Wheel chair abstract
A wheel-chair for disabled people adapted to be reduced by joining
its side frames. The wheel-chair is obtained by assembling single
parts without requiring any heat welding intervention, by using
screws or rivets. The basic structure of the wheel-chair is realized
by means of modular members; by adequately choosing comaplementary
parts, wheel-chairs suitable for different applications can be obtained.
Wheel chair claims
What is claimed is:
1. A wheel-chair for disabled people adapted to be reduced and
obtained by assembling single parts, some of them being modular,
without requiring heat welding, said wheel-chair comprising:
two side frames, each one of said side frames being composed of
a structure formed by front and rear risers and upper and lower
iron girders joined together through mechanical fastening means;
an articulated cross including rods that are hinged together, said
rods being integral with tubular cross members at upper and lower
ends thereof;
two brackets supported by said front risers, said brackets supporting
rods having lower ends that are equipped with foot rest boards,
said brackets being movable and separable from said front risers
by rotating said brackets outwards;
two stakes applied to said rear risers to support a back, said
stakes being able to project above said back in order to provide
handles for a person to drive said wheel-chair;
two side boards with arm-rests;
two pairs of front and rear wheels, said rear wheels being adapted
to be equipped with hand rings for a user to drive said wheel-chair;
and
a device to brake said wheels;
wherein said front risers each comprise upper and lower portions
and a cylindrical post extending therebetween, the cylindrical post
has a pair of opposed flat faces which are parallel and define therebetween
a width less than the diameter of the cylindrical post, and said
upper and lower portions have opposed surfaces spaced apart to receive
therebetween a corresponding one of said brackets to prevent vertical
shifting movement of the bracket when the bracket is assembled to
the riser, and
wherein said brackets each include a holder portion comprising
a channel which opens to a side of the holder portion to define
a slot having a width narrower than the diameter of the cylindrical
post and wider than the width of the post between the opposed flat
faces, and said channel having a diameter corresponding to the diameter
of the post, such that said post can be inserted into said channel
when the slot is aligned with the width of the post defined between
the opposed flat faces and then rotated to lock the bracket to said
post, whereby coupling/uncoupling of the foot-rest boards with respect
to the wheel-chair is made possible by solely rotating the brackets
inwards/outwards without the need of any vertical movement of the
brackets.
2. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 1, wherein
said mechanical fastening means are screws and/or rivets.
3. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 2, wherein
all parts composing said wheel-chair are assembled without any heat
welding but only through screws and/or rivets, this being valid
both for parts composing said basic structure and for complementary
parts.
4. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 2, wherein
all parts composing said wheel-chair are assembled without any heat
welding but only through screws and/or rivets, this being valid
both for parts composing said basic structure and for complementary
parts.
5. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 1, wherein
said cross is assembled to said side frames by engaging through
a swingable coupling its own lower tubular cross members with said
lower iron girders of said side frames; and by connecting its own
rods with said upper iron girders of said side frames through connection
means.
6. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 1, wherein
all parts composing said wheel-chair are assembled without any heat
welding but only through screws and/or rivets, this being valid
both for parts composing said basic structure and for complementary
parts.
7. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 1, wherein
said boxed risers are provided with a stopper stake connected to
a corresponding lever which can be operated manually, said stake
being for blocking the brackets in the corresponding front boxed
riser after said brackets are rotated inwards.
8. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 1, wherein
said side frames and brackets are made of non metallic material.
9. Wheel-chair for disabled people according to claim 8, wherein
said side frames and brackets are made of resinous material.
Wheel chair description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention deals with wheel-chairs for disabled people,
and in particular with a wheel-chair for disabled people adapted
to be reduced and obtained by assembling single parts, some of them
being modular, without requiring heat welding.
The subject dealing with wheel-chairs for disabled people is well
known to skilled people in the field and is particularly taken care
of by people interested in purchasing the item. Manufacturers have
marketed several types of wheel-chairs, having different performances,
to satisfy the complex needs of disabled people that have to use
them.
For all kinds of solutions two aspects are of paramount importance:
cost and performances.
It is obvious that all wheel-chairs must have a seat, a back and
wheels. There could be upon request: handles to push and drive the
wheel-chair by the person assisting the disabled; side boards with
or without armrest; foot-resting boards; etc.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Purpose of the present invention is manufacturing at a competitive
price wheel-chairs equipped with parts facilitating their use.
This purpose is obtained by revolutioning the currently used system.
The wheel-chair is not obtained any more by welding a certain number
of members one to the other, but assembling without welding single
component parts of the prefabricated type. These component parts
too are obtained without welding. This is very important because
thereby the different component parts can also be non-metallic.
Complementary parts being required are assembled to the basic skeleton,
obtained by assembling modular parts without welding. By adequately
choosing said complementary parts, wheel-chairs are obtained that
can provide different performance or comfort.
