GB2110924A - Invalid's seat - Google Patents

Abstract

A 'shooting stick' seat has the seat part attachable to the user's body, e.g. by a harness comprising a waist belt connected by front and rear members to the seat part. The harness may include shoulder straps. The seat includes at least one 'stick', which may be adjustable in length and angle. The stick (3) can be mounted on 'hobby horse' wheels, or bicycle or tricycle wheels.

Description

SPECIFiCATION A disability aid This invention is a seat system harnessed to the user so that he can move about with it fitted on him and can rest on it when required.

The invention may comprise a seat which may be of the racing bicycle type or similar, to allow movement of the user's legs for walking or propelling along, fitted with a member at the rear of the seat extending upward to which is fitted a belt or harness or the like at or about waist height, and with a flexible extensible or elastic member connecting the front of the seat to the harness at the front of the user when the harness is done up about him, and a strut or struts to make contact with the ground and take load, extending downward from the seat.

The harness may have shoulder or other straps.

With the harness which may be webbing buckled about him, and the front elastic member connected and adjusted so that the seat is in a comfortable position, the strut length and angle may be adjusted so that part of the weight of the user is taken by the strut while the user's foot or feet are on the ground to keep balance.

When the user stands upright to move about the strut may leave the ground and angle backwards out of the way. To rest again, the strut can be pulled forward by pulling up on the front of the seat, or by the user straightening his back, or in the case of a disabled person control means may be provided to alter the angle between the seat and the strut which may be hinged, adjustable and clampable by any method.

The strut may be of fixed length.

The strut may comprise one member sliding within another, with mating holes and pins through, as commonly used for adjusting the length of crutches, or by any other means.

The strut may have slidable members springloaded so that when working heights vary, the user can sit down.

The strut may have slidable rnembers spring- toaded so that when working heightsvary, the user cansitdown, thus loading the spring, and then clamp orfix the sliding members together at the desired height, The spring may assist the user to rise when theftxing or clamping means is released.

Control means for the clamping or fixing means may befitted to the seat, or the top end of the strut, orthebracket, or on the harness, or in any other convenient position for the user.

The action of the user sitting down and standing up may adjust the length of the strut and also operate the fixing means to engage and disengage.

The spring system may be metal coil, shockcord, pneumatic, hydraulic era combination.

The extensible strut may be of the scissor or concertina type of construction.

In an embodiment, a racing type bicycle seat with harness attachments previously described has an upper tube extending downwards clamped in the seat's well known angular adjustment means. A quick release and tightening arrangement may be provided for the adjustment may be provided. At one and a half diameters from its lower end two holes are drilled diametrically opposite to one another in the tube, and in each hole is an engagment pin which can move in and out. The inner end of each pin is rivetted to the lower end of a leaf spring, and the two leaf springs are rivetted together at the top ends, and an attachment is provided for connecting to a bowden type cable inner end. A carrier member is provided with a slot at its lower end which presses the leaf springs together when they are pulled into the slot.The top end of the carrier member carries the screw adjustment for the outer sheath of the bowden cable. Between the adjusting screw and the attachment for the bowden cable inner wire is a spring to push the leaf springs downward out of the slot so the pins can move outward.

The bowden cable together with the lower end carrier assembly is inserted up the tube and rotated so that the engagment pins protrude through the holes in the tube. The end of the cable coming out of the top of the tube connects with a lever unit fastened to the under forward end of the seat.

When the cable is adjusted and the operating lever is at rest, the engagement pins protrude sufficiently from the upper tube for their suitably shaped ends to lead into and engage in mating holes in a square lower tube member which slides over the upper tube. The top two mating holes in the square lower tube are drilled on the centrelines of two opposite faces one and a half tube widths from the top end.

Further mating holes are drilled in the same two opposite faces at intervals below the top two holes to give variability of length.

When the cable lever is operated the carrier slot moves the leaf springs together so that the engagement pins retract into the upper tube so that it can slide within the lower tube. When the desired length has been attained either by the user bearing down with his weight against a compression spring fitted in the lower tube, or easing his weight so the spring elongates the combination, the operating lever is released and the pins are pushed outward by the leaf springs to engage the lower tube.

At the lower end of the upper tube there are projections which slide in the corners of the square lower tube to prevent relative rotation of the tubes so that the mating holes can coincide.

