Patent ID: 8496098

Claim:
A manual seat height adjuster mechanism for a seat of a vehicle comprising: a freewheel brake mechanism having a rotatable output pinion to engage and rotate an adjustment component of the seat to adjust a height position of the seat upward and downward, said freewheel brake mechanism having a brake housing being connected to said output pinion; said freewheel brake mechanism having a ratchet gear cooperating with said brake housing to rotate said brake housing and said output pinion, said ratchet ear having a plurality of teeth; said freewheel brake mechanism having a carrier to cooperate with said teeth of said ratchet gear; said freewheel brake mechanism having an actuating lever cooperating with said carrier to move said carrier to engage and disengage said teeth of said ratchet gear to rotate said ratchet gear, and actuating lever having a pair of posts extending axially and spaced radially from each other; a supplementary mechanical engagement locking mechanism including a plurality of teeth on said brake housing and a locking plate movable linearly and radially relative to said teeth of said brake housing to selectively engage and disengage said teeth of said brake housing of said freewheel brake mechanism to allow the height position of the seat to be adjusted and to prevent reversing rotational movement of said brake housing an said output pinion once the height position of the seat has been adjusted; and said locking plate having a base portion, an arm portion extending generally perpendicular from said base portion, a tab extending generally perpendicular from said arm portion, and a pair of cam portions extending outwardly to engage and disengage said post of said actuating lever of said freewheel brake mechanism to move said locking plate to engage and disengage said tab with a space between said teeth of said brake housing of said freewheel brake mechanism.