Seat lift mechanism for an automotive vehicle

A seat lift mechanism for an automotive vehicle, said seat lift mechanism comprising:

• a stationary base fixedly mounted on a compartment floor of the vehicle;
• a swivel base rotatively mounted on said stationary base, said swivel base including means for rotatively swiveling on said stationary base about a vertical axis between a forward-facing position where a front of said swivel base is oriented to a front of the vehicle and a sideways position where the front of the swivel base is oriented toward a side door opening of the vehicle;
• a pair of parallel rail members fixedly mounted on said swivel base at opposite sides thereof;
• a slide frame slidably supported on said rail members, said slide frame being placed at a backward position on said swivel base for horizontal movement in a predetermined distance toward a forward position when said swivel base is placed in the sideways position;
• a lift rack mounted on said slide frame, said lift rack having a passenger seat thereon;
• a link mechanism mounted on said slide frame behind said lift rack, said link mechanism including means for operatively connecting said lift rack to said slide frame and means for moving said lift rack and said seat between a first position on said slide frame inside the vehicle and a second position with said lift rack and said seat extending from said slide frame through the side door opening and adjacent a ground surface when said swivel base is in the sideways position oriented toward the side door opening;
• and
• actuator means, operatively connected to said link mechanism, for actuating movement of said lift rack between the first and second positions, wherein
• said slide frame, said lift rack, and said passenger seat are mounted to each other on said swivel base so as to rotatively swivel about the vertical axis on said swivel base such that axes of rotation of each of said slide frame, said lift rack, and said passenger seat with said swivel base are concentric with said swivel base along said vertical axis.