Abstract:
An improved folding mobile seating structure with a seat and back portion movable relative to a framework, providing more comfort for the user. The seat and back portion may be moved relative to the supporting framework structure as a unit in a pivotal motion relative to the framework, or the arrangement may allow some degree of articulation between the seat and the back. The structure is foldable and is light in weight. The seat and back portion may be pivotal between an upright seating condition and at least a partial recumbent condition, and optionally to a flat horizontal condition. Telescoping tubes may be utilized for connection of the seat and/or the back to the framework for allowing the pivotal motion.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional No. 60/026,303 filed Sep. 16, 1996. 
    
    
     REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT 
     This invention is an improvement to the invention disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,882, issued Dec. 7, 1976 and the teaching and technology thereof are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the movable seating structures generally called strollers, and more particularly to incorporation of the present invention in a foldable stroller of the type such as disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,882. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Prior art folding strollers, such as disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,882, have been used for the transport of infants, children, invalids, persons partially paralyzed or suffering from some debilitating disease or condition, wherein such person may be too weak to walk unassisted, and in other desired applications. Often it is desired to have the stroller foldable so as to allow the stroller to be conveniently transported or stored when not in use. Such storage may be, for example, in the trunk of an automobile, under a bed, or the like. 
     When in use, however, such prior art foldable strollers provide only one position of the seat and back relative to the framework and/or the folding structure. Such single position was not, in certain applications and uses, the most comfortable for the person being transported in the stroller. For example, if the person being so transported in the stroller falls asleep, a more recumbent position may be desired than is provided in the upright seating condition. Additionally, when the stroller is pushed over or down some obstruction, such as a curb or the like, it is desired for both comfort and safety, to shift the center of gravity of the combined person and stroller so that the person does not fall from the stroller or undergo the sensation of being about to fall from the stroller. The seat and back structure must, at all times during use, provide secure seating conditions regardless of the relative movement thereof with respect to the supporting framework. For convenient use, the weight of the entire structure must be kept to a minimum consistent with the safety requirements so that it may be easily carried, moved and placed into and removed from a storage location by one person. 
     Definitions 
     In this specification, the following definition of terms used will be assumed. 
     An “X member” shall mean a two-element scissors-like assembly in which the two cross elements are elongated members pivotally attached together at their intermediate regions, the assembly having the general appearance of an “X”. The elements may lie substantially in a common plane, such as the “X” member  14  in FIGS. 1-11 (except where they cross in the middle), or may have their elements on one side of the pivotal attachment lying generally in one plane and their elements on the other side of the pivotal attachment generally lying in a nonparallel plane, such as the “X” member  104  in FIGS. 12-16. Due to the pivotal attachment of the two cross elements, when the top or bottom element ends are drawn together horizontally, the “X” member lengthens vertically, and vice versa. Likewise, when the left or right element ends are drawn together vertically, the “X” member lengthens horizontally, and vice versa. 
     The term “collapsed” shall mean structurally reduced in dimension, as by folding and/or the pivoting toward one another of pivotally joined members. 
     The term “expanded” shall mean structurally increased in dimension, as by unfolding and/or the pivoting away from one another of pivotally joined members. 
     The terms “left”, “right”, “front”, and “back” (or “rear”) shall refer to those positions as they pertain to the orientation of a person sitting in the mobile seating arrangement. 
     The term “framework” shall mean basic mobile seating arrangement structure upon which, or with which, structure implementing features of the present invention can be placed or implemented. Typically, a “framework” will include the wheels, or other floor support structure, and associated connection members such as front and rear leg members. 
     Describing elements of construction and functions in a symmetrical apparatus 
     Due to the symmetry of the mobile seating arrangement about a front-to-rear center line, the right side counterparts of elements of the construction are not visible in the various left elevation views presented in the accompanying drawing. For convenience in describing such left elevation views, only the elements visible from the left will be described as singular elements. It will be understood that corresponding elements of the apparatus which would only be viewed from a right elevation depiction exist and have corresponding physical and mechanical features and functions. Occasionally, it is more reasonable to refer to symmetrical parts in a plural sense, such as mentioning arm rests, even though the view being described shows only one arm rest. It will be understood, therefore, that where singular terminology is used for elements that obviously have mirror image counterparts, such singular terminology is used for convenience only. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a more comfortable mobile seating structure. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile seating structure in which the seat and the back portion thereof may be moved relative to the supporting framework structure. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile seating structure in which the seat and the back portion may be generally moved as a unit in a pivotal motion relative to the framework or supporting structure. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a secure mobile seating arrangement in which the seat and back portion are pivotally moved as a unitary structure relative to the framework and which allows some degree of articulation between the seat and the back and is light in weight. 
     While the present invention has particular utility in the field of folding strollers, such application is not limiting, since the principles of the present invention may be adapted to wheel chairs, other mobile seating arrangements whether foldable or not, or even to stationary seating arrangements. The following description showing the adaptation of the present invention to a folding stroller is for purposes of illustrating the broad application of the structure of the present invention. 
     The above, and other objects of the present invention, are achieved by incorporating, in a folding stroller structure having a framework portion, a seat and back portion which are unitarily movably mounted on the framework portion for pivotal movement between a seating condition and a partial recumbent position. The sides of the seat and the sides of the back incorporate rigid tubes which are connected to each other at the bottom of the back and the rear of the seat. The connection between the seat and back tubes may be rigid to provide a fixed angle between the seat and the back for all pivotal positions on the framework or the seat may be pivotally connected to the back for limited movement of the back relative to the seat to change the angle therebetween for various positions of the seat and back relative to the framework. Telescoping tubes may be utilized for connection of the seat and/or the back to the framework for allowing the pivotal motion. 
