Operating lever structure for vehicle seat, and method of manufacturing operating lever structure

An operating lever structure for a vehicle seat in which an opening through which a seat belt extends is provided adjacent to a lifting and lowering mechanism that changes a vertical position of a seat cushion by lifting or lowering the seat cushion, and a fixed end portion of the seat belt is connected to a frame of the seat cushion, the operating lever structure comprising:

• a lifting and lowering lever that is used for lifting and lowering operation of the lifting and lowering mechanism;
• a reclining lever that is used for reclining operation to recline a seat back so as to change a back rest position of the seat back;
• and
• a shielder that is installed so as to cover a side portion of the seat cushion in a state where the reclining lever and the lifting and lowering lever are operably exposed outside, wherein
• the shielder has a first exposing port that is opened toward an outer side in a seat width direction of the vehicle seat to allow the lifting and lowering lever to he inserted and a second exposing port that is opened toward a front of the vehicle seat to allow the reclining lever to be inserted, and
• the lifting and lowering lever includes a plate shaped extending portion, of which one end portion is coupled to the lifting and lowering mechanism and the other end portion extends toward the front of the vehicle seat, and a protrusion portion that extends from the other end portion of the plate shaped extending portion toward the outer side in the seat width direction and that protrudes from the shielder through the first exposing port,
• wherein the opening through which the seat belt extends is located adjacent to the second exposing port.