Patent ID: 7025419

Claim:
A seat mechanism for a vehicle, comprising: a lower rail fixable to a vehicle floor; an upper member having an upper rail which is guided by said lower rail to be freely slidable thereon; a seat back which is pivoted on said upper member, said seat back being movable between an upright position and a forward-tilted position; a holding device for holding said seat back in said upright position; a slide lock mechanism for locking said upper member relative to said lower rail when said seat back is in said upright position, and for unlocking said upper rail relative to said lower rail when said seat back is in said forward-tilted position; a slide-position memory mechanism for remembering an adjusted position of said upper rail relative to said lower rail after said seat back has been pivoted forward to said forward-tilted position so that said upper rail is prevented from moving rearward beyond said adjusted position when said seat back is at said forward tilted position; and a forward-tilt holding mechanism for holding said seat back in said forward-tilted position: wherein said forward-tilt holding mechanism includes at least two engaging members which are engaged with each other when said seat back is in said forward-tilted position, and which are disengaged from each other when said seat back is in said upright position, said forward-tilt holding mechanism providing a resistance force in said engagement of one of said two engaging members with the other of said two engaging members during a returning operation of said seat back to said upright position from said forward-tilted position; wherein said engaging members of said forward-tilt holding mechanism are independent of said holding device and comprise: a fixed engaging member mounted to said seat back and a movable engaging member mounted to said upper member; wherein said movable engaging member is engaged with said fixed engaging member when said seat back is tilted forward; and wherein said movable engaging member is movable in a direction to be disengaged from said fixed engaging member.