US3167350A

US3167350A - Rocking wheel chair

Info

Publication number: US3167350A
Application number: US234988A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louise A Kiel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-02
Filing date: 1962-11-02
Publication date: 1965-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 1982-01-26

Description

Jan. 26, 1965 A. KIEL 3,

ROCKING WHEEL CHAIR Filed Nov. 2, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG] INVENTOR.

LOUISE A. KIEL N ATTORNEY wlllll'lll Jan. 26, 1965 L. A. KlEL 3,167,350

ROCKING WHEEL CHAIR Filed Nov. 2, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

LOUISE A. KIEL g MZZ Mmzz ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,167,356 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 3,167,350 ROCKING WHEEL CHAIR Louise A. Kiel, 815 S. th Ave. W., Newton, Iowa Filed Nov. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 234,988 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-267) The present invention relates to an improved wheel chair for invalids and, more particularly, to a wheel chair having a body supporting portion which is rockably mounted relative to the supporting portion of the chair.

. It is an object of the present invention to produce a wheel chair having a rockable body supporting portion.

Another object of the invention is to produce a rocking wheel chair which may be readily and economically manufactured.

The objects of the invention may be achieved by an invalid wheel chair comprising a base, ground engaging wheel means rotatably mounted to the base, body supporting means, and rocking mechanism interconnecting the body supporting means at the base, permitting the base to rock to and fro relative to said base.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in connection with the attached drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an embodiment of the invention with parts partially broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure involved;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the invention taken along line 22 of'FIG. 1;

, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the invention taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

7 FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the invention taken along line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the invention illustrating the mechanism for militating against any relative movement between the body supporting portion of the chair and the base.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an invalid wheel chair embodying the features of the invention which comprises a base frame having a pair of parallel spaced horizontally extending side rail members and 12. The

rail members

10 and 12 are provided with vertically extending rod members 14. The upper portions of the upstanding rod members 14 are provided with horizontally extending sections which are adapted to receive handle grips 16.

Cross brace members 18 and 20 extend in parallel relationship to one another between the

side rails

10 and 12. The brace members 18 and 20 have a substantially fiat intermediate section for supporting the seat portion of the wheel chair as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

A further cross brace member 22 extends between the

side rail members

10 and 12, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The

side rail members

10 and 12 are provided with

upstanding elements

24 and 26, respectively, which at their upper ends have journal or bearing means for rotatably supporting associated drive wheels W.

At the forward end of each of the

side rails

10 and 12,

theer is an upwardly and forwardly extending curved brace member 28 and 30, respectively. On the leading ends of each of brace members 28 and 30, there is one end of a horizontal member 32 and 34, respectively. The opposite ends of the horizontal members 32 and 34 are secured to the

upstanding elements

24 and 26, respectively.

The leading ends of the horizontal members 32 and 34 extend slightly beyond the forward ends of their respective curved brace members 28 and 30 and are adapted to support a yoke member 36 which is rotatable about a vertical axis. A caster wheel 38 is mounted for rotation between the arms of the yoke member 36. As in conventional invalid wheel chair construction, there is typically a caster wheel for each side of the structure, although only a single one is visible in FIG. 1.

It will be understood that the frame assembly of the wheel chair is preferably formed of tubular metal stock and is secured together at the junction points by welding. However, other types of construction may be employed with equally satisfactory results.

The body supporting portion of the wheel chair assembly comprises a seat generally indicated at 40, a back generally indicated at 60, and arm rests 62. The seat 40 consists of downwardly depending

side walls

41, 42, 43, and 44, and a horizontally disposed padded seat 45. The body supporting portion of the wheel chair assembly is mounted on the frame assembly by means of a base member 46 which is secured to the cross brace members 18 and 20 by suitable means such as threaded fasteners 47. A pair of base rocker members 48 is secured to the upper surface of opposite end portions of the base member 46, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 2. A pair of cooperating rocker members 49 are fastened to the inner surface of the downwardly depending

side walls

42 and 44 by any suitable means such as, for example, threaded fasteners 51, illustrated in FIG. 1. The lower curved surface of the rocker members 49 cooperate and rest on the upper curved surface of the base rocker member 48. The seat portion 45 is maintained in a normal position wherein the forward end thereof is slightly higher than the rear end by a pair of helical springs 52, one pair for each pair of cooperating

rocker members

48 and 49. The springs 52 are between cooperating flanges 53 and 54. The flanges 53 are suitably secured to the base rocker members 48, while the flanges 54 are similarly suitably secured to the rocker members 49 through cut-away portions of the base member 46. The above-defined structure enables relative rocking movement of the body supporting portion of the wheel chair with respect to the frame assembly.