     Other embodiments of the present invention, as described below, incorporate various other structures for achieving the desired pivotal movement of the seat and back portion with respect to the framework. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The above, and other embodiments of the present invention may be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters refer to similar elements throughout and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a right side perspective view of a mobile seating arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, showing the seat and back portion in an upright position; 
     FIG. 2 is a similar view to that of FIG. 1, but with the seat and back portion reclined to a recumbent position: 
     FIG. 3 is a left side elevation view of the FIG. 1 embodiment, showing the main structural components and their mechanical relationship when the seat and back portion is in the upright position; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, but with the seat and back portion in the recumbent position; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the seat in the upright position; 
     FIG. 6 is a left side elevation view similar to that of FIG. 4, but with the folding framework structure partially collapsed into a stowaway condition; 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 6, but with the apparatus fully collapsed into a stowaway condition; 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the fully collapsed mobile seating arrangement, i.e. as would be viewed from the left of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a left side, somewhat rearwardly view of the mechanism encompassed by the cutaway line indication  9  in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 10 is a partial cross sectional view of the left rigid side member and telescoping tube, taken along the lines  10 — 10  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 11 is a left side, somewhat rearwardly view of the mechanism encompassed by the cutaway line indication  11  in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 12 is a right side perspective view of the mobile seating arrangement in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the seat and back portion in an upright position; 
     FIG. 13 is a similar view to that of FIG. 12, but with the seat and back portion reclined to a recumbent position: 
     FIG. 14 is a left side elevation view of the FIG. 12 embodiment, showing the main structural components and their mechanical relationship when the seat and back portion is in the upright position; 
     FIG. 15 is a view similar to that of FIG. 14, but with the seat and back portion in the recumbent position; 
     FIG. 16 is a view similar to that of FIG. 15, but with the apparatus fully collapsed into a stowaway condition; 
     FIG. 17 is a right side perspective view of the mobile seating arrangement in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, showing the seat and back portion in an upright position; 
     FIG. 18 is a similar view to that of FIG. 17, but with the seat and back portion reclined to a recumbent position: 
     FIG. 19 is a left side elevation view of the FIG. 17 embodiment, showing the main structural components and their mechanical relationship when the seat and back portion is in the upright position; 
     FIG. 20 is a view similar to that of FIG. 19, but with the seat and back portion in the recumbent position; 
     FIG. 21 is a partial cross sectional view of the left rigid side member and telescoping tube, taken along the lines  21 — 21  in FIG. 20; 
     FIG. 22 is a view similar to that of FIG. 20, but with the apparatus fully collapsed into a stowaway condition; 
     FIG. 23 is a right side perspective view of the mobile seating arrangement in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention showing the seat and back portion in an upright position; 
     FIG. 24 is a similar view to that of FIG. 23 with the seat and back portion reclined to a recumbent position: 
     FIG. 25 is a left side elevation view of the FIG. 23 embodiment, showing the main structural components and their mechanical relationship when the seat and back portion is in the upright position; 
     FIG. 26 is a view similar to that of FIG. 25, but with the seat and back portion in the recumbent position; and 
     FIG. 27 is a view similar to that of FIG. 26, but with the apparatus fully collapsed into a stowaway condition. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the detailed description that follows, all references to right and left parts followed by two reference numerals are to be understood to have respective part and reference numeral correspondences. Furthermore, since right-side mirrored counterparts cannot be seen in a left elevational view, it is to be understood that the mention of a viewable part and its single reference numeral suggests that a mirrored corresponding part exists on the right side as well. 
     Embodiment of FIGS. 1-11 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 11 of the drawing, there is illustrated an embodiment of the present invention generally designated  10 , which is provided with a folding framework  12  having a first or rear “X” member  14  in the framework back  16  and a second or front “X” member  18  in the framework front  20 . A seat and back portion  22  having a back member  24  and a seat member  26  are coupled together for a pivotal relation therebetween at right and left couplers  28  and  30 . The seat and back portion  22  may have a fabric covering as illustrated as back fabric covering  24   a  and seat fabric covering  26   a,  or any other desired support for the person using the embodiment  10 , for example webs, straps, ropes, bands, etc. 
     Rigid right and left side members  32  and  34  are provided on the back member  24 , and rigid right and left side members  36  and  38  are provided on the seat member  26  for connection to the back member  24  at right and left couplers  28  and  30 . 
     Right and left arm posts  70  and  72  are fixed to, and extend outwardly from, the rigid side members  32  and  34 . Right and left pivot couplings  40  and  42  are provided between the extended ends of right and left arm posts  70  and  72  of the seat and back portion  22  and the tops of right and left leg members  74  and  76  of folding framework  12 , to allow the seat and back portion  22  to move, i.e. tilt, in the directions of the arrow  44  (FIG. 2) relative to folding framework  12  as shown in FIG. 2, or in the direction of arrow  44   b  in FIG.  4 . 
     Right and left telescoping tubes  46  and  48  are connected to the right and left handles  50  and  52  and telescope into and out of the right and left rigid side members  32  and  34  of the back member  24 . 
     Folding framework  12  has right and left base members  54  and  56  in which right and left telescoping tubes  58  and  60  are slidably mounted. The telescoping tubes  58  and  60  are pivotally connected by right and left pivot couplers  62  and  64  to the fronts of right and left rigid side members  36  and  38 . 
