Patent ID: 6902236

Claim:
A seat assembly for supporting an occupant above a floor of an automotive vehicle, said seat assembly comprising: a seat cushion; a plurality of legs each extending between one terminal end pivotally assembled to said seat cushion and an opposite terminal end adapted to be pivotally assembled to the floor for allowing movement of said seat cushion between a seating position spaced above the floor and a stowed position supported upon the floor; a seat back; a recliner assembly operatively coupled to said seat back for providing pivotal movement of said seat back relative to said seat cushion about a first pivot axis, and further allowing fore and aft displacement of said seat back about a second pivot axis between a forward position and a rearward position relative to said seat cushion; a locking mechanism coupled to said seat back for selectively locking said seat back between a plurality of reclined seating positions about said first pivot axis and further allowing said seat back to move between said plurality of reclined seating positions and a stowed position aligned longitudinally with said seat cushion; a link interconnecting said seat back and at least one of said plurality of legs for moving said seat cushion between said seating position and said stowed position in response to movement of said seat back between said plurality of reclined seating positions and said stowed position, respectively; wherein said locking mechanism includes a floor bracket adapted to be fixedly mounted to the floor, a seat back bracket extending between an upper end pivotally assembled to said seat back for movement of said seat back about said first pivot axis and a lower end pivotally assembled to said floor bracket for movement of said seat back bracket about said second pivot axis between said forward and rearward positions, a sector of teeth extending from said seat back, and a pawl locking engagable with said sector of teeth to prevent pivotal movement of said seat back relative to said seat cushion and pivotally assembled to said seat back bracket for movement in and out of locking engagement with said sector of teeth; said floor bracket including a first guide slot extending between a forward end and a rearward end and adapted for sliding engagement with said seat back bracket whereby said seat back is moveable between said forward and rearward position and a second guide slot slidably engaged with said pawl, said second guide slot extending between an upper portion for guiding said pawl in and out of engagement with said sector of teeth and an arcuate lower portion centered about said first pivot axis for guiding said pawl away from said sector of teeth during movement of said seat back between said plurality of reclined seating positions and said stowed position.