GB2224980A

GB2224980A - A wheelchair

Info

Publication number: GB2224980A
Application number: GB8826113A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter James Rae Bradshaw
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-08
Filing date: 1988-11-08
Publication date: 1990-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-08
Also published as: AU625100B2; AU4446489A; GB8826113D0; GB2224980B

Abstract

A wheelchair, which is suitable for use on a bowling green without causing damage to the surface of the green, has one or more of the following features: (a) a main frame (1) intended to lie in a generally horizontal plane and a plurality of major wheels 76 which support the main frame, the major wheels being mounted inboard of the main frame; (b) mounted rearwardly of the plurality of major wheels, one or more minor, preferably castor wheels (47); (c) each major wheel has a width, as measured in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, of at least 5 inches; and (d) each major wheel has a wide external circumferential contact surface which is devoid of tread. The wheelchair frame has right and left side frames 6, 7 which are downwardly foldable by pivoting and are maintained in an upright position by struts 18, 19 and 23, 24. The major wheels comprise two discs 65, 68 and a flexible elongate track 72; grooves 73, 74 in the track locate the discs and the track can be secured in position around the disc using fastener 75, which is accessible through one of the holes in the discs. A handwheel 71 is provided on the disc 68. The wheelchair is dismantlable and the component parts transported on a castored carriage. <IMAGE>

Description

A WHEELCIULIR This invention relates to a wheelchair.

Conventional wheelchairs have a main frame with the major wheels located externally of the frame. As the major wheels are located externally of the frame they tend to be rather narrow. Also, the two major wheels of a conventional wheelchair rotate about an axis which is located in a rearward portion of the wheelchair, with support in a forward region of the wheelchair being provided by two spaced-apart relatively small castors.

A large number of disabled people who need to use a wheelchair for mobility find that a conventional wheelchair is unsatisfactory on grass, for several reasons. Firstly, if the grass is rather damp, there is a tendency for a relatively narrow main wheels and castors to sink into the grass, thus making progress difficult; secondly, conventional wheelchairs would not be allowed on a surface such as a bowling green where it is vital that the surface remains as smooth as possible, because the narrow wheels of a conventional wheelchair would tend to form grooves which could adversely affect the path followed by the woods.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair having a main frame intended to lie in a generally horizontal plane, and a plurality of major wheels which support the main frame, the major wheels being mounted inboard of the main frame.

By mounting the major wheels inboard of the main frame the wheels can be made much wider than those of a conventional wheelchair without making the wheelchair excessively wide, thereby greatly reducing the tendency of the wheels of the wheelchair to dig into soft grass.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels rotatable about a transverse axis, and mounted rearwardly thereof, as one or more minor wheel, one or more castor. Preferably there is but a single castor mounted on the fore and aft centre line of the wheelchair. A wheelchair in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention preferably has a footrest capable, when the occupant of the wheelchair causes the wheelchair to rotate forwardly about the transverse axis, of engaging the ground so as to act as a stop and a brake.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels, each having a width, as measured in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, of at least 5 inches.

Preferably there are two major wheels and each has a width of about 6 inches (15 cm), more preferably about 7 inches (17.5 cm). A wheelchair having two wheels each having a width of 7 inches (17.5 cm) has very little tendency to damage the grass on a bowling green.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels, each having a wide external circumferential contact surface which is devoid of tread.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair in accordance with the first and second aspects of the present invention.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first and third aspects of the present invention.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the second and third aspects of the present invention.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the third and fourth aspects of the present inventions.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first, second and third aspects of the present invention.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first, second and fourth aspects of the present invention.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first, third and fourth aspects of the present invention.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the second, third and fourth aspects of the present invention.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair according to the first, second, third and fourth aspects of the present invention.

The wheelchair according to the present invention could be constructed in such a way that, once assembled, it is intended that the wheelchair should be left in the fully assembled condition although, because of the wide wheels present in a wheelchair in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, the assembled wheelchair can be rather bulky. Nonetheless, a permanently assembled wheelchair of this nature could be left at a club house of a bowling club and a disabled member could transfer from a vehicle to the club house by means of a conventional collapsible wheelchair but then, once at the club house, transfer to the wheelchair in accordance with the present invention, which would allow him to travel onto the green and to move from one end of the green to the other and back again, as play takes place.