     As the seat and back portion  22  is move from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2, the telescoping tubes  46  and  48  move out of the rigid side members  32  and  34 , and the telescoping tubes  58  and  60  move out of the base members  54  and  56 . Such movement of the telescoping tubes allows the seat and back portion  22  to move to the recumbent position of FIG. 2 from the upright seating position of FIG.  1 . The backward pivotal movement of the seat and back portion  22  moves the center of gravity of the embodiment  10 , and the person utilizing the embodiment  10 , rearwardly for safer control in going over obstacles, such as going down curbs, as well as for providing a more comfortable sleep position, as seen in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 3 is a left elevational view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, with the seat and back portion  22  in the upright position. In this position, the seat member  26  and the back member  24  are essentially at right angles to one another. In this condition, a sliding connector bracket  13  (only sliding connector bracket  13  is shown in FIGS. 3-11) which is adapted to slide axially along leg member  76  is shown approximately at the center of leg member  76 . Also, in this condition of the mobile seating arrangement, the seat and back portion  22  is in the upright position, and the folding framework of the apparatus is fully expanded for use as a functional stroller when it is desired that the person riding in the stroller be situated in a standard upright position. Also, a slotted bar  23  has its elongated slot  47  engaging a slot pin  41  fixed to a short stub  49  on the base member  56 . The opposite end of slotted bar  23  is pivotally attached to leg member  76  by a slotted bar pivot pin  51  as best seen in FIG. 2 (and  9  and  11 , described hereinafter). 
     The front “X” member  18  is in its fully horizontally expanded condition as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     In FIG. 4, the handle  52  (only handle  52  shown in the left view) is pulled out of rigid side member  34  in a telescoping fashion, and since the bottom of the rear “X” member  14  is pivotally coupled to the framework  12  at the rear “X” member pivot  61 , the back portion  24  may be tilted at any angle permitted by the lengths of telescoping tubes  48  and  60 , shown by way of example in FIG. 4 at about 50 degrees from the vertical, as compared to the approximately 5 degree angle from vertical in the upright position shown in FIG.  3 . Angles different from those depicted are achievable, dependent upon need. 
     Because of the need for the base of back  24  to move forward to attain the angle shown in FIG. 4, due to the connection of the seat member  26  to the telescoping tube  60  by the pivot coupler  64 , the telescoping tube  60  likewise extends in telescoping fashion out of base member  56 . 
     FIGS. 9 and 11 show, respectively, a portion of the mechanical arrangement of FIGS. 3 and 4 indicated in those earlier figures by a corresponding cutaway designator. FIG. 9 shows the relative positions of important functional members when the seat is in the upright condition, and FIG. 11 shows the same elements with the seat in the fully reclined position. The rigid side member  34  represents the position of the back member  24 , while the rigid side member  38  represents the position of the seat member  26 . 
     A U-shaped pivot coupler  64  is fixed to rigid side member  38  for pivotally supporting the upper end of telescoping tube  60 . Base member  56  is part of folding framework  12 . A slant tube  17  is fixed to the base member  56 , and its extended end is pivotally connected to the sliding connector bracket  13  by pivot pin  15 . At the lower end of sliding connector bracket  13 , a U-shaped pivot support bracket  19  is bolted to, and provides a pivot joint  21  for, the end of the upper leg of front “X” member  18 . The bottom leg of front “X” member  18  is affixed to a rotatable extension tube  27  which is rotatably coupled to the leg member  76 . Since the stroller is in a usable, i.e. expanded, condition, the pin or bolt  41  is at the forward end of the slot  47  in slotted bar  23 . In this condition, the telescoping tube  60  is fully enclosed within the base member  56 . 
     FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional view of the telescoping arrangement in the back member  24 , the view of FIG. 10 taken along the lines  10 — 10  in FIG.  4 . In this figure, it can be seen that the telescoping tube  48 , leading to the handle  52 , has a piston  53  at its lower end sliding along the inner surface of hollow rigid side member  34 . A bearing  55  is shown at the top of rigid side member  34  in a manner as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     In FIG. 11, the seat and back portion  22  is again represented by the rigid side member  34  of the back member and rigid side member  38  of the seat member. Even though the seat and back portion has been tilted backwards in the FIG. 11 arrangement, the angle between the back and the seat is still approximately 90 degrees as it was in the upright position of FIG.  9 . However, because of the tilting of the seat and back portion upwardly and rearwardly, respectively, and the connection between the rigid side members  34  and  38  at coupler  30 , the end of telescoping tube  60  is pulled outwardly and upwardly by the pivot coupler  64  to the extent that the axis of base member  56  and telescoping tube  60  lies substantially parallel to the rigid side member  38  of the seat member  26 . It should be noted that the slotted bar  23  is still at the same position as it was in FIG. 9, i.e. the integrity of framework  12  remains constant as the seat and back portion  22  moves from the upright to the recumbent positions. In this connection, the pivoting action of the seat and back portion  22  is made possible by the pivot coupling  42  at the top of leg member  76 . That is, the entire seat and back portion  22  pivots about pivot coupling point  42 . 
     It is to be noted that, in comparing the arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the only members which pivot when tilting the seat and back portion  22  are the back and seat portion  22  and the rear “XI” member  14 . Of course, the arm posts  72 , fixed to the back  24  follow the back movement and are pivoted at pivot coupling  42 . As explained, in order to accommodate the tilting of the seat from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG.  4  and back to the position in FIG. 3, the inner telescoping tube  48  of handle  52  and the inner telescoping tube  60  extend outwardly from their confining outer respective telescoping tubes, rigid side member  34  and base member  60 . The remaining framework portion of the mobile seating arrangement remains stationary during this movement of the seat and back portion from one extreme to the other shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     Importantly, in the unfolded condition shown in FIGS. 1-4, the slotted bar  23  provides rigidity for the structure, keeping sliding connector bracket  13  from moving from its position along leg member  76 . For so long as slotted bar  23  is fully extended, sliding connector bracket  13  is fixed in place, and the seat member  26  and back member  24  are kept at right angles. As will be described hereinafter, the seat member  26  and back member  24  may fold toward one another as slotted bar  23  slides relative to pin  41 . 
