Collapsible wheel-chair

Abstract

A wheel-chair has a foldable frame structure (10) which is lockable in the unfolded state and carries wheels (11, 12) and a back (13). In the folded state, all fixed parts are folded up between the wheels of the wheel-chair. The frame structure (10) is box-shaped and has foldable set and bottom members (15, 17) and foldable front and rear wall members (19, 20). These seat, bottom, front and rear wall members are pivotally connected to side wall members (14). The seat and bottom members (15, 17) consist of two parts and are folding upwards and are mechanically interconneted by means of a central wall (18) for common folding movements. The front and rear wall members (19, 20) also consist of two parts and are mechanically interconnected for common folding movements by means of a rod (22) disposed underneath the bottom portion (17). The back (13) is also made of two parts (26, 27) which are pivotally connected to the rear edge of a respective part (15) of the seat member and extend downwardly towards the bottom member (17) such that they can be locked in the unfolded state by means of a locking device (37) provided on the rigid member (22). The front and rear wall members (19, 20) are angled rearwards in all positions of the wheel-chair. The large wheels (11) of the wheel-chair have a driving ring (89) which can be moved between an inner and an outer position and which is fixed on the hub (60) of the wheel by means of leaf springs (90) and which, when the driving ring is moved between said inner and outer positions, passes an unstable position of maximum tension of the leaf springs. Also, the large wheels (11) of the wheel-chair are provided with disc brakes (80) the brake discs of which are connected to the frame structure (10) of the wheel-chair by means of a rotation-inhibiting pin member (87) and by means of a nut and screw thread (81, 83) which, when a brake handle (86) is pivoted, will move the brake disc (80) into frictional engagement with a braking surface (67) on the side face of the hub (60) of the wheel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.