Wheelchair lifting device
OwnerJerry M. Garyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheelchair lift that consists of a horizontal platform mounted on a hydraulic elevator operable by the wheelchair occupant. A pivotable back panel of the platform provides a ramp for access to its top from ground level when the elevator frame is completely contracted and the platform is at its lowest position. The back ramp, together with a front gate and a system of lateral rails insures the stability and safety of the wheelchair on top of the platform, which can then be raised to the desired height by the occupant. The elevator arrangement is designed for fast response, so that the invention can be effectively used not only to move a wheelchair to a different plane for locomotion, but also for applications that require frequent adjustments to different heights.
Claims6
A lift for raising the elevation of an occupied wheelchair, comprising:
- (a) a horizontal platform for supporting said wheelchair, said platform further comprises two side rails, a vertical front panel, and a vertical back panel, hinged along the back side of the platform, that can swing open to rest on the surrounding ground and provide a ramp for a wheelchair to be wheeled onto the lift when the platform is lowered all the way;
- (b) means for raising and lowering said platform in vertical motion between a height approximately at ground level and a higher elevation, as desired by the person occupying said wheelchair, said means for raising and lowering said platform consists of two extendable scissor-lever assemblies connected to the underside of said platform and to a support frame on the ground, and first and second hydraulic rams hinged between said support frame and a transverse brace rigidly connecting said scissor-lever assemblies, so that said platform reaches a point of maximum travel and highest elevation when said scissor-lever assemblies and said first and second rams are fully extended, and said platform is at its lowest point when said scissor-lever assemblies and said first and second rams are fully retracted;
- and
- (c) a third hydraulic ram and a spring connected in parallel to the underside of said platform and to a lever arm rigidly attached to said back panel, so that the hydraulic pressure of said third ram causes said back panel to remain closed in its vertical position against the tension of said spring and the release of said hydraulic pressure from said third hydraulic ram results in said spring to pull said back panel open against the back pressure of the released hydraulic fluid in said third ram.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.