Where, however, a person wishes to take a wheelchair in accordance with the invention from one site to another, for example from one bowling club to another, it is preferable for the wheelchair in accordance with the present invention to be collapsible and readily transportable, and capable of being reassembled at the next site.

With regard to any wheelchair which is in accordance with the present invention and is collapsible, conveniently the main frame is generally rectangular in plan (apart from any possible rounded corner regions), and conveniently there are two side frames which are pivotally mounted with respect to the main frame and which, when in the upright position, can be braced in that position by stays.

The side frames can be provided with first fixing means to enable a seat portion to be fixed between the side frames and over the wheels, and can be provided with second fixing means to allow a back portion (to support the back of an occupant) to extend between the two side frames. The side frames preferably include components which serve as arm rests.

There can be provided at the mid-point along the rear part of the main frame a mounting point, to allow a single relatively small castor to be mounted at that point.

The wheelchair can have provision for a footrest to be provided in a lower front region of the wheelchair; in fact, a convenient arrangement is that wherein the metal support components for the footrest are connected to the side frames when the latter are in the upright position.

It will be appreciated that, where the major wheels are wide, for example where each wheel has a width of 7 inches (17.5 cm), the volume occupied by a wheels will be large, which can cause transportation problems. However, this problem can be overcome by a particular construction of wheel, which constitutes a sixteenth aspect of the present invention. Such a wheel has a first disc having a circular circumference, a second disc having a circular circumference, a flexible elongate, wide track component having along its length two parallel grooves capable of accommodating the peripheral regions of the discs, and, in the opposing end regions of the track, connection means to secure the opposite ends adjacent to each other with the track adopting a circular configuration of such circumference as to prevent the escape of the discs from the two grooves. The two discs can be thought of as an inner disc and an outer disc, and the outer disc can be provided with a handwheel which will also be mounted inboard of the main frame. The two wheels, with the two inner discs nearest to each other, can be mounted on a common axle which extends transversely and is joined at its outer end regions to the main frame.

For the sake of lightness, certain regions of the discs away from the centre and away from the periphery can be removed.

With regard to the fixing of the axle to the main frame, this can be done at specific points on two opposed side regions of the main frame; alternatively, there can be provision for the axle to be located at different positions along the fore and aft side members of the main frame, depending perhaps on the size or weight of the intended occupant of the wheelchair and on the diameter of the wheels.

Conveniently the components of the wheelchair in dismantled condition can be transported on a carriage having its own castors. Accordingly, a seventeenth aspect of the present invention provides a carriage having its own small wheels or castors and, mounted on the carriage, the components of a wheelchair in accordance with any one of the first to fifteenth aspects of the present invention, the major wheels of the wheelchair being in accordance with the sixteenth aspect of the present invention.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a collapsible wheelchair in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a view towards the left side of the wheel chair shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view towards the front of the main frame of the wheelchair of Figure 1, showing the right side frame erected and the left side frame still in the collapsed position; Figure 4 is a view towards the front of the main frame shown in Figure 3, with both side frames erected, and also showing the relationship between the main frame and the wheels and axle; Figure 5 is a view of part of the right side frame of the wheelchair of Figure 1 and of the seat;; Figure 6 is a perspective view towards the rear of the main frame of the wheelchair of Figure 1, showing the rear of the left and right side frames and showing part of the back of the chair and the rear castor; Figure 7 is a view on an enlarged scale of the rear castor and the way in which it is secured to the main frame; Figure 8 is a view towards the front of the main frame, showing the footrest prior to attachment to part of the side frames; Figure 8 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the T-bar shown in Figure 4; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the left wheel, in exploded form; and Figure 10 is a perspective view, again in exploded form, of the axle, major wheels and spaces.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is shown a main frame indicated by the reference numeral 1. The main frame lies in a generally horizontal plane and has a front member 2, left side member 3, rear member 4 and right side member 5 disposed around the sides of a rectangle, the corners between adjacent members being slightly rounded.

The terms "left" and "right" are used herein in the sense of the view of the occupant of the wheelchair.

