US 5,290,090 AGranted

Folding seat back with integral child seat

AssigneeHoover Universal, Inc.

InventorsTimothy D. Bell, Earl R. Austin, III

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Abstract

A seat back for a motor vehicle having a seat back panel that is forwardly rotated from an upright position to a generally horizontal position to enlarge the cargo carrying capacity of the vehicle by joining the trunk space rearward of the seat assembly with the seating area. The seat back panel is further equipped with an integral child seat assembly containing a restraint means for a child seat occupant including at least one belt attached to the vehicle structure rearward of the seat back at the upper end thereof. The belt is releasably attached to the vehicle structure and, to avoid use of the child seat assembly with the belt released from the vehicle structure, a lock-out mechanism is provided to prevent return of the seat back panel to its upright use position without first resecuring the belt to the vehicle structure.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A seat back for use in a motor vehicle comprising:

a back panel having upper and lower ends and a first upwardly extending use position in said vehicle in which the upper end of said seat back panel is positioned adjacent to structure of said vehicle;
means forming a child seat assembly integrally formed in said back panel;
restraint means for restraining a child seat occupant, said restraint means including at least one belt extending over the shoulder of a child seat occupant;
means for anchoring said at least one belt into the structure of said vehicle at the upper end of said back panel;
means for rotating said back panel forward about an axis adjacent said lower end thereof from said upwardly extending use position to gain access to the space behind said seat back panel;
means for selectively releasing said anchor means when said back panel is rotated forward to detach said at least one belt from said vehicle structure;
and
lock-out means to prevent said seat back panel from being returned to said upwardly extending use position when said anchor means is selectively released and said at least one belt is detached from said vehicle structure.

5 more elements

A seat assembly for use in a motor vehicle comprising:

a lower seat cushion;
a seat back extending generally upwardly from a rear of said seat cushion, said seat back including a back panel with upper and lower ends and a first upwardly extending use position in which said panel forms a portion of the seating surface of said seat back;
means forming an integral child seat assembly in said back panel;
restraint means for restraining a child seat occupant, said restraint means including at least one belt extending over the shoulder of a child seat occupant;
means for anchoring said at least one belt into the structure of said vehicle at the upper end of said back panel;
means for rotating said back panel forward about an axis adjacent said lower end thereof from said upwardly extending use position to gain access to the space behind said seat back panel;
means for selectively releasing said anchor means after said back panel is rotated forward to detach said at least one belt from said vehicle structure;
and
lock-out means to prevent said back panel from being returned to said upwardly extending use position when said at least one belt is detached from said vehicle structure.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.