DESC:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

Title of invention:
A FOOTREST ASSEMBLY FOR A PASSENGER SEAT OF A VEHICLE

Applicant:
Tata Motors Limited
A company Incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 1956
Having address:
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai - 400001, Maharashtra, India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY
[001] The present application claims priority from Indian Patent application no. (202121011831) filed on 19th March, 2021.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[002] The present disclosure generally relates to a footrest assembly for comfort and safety of a passenger in a vehicle. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a footrest assembly for comfort of a passenger during travel and safety of foot/feet of the passenger in a vehicle in an event of crash.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[003] Travelling by a vehicle usually involves being in a seated position over a substantial amount of time. This static sitting is known to cause physical fatigue and restricted postures also lead to a higher risk of musculoskeletal complaints.
[004] It is observed that vehicles are generally provided with flat floor in front of the passenger seats. Thus, on account of flat floor provided in front of the passenger seats of the vehicle, one major pain or discomfort experienced by passengers seated in the seat is foot pain during travel. Also, in an event of crash, the passengers seated in the seats may be subjected to foot injuries. Hence, there is a need to devise a solution that can provide comfort to the passengers during travel and safety to the passengers seated in the seats during crash.
[005] The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above and any other limitations associated with the prior arts.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[006] Main object of the present disclosure is to provide a footrest assembly for absorbing energy to reduce injuries to foot of a passenger seated in the seat of a vehicle in event of a crash.
[007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a footrest assembly for enhancing safety of a passenger seated in the seat during travel.
[008] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a footrest assembly for enhancing comfort of a passenger seated in the seat during travel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[009] Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to a particular footrest assembly for a passenger seat of a vehicle as there may be multiple possible embodiments, which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular implementations, versions, or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. This summary is provided to introduce aspects related to a footrest assembly for a passenger seat of a vehicle. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0010] The present subject matter discloses a footrest assembly for a passenger seat of a vehicle. The footrest assembly comprises a board, at least one bracket having a hole and at least one pin. The board is configured to be mounted on a vehicle floor at one end and another end of the board is mounted on the brackets with the help of pins. The brackets are configured to be mounted on vehicle floor. First end of the said pin is configured to be mounted on the board, whereas second end is configured to be mounted on the bracket by inserting the said second end into the hole of the bracket. The pin is configured to have a circular flange at the first end, a tapered flange at the second end and a cylindrical member having plurality of slotted collars spaced at a predetermined distance along its length. The slotted collars of the said pin are configured to break/shear off upon application of impact force on the board, to absorb the impact energy for reducing injuries to the feet resting on the board.

STATEMNT OF INVENTION
[0011] The present subject matter discloses a footrest assembly for a passenger seat of a vehicle, comprising a board, at least one bracket configured to be mounted on the vehicle floor and at least one pin. The board is configured to be mounted on a vehicle floor at one end and another end of the board is configured to be mounted on said bracket by said pin. The pin is configured with a circular flange at first end, a tapered flange at second end and a cylindrical member extending from said first end to said second end. The board is configured to be mounted on the circular flange at the first end of the pin by a fastening means. The second end of the pin is configured to be inserted in a hole of the bracket to secure the pin in said hole by the tapered flange at the second end. The cylindrical member is configured with plurality of slotted collars spaced at predetermined distance along its length. The slotted collar above the tapered flange of the pin is configured to rest on top surface of the bracket. The slotted collars are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner to absorb the impact, in an event of crash. The slotted collars are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner starting from the second end of the pin based on the impact of crash. The number of slotted collars configured to be sheared in an event of crash, depends on the impact force. The length of the pin and number of slotted collars are configured to vary depending based on its use in various vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawing. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, example constructions of the disclosure are shown in the present document, however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific methods and apparatus disclosed in the document and the drawing.
[0013] The present subject matter is described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer various features of the present subject matter.
[0014] Figure 1 illustrates a footrest assembly mounted on a vehicle floor, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 2A, 2B and 2C illustrates an isometric view, a side view and an exploded view of a footrest assembly respectively, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 3 illustrates a pin mounted on a bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 4 illustrates a pin, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising", “having”, and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. Although any system similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary, systems and methods are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0019] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described but is to be accorded the widest scope consist in this regard, in a generic sense.

[0020] Figures 1-4 are now described using the reference numbers stated in the below table.
Reference Numeral Description
100 Passenger seat
102 Floor
104 Footrest assembly
106 Board
108 Pin
110 First end of the pin
112 Second end of the pin
114 Cylindrical member
116 Slotted collar
118 Bracket
120 Hole
122 Tapered flange

