Chairs and seats – Body or occupant restraint or confinement – Having crotch strap or post
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-09
2001-09-11
Cranmer, Laurie K. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Body or occupant restraint or confinement
Having crotch strap or post
C297S423190, C297SDIG004
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286904
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pivotable abduction abutment support for preventing injury during the abduction movement of the legs of a handicapped person sitting on a chair, a wheelchair, a base on wheels, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some handicapped persons have muscular contraction problems that make them contract their legs together (this movement is known as abduction) and hit their knees. Such contraction can hurt them involuntarily and to prevent this, there are different abduction abutment supports. The support places the abutment between the legs of the person and prevents the knees from hitting each other. Some known abutment supports are fixed to the seat, such as the one described in Wilkie et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,900, and may not pivot downwardly in order to be moved out of the way of the person when it is necessary.
Other known abutment supports may pivot downwardly to clear the way of the person sitting on the wheelchair so he or she can move out or move on the wheelchair easily. These pivotable abutment supports are provided with a locking mechanism that locks the abutment between the legs of the person and can be unlocked in order to move the abutment out of the way when desired.
The locking means of one known pivotable abutment support comprises a protuberance on one side of a lower end of a rod and two plates sandwiching the lower end of the rod. One plate has a recessed area adapted to receive the protuberance. An abutment is mounted on an upper end of the rod. When the rod is extended upwardly and the abutment lies above the seat, the protuberance fits into the recessed area and maintains the rod in the upstanding position, i.e. between the legs of the person. To unlock the rod, one has to press behind the abutment and pivot the rod downwardly so that the protuberance disengages the recessed area. One of the disadvantages of this locking means is that the protuberance is subject to wear and tear rapidly and consequently loses its effectiveness very rapidly.
The pivotable abutment support described in Kornberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,416 has a different locking mechanism to keep the rod between the legs (or knees) of the person. Its locking mechanism comprises a rail system designed to longitudinally forwardly and rearwardly adjust the abutment location, a sliding member fixed to a rod on which an abutment is mounted and adapted to slide in the rail system. At a forward limit position of the rail system, the sliding member disengages the rail and may freely pivot downwardly together with the rod and the abutment that are fastened to the sliding member. To keep the rod upwardly extending, the sliding member has to be pushed rearwardly in order to engage the rail. Then, the sliding member is secured in a longitudinal desired position on the rail system by a locking pin engaging it.
The pivotable abutment support described in Suhre U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,919 uses another locking means which comprises a release pin allowing the rod to pivot downwardly.
There is a need for a locking means for a pivotable abduction abutment support that does not wear and tear easily, and is simple to manipulate. Advantageously, the locking means is unlocked by using only one hand, and is locked automatically when the rod is pivoted back into the upstanding position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a pivotable abduction abutment support for a chair or the like that satisfies the above-mentioned needs.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved with a pivotable abduction abutment support for a chair. The chair has a seat. The support comprises:
a base member adapted to be fastened under the seat, the seat having a front edge, the base member having a front end extending beyond the front edge of the seat;
a rod having two opposite ends, a front surface and a rear surface, one of the opposite ends being mounted about a first pivot located at the front end of the base member, the first pivot having a pivoting axis parallel to the front edge of the seat, wherein the rod pivots between an upstanding position where the rod extends upwardly and substantially vertically, and a released position where the rod extends downwardly;
abutment fastening means for fastening an abutment to the other opposite end of the rod so that the abutment extends above the seat when the rod is in the upstanding position; and
releasable locking means for releasably locking the rod in the upstanding position, the locking means comprising:
(i) a retaining portion for engaging the front surface of the rod, the retaining portion lying above the first pivot in order to lock the rod in the upstanding position,
(ii) at least one arm extending rearwardly from the retaining portion, the arm having a distal end mounted about a second pivot located on the base member rearwardly of the first pivot, and
(iii) biasing means for biasing the retaining portion against the rod,
whereby, by manually pivoting the retaining portion away from the rod, the rod is released and free to pivot downwardly; and when the rod is pivoted from the released position to the upstanding position, the biasing means automatically pivots the retaining portion towards the rod to engage the front surface of the rod and thereby lock the rod in the upstanding position.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is also achieved with another pivotable abduction abutment support for a chair having a seat. The support comprises:
a base member adapted to be fastened under the seat, the seat having a front edge, the base member having a front end extending beyond the front edge of the seat, the front end having a front surface and a lower surface where the front surface is inwardly rounded towards the lower surface, the base member having two opposite sides;
a rod having two opposite ends, a front surface and a rear surface, one of the opposite ends being mounted about a first pivot located at the front end of the base member, the first pivot having a pivoting axis parallel to the front edge of the seat, wherein the rod pivots between an upstanding position where the rod extends upwardly and substantially vertically, and a released position where the rod extends downwardly;
abutment fastening means for fastening an abutment to the other opposite end of the rod so that the abutment extends above the seat when the rod is in the upstanding position;
releasable locking means for releasably locking the rod in the upstanding position, the locking means comprising:
(i) a retaining portion for engaging the front surface of the rod, the retaining portion lying above the first pivot in order to lock the rod in the upstanding position,
(ii) two arms extending rearwardly from two opposite sides of the retaining portion so that the locking means defines a U shape, each arm having a distal end mounted about a second pivot located on the base member rearwardly and upwardly of the first pivot, the second pivot having a pivoting axis parallel to the pivoting axis of the first pivot, and
(iii) biasing means for upwardly biasing the retaining portion,
whereby, by manually pivoting down the retaining portion, the rod is released and free to pivot downwardly; and when the rod is pivoted from the released position to the upstanding position, the biasing means automatically pivot the retaining portion upwardly to engage the front surface of the rod and thereby lock the rod in the upstanding position; and
two flanges laterally extending from an upper edge of the two opposite sides of the base member respectively, whereby the flanges prevent the locking means from pivoting upwardly beyond a horizontal position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4165127 (1979-08-01), Vago
patent: 4192546 (1980-03-01), Smith
patent: 5320416 (1994-06-01), Kornberg
patent: 5636900 (1997-06-01), Wilkie et al.
patent: 2150525 (1972-04-01), None
patent: 1595570 (1981-08-01), None
1999 Catalog of Adaptive Engineering Lab, Lever Release Abductor Bracket, pp. 52-53.
Advertisement of Otto Bock, Seat Cushions—Wheelchair Int
Harnois Jacques
Obertelli Bernard
Cranmer Laurie K.
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens
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