Steerable wheelchair attachment with powered coupling means

A steerable and powered wheelchair attachment with powered coupling means, said coupling means providing for the simultaneous attachment to and lifting of a front portion of a wheelchair, said attachment comprising:

• (a) an auxiliary frame including a tubular wheel support, a steering handle support, an upper tie member, and a lower tie member;
• (b) a wheel assembly being pivotally received in said tubular wheel support, said wheel assembly including a drive wheel rotatably carried in a fork member, a powered drive means adapted for selectively driving said drive wheel, and a first steering arm removably fastened to the fork member near an end distal said drive wheel;
• (c) a steering assembly being pivotally received in an upper portion of said steering handle support, said steering handle assembly including a second steering arm, and a steering handle, said steering handle being pivotally attached to said second steering arm for adjustably positioning said steering handle as and when needed;
• (d) at least one tie rod member connecting said first steering arm with said second steering arm, said tie rod member transmitting steering control from said steering handle to said wheel assembly;
• (e) a coupling assembly being pivotally mounted to said lower tie member, said coupling assembly including:
• e1) a first lever having a substantially Z-shape, said first lever including an upper extending portion and, a lower extending portion, said first lever sharing a pivotal mounting being pivotally attached to an extending end of said lower tie member;
• e2) a linear actuator having reversing capabilities, said linear actuator being pivotally carried on said lower tie member at a point intermediate said tubular wheel support and said steering handle support;
• e3) a second lever having one end pivotally mounted to said lower tie member, an other end of said second lever having a pivotal attachment pivotally attached to a shaft of said linear actuator,
• e4) a link member adapted for connecting said second lever with said lower extending portion of said first lever;
• e5) a pair of wheel ramps, each wheel ramp being adjustably fixed on a plurality of arms transversely extending from said lower extending portion of said first lever, each of said wheel ramps adapted for guiding and locating wheelchair wheels moved thereon;
• e6) a third lever member pivotally mounted at one end to said lower tie member intermediate said steering handle support and said pivotal mounting for said first lever, a second end of said third lever being adapted for grasping a first wheelchair crossbar;
• and
• (f) wherein selective activation of said linear actuator rotates said second lever, said rotation of said second lever raising the lower extending portion of said first lever while simultaneously moving said third lever into said grasping arrangement with said first wheelchair crossbar while bringing said upper extending portion of said first lever into engagement with a second wheelchair crossbar to provide lifting of said wheelchair wheels and then a subsequent reverse activation of said linear actuator reverses said grasping and said lifting.