Wheel chair abstract
An apparatus for hoisting a wheel chair into and out of an enclosure
including a swivel base having a stationary section that may be
secured within the closure and a section rotatable on the stationary
section about a vertical axis. A motor mount is positioned above
and is connected to the rotatable section of the swivel base. An
angled arm is pivotally connected to the motor mount and is capable
of standing rigidly upright when in use and capable of folding down
when not in use. A cable, attached to a reel at one end, has a series
of pulleys located on the angled arm to guide the cable over the
angled arm. The reel is formed to the motor mount and is connected
to a motor on the motor mount through use of gearing. A hook is
formed at the other end of the cable for use in hoisting.
Wheel chair claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for hoisting a wheel chair into and out of an enclosure
comprising a swivel base having a stationary section and a section
rotatable on said stationary section about a vertical axis; means
to secure said stationary section within said enclosure; a motor
mount positioned above said rotatable section of said swivel base;
means to connect said motor mount to said rotatable section; and
angled arm pivotally connected at one end to said motor mount and
the other end capable of standing rigidly upright when in use and
capable of folding down when not in use; a cable having two ends;
a plurality of pulley means located on said angled arm to conduct
said cable along said angled arm; reel means formed at one end of
said cable on said motor mount; hook means formed at the other end
of said cable; motor means positioned on said motor mount; means
to connect said reel means with said motor means for allowing said
motor means to hoist said wheel chair; and a lifting bracket to
fit over a folded wheel chair which comprises two legs generally
parallel to each other, a connecting piece extending between one
end of each of said legs, a brace piece extending between said legs
parallel to said connecting piece, a slide bar slidably mounted
on said brace piece and extending divergently perpendicular therefrom,
a lock down bar slidably mounted on said slide bar and extending
divergently perpendicular therefrom, a clamp means formed near the
other end of one of the legs, and an eye formed near the end of
the other leg for engaging with said hook means.
2. Apparatus for hoisting a wheel chair, as set forth in claim
1, wherein said pivotally connected angled arm is held upright through
use of a spring loaded latch which is made to engage with a lip
provided on said motor mount.
3. Apparatus for hoisting a wheel chair as set forth in claim 1,
wherein the bottom of said stationary section of said swivel base
is sloped to accomodate the contours of a trunk of a car.
Wheel chair description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a wheel chair lift device to be used
in conjunction with an enclosure, such as the interior of an automobile.
More particularly, this invention relates to a wheel chair lift
device that may be easily operated by an invalid or by an assistant
that may be quickly and simply attached within an enclosure such
as a trunk of a car or the rear portion of a station wagon and is
capable of folding down within the trunk of the car or the rear
portion of the station wagon when not in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Concerning automobile travel for the invalid or semi-invalid, it
is usually desirable to carry a wheel chair along on a trip or an
outing. The wheel chair is usually placed in the trunk of a car
or in the rear portion of a station wagon. For the semi-invalid,
such as one who may be able to use crutches to get around, lifting
a wheel chair may be impossible due to the weight of the chair.
Even for an assistant, lifting a wheel chair into an automobile
may prove to be a difficult task.
Ideally, a lift device should be constructed so as to be easily
operable. It is also desirable to have the device mount on the interior
of the automobile, such as in the trunk of a car or the rear portion
of a station wagon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention designed for moving a wheel chair into and
out of an enclosure, such as the trunk of an automobile or the rear
portion of a station wagon, allows mounting within the interior
of the automobile.
The device includes a motor housing or mount positioned above a
swivel base rotatable on a vertical axis. The motor mount includes
a motor which drives a pulley reel through a gear arrangement. A
cable, attached at one end to the pulley reel, is allowed to move
over intermediate pulleys located on an angled arm which extends
upward from the motor mount. A hook formed at the other end of the
cable permits attachment to the wheel chair and the lifting and
lowering of the chair.
The angled arm and the motor mount are pivotally mounted at their
lower end. A spring loaded latch holds the angled arm in an upright
position when in use by engaging with a lip provided on the motor
mount. Release of the latch permits the arm to be lowered into a
substantially horizontal position.
Prior to loading the chair, a lifting bracket is slid over the
folded wheel chair. The bracket, generally in the shape of a "U,"
is constructed to fit over a standard size wheel chair that has
been folded. A horse shoe clamp is formed near an end of one of
the legs of the bracket. A lifting eye is formed on the outer edge
of the end of the other leg of the bracket A brace piece extends
between the legs. A slide bar extends perpendicularly away from
the brace piece and is slidably connected. A lock down bar extends
away from and is perpendicular to the slide bar and is slidably
connected.
To raise the wheel chair into a trunk, the lifting bracket is slid
over the folded wheel chair and then the lock down bar is made to
hold the chair in that position. After opening the trunk, the latch
is made to hold the angled arm of the device in the upright position.
By operating a switch on the motor mount, the cable is lowered to
permit attachment to the lifting eye on the bracket. The chair and
the surrounding bracket can then be raised by operating the switch.
