Modern pick-up trucks and similar vehicles commonly have a second or subsequent row of one or more seats positioned rearwardly of the driver's seat. Such second or subsequent rows of seats are commonly movable so as to provide an increased cargo area in the vehicle's passenger compartment or “cabin”. Such second and subsequent rows of seats are hereinafter referred to alternately as “second row seats” and/or as “second row seat assemblies”.
Second and subsequent row seats for pick-up trucks and similar vehicles are typically of the general type having a seat portion and a backrest portion. In the prior art, such second and subsequent row seats have been provided with an in-use or deployed design configuration, whereat the seat portion thereof is substantially horizontal and either touches or is in very close relationship with the rear wall of the vehicle's cabin, and have been rearward pivotable therefrom towards a raised stowed configuration, whereat the seat portion is substantially vertical and substantially adjacent to the cabin rear wall. One shortcoming with such second row seat designs according to the prior art, however, is that thus far, in the deployed design configuration, they have been insufficiently spaced from the rear wall of the cabin to allow for sufficient angular adjustment of their respective backrest portions. As such, second row seat passengers in pick-up trucks and the like have heretofore been faced with the prospect of riding in significant discomfort in a seat with a backrest oriented substantially upright.
Manufacturers of mini-vans and sport utility vehicles have previously provided second and subsequent rows of seats that are spaced from the rear wall of the passenger compartment, whilst also being pivotally movable between a deployed design configuration and a raised stowed configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,989 (Ercilla) discloses a vehicle seat assembly that is forwardly pivotable from a deployed design configuration towards a raised stowed configuration. In the deployed design configuration, the legs of the Ercilla vehicle seat assembly are locked to fixed attachment rods supported by the vehicle floor. The front legs of the seat disclosed by Ercilla include a blocking mechanism that prevents unlocking of the front locking means when the vehicle seat assembly is in its deployed design configuration. In order to pivot the vehicle seat assembly from its deployed design configuration to its raised stowed configuration, a locking means at the rear legs is released, and then the vehicle seat assembly is pivoted forwardly to the raised stowed configuration. Ordinarily, the front locking means remains engaged, but it may be separately released when the seat is in the raised stowed configuration, if the Ercilla vehicle seat assembly is to be entirely removed from the vehicle.
A common problem associated with all seats of the general type having a raised stowed configuration that is located forwardly of the deployed design configuration, however, is that any increased cargo space provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle when such a seat assembly is in its raised stowed configuration is not easily accessible other than by way of a rearward-facing door or hatchback. That is, users attempting to load or unload cargo from such vehicles through side-facing doors will usually encounter significant difficulties, especially insofar as any second row seats positioned in the raised stowed configuration may present a serious obstacle to such effort by partial occlusion of said side-facing doors. It will, of course, be appreciated that most pick-up trucks are not provided with rearward-facing doors or hatchbacks. As such, and because any cargo to be carried in the cabs of pick-up trucks must therefore be loaded or unloaded through the vehicle's side-facing doors, forwardly pivoting stowable second row seats have not been particularly useful in this context.
Over and above any of the aforesaid difficulties that may be encountered in adapting seat assemblies disclosed by Ercilla for a particular use as second row seats in the cabs of pick-up trucks and the like, it is also to be noted that the Ercilla patent fails to disclose any means for supporting the vehicle seat assembly in its raised stowed configuration. However, while the Ercilla patent does not itself disclose a means for preventing unexpected movement of the seat assembly towards the deployed design configuration during acceleration of the vehicle so as to thereby avoid damage to any cargo stored therewithin, the production version of this device actually uses a strap connected between the seat portion and the mini-van roof for this purpose. The strap provided in the production version of this device, however, is quite awkward to employ and aesthetically unpleasing, whilst also potentially posing a serious safety problem in crash-like situations, where the loading on such a strap can be unusually high. Moreover, it should also be appreciated that strap arrangements permit an inherent degree of pivotal movement of the raised stowed seat in at least one direction, which movement results in unacceptable movement, squeaks, rattles and other noise during travel of the vehicle over rough terrain or other surfaces. Thus, among other things, it will be seen to be desirable to rigidly secure a second row vehicle seat assembly in the raised stowed configuration in a manner which prevents any significant amount of motion of the second row vehicle seat assembly in this position. Moreover, it is desirable that a second row vehicle seat assembly be rigidly securable in a manner which is easy and convenient to use.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that is pivotally movable between a deployed design configuration and a raised stowed configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly which, in the raised stowed configuration, is positioned substantially adjacent to the rear wall of the vehicle's cabin.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that provides a stowed configuration which maximizes cargo space forwardly of the vehicle seat assembly.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that, in its deployed design configuration, is sufficiently spaced from the rear wall of the cabin so as to provide significant additional cargo volume therebetween and so as to provide ample space therebetween to adjust the inclination angle of the seat's backrest portion to comfortably accommodate a seat occupant or user.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly having a seat cushion member that is selectively releasable from secure engagement with an interior floor of the cabin only when the seat assembly is in an unoccupiable fold-flat configuration.
It is a yet still further object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that has a floor release mechanism that is convenient to reach and use in the unoccupiable fold-flat configuration.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that may be locked in the raised stowed configuration, such that the raised stowed seat assembly is rigidly secured against pivotal movement upon forward and rearward acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle in which it is installed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a second row vehicle seat assembly that may be easily and conveniently locked in the raised stowed configuration.