In another embodiment the square tube section may also be used for the upper tube to prevent rotation.

In another embodiment the extension and retraction and retraction of the engagement pins may be achieved by springs, linkage, and levers on pivot pins fixed to a carrier member which slides into the top tube.

In another embodiment the lower outer round tube of the strut may be threaded internally and clampability achieved by means of an externally threaded split nut attached to the bottom end of the upper tube so that the parts of the nut can be expanded to lock into the internal thread of the lower tube, or contracted to clear thethresd, for overall length adjustment of the c-ombination~Expansion and contraction of the split nut may be done by a cone being pushed between mating internal surfaces of the split nut, or by a wedge which may have a roller or rollers on each working surface, or by lever action, or cam action, or the like.

In another embodiment the outer member of the strut may have an internal rack into which a pawl carried by the inner member can engage and disengage for adjustment of the overall length of the strut.

In another embodiment brake shoes at the end of a member of a strut may grip or release the other member, and be operable by the use of the weight of the user forcing the shoes apart by means of a cone, or the like.

In another embodiment in which clamping means are effected by the weight of the user, the compression spring for extending the combination may be in a top tube which can extend upward under the seat and increase the maximum length of extension.

Any of the various methods of operating the various clamping or fixing methods may be used together, for instance a bowden cable may be used to operate brake shoes.

The bottom end of the strut may have various readily changeable attachments; for instance a rubber pad, a flange with a spike for garden use, wheels for translational use.

An embodiment of an attachment using two wheels in tendem may be of the hobby horse type, the rear wheel being substantially in the same plane as the strut, and the seat, and the axis of the front forks; with the front wheel capable of being used in the castering regime when the front wheel axle is behind the pivot point of the front forks;; and when the front forks are turned through 180 degrees, with the front wheel axle in front of the pivot point of the front forks so that the geometry is similar to that of the normal bicycle.

A steering column may have a handle bar or handlebars, and may fit to or in the stem of the front forks so that it may be used at various angles to the front forks, and be easily removeablefor portability and stowage.

The frame of a tandem wheel type attachment may comprise a rear wheel fitted between the ends of two parallel tubeswhich incline upward to a front fork stem bearing means at such an angle to give working clearance for the front wheel to turn and rotate when it is used in the castering regime. The front fork stem bearing means may be slidable between and along the tubes, and fixable at the desired wheel base.

A seat strut attachment means, which in this case may replace the bottom part of the usual strut, may also be slidable between and along the tubes, and be fixable at any desired position, and the tube member of it which accepts the seat strut member may be angularly adjustable in the fore and aft plane and readily fixable at any desired angle for folding for stowage, and for weight distribution.

A bag may be attached to the seat back harness and to the strut for shopping, or the parts may be stowed in it for portability.

An embodiment for greater stability may use three wheels in a tricycle configuration. The frame may be substantially the same as in the tandem embodi ment except that the parallel tubes may be angled outward aft of the rearmost position for the seat strut attachment, with an axle through the ends of the tubes and two wheels fitted to it.

In another embodiment all three wheels may be castering.

Wheel braking may be fitted.

Claims (11)

1. A seat system comprising a seat which may be of the bicycle type attached to the user and with a strut extending downward.

2. A seat system according to the above claim wherein the user attachment means comprise a member attached to the rear of the seat and extending upward to which is connected abels for encircling the user and means for attaching the front of the belt to the front of the seat.

3. A seat system according to claim 2 which has shoulder harness means.

4. A seat system according to any preceeding claim in which the downward strut from the seat is moveable fore and aft, adjustable, and clampable in position.

5. A seat system according to any preceeding claim wherein the length of the strut is adjustable.

6. A seat system according to any preceeding claim wherein the length of the strut is controllable by the user.

7. A seat system according to any preceeding claim wherein the strut comprises on tube sliding within another.

8. A seat system according to any preceeding claim wherein the lower tube is square and the upper tube is round with formed lugs at its lower end to prevent relative rotation between the tubes, and wherein both tubes have mating holes and pins operated by the user.

9. A seat system according to any preceeding claim in which a compression spring is used to extend the strut tubes.

10. A seat system according to any preceeding claim in which various fittings can be used on the bottom of the strut.

11. A seat system according to any preceeding claim wherein the lower part of the strut haswheels fitted to it.