Next the angled arm is manually swung on the vertical axis so that
the chair is over the open trunk. The chair is then lowered into
the trunk by operating the switch. Finally, the latch is disengaged
and the arm and mount are folded down.
In view of the above, it is a principal purpose and object of this
invention to provide a wheel chair lift device that may be easily
operated by an invalid or an assistant. It is also an object of
this invention to provide a wheel chair lift device that may be
mounted on the interior of an automobile and is capable of folding
to fit within the automobile when not in use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a wheel chair lift device constructed
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention showing
the path of the cable along the angled arm indicated by dashed lines;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the bottom of the motor mount
of the wheel chair lift device shown in FIG. 1 indicating both the
folded down position and the upright position;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lift device shown in FIG. 1
mounted in the trunk of a car;
FIG. 4 is a front view of a lifting bracket that may be used in
conjunction with the lift device in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the lifting bracket shown in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of the lifting bracket shown in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a wheel chair
lift device 10 designed for assisting in placing a wheel chair in,
or removing a wheel chair from, the trunk of an automobile or the
rear portion of a station wagon. The device includes a motor housing
or mount 12 positioned above a swivel base 14 so that the entire
assembly can be rotated about a vertical axis (not shown). The base
14 has a stationary section 16 that can be fastened within the trunk
of a car or the rear portion of a station wagon and a rotatable
section 18. The swivel base may have a stationary section that is
sloped so as to adapt to the inside of the trunk.
Included on the motor mount 12 is a motor 20 which drives a pulley
reel 22 through a gear arrangement 24. Wires 26 and 28 extend from
the motor. One wire is attached to the positive side of the car
battery and the other wire is grounded to the car frame.
A cable 30 is attached at one end to the pulley reel and the cable
is allowed to move over intermediate pulleys 32 and 34 mounted on
angled arm 36. A hook 38 formed at the other end of the cable 30
permits attachment to, and the lifting and lowering of, a wheel
chair.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the angled arm 36 is pivotally mounted,
for example, on a bolt 40 to the motor mount 12. A spring loaded
latch 42 holds the angled arm in an upright position when in use
by engaging with a lip 44 provided near the bottom of the motor
mount. Release of the latch 42 permits the angled arm to be lowered
into a substantially horizontal position after the wheel chair has
been withdrawn from the trunk or after the wheel chair has been
loaded back into the trunk so that the lid of the trunk can be closed.
The positioning of the device 10, when in use in a car trunk, is
best seen in FIG. 3.
A lifting bracket 46 shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, is slid over the
wheel chair 48 prior to loading the device 10 into the trunk of
a car or the back of a station wagon. The bracket 46 is generally
in the shape of a "U," as best seen in FIG 4, and is constructed
to fit over a folded wheel chair. The width of the bracket 46 is
such that it is made to fit over a standard size wheel chair that
has been folded. A horse shoe clamp 50 is formed near an end of
one of the legs 52 of the bracket 46. The clamp 50 locks over the
lower frame of the wheel chair 48 (not shown in FIGS. 4, 5 or 6).
A lifting eye 54 is formed on the outer edge of the end of the other
leg 56 of the bracket. A brace piece 58 extends between and perpendicular
to the legs 52 and 56.
Extending away from and perpendicular to the brace piece 58 is
a slide bar 60 which is slidably connected at 62 to the brace piece
58. A lock down bar 64 is slidably connected at 66 to the slide
bar 60 and extends away from the slide bar and is parallel to the
brace piece 58.
The lock down bar may also be allowed to pivot at 68, as best seen
in FIG. 4. The leg 56 is angled back at 70 in the direction of the
slide bar 60, as can be seen in FIG. 6.
To raise the wheel chair into the trunk of a car, the lifting bracket
46 is slid over the wheel chair after it has been folded. The lock
down bar 64 is made to hold the wheel chair in the folded position.
After opening the trunk, the latch 42 is made to hold the angled
arm 36 in the upright position. The cable 30 is then lowered by
operating a switch 72 on motor mount 12 in order to attach the hook
38 to the lifting eye 54 on bracket 46. By operating the switch
72 on the motor mount 12, the wheel chair 48 and the surrounding
bracket can be raised. After the chair is at the proper level, the
angled arm 36 is manually swung on the vertical axis so that the
chair 48 and the surrounding bracket 46 are over the open trunk
of the car. The chair 48 is then lowered into the trunk by operating
the switch 72. Finally, the angled arm 36 is allowed to fold down
into the trunk by releasing the spring loaded latch 42 thereby allowing
the trunk to be closed To raise a folded wheel chair 48 into the
rear portion of a station wagon, a similar operation would be performed.
To remove a wheel chair from the trunk of a car or from the back
of a station wagon, the reverse operation would be performed.
Whereas the present invention has been described in particular
relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood
that other and further modifications of the invention, apart from
those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and
scope of this invention. |