Flip seat arrangement having upper seat back pivot
View Patent ↗A rear seat assembly of a passenger cabin of a pick-up truck includes a rear seat cushion and a rear seat back, each rotatable such that a bottom surface of the rotated rear seat back can rest upon a rear end of the rotated seat cushion to provide a storage space beneath the rotated seat back and between the rotated seat cushion and a rear wall of the passenger cabin. The cargo bed of the truck may be extended into the storage space by providing an access door thereto in a front wall of the cargo bed in communication with a corresponding opening in the rear wall of the passenger cabin.
1. A flexible auxiliary storage arrangement for a vehicle having a passenger cabin with front and rear passenger seats and a cargo bed extending rearwardly from a rear wall of the passenger cabin, the arrangement comprising:
a rear seat system positioned adjacent the rear wall of the passenger cabin and including a rear seat cushion having a first hinge assembly at a forward portion of its bottom side and a rear seat back having a second hinge assembly proximate its top edge;
the first hinge assembly operative to enable the rear seat cushion to rotate forwardly to a substantially vertical position with a rear end of the rear seat cushion facing a roof of the cabin; and
the second hinge assembly operative to enable the rear seat back to rotate forwardly to a substantially horizontal position with a rear surface of the rear seat back resting upon the rear end of the rear seat cushion.
2. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one locator pin extending from one of the rear surface of the rear seat back and the rear end of the rear seat cushion; and
at least one mating receptacle formed in the other one of the rear surface of the rear seat back and the rear end of the rear seat cushion;
whereby with the at least one locator pin engaging the at least one receptacle, the rotated rear seat cushion and rear seat back are coupled together to form a substantially rectanguloid storage area beneath the rotated rear seat back and between the rotated rear seat cushion and the rear wall of the cabin.
3. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein the rotated seat back is adapted for use as a bed.
4. The arrangement of claim 3 further comprising an occupant containment net adapted for attachment at opposing upper ends to the passenger cabin and having one of a seatbelt tongue and a seatbelt buckle coupled to a lower edge of the net and adapted to respectively mate with one of a seatbelt buckle and a seatbelt tongue associated with the rotated rear seat cushion.
5. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising a recessed storage compartment positioned underneath the rear seat cushion, wherein the storage compartment is accessible when the rear seat cushion is rotated forward.
6. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising an opening in the rear wall of the passenger cabin located behind the rear seat back and in communication with an opening in a front wall of the cargo bed, whereby a length of the cargo bed is extended when the rear seat cushion and the rear seat back are rotated forwardly.
7. The arrangement of claim 6 further comprising a bag assembly having a rigid end panel sized for mating closure of the opening in the rear wall of the passenger cabin when the bag assembly is not in use and side walls fashioned from a flexible fabric defining with the end panel an extendable storage volume in communication with the cargo bed via the opening in the front wall of the cargo bed whenever the rigid end panel is moved into the passenger cabin.
8. The arrangement of claim 7 further comprising a movable door in the cargo bed closing off the opening in the front wall of the cargo bed.
9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the movable door includes at least one hinge at a bottom edge thereof and further comprising a recessed depression in a floor of the cargo bed for mating receipt of the door when rotated down about the at least one hinge to expose the opening in the front wall of the cargo bed.
10. The arrangement of claim 9 further comprising a releasable latch positioned inside the bag assembly for selective opening and closing of the movable door; and an opening in a wall of the bag assembly enabling access to the releasable latch from inside the passenger cabin.
11. The arrangement of claim 10 wherein the opening includes a disengageable sealing element.
12. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein the disengageable sealing element comprises a zipper.