Title of Invention

" SEAT ARRANGEMENT OF A MOTORCYCLE"

Abstract A seat arrangement of a motorcycle for rotatably attaching a seat (6) to a motorcycle body by coupling a body side hinge plate (10) fixed to the motorcycle body and a seat side hinge plate (11) fixed to the seat side with a hinge pin (12), provided with a pin pressing member (13) for elastically pressing the hinge pin (12) so that the hinge pin (12) is pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole (35) of the hinge plate (11) where said hinge pin is inserted.
Full Text [Technical Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to a seat of a motorcycle.
This invention relates to a seat arrangement attached rotatably to the motorcycle body with interposition of a hinge, and more particularly to a seat arrangement which reduces noise generated around the hinge pin.
[Prior Art]
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-14946 discloses a seat arrangement of a motorcycle wherein

supply synalers epuivelent body side hinge plate to be attached to the motorcycle body
and a seat side hinge plate to be attached to the seat are

coupled with a hinge pin, the diameter of a pin hole of the hinge plate provided where a hinge pin is inserted is larger than that of the hinge pin, and elastic member is provided between the hinge plates facing each other. [0003]—
[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]
The structure described in the above-mentioned prior art can prevent transmission of vibration between the motorcycle body and seat because of space formed between both hinge plates. However, such structure can not prevent noise generation due to contact of the hinge pin with the inside surface of the pin hole. It is the object of the present invention to solve such problem. [-0001] •
[Means to solve the Problem]
To solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a seat arrangement of a motorcycle for attaching rotatably a seat to a motorcycle body by coupling a body side hinge plate fixed to the motorcycle body and a
seat side hinge plate fixed to the seat side witr. a hinge pin, provided with a pin pressing member for elastically pressing the hinge pin so that the hinge pin is pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole of the hinge plate provided where the

