Motor vehicles – Vehicle trains
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-12-04
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Motor vehicles
Vehicle trains
C180S065100, C180S908000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325168
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to light-weight transport devices in general and, more particularly, to vehicles for transporting wheeled objects.
BACKGROUND ART
Devices for hauling, pushing or transporting wheeled objects are well known in the art. Such known devices include, for example, the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,074 describes a U-shaped, one-wheeled, motorized device for mounting to the back of a shopping cart. The U-shaped device provides motor-assisted motion of the shopping cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,840 describes an articulated shopping cart-tractor unit with a seat, especially suitable for a handicapped shopper. The tractor unit is connected to a conventional shopping cart by a bracket and coupling arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,069 describes a powered pusher vehicle for moving a train of nested shopping carts, the vehicle has a central drive wheel and caster wheels which balance the vehicle and provide steering and manipulation capability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,920 describes a self-propelled shopping cart having a trailer for transporting a passenger standing behind the cart. The self-propelled cart can also be used as a conventional shopping cart by tilting the trailer to an upright position.
In all the prior art devices describes above, the cart is transported such that all of its wheels, e.g. 4 wheels, are in contact with the ground, in analogy to manual transportation of the cart. It should be noted that although the wheels of the cart support the weight of the cart, these wheels generally impair the steering and manipulation capability of the device during transportation of the cart.
Wheelchairs are commonly used for transporting patients in health-care related facilities such as hospitals, clinics and medical centers. It is appreciated that the personnel of the health-care facility transport patients manually over long distances and, occasionally, the patients are transported up or down slopes. This imposes an undue burden on the personal of health-care facilities.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a powered transit vehicle for conveniently and safely transporting a wheeled object. According to some aspects of the present invention, the wheeled object is transported while carrying a person. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wheeled object is a wheelchair accommodating a person to be transported. Thus, the transit vehicle of the present invention can be used, inter alia, for transporting patients between locations in health-care facilities, e.g. hospitals, clinics, mental institutions or geriatric facilities. The present invention is also useful in “homes” for the elderly and/or the disabled.
It is an object of some aspects of the present invention to provide a transit vehicle for transporting a multi-wheeled object such that all of the wheels of the object disengage the ground. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the wheeled object is a manual advancement device such as a wheelchair. In other preferred embodiments of the invention, the wheeled object is a wheeled carrier, such as a shopping cart.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transit vehicle includes a lift mechanism adapted to maintain the wheeled object at a lifted transit position in which all of the wheels of the object do not engage the ground. Preferably, the lift mechanism first grips a portion of the wheeled object and then, once the wheeled object is securely gripped, the lift mechanism lifts the wheeled object to the transit position. The wheeled object is thus transported in the lifted, transit position which enables convenient and safe transportation of the object to a desired location.
There is thus provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a transit vehicle for transporting an object having a plurality of ground-interfacing wheels, the vehicle including a lift mechanism adapted to lift and securely grip a portion of the wheeled object such that the object is maintained at a lifted, transit position in which all the ground-interfacing wheels of the object do not engage the ground.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transit vehicle includes at least one driving wheel engaging the ground and at least one motor which powers the at least one driving wheel.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the object includes a rigid support structure and the lift mechanism is adapted to grip at least one segment of the rigid support structure.
Preferably, the lift mechanism comprises a piston-cylinder unit that is mounted on the chassis of the transit vehicle and is operated to retractably move at least one freely rotatable support wheel, at least one connecting rod is hinged to the chassis on the one hand and to the at least one support wheel on the other end, so that the moving forward and the retracting of the at least one support wheel by means of the piston cylinder unit tilts up or down, respectively, the front part of the chassis and lifts or lowers, respectively the object. Further preferably, lifting platforms on which wheels of the object are placed during the lift of the object, are included in the lift mechanism. Optionally, the lift mechanism may include a frontal extending guide arch or arms that extend forward to provide guiding, stop and support means to the object.
In a preferred embodiment, the lift mechanism comprises a grip mechanism, the grip mechanism comprises at least one horizontal extendible bar that may be retractably extended toward the side into a gripping position adapted to securely grip respective niche or aperture of the support structure of the object. The niche or aperture may includes a connection comer between poles and beams of the support structure.
Preferably, the bar is reciprocated through a guiding sleeve that is attached to the chassis of the transit vehicle, and the grip mechanism further comprises spring means for keeping the bar in a retracted configuration, and a spacer which is selectively forced to urge the bar to extend to the side, by manual means or a piston cylinder unit. Further preferably, the grip mechanism comprises two horizontal extendible bars that may be retractably extended toward the opposed sides.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the object includes a wheelchair. Preferably, the wheelchair includes a collapsible wheelchair.
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Fischmann Bryan
Johnson Brian L.
Saltamar Innovations
Wertberger Shalom
LandOfFree
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