     FIG. 11 also shows the possibility of extending the rigid side member  38  of the seat member  26  forwardly to provide a deeper seat support, if desired. For this purpose, a tubular seat extension  29  telescopes into the rigid side member  38 , and a latch pin  31  sets the seat extension  29  at a desired forward projected position. By moving the seat extension  29  into and out of rigid side member  38  and fixing the latch pin  31  in different holes  33  along rigid side member  38 , the seat extension  29  can assume a number of possible, selectable positions. 
     With the seat returned to the FIGS. 1 and 3 condition, i.e. with the handles  50 ,  52  telescoped into rigid side members  32  and  34 , FIG. 5 shows the rear view of the stroller, from which it can be seen that a hinged strut  39  is provided, connected between the bottom of base members  54  and  56 . The hinged strut  39  is of a common design in which the strut folds (hinges) at its middle when the mobile seating arrangement is collapsed. The hinged strut  39  is hidden from view in FIGS. 1 and 2, but has the appearance identically the same as that shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 of another embodiment of the invention and shown there as hinged strut  139 . The hinged strut  39  (FIG. 5) has its hinge at the center of the strut moved upwardly to permit the framework to collapse inwardly as the “X” members  14  and  18  collapse to approach vertical parallelism. 
     Thus, it will be appreciated that the hinged strut  39  is the only rigid connection from left to right sides of the folding framework  12 , and once hinged, the “X” members  14  and  18  permit complete side-to-side collapsing of the apparatus to the condition shown in the side and front views of the collapsed stroller in FIGS. 7 and 8. 
     In addition to collapsing inwardly left-to-right, it is also required for minimum stowaway size that the mobile seating arrangement collapse front-to-back as well. 
     To accomplish this, the mobile seating arrangement of FIGS. 1-11 provide for collapsing of folding framework  12  in two stages, insofar as collapsing the arrangement front-to-back is concerned. First, as was seen in FIGS. 9 and 11, regardless of the position of the seat in either the upright or recumbent position, the sliding connector bracket  13  remains at the same position along leg member  76 . 
     However, if the handle  52  is restrained from moving upwardly, and the seat member  26  is hinged upwardly toward the back member  24 , as indicated by arrow  57   a  in FIG. 6, this forces the telescoping tube  60  to be extended, which in turn causes the base member  56  to pivot rearwardly. 
     In FIG. 6, such pivoting of base member  56  is approximately halfway through its rotational limits, and this is evident by reference to the fixed slant tube  17  which, in all configurations shown in FIGS. 1-14 is horizontal to the ground, and yet in FIG. 6 it is shown to be moved angularly clockwise by about 45 degrees. 
     Since the free end of slant tube  17  is pivotally coupled to the sliding connector bracket  13 , bracket  13  slides upwardly along leg member  76 . However, leg member  76  carries the pivotal connection of the upper element of front “X” member  18 . Since the lower end of front “X” member  18  is connected to a rotatable extension tube  27  the axis of which is fixed relative to leg member  76 , the front “X” member  18  begins to collapse toward vertical parallelism. That is, as sliding connector bracket  13  moves upwardly, the front “X” member  18  serves to draw in the left and rights sides of the folding framework  12  by drawing leg members  74  and  76  together. The hinged strut  39  and rear “X” member  14  follow in like manner, i.e. the elements of these two movable structural elements tend to move into vertical parallelism as well. 
     With the folding framework  12  completely collapsed side-to-side, i.e. similar to the condition shown in FIG. 6 except that the seat member  26  is moved to be approximately parallel to the plane of the back member  24 , the front framework  20  still projects forwardly. 
     However, upon movement of the lower end of front framework  20  in the direction of arrow  57   c  shown in FIG. 6, the slotted bar  23  moves rearwardly such that the slot pin  41  slides along slot  47  until it is in the position relative to slotted bar  23  as shown in FIG.  7 . At that point, the entire folding framework  12  is fully collapsed both side-to-side and front-to-rear. 
     Embodiment of FIGS. 12-16 
     FIGS. 12 through 16 show a second embodiment generally designated  100 . The embodiment  100  has a folding framework member  102  having a rear “X” member  104  in the framework rear  106  and a front “X” member  108  in the framework front  110  to allow for folding of the framework  102  side-to-side. 
     A seat and back member  112  has a seat portion  114  and a back portion  116  which are provided with a fabric covering or any other means for supporting weight between spaced rigid bar members, such as webs, straps, rope, bands, etc. 
     Rigid side members  118  and  120  are provided for the back portion  116 , and rigid side members  122  and  124  are provided in the seat portion  114 . 
     The seat portion  114  is connected to the back portion  116  at connections  130  and  132 . The connections  130  and  132  may be fixed or pivotal. The side members  118  and  120  of the back portion  116  are pivotally connected to “X” member  104  in regions adjacent the top as indicated at pivot connections  126  and  128 , and the side members  118  and  120  are also pivotally connected to front legs  140  and  142  of the framework  102  employing pivot brackets  144  and  146  which are located between the pivot connections  126  and  128  and the seat/back connections  130  and  132 . The rigid side members  122  and  124  of the seat portion  114  are pivotally connected at their underside to telescoping tubes  150  and  152  by pivot couplers  154  and  156 . The telescoping tubes  150  and  152  move into and out of rear legs  160  and  162  of the framework  102  as the embodiment  100  moves between the upright and recumbent positions shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively and in FIGS. 14 and 15, respectively. 
