Powered wheel chair
OwnerJames H. Masse, Patrick J. Masseinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The wheel chair of this invention has its seat member supported for raising and lowering on a chassis having a castering rear wheel and two relatively small front wheels rotatable on a common axis, each driven independently of the other by a reversible electric motor. A brake member is pivoted to the chassis to swing up from and down to an extended position in which the rear wheel is above the surface and the brake member cooperates with the front wheels to support and immobilize the wheel chair. Swinging legs so support the chair element on the chassis that as the chair element is lowered it moves forward over the footrest so that the footrest does not hamper the occupant in transferring to and from the wheel chair.
Claims12
A wheel chair comprising a chair element having a seat member with front and rear edges and an upwardly projecting back rest, a chassis on which the chair element is supported, wheels on said chassis, and power drive means on the chassis whereby certain of the wheels are driven, said wheel chair being characterized by:
- A. said wheels comprising
- (1) two front wheels, one at each side of the chassis, confined to rotation on a common axis that is near a vertical plane containing said front edge of the seat member, and
- (2) a rear wheel which has a castering connection with the chassis to swivel about a vertical axis which is spaced a substantial distance behind said common axis and is substantially equidistant from the two front wheels;
- B. said drive means comprising a pair of reversible motors, one for each of said front wheels, each said motor being connected with its front wheel to drive the same independently of the other front wheel;
- C. a brake member having a surface-engaging lower end portion;
- and
- D. means mounting the brake member on the chassis for movement relative thereto between an upwardly retracted position in which all portions of the brake member are spaced above a plane tangent to the bottoms of all of said wheels and a downwardly extended position in which said lower end portion is forwardly in line with said vertical axis, is a substantial distance behind said common axis, and is spaced below said plane to elevate the rear wheel and cooperate with the front wheels in providing stable and immobilized support for the chasis.
A wheel chair comprising a chair element having a seat member with front and rear edges and an upwardly projecting back rest, a chassis on which the chair element is supported, wheels on said chassis, and power drive means on the chassis whereby certain of the wheels are driven, said wheel chair being characterized by:
- A. said chassis having
- (1) a front portion that has a width substantially equal to that of the chair element,
- (2) a footrest which projects forwardly from said front portion, and
- (3) a rear portion comprising a rigid spar which projects rearwardly from the center of said front portion;
- B. said wheels comprising
- (1) a pair of front wheels, one at each side of said front portion, confined to rotation on a common axis, and
- (2) a rear wheel having a castering connection with the rear end portion of said spar to swivel about a vertical axis which is spaced a substantial distance behind said common axis;
- C. said drive means comprising a pair of reversible motors, one for each of said front wheels, each of said motors being mounted on said front portion of the chassis and being connected with its front wheel to drive the same independently of the other front wheel;
- D. a brake member having a surface-engaging lower end and having near its upper end a pivotal connection with said spar which is spaced behind said front portion of the chassis and about which the brake member is swingable to carry its lower end between a retracted position in which all portions of the brake member are spaced above a plane tangent to the bottoms of all of the wheels and an extended position in which the lower end of the brake member is spaced below said plane and the brake member elevates the rear wheel and cooperates with the front wheels in providing stable and immobilizing support for the chassis.
A wheel chair comprising a chair element having a seat member with front and rear edges, opposite sides and an upwardly projecting back rest, a chassis on which the chair element is supported and which comprises a forwardly projecting footrest, wheels on said chassis, and power drive means on the chassis whereby certain of the wheels are driven, said wheel chair being characterized by:
- A. front and rear legs connected between the chassis and the chair element to provide for raising and lowering the chair element and whereby the chair element is carried rearward during raising and forwardly during lowering to have a lowered position in which the chair element is over substantially the whole of the footrest, each of said legs having
- (1) an upper pivotal connection to the chair element and
- (2) a lower pivotal connection to the frame, all of said pivotal connections extending horizontally in the direction from side to side of the chair element;
- and
- B. powered means connected with said legs for raising and controlledly lowering the chair element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.