Patent Application
20160101006
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This disclosure relates to a lateral support assembly for attachment to a wheelchair.
Lateral supports can be attached to the back of a wheelchair in order to provide an individual seated in the wheelchair with improved support on the sides of his or her trunk or torso, for example, in order to align the trunk above the pelvis. Conventionally, each lateral support is affixed to the back of the wheelchair or on one of the vertically-extending canes of the wheelchair on opposing lateral sides of the user. From the point of connection to the chair, each support then extends forwardly and medially to a support pad at the free end of the support. This pad is positioned for abutment to a side of the user.
Often, the lateral support includes some type of adjustable bracket between the point of connection of the support to the chair and the free end having the pad. This bracket can permit for the pad to be spatially positioned relative to the connection point on the wheelchair so that the pad appropriately contacts and supports the specific user's body based on the shape and size of the body.
Because the function of the lateral support is primarily to provide support, most lateral supports having brackets are not very dynamic in their forms of adjustment. Usually, the bracket merely consists of a series of metal plates fastened to one another via various fastener components (for example, bolts and corresponding nut type elements) in order to fix the plates in position relative to one another. In some instances, the lateral support may also have a single releasable hinge point to permit the pad to temporarily swing distally outward to accommodate loading or unloading of a user into the chair.
In prior art lateral support structures, there have been relatively few degrees of adjustment. Typically, one plate or bracket might be adjusted relative to another plate or bracket for positioning of the pad relative to the seated individual's torso. In some structures, there might be a single hinged bracket or pivot axis in order to permit some of the bracket structure or all of the bracket structure to swing out.
Disclosed herein are improved lateral support assemblies with greater degrees of adjustment. According to one aspect, the improved lateral support assembly implements a variable-unit link connection system in which one or more links are chained together in order to establish a link sub-structure that connects a mounting portion of the lateral support assembly to a pad support portion of the lateral support assembly. The number of links can be variable, as well as the angles at which the link(s) is/are arranged relative to one another to provide for outstanding flexibility in the positioning of the pad relative to the mounting portion. According to another aspect, the disclosed lateral support assembly may include two swing-away joints such that either (1) the pad support portion may be pivoted relative to the link sub-assembly and connected mounting portion or (2) the pad support portion plus the link sub-assembly may be pivoted relative to at least a part of the mounting portion. Further, in some forms, the improved lateral support assembly combines a forwardly sliding adjustment in the mounting portion of the assembly with the variable link sub-structure (having variable numbers of links and a variable-angled adjustment link structure) to provide improved adjustability.
According to one aspect of the invention, a lateral support assembly is disclosed for attachment to a wheelchair. The lateral support assembly includes a mounting portion for attachment to the wheelchair, a pad support portion for attachment to a pad, and a link sub-assembly including one or more links that connect the mounting portion to the pad support portion via their respective connection ends. The mounting portion includes an attachment part, a hinged part, and a sliding part. The attachment part is adapted to be affixed to the wheelchair and the hinged part is connected to the attachment part and is selectively pivotable about a first rotational axis. The sliding part is connected to the hinged part and is selectively extendable relative to the hinged part to forwardly extend a first distal connection end of the sliding part away from the attachment part. The pad support portion includes a pad bracket coupled to a secondary housing in which the pad bracket is selectively pivotable about a second rotational axis. This secondary housing has a second distal connection end for connection to the link sub-assembly.
As some non-limiting examples, it is contemplated that the attachment part may be adapted to be directly mounted to the back of the wheelchair, may be adapted to be mounted to a track of the wheelchair, or may be adapted to be mounted to a cane of the wheelchair. In some forms, the attachment part may be fastened directly to the wheelchair; however it is contemplated that the attachment part may also include other forms of attachment such as, for example, a clamping mechanism.
In some forms, the mounting portion of the lateral support assembly may include a first quick-release mechanism and the pad support portion of the lateral support assembly may include a second quick-release mechanism. The first quick-release mechanism may selectively hold the mounting portion in a first locked position in which the hinged part is rotationally fixed relative to the attachment part until the first quick-release mechanism is activated. When the first quick-release mechanism is activated, the mounting portion may be released from the first locked position such that the hinged part is rotatable relative to the attachment part about the first axis of rotation. The second quick-release mechanism may selectively hold the pad support portion in a second locked position in which the pad bracket is rotationally fixed relative to the secondary housing until the second quick-release mechanism is activated. When the second quick-release mechanism is activated, the pad support portion may be released from the second locked position such that the pad bracket is rotatable relative to the secondary housing about the second axis of rotation. Because the lateral support assembly offers dual-swing away capability, the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation can be spaced apart from one another, but may also be parallel with one another.
