Patent ID: 8162397

Claim:
An adjustable seat assembly for attachment to a floor of a vehicle to support thighs of a user of the vehicle, said adjustable seat assembly comprising: a frame presenting a support surface that extends generally horizontally; a covering that includes a first portion and a second portion in spaced relationship to said first portion; wherein said second portion extends over said support surface and said first portion is horizontally spaced from said second portion and said frame; wherein a front edge is defined at a tangent to said covering, between said first portion and said second portion, at a maximum horizontal distance from said frame such that at least a portion of said covering between said front edge and said second portion is for supporting the thighs of the user of the vehicle; wherein said covering includes a flexure region between said first portion and said second portion such that as said first portion is moved relative to said frame, said flexure region moves between a relaxed position and at least one of a plurality of tensioned positions to change said maximum horizontal distance between said frame and said front edge; an adjustment mechanism operatively connected to said covering and said frame such that said adjustment mechanism is configured to selectively retain said first portion relative to said second portion; and a thigh portion having a first part and a second part spaced from said first part; wherein said thigh portion includes a flexure portion, having an arched shape, disposed between said first part and said second part; wherein said flexure portion of said thigh portion is formed from a material that is resilient; and wherein said first part is operatively connected to said first portion of said cover and said second part is operatively connected to said frame such that said thigh portion changes shape between being generally C-shaped as said first portion is moved toward said frame and being generally straightened as said first portion is moved away from said frame.