US2609864A - Leg support for wheel chairs - Google Patents

Description

p 1952 I c. c. GATES, JR 2,609,864

LEG SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Filed July 5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Zmnentor CHARLES c. GATES JR Gltornegs Sept. 9, 1952 c c, GATES, JR 2,609,864

LEG SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Filed July :5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Zhwentor CHARLES c. GATES JR.

attorneys Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE a LEG- SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Charles 0. Gates, In, Denver, 0010.

Application July 3, 1950, Serial No. 111,882 14 Claims, (01. 15 -165.)

This invention relates. to leg restsfor chairs, andgmore particularly to. invalids." wheel chairs. One of the objects of the invention is. to. provide a single leg rest. for a chair which may be removably attached thereto in two. different po-.- sitions for supporting either leg-of: the invalid.

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the position of the rest in a direction to. or from the chair seat and also in a vertical plane relative thereto.

Another object is to.-provide an adjustment of the foregoing type wherein the rest. is S8182-- scopically supported by the chair...

Another object is to provide a rest. for wheel chairs of the folding type whiclr'permits. the folding thereof without removing the rest there-.- from.

Another object. is to provide a rest. for wheel chairs of the. nonefolding type.

A further object is to. provide a rest which may be readily attached to. conventional wheel. chairs.

Another object is to provide a foldable rest. to accommodate both legs of the invalid.

Further objects, advantages, and salientv fea. tures will become more apparent. from a con, sideration of the description to -follow, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing, in which: i

Figure 1 is a perspective of a conventional folding type wheel chair to which: one form of the subject of the invention has been applied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged iragmentaryfront elevation thereof in the direction of arrow 2., Figure 1,, with the. rest removed;

ure 3 is. a o tom an V ew o t eaoh i seat as viewed in the direction; of arrow- 3, Figure 1;

Figure t is an enlarged section takenon line 3 3, Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar section taken on line t-fi, Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 8-8, Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of a,

. 2 plan of the chair of Figure 9' taken in the direction of arrow Ill, Figure 9;

Figure 11 is an exploded isometric view of an alternative form of le rest which may be employed with the chairs of Figure 1 or 9;

Figure 12 is a vertical section taken on line l12,--l 2, Figure 11, but with the parts in assembled relation;

Figure 13- is an isometric view of an alternative form of leg rest which may be employed with the chair of Figure 1;

Figure 14 is a foreshortened top plan of an alternative form of leg rest which may be employed with the chair of Figure 1; and

Figure 15 is aside elevation of an alternative form of leg rest adjustment.

Referring in detail to the drawing, and particularly Figures 1 to 3., the wheel chair is provided with a plurality of tubular members which comprise a frame 21, arm rests 212, 22a, back rest 23 supporting drive. wheels 24, 24a, swivel wheels. 25., 2.5a, foldable foot rests 25, 26a and folding seat 21, 21a, the foregoing all being conventional and well-known in the art. Certain of the frame members are adjustable so that. the two halves. of the. seat 21, 2.1a may be folded relatively in the direction of arrows. 28, 23a, Figure 2,.sothat the bottom surfacesthereof .may be disposed in substantially parallel juxtaposed relation, the dotted line position of Figure 2 illustrating the seat halves in partially folded relation. Since the particular details ffor efiecting folding of the seat and remainder of the chair-form no part of the invention per se, these details have been omitted in the interest of' clarity.

The chair just .describeclis. normally provided with hinges (not shown) secured to the lower surfaces of the seat halves 2i, Z'lawhich permit the pivotal movement illustrated in Figure 2. When the subject or the invention is to be applied as an attachmentto the conyentionalchai-r these hinges are removed replaced with a. special forth of hinge and tube construction. This construction compr isesa tube .35 (see Fig ure 3) having hinges secured. thereto near its ends. Each hinge is providedwithl a member 3i having a pair oi tubular portions 32,- which surround tube 39, member 3i; being secured any; suitable manner to seat hialf 2%,. A .m.8mr oer 34, having a tubular portion disposed; between portions 32, S3; similarly. surrounds tube 30', member M being similarly secured to seat half' 21. Tube 30 is prevented fremaxial movescope within two of the three tubes secured to When the rest is em the bottom of the seat. ployed to support the right leg, tubes 41], 40a are disposed, respectively, within tubes 36, 30 and when employed to support the left leg, tubes 40,

40a are disposed, respectively, within tubes 39,

36a. A suitable flexible sling member 42 of canvas, webbing, or the like, extends between tubes 40, 40a and forms a cradle in which a leg may be supported.

