Abstract:
An improved mobility scooter comprising a frame, an adjustable seat, a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, and handlebars coupled to the frame. The handlebars can be folded downward to provide a compact configuration of the apparatus for travel, storage or other space restrictions. In another aspect, the improved mobility scooter further comprises a locking mechanism in its wheel casters, thereby providing for the selective configuration of the wheels in a fixed position with respect to the frame. In yet another aspect, a method of assisted mobility for an operator is described.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to the earlier provisional application entitled “Mobility Scooter” filed Jan. 31, 2006 and having Ser. No. 60/763,840, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a mobility scooter which can be used by injured, disabled or the elderly persons. More particularly, the mobility scooter comprises a collapsible handlebar mechanism for space saving purposes and a locking mechanism to lock one or more wheel casters at a selected angular position.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Knee scooters are rapidly replacing crutches, walkers and wheelchairs as the preferred means to remain mobile and active during one&#39;s injury, rehabilitation from surgery or other disablement. Knee scooters typically provide more stability and mobility than crutches or a walker, therefore allowing more freedom, comfort and confidence to be enjoyed by the user.  
         [0004]     Traditionally, doctors have recommended walkers and crutches when a patient is required to keep their bearing weight off a foot or leg. Unfortunately, crutches exhibit a number of requirements and restrictions, namely: (i) crutches require a patient to maintain their balance, (ii) crutches require that a patient hold up the weight of their injured leg, (iii) crutches require a patient to keep their leg in a bent position, (iv) crutches require a patient to constantly shift their weight back and forth to move forward, and (v) crutches can be difficult to maneuver on uneven or unstable terrain, (e.g. stairs, gravel). Sore or bruised body tissue, sprained and sore wrists, and the propensity for falling also typically go hand-in-hand with the use of crutches.  
         [0005]     Doctors have traditionally also prescribed walkers to patients. As with crutches, when using a walker a patient is still required to hold up the weight of their recovering or disabled leg. Instead of swinging their body weight, a patient typically hops forward when using a walker. This hopping can place extraordinary stress on the weight bearing foot, the circulatory system of the leg, the hips, and the back.  
         [0006]     A wheelchair is generally prescribed for patients who do not have the balance, strength or stability to use crutches or a walker. However, medical studies have demonstrated that a wheelchair can contribute to a deterioration of cardiovascular health, strength and overall energy. Doctors and patients alike recognize that the earlier a patient is able to be mobile and stay out of a wheelchair—the more progress a patient makes toward his/her recovery. Therefore, a knee scooter can be an advantageous substitute for a wheelchair, as a wheelchair typically requires the assistance of others while a knee scooter can be operated autonomously. It is also observed that knee scooters are neither as restrictive nor cumbersome as wheelchairs.  
         [0007]     While the benefits of knee scooters are a significant improvement over crutches, walkers and wheelchairs, prior art knee scooters do exhibit several shortcomings. First, such knee scooters typically occupy a significantly larger physical space than crutches and may not collapse into a smaller physical size for storage. As such, such prior art knee strollers can become cumbersome to store, particularly those with a wide footprint and tall handlebars. Yet another shortcoming in such devices is directed at the wheel caster, or structures that hold the wheels to the frame of the knee scooter. Some products found in the prior art have rigid brackets which do not facilitate desirable turning qualities for the knee scooter. Where the front wheels do not turn, it can become particularly challenging for the disabled or elderly to turn the knee scooter within a short diameter, such as a hallway, without lifting either the front or rear of the knee scooter. Since a patient typically bears a significant amount of weight upon the knee scooter, it can be difficult to lift the end of the scooter to accommodate such a turn. Conversely, other knee strollers have a plurality of freely turning caster that connect the wheels to the frame of the knee scooter. At times, these wheels can become unstable around small holes, crevasses or other depressions on the ground as the wheel will freely turn to sink into such a depression. Moreover, a knee scooter configured with freely turning caster creates an unstable environment where the knee scooter is utilized on a slope or varying terrain. This instability is compounded further where freely turning casters are configured both on the front and rear of the knee scooter.  