hinge pin is inserted.
The member may be provided to any side of the body side hinge plate and seat side hinge plate, and may be composed of metal spring member such as coil spring or spring member of rubber or synthetic resins.
In the hinge arrangement having such structure, the seat side hinge plate may be supported elastically on the seat. Effects of the Invention
According to the present invention, noise generation between the hinge pin and the inside surface of the pin hole is suppressed because the hinge pin is kept always pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole.
The elastic support of the seat side hinge plate on the seat helps to prevent transmission of vibration from the motorcycle to the seat, and a seat arrangement which leads to reduced noise and vibration is obtained.
The present invention relates to a seat of a motorcycle for
A
seat to a motorcycle body by coupling a body
side hinge plate fixed to the motorcycle body and a seat side hinge plate fixed to the seat side with a hinge pin, provided with a pin pressing member for elastically pressing the hinge pin so that the hinge pin is pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole of the hinge plate provnled'-where said hinge pin is inserted.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS]
Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a seat arrangement in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partially cross-sectional view of the hinge.
Fig. 3 is a side view of a whole motorcycle which utilizes the seat arrangement.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the hinge.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the hinge.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the body side hinge plate for illustrating a modified example of the pin pressing member.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view for illustrating another modified example similar to Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view for illustrating yet another modified example similar to Fig. 6.
[Preferred Embodiments]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. Fig. 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a seat arrangement in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hinge, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a whole motorcycle which uses the seat arrangement, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the hinge, and Fig. 5 is a front view of the hinge.
First in Fig. 3 of a motorcycle, the front wheel 2 and rear wheel 3 are supported on the front and rear ends of the body frame 1 extending in the front-rear direction, a fuel tank 5 is supported on a pair of seat rails extending on the right and left, a tandem seat 6 is supported thereon, and the front end of the seat is supported rotatably on the front end of the fuel tank 5 with interposition of a hinge 7. •[0011]
The reference numeral 8 in the drawing is a body cover which covers the sides and rear of the motorcycle including the fuel tank 5 disposed under the seat 6. The reference
numeral 9 is an engine which is supplied with air from an air cleaner 9a and carburetor 9b supported on the body frame 1.
As shown in Fig. 1, the hinge 7 has a structure in which the body side hinge plate 10 and the seat side hinge plate 11 are coupled with a hinge pin 12 and the free end of a plate spring like pin pressing member 13 is in contact with the hinge pin 12.
The body side hinge plate 10 is attached to the front top of the fuel tank 5 which is a body side member with the pin pressing member 13 in a manner described herein under, and the seat side hinge plate 11 is attached to the bottom plate 17 of the seat 6 with a bolt 15 and nut 16 (Fig. 2) with interposition of a cylindrical vibration proof rubber 14.
The reference numeral 18 in the drawing is a bracket extending forward from the top of the fuel tank 5, and the top of the body cover 8 which covers the fuel tank 5 is attached to the end of the bracket with a bolt 19 and nut 20.
The reference numeral 21 is a vibration proof rubber attached to the front center of the bottom plate 17, the bottom
of the vibration proof rubber is coupled to the seat side hinge plate 11, and the reference numeral 22 is a similar vibration proof rubber attached to the middle of the bottom plate, the bottom of the vibration proof rubber is in contact with the
t
top surface of the fuel tank 5 when the seat 6 is closed.
The reference numeral 23 is an inlet cap of the fuel tank 5, 24 is a pair of stays provided on the right and left sides of the fuel tank 5, the pair of stays are attached respectively to stays 25 provided on the seat rail 4.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partially cross-sectional view of the hinge 7 along the line 2-2 line in Fig.2 . As it is obvious in this drawing, the head 30 of the bolt 15 is buried in the wall of the synthetic resin bottom plate 17.
A cylindrical vibration proof rubber 14 is attached on the right and left front of the seat side hinge plate 11 which is facing to the bolt 15, the bolt 15 is inserted into the through hole 14a formed in the axial direction (refer to Fig. 4), and the vibration proof rubber 14 is fixed with the nut 16.
The vibration proof rubber 21 is also combined to the seat side hinge plate 11 by engaging a projection 31 having a bottom neck of the vibration proof rubber 21 into a fixing hole 32 provided at the front center of the seat side hinge
plate 11, and the top side of the vibration proof rubber 21 supports the bottom plate 17.
Accordingly, the seat side hinge plate 11 supports elastically the seat 6 with interposition of the vibration proof rubbers 14 and 21. These vibration proof rubbers 14 and 21 may be made of known elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resins.
As it is apparent from Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 to Fig. 6, as for the seat side hinge plate 11, the vibration rubber 21 is attached to the fixing hole 32 provided at the front center and the vibration proof rubber 14 is attached to the fixing hole 33 provided on the right and left front respectively.
The front face of the seat side hinge plate 11 forms a pin support 34 which is bent downward, and both ends of the hinge pin 12 are inserted into the pin hole 35 provided on the pin support 34, and thereby the hinge pin 12 is supported.
The hinge pin 12 at one end or both ends is welded to the pin support 34 or stopped with a suitable stopping means such as circlip. £0023-}
The right and left rear of the seat side hinge plate 11 forms a pair of extensions 36 extending sideward beyond the body side hinge plate 10 in the plan view, and a U-shaped cut-away 37 is provided on each extension 36.
The body side hinge plate 10 has rising walls 40 on the right and left, and a pin hole 41 which has the inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the hinge pine 12 is provided on the front end of each rising wall 40.
The front ends of the body side hinge plate 10 and the seat side hinge plate 11 are placed facing each other, the right and left pin supports 3 and 4 and the rising walls 40 are placed one on the other, the pin holes 35 and 45 are brought into coincidence, and the hinge pin 12 is inserted through them, thereby the body side hinge plate 10 and the seat side hinge plate 11 are coupled rotatably together.
A helmet holder 42 is formed on the right and left rear
of the body side hinge plate 10 at the position which overlaps with the extensions 36. The middle of the helmet holder 42 is bent to form a hook 43, the tip 44 rises to form a free end so that the tip 44 is projected upward through the cut-away 37 when the seat is closed.
Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the seat 6 is opened, a chin strap 45 is hung on the hook 43, and thereafter the seat 6 is closed, then the tip 44 is surrounded with the extension 36 and skirt 46 extending downward from the side of the seat 6, and the chin strap 45 can not be disengaged from the hook 43 as long as the seat 6 is not opened.
The pin pressing member 13 is formed of a flat metal plate spring, a pair of attaching legs 51 is formed on the right and left of the rear by forming a cut-away 50 , and attached respectively to the fuel tank 5 side with a nut 52 and bolt 26. [0029] —
As it is apparent in Fig. 2, the head of the bolt 26 is welded to the stay 27 provided on the top front end of the fuel tank 5, and the bolt 26 fastens the rear ends of body side hinge plate 10, pin pressing member 13, and bracket 18
together.
The tip 53 of the pin pressing member 13 is a curved free end which is in contact with along the periphery of the hinge pin 12, and the hinge pin 12 is always pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole 41 with spring force.
A bend 54 is formed on the middle of the pin pressing member 13, and affords elastic deformation required for sufficient spring force. r QQ32 +
Next, operations of the embodiment is described. As it is apparent in Fig. 2, the hinge pin 12 is pressed with a spring force onto the inside surface of the pin hole 41 by means of the tip 53 of the pin pressing member 13. [.e-033]
Though there is such small space between the hinge pin 12 and the inside surface of the pin hole 41 that would generates noise due to vibration of the motorcycle body unless the pin pressing member 13 would not be provided, the noise generation is prevented because the hinge pin 12 is pressed strongly onto the inside surface of the pin hole 41 by means of the pin pressing member 13.
The seat side hinge plate 11 is supported elastically on the seat 6 with the vibration proof rubbers 14 and 21 , thereby the transmission of vibration from the body side to the seat