The wheel chair is further provided two separate foot and/ or leg rest assemblies. A lower foot rest assembly is comprised of a pair of parallel spaced guides 64 and 66 mounted at the front ends by linkages 68 and 70 which depend downwardly from a frame member 72. The rear ends of the guides 64 and 66 are secured to the cross brace member 22. A sliding support panel 74 is adapted to have its marginal side edges supported by and to slide with the guides 64 and 66. A stop 76 is fastened to the forward end of the panel 74 and is effective to stop the inward movement of the panel 74 when it is in an inoperative position fully inserted within the guides 64 and 66. Also, the stop 76 provides an enlarged section which may be readily grasped to pull the panel 74 into an operative position. An upper foot and/or rest assembly is comprised of a pair of parallel spaced

guides

78 and 80 suitably secured within the zone defined by the

sides

41, 42, 43, and 44 at an angle to the horizontal. A sliding support panel 82 is adapted to have its marginal edges supported by and to slide on the

guides

78 and 80. The panel 82 slides through a suitable aperture formed in the side wall 41 of the seat to an operative position. When the panel 82 is fully inserted with the

guides

78 and 80, the rear edge of the panel contacts the inner surface of the side wall 43. In the event it is desired to employ a longer panel than that illustrated in FIG. 3, the wall 43 is provided with an aperture to allow the rear end of the panel to slide therethrough enabling the opposite end of the panel to be flush with the outer surface of the side wall 41. It must be understood that the

guides

78 and 80 are close enough together to provide suiiicient frictional engagement with the side edges of the panel 82 to militate against the panel 82 accidentally sliding out of the guides. Further, it will ventional wheel chairs.

. be understood that there are instances where it will b desired tohave the upper-surface of the panel 82 padded to provide a cushioned surface for supporting the users feet and-legs.

I Brake means 84 are mounted to pivot about afpoint 86 suitably secured to thefframe assembly. The brake means 1 84 may'be of any of the conventional types having apertion such as at 88'to frictionally engage the drivewheel W I to elfectively brake the "wheel chair. A'similar brake assembly maybe used for, each of'the drive wheels W;

With reference to FIG. 5, thereis shown the mechanism,

- ically illustratedand described, V

for effectively preventing any rocking movement of the I 1 body supporting portion of the wheel chair relative to the frame assembly. More specifically, an upstanding arm 90 ispivotally mounted'onthe horizontal member 34. A

helical spring 92 interconnecting the arm 90 and a bracket" 94 biasesthe arm 90 in a direction tending tomaintain the arm 90, in anfunlatchedposition relative to latch ,96 mounted on the outer surface of the side wall 44 of the seat; By moving the arm '90 into latching engagement with the latch 96, theseat and the frame assembly become positively locked. When'the arm 90 is moved to an unlatched position, the helical springs 52 cause the seat to assume a center positiontwith the front portion of the" seatslightly higher thanthe back thereof. In this position, the occupant of the wheel chair may readily effect a rocking movement of the body supporting portion of the chair by merely slightlyjshifting the upper portion of his torso. t V v I The rocker members 48 and 49-have been illustrated as each having curved mating surfaces. However, it should be understood thata slower rocking action of the body supporting portion 40 of the wheel chair maybe effected by making only a single one of the mating surfaces curved;' while the other would be substantially flat. For example,

supporting meansincludinga seat portion and a back por-- tion, spring centering rocking mechanism interconnectingthe seatportion of said body supporting means and said base, said rocking mechanismnincluding at least a-pair of;

cooperating curved surface elements, one of said elements connected ,tosaid baseiand the othereof said elementscom I nected to said body supporting means permitting s aid base to 'rock to and fro relative tosaid vbas e;;locking means for selectively locking 'and unlocking; said-body supporting means-to saidbase, a footrstslidablycarried by the seat portion and movable between aconcealed position within the seatportion and a, projecting active position, and a further foot restslid'ably carried by the base portion and movable between a concealed position within the base portionanda projecting active position.

desired rocking action may be achieved by forming the top surfaces of the base'rockermembers 48 as flat, while:

the mating surfaces of the cooperating rocking members 49 are curved as shown in the drawings. 7 A- wheel chair manufacturedin accordance with the foregoing description has many advantages over the con- Among the advantages of the. rocking wheel chair construction is that'an occupant will be able to easily obtain some exercise of his otherwise immobile body and enable an occupant to occupy the chair:

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES. PATENTS v Re. 8,92'4 10/77 9- Brada -2 297-265 166,698 8/75 Hildreth 297-267 247,847 10/81 Odell 297-261 665,005 a 1/01 Harmon 297-269 X 917,184 4/09' Tate 297-430 961,389 6/10- Walker "29 7-267 1,277,886 9/18 Elliman 297-430 X 2,606,594 8/52 Calderneyer' 297-269 2,609,864 '9/52- Gates 297-430 X 2,623,220 12/52 Voce 5-106 I FOREIGN PATENTS,"

1246,9 39 .11/47 Switzerland. 3 FRANK B. SHERRY,*Primary, Examiner.

CHANCELLQR' E. HARRIS, Examiner,