Abstract:
A collapsible wheelchair for allowing a user to easily tote a wheelchair along on a public transportation such as an airplane and bus. The collapsible wheelchair includes a collapsible seat support assembly; wheel assemblies upon which the collapsible seat support assembly is mounted; brackets mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly; wheels rotatably mounted to the brackets; a seat member supported by the collapsible seat support assembly; footrest assemblies attached to the collapsible seat support assembly; handle members mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly; strap members attached to the seat member for securing a person upon the seat member; and a storage bag for storing the collapsible wheelchair.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to foldable wheelchairs and more particularly pertains to a new collapsible wheelchair for allowing a user to easily tote one&#39;s wheelchair along on a public transportation such as an airplane and bus. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of foldable wheelchairs is known in the prior art. More specifically, foldable wheelchairs heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,688; U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,619; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,684; U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,933; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 360,172; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 286,997. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new collapsible wheelchair. The prior art describes inventions having frames, wheels mounted to the frames, seat members mounted upon the frames, and handles for moving the wheelchairs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new collapsible wheelchair which has many of the advantages of the foldable wheelchairs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new collapsible wheelchair which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art foldable wheelchairs, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a collapsible seat support assembly; and further includes wheel assemblies upon which the collapsible seat support assembly is mounted and including brackets being mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly and wheels being; rotatably mounted to the brackets; and also includes seat member being supported by the collapsible seat support assembly; and further includes footrest assemblies being attached to the collapsible seat support assembly; and also includes handle members being mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly; and further includes strap members being attached to the seat member for securing a person upon the seat member; and also includes a storage bag for storing the collapsible wheelchair. None of the prior art describes the brace locking assemblies of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the collapsible wheelchair in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new collapsible wheelchair which has many of the advantages of the foldable wheelchairs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new collapsible wheelchair which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art foldable wheelchairs, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new collapsible wheelchair for allowing a user to easily tote one&#39;s wheelchair along on a public transportation such as an airplane and bus. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new collapsible wheelchair that can be easily and conveniently set up and taken down in a matter of minutes. 
    
    
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a new collapsible wheelchair according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a storage bag of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view of one of leg fastening assemblies of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of one of the leg fastening assemblies of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 7 thereof, a new collapsible wheelchair embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, the collapsible wheelchair  10  generally comprises a collapsible seat support assembly. The collapsible seat support assembly includes leg members  11 , 14  having top ends  12 , 15  and bottom ends  13 , 16 , and also includes seat support members  41  being conventionally mounted at the top ends  12 , 15  of the leg members  11 , 14 , and further includes a plurality of elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  conventionally interconnecting the leg members  11 , 14 , and also includes brace locking assemblies  30  being conventionally mounted to a plurality of the elongate brace members  17 , 23 , and further includes bracket members  26  for fastening the elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  to the leg members  11 , 14 . The leg members  11 , 14  include a pair of front leg members  11  and a pair of rear leg members  14 . The bracket members  26  are securely and conventionally mounted at the top ends  12 , 15  and the bottom ends  13 , 16  of the leg members  11 , 14 . Each of the bracket members  26  includes a sleeve  27  being conventionally mounted about a respective top and bottom end of a respective leg member  11 , 14 , and also includes grommets  28  being conventionally attached and welded to and extending outwardly of the sleeve  27 . The elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  include front  20 , side  17 , and rear pairs  20  of the elongate brace members; wherein the elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  of a