Patent ID: 6926364

Claim:
A fold flat vehicle seat comprising: a movable track member slidably engaging a fixed track member having a seat assembly mounted thereon for longitudinal sliding movement of said movable track member and said seat assembly relative to said fixed track member along a longitudinal axis; a track lock means operatively interconnected between said movable and fixed track members and movable between a locked configuration whereat said movable track member is precluded from moving longitudinally relative to said fixed track member and a released configuration whereat said movable track member is permitted to move longitudinally relative to said fixed track member; wherein said seat assembly includes a seat cushion member mounted on said movable track member and a seatback member mounted on said seat cushion member for forward folding about a seatback pivot axis between a substantially upright occupiable design position and a substantially horizontal load supporting position; a seatback member latch means operatively engaged between said seatback member and said seat cushion member to selectively control said forward folding of said seatback member; a link arm member having an upper end and a lower end and being operatively mounted adjacent its upper end on said seatback member, for movement with said seatback member between a lowered track engagement position corresponding to said substantially horizontal load supporting position of said seatback member, and a raised track clearing position corresponding to said substantially upright occupiable design position of said seatback member; and, a link engaging portion disposed on said fixed track member for receiving the lower end of said link arm member when said seat assembly is in a predetermined rear longitudinal position; wherein, when said link arm member is in said lowered track engagement position and only then, said link arm member interacts with said link engaging portion of said fixed track member to permit said forward folding of said seatback member to said substantially horizontal load supporting position and to thereat preclude longitudinal motion of said seat assembly relative to said fixed track member, so as to retain said seat assembly in said predetermined rear longitudinal position.