[0021] Figure 1 illustrating a footrest assembly (104) mounted on a vehicle floor (102), is now described. The footrest assembly (104) is configured to be mounted on the vehicle floor (102) in front of passenger seat (100), wherein the footrest assembly (104) is configured for engagement by the foot or feet of the passenger seated in the seat. However, the footrest assembly (104) can be mounted near all passenger seats provided in the vehicle.
[0022] Figure 2A, 2B and 2C illustrating an isometric view, a side view and an exploded view of the footrest assembly (104) mounted on the vehicle floor (102) respectively, are now described. The footrest assembly (104) includes a board (106) mounted on the vehicle floor (102) at one end by a fastening means like welding, bolting etc. Another end of the board (106) is configured to be mounted on at least one bracket (118) through a pin (108). The pin (108) comprises a first end (110) configured for mounting the pin (108) on lower surface of the board (106) by using any fastening means like screw, bolts, rivets, adhesives etc. The pin (108) further comprises a second end (112), configured to be mounted on the bracket (118). The bracket (118) is configured to be mounted on the vehicle floor (102).
[0023] Figure 3 and Figure 4 illustrating the pin (108) mounted on the bracket (118), and the pin (108) respectively, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, are now described. The second end (112) of the pin (108) is configured to be mounted on the bracket (118), wherein a tapered flange (122) on the second end (112) is adapted for passing through a hole (120) provided on the bracket (118) for securing said pin (108) on said bracket (118). The second end (112) of the pin (108) is configured to pass through the hole (120) in a pre-defined direction, in case of an impact, by breaking/shearing off the plurality of slotted collars (116) to absorb the impact energy restricting the transfer of impact to foot or feet of the passenger.
[0024] The pin (108) comprises of the first end (110) with circular flange and a cylindrical member (114) extending from the said first end (110) to the second end (112) of the pin (108). The cylindrical member (114) is further configured with plurality of slotted collars (116) spaced at a predetermined distance along its length between said first end (110) and said second end (112). The slotted collar (116) above the tapered flange (122) of the pin (108) is configured to rest on the top surface of the bracket (118). Plurality of slotted collars (116) are adapted to break/shear off in a predetermined manner upon receiving the impact force greater than a pre-defined limit. However, as per another embodiment, the length of the pin (108) and the number of slotted collars (weaker sections) (116) will vary depending upon its use in various vehicles.
[0025] In an event of crash, the footrest assembly (104) comprising the board (106) is configured for engagement by the foot or feet of the passenger seated in the seat. When impact force greater than the pre-defined limit, is received by the pin (108), the plurality of slotted collars (116), are adapted to break shear off by absorbing the impact energy to reduce injuries to the foot or feet of the passenger seated in the seat. Depending on the severity of the impact, bottom slotted collar (116) near the second end (112) of the pin (108) will break/shear off first and the pin (108) will get inserted further in to the hole (120) of the bracket (118). If the impact is more, then the slotted collars (116) above the tapered flange (122) will break/shear off and the pin (108) will further insert into the hole (120) and first end (110) of the pin (108) will rest on the bracket (118), thereby absorbing the energy of the impact. Further, the number of slotted collars (116) will vary according to the design requirements.
[0026] In one example, the footrest assembly (104) can be mounted near all passenger seats provided in the vehicle.
[0027] Accordingly, present invention discloses a footrest assembly (104) for a passenger seat (100) of a vehicle, comprising a board (106), at least one bracket (118) configured to be mounted on the vehicle floor (102) and at least one pin (108). The board (106) is configured to be mounted on a vehicle floor (102) at one end and another end of the board (106) is configured to be mounted on said bracket (118) by said pin (108). The pin (108) is configured with a circular flange (110) at first end, a tapered flange (122) at second end (112) and a cylindrical member (114) extending from said first end (110) to said second end (112). The board (106) is configured to be mounted on the circular flange (110) at the first end (110) of the pin (108) by a fastening means. The second end (112) of the pin (108) is configured to be inserted in a hole (120) of the bracket (118) to secure the pin (108) in said hole (120) by the tapered flange (122) at the second end (112). The cylindrical member (114) is configured with plurality of slotted collars (116) spaced at predetermined distance along its length. The slotted collar (116) above the tapered flange (122) of the pin (108) is configured to rest on top surface of the bracket (118). The slotted collars (116) are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner to absorb the impact, in an event of crash. The slotted collars (116) are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner starting from the second end (112) of the pin (108) based on the impact of crash. The number of slotted collars (116) configured to be sheared in an event of crash, depends on the impact force. The length of the pin (108) and number of slotted collars (116) are configured to vary depending based on its use in various vehicles.
[0028] Exemplary embodiments discussed above may provide certain advantages. Though not required to practice aspects of the disclosure, these advantages may include the following:
[0029] Some embodiments of the present subject matter improve passenger comfort during travel.
[0030] Some embodiments of the present subject matter reduce injuries to the foot/feet of the passenger by absorbing energy in an event of crash.
[0031] Although implementations for a footrest assembly for a passenger seat of a vehicle have been described in language specific to structural features and/or system, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features are disclosed as examples of implementations.
,CLAIMS:
1. A footrest assembly (104) for a passenger seat (100) of a vehicle comprises:
a board (106);
at least one bracket (118) configured to be mounted on the vehicle floor (102); and
at least one pin (108);
wherein, the board (106) is configured to be mounted on a vehicle floor (102) at one end and another end of the board (106) is configured to be mounted on said bracket (118) by said pin (108).

2. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pin (108) is configured with a circular flange (110) at first end, a tapered flange (122) at second end (112) and a cylindrical member (114) extending from said first end (110) to said second end (112).

3. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the board (106) is configured to be mounted on the circular flange (110) at the first end (110) of the pin (108) by a fastening means.

4. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second end (112) of the pin (108) is configured to be inserted in a hole (120) of the bracket (118) to secure the pin (108) in said hole (120) by the tapered flange (122) at the second end (112).

5. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cylindrical member (114) is configured with plurality of slotted collars (116) spaced at predetermined distance along its length.

6. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slotted collar (116) above the tapered flange (122) of the pin (108) is configured to rest on top surface of the bracket (118).

7. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slotted collars (116) are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner to absorb the impact, in an event of crash.

8. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slotted collars (116) are configured to shear off in a predetermined manner starting from the second end (112) of the pin (108) based on the impact of crash.

9. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the number of slotted collars (116) configured to be sheared in an event of crash, depends on the impact force.

10. The footrest assembly (104) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of the pin (108) and number of slotted collars (116) are configured to vary depending based on its use in various vehicles.