The leg support just described is adjustable only in a direction to and from the seat. If the refinement of an adjustment in a vertical plane is also desired tubes 40, 46a may be provided with an adjustment as shown in Figures 7 and 8 wherein each of the tubes has interposed therein, preferably adjacent the rear edge of flexible member 42, a pair of plates 43, 44, each being secured to one of the adjacent ends of the tubes, and secured together by a bolt and wingscrew 45, or the like. The faces of the disks may be serrated if desired to improve their clamping characteristics. It will be apparent that with this construction tubes 40, 40a still adjustably telescope within the tubes secured to the seat and the portion ofthe leg support carrying flexible member 42 may be adjusted in a vertical plane,-

swinging about the axes of disks 43, 44.

In the construction so far described it will be apparent that the three tube sup-port on the seat may be employed regardless of whether or not the seat is hinged along its central longitudinal axis. If the seat is of the non-foldable padded type, the tube 30 with its associated hinges may be omitted and in lieu thereof a tube such as 36 or 36a beemployed in its stead. In some seat constructions, however, such as those which employ a flexible sling material secured to the chair along the side edges of the seat, similar to the construction of member 42, the center support tube may preferably be omitted and only two side tubes employed. In Figures 9 and 10 such sling seat construction I2! is illustrated wherein tubes i345, [36a are analogous to tubes 36, 36a and are secured to the chair frame or seat in any suitable manner. Tubes l 40, MM are substantially the same as tubes 40, 40a and the same distance apart, but tube I40a is provided with a lateral offset portion I401) which connects to a portion [400 which is parallel to tube I40. The leg support of this construction may be employed for either the left or right le by merely removing it from its support tubes, rotating it 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis, and reinserting it in the support tubes.

The vertical adjustment means of Figures 7 and 8 may be employed with tubes I40, Vita in the same manner previously described, these adjustments being disposed between sling M2 and the chair seat.

If the chair of Figures 9 and 10 be of the folding type which folds in a manner similar to the chair of Figures 1 and 2. it will be apparent that longitudinal axis.

the 1eg rest I40, I40a, etc., must be removed from tubes I36, l36a when folding is'desired. To obviate the necessity of removing the leg support when the chair is folded, the construction shown in Figures 11 and 12 may be employed. In this construction a U-shaped member 240d is welded or otherwise secured to an end of tube 240a and is apertured near one end to permit tube end 2402 to pass therethrough andtelescope with tube 2404a, as best shown in Figure 12. The legs of U-shap'ed member 240d may be slightly resilient so that tube 240?) may be releasably supported thereby. When it is desired to fold the chair, tube 24llb'is withdrawn from its connection with U-shaped member 240d, as shown in Figure 11, after which the chair may be folded about its It will be apparent, also, that the support just described may be used in the construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which. case tube 30 may be omitted.

InFigure 14 is shown a form of double leg;

rest which may be employed in the construction shown inFigures'l. and'2, this rest comprising; tubes 340, 340a, connected by bight portion 34I,

and tubes 340b, 3400, similarly connected. Tube" 3460 is provided witha tubular portion 340dhingedly connecting it .totube 340d so that the two frame halves may pivot about the longitudinal axis of tube 3413a. A sling 342, similar to Sling I42, extends across the two frames and. provides a support for. both legs. It will be apparent that" when tubes 3411', 1340a; 34Gb are supported by tubes 36a, 30, 36 of Figures 1 and 2, the leg support may be adjusted to and from the chair seat a'ndthe chair may be folded as shown in Figure 2 without removing the leg rest from its support tubes on the chair seat.

In Figure 13 is shown another leg rest which may be employed with Figures 1 and 2, this rest comprising tubular members 440, 449a which have offset portions 4401). This construction permits leg rest portion 442 to be disposed above the chair seat or below same, depending upon the particular manner in which it is inserted in the seat support tubes, it being apparent that it has two positions 180.degrees apart and the two limits of adjustment'are a vertical distance apart equal to twice the amount of offset effected by portions 44Gb. It will be apparent that the adjustments of Figures 7 and 8 may also be employed in this-construction or in any of the other constructions previously described.