Associated with, and pivotally connected to, the main frame 1 is a left side frame 6 and a right side frame 7. The left side frame 6 has a rear upright member 8 which leads to top member 9 which, in turn, leads to a front upright member 10. Similarly, the right side frame 7 has a rear upright member 11 which leads to a top member 12 which, in turn, leads to a front upright member 13. It should be noted that the word "upright" is not limited to vertical, but implies being either vertical or more inclined to the vertical than to the horizontal, when the wheelchair is fully assembled.

On the rear member 4 of the main frame 1 are two spaced apart pivot points 14 and 15, and on the front member 2 of the main frame 1 are two further pivot points 16 and 17.

The rear upright member 8 of the left side frame 6 is pivotally mounted at the pivot point 14 to the rear member 4, and the front upright member 10 of the same (left) side frame 6 is pivotally mounted at the pivot point 17 to the front member 2. Similarly, the rear upright member 11 of the right side frame 7 is pivotally mounted at the pivot point 15 to the rear member 4, and the front upright member 13 of the same side frame 7 is pivotally mounted at the pivot point 16 to the front member 2. Figure 3 shows a partially assembled condition in which the right side frame 7 is erected, whereas the left side frame 6 is still in the collapsed position.

For the purposes of bracing the left side frame 6 there is provided a lower strip 18 pivotally connected at its lower end region to the pivot point 16 and pivotally connected at its other end region to one end region of an upper strip 19 which at its other end region is pivotally mounted at a pivot point 20 to the front upright member 10. The pivotal connection 21 between the lower and upper strips 18 and 19 additionally serves as a stop for limiting downward travel of a slide 22 which, when overlapping both the lower and upper strips 18 and 19, keeps those strips in a generally rectilinear condition, thereby preventing any collapsing of the left side frame 6.

Similarly, for the purpose of bracing the right side frame 7, there is provided a lower strip 23 pivotally mounted at its lower end region to the pivot point 17 and pivotally mounted at its upper end region to one end region of an upper strip 24 which at its other end region is pivotally mounted at a pivot 25 to the front upright member 13 of the right side frame 7.

The pivotal connection 26 between the lower and upper members 23 and 24 additionally serves as a stop to limit downward movement of a slide 27 which functions in the same way as the slide 22.

The top member 9 of the left side frame 6 is provided with an arm pad 28, and the top member 12 of the right side frame 7 is provided with an arm pad 29, for the comfort of the occupant of the wheelchair.

As can be seen in Figure 5, the seat takes the form of a right tube 30 and a left tube 31 intended to be parallel to the right tube 30. Extending between the two tubes 30 and 31 is a fabric panel 32. On the rear upright member 11 of the right side frame 7 is a socket 33 and on the front upright member 13 of the right side frame 7 is a cup 34. A similar socket 35 and cup 35 are provided on the rear upright member 8 and front upright member 10, respectively, of the left side frame 6.

To locate the seat, the rear end of the tube 30 is pushed into the socket 33 and the front end region of the tube 30 is dropped into the upwardly opening cup 34. Similarly, the rear end region of the tube 31 is pushed into the socket 35 and the front end region of the tube 31 is dropped into the upwardly open cup 36.

The panel 32 is of such a dimension that, with the tubes 30 and 31 correctly located in the manner described, the panel 32 is taut.

As can be seen in Figure 6, the back of the wheelchair takes the form of four tubular members, namely a left upright member 37, a top member 38, a right upright member 39 and a lower spacer 40; also, extending between the left and right uprights 37 and 39 is a fabric panel 41.

Provided on the rear upright member 8 of the left side frame 6 is a cup 42 and provided on the rear upright member 11 of the right side frame 7 is a cup 43. The lowermost portions of the left and right uprights 37 and 39 of the back are angled such that they are parallel and can be located in the cups 42 and 43 respectively, so as to secure the back in position.

As can be most clearly seen in Figure 7, in the mid-point of the rear member 4 of the main frame 1 is a bearing 44 for receiving a castor. The castor takes the form of a shaft 45 which leads into an axle 46 on which is rotatably mounted a wheel 47 (which is to act as the castor). An upper end region of the shaft 45 has a hole 48 such that, with the shaft 45 located in the bearing 44, the hole 48 is just above the top of the bearing 44 and accidental removal of the shaft 45 from the bearing 44 is prevented by a pin 49 which passes through the hole 48.

