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US 5,308,214 AGranted
Wheelchair lift apparatus
AssigneeChrysler Corporation
InventorsJohn E. Crain, Mariano T. Cadiz, James J. Todd, Lawrence J. Teal
Life of this patent
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AssigneeChrysler Corporation
InventorsJohn E. Crain, Mariano T. Cadiz, James J. Todd, Lawrence J. Teal
Estimating the term…
A wheelchair lift apparatus which may be adapted for use in an existing motor vehicle in lieu of a seat structure removably coupled to the floor pan. The lift apparatus includes a motor driven horizontal screw for laterally moving a platform across the vehicle to exit the rear passenger compartment through a side door opening. The platform has a vertical side extension and carries a foldable wheelchair, for example, whose two sides collapse inwardly. The lift apparatus further includes motor driven linkage members for pivoting the platform and folded wheelchair from outside the rear passenger compartment toward the front of the vehicle. The platform and folded wheelchair are next vertically adjusted alongside either the driver or a front seat passenger door opening, depending upon whether the side door opening is on the right or left side of the vehicle. An additional motor driven linkage member is operative for downwardly pivoting the vertical side extension to a coplanar position with the platform so as to extend its effective surface for supporting the unfolded wheelchair, ready to receive the driver or front seat passenger; and a motor driven vertical screw for lowering and raising the platform and wheelchair.
A wheelchair lift apparatus adapted for removable use with a vehicle body, the body having a passenger compartment defined in part by a floor and two sides, one of said body sides having a front door opening and an adjacent side door opening, each said front and side door opening having an associated door movable supported relative thereto, the passenger compartment having front seat means fixed to the floor providing a driver's seat and a front passenger seat, seat retention means disposed in the floor for removably coupling a rear seat to the floor in transverse alignment with the side door opening, said removable wheelchair lift apparatus comprising:
A wheelchair lift apparatus adapted for use with a vehicle body, the body having a passenger compartment defined in part by a floor and two sides, one of said body sides having a front door opening and an adjacent side door opening, each said front and side door opening having an associated door movable supported relative thereto, the passenger compartment having front seat means fixed to the floor providing a driver's seat and a front passenger seat, seat retention means disposed in the floor for removably coupling a rear seat to the floor in transverse alignment with the side door opening, said wheelchair lift apparatus comprising:
A wheelchair lift apparatus adapted for removable use wit a vehicle body, the body having a passenger compartment defined in part by a floor and two sides, one of said body sides having a front door opening and an adjacent side door opening, each said front and side door opening having an associated door movable supported relative thereto, the passenger compartment having front seat means fixed to the floor providing a driver's seat and a front passenger seat, seat retention means disposed in the floor for removably coupling a rear seat to the floor in transverse alignment with the side door opening, said removable wheelchair lift apparatus comprising:
A wheelchair lift apparatus for use in conjunction with a vehicle having seat mounting means in sockets in the floor thereof for a seat immediately behind operator and front passenger seats, and a side door in an opening adjacent the sockets, said wheelchair lift apparatus comprising a base frame having laterally extending fixed guide rods, latch means pivotally connected to said base frame for operatively engaging said seat mounting means, a support plate member slidably mounted on said guide rods, a vertical bracket secured to said plate member, a vertical stanchion having vertically extending fixed guide rods, a movable frame slidably mounted on said vertically extending fixed guide rods of said stanchion, a hinge pivotally connected between side of said stanchion and said vertical bracket, a horizontal platform member secured to said movable frame above said support plate member, a vertical platform member pivotally connected to an edge of said horizontal platform member oppositely disposed from said stanchion, a first motor mounted on said base frame, a first threaded rod connected between said first motor and said support plate member for moving said support plate member along said laterally extending guide rods into and out of said vehicle through said side door opening, a second motor mounted on said support plate member, linkage means connected between said second motor and said horizontal platform member for pivoting said platform members, said wheelchair, and said stanchion about said hinge to a position along side one of the operator and front passenger seats, a third motor mounted under said horizontal platform member, connector means connected between said third motor and said vertical platform member for pivotally lowering and raising the vertical platform member to and from the plane of said horizontal platform member, and a fourth motor mounted on said stanchion, a second threaded rod connected between said fourth motor and said movable frame for moving the movable frame along said vertically extending fixed guide rods to and from the ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.