US 6,981,731 B2
Retractable seat assembly for a motor vehicle
Christopher Welch, Farmington Hills, Mich. (US); Ben Sung Chang, Northville, Mich. (US); and Colin G. Neale, Northville, Mich. (US)
Assigned to Intier Automotive Inc., Newmarket (Canada)
Appl. No. 10/250,892
PCT Filed Jan. 14, 2001, PCT No. PCT/US02/01086
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jan. 22, 2004,
PCT Pub. No. WO02/055332, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 18, 2002.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/322128, filed on Sep. 13, 2001.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/261398, filed on Jan. 12, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2004/0222657 A1, Nov. 11, 2004
Int. Cl. B60N 2/02 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 296—68 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A rear seat assembly movable between a use configuration and a stowed configuration within a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle having a floor, a roof, a pair of sidewalls extending between the floor and the roof, and a rear lift gate, said rear seat assembly comprising:
a seat cushion having a front portion and a rear portion;
a seat back disposed adjacent to said rear portion of said seat cushion; and
a translator coupled to said seat back, said translator moving said seat back between the use configuration and the stowed configuration wherein said seat back is secured to the rear lift gate and moves therewith between its open and closed positions, wherein said translator includes a recess extending through each of the sidewalls and extending from a position disposed adjacent the rear lift gate to a position fore thereof.