Patent ID: 7198330

Claim:
A fitting for a vehicle seat, the fitting comprising: a first part of the fitting; a second part of the fitting that is (a) rotatable relative to first part of the fitting while the fitting is in an unlocked state, and (b) restricted from rotating relative to the first part of the fitting while the fitting is in a locked state; a profiled shaft mounted so that the fitting transitions from the locked state to the unlocked state in response to the shaft being rotated in a first direction; and a spring operatively associated with the shaft for simultaneously (a) biasing the shaft in a manner that seeks to cause the shaft to rotate in a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite from the first direction, and (b) restricting the shaft from moving in the shaft's axial direction relative to the fitting, wherein (a) the spring includes a first leg, (b) the first leg of the spring sits on the shaft, (c) the shaft includes an outer peripheral surface that defines a recess, (d) an end of the first leg comprises a hook, and (e) at least a portion of the hook is positioned in the recess defined by the outer peripheral surface of the shaft.