respective pair of the elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  being pivotally and centrally attached with fasteners to one another. The front pair of the elongate brace members  20  has top ends  21  which are fastened to the grommets  28  at the top ends  12  of the front leg members  11 , and also has bottom ends  22  which are fastened to the grommets  28  at the bottom ends  13  of the front leg members  11 . Each of the side pairs of the elongate brace members  17  includes one of the elongate brace members having a top end  18  which is fastened to the grommet  28  at the top end  12  of a respective front leg member  11  and also having a bottom end  19  which is fastened to the grommet  28  at the bottom end  16  of a respective rear leg member  14 , and also includes another of the elongate brace members  17  having a top end  18  which is fastened to the grommet  28  at the top end  15  of a respective rear leg member  14  and also having a bottom end  19  which is fastened to the grommet  28  at the bottom end  13  of a respective top leg member  11 . One of the elongate brace members  17  of one of the side pairs of the elongate brace members has a slot  29  being disposed therein near a center thereof. The rear pair of the elongate brace members  23  has top ends  24  which are fastened to the grommets  28  at the top ends  15  of the rear leg members  14 , and also has bottom ends  25  which are fastened to the grommets  28  at the bottom ends  16  of the rear leg members  14 . One of the elongate brace members  23  of the rear pair of the elongate brace members has a slot  29  being disposed therein near a center thereof. The brace locking assemblies  30  are conventionally attached to one of the side pairs of the elongate brace members  17 , and are also conventionally attached to the rear pair of the elongate brace members  23 . Each of the brace locking assemblies  30  includes a housing  31  having open top and bottom ends  32 , 33  with the elongate brace members  17 , 23  extending through the open top and bottom ends  32 , 33  of the housing  31 , and also includes a lever  34  having an end being pivotally and conventionally mounted in the housing  31 , and further includes a latch pin  35  being conventionally attached to the lever  34  and extending outwardly therefrom and being removably received in the slot  29  of a respective elongate brace member  17 , 23  for keeping the elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  spread apart in a non-collapsible position. 
     Wheel assemblies upon which the collapsible seat support assembly is mounted includes brackets  36  being conventionally mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly and also includes wheels  37  being conventionally rotatably mounted to the brackets  36 . The brackets  36  of the wheel assemblies are conventionally mounted to the bottom ends  13 , 16  of the leg members  11 , 14 . 
     A seat member  38  being supported by the collapsible seat support assembly includes a sheet of material having a backrest portion  39  and a seat portion  40  being conventionally attached to the seat support members  41 . Footrest assemblies are conventionally attached to the collapsible seat support assembly. The footrest assemblies are pivotally attached at the bottom ends  13  of the front leg members  11 . Each of the footrest assemblies includes an elongate footrest member  42  having an end which is pivotally attached to a respective front leg member  11 , and also includes a piece of material  45  being conventionally attached to the elongate footrest member  42  and to a respective front leg member  11 . The elongate footrest member  42  includes a first portion  43  and a second portion  44  which is angled relative to the first portion  43 . 
     Handle members  46  are conventionally mounted to the collapsible seat support assembly. The handle members  46  include elongate shafts  47  having bottom portions  48  which are conventionally mounted upon the rear leg members  14  and extend upwardly therefrom, and also have top portions  49  which are angled relative to the bottom portions  48  thereof, and also include handgrip members  50  being conventionally mounted upon the top portions  49  of the elongate shafts  47 . The backrest portion of the seat member is conventionally attached to the bottom portions  48  Strap members  51 , 52  are conventionally attached to the seat member  38  for securing a person upon the seat member  38 . The strap members  51 , 52  include pairs of the strap members with one of the pairs of the strap members  51  being conventionally attached to the backrest portion  39  of the seat member  38  and with another of the pairs of the strap members  52  being conventionally attached to the seat portion  40  of the seat member  38 . The strap members  51 , 52  have strips of hook and loop fasteners  53  securely and conventionally attached at ends thereof for fastening the strap members  51 , 52  together. A storage bag  54  is provided for storing the collapsible wheelchair therein. 
     In use, the user pivots the levers  34  so that the latch pins  35  are inserted in the slots  29  of the respective elongate brace members  17 , 23  to set up the wheelchair  10  in a functional position. When the wheelchair  10  is not needed, the user simply pivots the levers  34  to remove the latch pins  35  from the slots  29  so that the elongate brace members  17 , 20 , 23  can be pivoted to collapse the wheelchair  10 . 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the collapsible wheelchair. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.