Flexible seat system

A seat system for a vehicle having a body with an interior space and a longitudinally extending upright side wall;

• said seat system comprising:
• a first track adapted to be mounted to the side wall and extending longitudinally of the vehicle and having front and rear ends;
• a second track adapted to be mounted to the vehicle body and extending laterally of the vehicle, said second track having opposite ends;
• a seat having a seat back with inboard and outboard edges and upper and lower ends, said seat back having a use position in which said seat back extends laterally of the vehicle body generally perpendicular to the side wall with said outboard edge being adjacent said first track and said inboard edge being spaced laterally from said first track adjacent said second track, and a seat bottom having inboard and outboard edges and front and rear ends, said seat bottom being coupled at said rear end to said lower end of said seat back by a hinge mechanism to rotate between a use position in which said seat bottom extends generally horizontally from said seat back and a stowed position in which said seat bottom is upright and overlaying said seat back;
• a first bearing device coupling said seat back at said outboard edge to said first track and being slidable therein;
• and
• a second bearing device coupling said seat back at said inboard edge to said second track and being slidable therein whereby said seat back is movable from said forward facing use position to a stowed position generally parallel to said side wall by moving said first and second bearing devices along said first and second tracks.

A seating system for a vehicle having a body with an interior space and left and right laterally spaced longitudinally extending upright side walls;

• said seating system comprising:
• a first side wall track adapted to be mounted to the left side wall and extending longitudinally of the vehicle and having front and rear ends;
• a second side wall track adapted to be mounted to the right side wall and extending longitudinally of the vehicle and having front and rear ends;
• a cross track adapted to be mounted to the vehicle body and extending laterally of the vehicle between the left and right side walls;
• left and right seats each having a seat back with inboard and outboard edges and upper and lower ends, said seat back having a use position in which said seat back extends laterally of the vehicle body generally perpendicular to the side walls with said outboard edge of said left seat back being adjacent said left side wall track and said outboard edge of said right seat back being adjacent said right side wall track, said inboard edges of said seat backs being spaced laterally from said respective side wall tracks adjacent said cross track and adjacent to one another, and each seat having a seat bottom with inboard and outboard edges and front and rear ends, said seat bottoms being coupled at said rear ends to said lower ends of said seat backs by hinge mechanisms to rotate between a use positions in which said seat bottoms extend generally horizontally from said seat backs and stowed positions in which said seat bottoms are upright and overlaying said seat backs;
• a first bearing device coupling each said seat back at said outboard edges thereof to said respective side wall tracks and being slidable therein;
• and
• a second bearing device coupling each said seat back at said inboard edges thereof to said cross track and being slidable therein whereby said seat backs are movable from said forward facing use positions to stowed positions generally parallel to said left and right side walls respectively by moving said first and second bearing devices along said side wall and cross tracks.