For many, the wheelchair is the essential means of mobility and permits the occupant to perform common activities that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, such as navigating about one's own home, tending to outdoor chores or pleasures, attending public gatherings, shopping at a physical store location, joining family and friends, and simply escaping the confines of one's own home. Those with extreme disability or compromised motor function typically require substantial assistance. Thus, the wheelchair serves as the principal enabler of independent or assisted mobility depending on the degree of disability, permanent or temporary. Whereas the wheelchair has traditionally been viewed as a device that irnparts limits or boundaries to the occupant, recent advances in vwheelchair design, materials and technology coupled with improved accessibility standards and progressive attitudes regarding wheelchair access have elevated the wheelchair as a tool that facilitates health, personal enjoyment and a degree of independence and freedom.
In most cases, physicians and other clinicians direct their patients to engage in the use of wheelchairs for daily mobility in an effort to improve the physical, mental and social activity that most often leads to an improvement in overall well-being. Based on the patient's range of physical abilities, the emphasis on wheelchair use should be driven by the combination of independence and safety of the wheelchair occupant. The features of any particular wheelchair ideally match the needs driven by the daily activities of the patient inside and/or outside of the home. This latter consideration is where most wheelchairs fall short in their promise to deliver independence and mobility, when the tandem of wheelchair and occupant venture outside the controlled environment of the home, nursing care unit or similar venue, and move outside into the neighborhood or surrounding community. It is here where a caregiver is often required to negotiate the challenges of the outdoor or unfamiliar environment or terrain. Prior and ongoing efforts have attempted to develop adaptive wheelchairs that adjust to both the wheelchair occupant and the caretaker, who is often a spouse or relative who may be elderly, has physical limitations of their own, or be of a stature where “one size doesn't fit all”. The ease and simplicity with which a wheelchair can be adjusted to keep the occupant both comfortably and safely seated during this process of reconfiguration has yet to be satisfactorily addressed at a price point that most consumers or insurance carriers are willing or able to pay. In addition, rarely are the ergonomics addressed from the position of the caretaker. When used under demanding environments or in repetitive, long-term caregiving regardless of the environment, it may be the caregiver behind the wheelchair who encounters the greatest risk for injury or stress to joints and muscles due to poorly designed or statically positioned features characteristic of most wheelchairs.
Most affordable, current manual wheelchairs have a stationary 90-degree angle chair. Most wheelchair occupants have a difficult time or express discomfort of the spine and lower back when sustaining that position for more than 30 minutes. Safety is also an issue when seated at the 90-degree angle because the start and stop motion often jars the occupant making them feel like they are going to fall out of the front of the wheelchair. Other, more expensive wheelchair models that recline do so in a way that only the back of the chair pivots or tilts backwards, but the seat remains stationary, so the occupant tends to slide toward the front of the seat. Some customized, very expensive models have a sledding or hinge mechanism that tilts both the back and seat of the chair as a unit but due to the additional framing, hardware and design, these chairs are heavy and beyond the economic reach of most individuals or families looking to purchase or lease a wheelchair. In addition, when current manual wheelchairs are tilted, the handles, which are attached to the seat back frame, are lowered to a position that renders them useless or at best, cumbersome to use for the caregiver.
A wheelchair which affords the ability to safely and stably rotate the seating area from an upright to a more tilted position while maintaining the angle between the seat and backrest, and while providing for ergonomically correct handle positions whether the seating area is upright or tilted, would represent an important advance in the art.
