Patent ID: 8066326

Claim:
A seat assembly for supporting an occupant above a floor in an automotive vehicle, said seat assembly comprising: a seat cushion adapted to be pivotally coupled to the floor for movement between a raised position spaced above the floor and a lowered position lying against the floor; a seatback operatively coupled to said seat cushion for movement between an upright position and a folded position overlying said seat cushion; and a linkage system operatively coupled between said seatback and said seat cushion for automatically moving said seat cushion downward and forward and translating a lower portion of said seatback downward and rearward in response to movement of said seatback between said upright position and said folded position, said linkage system including a seat cushion drive link extending between a first end pivotally coupled to said seat back and a second end fixedly secured to said seat cushion, a front link extending between a lower end adapted to be pivotally coupled to the floor and an upper end pivotally coupled to said second end of said seat cushion drive link, a rear link extending between a lower end adapted to be pivotally coupled to the floor and a distal end pivotally coupled to said lower portion of said seatback defining a seatback pivot axis, and a seat back drive link extending between a first end pivotally coupled to said front link and a second end pivotally coupled to said rear link for automatically translating said seatback pivot axis downward and rearward in response to movement of said seat cushion from said raised position to said lowered position.