Title of Invention	"SEATING FOR TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES"
Abstract	The present invention relates to a novel seating for a two-wheeled vehicle comprising one driver seat and one or more rear passenger seat with at least one rear passenger seat abutting the said driver seat. The rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat is adjustable in two positions, vertical or horizontal, by means of a novel seat adjustment mechanism.

Full Text

Field of the invention The present invention relates to seating for two-wheeled vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to adjustable seat providing lumbar support in two-wheeled vehicles. Background of the invention Two-wheeled vehicles such as scooters and motorcycles are provided with different types of seating mechanisms. In the prior art, the first attempts to provide seating arrangements for two-wheeled vehicles comprised of two independent seat units for scooters, one for the rider of the vehicle and one for the passenger. In the case of motorcycles, the arrangement for seating was a unitary seating piece covering the entire rear half of the vehicle after the fuel tank. Attempts have been made to constantly improve the seating arrangement for two-wheeled vehicles from the point of view of increasing the seating space or to enhance the comfort aspect. Increasingly, most seating arrangements tend to be unitary seating arrangements particularly for motorcycles. While a great degree of attention is being paid to improving seat comfort in automotive vehicles of the four wheel type, the focus in the two-wheeled segmenthas so far been substantially restricted to improving seating space than comfort. Attention is also given to improving the comfort for the passenger in two-wheelers rather than for the driver. Most prior art two-wheeled vehicles are provided with a backrest for the passenger which also serves to act as a carrier for a spare tyre or a helmet. Modifications in seating arrangements for riders and passengers are regularly carried out in the case of larger automotive vehicles such as cars or trucks or omnibuses. However, no attention has been given to improving the comfort aspect for a rider of a two-wheeled vehicle. US Patent 6065795 discloses a seating arrangement for a motor vehicle that includes a lower seat cushion for supporting a vehicle occupant. The seating arrangement further includes a floor pan. The floor pan is preferably contoured to cooperate with the lower seat cushion. More particularly, the floor pan includes a lower portion and a raised portion. The raised portion includes an upper surface which is concavely curved in each of a lateral and longitudinal direction. The lower seat cushion is attached directly to the floor pan. US Patent 4941641 discloses a vehicle seat that includes an air spring and a scissors linkage which are operative for adjusting the vertical height of the seat. The vehicle seat also includes a locking device for adjustably fixing the vertical height of the seat, the locking device including a fixing element which is articulated to the scissors linkage and a fixing device which is engageable with the fixing element for fixing the relative position thereof in the seat. The seat also includes a non-return valve which is responsive to actuation of the fixing device for controlling the admission of compressed air into and the escape of compressed air from the air spring. US Patent 5007677 discloses a vehicular seat lumbar support device that is formed with an adjustable spring structure at an internal portion thereof. The structure is selectively adjustable for determining the degree of support the seat occupant receives at his or her lower back and features an arrangement which is supported on the end of a pair of adjustable crank arms so as to be operable between a normal position in which the support to the lower back of the seat occupant is mildly enhanced, and an extra support position in which the seat back contour is altered and the support of the seat occupant's lower back is greatly enhanced in a manner which reduces fatigue of the seat occupant over long periods. US Patent 4725095 relates to a vehicle seat with mechanical lumbar support having two degrees of freedom that is provided with a mechanism in the back of the seat which provides support for the ] umbar region of the back of the seat occupant, the mechanism being mechanically adjustable to vary the magnitude of the support provided the occupant's back. The mechanism is characterized by the fact that it provides two degrees of freedom to adapt the mechanism to a particular seat occupant thereby providing the desired user comfort. The mechanism consists of a support member mounted on linkage so that the support member is moveable in and out in a direction laterally of the seatback to provide one degree of freedom and is pivotally moveable about an axis extending transversely of the seatback to adapt the slope of the support to the slope of the occupant's back to thereby impart the second degree of freedom. The seatback suspension springs fasten to the lumbar linkage to prevent discontinuities in back support from developing at any position of the lumbar system. The support member is assymmetrically pivoted and spring loaded to bias the lumbar support to its upper portion and thereby provide some upper torso support. A control cam is specifically configured to enable easy adjustment of the first degree of freedom