According to one aspect of the invention, a manual wheelchair for the transport of an individual in a seated position is provided, including: a frame comprising a first external frame element and a second external frame element; a first front and a first rear wheel rotatably coupled to the first external frame element, and a second front and a second rear wheel rotatably coupled to the second external frame element; a first push handle coupled to the first external frame element, and a second push handle coupled to the second external frame element, each of the first and second push handles useful for an aide to push or pull the wheelchair; a seating area comprising a backrest and a seat formed between a first internal frame element and a second internal frame element, each of the first and second internal frame elements comprising a rigid element bent or formed with a substantially identical fixed angle or curve defining a transition between the seat and the backrest, wherein the first internal frame element further comprises a first rotational coupling between the first internal frame element and the first external frame element, and wherein the second internal frame element further comprises a second rotational coupling between the second internal frame element and the second external frame element, the first and second rotational couplings enabling rotation of the seating area about an axis defined by the first and second rotational couplings, the rotation of the seating area being independent of the position of the plurality of push handles; and a means for locking the rotation of the seating area about the axis defined by the first and second rotational couplings to provide the individual with a gradation of seating options between an upright position and a tilted position. In some embodiments the manual wheelchair frame is foldable. In other embodiments the first and second rotational couplings comprises a lug or shaft. In some embodiments the backrest and the seat are formed from a flexible material stretched between the first internal frame element and the second internal frame element when the chair is in an unfolded state.
In some embodiments the manual wheelchair includes an arcuate guide element, the arcuate guide element being coupled to either the first external frame element or to the second external frame element, wherein the arcuate guide element engages a guide follower, the guide follower being coupled to the first internal frame element if the arcuate guide elements is coupled to the first external frame element, or the guide follower being coupled to the second internal frame element if the arcuate guide elements is coupled to the second external frame element. In certain embodiments of this paragraph the manual wheelchair includes at least a second arcuate guide element configured to engage a second guide follower thereby providing additional stability. In other embodiments of this paragraph the second arcuate guide element is coupled to an element selected from the group consisting of the first external frame element, the second external frame element, the first internal frame element and the second internal frame element. In some embodiments of this paragraph the guide follower is coupled to the backrest-defining portion of the first internal frame element. In other of this paragraph embodiments the second guide follower is coupled to a backrest-defining portion of the second internal frame element.
In other embodiments, the manual wheelchair includes an arcuate guide element, the arcuate guide element being coupled to either the first internal frame element or to the second internal frame element, wherein the arcuate guide element engages a guide follower, the guide follower being coupled to the first external frame element if the arcuate guide elements is coupled to the first internal frame element, or the guide follower being coupled to the second external frame element if the arcuate guide elements is coupled to the second internal frame element. In some embodiment of this paragraph the manual wheelchair includes at least a second arcuate guide element configured to engage a second guide follower thereby providing additional stability. In embodiments of this paragraph the second arcuate guide element is coupled to an element selected from the group consisting of the first external frame element, the second external frame element, the first internal frame element and the second internal frame element.
In some embodiments the means for locking includes a locking plate coupled to the first or second external frame elements, the locking plate having a plurality of fixed engagement points for engaging a mechanical element attached to or engaged with the first internal frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the first external frame, or for engaging a mechanical element attached to or engaged with the second internal frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the second external frame. In other embodiments of this paragraph the fixed engagement points are selected from the group consisting of a bore or a slot. In some embodiments of this paragraph wherein the fixed engagement points are bores, the mechanical element is a fastener. In other embodiments of this paragraph where the fixed engagement points are slots, the mechanical element is an engagement rod or pin. In some embodiments of this paragraph a spring biases the mechanical element into one of the fixed engagement points. In some embodiments of this paragraph the means for locking is configured to be operable by a foot of the aide.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the means for locking comprises a locking plate coupled to the first or second internal frame element, the locking plate having a plurality of fixed engagement points for engaging a mechanical element attached to or engaged with the first external frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the first internal frame element, or for engaging a mechanical element attached to or engaged with the second external frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the second internal frame element. In some embodiments of this paragraph the fixed engagement points are selected from the group consisting of a bore or a slot. In some embodiments of this paragraph the fixed engagement points are bores and the mechanical element is a fastener. In some embodiments of this paragraph the fixed engagement points are slots and the mechanical element is an engagement rod or pin. In some embodiments of this paragraph a spring biases the mechanical element into one of the fixed engagement points. In some embodiments of this paragraph the means for locking is configured to be operable by a foot of the aide.
In some embodiments of the present invention each of the first and second push handles are coupled to a bar-style hand grip comprising an eccentrically mounted hand grip, the hand grip being rotatably mounted about an axis. In other embodiments the rotatably mounted hand grips are indexed rotatably.