Assembly of the different parts is carried out with screws or rivets;
but it could also be carried out by glueing, taking into account
that said parts to be assembled can also be non-metallic. The chance
of putting together single parts to be chosen among a plurality
thereof depending on market needs generates savings both when manufacturing
the parts and when storing them.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
The above and other purposes and advantages of the present invention
will be better understood by reference to the following drawings,
in which:
FIG. 1 schematically represents and summarizes a wheel-chair for
disabled people adapted to be reduced;
FIG. 2 schematically shows a wheel-chair side frame according to
the invention;
FIG. 3 is a view of the side frame shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a view of a shelf to be used with the present invention;
FIG. 5 shows a coupling condition between the shelf in FIG. 4 and
a riser;
FIG. 6 shows another coupling condition between shelf and riser;
FIG. 7 shows the shelf separated from the riser; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wheel-chair according to the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a seat made of cloth
with two side frames 2; 3 denotes the cross rods that keep the side
frames 2 parallel and defines the maximum opening thereof; 4 denotes
the stakes to hold the sheet composing the hack and whose extension
over the back creates handles 7 to make third parties drive the
wheel-chair; 5 denotes the wheels; 6 the rings integral with the
wheels for possible handling of the wheel-chair by the user; 8 denotes
the lower side frame cross members; 10 denotes the iron girders
applied to lower ends of the rods 3 and 9 denotes the cross members
applied to upper ends of the rods 3.
With reference to FIG. 2, cross rods 3 have not been included in
the drawing for reasons of clarity.
The basic structure is composed of a quadrilateral formed of boxed
risers 2' and 2 and cylinder iron girders 4' and 10. Numeral 8 denotes
the tubular cross member integral with the lower ends of the cross
rods 3 suitable to rotate around the support iron girders 10 to
which it is coupled; 9 denotes the cross member integral with the
upper ends of the cross rods 3 and on which the seat made of fabric
is applied; 4 denotes the stake operating as support for the back
made of fabric and that extends upwards to realize the driving handle
7; 5 denotes the wheel integral with the driving ring 6. The support
18 is secured into the lower part of the riser 2 for the swingable
fork 13 of the small wheel 14 and in the upper part of said riser
the braking device 11 is secured to brake the wheel 5. The riser
2 is equipped with a shelf 15 supporting a rod 16 that can be blocked
in the desired position. Coupling between shelf 15 and riser 2 is
realized in such a way as to allow an easy assembly and as easy
a separation. The bracket 17 is integral with the rod 16. The rod
20 is hinged onto the bracket 17 and supports the foot-rest 19.
With reference to FIG. 3, the equipment related to foot-rest has
been modified and the arm-rest 24 appears equipped with a wall 23.
The above-said arm-rest 24 with related wall 23, once released from
the closure applied in 26, can be lifted backwards by rotating around
the hinging point 25. Numerals 2' and 2 denote risers that, with
the iron girders 10 and 4', compose the basic structure; 5 denotes
the wheel; 6 denotes the driving ring integral with the wheel 5;
8 and 9 denote tubular cross members applied to the ends of cross
rods 3; 18 denotes the support secured to the riser 2 for the swingable
fork 13 of the small wheel 14; 15 denotes the shelf secured to the
riser 2 supporting the rod 20 supporting in turn the foot-rest 10;
11 denotes the braking apparatus for the wheel 5.
FIG. 4 shows how the shelf 15 is coupled with the riser 2. The
riser 2 is coupled to the seat 27 for the shelf 15 at a cylindrical
riser having two opposed facets 21a defining a smaller width and
a larger width of said cylinder riser. The seat 27 has a opening
or longitudinal aperture 30 that can be aligned with the smaller
width of the riser 2 between the facets for insertion of the riser
into the seat for coupling the seat to the riser. Once having inserted
the small riser 21 into the seat. 27, by rotating the shelf 15 the
coupling becomes a constraint. Numeral 20 denotes the rod supporting
the foot-rest. Accordingly, coupling/uncoupling of the foot-rest
boards with respect to the wheel-chair can be effected solely by
rotating the shelves inwards/outwards without the need of any
vertical movement of the shelves.
Moreover, and more particularly, as described above and as shown
in FIGS. 4 and 5, the post 21 (elsewhere referred to herein as the
cylinder riser 21) is cylindrical except for the pair of opposed
flat faces 21a (elsewhere referred to herein as facets 21a), which
flat faces are parallel and define a width less than the diameter
of the cylindrical post 21. The bracket 15 (elsewhere referred to
herein as the shelf 15) includes the holder portion 27 (elsewhere
referred to herein as the seat 27) and a clamping portion 42. As
shown in FIG. 7, the holder portion 27 has a cylindrical channel
40 which opens to a side of the holder portion 27 via the slot 30
(elsewhere referred to herein as the longitudinal aperture 30).
The slot 30 is narrower than the diameter of the cylindrical post
21 and wider than the width of the post 21, i.e., the width defined
between the opposed flat faces 21a. In addition, the diameter of
the cylindrical post 21 corresponds to the diameter of the cylindrical
channel 40 as seen in FIG. 4.
