CARRIER FOR ATTACHMENT TO A WHEELCHAIR

PANIER DE FAUTEUIL ROULANT

English Abstract

A carrier for mounting on a wheelchair comprising: an elongate, rigid body
having a pair
of upstanding, solid sides, a pair of upstanding, solid ends, the sides and
ends defining a
top opening and a rigid, solid bottom with drainage apertures, the sides being
of greater
height than the height of the ends to allow easy access to the carrier at its
ends by a
wheelchair occupant, and to allow support for objects of different sizes in
the carrier; a
pair of cooperating pivoting members, one pivoting member being fixed to an
outer back
corner of the wheelchair and a telescoping support assembly comprising inner
and outer
members, one end of the inner member being secured to the other pivoting
member,
and the bottom of the carrier being secured and supported along the length of
the outer
member of the telescopic assembly; a latching mechanism located at the other
outer
back corner of the wheelchair for releasably securing the free end of the
telescopic
assembly and the carrier to the back of the wheelchair for storage, which
mechanism
when released by the wheelchair occupant, allows the carrier to be pivoted
from the
back storage position to the side of the wheelchair, and extended forwardly
via the
telescopic assembly by the occupant, as desired for access to the carrier and
its ends,
for loading and unloading of objects.

French Abstract

Un dispositif de transport pour monter sur un fauteuil roulant comprenant un corps rigide allongé muni d'une paire de côtés solides verticaux, une paire d'extrémités solides verticales, les côtés et les extrémités définissant une ouverture supérieure et une partie inférieure solide rigide avec des ouvertures de drainage, les côtés étant d'une hauteur plus élevée que celle des extrémités pour permettre un accès facile au dispositif de transport à ses extrémités par un occupant du fauteuil roulant, et pour permettre le soutien d'objets de différentes tailles dans le dispositif de transport. Le dispositif de transport comprend aussi une paire d'éléments pivotants coopératifs, un élément pivotant étant fixé à un angle arrière extérieur du fauteuil roulant et un ensemble de support à télescopage comprenant des éléments intérieur et extérieur, une extrémité de l'élément intérieur étant fixée à l'autre élément pivotant, et la partie inférieure du dispositif de transport étant fixée et soutenue le long de l'élément extérieur de l'ensemble à télescopage, un mécanisme de verrouillage situé à l'autre angle arrière extérieur du fauteuil roulant pour une fixation non permanente de l'extrémité libre de l'ensemble à télescopage et le dispositif de transport à l'arrière du fauteuil roulant pour un entreposage, ledit mécanisme, s'il est dégagé par l'occupant du fauteuil roulant, permet au dispositif de transport de pivoter à partir de la position d'entreposage arrière au côté du fauteuil roulant, et de se prolonger vers l'avant au moyen de l'ensemble à télescopage par l'occupant, comme désiré pour un accès au dispositif de transport et à ses extrémités, pour le chargement et le déchargement d'objets.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A carrier for mounting on a wheelchair comprising:
an elongate, rigid body having a pair of upstanding, solid sides, a pair of
upstanding, solid ends, the sides and ends defining a top opening and a rigid,
solid
bottom with drainage apertures, the sides being of greater height than the
height of the
ends to allow easy access to the carrier at its ends by a wheelchair occupant,
and to
allow support for objects of different sizes in the carrier;
a pair of cooperating pivoting members, one pivoting member being fixed to an
outer back corner of the wheelchair and a telescoping support assembly
comprising
inner and outer members, one end of the inner member being secured to the
other
pivoting member, and the bottom of the carrier being secured and supported
along the
length of the outer member of the telescopic assembly;
a latching mechanism located at the other outer back corner of the wheelchair
for
releasably securing the free end of the telescopic assembly and the carrier to
the back of
the wheelchair for storage, which mechanism when released by the wheelchair
occupant, allows the carrier to be pivoted from the back storage position to
the side of
the wheelchair, and extended forwardly via the telescopic assembly by the
occupant, as
desired for access to the carrier and its ends, for loading and unloading of
objects.
2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the telescopic assembly includes a stop to
prevent it
from telescoping, which stop is easily released by the wheelchair occupant.
3. The carrier of claim 1 or 2, wherein the elongate sides of the carrier
which are of
greater height than the height of the ends of the carrier are of semi-circular
shape.
4. The carrier of claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a cover for the opening.
5. The carrier of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the carrier mounted on the
telescoping
support assembly is biased to return to its storage position.
6. The wheelchair carrier of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein a rigid planar
sheet is fixedly
attached to the upper surface of the outer member of said telescoping support
assembly
so as to securely fasten the carrier to said outer member.
8