     Because of the positions of the pivot points in embodiment  100 , the front legs  140  and  142  of the framework  102  move toward the rear legs  160  and  162  as the seat and back member  112  moves from the position shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 to the position shown in FIGS. 13 and 15. These views of the second embodiment assume a rigid nonpivotable connection between the seat portion  114  and back portion  116  at connections  130  and  132 . 
     If the connection  132  is not a pivotal connection, i.e. if it is fixed, then the sliding connector bracket  113  is forced to be maintained at the position along front leg  142  which permits the 90 degree angle formation of the seat and back member. 
     For the variation of this embodiment of the invention in which the connection  132  is a pivotal connection, if it is desired that a 90 degree angle be maintained for the seat and back member  112 , the sliding connector bracket  113  must be kept at the aforementioned particular position along front leg  142 . This is made possible by the provision of a latch  123  hinged to front leg  142  by a latch hinge  129 . The latch pin  125 , for providing a pivoting connection for the top end of front “X” member  108 , projects outwardly from sliding connector bracket  113  slightly to form a latch pin collar about which a slot  131  in the latch  123  is engaged. By such engagement of the slot  131  about the collar of latch pin  125 , the sliding connector bracket  113  is selectively held at a fixed position along front leg  142 , and therefore the seat and back member  112  will remain in a substantially 90 degree angle formation at all positions of the seat and back member  112  between the upright position shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 and the recumbent position shown in FIGS. 13 and 15. 
     On the other hand, in the embodiments wherein the connections  130  and  132  are pivotal connections, the seat portion  114  may move to have a greater angle with respect to the back portion  116  than the substantially 90 degree angle for the upright seating position of FIG.  12 . For example, referring to the side view in FIG. 14 of this embodiment, it will be noted that the seat and back portion  112  forms a substantially right angle. With the seat and back portion  112  forming a right angle, the sliding connector bracket  113  is positioned at a particular location along the length of front leg  142 , and latch  123  is unlatched from latch pin  125 . That is, sliding connector bracket  113  now may be slid up and down along front leg  142  which, in turn, moves slant tube  117  along with it. Slant tube  117  is pivotally mounted to sliding connector bracket  113  by a pivot pin  115 . 
     In the condition shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, and assuming connections  130  and  132  are pivotal connections, the front of each rigid side member  124  rests on the upper end of slant tube  117  so as not to permit the seat portion  114  to tip forward. 
     Since slant tube  117  is fixed to rear leg  162 , and since the telescoping tube  152  connects to the rigid side member  124  of the seat portion  114 , the seat portion  114  is forced to pivot about the seat/back connection  132 , if indeed the seat/back connection  132  is a pivotal connection. Therefore, without latch  123  latched, as the rigid side members  118  and  120  of back portion  116  pivot in the direction of arrow  127   a  (FIG.  15 ), this tends to put the plane of the seat portion  114  into the plane of the back portion  116 , i.e. the seat and back member  112  approaches a flat support surface with the seat portion  114  tilting further and further forwardly due to the movement of pivot connection  132  moving upwardly and forwardly while the rigid side member  124  of seat portion  114  still rests (in a sliding and pivoting manner) on the top of slant tube  117 . Without latch  123  maintaining sliding connector bracket  113  in a fixed position, sliding connector bracket  113  is free to move slightly downwardly along front leg  142 . Thus, in the position of the back rigid side member  120  shown in FIG. 15, the seat portion  124  would be at an angle substantially the same as that of back rigid side member  120 , as is clear from a simple mechanical analysis whereby the seat rigid side member  124  extends from pivot connection  132  to the upper end of slant tube  117 . 
     This embodiment of the invention will thus be useful for those occasions where an individual being carried by the mobile seating arrangement must be assisted in getting out of the mobile seating arrangement by the provision of a seat that tilts forward. Accomplishing this is quite simple with this embodiment of the invention, by pulling back on the handle portions  141  and  143 . 
     When latch  123  is latched with the collar of latch pin  125 , and the seat and back member  112  is pivoted backwards as shown by arrow  127   a  in FIG. 15, the handle end of rigid side member  120  is pivoted about offset pivot coupler  128  in the direction of arrow  127   b.  As described above, the latched condition forces the seat portion  114  and pack portion  116  to maintain a 90 degree angle with respect to each other. This causes the telescoping tube  152  to move out of rear leg  162  in the direction of arrow  127   c.  From the mechanics illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, it will be appreciated that when the rigid side member  120  is rotated about pivot bracket  146  in the direction of arrow  127   a  until it is substantially parallel with the arm rest portion  147  of the front leg  142 , the telescoping tube  152  is at its maximum extension out of rear leg  162 . At that position, unlatching the latch  123  permits sliding connector bracket  113  to be slid down front leg  142  until it abuts the latch hinge  129 . At this position of sliding connector bracket  113 , the slant tube  117  has been pulled downwardly to its furthest extent, and the rear leg  162  and telescoping tube  152  follow. This action pivots the seat portion  114  downwardly until it is substantially in a planar relationship to the back portion  116 . While these relative positions of the seat portion  114 , back portion  116 , arm rest portion  145 , and sliding connector bracket  113  are not shown in the drawing, a basic mechanical analysis of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 will be self-evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     It will also be understood from basic mechanical analysis in viewing FIGS. 14-16 that, when the latch  123  is unlatched, and seat portion  114  is pivoted in the direction of arrow  127   a  toward the back portion  116 , the sliding connector bracket  113  slides up front leg  142 . Since the top of “X” member  108  is pivotally connected to the latch pin  125  (which also serves as the latch pin collar for latch  123 ), the top ends of “X” member  108  are likewise pulled upwardly tending to collapse the “X” framework horizontally. Because the lower end of “X” member  108  is fixed to the rotatable extension tube  149  which is axially fixed to the front leg  142 , the “X” member  108  is forced to collapse inwardly toward vertical parallelism of the two cross members comprising the “X” member  108 . This action draws the left and right front legs together, which in turn through the connection of the front legs  140  and  142  with the rigid side members  118  and  120  of the back portion  116 , causes the cross members of the rear “X” member  104  to collapse horizontally, i.e. toward vertical parallelism. 
