Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G5/00—Chairs or personal conveyances specially adapted for patients or disabled persons, e.g. wheelchairs
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G5/00—Chairs or personal conveyances specially adapted for patients or disabled persons, e.g. wheelchairs
  • A61G5/10—Parts, details or accessories
  • A61G5/1083—Quickly-removable wheels
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G5/00—Chairs or personal conveyances specially adapted for patients or disabled persons, e.g. wheelchairs
  • A61G5/10—Parts, details or accessories
  • A61G5/12—Rests specially adapted therefor, e.g. for the head or the feet
  • A61G5/128—Rests specially adapted therefor, e.g. for the head or the feet for feet
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G2203/00—General characteristics of devices
  • A61G2203/70—General characteristics of devices with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
  • A61G2203/72—General characteristics of devices with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort for collision prevention
  • A61G2203/723—Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G5/00—Chairs or personal conveyances specially adapted for patients or disabled persons, e.g. wheelchairs
  • A61G5/10—Parts, details or accessories
  • A61G5/1056—Arrangements for adjusting the seat
  • A61G5/1062—Arrangements for adjusting the seat adjusting the width of the seat
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G5/00—Chairs or personal conveyances specially adapted for patients or disabled persons, e.g. wheelchairs
  • A61G5/10—Parts, details or accessories
  • A61G5/1056—Arrangements for adjusting the seat
  • A61G5/1075—Arrangements for adjusting the seat tilting the whole seat backwards

