US2205696A

US2205696A - Adjustable supporting mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2205696A
Application number: US211085A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert J Rhodes
Original assignee: American Forging and Socket Co
Current assignee: American Forging and Socket Co
Priority date: 1938-05-31
Filing date: 1938-05-31
Publication date: 1940-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 1957-06-25

Description

ADJUSTABLE SUIPORTING MECHANISM Filed May 31,, 193i INVENTOR. ALBERT J RHODES TTORNEYS Patented June 25, 1940 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING MECHANISM Albert J. Rhodes, Pontiac, Mich, assignor to American Forging & Socket Company, Pontiac, Mich, acorporation of Michigan I Application May 31, 1933, Serial No. 211,085.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of adjustable supporting means, particularly for objects, such as the seats of motor vehicles, which require rigid mounting yet which, desirably,

should be readily releasable for easy sliding adjustment. An important object of the invention is to provide such supporting means formed principally of sheet metal and other parts inexpensive to fabricate, assemble and install, which is of strong and durable construction, which cannot easily get out of adjustment or alignment, and which is provided with improved and ex tremely simple means for preventing unwanted rattling, or play or lost motion between the support and the supported object, when the latter is in any adjusted position. g l 1 lathe construction of such supports of shee metal for such quantity production usage as the support of automobile seats, it is of course not economical to hold dimensions within extremely closelimits, and the nature of sheet metal, unless it be of such heavy gauge as also to be unduly expensive, is such that lost motion is apt to be present or develop, clue to weaving as well as due to the accumulation of tolerances between the several parts. The present invention, therefore,

aims to provide means whereby any unwanted clearance or looseness may be taken up, not only in the initial installation of the device. but at any time thereafter, and whereby the parts may,

if desired, be rigidly clamped together, or they frictional engagement between them adjusted in any desired manner.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views:

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a seat supporting element constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 3 and substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the lineii-fi of Figure l, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Y

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

it will be appreciatedthat while two complete assemblies of the character disclosed may be; employed for the support of a seat, one beneath each end, one orany number might be'used in installations of different character. Since such units would in any such, installations be of like construction, description of one will suffice.

The portion secured to the floor comprises a track member It having horizontal and vertical flange portions, the former secured. to the floor I H and the latter carrying at its top a T-shaped rail head I?! formed as a separately folded sheet metal section riveted or otherwise attached. The

carriage !5 rolls over the track, upon rollers it, ii, and is of inverted channel form, having side flanges which embrace the rail head and preferably also inbent bottom flanges which underhang the rail head to prevent vertical separation of the carriage; from. the track.

Along one edge of the T-section rail head l2 a series of notches or other abutments, such as the slots are formed. A dog 22 pivoted upon the carriage is swingable into. and outof engagement with such slots to releasably lock the carriage in any of various positions. The dog is preferably pivoted upon the flange of the carriage adjacent to that overhanging the slotted side of the rail, and projects through slots (undesignated) in both carriage flanges, such arrangement bracing the dog against bending under the strains to whichit is subjected. The dog is pivotedupon an ear 2 integrally out-turned from the carriage, and is yielda bly urged toward locked position by a torsion spring 26, while an extending portion 25 forms a handle by which the dog may be swung to released position.

It will be appreciated that if such an assembly is to work freely, the accumulation of tolerances in the rollers, their supporting axle pins and other parts unavoidably introduces a certain amount of looseness which, unless overcome in some manner, would result in undesirable lost motion, and possible rattling of the seat or othersupported object. To allow taking up any such looseness, and to compensate for wear, a friction take-up mechanism is incorporated, the construction of which is'best shown in Figures 3 and 4. A friction gripping member til. of substantially channeled form is supported in a cut out portion of the carriage and vertically mov-- able therein, being provided with inbent bottom flanges 32 adapted to 'underengage the top of the rail. Suchflanges may be drawn upwardly into engagement with the underside of the rail as tightly as may be desired, or moved down wardly to free the parts, by means of the supporting screw 35, which projects through aligned openings in the top web of the carriage and the top of the gripping element, into threaded engagement with a nut 36 arranged inside the gripping element. The head of the screw is countersunk in a suitable depression in the top of the carriage, and a spring washer 3T beneath the head frictionally resists turning of the screw.

It will be seen that when the carriage is attached to the frame of aseat as 40, the head of the screw is covered. To allow it to be turned despite such attachment, holes 38 are drilled in the shank of the screw, and in alignment with these holes a slot 39 is formed in one or both of the side webs of the carriage, allowingprojection of a tool through the slot and into engagement with the holes in the shank to turn the screw. Thus the track and carriage may be drawn together or freed, to impose a desired coefficient of friction between them, at will;

What I claim is:

1; In combination with a suitable support and a seat adapted to be adjustably mounted thereupon, track and carriage portions, one adapted to be attached to the support and the other to the seat, and one thereof being slidable with re spectto the other, friction take-up means for preventing unwanted lost motion between the track and carriage portions, comprising a gripping element carried by one of said portions,

and movable into and from engagement with the other portion, and adjustable holding means for fastening said gripping portion in a position to eifect desired frictional engagement with said other portion, said holding means comprising a rotatable member housed within one of said portions andactuable through an opening in the side of such portion.

2. In-combination with suitable support and a seat adapted to be adjustably mounted thereupon, a track portion, a carriage portion movably supported by the track portion, frictionimposing means for preventing unwanted lost motion between said portions, comprising a gripping element carried by one of said portions and having a part adapted to slidably overhang said other portion and movable perpendicularly to the line of movement of the carriage portion to draw said portions together, and means for adjustably holding said gripping element in any of a plurality of positions of adjustment, said track being of generally T-section, and said carriage comprising an inverted channel member embracing the head of said T-section track, said gripping element comprising a member having opposite and inwardly projecting friction portions underhanging both sides of said rail head.

3. In combination with a suitable support and a seat adapted to be adjustably mounted thereupon, a track portion, a carriage portion movably supported by the track portion, frictionimposing means for preventing unwanted lost motion between said portions, comprising a gripping element carried by one of said portions and having a part adapted to slidably overhang said other portion and movable perpendicularly to the line of movement of the carriage portion to draw said portions together, and means for adjustably holding said gripping element in any of a plurality of positions of adjustment, said track being of generally T-section, said carriage comprising an inverted channel member embracing the head of said T-section track, said gripping element comprising a member having opposite and inwardly projecting friction portions underhanging both sides of said rail head, and screw means for moving said underhanging portions perpendicularly to change their frictional engagement with said rail head.

ALBERT J. RHODES.