Stand-aid invalid wheelchair
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsRobert K. Fogg, Jr., Christopher P. Staehli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheelchair is designed to enable an invalid to stand, sit or choose at l any intermediate position to perform useful work, and to move about in any of said positions. The wheelchair helps to fulfill the psychological and physiological needs of handicapped persons. The lifting and lowering operations are so arranged that practically no dislocation of the invalid's clothes occurs during the operations. The wheelchair has a minimum of physical encumbrances permitting the invalid to function near normally in the average living or working spaces.
Claims11
An invalid stand-aid wheelchair including:
- a chassis;
- a seat fixedly mounted on the chassis for supporting the invalid in a sitting position;
- a flexible lifting strap for supporting the invalid in lifting and standing positions, said lifting strap in a seated position lying in contact with and conforming to said fixed seat;
- articulated linkage connected to the chassis for supporting the lifting strap;
- a freely movable backrest assembly mounted on said linkage and supporting the back of the invalid throughout a lifting and lowering movement from the seated position to and from a standing position;
- means for clamping the invalid against the backrest;
- and
- means connected between the chassis and the linkage for moving said backrest and lifting strap to create a minimum sliding movement between the surface of the backrest and the surface of the lifting strap to avoid friction with the respective portions of the invalid's body that may cause irritation and disheveling of his clothes.
In combination with an invalid wheelchair having a chassis, and a seat:
- a slibably moveable backrest assembly for supporting the back of the invalid throughout a lifting and lowering movement from the seated position to and from a standing position;
- means for pivotally moving said backrest to produce a minimum sliding motion between the surface of the backrest and the surface of the invalid's back;
- said means comprising an articulated system of a plurality of links, one end link being fixed with respect to the chassis, and the other end link being fixed with respect to the backrest;
- said backrest assembly including a frame supported by said articulated linkage system and a backrest vertically slidable on the frame within prescribed limits where the backrest can remain stationary during an initial movement of the linkage and then be moved by contact with the invalid's back throughout the lifting and lowering movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.