side is prevented, and the noise generation due to the hinge pin 12 is prevented to some extent.
Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 are perspective views of the body side hinge plate for illustrating modified examples of respective pin pressing members, and Fig. 6 shows a pin pressing member 60 having a pair of leads. [0036}-
The pin pressing member 61 shown in Fig. 7 has the same structure as that of the above-mentioned pin pressing member 13 excepting that the free end is pressed onto the under side of the hinge pin 12.
A pin pressing member 62 shown in Fig. 8 is formed by molding a suitable material such as rubber in a shape of a half cylinder, and attached under the hinge pin 12 so that the periphery of the hinge pin 12 is partially fitted in the inside groove 63 of the pin pressing member 62. [0030]-^
A positioning projection 64 is formed solidly on the periphery of the pin pressing member 62, and the projection 64 is positioned to the recess formed previously on the bottom of the body side hinge plate 10.
Modified examples shown in Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 have the same common structure excepting that the pin pressing member is different, therefore, members other than the pin pressing member have the same common reference numerals as those shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. Only the nut 52 is shown in the respective drawings for convenience, and the bolt 26 (refer to Fig. 2) is omitted.
The present invention is by no means limited to the drawings and various modification is possible, for example, the structure in which both ends of the hinge pin 12 are attached to the body side hinge plate 10 and the hinge pin 12 is inserted through the seat side hinge plate 11 may be employed. [0041] -
Further, the pin pressing member may be attached to the seat side hinge plate 11, and if the pin pressing member is a plate spring like member, then the member can be made of not only metal material but also rubber or synthetic resins.
[DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS]
5 ... FUEL TANK
6 ... SEAT
7 ... HINGE

10 ... BODY SIDE HINGE PLATE
11 ... SEAT SIDE HINGE PLATE
12 ... HINGE PIN
13 ... PIN PRESSING MEMBER
14 ... VIBRATION PROOF RUBBER
21 ... VIBRATION PROOF RUBBER
60, 61, AND 62 ... PIN PRESSING MEMBER


Claim
1. A seat arrangement of a motorcycle for rotatably attaching a seat (6) to a motorcycle body by coupling a body side hinge plate (10) fixed to the motorcycle body and a seat side hinge plate (11) fixed to the seat side with a hinge pin (12), provided with a pin pressing member (13) for elastically pressing the hinge pin (12) so that the hinge pin (12) is pressed onto the inside surface of the pin hole (35) of the hinge plate (11) where said hinge pin is inserted.
2. The seat arrangement of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said seat side hinge plate (11) is elastically supported to
the seat (6).
3. A seat arrangement of a motorcycle substantially as herein
described with reference to and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.


Documents:

2059-del-1997-abstract.pdf

2059-del-1997-claims.pdf

2059-del-1997-correspondence-others.pdf

2059-del-1997-correspondence-po.pdf

2059-del-1997-description (complete).pdf

2059-del-1997-drawings.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-1.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-13.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-19.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-2.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-3.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-4.pdf

2059-del-1997-form-6.pdf

2059-del-1997-gpa.pdf

2059-del-1997-petition-138.pdf


Patent Number 214701
Indian Patent Application Number 2059/DEL/1997
PG Journal Number 09/2008
Publication Date 29-Feb-2008
Grant Date 14-Feb-2008
Date of Filing 23-Jul-1997
Name of Patentee HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Applicant Address 1-1 MINAMIAOYAMA 2-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN.
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 TOMOYUKI TAKEWAKA C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.
2 YUKISHIGE KUWABARA C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.
3 MAMORU ISOMURA C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.
4 KAZUO SUZUKI C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.
PCT International Classification Number B62K 11/00
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 HEI-8-251844 1996-09-24 Japan