     Similarly, with the slant tube  117  being pulled rearwardly by the pivoting of the seat portion  114  rearwardly, the front leg  142  is pulled backwards, and the entire mobile seating arrangement thus collapses both side-to-side inwardly and front-to-rear inwardly. Of course, prior to collapsing the mobile seating arrangement, the hinged strut  139  (FIG. 13) must be unlocked and hinged upwardly to permit the side-to-side collapsing motion. 
     When maximum collapsing motion in both planes is complete, the folded structure has the appearance shown in FIG.  16 . In FIG. 16, it will be noted that the seat portion  114  has been hinged to be parallel with the back portion  116 , the sliding connector bracket  113  has been moved to its maximum height along front leg  142 , the front and rear “X” members  108  and  104  are in their maximum horizontally collapsed state, and the telescoping tube  150  is nominally extended to permit the rigid side members  118  and  120  to have a forward attitude such that the entire mobile seating arrangement is of minimal dimension in the front-to-rear dimension. 
     Embodiment of FIGS. 17-22 
     FIGS. 17 through 22 illustrate an embodiment  200  of the present invention which has a framework  202  and a seat and back member  204 . The seat and back member  204  has a seat portion  206  and a back portion  208 , both of which may be fabric covered or be provided with any other means for supporting weight between spaced rigid bar members, such as webs, straps, rope, bands, etc. 
     The seat portion  206  has rigid side members  210  and  212 . The back portion  208  has rigid side members  214  and  216  which are connected to the side members  210  and  212  of seat portion  206  at connections  218  and  220  fixed to the lower ends of rigid side members  214  and  216 . 
     The framework  202  has a rear “X” member  222  at the framework rear  224  and a front “X” member  226  at the front  228 . The framework  202  has a pair of front legs  201  and  203  extending forwardly from the back portion  208  to the front wheel journals  205  and  207 . The tops of front legs  201  and  203  are bent to form arm rests  209  and  211 . 
     The framework has a pair of side tubes  230  and  232  pivotally coupled to the arm rests  209  and  211 , respectively, by pivot connectors  213  and  215  intermediate the ends of side tubes  230  and  232  as best seen in FIGS. 19 and 20. The rigid side members  214  and  216  are slidably mounted for axial movement within side tubes  230  and  232  in the directions indicated by the arrow  240  (FIG. 17) as the embodiment  200  moves from the upright position shown in FIGS. 17 and 19 to the recumbent positions shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. 
     The handles  244  and  246  extend into the rigid side members  214  and  216  of back portion  208  and are slidably movable therein for movement in axial directions as the embodiment  200  moves from the upright position shown in FIGS. 17 and 19 to the recumbent position shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. 
     The lower end of rear “X” member  222  is pivotally connected to the rear legs  250  and  252  at the lower rear “X” member pivots  254  and  256  which permit left-to-right and front-to-rear pivoting of the rear “X” member  222  for both left-to-right folding movement and movement towards and away from the framework front  228 . The upper end of the rear “X” member is pivotally connected to the handles  244  and  246  by pivot connectors  221  and  223 , again for dual pivoting action both front-to-rear relative to handles  244  and  266 , and left-to-right effective when folding the framework  202  inwardly side-to-side. The rigid side members  210  and  212  of the seat portion  206  are pivotally connected to arms  260  and  262  at pivot points  264  and  266 . The arms  260  and  262  are rigidly coupled to telescoping tubes  268  and  270  which telescope into and out of rear legs  250  and  252 . 
     As indicated above, the seat/back connections  218  and  220  are fixed to the lower ends of rigid side members  214  and  216  of the back portion  208 . As best viewed in FIGS. 19 and 20, front and back seat attachment points  217  and  219  attach the rigid side members  210  and  212  of the seat portion  206  to the respective connections  218  and  220 . If both attachment points  217  and  219  are connected to the rigid side member  212 , the seat portion  206  remains at approximately a right angle to the back portion  208  in both the upright and recumbent positions as shown in FIGS. 17,  19  and  18 ,  20 , respectively. However, it was indicated previously that the seat portions of the invention can be articulated relative to the back portions, and this would be the case if either one of the attachment points  217  or  219  was removed, permitting the seat portion  206  and back portion  208  to pivot relative to one another about the other attachment point. 
     Since the mechanical arrangements shown in FIGS. 17-20 are substantially to scale, if, for example, the attachment point  219  shown in FIG. 19 is disengaged, and likewise the similar attachment point on the right side of the mobile seating arrangement (not visible in the drawing), as the back portion  208  is pivoted backward about pivot connectors  213  and  215 , and the rear “X” member  222  likewise pivots backward about lower rear “X” member pivots  254  and  256 , the handles  244  and  246  move downwardly as indicated by arrow  225   a,  the back portion  208 , pivoting about pivot connectors  213  and  215 , forces the bottom of the back portion to pivot about pivot connectors  213  and  215 , as shown by arrow  225   b.    
