US 7,566,099 B2
Furniture seatback tilt recline angle limiter and method
David Catanzarite, Edinboro, Pa. (US); Keith Ptak, Erie, Pa. (US); and Jim Maciak, Erie, Pa. (US)
Assigned to Lord Corporation, Cary, N.C. (US)
Filed on Oct. 22, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/691,073.
Prior Publication US 2005/0179295 A1, Aug. 18, 2005
Int. Cl. B60N 2/02 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 297—361.1  [297/362; 297/365; 297/374] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flexible tilting recline seatback tilt limiter for adjustably limiting the flexible tilting recline motion of a flexible tilting recline seatback having a flexible tilting recline motion between a full forward seatback position and a full recline backward seatback position, the flexible tilting recline seatback tilt limiter comprised of a first rotator with repeating periodic protrusions, the first rotator having a full forward seatback upright endstop and a full recline seatback endstop, and a second rotator with repeating periodic receivers, the second rotator having an adjustment endstop, the first rotator periodic protrusions disengagably received by the second rotator receivers, wherein the first rotator is free to rotate between the full forward seatback upright endstop and the full recline seatback endstop when the protrusions are disengaged and not received in the second rotator receivers and the second rotator adjustment endstop limits the rotation of the first rotator to an adjustable reclined seatback tilt limit when the protrusions are received in the second rotator receivers with the adjustable reclined seatback tilt limit stopping the flexible tilting recline motion of the seatback beyond the adjustable reclined seatback tilt limit in a backwards tilting direction towards the full recline backward seatback position wherein the flexible tilting recline seatback tilt limiter allows a repeated flexible tilting recline seatback motion of the flexible tilting recline seatback between the full forward seatback upright endstop and the adjustable reclined seatback tilt limit with the first rotator free to rotate between the forward upright position and the adjustable reclined seatback tilt limit with the first rotator periodic protrusions received by the second rotator receivers.