         [0008]     Given the above shortcomings exhibited by the prior art of knee scooters, a more compact solution rendering increased stability of its wheels is needed.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0009]     Mobility scooter embodiments of the present invention address the above shortcomings experienced in prior art knee scooters and other mobility devices.  
         [0010]     In one aspect, the improved mobility scooter comprises a frame capable of supporting the weight of an operator across its length, an adjustable seat coupled to the frame thereby providing a comfortable location for the operator to place a leg, a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, and handlebars coupled to the frame, thereby providing for the selective steering of the frame by the operator. In various preferred embodiments, the handlebars can be folded downward to provide a compact configuration of the apparatus for travel, storage or other space restrictions.  
         [0011]     In the preferred embodiment described herein, a handlebar tilting mechanism comprises a bottom plate and a tilt plate hingedly coupled together, thereby coupling the frame to the handlebars. Preferably, the handlebar tilting mechanism further comprises a pair of lateral arms of the bottom plate engaging a pair of notches of the tilt plate, thereby providing for a selectively secure coupling between the bottom plate and the tilt plate, (and thereby further providing a selective configuration of the frame and the handlebars member). A stop member prevents the handlebars from dropping to the ground when the handlebars are configured in a compact configuration.  
         [0012]     In another aspect, the improved mobility scooter further comprises a locking mechanism in its wheel casters, thereby providing for the selective configuration of the wheels in a fixed position with respect to the frame. As described herein, such a locking mechanism can be made using a sprocket, a notch, a spring plate and a release, together providing selective configuration of locking a vertical axle of the wheel casters to the frame in a fixed position. In certain applications, it is also desirable to configure an improved mobility scooter wherein the locking mechanism allows the one or more of the front wheels to be locked in a straight ahead forward position only.  
         [0013]     In yet another aspect, the above described embodiments of the present invention comprise brakes to arrest the movement of the improved mobility scooter by the operator.  
         [0014]     In yet another aspect, a method of assisted mobility for an operator is described, variously comprising the steps of: (i) providing a mobility scooter, (ii) placing the leg of the operator on the seat and shifting a portion of the operator&#39;s weight onto the mobility scooter, (iii) locking one or more wheels, and (iv) pushing against the ground with an opposite leg of the operator, such that the operator and the mobility scooter move forward together. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a mobility scooter according to the present invention with a handlebars member in a raised position;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the mobility scooter shown in  FIG. 1  with a handlebars member in a compact configuration;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a top isometric view of the mobility scooter shown in  FIG. 1  with a handlebars member in a compact configuration;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a lower isometric view of a tilting mechanism of the mobility scooter shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is an upper isometric view of the tilting mechanism of the mobility scooter shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of a wheel lock mechanism used with the present invention with the wheel removed;  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a partially-exploded, isometric view of the wheel lock assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of a caster used with the present invention and a partially-exploded, isometric view of the wheel lock mechanism shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]     In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent that the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are depicted in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessary obscuring of the invention. Section titles and references appearing within the following paragraphs are intended for the convenience of the reader and should not be interpreted to restrict the scope of the information presented at any given location.  
         [0025]     Various aspects and features of example embodiments of the invention are described in more detail hereinafter in the following sections: (i) Definitions, (ii) Functional Overview, (iii) Preferred Embodiments and (vi) Conclusion.  
       DEFINITIONS  
       [0026]     Before addressing details of embodiments described below, some terms are defined or clarified. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).  
         [0027]     Also, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the invention. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.  
         [0028]     Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.  
         [0029]     As used herein, the term “compact”, “folding” or “collapsible” may be used to describe embodiments of the present invention having the capability of reducing its physical dimensions by manipulating certain components of the apparatus thereof.  