     At the same time, the seat portion  206  is forced forwardly by the attachment point  217  to the lower end of the back portion  208 . The telescoping tube  270  necessarily moves out of rear legs  250  and  252  as indicated by arrow  225   c,  and, due to the pivot points  264  and  266  on arms  260  and  262 , the seat portion  206  tends to become more horizontal. Moreover, while the back portion  208  continues to recline backward becoming more horizontal, the seat portion  206  continues to tilt forward becoming more horizontal. An extension of this mechanical analysis will produce an arrangement of the seat and back member  204  to be such that the back portion  208  and the seat portion  206  lie in a common horizontal plane (not shown). This embodiment of the invention will thus be useful for those occasions where an individual being carried by the mobile seating arrangement must be carried in a fully reclined position. 
     In the condition that attachment point  219  is removed, the seat portion  206  is free to articulate about seat attachment point  217 . The seat portion  206  is horizontal in FIG. 19, and therefore, upon movement of the handles  244  and  246  backwards, the back portion  208  begins to recline continuously, while the seat portion  206  is pushed forward. However, as the seat portion  206  rotates away from the back portin  208 , the distance between pivot  215  and pivot  266  increases,. forcing the telescoping tube  270  to extend. In effect, this tends to keep the seat portion  206  substantially horizontal. This embodiment of the mobile seating arrangement thus provides a more comfortable resting position for the person using it, without need to alter the position of the user&#39;s legs or lower body portion. 
     FIG. 21 shows the dual telescoping arrangement comprising the side tube  232 , the rigid side member  216  of the back portion  208 , and one of the handles  246 . At the end of handle  246 , there is placed a piston  237  wiping against the inner surface of rigid side member  216 . A bearing  235 , as is commonly provided in telescoping arrangements, is shown at the top of rigid side member  216 . Likewise, bearings  239  and  241  at the top and bottom of the side tube  232  permit the side tube  232  to slide easily along the outer surface of rigid side member  216  and prevent contamination of the space between these two members. The various positions of the handles  244  and  246 , the rigid tubes  214  and  216 , and the side tubes  230  and  232  are visible in FIGS. 19,  20 , and  22  showing the hidden members in those figures in dashed lines. 
     The mobile seating arrangement of FIGS. 17-22 is collapsible front-to-rear and side-to-side by observing the progression of the apparatus from FIG. 19 wherein the seat and back member  204  is in an upright position, to FIG. 20 in which the seat and back member  204  is tilted backward, and finally to FIG. 22 in which the attachment point  219  has been withdrawn, and the seat portion  206  is pivoted upwardly against the back portion  208 . 
     Prior to collapsing the mobile seating arrangement, the hinged strut  245  must, of course, be released by pivoting its center in a manner commonly known in the art. 
     At the same time, a brace  233 , pivoted on the front leg  203  at a pivot point  227  and slidably pivotable about a pivot point  229  fixed to rear leg  252  through a slot  231  in brace  233 , permits the front and rear legs  203  and  252  to lie adjacent one another axially. As part of the folding or collapsing action, as the handle  246  moves forwardly, the rear “X” member  222  pivots forwardly about lower rear “X” member pivot  256 , and all of this action results in the front-to-back collapsed position shown in FIG.  22 . Concerning the collapsing of the mobile seating arrangement of this embodiment side-to-side, the movement upwardly of the sliding connector bracket  243 , to which the top of rear leg  252  and the top of front “X” member  226  are pivotally attached, the front “X” member  226  is forced to collapse inwardly side-to-side, and the rear “X” member  222  follows this action by also collapsing side-to-side drawing the handles  244  and  246  further outwardly from rigid side member  216  of the back portion  208 , as required. 
     Embodiment of FIGS. 23-27 
     Embodiment  300  is shown on FIGS. 23 through 27 and has a framework  302  provided with a rear “X” member  304  at the rear  306  and a front “X” member  308  at the front  310 . A seat and back member  312 , having a seat portion  314  and a back portion  316 , is mounted on the framework  302 . The back portion  316  has rigid side members  320  and  322 , and the handles  324  and  326  have portions  328  and  330  that telescope into and out of the rigid side members  320  and  322  of the back portion  316 . 
     The seat and back member  312  has a seat portion  314  and a back portion  316 , both of which may be fabric covered or be provided with any other means for supporting weight between spaced rigid bar members, such as webs, straps, rope, bands, etc. 
     The handles  324  and  326  are pivotally connected to the top of the rear “X” member  304  by offset pivots  340  and  342  which permit pivoting front-to-rear and left-to-right, essentially for folding the mobile seating arrangement. 
     The framework  302  has front legs  344  and  346  having upper ends  301  and  303 , serving as arm rests, connected to the rigid side members  320  and  322  of the back portion  316  by pivot couplers  350  and  352 . The framework  302  also has rear legs  354  and  356  which are rigidly connected to side coupler plates  360  and  362 . The side plates  360  and  362  each have rear and front arcuate slots  364  and  366 . The seat portion  314  has rigid side members  370  and  372  which are provided with left and right outwardly projecting slides  380  and  382  riding in slots  364  and  366 . 
