Vehicle seating with integral passenger seat restraints

1 . A passenger seat for a vehicle comprising:

(a) a seat frame for being mounted to a floor of the vehicle;

(b) a rigid backshell attached to the seat frame;

(c) a seat back inserted into the backshell;

(d) a seat bottom carried by the backshell; and

(e) a combination seat belt and shoulder strap attached to the backshell for extending respectively around the passenger's hips and diagonally across the passenger's upper torso to secure the passenger in the seat.

2 . The passenger seating arrangement according to claim 1 wherein each of the backshells is fixed against fore and aft movement.

3 . The passenger seating arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the shoulder strap includes an inertia reel mounted adjacent one side edge of the backshell.

4 . The passenger seating arrangement of claim 1 , wherein a free end of the shoulder strap is attached to a buckle of the seat belt.

5 . The passenger seating arrangement of claim 1 wherein the seat back and seat bottom of each of the seats are selectively movable in a coordinated manner between an upright seating position and a reclined seating position; and

wherein a center of gravity of a passenger seated in the seat remains at a substantially constant height above a floor of the vehicle when the seat is moved between the upright position and the reclined seating position.

6 . The seating arrangement of claim 1 wherein each of the passenger seats further comprises a headrest mounted to the backshell at a position above the seat back.

7 . The seating arrangement of claim 1 wherein each of the seat backs is a compound-curved member having a plurality of spaced-apart lateral elements.

8 . A passenger seating arrangement for a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of seats each having:

(a) a fixed, upwardly-extending backshell having a rearwardly-inclined surface;

(b) a seat bottom which is selectively translatable fore and aft relative to the backshell; and

(c) a seat back having a lower end pivotally attached to the seat bottom and an upper end which slidably engages the backshell, the seat back and seat bottom being selectively movable in a coordinated manner from an upright seating position to a reclined seating position in which, relative to the upright seating position, the seat bottom and the seat back are disposed in a forward-translated position and the seat back is disposed in a tilted-backwards position;

(d) the seats being disposed within the vehicle separated by a selected pitch in a fore-and-aft direction, such that each passenger is allotted a preselected volume of living space defined between the backshell of the passenger's seat and the backshell of the seat immediately forward of the passenger's seat;

(e) a combination seat belt and shoulder strap attached to the backshell for extending respectively around the passenger's hips and diagonally across the passenger's upper torso to 'secure the passenger in the seat, wherein the living space of each passenger remains fixed regardless of the seating position of any of the seats.

9 . The seating arrangement of claim 8 wherein the seat back is enabled to enter the reclined position by the interaction of the upper end of the seat back with the inclined surface.

10 . The seating arrangement of claim 8 wherein each of the passenger seats further comprises a headrest mounted to the backshell at a position above the seat back.

11 . The seating arrangement of claim 8 wherein each of the seat backs is a compound-curved member having a plurality of spaced-apart lateral elements.

12 . A passenger seat for a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a frame for being attached to a floor of the vehicle;

(b) a fixed backshell mounted to the frame;

(c) a movable seat back inserted into the backshell;

(d) a combination seat belt and shoulder strap attached to the backshell for extending respectively around the passenger's hips and diagonally across the passenger's upper torso to secure the passenger in the seat,

(e) a movable seat bottom attached to the backshell, the seat back and seat bottom being selectively movable in a coordinated manner between an upright seating position and a reclined seating position, wherein a center of gravity of a passenger seated in the seat remains at a substantially constant height above the floor when the seat is moved between the upright position and the reclined seating position.