         [0030]     As used herein, the terms “injured”, “disabled” or “disability” refer generally to users that are injured, recovering from an injury, disabled, handicapped, physically challenged or otherwise desiring of an apparatus to effect locomotion of their body. Such a characterization may be voluntary or involuntary. For example, an elderly or other person desiring such an apparatus, despite their ability to effect locomotion of his/her body without such an apparatus, may also be generally characterized under these terms for the sake of technical disclosure and claims of the present invention.  
         [0031]     As used herein, the terms “user”, “patient” and “operator” may be variously and interchangeably used and intend to refer to an operator, a patient, a person assisting a patient, a healthcare professional or another person using or otherwise demonstrating the embodiment of the present invention. A user is not limited to representing a single person, and can be any number of persons utilizing the apparatus or performing the methods disclosed herein.  
       FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW  
       [0032]     Similar to the knee stroller as described in the above section, preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise of a wheeled apparatus that provides stability to a patient or other user. Such preferred embodiments, hereinafter referred to as a “mobility scooter”, generally comprise of a frame having a set of handlebars, a cushioned platform to rest an leg, and a plurality of wheels to afford locomotion of the body and device together.  
         [0033]     Generally speaking, a mobility scooter is best prescribed to those patients who have injuries below the knee. Such injuries could include fractured bones, sprained or torn soft tissues, ulcers or lacerations, infections, dislocations or other maladies of the lower leg.  
         [0034]     The mobility stroller is also helpful for patients that do not necessarily exhibit a lower leg disability, but instead desire additional stability for their locomotion. Examples of such circumstances are patients with amputations, patients with arthritis, or elderly patients with diminished strength.  
         [0035]     To use a mobility scooter, a user places the knee of his/her injured leg on the cushioned platform of the apparatus and places at least one hand on the handlebars. To move forward, the user shifts his/her weight to the non-injured leg and pushes against the ground with the foot to move the apparatus and body forward together. When the user desires to turn, the user simply turns the handlebars to the desired direction and likewise moves the body and apparatus forward together.  
         [0036]     Having provided a functional overview of various applications, specific embodiments and their respective components and characteristics shall now be discussed in conjunction with the attached figures.  
       PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0037]     A mobility scooter  10 , according to the present invention, is shown in  FIG. 1 . The mobility scooter  10  comprises a frame  12 . The frame  12  provides a physical structure to bear the weight of a user and connect the various components of the mobility scooter  10 . The frame could be of any conventional bicycle frame material, namely aluminum, titanium or other metal. For an extremely lightweight version, it is contemplated that a carbon fiber or composite version could also be constructed. The frame could be of glued, welded or bending manufacture, depending upon the desired appearance and strength.  
         [0038]     More particularly, the frame  12  comprises a longitudinal member  14  mounted to a front upright member  16 . A diagonal brace  18  is recommended to secure the longitudinal member  14  and the front upright member  16 , thereby adding additional strength to the frame  12  such that it can bear the weight of a user across the span between the front and rear wheels. While the present frame  12  is shown as a tubular material, the frame  12  can also be of other shapes such as oval, rectangular or other polygonal cross-sections as well.  
         [0039]     A laterally extending front wheel support member  20  is secured at the bottom end of the front upright member  16 . At each end of the front wheel support member  20  a frontal caster post  22  is provided. A caster  24  is mounted to each frontal caster post  22 . The rearward end of the longitudinal member  14  can be configured to bend downwardly and secure to a laterally extending rear wheel support member  26 . A rear caster post  28  is secured at each end of the rear lateral member  26 . A rear wheel  30  is mounted to each rear caster post  28 . As it can be desirable in various embodiments, the structure of the frame  12 , front upright member  16 , caster post  22 , rear lateral member  26  and rear caster post  28  can be combined into fewer structural parts, as such combinations are desirable when designing and manufacturing with certain materials such as carbon composites.  