7. The carrier of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a release cord
remotely
attached to a catch of said latch mechanism and extending to the general seat
area of
said wheelchair thus allowing the wheelchair occupant to release said catch.
9

Description

CA 02558176 2011-04-26
CARRIER FOR ATTACHMENT TO A WHEELCHAIR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an accessory basket or carrier for attachment
to a
wheelchair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
While wheelchair storage devices have been part of prior art for some many
years, there
remains the ever-popular issue of accessibility to said storage devices. Many
wheelchair
users find it difficult to reach back to retrieve contents from the storage
device.
Accordingly, it is desirable for those using wheelchairs to have easy access
to
belongings stored in his or her chair. The present inventor sought to provide
those using
wheelchairs with a removable, rotatable and extendable storage basket, which
mounts
to the rear of virtually any wheelchair.
Furthermore, many persons with mild handicaps alternate the use of a walker
and a
wheelchair. For example, a handicap driver, having a walker may choose to
borrow a
wheelchair in a shopping mall, but what to do with the walker has been a
challenge as
well. The present invention solves this problem by ensuring the basket of the
present
invention is fabricated of sturdy and durable material, sufficient to handle
loads imposed
by such walkers.
The applicant is aware of several attempts in prior art to provide wheelchair
storage
devices.
For example, reference may be had to the following U.S. Patents; U.S. Pat. No.
4,795,182 of Dyess, issued Jan. 3, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,443 of Kehler,
issued Apr.
24, 1990, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,181 of Letechipia, issued Jan. 19, 1993.
Conclusively, while many prior art inventions have succeeded in providing
users of
wheelchairs with accessory storage devices, none thus far have successfully
combined
the features of accessibility, sturdiness, ease of use and adaptability to
various
wheelchair models.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus the object of the present invention to provide wheelchair users
with an
accessible, sturdy, ease of use storage device that is also adaptable to
virtually any
electric wheelchair model.
In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a universal adapter to
fixedly attach the
wheelchair basket of the present invention to virtually any electric
wheelchair.
In another aspect of the invention, the basket dimensions may vary dependant
on user
preference.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the strike and catch methods may be
substituted
with any equally suitable means.
Accordingly, the wheelchair basket of the present invention provides
wheelchair users
with a storage device incorporating the features of accessibility, sturdiness,
ease of use
and adaptability to various wheelchair models.
The utility of this accessory device includes but is not limited to electric
wheelchairs.
This disclosure provides a carrier for mounting on a wheelchair comprising: an
open
topped, elongate, rigid body having a pair of upstanding and solid sides, a
pair of
upstanding, solid and shorter ends and a rigid and solid bottom with drainage
apertures,
the top of each side being of semi-circular shape, and the ends being similar
in height to
the height of the lower portion of each semicircular side to allow easy access
to the
carrier at its ends by a wheelchair occupant, and to allow support for parcels
of different
heights in the carrier; a mating pair of upper and lower pivoting members, the
lower
pivot member being fixed to an outer back corner of the wheelchair, a
telescopic tube
assembly comprising inner and outer members, one end of the inner member being
secured to the upper pivot member, and the bottom of the carrier being secured
along
the length of the outer member of the telescopic tube assembly whereby the
carrier can
be pivoted from the back to one side, and vice versa, of the wheelchair; a
latching
mechanism located at the other back outside corner of the wheelchair for
releasably
securing the free end of the telescopic tube assembly and the carrier to the
back of the
wheelchair for storage, which mechanism when released by the wheelchair
occupant,
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CA 02558176 2011-04-26
allows the carrier to be pivoted from the back to the side of the wheelchair,
and extended
forwardly via the telescopic tube assembly by the occupant, as desired for
access to the
carrier, and its ends for loading and unloading purposes.
More specifically, there is disclosed a sturdy basket or carrier, a pivotal
extending rail,
wheelchair connecting means, and a catch mechanism. Two wheelchair-connecting
members are provided; one having a hinge pivot assembly and the other a catch
mechanism. The outer telescopic rail is adapted with a strike, mating with a
catch
adapted to the wheelchair-connecting member, while the inner telescopic rail
is adapted
with an upper hinge portion mating with a lower hinge portion adapted to an
