Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02234~63 1998-0~-08
ADJUSTABLE SEAT MECHANISM
Field of fhe Invention:
The present invention relates to operator seats which are fore-and-aft adjustable and
more specifically, to an adjustable track and slide mechanism which allows the operator to
change the seat position while sitting on it.
Descri"tion of the Related Art:
On smaller vehicles, such as lawn and garden tractors, it is common to mount theoperator seat for fore-and-aft adjustment. These seats, which are generally supported by
10 the fender dec:k of the vehicle, have typically been mounted on a pair of spaced-apart tracks.
On sorne vehicles, the tracks are provided by forming elongated slots in the fender
deck or securing brackets to the deck and utilizing bolts which project up through the slots in
the deck or br;acket and into separate brackets carried on the seat or seat base. Fore-and-
aft adjustmenl: is then accomplished through sliding the seat or base along the slots in the
15 deck or brackets. The bolts are often fitted with nuts, some of which are adapted to be
adjusted by hand to eliminate the need for special tools.
These slide mechanisms generally require that an operator dismount the seat to
adjust it, then remount to determine if it is positioned correctly. This process must often be
repeated to properly position the seat.
Othem3djustment mechanisms are provided with a pair of spaced-apart slides, eachslide having two members. One slide member is typically secured to the deck with the other
member being secured to the seat or base. A separate spring loaded locking mechanism is
then provided on one of the pair of slides to permit adjustment and locking of the fore-and-aft
position of the seat on the deck.
Further, the metal slides, bearings and brackets utilized with these adjustment
mechanisms c:an rust and/or become contaminated with dirt or other foreign materials
causing them to become difficult to adjust, sometimes locking or jamming.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a seat mechanism which could be adjusted
by the operator without requiring him to dismount the vehicle, as well as one which could be
30 easily and quickly adjusted by the operator to the exact position comfortable for him.
Additionally, it would be desirable to provide adjustment mechanism parts which would resist
deterioration, r usting and/or fouling by contamination. It would also be desirable to provide
an adjustment mechanism having fewer parts, therefore being less expensive to
manufacture, assemble and repair.
CA 02234~63 1998-0~-08
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Towards these ends, there is provided a seat adjustment mechanism which utilizes a
single metal track secured to the fender deck structure, with that track being received in a
slide formed in a composite seat base. The metal track has incremental stops formed along
its length which can be engaged by a locking lever carried on the seat. The single metal
track utilizes no metal bearings, nuts or bolts nor does it require any tools for adjustment.
The locking lever is comprised of spring steel and includes a handle which projects
forwardly from beneath the seat and between the operator's legs for quick, simple and easy
10 locking and unlocking while the operator occupies the seat. The lever can be quickly and
easily engagecl and disengaged to allow the operator to adjust the seat to its most
comfortable fore-and-aft position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a lawn and garden vehicle upon which thepresent invention could be used.
Figure 2 is an enlarged and elevated perspective view of the seat base, slide, track
and locking lever as mounted on the fender deck.
Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the base, slide, track and locking lever,
illustrating the locking lever in its secured position in solid and in its unlocked position in
phantom.
Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic view illustrating the seat base, slide, track and
fender deck.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Looking first to Figure 1, there is illustrated a lawn and garden tractor 10 including an
operator's seat 12. The seat 12 is mounted on a composite base 14, which in turn is carried
30 on an adjustable seat mechanism which extends between the seat base 14 and the fender
deck 1 6.
Looking also to Figs 2 and 3, it is seen that the adjustment mechanism includes a
track 18 secured to the fender deck 16, a slide means 20 formed in the composite base 14
and an adjustable locking means including a lever 22 and fore and aft spaced incremental
stops 24 formed in the slide18. The handle 26 of this locking lever 22 protrudes out through
CA 02234~63 1998-0~-08
an opening 28 in the front of the base 14 and is positioned between the operator's legs so
that the seat 12 can be easily adjusted while the operator is sitting on it.
The track 18 is attached to the fender deck 16, which in the preferred embodiment is
of metal. As s,hown in Figs. 1 and 2, the track 18 is secured to the central portion of the
5 fender deck 16 and extends fore-and-aft therealong, including laterally spaced-apart
upwardly and outwardly extending track surfaces or flanges 30. In the preferred
embodiment, l:he track 18 is positioned on the fender deck 16 with downwardly extending
positioning tabs 32 and then welded or secured in a similar conventional fashion.