As is most clearly seen in Figure 8, the wheelchair is provided with a footrest which is constituted by parallel left and right arcuate members 50 and 51 which are secured to opposite end regions of a panel 52 and which are also held spaced apart by a brace 53 (shown in Figure 2). Near the upper end of the left arcuate member 50 is a hole 54 and near the upper end of the right arcuate member 51 is a hole 55.

The lowermost portions of the front upright members 10 and 13 of the left and right side frames 6 and 7 are of slight reduced diameter such that they can enter the tubular arcuate members 50 and 51, respectively. The reduced diameter lowermost regions of the front upright members 10 and 13 are provided with spring pins 56 and 57, respectively. To attach the footrest, the reduced diameter regions of the front upright members 10 and 13 are introduced into the arcuate members 50 and 51, respectively, and, with the pins 56 and 57 depressed, are pushed fully home, whereupon the spring pins 56 and 57 align themselves with the holes 54 and 55 and become located in those holes so as to secure the footrest in position.

Instead of having spring pins 56 and 57 as shown in Figure 8, it is possible to have some other pin arrangement such as that shown as 56A in Figure 2.

As can be seen most clearly from Figures 2, 4 and 9 of the drawings, there are located below the left side member 3 and right side member 5 of the main frame 1 a left T-bar 58 and a right T-bar 59, respectively, the bars running parallel to the side members to which they are secured (for example by welding or by nuts and bolts). The upright portion of each of the T-bars 58 and 59 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart holes 60. Intended to be positioned between the upright portions of the T-bars 58 and 59 is an axle 61 (shown slightly enlarged in Figure 4). The axle is provided with two spaced-apart stops 62 to keep the wheels spaced apart, these stops being shown in Figure 11.With the opposite ends of the axle 61 located beside respective holes 60 in the T-bars 58 and 59, the axle 61 can be secured in position by the use of a left pin 63 and a right pin 64 which pass through the upright portions of the T-bars 58 and 59 and are secured within the interior of the opposite end regions of the axle 61.

However, before the axle is secured in place it was necessary to locate wheels on the axle. The left major wheel is shown, in exploded form, in Figure 10.

The left wheel includes a circular inner disc 65 having a central bearing 66 and having four holes 67 to reduce its weight. The left wheel also has a circular disc 68 having a central bearing 69 and weight-reducing holes 70. Additionally, mounted on the exterior face of the outer disc 68 is a handwheel 71. Also forming part of the left wheel is a elongate track 72 which is provided with two parallel grooves 73 and 74 for accommodating, respectively, the peripheral regions of the inner disc 65 and outer disc 68.The elongate member is also provided with a fastening 75 such that, when the discs 65 and 68 are located in the grooves 73 and 74 respectively, the fastening 75 may be actuated so that the opposite ends of the elongate track 72 are brought into juxtaposition and secured in that position, with the track 72 then having a circular configuration and the discs 65 and 68 being prevented from removal by virtue of their location within the grooves 73 and 74 respectively. The fastening 75 is on the internal face of the track 72 when the latter is in the circular configuration and can be actuated by reaching in through one of the holes 67 or 70.

In Figure 11 the left wheel, shown in Figure 10 in exploded form, is shown in completed form, and also shown in Figure 11 is a completed right wheel 76 having its own track 77 and right handwheel 78. The two wheels are mounted, through their bearings (66 and 69, in the case of the left wheel), on opposite regions of the axle 61 until the bearings on the inner discs abut the stops 62. There are then mounted, externally of the two major wheels, two tubular spaces 79 and 80.

These are also shown in Figure 4.

The axle 61 with the wheels and spaces located thereon is then offered up to the two T-bars 58 and 59 and located in position by use of the pins 63 and 64.

The wheelchair is now in a fully assembled form.

Although the components of the wheelchair and their assembly have been described above in one particular order, it will readily be appreciated that different components can be attached to the main frame 1 or side frames 6 and 7 in an order different to that indicated above. It will also be appreciated that, when the time comes to dismantle the wheelchair, the components can be removed or collapsed in an order different from the reverse of the order used in their assembly.

After the wheelchair illustrated in the drawings has been dismantled, all of the components can be put onto a small carrier provided with its own castors to assist in the easy transportation of the wheelchair in dismantled form from one location to another.

