Weighing scales – Collapsible – foldable – knockdown
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2001-07-31
Gibson, Randy W. (Department: 2859)
Weighing scales
Collapsible, foldable, knockdown
C177S177000, C177S262000, C177S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268572
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for weighing objects. In particular, the invention relates to adaptors which allow a person in a wheelchair, with the aid of an assistant, to be weighed on a typical bathroom-type scale. The invention includes a portable wheelchair scale adaptor platform adapted to be received upon a typical bathroom scale, and an access ramp attached thereto to allow a wheelchair-bound person, with the aid of an assistant, to be rolled onto the platform thereby measuring his weight.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous devices to allow a wheelchair-bound person to be weighed without removing them from their chair are known prior art. These devices are typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,022 to Richel for a Tip-On Wheelchair Scale Adaptor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,197 to Kechely for a Weighing Ramp Adaptor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,30,299 to Albagli for a Platform Weighing Scale and Loading Adaptor therefor, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,938 to Nelson for a Wheelchair Weighing Platform. Richel's Tip-On Wheelchair Scale Adaptor cannot be used without assistance from someone other than the person in the wheelchair. The frame disclosed by Richel is first placed on the weighing scale. The wheelchair is then positioned in front of the lateral edge of the platform and the assistant tips the wheelchair backwardly to allow the front wheels of the wheelchair to pass over the platform. Once the front wheels of the wheelchair are over the platform, the wheelchair is tipped forward into its normal position which causes the lower frame member of the wheelchair to rest on the weighing platform. The wheelchair is thus held off the ground by the lower member of the wheelchair resting upon the weighing platform, and the person's weight can be recorded. The drawback with Richel, however, is two-fold; (1) a user in a wheelchair cannot weigh himself without assistance from another; and (2) the readout from the dial on the weighing scale is obscured by the wheelchair device itself so that the user in the wheelchair cannot see the readout of the weighing scale.
The device disclosed by Kechely is very simple. The device rests on the platform of the weighing scale, so that when a user places the front wheels of a wheelchair on the leading edge of the platform it tips forward presenting an angled surface onto which a user rolls the wheelchair. Once the user is all the way up on the platform, it angles back down to where it rests on the platform of the weighing scale. At that point, the weight of the patient can be noted. Again, the patent refers to use with an attendant of this device. The assistant to the person in the wheelchair tips the device so that the front edge is against the ground and the wheelchair can be rolled up onto the device. In addition, the assistant to the wheelchair-bound person would be the person to read the scale since the wheelchair-bound person could not see the readings of the scale. Another problem with Kechely is that older patients who are uncomfortable with unstable devices may be unwilling to wheel up the ramp for fear that their wheelchair will tip over backwards. The device wobbles substantially as the patient is wheeling himself onto the platform.
The same disadvantages apply to Nelson. None of these devices present a stable platform for a user to roll the wheelchair onto. The platform rests on the scale and tips and moves during operation. Wheelchair-bound patients, particularly older patients, may be uncomfortable with this tipping and unstable motion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a portable wheelchair adaptor platform which presents a stable surface for a wheelchair-bound person to be rolled onto with the aid of an assistant. It is a further object of the invention to provide a wheelchair scale adaptor which provides for easy viewing of the readout of the scale upon which the device is placed. Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be used with most any manner of bathroom-type scales. There has been thus outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be better understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements that components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with the patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection of the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1830050 (1931-11-01), Carroll
patent: 2343621 (1944-03-01), Williams
patent: 2823911 (1958-02-01), Murphy
patent: 2860868 (1958-11-01), Wells
patent: 3630299 (1971-12-01), Albagli
patent: 3732938 (1973-05-01), Nelson
patent: 4126197 (1978-11-01), Kechely
patent: 4441568 (1984-04-01), Heffner
patent: 4534365 (1985-08-01), Bonetta et al.
patent: 5448022 (1995-09-01), Rishel
Gibson Randy W.
White Edward L.
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