Vehicle seat with a reconfigurable side armrest

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144327-B2
Application number	US-201715411185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seatback and a side armrest. The side armrest includes an elongate frame anchored to the seatback and an elongate cover supported on the frame. The frame includes a base segment, by which the frame is anchored to the seatback, and a pivoting distal segment. With the frame's base segment extending away from the seatback, the side armrest is reconfigurable between an armrest configuration and an auxiliary configuration. In the armrest configuration, the frame's distal segment is inline with its base segment, the cover covers the frame, and the cover is supported on the frame for sliding movement along the frame that culminates in lodgment onto its distal segment. In the auxiliary configuration, the cover is lodged onto the frame's distal segment, and the frame's distal segment is pivoted towards the seatback to position the cover to extend in front of the seatback.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a seatback; and
a side armrest, the side armrest including an elongate frame anchored to the seatback and an elongate cover supported on the frame, the frame including a base segment, by which the frame is anchored to the seatback, and a pivoting distal segment; wherein
with the frame's base segment extending away from the seatback, the side armrest is reconfigurable between an armrest configuration, in which the frame's distal segment is inline with its base segment, the cover covers the frame, and the cover is supported on the frame for sliding movement along the frame that culminates in lodgment onto its distal segment, and an auxiliary configuration, in which the cover is lodged onto the frame's distal segment, and the frame's distal segment is pivoted towards the seatback to position the cover to extend in front of the seatback.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a carrier configured to carry a personal object.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a carrier configured to carry a personal object and support it in an upright orientation.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the carrier has a shelf, and a lip and a spaced apart backstop that project from the shelf that, at least in part, configure the carrier to carry a personal object and support it in an upright orientation.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 4 , wherein the lip and the backstop define respective one or more touchpoints on either side of an upright plane for supporting a carried personal object in an upright orientation in the upright plane.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the cover has a frame receiving recess and, in the armrest configuration, the cover fully receives the frame in the frame receiving recess.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface, the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface subject to being powered, and configured to support an electrical coupling with a personal electronic device in order to supply electrical power thereto.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 7 , wherein the cover includes a rechargeable onboard auxiliary storage device electrically connected to, and configured to power, the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface, and an onboard cover input interface electrically connected to the onboard auxiliary storage device, and configured to support the draw of electrical power from beyond the cover for charging the onboard auxiliary storage device.

9. A side armrest for a vehicle seat, comprising:
an elongate frame including a base segment and a pivoting distal segment; and
an elongate, generally tubular cover supported on the frame, the cover having a proximal end from which a frame receiving recess opens and an exterior surface from which a carrier recess opens, and including a carrier having a shelf that, at least in part, defines the carrier recess and configures the carrier to carry a personal object, and a lid coupled to the remainder of the cover for movement between a closed position overlying the carrier recess contiguously with the exterior surface and an open position exposing the carrier recess; wherein
the side armrest is reconfigurable between an armrest configuration, in which the frame's distal segment is inline with its base segment, the cover fully receives the frame in its frame receiving recess, and the cover is supported on the frame for sliding movement along the frame that culminates in the cover only receiving the frame's distal segment in its frame receiving recess and being lodged onto the frame's distal segment by its proximal end, and an auxiliary configuration, in which the cover only receives the frame's distal segment in its frame receiving recess and is lodged onto the frame's distal segment by its proximal end, and the frame's distal segment is pivoted at an approximately right angle to its base segment.

10. The side armrest of claim 9 , wherein the carrier has a lip that projects from the shelf and, at least in part, defines the carrier recess and configures the carrier to support a carried personal object in an upright orientation.

11. The side armrest of claim 9 , wherein the carrier has a lip and a spaced apart backstop that project from the shelf and, at least in part, define the carrier recess and configure the carrier to support a carried personal object in an upright orientation.

12. The side armrest of claim 11 , wherein the lip and the backstop define respective one or more touchpoints on either side of an upright plane for supporting a carried personal object in an upright orientation in the upright plane.

13. The side armrest of claim 9 , wherein:
the carrier has a lip that projects from the shelf and, at least in part, defines the carrier recess and, when the lid is in the open position, a free end of the lid; and
when the lid is in the open position, the lip and the free end of the lid, at least in part, configure the carrier to support a carried personal object in an upright orientation.

14. The side armrest of claim 13 , wherein when the lid is in the open position, the lip and the free end of the lid define respective one or more touchpoints on either side of an upright plane for supporting a carried personal object in an upright orientation in the upright plane.

15. The side armrest of claim 9 , wherein the frame's distal segment defines a channel with a closed end, and the cover's frame receiving recess has a complementary projection at the proximal end of the cover, the sliding movement of the cover along the frame including the projection continuously riding in the channel, and culminating in the projection being retentively captured in the closed end of the channel to lodge the cover onto the frame's distal segment by its proximal end.

16. The side armrest of claim 9 , wherein the cover includes at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface, the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface subject to being powered, and configured to support an electrical coupling with a personal electronic device in order to supply electrical power thereto.

17. The side armrest of claim 16 , wherein the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface is located on a surface defining the carrier recess.

18. The side armrest of claim 16 , wherein the cover includes a rechargeable onboard auxiliary storage device electrically connected to, and configured to power, the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface, and an onboard cover input interface electrically connected to the onboard auxiliary storage device, and configured to support the draw of electrical power from beyond the cover for charging the onboard auxiliary storage device.

19. A side armrest for a vehicle seat, comprising:
an elongate frame including a base segment and a pivoting distal segment; and
an elongate cover supported on the frame, the cover including:
a carrier, the carrier having a shelf, and a lip and a spaced apart backstop that project from the shelf, the lip and the backstop defining respective one or more touchpoints on either side of an upright plane for supporting a personal object carried by the shelf in an upright orientation in the upright plane; and
at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface, the at least one onboard personal electronic device output interface subject to being powered, and config

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Harris Ryan C
• Frederick Scott L

Classifications

• B60R2011/0085

  with adjustment by rotation in their operational position · CPC title

• B60N2/767

  Angle adjustment · CPC title

• B60R2011/0094

  characterised by means for covering after user, e.g. boxes, shutters or the like · CPC title

• B60R2011/0014

  Arm-rests · CPC title

• B60R11/00

  Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for · CPC title