         [0040]     Typically, prior art knee scooters have the front upright member  16  configured significantly off center of the front wheel support member  20 , such that the knee scooter is considered either a left-side or a right-side knee scooter. This configuration of the prior art is intended to keep the wheel caster  24  and wheel  30  away from the motion of the opposite (non-disabled) leg intended to provide locomotion for the body and knee scooter. However, this may result in the necessity of increasing the stance of the rear wheels  30 , resulting in interference between the opposite (non-disabled) leg and the rear wheels  30 .  
         [0041]     Contrary to the prior art, it is advantageous in embodiments of the present invention to configure the upright member  16  in the center of the front wheel support member  20 . In this configuration, an operator does not have to make any adjustments to the mobility scooter  10  to allow the mobility scooter  10  to be operated with either the left leg or the right leg on the seat  32 .  
         [0042]     On a related note, prior art knee scooters typically exhibit a distance between each of the rear wheels equal or substantially similar to that of the distance between each of the front wheels. In some cases, the front wheels are only slightly farther apart than the rear wheels. This configuration found in prior art knee scooters, while rather stable, poses a problem that the rear wheels can become obstruction for the opposite (non-disabled) leg during usage of the prior art scooter. In this regard, it is also advantageous in embodiments of the present invention to provide a wide front wheel support member  20  providing a wider stance of the mobility scooter  10  than that evidence by the prior art. Such a configuration allows the rear wheels  30  to be closer together while preserving stability of the mobility scooter  10 . Since the rear wheels  30  are closer together, the rear wheels  30  are kept away from the motion of the opposite (non-disabled) leg, resulting in ease of use and increased safety.  
         [0043]     In preferred embodiments of the present invention, at least one of the front casters  24  are provided with a locking mechanism for locking the front wheel  30  at a selected angular orientation. A locking mechanism and caster according to the present invention is illustrated in various views in  FIGS. 6 through 8 . Such a style caster can be utilized in either the front or rear wheels of a mobility scooter, (although in the present disclosure such casters  24  are only illustrated on the front wheels).  
         [0044]     A seat  32  is attached to a vertically extending post  34  which extends through a hole (not shown) provided in the longitudinal member  14  of the frame  12 . A frictional clamp  36  is mounted to the longitudinal member  14  for clamping engagement with the vertical post  34 , whereby, the seat  32  can be adjusted in height. When the desired height is set, the clamp  36  can be used to clamp the vertical post in the selected position in a conventional manner. While the illustrated and described preferred embodiment utilizes a conventional seat post mechanism, other adjustment means for securing the seat to the frame at a desired height are also contemplated, (such as cross-bolts, pins and holes, suspension systems or other seat apparatus designs).  
         [0045]     A handlebar tilting mechanism  38  is mounted to an upper end of the front upright member  16 , as further detailed in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The handlebar tilting mechanism  38  includes a bottom plate  40  having a pair of lateral arms  42  and  44  extending in opposite directions. The bottom plate  40  is mounted to front upright member  16 . A tilt plate  46  is hingedly mounted to bottom plate  40  at position  47 . The tilt plate  46  is provided with a pair of notches  48  and  50  which are sized to receive lateral arms  42  and  44  respectively when tilt plate  46  is rotated over bottom plate  40 . While a hinge is detailed in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the tilting mechanism  38  can also be constructed of other quick-release or swivel means. In preferred embodiments, a combination of a push button lock and a quick release mechanism, (not shown), together, has been found to demonstrate the least amount of rattling and therefore the most secure and rigid solution for the handlebar tilting mechanism.  
         [0046]     Returning to  FIG. 1 , a tubular member  52  is mounted to tilt plate  46  as shown in  FIG. 1 . A handlebar post  54  is slidably received by tubular member  52 . A frictional clamp  56  is mounted to the tubular member  52  for clamp engagement with the handlebar post  54 , whereby the handlebar post  54  can be adjusted in height with respect to tubular member  52 .  