and the seat occupant is moveable in the seat to achieve the second degree of freedom. This seating arrangement is intended for heavier vehicles of the four wheeled type such as cars, buses, and the like. US Patent 4159847 relates to seat for a motor vehicle or the like that is provided with A spring loaded frame pivotably mounted in the backrest frame is easily unlocked by light pressure applied to a lever disposed at the side of the seat proper whereby the pressure of the seated person's back pressing against the backrest portion urges the pivotable frame to a new position, in which the pressure applied to the dorsal and lumbar regions of his or her back are substantially equal, and in which it is lockable. The seat backrest comprises a rigid main frame supporting a contourable cushion portion having a flexible protective cover and a layer of padding interposed between said cover and said frame; a second frame hingedly mounted on said main frame proximate the upper edge of said main frame, said second frame being disposed to abut said layer of padding and disposed so that the pendulous motion thereof between first and second positions varies the contour of said protective cover and layer of padding; a crank rotatably mounted on said main frame proximate the base of said main frame, said crank being operatively connected to said second frame so that rotation of said crank produces said pendulous motion of said second frame and vice versa; first biasing means for biasing said crank to rotate in a direction for urging said second frame via said operative connection therebetween toward said first position and against said layer of padding; and means for disengagably locking said crank in a desired angular position with respect to said main frame so that said second frame is held in a desired position between said first second positions, said means for disengagably The present invention attempts to overcome all the problems faced by a rider of a two-wheeled vehicles in order to enhance and improve the comfort factor therefore. Objects of the invention It is an object of the invention to provide a seating for two-wheeled vehicles that overcomes the problems faced in the prior art. It is another object of the invention to provide an adjustable backrest to ensure the riding comfort of the rider of a two-wheeled vehicle. It is another object of the invention to provide an adjustable backrest for the driver of a two-wheeled vehicle so as to reduce fatigue induced by driving. It is a further object of the invention to enhance the safety of the driver of a two-wheeled vehicles by reducing the overall fatigue induced by driving. Summary of the invention Accordingly, the present invention provides a seating arrangement for a two-wheeled vehicle comprising one driver seat and one or more rear passenger seat, at least one rear passenger seat abutting the said driver seat,characterized by said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat being adjustable in two positions, vertical or horizontal, said adjustable rear passenger seat being provided with an actuating means provided on the support plat, a seat locking said crank comprising; a lever connected to said crank and integrally movable therewith; a gear fixed to said frame, said gear having a toothed portion and a recessed portion; a manually operable lock lever mounted to said lever so as to be pivotal between first and second positions relative to said lever and having a portion arranged to abut said lever when said lock lever assumes said second position, said lock lever being formed with a first pawl and a second pawl, said first pawl lockingly engaging with said toothed portion when said lock lever assumes said first position thereof so that said lever is locked relative to said main frame and said second pawl engaging said recessed portion when said lock lever assumes said second position thereof to permit said crank to rotate between first and second angular positions whereby said second frame can pendulously move between said first and second positions thereof; and second biasing means for biasing said lock lever toward said second position thereof. As can be seen, no attention has been given to improving the comfort aspect for the rider of a two-wheeled vehicle, or to alleviate the physical stress faced by the lumbar portion of the rider on a two-wheeled vehicle. locking means engagable with said actuating means to lock and unlock the said seat, a second locking means being provided with a compressed spring connected thereto, said second locking means being engageable with engagement means provided in the seat support bracket to provide locking when the seat is in the vertical position, the said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat thereby functioning as an optional backrest for the driver. In one embodiment of the invention, the engagement means provided on the seat support bracket comprises of holes. In a further embodiment of the invention, the engagement means provided on the seat support bracket comprise of clamps. In another embodiment of the invention, the actuating means comprises of a lever. In a further embodiment of the invention, the first locking means comprises of a lock pin. