Brakes – Vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-13
2001-10-30
Oberleitner, Robert (Department: 3613)
Brakes
Vehicle
C188S00200R, C188S031000, C074S501600, C074S502200, C074S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308804
ABSTRACT:
New wheelchairs are having features installed that make it imperative to have an improved braking and wheel locking systems to keep the wheelchair operator where he wants to be without slipping or sliding. Some wheelchairs have floating axles that makes it impossible for the original equipment to keep the operator where he wants to be because the change in relationship of the axle to the frame of the wheelchair where the original equipment braking system is attached. This constant change makes it impossible for the braking system to keep up with the change between the floating axle and the wheelchair frame. This constant movement is caused whenever the person in the wheelchair hits a bump or moves from his car into his wheelchair. Additionally when the tires get low on air, they slip. When the tires get wet, they slip and slide. Some who are confined to a wheelchair want to play sports and desire to have a wider stance to the wheels of their wheelchair as well as having adjustable caster and camber angles to their wheels. One wheelchair manufacturer produces a wheelchair with tubes, called camber tubes that slide in and out from the centerline of the wheelchair to give a wider position to the wheels. They produce four camber tubes with various degrees of camber namely, 0° and 3°; 3° and 6°; 6° and 9°; then the fourth is 9° and 12°. When these tubes are changes on the wheelchair, the method of braking or locking the wheelchair must also be quickly changed as well as compensate and adjust to the various camber angles and position from the center-line of the wheelchair. This is why the Quick Connect Wheelchair Hub Lock was developed. It provides the means of locking the hubs of the wheels of the wheelchair anywhere from 0° degrees to 12° and follows the wheels as they move thereby stopping the wheelchair in a quick and positive manner.
Camber is the degrees that the wheels are inclined inward at the top and are measured in degrees from perpendicular. Changing tubes that slide in and out from the centerline of the wheelchair change the camber angles and permit a wider baseline for the wheels of the wheelchair. Tubes currently manufactured by wheelchair manufacturer are 0°-3°;30°-60°;6°-9° and 90°-12°. In order for the occupant of the wheelchair to change these tubes and have some brake or locking mechanism, be must quickly be able to disconnect the locks and attach them to the other tubes that have the various camber angles for the wheels. With cam-handle clamps the quick-connect wheelchair hub lock makes this possible. No toolbox is needed in order to make any adjustments. With each new camber tube, the tapered pin that enters the hole of the disc on the wheel automatically adjusts to the new angle.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention being presented is a necessary means of locking wheelchair wheels with adjustable camber angles to their wheels in a stationary position as desired by the occupant of the wheelchair. The brake lock can be easily removed or attached to the wheelchair as well as adjusted for the variations in the camber tube axle.
The improvements of the present invention gives a positive breaking system that compensates for the various caster-camber angles. The prior arts brake devices do not have this capability.
The prior arts being referenced here:
Inventors
Patent Number
Date issued
Watwood, Brian
6,007,082
12/28/99
Duran, Brian M.
6,012,555
1/11/2000
Pfister, Berard
5,034,039
9/13/94
Roberts; Jack
5,799,756
9/1/98
Barry; Theodore
5,280,938
1/25/94
Babilias; John
4,623,043
11/18/86
None of the prior arts have the capacity or ability to adjust the locking mechanism to wheels that change their distance from the centerline of the wheelchair as well as change the angles of their caster and camber on the wheels. Surelock's claim of adjustability in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,756 can be adjusted to a limited degree in and out from centerline, but not when adjusting for the camber, it slips out of engagement with the notched disc, nor does it have the ability to move the latch mechanism with the camber tubes as required in the Quick Connect Brake Lock. Additionally the latching mechanism does not have the ability to hold the wheels in the desired position as does the angled pin and hole combination of the Quick Connect Brake Lock when coping with the various degrees of camber angle. The Quick-Connect-Disconnect Wheelchair Brake Lock described herein handles these variables having to do with the location of the wheels as well as the angle of the wheels. Not only does it have the ability to adjust to these variables, but has the ability to be quickly removed and reconnected to new tubes, which introduce new camber angles to the wheels and wheel locations. The handle for activating the locking mechanism is completely enclosed to keep sand and gravel and snow and ice from collecting in the moving parts of the handle, which would cause excessive wear and interference with the movement of the locking mechanism. The handle is designed to improve the ease of operation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1331513 (1920-02-01), Lindberg
patent: 1709527 (1929-04-01), Ford
patent: 3174768 (1965-03-01), Sanders et al.
patent: 4084663 (1978-04-01), Haley
patent: 4480720 (1984-11-01), Shimano
patent: 4733755 (1988-03-01), Manning
patent: 5492355 (1996-02-01), Berry
patent: 5799756 (1998-09-01), Roberts et al.
patent: 6170615 (2001-01-01), Cheng
patent: 6250433 (2001-06-01), Sealine et al.
King Bradley
Oberleitner Robert
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