Chairs and seats – Armrest – Movable to nonuse position
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-23
2001-06-26
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Armrest
Movable to nonuse position
C297S411350, C297S411380, C297SDIG004, C297SDIG001, C297S464000, C297S487000, C297S488000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250717
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to wheelchairs used by the handicapped and by invalids, and it is equally applicable to all wheelchairs, whether folding or otherwise.
More particularly, the invention relates to wheelchairs of the kind that include an articulated structure including a back, a seat, and a foot-rest, and associated with drive means enabling the articulated structure to be raised or lowered relative to a frame carrying it, either with or without help from the subject on the wheelchair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wheelchairs of the above kind undoubtedly represent real progress in that they not only provide mobility, which is essential, but also they enable the subject to take up a standing position which is also important to avoid the physical damage that stems from remaining for a long time in the sitting position.
The prior art proposes various solutions for making wheelchairs of the above type. Those various proposals have advantages and drawbacks, but in general they enable a subject to take up a standing posture, at least to some extent.
Nevertheless, it has been observed that such wheelchairs are unsuitable for use by handicapped or invalid subjects who no longer possess sufficient muscle control to maintain a stable position on the plane supporting them in the standing posture and constituted by the raised articulated structure of a wheelchair.
That is why proposals have been made, in particular in French patent 83/08021 (2 545 718) to adapt such wheelchairs by providing them with body-holding devices. One such device comprises a set of means designed to constitute leg pieces engaging the fronts of the subject's legs, and a second set of means constituted by arm-rests capable of being oriented in generally vertical planes in which they form side guards for the body of a sitting subject, and also in a generally horizontal plane in which they constitute respective halves of a chest-retainer for the subject.
Such a device is suitable for enabling the body to be held properly and it can be installed or adapted in a manner that is found to be acceptable.
The means implemented for changing the orientation of the arm-rests need to take account of the requirement for positive locking in each of the two orientations while making it possible to control pivoting from one orientation to the other and back again without requiring significant physical effort.
In the presently known solution, such means make use of a succession of parts and hinge axes that include catches and notches for locking and holding purposes and that are certainly suitable for satisfying the requirements laid down.
However, it has been observed that under certain circumstances that assembly of hinged parts can lead to the fingers being pinched or indeed to clothes being torn or damaged, without forgetting the major risk of breaking or cutting an electrical feed cable extending between a control and, for example, a system for providing electrical assistance in moving to an upright position.
It has therefore been found necessary to propose improvements to the means for hinging the arm-rests and for locking them positively in either of the two orientations, so as to make them suitable for overcoming the above drawbacks.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is specifically the object of the invention to propose such improvements seeking essentially to simplify the movements that need to be performed on passing from one orientation to the other and back again, and above all using technical means which are entirely hidden or masked from the outside surfaces so as to avoid risks of pinching, damaging clothes, or undesirable breaking of electrical cables.
To achieve the above objects, the improvements provided relate to a novel hinge block for angled arm-rests for wheelchairs for the handicapped including an articulated “stand-up” structure, with such a hinge block comprising:
a back half-block fitted to an upright of the back of the structure and carrying a substantially horizontal pivot axis;
an arm-rest half-block mounted to pivot on the pivot axis from a stable angular position and defining a substantially horizontal bore orthogonal to the pivot axis, and rotatably receiving the cylindrical shank of an angled arm-rest; and
means interposed between the two half-blocks to ensure:
that the shank is locked when the angled arm-rest is occupying either a plane that is substantially vertical or a plane that is substantially horizontal; and
that partial pivoting of the arm-rest half-block about the pivot axis enables said means to be unlocked to allow the arm-rest shank to rotate and enables it to be locked angularly after it has rotated.
The invention also provides a wheelchair for the handicapped including a stand-up structure in which at least one of the uprights of the back is provided with at least one arm-rest linked to said upright via a hinge block of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4065179 (1977-12-01), Takasaki
patent: 4076304 (1978-02-01), Deucher
patent: 4120530 (1978-10-01), Imbro
patent: 4141094 (1979-02-01), Ferguson et al.
patent: 4568122 (1986-02-01), Kain
patent: 4579191 (1986-04-01), Klee et al.
patent: 4623194 (1986-11-01), Pillot
patent: 4813746 (1989-03-01), Mulholland
patent: 4846527 (1989-07-01), Julien et al.
patent: 5108202 (1992-04-01), Smith
patent: 5368362 (1994-11-01), Ramon et al.
patent: 5447356 (1995-09-01), Snijders
patent: 5556121 (1996-09-01), Pillot
patent: 2545718 (1984-11-01), None
Cuomo Peter M.
Dennison, Scheiner Schultz & Wakeman
I.D.C. Medical
White Rodney B.
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