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the second locking means comprises of a lock pin. Brief description of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a schematic section of the seat lock mechanism with the unlocking/locking provision of seat in the horizontal position being shown. Figure 2 shows a schematic detailed representation of the seat tilting mechanism showing the seat in vertical position. Figure 3 shows a schematic detailed representation of the pillion seat sum back support. Figure 4 is a schematic detailed representation of the seat open position. Figure 5 is a schematic detailed representation of the seat closed position. Figure 6 is a schematic vehicle sketch showing the pillion seat in an open position and acting as a backrest for the driver. Figure 7 is another schematic vehicle sketch showing the pillion seat in an open position and acting as a backrest of the driver. Detailed description of the invention The present invention provides a seating arrangement for a two-wheeled vehicle comprising one driver seat and one or more rear passenger seat, at least one rear passenger sear abutting the said driver seat, said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat being adjustable in two positions, vertical or horizontal, said adjustable rear passenger seat being provided with an actuating means on the support plate, a seat locking means engagable with said actuating means to unlock the said seat, a second locking means being provided, with a compressed spring connected thereto, said second locking means being engageable with engagement means provided in the seat support bracket to provide locking when the seat is in the vertical position, the said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat thereby functioning as an optional backrest for the driver. The actuating means can be any conventional actuating means such as a lever (A) and is located on the support plate (F) . When the actuating means is pushed, the seat locking means, generally a lock pin (B) is disengaged and the seat unlocked enabling movement in a vertical direction upwards. In this position, the rear passenger seat abutting the drivers seat functions as a backrest for the driver. The second locking means also generally a lock pin (C) and spring (D) provided thereon are not in use when the rear passenger seat abutting the driver's seat is in the horizontal position. At this stage, the spring (D) is in a compressed condition. When the seat is lifted upwards to a vertical position to function as a backrest, the spring (D) enables the movement of the locking means (C) in a forward direction for engagement with the corresponding engagement means provided in the seat support bracket (E). As a result, positive seat locking in the vertical position is ensured. This results in a fixed support for the lumbar portion of the driver in the form of a backrest. The rear passenger seat can be returned to its normal horizontal position by disengaging the lock pin (C) from the seat support bracket. As a measure of safety, the lock pin (C) is not automatically disengageable from the seat support bracket and requires the application of a positive outside force to ensure complete disengagement. This ensures that the rear passenger seat/ backrest does not collapse on its own thereby endangering safety in the event of a bumpy ride. After rear passenger seat is brought back to the normal horizontal position, the seat can be simply depressed to allow the locking pin (B) to engage and lock the seat in the horizontal position. The invention provides the advantage of allowing the driver to adjust the rear passenger seat to a backrest if required thus enabling use of the vehicle to carry more than just one person. A rigid backrest arrangement on the other hand would result in the permanent absence of a rear passenger seat thereby allowing the vehicle to transport only one person. We Claim : 1. Seating for a two-wheeled vehicle comprising one driver seat and one or more rear passenger seat, at least one rear passenger seat abutting the said driver seat, characterized by said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat being adjustable in two positions, vertical or horizontal, said adjustable rear passenger seat being provided with an actuating means on the support plate, a seat locking means engageable with said actuating means to unlock the said seat, a second locking means being provided, with a compressed spring connected thereto, said second locking means being engageable with engagement means provided in the seat support bracket to provide locking when the set is in the vertical position, the said rear passenger seat abutting the driver seat thereby functioning as an optional backrest for the driver. 2. A seating as claimed in claim 1 wherein said engaging means consists of holes. 3. A seating as claimed in claim 1 wherein said engaging means provided on the seat support bracket consists of clamps. 4. A seating as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the actuating means consists of a lever. 5. A seating as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first locking means consists of a lock pin. 6. A seating as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the second locking means consists of a lock pin. 7. A seating for a two-wheeled vehicle substantially as described herein before and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

601-del-2000-abstract.pdf

601-del-2000-claims.pdf

601-del-2000-correspondence-others.pdf

601-del-2000-correspondence-po.pdf

601-del-2000-description (complete).pdf

601-del-2000-drawings.pdf

601-del-2000-form-1.pdf

601-del-2000-form-2.pdf

601-del-2000-form-3.pdf

601-del-2000-gpa.pdf