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US 4,962,942 AGranted
Minimum energy curb negotiating wheelchair
AssigneeTriodyne, Inc.
InventorsRalph L. Barnett, Steven R. Schmid, Robert Kaplan
Life of this patent
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AssigneeTriodyne, Inc.
InventorsRalph L. Barnett, Steven R. Schmid, Robert Kaplan
Estimating the term…
A wheelchair which can negotiate curbs and other obstructions with a minimum of effort by the wheelchair occupant. The wheelchair has conventional front caster wheels and rear propulsion wheels, with first auxiliary support wheels located between the caster and rear wheels, and second auxiliary wheels being located outboard behind the rear wheels. The castered wheels and the rear wheels are structured to be raised or lowered by the wheelchair occupant. When a curb is encountered, the occupant propels the wheelchair forwardly until the first auxiliary wheels are at the edge of the curb, and the castered wheels are suspended. The castered wheels are then lowered to the bottom of the curb and the wheelchair propelled forward until the second auxiliary wheels are at the curb edge. The large rear wheels are then lowered to curb level, and the wheelchair is propelled by the occupant to the opposite curb, where the curb is ascended by turning the wheelchair 180.degree. and performing the wheel adjusting process in the opposite sequence.
In a wheelchair having a seat for an occupant secured to a frame, a pair of castered front wheels and a pair of primary rear wheels adapted to be revolved by the occupant to propel the wheelchair, the wheels normally having bearing surfaces lying in a common surface plane, the improvement comprising means to negotiate curbs and obstructions, comprising:
In a wheelchair having a seat for an occupant secured to a frame, a pair of castered front wheels and a pair of primary rear wheels adapted to be revolved by the occupant to propel the wheelchair, the wheels normally having bearing surfaces lying in a common surface plane, the improvement comprising means to negotiate curbs and obstructions, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.