With the wheelchair in fully assembled form, it can be used by a person wishing to move around on grass without damaging the surface of the grass, by virtue of the particularly wide wheels. Also, if the person in the wheelchair wishes to play a game such as bowls, he or she need only lean forward slightly and this will have the effect of the footrest then abutting the ground so as to act as a brake and a stop, thereby providing a secure base from which the wheelchair occupant can bowl a wood. Similar considerations apply for other activities, such as angling or archery.

Although most conventional wheelchairs have tyres bearing a tread so as to grip on slippery or inclined surfaces, the two major wheels and the castor of the wheelchair illustrated in the drawings deliberately have a smooth circumferential contact surface so that, as the wheelchair is being rotated on grass, rotation can be effected without too much resistance by virtue of the tendency of the smooth surfaces to slide, thereby minimising any possible damage to the grass.

If it is wished for the wheelchair to be used with a smaller than usual occupant, this would be possible by using major wheels of smaller diameter and reducing the upright lengths of the arcuate members 50 and 51 and of the shaft 54. However, the main frame 1, the side frames 6 and 7, the seat and the back could all remain unaltered.

Claims

1. A wheelchair having a main frame intended to lie in a generally horizontal plane, and a plurality of major wheels which support the main frame, the major wheels being mounted inboard of the main frame.

2. A wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels rotatable about a transverse axis, and mounted rearwardly thereof, as one or more minor wheel, one or more castor.

3. A wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein there is a single castor mounted on the fore and aft centre line of the wheelchair.

4. A wheelchair according to claim 2 or 3, which also includes a footrest capable, when the occupant of the wheelchair causes the wheelchair to rotate forwardly about the transverse axis, of engaging the ground so as to act as a stop and a brake.

5. A wheelchair according to any one of claims 2 to 4, which also is in accordance with claim 1.

6. A wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels, each having a width, as measured in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, of at least 5 inches (12.5 cm).

7. A wheelchair according to claim 6, which has two major wheels, with each wheel having a width of about 6 inches (15 cm).

8. A wheelchair according to claim 6, which has two major wheels, with each having a width of about 7 inches (17.5 cm).

9. A wheelchair as claimed in claim 6, 7 or 8, which is also in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. A wheelchair having a plurality of major wheels, each having a wide external circumferential contact surface which is devoid of thread.

11. A wheelchair according to claim 10, which is also in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which can be dismantled to make it readily transportable.

13. A wheelchair according to claim 12, which includes a main frame which is generally rectangular in plan, and two side frames which are pivotally mounted with respect to the main frame and which, when in the upright position, can be braced in that position by stays.

14. A wheelchair according to claim 13, wherein the side frames are provided with first fixing means to enable a seat portion to be fixed between the side frames and over the wheels, and are provided with second fixing means to allow a back portion (intended to support the back of an occupant) to extend between the two side frames.

15. A wheelchair according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the side frames include components which serve as armrests.

16. A wheelchair according to claim 13, 14 or 15, which includes at a mid-point along the rear part of the main frame a mounting point, to allow a single relatively small castor to be mounted at that point.

17. A wheelchair according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the side frames hae provision, when in the upright position, to support metal support components for the footrest.

18. A wheelchair according to any one of the claims 12 to 17, wherein each of the major wheels has a first disc having a circular circumference, a second disc having a circular circumference, a flexible elongate wide track component having along its length two parallel grooves capable of accommodating the peripheral regions of the discs, and, in the opposing end regions of the track, connection means to secure the opposite ends adjacent to each other with the track adopting a circular configuration of such circumference as to prevent the escape of the discs from the two grooves.

19. A wheelchair according to claim 18, which has two major wheels, both mounted on a common axle which extends transversely and is joined at its outer end regions to the main frame.

20. A wheel of assemblable and dismantlable form, which comprises a first disc having a circular circumference, a second disc having a circular circumference, a flexible elongate wide track component having along its length two parallel grooves capable of accommodating the peripheral regions of the discs, and, in the opposing end regions of the track, connection means to secure the opposite ends adjacent to each other with the track adopting a circular configuration of such circumference as to prevent the escape of the discs from the two grooves.

21. A wheel according to claim 20, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A wheelchair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A carriage for transporting a wheelchair as claimed in any one of the claims 12 to 19, the carriage being provided with its own small wheels or castors and being capable of carrying the dismantled components of the wheelchair.