US 4,729,572 AGranted

Wheeled seat carrying apparatus and stroller for the handicapped

OwnerTimothy J. Bergeroninventor

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Abstract

A versatile, adjustable stroller for handicapped children, adolescents and adults is disclosed. The stroller includes a contoured seat removably positioned on an adjustable wheeled apparatus. The contoured seat is molded to provide proper anatomical alignment and support for an occupant and constructed so as to be positionable on any conventional seating surface when removed from the wheeled apparatus. The adjustable wheeled apparatus has a one-button adjustment mechanism which allows an attendant to vary the spatial orientation of a seated occupant while simultaneously, automatically adjusting the apparatus to maintain balanced support of the contoured seat and occupant. The stroller is preferrably constructed so as to be capable of traversing a wide variety of terrains and is collapsible for easy transport and/or storage.

Claims29

Dependent claims

Adjustable wheeled apparatus for carrying a contoured seat for a handicapped individual, said adjustable wheeled apparatus comprising:

a first frame having two side members, said side members each having a top end and a bottom end, said bottom end of each side member having a wheel rotatably secured thereto, each of said side members having a pair of substantially parallel plates extending therefrom in a downward direction intermediate its ends at substantially the same height above said wheel rotatably secured to said bottom end of each side member, said parallel plate pairs each defining a receiving channel, at least two holes being aligned in at least one of said extending plates, said side members being interconnected by first support means for supporting said contoured seat;
a second frame comprising a base bar and two side bars extending therefrom such that said second frame is substantially U-shaped, each of said side bars having at least one free end, one of said side bars having an externally protruding spring-biased peg near its free end, said second frame having a wheel rotatably secured thereto on each side near said base bar;
and
each of said second frame side bars being pivotally connected to one of said parallel plate pairs extending from said first frame side members such that a portion of each of said side bars adjacent said free end resides within one of said receiving channels, and said spring-biased peg is movable about an arc shaped path for selective engagement with said aligned holes in said one extending plate, and said second frame is locked in position relative to said first frame when said peg engages one of said holes, whereby the angle at which the axis of said second frame intersects the axis of said first frame may be selectively varied by moving said spring-biased peg such that said peg engages a different one of said aligned holes and the distance between said wheels secured to said first frame and said wheels secured to said second frame varies in relation to said angle defined by the axis of said first frame and the axis of said second frame.

1 more element

A stroller for a handicapped individual, said stroller comprising:

a contoured seat having a rigid internal structure surrounded by a molded foam exterior, said molded foam exterior defining a base support surface and a back support surface, said base and back support surfaces being substantially continuous;
a front frame having an upper end and a lower end and two side members, said side members each having a pair of substantially parallel plates extending downwardly intermediate said upper and lower front frame ends, said parallel plate pairs each defining a receiving channel, at least two holes being aligned in at least one of said extending plates, said front frame also having first support means for supporting said contoured seat and a first pair of wheels rotatably secured thereto at said lower end;
a back frame having a bottom bar and two side bars, said back frame being pivotally connected to said front frame parallel plate pairs such that portions of said side bars adjacent their top ends reside within said receiving channels, said back frame also having a second pair of wheels rotatably secured thereto near said bottom bar and an externally protruding spring biased peg near the top end of a least one of said side bars, said spring-biased peg being movable about an arc shaped path for selective engagement with said aligned holes such that said back frame is locked in position relative to said front frame when said peg engages one of said holes, whereby by moving said spring-biased peg to engage a different one of said aligned holes the angle at which the axis of said back frame intersects the axis of said front frame, the spatial orientation of said contoured seat, and the distance between said first pair of wheels and said second pair of wheels, change in a predefined relation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.