In some of the specific forms of the quick release mechanisms, each of the quick-release mechanisms may include a locking key interposed between the respective parts to which the key lock (that is, the attachment part and the hinged part in the mounting portion and the secondary housing and the pad bracket in the pad support portion). Each of the locking keys may be movable between a seated position in which the respective parts are coupled together to prevent their rotation relative to one another and a released position in which the respective parts are pivotable relative to one another about their respective axis of rotation. Each quick-release mechanism may include a biasing spring that biases the locking key into the seated position and may further include a depressible button that is connected to the locking key and is depressible to overcome a biasing force of the biasing spring to move the locking key from the seated position to the released position. In the instance of the first quick-release mechanism, the first rotational axis may be parallel with and extend through the depressible button. However, in the instance of the second quick-release mechanism, the pad bracket and the secondary housing may have a pivot pin positioned therebetween that join the pad bracket and the secondary housing together in which the second axis of rotation extends through the pivot pin and a central axis of the depressible button is parallel with, but spaced from, the second axis of rotation (that is to say, the pivot pin may be offset from the depressible button of the second quick-release mechanism).
In terms of the number of links, there may only be a single link connecting the mounting portion to the pad support portion or there may be a plurality of links connecting the mounting portion to the pad support portion. If there is more than one link, then the links may be in series with one another.
In some forms of the lateral support assembly, the assembly may include a plurality of fasteners that selectively fix the link(s) in position relative to the first distal connection end of the sliding part of the mounting portion and that positionally fix the link(s) in position relative to the second distal connection end of the secondary housing of the pad support portion. These fasteners may further positionally fix a first link relative to a second link (that is to say, the various links may be fixed with respect to one another via the fasteners).
The links may connect to one another or to the distal connection ends in a number of different ways. In some forms, the link(s) may be formed to have a deformable clamping section having two opposing sides that, upon tightening by one of the plurality of fasteners, move the two opposing sides closer together. In other forms, the link(s) may include a serrated interface that contacts a serrated interface of another component (for example, another link or a distal connection end of the mounting portion or the pad support portion) to which the link(s) is/are joined so that, upon fastening, the serrated interfaces maintain a positional and/or angular alignment of the link(s) and the other component.
In some forms, the sliding part may be selectively fixed in place relative to the hinged part by a fastener (such as, for example, a set screw that is tightened to press the components together).
The lateral support assembly may also include the pad itself, which can be attached to the pad support portion and a pad mount, in particular. The pad bracket may include the pad mount for selective attachment to the pad and a connecting arm may connect the pad mount to the secondary housing. The connecting arm may have a ball joint on one end thereof that is clamped to the pad mount by a clamping plate and may further have a hinged joint on the other end thereof that is connected to the secondary housing by a pivot pin.
As noted above, these various structures can provide a lateral support assembly having outstanding adjustability including dual swing-away capability, forward-extendability via the sliding parts, and improved flexibility via the modular link sub-assembly.
These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows is merely a description of some preferred embodiments of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention, the claims should be looked to as these preferred embodiments are not intended to be the only embodiments within the scope of the claims.
Looking first at
The lateral support assembly 10 can be conceptually sub-divided into three portions including a mounting portion 14, a link sub-assembly 16, and a pad support portion 18. The elements of each of these portions and their connectivity to one another will now be separately described.
With additional reference to
The attachment part 20 is adapted to be fixedly connected to the wheelchair 12 by using bolts 26 or other fasteners. Although fasteners are illustrated as being used to connect the attachment part 20 to the wheelchair 12, it will be appreciated that various other forms of attachment including, for example, clamps or clamping mechanisms may be used to make this attachment instead.
In the form illustrated, the hinged part 22 is centrally received or nested in the attachment part 20 in a recessed channel or space between connected upper and lower segments of the attachment part 20 through which the mounting bolts 26 are secured. The attachment part 20 and the hinged part 22 are pivotally connected together by a first depressible button 28 having a shaft-like body that vertically extends through openings 30 in the attachment part 20 and through openings 32 in the hinged part 22 along a first axis of rotation A-A. The shaft-like body of the first depressible button 28 provides bearing surfaces that contact the openings 30 and 32 such that the body of the button 28 effectively acts as a pivot pin. It should be noted that this point of pivotal connection and the first axis of rotation A-A is at a rearward end of the mounting portion 14 such that, when the hinged part 22 rotates relative to the fixed attachment part 20, the hinged part 22 swings laterally outward from the chair 12 and slightly backwards.
The hinged part 22 has a grooved track 34 formed in it that extends horizontally in forward and backward directions. Oppositely facing rails 34 on the top and bottom edges of the sliding part 24 are received in the grooved track 34 such that the sliding part 24 can slide or move forward or backward relative to the hinged part 22. A screw 38 can be used, once the sliding part 38 is slid into the desired position with respect to the hinged part 33 to lock the two parts in place with respect to one another by engaging a threaded hole 40 in the hinged part 22 to clamp the sliding part 24 into place. This extension of the sliding part 24 relative to the hinged part 22 is illustrated in
The sliding part 24 has a first distal connection end 42 to which the link sub-assembly 16 is attached. In the particular form illustrated, the first distal connection end 42 includes a deformable clamping section having a looped opening 44 adjacent a split slot 46. By tightening a fastening screw 48, the split slot 46 can be narrowed to adjust the size of the average diameter of the looped opening 44. When a closely undersized shaft or pin is received in this looped opening 44 (by for example, threading a post or a pin 50 and capping it with a washer 52 and screw 54 to maintain the pin 50 it in place), this tightening can be used to close the looped opening 44 slightly to deform it and frictionally capture the undersized pin 50 in position.