     Bottom telescoping tubes  392  and  394 , as best seen in FIGS. 25 and 26, are pivotally connected to the seat rigid side members  370  and  372  by bottom tube pivot connectors shown on the left side at  339  (right side bottom tube pivot connector not visible). The bottom telescoping tubes  392  and  394  move into and out of the bottoms of rigid sides members  320  and  322  of the back portion  316 . 
     As the embodiment  300  moves from the upright position shown in FIGS. 23 and 25 to the recumbent position shown in FIGS. 24 and 26, the telescoping portions  328  and  330  of handles  324  and  326  extend further out of the side members  320  and  322  as the slides  380  and  382  move from the rear of arcuate slots  364  and  366  to the fronts thereof. The bottom telescoping tubes  392  and  394  may move further out or further in, dependent upon the desired configuration and positional location of the arcuate slots  364  and  366 . 
     In the upright position of the mobile seating arrangement shown in FIGS. 23 and 25, the back portion  316  is substantially at right angles to the seat portion  314 . As the handle  326  moves downward clockwise, represented by arrow  337   a,  the rigid side member  322 , pivoting about pivot connector  307 , moves its lower end also clockwise around pivot connector  307 . This causes the handle portion  330  to telescope out of rigid side member  322  as shown by arrow  337   b.  Since the bottom telescoping tube  394  must follow the forward movement of the bottom of rigid side member  322 , and because of its pivotal attachment to the seat portion  314  by bottom tube pivot connector  339 , the seat portion  314  is forced to move forwardly and upwardly as indicated by the arrow  337   c.    
     However, seat portion  314  is restricted in its rotational movement by the slides  380  and  382  confined to within the arcuate slots  366  and  364 , respectively. Accordingly, seat portion  314  follows a predetermined angular path, and depending on the location of the arm pivot connector  307 , the distance between the arm pivot connector  307  and the bottom tube pivot connector  339 , and the location and curvature of the slots  366  and  364 , the seat portion  314  and back portion  316  may take on different relative angular positions from the upright position shown in FIG.  25  and the recumbent position shown in FIG.  26 . 
     In the specific apparatus drawn in FIGS. 25 and 26, it will be noted that, in moving from the upright to the recumbent position, the back portion  316  moves through a slightly larger angle than the seat portion  314 . The opposite angular relationship could also easily be realized by, for example a smaller radius of curvature for slots  366  and  364 . 
     When the apparatus is moved to the recumbent position shown in FIG. 26, it will be observed that the rear “X” member  304  pivots about bottom rear “X” member pivot  341  on the wheel bracket  343 . Wheel bracket  343  mounts the lower ends of rear “X” member to pivot both front-to-rear and left-to-right. 
     Slotted braces  321  and  323  are provided to extend from a brace pivot  327  or rear legs  344  and  346  to a slide pin  335  sliding within a slot  331  of the brace  323 . Braces  321  and  323  keep the front legs  344  and  346  from pivoting outwardly around pivot connector  307  due to a person&#39;s weight sitting in the seat of the mobile seating arrangement. 
     The mobile seating arrangement shown in FIGS. 23-26 can be collapsed side-to-side and front-to-rear for convenient and compact storage. 
     Prior to collapsing the mobile seating arrangement, the hinged strut  345  must, of course, be released by pivoting its center in a manner commonly known in the art. 
     To accomplish the collapsing function, the seat portion  314  is pivoted upwardly relative to the back portion  316 , bringing these two structures together (ultimately to be substantially coplanar as shown in FIG.  27 ). 
     Although brace  323  prevents sliding connector bracket  311  from moving downwardly, the slot  331  provided in brace  323  permits the sliding connector bracket  311  to move upwardly during the collapsing function. As the sliding connector bracket  311  moves upwardly, and seat portion  314  moves into a coplanar relationship to the back portion  316 , the front “X” member  308  is extended vertically which, due to its scissors action, draws the front legs  344  and  346  together side-to-side. Because of the mechanical connection between the front legs  344  and  346 , the rigid side members  320  and  322  of the back portion  316 , and the rear “X” member  304 , the latter is forced to collapse inwardly as well, the cross elements of rear “X” member  304  being drawn together toward vertical parallelism to effect the full side-to-side collapsing function. 
     Due to the slot  331  provided in brace  323 , the rear legs  354 ,  356  are permitted to come into parallel relationship to the front legs  344  and  346  as the sliding connector brackets  309  and  311  move upwardly to the position shown in FIG.  27 . In FIG. 27, it will be noted that the seat portion  314  and back portion  316  are substantially coplanar, the front and rear “X” members  308  and  304  are in their maximum vertical extension, the slide pin  335  is moved toward the middle of brace  323 , and the handle portion  330  has moved back down into the rigid side member  322 . 
     In order to result in the compact collapsed configuration of FIG. 27, the rear “X” member  304  is constructed of slightly bent cross members such that the top portion of the cross members lie in a plane at a slight angle relative to the plane of the lower portion of the cross members. As can be seen in FIG. 27, this is advantageous when the mobile seating arrangement is to be made collapsible front-to-rear, as it tends to keep the collapsed structure weight balanced along a centerline through the collapsed structure. 
     While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternative embodiments and various modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. For example: other sliding mechanisms can be used in place of the telescoping mechanisms shown and described (such as parallel sliding bars, parallel male and female slotted members, sliding tube and rod members, slidable channel and T-bar members, slidable dovetail arrangements, and nested C-channel rail members); which sections of a telescoping mechanism slides within the other is generally a matter of choice; the angles of movement may be chosen differently than those suggested herein in describing the preferred embodiments, by applying general mechanical principles; and different pivoting mechanisms than those shown and described herein could be used; to name a few. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of the present invention.