In Figure 15 another type of vertical adjustment is disclosed wherein the support tubes, one

of which is shown at 436, are pivotally connected at their rear ends by a pivotal connection 50 to the chair and are adjustable in a vertical plane, being secured in a desired position by a slotted member 5|, secured to the chair, and a wing nut 52, or the like, carried by the tube and clampable to member 5|.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is: a r

1. In a chair having a seat foldable about a longitudinal vaxis substantially centrally thereof, a tubular membe'rdisposed below the seat coaxial with said axis, a pair of tubular members disposed below the seat, on opposite sides of the first named tubular member, and equidistant and parallel thereto, an elongated U-shaped frame having parallel leg portions adapted to telescope, selectively, in the first named tubular member, and one of said pair of members, whereby the frame may be disposed on either side ofthe longitudinal axis of the What is chair to support either the right or left leg of a user, and means extending between portions of the legs of the frame adapted to engage and support a leg of the user.

2. In a chair in accordance with claim 1 including means for adjusting said frame in a vertical plane.

3. In a chair having a seat, a pair of parallel tubular members disposed below the seat adjacent side edges thereof, a U-shaped frame having parallel leg portions adapted to extend forwardly of the seat to form a leg support of substantially less Width than the seat and adapted to support only one leg of a user, the free ends of said leg portions being parallel and adapted to telescope within said tubular members, in two positions 180 degrees apart around a longitudinal axis of the U-shaped frame, whereby the U-shaped frame is adapted to selectively support either leg of the user.

4. In a chair in accordance with claim 3 including means for adjusting at least a portion of said U-shaped member in a vertical plane whereby its vertical position relative to the seat may be varied.

5. A chair having a seat, a pair of tubes secured to the chair in spaced parallel relation adjacent the seat and parallel to its longitudinal axis, an elongated leg supporting frame comprising a pair of parallel members having portions telescopically disposed within the tubes, and a sling extending between other portions of the members adapted to support a leg of the user, the last named portions being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to one-half the width of the seat transversely of said longitudinal axis.

6. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein said last named portions are disposed in a plane spaced from a plane passing through the first named portions.

7. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein one of the first named portions is detachably connected to one of the last named portions.

8. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein the first named portions are spaced apart a distance greater than the last named portions.

9. A chair in accordance with claim 5 including means interposed between the first and last named portions for angularly adjusting said first and last portions about a horizontal axis, whereby the sling may be raised or lowered relative to the seat.

10. A chair having a seat, a pair of tubes secured to the seat adjacent and below its longitudinal edges, one at each edge, a third tube secured to the seat midway between and parallel to said pair of tubes, an elongated leg supporting frame having at least two parallel members having portions adapted to be telescopically disposed within two of the three tubes, and means extending between other portions of the members adapted to support a leg of the user.

11. A chair in accordance with claim 10 wherein the leg supporting frame is provided with three parallel tubular members, each having a portion adapted to be telescopically disposed within one of the respective three tubes.

12. A chair in accordance with claim 10 including means for angularly adjusting said tubes about a horizontal axis, whereby said other portions may be adjusted in a vertical plane.

13. In a chair having a seat, an elongated device having a leg supporting portion of a width substantially less than the width of the seat, adapted to support only one leg of the user of the chair, means comprising at least two spaced tubular members on the chair beneath the seat thereof telescopically engaging transversely spaced portions of the leg supporting device, adapted to support same in a position wherein the leg supporting portion forms a forward extension of .the chair seat, said means and device being so constructed that said device may be bodily removed from the chair and disposed in two alternative predetermined positions wherein the leg supporting portion is disposed on either side of and substantially equidistant from a longitudinal axis of the seat whereby it may support either a right or a left leg.

14. In a chair defined by claim 13 wherein said means beneath the seat includes three tubular members, one being disposed substantial- 1y at a longitudinal central axis of the chair, and below the seat, and the other two being disposed at opposite sides of the first named tubular member and below the seat, parallel and equidistant from the first named tubular member.

CHARLES C. GATES, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 961,715 Christiansen July 14, 1910 1,085,176 Smith Jan. 27, 1914 2,403,263 Collins July 2, 1946- 2,480,300 Luketa Aug. 30, 1949 2,522,729 Travis Sept. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 296,369 Germany Feb. 6, 1917

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