Definitions

• the present invention relates to wheel chairs.
• Wheel chairs which comprise a frame mounted on a pair of relatively large diameter rear wheels and a pair of relatively small diameter front wheels.
• a seat assembly is carried by the frame to support the occupant and the frame would normally have a foot rest member extending downwardly and forwardly at the bottom front end of the frame to support the occupants feet.
• the large diameter rear wheels are provided with hand rims by which the occupant can rotate the rear wheels in order propel the wheel chair.
• the small diameter front wheels are of the castor type so that they can adapt to changes in direction of the wheel chair.
• wheel chairs of the kind described above were once only produced for use by disabled persons for transport purposes, in recent years such wheel chairs have been specially designed and adapted to enable disabled persons to participate in sporting events such as basketball.
• the wheel chair must be structurally strong but light and must be very manoeuvrable.
• the present invention is concerned with providing a wheel chair which is robust, lightweight and manoeuvrable and which is adapted to accomodate different sizes of occupant.
• a wheel chair comprises the following combination of features:
• a frame made up of a plurality of transverse and longitudinal members
• Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a wheel chair constructed according to the present invention
• Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the wheel chair shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but on an enlarged scale of the frame of the wheel chair shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the locking mechanism used in the frame of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the quick-release mounting mechanism for the large diameter rear wheels of the wheel chair of Figure 1;
• Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the mounting arrangement for the small diameter front wheels of the wheel chair shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the seat assembly of the wheel chair shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing the strap and buckle arrangement forming part of the seat assembly of Figure 7. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT
• a wheel chair comprises a frame assembly generally indicated by A which carries two relatively large diameter rear wheels 1 and two relatively small diameter front wheels 2.
• a seat assembly generally indicated by B is mounted on the frame A.
• the frame assembly A consists of laterally extending tubular members 4 and longitudinally extending tubular members 5, the tubular members 4 and 5 both being made of steel or aluminium alloy.
• Each tubular member 4 comprises a larger diameter tube 4a and a smaller diameter 4b, the end of the latter being slidable in the former to vary the overall length of the tube.
• each of the longitudinal tubes 5 comprises a larger diameter tube 5a and a smaller diameter tube 5b so that the length of the tube can be varied.
• Each of the tubes of a pair of tubes 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b is lockable with respect to the other of the tubular pair by means of the locking mechanism shown in Figure 4.
• the larger diameter tube 4a or 5a has a slot 6 and carries a collar 7 which can be tightened or loosened by means of a so-called Allen key engageable in a socket 9 in the end of the threaded member 8.
• Rotation of the threaded member 8 will either cause the diameter of the larger tube 5a to be contracted or expanded to either grip the smaller diameter tube 5b or release the smaller diameter tube 5b to enable the two tubes 5a and 5b to be slid with respect to one another in order to effect either a lengthening or a shortening of the tube as a whole.
• the frame of the wheel chair By constructing the frame of the wheel chair in such a way that lateral and longitudinal members can be adjusted in length it is possible to adjust the overall size of the frame member, and thus in effect the overall size of the wheel chair as a whole, to accomodate different sizes of occupant.
• the drawings illustrate a frame made up of circular section tubular members the frame could be constructed of tubular members of other cross-sections.
• the frame members should indeed be tubular. They could be of other cross-sections and forms, provided that it is possible to adjust the lengths of the members making up the frame in order to enable the overall width and/or the overall length of the frame to be alterred.
• the strength required and the number of lateral and longitudinal members incorporated in the frame will determine the cross sections and/or forms which are suitable.
• Each rear wheel 1 is provided with a hand rim 11 by which the occupant of the wheel chair can rotate the rear wheels in order to propel the wheel chair.
• Each rear wheel 1 is mounted on the frame A by means of an arrangement which not only allows each wheel to be quickly disassembled from or assembled to the frame A but also enables the height of the frame A to be adjusted in relation to the ground.
• each wheel is carried by a plate 12 which can be secured in one of a number of vertical positions in relation to the frame A by means of bolts 13 which engage in a series of holes 14 formed in the frame.
• Each plate 12 has a slot 15 in which the axle 16 of the wheel 1 is indirectly mounted, there being means to adjust the position of the axle 16 in the slot 15 in order to reduce or increase the distance between the front and rear wheels of the wheel chair.
• the axle 16 of the wheel 1 is insertable into a tube 17 which can be locked in a selected position with respect to the slot 15 by means of nuts 18.
• the axle 16 incorporates a quick-release mechanism of known construction.
• This mechanism consists essentially of a member 19 which extends through the length of the hollow axial 16 and has at its outer end a press button 20 and at its inner end is loaded axially by a spring 21.
• the inner end of the member 19 is provided with a groove 22 into which a latch member can engage to locate the member 19 and hence the axle 16 longitudinally with respect to the tube 17.
• the relatively small diameter front wheels 2 are of the castor type.
• the wheel itself is mounted at the lower end of a cranked wheel arm 24 the upper end of which is rotatably mounted on a plate 25.
• the arm 24 can rotate about a generally vertical axis to enable the wheel 2 to accommodate and follow changes in direction of the wheel chair as a whole.
• the plate 25 is adjustably mounted on the frame A, the details of this mounting arrangement being shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 6.
• Each plate 25 has a series of arcuately disposed holes
• the plate 25 is secured to the frame A in the following manner.
• a first bolt 29 engages in the hole
• a second bolt 30 engages in one of the arcuately arranged holes 26 and in the frame member 5a.
• each front wheel could also be mounted to the frame by a quick release mechanism.
• the seat assembly B consists essentially of a seat portion 32 and a back portion 33 each of which is made of flexible material and provided with a plurality of straps 34 and a plurality of straps 35.
• Each pair of straps 34/35 carries means to enable their ends to be releasably connected in order to secure the seat portion 32 and the back portion 33 to the frame A of the wheel chair.
• the straps 34 are provided with flexible engaging members 36 which are adapted to engage in an associated socket member 37 carried by the associated strap 35 (see Figure 8).
• the members 36 are snapped into the socket member 37 so that they engage in apertures 38 in the socket member 37.
• the two members 36 are squeezed together so that they can be inserted into the tubular socket member 37.
• the members 36 are squeezed together to disengage them from the apertures 38 and thus enable the ends of the two straps 34, 35 to be separated.
• a spigot 40 engages in a channel formed in the socket 37 to act as a guide.
• the straps 34 are provided with a conventional means for adjusting their lengths generally indicated by the reference numeral 39.
• the seat portion 32 is of sufficient depth to accommodate the maximum adjusted length of the frame A.
• the material of the seat is folded back on itself to a lesser or greater degree as illustrated in Figure 7. It is kept in such a folded back configuration by any suitable means such as a strip or strips of "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark), the frame A is illustrated as having a foot rest member 41.
• the wheel chair was to be used for sporting purposes it would also be provided with a further tubular member 42 extending forwardly of the most forward part of the frame A in order to act as a kind of bumper in order to protect the feet of the wheel chairs occupant, during, for example, a game of basketball.
• the wheel chair of the present invention thus enables different sizes of occupant to be accommodated. It is therefore particularly suitable for use by children as the frame A can be set to its smallest size when the child is small and can then be progressively expanded both width wise and length wise to accommodate the growth of the child.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Handcart (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10666823

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (19)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 1989
  • 1989-11-24 GB GB8926552A patent/GB2238275B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1990
  • 1990-11-12 WO PCT/GB1990/001732 patent/WO1991007936A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1990-11-12 EP EP90916780A patent/EP0502003A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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