Because the width of the slot 30 is wider than the width of the
post 21, the post 21 may be inserted through the slot and into the
cylindrical channel 40 when the width portion (narrow dimension)
of the post 21 is aligned with the slot 30. After the post is inserted
into the channel, the holder portion can be rotated to its position
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thereby locking the post in the channel.
As seen in FIGS. 5-7, the post 21 extends between upper and lower
portions of the riser 2, which upper and lower portions have opposed
surfaces 48 defining therebetween a space into which the bracket
15 is inserted and rotated to couple the bracket to the riser as
above described. When thus coupled as shown in FIG. 5, the top and
bottom ends of the bracket 15 abut the opposed surfaces which prevent
vertical shifting of the bracket relative to the riser. As will
be appreciated, the foregoing construction enables assembly of the
bracket 15 to the riser without any vertical movement of the bracket.
The clamping portion 42 includes a channel 44 for slidably receiving
therein the rod 20, and fasteners 46 which, when tightened, secure
the rod 20 with respect to the bracket 15 and, when loosened, permit
the rod 20 to be adjusted upward or downward within the channel.
FIG. 5 show in particular the coupling between shelf 15 and riser
2. In this view, the shelf is blocked by a stake 33 connected to
the lever 29. To release it, it is necessary to lift the lever 29
and rotate the shelf 15 outwards. Numerals 4' and 10 denote the
iron girders that with the risers 2' and 2 compose the basic structure;
9 denote the cross member located on the upper end of the cross
rods 3; 24 denotes the lower end part of the arm-rest that is blocked
by a bolt 28-31 on the stake 26; 11 denotes the braking apparatus
for the wheel; 18 denotes the support, secured to the riser 2, for
the swingable fork 13 of the small wheel 14.
FIG. 6 shows the shelf 15 rotated outwards with respect to the
riser 2. The opening 30 for the seat 27 is placed next to the lower
width of the small faceted riser 21, ready to be disengaged. An
identical position of the opening 30 of the shelf 27 with respect
to the small riser 21 occurs when assembling the shelves on the
riser 2. Insertion and removal of the shelf on the riser 2 are,
in fact, carried out with the same methods. Numeral 20 denotes tile
rod held by the shelf; 19 denotes the foot-rest secured to the lower
end of the rod 20; 18 denotes the support, secured to the riser
2, of the swingable fork 13 of the small wheel 14; 9 denotes the
cross member placed on the upper end of the cross rod 3; 24 denotes
the lower end part of the arm-rest that is blocked by the bolt 28-31
on the stake 26; 11 denotes the braking apparatus of the wheel.
FIG. 7 shows the shelf 15 separated from the riser 2. The opening
30 of the seat 27 of the shelf 15 and the small riser 21 with one
of the two facetings visible, are shown. Numeral 3 denotes the cross
roads; 8 denotes the cross member joined to the lower end thereof;
10 denotes the iron girder of the basic structure; 29 denotes the
lever operating the stake to block the shelf 15; 20 denotes the
rods held by the shelf 15; 18 denotes the support for the swingable
fork 13 of the small wheel 14 secured to the riser 2.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wheel-chair according to the
invention completed with the seat 1 and the back 32 made of fabric
and with side boards 23 with armrests 24. Numeral 2 denotes the
front riser that, with the iron girders 4' and 10 and the rear riser
2' (not shown), compose the basic structure; 3-8-9 denote the members
composing the cross connecting the two side frames. Numeral 5 denotes
the wheel and numeral 6 denotes the driving ring integral therewith;
4 denotes the stakes supporting the back 32 and 7 denotes the handles
to drive tie wheel-chair by third parties. Numeral 18 denotes the
support for the swingable fork 13 of the small wheel 14; 15 denotes
the shelf supporting the rod 20 supporting in turn the foot-rest
19; 29 denotes the lever controlling the stake to block the shelf
15 to the riser 2; 26 denotes the stake with which the caliper 31
connected to the lever 28 comes to be engaged; 11 denotes the braking
apparatus to block the wheel 5.
From what has been previously stated and shown by the drawings,
the features of the invention stand out, that is, it is possible
to manufacture a wheel-chair without intervening with heat welding,
but instead assembling prefabricated parts, some of which are of
the modular type (such as risers (2', 2) and iron girders 10 and
4') using only screws and rivets. The parts composing the wheel-chair
are not necessarily metallic ones, being able to be obtained with
particular resinous materials, in which case couplings can also
be carried out by glueing.
The basic structure is realized in such a way as to be completed
without problems with some parts more than others depending on the
application provided for the wheel-chair, interchangeability having
been provided. Particularly, the novel modular parts include assembly
of the shelves 15 supporting the rods for the foot-rest, with the
front risers 2.
Although the present invention has been described with reference
to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and rearrangements
can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the
invention. |