opposing
wheelchair-connecting member. A catch release disengages the strike to allow
the rail
and basket assembly to be rotated on a vertical axis toward the side of said
wheelchair,
and the basket can thus be extended toward the front of said chair, making
access to
said basket easy and convenient.
In another aspect, the carrier design includes a rigid planar sheet fixedly
attached to the
upper surface of the outer member of said telescoping support assembly so as
to
securely fasten the carrier to said outer member. The device may further
comprise the
carrier of claim 14, further comprising a release cord remotely attached to a
catch of said
latch mechanism and extending to the general seat area of said wheelchair thus
allowing
the wheelchair occupant to release said catch.
In addition, the carrier design may include a stop on the telescoping support
assembly to
prevent it from telescoping normally, which stop can be de-activated by the
wheelchair
occupant. The elongate sides of greater height than the height of the ends of
the carrier
may be semi-circular shaped. The carrier may include a cover for the opening.
The
carrier may be biased to return to its storage position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading
the
following detailed description and upon referring to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a partial front perspective view from above of the wheelchair basket
of the
present invention installed onto a conventional electric wheelchair.
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CA 02558176 2011-04-26
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the wheelchair basket of the present invention
illustrating its
pivotal and extension range.
FIG. 3 is rear perspective view from above of the wheelchair basket of the
present
invention.
FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the wheelchair basket of the present
invention
FIG. 5a is a partial right side elevation view of latch mechanism of the
wheelchair basket
of the present invention illustrated the approach of the strike to the catch.
FIG. 5b is a partial right side elevation view of latch mechanism of the
wheelchair basket
of the present invention in a near catch position.
FIG. 5c is a partial right side elevation view of latch mechanism of the
wheelchair basket
of the present invention in a locked position.
FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the hinge portion of the wheelchair basket of
the present
invention.
FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the wheelchair basket of the present
invention in its
collapsed configuration.
FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the wheelchair basket of the present
invention
illustrating in its extended configuration.
FIG. 9a is a cross-section view taken along the lines 10-10 of FIG. 1 of the
wheelchair
basket of the present invention illustrating the rail assembly in a collapsed
state.
FIG. 9b is a cross-section view taken along the lines 10-10 of FIG. 1 of the
wheelchair
basket of the present invention illustrating the rail assembly in an extended
state.
While the invention will be described in conjunction with preferred
illustrated
embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the
invention to such
embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives,
modifications and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined by
the appended claims.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given
similar
reference numerals.
Turning to FIG. 1, which illustrates the arrangement of the wheelchair basket
of the
present invention onto a conventional electric wheelchair 10 wherein,
universal
wheelchair-attaching members, one, a male pivot member 9 and the second, a
latch
member are fixedly attached to the wheelchair's rear framework. A telescopic
rail
assembly 8 having an inner square tube 13 integrally attached to a female
pivot member
17, and a square outer tube 15 having inner dimensions only slightly greater
than the
outer dimensions of the mating inner tube 13. Said outer tube 15 in securedly
attached
to the under side of the basket 4. The basket 4 and rail assembly 8 can
thereby be
pivoted toward the side of the wheelchair 10, and extended more closely toward
the
person occupying said wheelchair 10.
Turning now to FIG. 2, a top plan view of the wheelchair basket of the present
invention
illustrating said pivotal motion granted to the basket 4 and rail 8 assemblies
along a
vertical axis at the pivot assembly 6. Furthermore, this figure also depicts
the extension
capability also granted through the use of the telescopic rail assembly 8
thereby making
it possible for the user to gain easy and convenient access to the basket's 4
content. A
gravitational catch 21 in alignment with a strike 22 also easy the replacement
of said
basket 4 to its original rear-facing position. A catch release cord 23 is
attached to the
upper portion of said catch 21 thereby allowing remote disengagement of the
basket 4
from said catch 21.
FIG. 3, a rear perspective view from above of the wheelchair basket of the
present
invention illustrates in clearer form, the full arrangement of the invention
