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Seat apparatusSeat apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060181122, Seat apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This non-provisional application incorporates by reference the subject matter of Application No. 2005-015631 filed in Japan on Jan. 24, 2005, on which a priority claim is based under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(a). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a seat apparatus configured in a manner that a seat on a floor of a vehicle is stored in a folded state in a seat storage unit on the floor of the vehicle. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] There is a seat apparatus in which a rear seat for back passenger is provided in a rear portion of the interior of a vehicle. When the passenger is not seated on the rear seat, the rear seat is folded so as to widen a luggage storage space (a cargo storage space) in the rear portion of the interior of the vehicle. [0006] For example, a front end side of a seat cushion of the rear seat and an upper surface side of the floor are joined together with hinges. A seat back is folded toward the seat cushion, and then the rear seat is rotated forward around the hinges and stored in a foot space for the back passenger. The foot space is used as the seat storage unit. Owing to this rear seat storing process, the luggage storage space can be widened and effectively utilized. [0007] The rear seat is also provided with a headrest just as the front seat for securing the safety of the passenger. This headrest is desired to be small for securing a storage space in which the rear seat is stored and for widening a rear field of view. However, the headrest has to be necessarily enlarged in view of the safety and strength, and for meeting the legal requirements. [0008] In order to store the rear seat, such a headrest is removed in advance from the seat back and stored in a storage case, a special storage space provided at the back of a wheel house at a rear end of the interior of the vehicle as disclosed as a related art example in, for example, JP-A-11-198697. [0009] In the case of a seat apparatus disclosed separately from the above example in JP-A-11-198697, a rear end side of a seat cushion 110 of a rear seat 100 is joined to an upper surface side 120 of a floor via hinge pins 160 as shown in FIG. 7. A storage recess 130 in which the rear seat 100 is stored is further provided in the upper surface of the floor. Before the rear seat 100 is stored in the storage recess 130, the headrest 140 is rotated forward to reduce the quantity (m) of projection thereof, and the seat back 150 is folded on the rear seat as shown by a two-dot chain line. The folded rear seat 100 as a whole is then rotated rearward, and stored in the storage recess 130 as shown by solid line. A luggage storage space is thereby flattened and widened. [0010] The headrest of the type which is fixed to and removed from the seat back disclosed as a related art example in JP-A-11-198697 is taken out from the storage case every time the headrest is used again, and necessarily fixed to the seat back. Therefore, the headrest storage and re-fixing operations are troublesome. Also, the storage case cannot be used as a utility box. [0011] When the headrest 140 is folded short with respect to the seat back 150, and the rear seat as a whole 100 in which the seat back 150 is folded on the seat cushion is stored in the storage recess 130 as shown in FIG. 7, a width Lt in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body of the storage recess 130 becomes equal to the sum of a width Lm and a width m. The width Lm is a width in which the seat back 150 and the seat and cushion 110 are piled. The width m is a width of projection of the headrest 140. Thus, the storage space becomes relatively large. [0012] Moreover, when the vehicle runs with the rear seat 100 not stored in the storage recess 130, the rear field of view of a driver is obstructed by a distance corresponding to the width m of projection of the headrest 140 even when the headrest 140 is folded short. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims at providing a seat apparatus capable of folding a seat back, a seat cushion and a headrest to a comparatively small dimension with a high operation efficiency, capable of downsizing a seat storage space in which these parts are stored, and capable of saving the space. [0014] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a seat apparatus including: a seat cushion provided in a vehicle; a seat back pivotably joined to the seat cushion, the seat back capable of being folded forward so as to be superposed on the seat cushion; a seat storage unit in which the seat cushion and the seat back are stored in a folded state; and a headrest attached to the seat back via a pivotable member, the headrest capable of being stored in a clearance defined between a back supporting surface of the seat back and a sitting surface of the seat cushion when the seat cushion and the seat back are folded. [0015] According to the aspect, the headrest can be folded toward the back supporting surface of the seat back, and stored in a tightly held state in the clearance between the folded seat back and the seat cushion without projecting to the outside. Therefore, the storage space in the seat storage unit provided in the floor in which the short-folded seat body as a whole is stored can be comparatively miniaturized, i.e., the saving of the space can be done, so that the space in the interior as a whole of the vehicle can be effectively utilized. Moreover, since the clearance between the seat back and the seat cushion can be secured comparatively easily, the number of limitations on the shape and dimensions of the headrest held in the clearance are comparatively small, and a demand for increasing the dimensions of the headrest can be met. Moreover, when the seat back and the seat cushion are folded, the removing of the headrest is not needed, and the operation efficiency of the seat folding operation is high. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0016] The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein: [0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a wagon type vehicle to which a seat apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention is applied; [0018] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway schematic sectional view of a part of a rear portion of a vehicle body in which the seat apparatus of FIG. 1 is used; [0019] FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway enlarged sectional view of a rear seat support structure used in the seat apparatus of FIG. 1; [0020] FIG. 4 is a side view of a pivotable member joining together an upper portion of the seat back and a headrest which are used in the seat apparatus of FIG. 1; Continue reading about Seat apparatus... Full patent description for Seat apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Seat apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Seat apparatus or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Thermally insulated cover for baby stroller Next Patent Application: Transferable baby seat Industry Class: Chairs and seats ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Seat apparatus patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.18951 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174 |
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