Wheelchair propulsion assist device
OwnerJohn W. Britzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A propulsion assist device for a wheelchair having a hand rim slideably housed inside a channel of a frame pivotably connected to a lever arm. The frame is further comprised of a portion of grip material positioned inside the channel along an underside of a top of the frame. When a pair of devices are installed on a pair of hand rims of the wheelchair, the wheelchair is moved forward by a coordinated rowing motion of both lever arms forwards and then backwards along the hand rim. The pivoting motion of the frame causes the grip material sandwiched between the frame and the hand rim to pressure grip the hand rim and turn it when a user moves the lever arms through their rowing motion. Repositioning the frame along the hand rim causes the gripping material to release and slide along the hand rim before repositioning.
Claims11
A propulsion assist device for a wheelchair having a manual hand rim affixed to a drive wheel, the propulsion assist device comprising:
- a lever arm having an upper end and a lower end;
- a lower aperture formed into the lower end of the lever arm;
- a frame having a top affixed to a pair of opposed side walls in spaced apart relationship, an underside of the top and the spaced apart relationship of the side walls defining a channel having a rim opening sized and shaped to receive the manual hand rim of the wheelchair and allow the manual hand rim to rotate therein, and a lowermost channel opening perpendicular to the rim opening and opposite the underside of the top;
- a bottom lip formed on at least one side wall of the pair of opposed side walls and oriented so as to constrict the channel opening to secure the manual hand rim within the channel;
- a grip material positioned on the underside of the top inside the channel;
- a flange extending from the top of the frame, the flange formed with a flange hole;
- and
- a lower fastener sized and shaped to couple the lower end of the lever arm to the flange through the flange hole and the lower aperture;
- wherein the lower fastener pivotably couples the lever arm to the flange.
A propulsion assist kit for a manual wheelchair having a hand rim, the kit comprising:
- a lever arm having an upper handle end and a lower flange;
- and
- a c-shaped frame pivotably affixed to the lower flange;
- wherein the c-shaped frame is further comprised of a channel having a rim opening and a channel opening, the channel sized and shaped to receive the hand rim through the channel opening and the hand rim rotates within the rim opening;
- and
- wherein the c-shaped frame is further comprised of a removable side wall having a bottom lip oriented so as to constrict the channel opening, securing the hand rim within the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.