         [0047]     A handle bar member  58  is secured to a distal end of handlebar post  54  and extends in a lateral direction. Preferably, handle bar grips  60  are provided at each end of the handle bar member  58 . The handle bar member  58  is preferably configured to have an ergonomic shape and is constructed to angle rearwardly and downwardly as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0048]     Conventional left and right brake levers  62   a  and  62   b  are attached to the handle bar member  58  adjacent the grips  60  as shown in  FIG. 1 . An first actuator cable (not shown) is positioned within a flexible tubular cover  64   a . A second actuator cable (not shown) is positioned with a flexible tubular cover  64   b . The actuator cable within tubular cover  64   a  is connected to brake lever  62   a  and the actuator cable within tubular cover  64   b  is connected to brake lever  62   b . With this arrangement the actuator cables can be drawn through the tubular covers whenever the brake levers  62   a  and  62   b  are moved toward the grips  60 . The brake levers  62   a  and  62   b  are preferably spring-loaded and are resiliently biased to a position away from grips  60 .  
         [0049]     In preferred embodiments, the brake levers  62   a  and  62   b  incorporate a brake locking mechanism, such as a button, which provide the capability to lock the brake members  66   a  and  66   b  into a locked position. Such a brake locking mechanism provides a convenient and stable configuration of the mobility scooter for transferring an operator&#39;s leg on or off the mobility scooter&#39;s seat  32 .  
         [0050]     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the other ends of the actuator cables  64   a  and  64   b  are connected to conventional brake members  66   a  and  66   b . The brake members  66   a  and  66   b  are mounted to the rear caster post  28  of a respective rear wheel  30 . When a respective brake lever  62   a  or  62   b  is moved toward the grip  60  the respective actuator cable (not shown) inside tubular flexible covers  64   a  or  64   b  is retracted causing a brake member  66   a  or  66   b  to frictionally engage a rear wheel  30 .  
         [0051]     Briefly returning to  FIG. 1 , in preferred embodiments a stop member  68  is mounted to the tubular member  52 , although stop member  68  can also be mounted to tilt plate  46  or other structure in close proximity to tilt plate  46 . In the depicted figures, stop member  68  can also function as a conventional bottle holder.  
         [0052]     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 ,  4  and  5 , when the handle bar member  58  is tilted downwardly about the hinge at  47  the stop member  68  engages the longitudinal member  14  of the frame  12  so that the handlebar member  58  does not drop to the ground. While the present disclosure illustrates a collapsible mobility scooter whereby the handlebar member  58  drops horizontally, other embodiments are contemplated wherein the handlebar member can fold into multiple segments, or swivel in a method different than that depicted in the figures.  
         [0053]     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the caster  28  includes a wheel  70  mounted within a bracket  72  by a horizontal axle  92 , that engages bracket  72  at each of its ends and passes through the hole in the center of wheel  70 .  
         [0054]     Turning to  FIG. 6 , the bracket  72  is rotatably mounted on a vertical axle  74 . The vertical axle  74  is threaded at one end for threadably mounting to the frontal caster post  22 . A sprocket  76  is fixedly secured to an end of vertical axle  74 . A spring plate  78  is provided which has a notch  80  at one end for engaging a tooth of sprocket  76 . The spring plate  78  is typically constructed of a resilient material such as spring steel.  
         [0055]     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a bar  82  extends beneath the spring plate  78  and its ends are attached to the bracket  72 . In this manner, the spring plate  78  can be slightly rotated about the bar  82 .  
         [0056]     A foot operated off-center arm  84  is pivotally connected to the bracket  72 . The arm  84  is moveable from an off-center locked position when an end  86  of the arm  84  is depressed downwardly. When it is desired to release the arm  84 , the opposite end  88  is moved forwardly thereby rotating the arm  84  and releasing the arm  84  from the over-center condition.  