At this point, the other components in the exploded view of
Briefly advancing forward to
The pad support portion 18 includes a pad bracket 72 which includes a pad mount 74 and a connecting arm 76. The connecting arm 76 has a ball joint 78 on one end thereof and a hinged joint 80 on the other end thereof. The ball joint 78 is clamped into a circular recess 82 on the pad mount 74 by a clamping plate 84 which is fastened to the pad mount 74 by a set of fasteners 86 to capture the ball joint 78 between the pad mount 74 and the clamping plate 84.
A pad 88 can be attached to the pad mount 74. In the form illustrated, the pad mount 74 has a pair of horizontally-extending slots 90 formed therein and there are a pair of corresponding mounting holes 92 on the back side of the pad 88. A pair of screws 94 extends through the back side of the pad mount 74, through the slots 90, and into the mounting holes 92 on the back of the pad 88. To fix the pad 88 in position on the pad mount 74, these screws 94 are tightened. If it is necessary to re-position the pad 88 relative to the pad mount 74, the screws 94 may be loosened, the location of the pad 88 may be adjusted relative to the pad mount 74 (likely in a direction of linear translation), and the screws 94 tightened back down. It will be appreciated that this form of pad attachment is only by way of example and other ways of pad attachment (for example, frictional, adhesive, magnetic, and other forms of mechanical attachment) are also contemplated.
The pad support portion 18 further includes a secondary housing 96. The secondary housing 96 is linked by a vertically-extending pivot pin 98 to the hinged joint 80 side of the connecting arm 76. This pivot pin 98 establishes a second axis of rotation B-B for the dual swing-away functionality. In the embodiment shown, the secondary housing 96 also includes a second distal connection end 100 having an upwardly extending post 102 that is adapted for connection to the link sub-assembly 16.
Further, the components for a second quick-release mechanism 104 (operation of which is detailed in
The second quick-release mechanism 104 differs slightly from the first quick-release mechanism 56 in that the slots 120 and 122 are both open to the bottom side and the second locking key 110 is placed into this open space. Thus, rather than having the key captured between an upper and lower surface of the two parts as in the first quick-release mechanism 56, the second locking key 110 in the second quick-release mechanism 104 is not confined on the bottom side. However, the second locking key 110 does not fall out because it is threaded to the second depressible button 106.
Now turning to
Each of these connecting ends 128 and 130 have a deformable looped opening in a manner similar to the first distal connection end 42 on the sliding part 24. Again, fasteners, such as fasteners 132 can be tightened to reduce the average diameter of the deformable looped opening to grip a slightly undersized shaft or pin received therein.
Still referring to
With forward reference being made to
It will be appreciated that the various connecting ends may have a style or arrangement different from that illustrated in the first embodiment. For example, a post might be disposed on the first distal connection end on a sliding part, while a looped opening might be formed on the second distal connection end of a secondary housing. In this example, the respective types of terminal ends on the link sub-assembly may be reversed to reflect to alteration.
Further, it is contemplated that the link sub-assembly and the connecting system may have an entirely different form than the pin and compressive loop type connections that are illustrated in the first exemplary embodiment. With forward reference to
Turning now to
In
In order to unlock the first quick release mechanism 56, the first depressible button 28 is pressed and displaced downwards along axis A-A. This causes the attached first locking key 58 to be forced downwards entirely into the slot 64 of the attachment part 20 and to be removed from the slot 62 in the hinged part 22. In this released position, the first locking key 58 does not interfere with or block the rotation of the hinged part 22 about the attachment part 20.
With the first quick-release mechanism 56 in the released position due to the depression of the button 28, the lateral support assembly 10 is able to rotate about axis A-A relative to the attachment part 20 as illustrated in
Turning now to
The general principle of operation of the second quick-release mechanism 104 is similar to that of the first quick-release mechanism 56 in that, in the locked position illustrated in
In
It should be appreciated that
Further, it will be appreciated that the pad bracket might be a single piece as illustrated in
Thus, a dual-swing away construction is illustrated in which the pad 88 can be swung away from the user in multiple ways for maximum control in access. Further, as described above, this lateral support assembly 10 possesses exceptional flexibility in that the link sub-assembly 16 is highly flexible in positioning and length. Still further, the forward motion of sliding part 24 presents yet another dimension of adjustment.
It should be appreciated that various other modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced.
