Patent ID: 8308242

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 seatback link arm having an upper end fixedly secured to said seat back and an opposite lower end, a seat cushion drive link extending between a first end pivotally coupled to said upper end of said seatback link arm 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 connector having a first portion pivotally coupled to said lower end of said seatback link arm defining a seatback pivot axis, a second portion opposite said first portion, and a third portion between said first and second portion adapted to be pivotally coupled to the floor for providing pivotal movement of said seat back between said upright position and said folded position, and a seatback drive link extending between a first end pivotally coupled to said front link between said upper and lower ends and a second end pivotally coupled to said second portion of said rear link connector for pivoting said rear link about said third portion thereof and 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.