Vehicle seat assembly with hidden storage compartment

A vehicle seat assembly including a seat back and a bottom seat member, the assembly comprising:

• a support mounted directly on a vehicle floor;
• the seat member pivotally mounted on said support and pivotable between forward and rear positions, the seat member having a seating side and an oppositely facing storage side;
• the seating side facing upward in the rear position for carrying an occupant of the vehicle and the storage side facing upward in the forward position;
• the storage side including a recess in the seat member opening to the storage side and internally defining a storage compartment, and an openable cover normally closing the storage compartment and openable to allow access thereto, the cover forming a storage floor surface when the seat member is in the forward position;
• and
• releasable latch means for returning the cover in a closed position for covering the storage compartment in the forward position and for preventing spilling of the contents therefrom when the seat member is inverted in the rear position and the storage compartment is thereby hidden from view.