Structure for fixing carpet on seatback

A foldable seat assembly includes a seat cushion, a seatback, a base plate secured to the seat cushion, a seatback bracket, and a carpet. The seatback bracket is pivotally connected to the base plate and fixedly secured to a corner portion of a back surface of the seatback for allowing the seatback to be forwardly folded down on the seat cushion. The back surface of the seatback is covered with the carpet. A corner portion of the carpet is fixed on the seatback bracket through a fastener.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates in general to a structure for fixing a carpet 
on a seatback, and more particularly to a structure for fixing a carpet on 
a back surface of a seatback of a foldable rear seat for a motor vehicle. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In automobiles, such as a station wagon, a hatchback or the like, a 
so-called "foldable seat" is employed as a rear, seat for obtaining larger 
luggage space. Upon a requirement for a larger luggage space, a seatback 
of the foldable seat is inclined forward and folded down on a seat cushion 
of the same. With this, the space defined above the folded seatback can be 
used as an extra luggage space. 
In order to clarify the task of the present invention, one conventional 
foldable seat will be outlined with reference to FIG. 5 of the 
accompanying drawings. 
As is seen from FIG. 5, the foldable seat 10 has a hinge mechanism 12 for 
inclining a seatback 14. The hinge mechanism 12 comprises a base plate 16 
which is secured to a rear end portion of a side surface of a seat cushion 
18 and a seatback bracket 20 which is pivotally connected to the base 
plate 16. The seatback bracket 20 is made of a metal plate which has a 
substantially L-shaped cross section. The seatback bracket 20 is secured 
to a rear corner portion of a back surface of the seatback 14 through 
bolts 22 or the like. 
The back surface of the seatback 14 is usually covered with a carpet 24 for 
protecting the seatback 14 when luggage is placed on the folded seatback 
14, and for improving the external appearance of the seatback 14. The 
carpet 24 is so sized as to cover the substantially entire back surface of 
the seatback 14. The carpet 24 is secured at its peripheral portion to a 
peripheral portion of the back surface of the seatback 14 through a 
plurality of pins 26 or the like. 
However, the above-mentioned conventional foldable seat 10 has the 
following drawback. 
A rear corner portion of the carpet 24 is not directly secured to a rear 
corner portion of the back surface of the seatback through pins 26 because 
the seatback bracket 20 interferes with the fixation of the pin 26. 
Therefore, the rear corner portion of the carpet 24 tends to be turned up. 
This degrades the external appearance of the carpet 24 and the durability 
of the same. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a structure 
for fixing a carpet on a seatback, through which structure a rear corner 
portion of a carpet is fixedly placed on a back surface of a seatback of a 
foldable seat. 
According to the present invention, there is provided a foldable seat 
assembly including: a seat cushion; a seatback; a base plate secured to 
the seat cushion; a seatback bracket which is pivotally connected to the 
base plate and fixedly secured to a corner portion of a back surface of 
the seatback for allowing the seatback to be forwardly folded down on the 
seat cushion; a carpet for covering the back surface of the seatback; and 
means for fixing a corner portion of the carpet on the seatback bracket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a structure for fixing a carpet 
30 on a seatback 32 of a so-called "foldable rear seat" 34, which is a 
first embodiment of the present invention. 
As is seen from FIG. 1, when the seatback 32 is inclined forward and folded 
down on a seat cushion 36 of the seat 34, the space defined above the 
folded seatback 32 can be used as an extra luggage space. 
The seat 34 has a hinge mechanism 38 for inclining the seatback 32. The 
hinge mechanism 38 comprises a base plate 40 which is secured to a rear 
end portion of a side surface of the seat cushion 36 and a seatback 
bracket 42 which is pivotally connected to the base plate 40 through a 
pivot pin 44. 