         [0057]     The spring plate  78  has a tab  90  at an end opposite the notch  80 . When the arm  84  is positioned in the over-center locked position the end  86  bends the tab  90  against the bias of spring plate  78  downwardly causing the notch  80  to move upwardly and engage a tooth of the sprocket  76 . When the end  88  of the arm  84  is moved forwardly, the tab  90  is released from the end  86  and the top  90  resiliently moves upwardly causing the notch  80  to disengage from the sprocket  76 .  
         [0058]     Where desired, sprocket  76  can also be configured to have significantly fewer teeth, thereby restricting the ability to lock the wheel only into certain orientations. For example, one such application would be a sprocket  76  having only a few teeth, and thereby allowing the wheel  30  to lock into the straight ahead forward position. In other embodiments, (not shown), it can be desirable to only allow a wheel  30  to lock only into a straight forward or rearward positions, thereby aligning the forward or rearward track of a wheel  30  to be parallel with the central axis of the longitudinal member  14 . In such embodiments, such a feature makes it easy for an operator to easily manipulate and lock the wheel into the forward or rearward direction without the risk of having the wheel inadvertently locked into a position slightly off the straight forward or rearward position.  
         [0059]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , in many applications a vertical axle  74  comprises a threaded bolt which engages a frontal caster post  22 . While this attachment means is cost-effective and sufficient for a wheel caster  24  that either does not have a locking mechanism or only contains a locking mechanism that provides a locking feature across a broad variety of wheel angles, such an attachment means can become unreliable and difficult to install where a locking mechanism of the wheel caster provides only a locking feature in the straight forward or rearward positions. This is due to the fact that the vertical axle  74  has a propensity of being installed in an orientation that does not perfectly align with the central axis of the frame  12 . Likewise, if the vertical axle  74  is installed too tight, or loosens over time, the sprocket  76  engaged to the vertical axle  74  becomes misaligned with the central axis of the frame  12 , and therefore the track of a wheel  30  also becomes misaligned with the central axis of the frame  12 . To remedy this potential problem, it is preferred that an alternate means of connecting the wheel caster  24  to the caster post  22  be implemented in mobility scooter embodiments where a locking mechanism of the wheel caster  24  only allows locking in straight forward or rearward positions. One such attachment means (not shown) is a bayonet fitting with a cross bolt and grub screws. Such an attachment means allows a wheel caster  24  to be engaged into the caster post  22 , such that the wheel caster  24  is automatically aligned in its locked position with the central axis of the frame  12 .  
         [0060]     To prepare the mobility scooter for operation, the handlebar member  58  is tilted upwardly to the usable position as shown in  FIG. 1 . When this occurs, the tilt plate  46  is rotated over the bottom plate  40  and the notches  48  and  50  receive the lateral arms  42  and  44  thereby locking the handlebar in an upright position.  
         [0061]     The frictional clamp  36  is adjusted to adjust the vertical height of the handlebar  58  and the frictional clamp  36  is used to adjust the vertical height of the seat  32 .  
         [0062]     The mobility scooter is then operated in a conventional manner and if necessary the hand brake levers  62   a  and  62   b  can be actuated to arrest the locomotion of the scooter. When the scooter is on a slightly inclined surface the scooter would have a tendency to roll downhill. In this situation, the end  88  of the arm  84  attached to a caster  24  can be depressed by using the foot to lock the front caster  24  in a selected angular position. The scooter will continue to roll but the caster will not rotate on the vertical axle  74 .  
       CONCLUSION  
       [0063]     The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims. For example, the device could be adapted slightly for use in other assisted mobility applications, such as stride assessment and gait training.  
         [0064]     Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” or “approximately.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.  
         [0065]     Recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.  
         [0066]     Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. It is anticipated that one or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.  
         [0067]     Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Of course, variations on those preferred embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.  
         [0068]     Furthermore, numerous references may have been made to patents and printed publications throughout this specification. Each of the above cited references and printed publications, if any, are herein individually incorporated by reference in their entirety.  
         [0069]     In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Other modifications that can be employed are within the scope of the invention. Thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative configurations of the present invention can be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described.