The seat base 14 is preferably of a composite material such as plastic. As can be
seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the base 14 includes a slide means 20 formed in its central and
bottom portion which extends fore-and-aft and is configured to slidably receive the laterally
spaced-apart l:rack surfaces 30. In its preferred embodiment, the slide means 20 takes the
form of elongalted slots 34 formed in the bottom and central portion of the seat base 14. The
seat base 14 is mounted on the track 18 to be closely adjacent to the fender deck 16, see
Fig. 5, so that when occupied by an operator, the bottom will contact and slide along the
surface of the deck 16 as the base 14 is adjusted fore-and-aft along the slide 18.
The locking means includes the locking lever 22 carried by the seat base 14 which is
engagable witlh the incremental stops 24. One end 36 of the lever 22 is bent into a u-shape,
see Fig. 3, so that it can be slidably mounted onto a bar structure 38 formed in the mid to
rear portion of the base 14. The opening of the u-shaped portion 36 is smaller than the bar
38 and accordingly, must be pressed into place. Left and right tabs 40 at the top sides of
the bar 381Ocate the locking lever 22 when it is being mounted to the bar 38. Another
upwardly projecting knob 42 is formed at the forwardly portion of the bar 38. As the lever 22
is slid onto the! bar 38, the opening 44 of the locking lever 22 is snapped up and over the
knob 42 and serves to secure the lever 22 against rearwardly movement relative to the base
14 once it has been slidingly positioned onto to the bar 38. The bar 38 is further provided
with a pair of laterally downwardly projecting ears 46. The lever 22 includes openings which
seat over the ears 46 once the lever 22 has been installed to further secure the lever 22
against rearwardly movement relative to the base 14. Abutment between the rear of the bar
38 and the rearwardly interior surface of the u-shaped portion 36 of the lever prevents
forwardly movement of the lever 22 once installed on the bar 38.
The locking lever 22 includes an opening 48 sized to fit over a stop 24. The stops 24
are formed between the track surfaces 30 and include a plurality of spaced apart vertical
stop surfaces 50. The sides of the opening 48 in the lever 22 are formed by a pair of
upstanding tabs 52 which abut the vertical sides 50 of a stop 24 and serve to secure the seat
base 14 against fore-and-aft movement relative to the track 18 and deck 16. The front or
CA 02234~63 1998-0~-08
handle 26 of the locking lever 22 protrudes out through the opening 28 in the seat base 14
so that it can be lockably engaged or disengaged while the operator is seated. Fig. 3
illustrates a side view of the seat base 14, track 18, slide 20 and locking means with the
locking lever 22 illustrated in solid in its engaged position and in phantom in its disengaged
position.
With the present adjustment mechanism, the fore-and-aft position of the seat 12 can
quickly be changed to accommodate an operator's particular physical size prior to operation
of the tractor 10. Once mounted on the tractor 10, the operator would reach between his
legs to pull on the forward end or handle 26 of the locking lever 22 and raise it to the position
10 illustrated in plhantom in Fig. 3. He would then slide the seat 12 rearwardly or forwardly to
select a fore-and-aft position which is comfortable. As the seat 12 is shifted, the slide means
20 provided in the composite seat base 14 would slidably move along the upwardly and
outwardly track surfaces 30 of the metal track 18. As the operator slidably moves the seat
12 forwardly or backwardly, the laterally spaced bottom surfaces 54 of the base 14, which
15 are of a composite material, contact and slidably move along the fender deck 16. These
base surfaces 54 provide additional slide surfaces between the base 14 and the fender deck
16, thereby allowing the use of just the single slide and track mechanism. When the seat 12
has been moved to a comfortable position, the handle 26 would be released and due to the
formed-ln bias in the spring steel lever 22, it would be urged downwardly, allowing the
20 opening 48 and its tabs 52 to be positioned fore-and-aft of one of the incremental stops 24
and its vertical surfaces 50 on the track 18. The upright tabs 52 then serve to secure the
seat in that position.
With the present invention there is provided a quickly and easily adjustable seat
adjustment mechanism with a minimum number of parts. The composite base material25 permits forming of the slide means in the base as well as providing bottom surfaces which
can easily slide on the metal deck. The spring steel locking lever serves to quickly and
easily secure the seat in multiple positions. The use of composites and spring steel
minimizes the likelihood that rust or fouling of the mechanism due to dirt, water or other
similar foreign materials will occur.