As is seen from FIG. 2, the seatback bracket 42 comprises a metal plate 42a 
which has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a cover member 42b 
which has a substantially L-shaped cross section and is made of synthetic 
resin or the like. The metal plate 42a comprises a first substantially 
flat portion 42c and a second flat portion 42d unites with the first 
portion 42c at substantially a right angle. The first portion 42c of the 
metal plate 42a has two bolt holes 42e formed therethrough. The second 
portion 42d of the metal plate 42a has a through hole 42f for receiving 
therein the pivot pin 44. The cover member 42b comprises a first portion 
42g and a second portion 42i which units with the first portion 42g at 
substantial a right angle. The cover member 42b is detachably fixed to the 
metal plate 42a so as to entirely cover an outer surface of the portion 
42d of the metal plate 42a and partially cover an outer surface of the 
first portion 42c of the metal plate 42a, partially, as illustrated. The 
cover member 42b serves not to expose the metal plate 42a of the seatback 
bracket 42. 
Referring back to FIG. 1, the seatback bracket 42 is secured to a rear 
corner portion of a back surface of the seatback 32 through two bolts 46. 
The aforementioned carpet 30 is secured to the back surface of the seatback 
32 through a plurality of pins 48 or the like except for a rear corner 
portion of the carpet 30 which is not connected by pins 48. Carpet 30 
substantially covers the entire back surface of the seatback 32. Because 
of the presence of the seatback bracket 42 on the rear comer portion of 
the back surface of the seatback 32, it is difficult to secure the rear 
corner portion of the carpet 30 to the seatback 32 using pins 48. 
Therefore, a faster (no numeral) is employed in the present invention. 
The fastener is made of hook and eye tape, a magnet, or the like. The 
fastener comprises first and second paired members 50a and 50b which are 
to be engaged with each other. 
The first member 50a of the fastener is secured to the rear corner portion 
of the carpet 30. The second member 50b of the fastener is secured to the 
cover member 42b of the seatback bracket 42 through staples 52 or the like 
(see FIG. 2). Each staple 52 is generally U-shaped and has pointed ends 
for fixing the second member 50b of the fastener on the cover member 42b 
of the seatback bracket 42. The pointed ends of the staple 52 is easily 
driven into the first portion 42g of the cover member 42b because the 
cover member 42b is made of synthetic resin or the like. The second member 
50b is so positioned as to be engaged with the first member 50a. With 
pressing the rear corner portion of the carpet 30 onto the seatback 
bracket 42, the rear corner portion of the carpet 30 is fixed to the 
seatback 32 through the fastener. Thus, the fastener can prevent the rear 
corner portion of the carpet 30 from being turned up. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown a structure for fixing a carpet 
on a seatback of a foldable rear seat, which is a second embodiment of the 
present invention. 
Parts substantially the same as those of the above-mentioned first 
embodiment are denoted by the same numerals and a detailed explanation of 
them will be omitted from the following description. 
As is seen from FIG. 4, unlike the first embodiment, the second member 50b 
of the fastener is sewed at its one end to an end portion of an outer skin 
member 56 of the seatback 32. Designated by numerals 58 and 60 are a 
seatback frame and a pad member, respectively. The second member 50b of 
the fastener is so sized and positioned that a major front portion of the 
same is placed on the seatback bracket 42 so as to be engaged with the 
first member 50a of the fastener. 
Although the second member 50b of the fastener is not directly secured to 
the, seatback bracket 42, the second member 50b is placed at its major 
front portion on the seatback bracket 42 and sewed to the end portion of 
the outer skin member 56, the end portion being positioned between a comer 
60 of the back surface of the seatback 32 and the seatback bracket 42 (see 
FIGS. 3 and 4). Therefore, upon engaging the first member 50a with the 
second member 50b, the rear corner portion of the carpet 30 is fixed on 
the seatback bracket 42 through the fastener. Thus, the fastener can 
prevent the rear corner portion of the carpet from being turned up. 
Unlike the first embodiment, the first portion 42g of the cover member 42b 
of the second embodiment can be omitted or substantially shortened, 
because the second member 50b of the fastener is not directly secured to 
the seatback bracket 42, and the first portion 42c of the metal plate 42a 
is substantially covered with the carpet 30.