The present invention relates to a manual wheelchair for the transport of an individual in a seated position. The elements of a conventional manual wheelchair are typically a frame (foldable or rigid), seat, footrests, two push handles and four wheels. Manual wheelchairs typically include a parking brake—typically a lever that pivots to bear on a rear tire. As mentioned in the Background of the Invention section, some manual wheelchairs have a seatback that pivots or reclines backwards while the seat remains stationary. This arrangement tends to promote sliding of the user along the seat into an uncomfortable “slouched” position.
As will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein, the wheelchair of the present invention incorporates a “frame within a frame” design enabling a seating area, comprising a seat and a backrest, to rotate about an axis thereby providing a variety of comfortable alternative seating positions for a user.
The framing element of the wheelchair most clearly shown in
Other elements of the wheelchair 10 of the present invention that are clearly visible in
Referring to
Cross-sectional lines 3-3, 4-4 and 6-6 are shown in
The first and second rotational coupling are typically comprised of a lug or shaft projecting from an internal or external frame element and engaging a bearing surface, such as a ball bearing assembly, in the counterpart frame element. Said another way, if the bearing surface is on the external frame component, then the lug or shaft projects from the internal frame surface, and vice versa. Additional discussion will be presented in connection with
Referring to
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The first (not shown in
Rotation about axis 42 (see
In other embodiments, the means for locking comprises a locking plate coupled to the first or second internal frame element. The locking plate is provided with a plurality of fixed engagement points for engaging a mechanical element coupled to or engaged with the first external frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the first internal frame element, or for engaging a mechanical element coupled to or engaged with the second external frame element if the locking plate is coupled to the second internal frame element.
In the means for locking embodiments described above, the fixed engagement points can be slots or bores, for example. Biasing, such as spring-biasing may be employed for the purpose of urging a mechanical element into engagement with a fixed engagement point. Any of a variety of resilient materials represent an alternative to a spring for the purpose of biasing as discussed in the preceding sentence. Such alternative will be recognized by those skilled in the art. One skilled in the art will also recognize that any mechanical means for reversibly locking the rotation of the internal frame elements and associated components may be employed and fall within the scope of the present invention.
If the fixed engagement point is a bore, the mechanical element can be a fastener such as a pin, bolt or the like. The fastener can, for example, protrude from or extend through the adjacent frame element to which the locking plate 54 is not attached. Alternatively, the fastener can protrude from or extend through an engagement plate coupled to the adjacent frame element to which the locking plate 54 is not attached.
In embodiments wherein the engagement points are slots, the adjacent frame element to which the locking plate is not attached is provided with a mechanical element for engagement such as an engagement rod or pin. The engagement rod or pin can have any cross-sectional shape, so long as it engages the slot, but round embodiments are preferred.
Again referring to
As can be clearly seen in
One skilled in the art will recognize many conventional mechanical alternatives for locking plate engagement which can be implemented using no more than routine experimentation. These alternatives fall within the “locking means” recitation.
Referring to
Elements of
Referring to
Speaking more generally with respect to the arcuate guide element, more than one arcuate guide element and associated follower may be provided in connection with a single wheelchair of the present invention. The inclusion of a plurality of the arcuate guide element/guide follower pairs will tend to provide additive stability in operation. The embodiment illustrated in
Referring to
In embodiments, the handle position is adjustable through a series of components all linked to a push button. The push button is accessible on the front of the handle, so while grasping the handle, the aide simply extends their thumb to push the button and then rotate the handle to the desired position.
When the button is pressed, it engages a spring-loaded disk inside. This action releases the disk from a stationary pin. The disk has several holes into which the pin can slide and immobilize the disk from further rotation when the button is released (each hole represents each possible position of the handle itself). If the button is continuously pressed, the handle can rotate to any position the caregiver wishes, skipping any number of intermediate positions. If the button is pressed once and released, the handle will only rotate to the next position, popping the pin into the next adjacent hole in the disk. Once the pin is in the desired hole in the disk, the handle is now locked into the caregiver's desired ergonomic position.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62708082 | Dec 2017 | US |