of the foot 12 of the respective support 11, and with the unattached end of the rod 21 pivotally connected at 24 to the outer longitudinal 16 of the frame 15.

A cushion (not shown) of similar areal dimensions as the seat25 frame 15 is provided to overlie said frame 15 when in the deployed position. - 4 4683B In use, two tip-up seats are secured inwardly-facing and opposed in a van, one adjacent to each opposed side of the van to the rear of the front forward facing driver's seat. The feet. 12 of the supports 11 of each seat are secured to the flopr of the van in alignment with the inner wall of the respective wheel arch. When the seats are in their tipped-up or stowed positions, the floor area forwardly of, rearwardly of and between the two arches of the van is unrestricted and can be used to carry goods. When the seats are in their deployed position, and cushions fitted, the van is converted into a passenger carrying mini-bus.

The above-described tip-up seat is advantageous in that is enable goods carrying vans to be readily converted for passenger-carrying use without hindering in any way the goods-carrying facility when the seat is tipped-up. For example, on a particular day, a van having one or two seats fitted as above-described, can be used to transport workers to a factory in the morning, then be used to carry goods during the day, and thereafter be used to transport the workers home again.

Claims (2)

1. CLAIM S:1. A tip-up seat comprising:- a seat-back frame having a plurality of spaced-apart support members, the support members being provided with feet through which the frame is adapted to be secured to a vehicle 5 floor; a seat-frame having at each end a cross-member, the seat-frame being pivotally connected via at least the said end cross-members to at least the endmost support members of said seat-back frame, for movement between a down swung deployed position and an upswung 10 stowed position, and at each end of the seat, a respective length-adjustable strut which extends between and is pivotally jointed both to the endmost of said feet and to the adjacent end cross-member of said seat-frame at a position remote from the pivot connection between 15 the seat-frame and the back-frame; and locking means for each strut to enable it to be locked in each of the two positions corresponding to deployed and stowed positions of said seat-frame.

2. A tip-up seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.