Aligning tower structure for locating a side shield on a base of a vehicle seat
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJose Alfredo Peregrina Loera, Francisco Javier Ferreira Yañez, Edgardo F. Ortiz Hernandez, Carlos Caballero De Ita
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle seat includes a seat base, a side shield coupled to the seat base and defining inward and outward surfaces and an attachment tower extending from a central portion of the inward surface to an attachment flange of the seat base. The side shield conceals the attachment tower and the attachment flange, and the attachment tower defines a guide for connecting the attachment tower and flange.
Claims20
A vehicle seat comprising:
- a side shield coupled to a seat base and defining inward and outward surfaces;
- and
- an attachment tower extending from a central portion of the inward surface to an attachment flange of the seat base, wherein the side shield conceals the attachment tower and the attachment flange, and wherein the attachment tower is integrally molded with the side shield and defines a guide for connecting the attachment tower and flange, and wherein the attachment flange extends through a slot defined within the attachment tower.
A vehicle seat comprising:
- a seat frame having an outwardly-extending flange;
- and
- an attachment tower extending from an inward surface of a side shield to an enclosed receiver end having a wide opening defined at a first end and a slot defined in a second end, wherein the receiver end includes a tapered transition extending through the receiver end that narrows from the wide opening to the slot for receiving the flange.
A method of attaching a side shield to a vehicle seat of a vehicle, the method comprising steps of:
- positioning a side shield proximate a seat base, wherein the seat base includes an outwardly-extending flange protruding therefrom;
- slidably engaging the side shield along the seat base, wherein the side shield conceals the flange from view;
- engaging the flange with an attachment tower of the side shield, wherein the attachment tower extends integrally from a central portion of an inward surface of the side shield, wherein the attachment tower is positioned between the side shield and the seat base and is concealed from view when the attachment tower is proximate the flange;
- and
- guiding the flange into a slot defined within the attachment tower, wherein the attachment tower includes a receiver end having a wide opening defined at a first end and the slot defined in the second end, wherein the receiver end includes a tapered transition that extends through the receiver end and narrows from the wide opening to the slot for guiding the flange into engagement within the slot, wherein the tapered transition defines a vision-free guide for defining an attachment between the receiver end and the outwardly-extending flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.