Patents by Inventor Alan Sturt

Alan Sturt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6099072
    Abstract: A seat assembly for a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle including a seat back portion pivotally mounted on a lower seat portion. The lower seat portion has a frame that forms the base of a parallelogram linkage riser for the lower seat portion. A seat back panel for the seal back portion is supported by a parallelogram linkage secured to a seat back frame. The riser and the seat back portion linkages are lowered as the seat back portion is folded forward. A mounting bracket is secured to a seat track that forms a part of the floor pan of the passenger compartment including rollers for permitting adjustment of the seat assembly along the seat track. Adjustable legs at the forward margin of the lower seat portion permit the seat assembly to be lowered and stored in a foot well area of the floor pan structure as the legs are moved to a collapsed position and as the seat assembly moves forward in the seat track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Sturt, Marcel C. Ban, Iris Drew
  • Patent number: 6012755
    Abstract: An automotive seat assembly for accommodating rear passengers in a passenger compartment. The seat assembly includes a base that may be secured to the vehicle floor structure and an articulated seat frame that supports a lower seat portion, a back portion of the seat assembly being foldable forward. The articulated frame includes forward and rearward legs, one leg being biased by a spring toward a normal passenger supporting position and the other leg being biased by a spring towards a folded position of the seat assembly. The spring force acting on one leg acts on a variable moment arm so that the force moment created by the spring force on the other leg is opposed, the seat assembly assuming a folded position as an over center position of the forward arm is reached, the variable moment arm of the spring force acting on the one arm maintaining the legs in a normal upright position when the seat assembly is in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Hecht, Marcel Corneliu Ban, Alan Sturt
  • Patent number: 5979964
    Abstract: A vehicle seat that is folded and stowed in a recess in the floor of a vehicle. A rear portion of the seat has shiftable elements that are received in tracks. The shiftable elements may be rollers that are detachable from the tracks. A front portion of the seat is supported by pivot connectors that the seat pivots about for stowing in the recess. Locking pins are received in a series of holes that permit fore and aft adjustment of the seat position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Marcel Ban, Alan Sturt
  • Patent number: 5947542
    Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly includes a one-piece base adapted for mounting in a vehicle floor recess. First and second riser legs are pivotally attached to the base and include attachment features. Each riser leg is pivotable between upright and collapsed positions. A seat frame is removably connected to the attachment features. The riser legs are pivotally collapsible against the base to increase vehicle storage capacity when the seat frame is removed from the riser legs. The direct attachment of the riser legs to the one-piece base provides accurate location of the attachment features for attachment of the seat frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Donald A. Lux, Andrew J. Massara, Marcel C. Ban, Alan Sturt
  • Patent number: 5941602
    Abstract: An auxiliary seat assembly for a passenger vehicle has a seat back portion pivoted at a rearward margin of a lower seat portion. A frame for the lower seat portion is supported on a base by a parallelogram linkage riser. A seat back panel for the seat back portion is supported by a parallelogram linkage secured to a seat back frame. Pivotal motion of the seat back portion to a forward, folded position is accompanied by forward movement of the lower seat portion. The riser and the seat back portion frame linkage are lowered as the seat back portion is folded forward, thereby reducing the overall stacked height of the folded seat assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Sturt, Marcel Corneliu Ban
  • Patent number: 5879053
    Abstract: A collapsible vehicle seat assembly includes a lower seat with a seat back pivotally connected to the lower seat. The seat back is pivotable between upright and collapsed positions. An inflatable air cell is positioned against the seat back and configured to cover the seat back when inflated to act as a one-piece seat back cushion. A plurality of flexible plastic fingers extend about the periphery of the air cell for preventing the air cell from extending peripherally beyond the seat back when deflated to prevent pinching of the air cell when the seat back is collapsed against the lower seat. The seat back is configured to collapse closely against the lower seat when the seat back air cell is deflated to partially compress the lower seat cushion such that the overall thickness of the collapsed seat assembly consists of a thickness less than the thickness of the lower seat alone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Donald A. Lux, Andrew J. Massara, Marcel C. Ban, Alan Sturt
  • Patent number: 5839773
    Abstract: A vehicle seat that is folded and stowed in a recess in the floor of a vehicle. A rear portion of the seat has shiftable elements that are moved within channels formed in tracks. The shiftable elements may be rollers that move in box channel tracks. A front portion of the seat is supported by link arms that pivot as the seat is stowed in the recess. Locking pins on the link arms are received in a series of holes that permit fore and aft adjustment of the seat position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Marcel Ban, Alan Sturt