Locking mechanism for rotating seats
AssigneeKustom Seating Unlimited, Inc.
InventorsMichael A. Nolan, William J. Luebke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A locking mechanism comprises an elongate body having first and second rails each having a first end and a second end and a void disposed therebetween. Lock slots are disposed in the first end of each rail and a pad is connected to each of the rails at the second ends to join the first and second rails. A mid bar is rotatably connected to the first and second rails and positioned within the void. An extension is disposed on a second end of the mid bar, wherein the extension provides a visual indication of both a locked state and an unlocked state.
Claims15
A locking mechanism, comprising:
- an elongate body having first and second rails each having a first end and a second end and a void disposed therebetween, a slot disposed in the first end of each rail, and a pad connected to each of the rails at the second ends to join the first and second rails, wherein the pad includes an opening;
- a mid bar rotatably connected to the first and second rails by an attachment mechanism and positioned within the void, wherein the mid bar includes a first end and a second end;
- and
- an extension disposed at the second end of the mid bar, wherein the extension is configured to extend through the opening in the pad after rotation of the mid bar in a first direction, wherein the extension extends through the opening in the pad when the locking mechanism is put into a locked state, and wherein the extension is a different color than the rest of the mid bar, such that the mid bar provides a visual indication of the locked state.
A locking mechanism for a seat, comprising:
- a body having a first and a second rails having lock slots disposed in first ends thereof and a pad disposed at second ends thereof to connect the rails, wherein the pad includes a slot disposed therethrough;
- and
- a mid bar attached to each of the rails at a first point and a second point, wherein the mid bar includes a first end having a protrusion and a second end having an extension, wherein the mid bar rotates about the first point and moves in a substantially vertical motion at the second point when the protrusion is pressed downwardly, wherein rotation of the mid bar about the first point brings the mid bar extension through the slot of the pad and wherein the mid bar extension is a different color than the rest of the mid bar, such that the locking mechanism provides a visual indication of a locked state when the mid bar extension extends through the slot of the pad.
A method of locking a seat into a locked position, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a locking mechanism having a body with a lock slot at a first end thereof and a mid bar rotatably connected to the body and including a protrusion at a second end thereof, wherein the mid bar is substantially out of alignment with the body in an unlocked state;
- moving a seat frame into the lock slot, wherein the frame presses downwardly on the protrusion of the mid bar and rotates the mid bar into a locked position substantially in alignment with the body;
- and
- visually verifying the locked state of the locking mechanism based on the rotational position of the mid bar relative to the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.