wherein; two
wheelchair-attaching members 30 and 31, the first wheelchair-attaching member
30,
incorporates a male pivot member 9 fixedly attached thereto, and the second
wheelchair-attaching member 31, incorporates a latch assembly 12, which is
located at
the rearmost extreme of the second wheelchair-attaching member 31. A
telescopic rail
assembly 8 having an inner square tube 13 integrally attached to a female
pivot member
17, and a square outer tube 15 having inner dimensions only slightly greater
than the
outer dimensions of the mating inner tube 13 thus both inner and outer tubes
13 and 15
are free to limitedly slide longitudinally along each other. Said outer tube
15 in securedly
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CA 02558176 2011-04-26
attached to the under side of the basket 4 therefore pulling the basket away
from the
pivot portion 6 will evidently bring along the outer tube 15. A strike
assembly 12 having a
strike extension 40 fixedly attached to the lower surface of the outer rail 15
distal to the
pivot portion 6, a strike mount 41 also fixedly attached to the rearmost end
of said strike
extension 40. To place the basket 4 back in its original position, adjacent to
the rear
surface of the wheelchair's seat back, the user simply rotates the basket
assembly
toward the rear of the chair and the strike 22 will engage with the catch 21.
To release
said basket assembly, the user pulls the release cord 45. By disposing the
wheelchair-
attaching members 30 and 31 slightly downwardly and rearwardly, the basket 4
will have
a gravitational tendency to displace from the catch 21.
Turning now to FIG. 4, a right side elevation view of the wheelchair basket
wherein the
basket is shaped having two equal front and back planar sheet member shaped
with an
arch that substantially raises the effective height of the basket and, each
side of said
front and back members is generally equal in height to that of the basket's
left and right
side members thereby allow the benefit of placing larger articles in said
basket 4 yet
gaining easier access to same basket 4. Accordingly, a cover can be provided
to
selectively shelter the basket's contents from the elements. Again in this
figure, the catch
5 assembly 12 is more closely depicted, illustrating the arrangement of the
catch 21
within the wheelchair-attaching member 31 using a pin through said wheelchair-
attaching member 31 providing a pivotal point for the catch 21. A release cord
45--
attached to an eyelet 46 traversing the upper portion of the catch 21--allows
the user to
remotely disengage the catch to release the strike 22 thus freeing the basket
4.
FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c quite simply illustrate the mechanical interactivity
between the catch
21 and the strike 22 as these parts approach to engage. The release cord 45 is
attached
to an eyelet 46 traversing the upper portion of the catch 21 and extends to
the armrest
portion of the wheelchair allowing the user to remotely disengage the catch to
release
the strike 22.
FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the pivot assembly 6 comprising: a lower male
pivot
member 9 having a slimmer stem 20, and an upper female pivot member 17 having
a
void 18 similar in geometry and tolerance to that of the lower pivot's 9
protruding stem
20. When engaged, these members 9 and 17 rotate along a vertical axis
effectively
causing a hinging motion.
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FIGS. 7 and 8 depict the position status of the various portions when
collapsed (FIG. 7)
and when extended (FIG. 8). An extension limiter is incorporated within the
inner and
outer tubes 13 and 15 of the rail assembly 8 for added safety.
Turning now to FIGS. 9a and 9b, both cross sections taken along lines 10-10 of
FIG. 1
wherein the extension limiter system is further depicted. The inner tube 13 is
adapted
with a fixedly attached perforated insert 51 through which a limit rod 48
slidably
traverses. Said limit rod 48 having a stop end 49 with an outer diameter
greater that the
inner diameter of the perforation of the inner tube's 13 insert 51 thus
preventing the stop
end 49 from traversing through said insert 51. The outer tube 15 is also
adapted with a
secondary perforated insert 52 frictionally engaged within the outer tube's 15
end distal
to the pivot portion. However, the secondary insert 52 is threadedly bored
through one
side, and the outer tube 15 is bored in alignment with the insert 52 bore
thereby
providing access for a set screw 50 to lock the limit rod 48 securely within
the bore of the
outer tube's 15 secondary insert 52. Therefore, the inner tube 13 can travel
longitudinally
within the outer tube 15 to a limit generally equal to the free length of the
limit rod 48.
Therefore, it is now possible, through the implementation of the wheelchair
basket of the
present invention, to provide those using wheelchairs to have a storage device
that is all
of; easily removable, adaptable to virtually any electric wheelchair, easy
accessible,
extendable, convenient and easy to deploy and retract.
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Representative Drawing