Patent ID: 8550553

Claim:
A side mounted energy attenuating vehicle seat, comprising: a rigid seat base with a first side; a substantially vertically oriented mounting plate adjacent the first side of the seat base; a vertical slide mechanism comprising a fixed portion attached to the mounting plate, and a sliding portion attached to the first side of the seat base, the mechanism configured to allow for a downward stroke of the seat base relative to the mounting plate, wherein the fixed portion of the vertical slide mechanism comprises a vertical guide rod fixed at each end, and the sliding portion comprises a block with a through-bore adapted to slide on the vertical guide rod; a roller attached to the first side of the seat base substantially below the point of attachment to the sliding portion of the vertical slide mechanism, wherein the roller is configured to roll in a vertical direction while bearing against the mounting plate and supporting the seat base in a horizontal orientation; and an energy attenuating member positioned so as to prevent the seat from stroking downward relative to the mounting plate during normal use.