Abstract:
An apparatus, adaptable to a wheelchair, for assisting a person seated in the wheelchair to move to a standing position, the apparatus including a member slidable upward and downward along the chair; a seat, having a seat portion hinged to a back portion; at least one flexible strap member, engaged at a first end to the slidable member, and traveling along an under surface of the seat, and engaged at a second end to a stationary portion of the wheelchair, so that when the slidable member is moved to a down position, the flexible strap is pulled taut beneath the seat, lifting the seat from a sitting position to a substantially raised flat position, so that a person sitting in the seat is likewise lifted from a seated position to a partially standing position. The slidable member may be positioned along the front or rear of the chair, depending whether the person would be assisted by a third person in front of or behind the chair.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The apparatus of the present invention relates to wheelchairs. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus that may be adaptable to an existing wheelchair to assist in lifting a patient from the chair or returning the patient to a chair by a third party, such as a nurse or health care giver. 
     2. General Background of the Invention 
     Because of ailments or old age, many people are unfortunately confined to wheelchairs for extended periods of time, or in the case of the elderly, for the remainder of their lives. A wheelchair is a very vital vehicle in allowing people who are not ambulatory to be able to get from place to place. However, particularly in the group of the very aged, or the very weak, the task of moving from the seated position in a wheelchair to a standing position, can be a very difficult task for the person confined to the chair, or even when the person is being assisted by a third party. For example, for people who are able to stand briefly, but are unable to walk because they are too weak, oftentimes they will have insufficient strength to lift themselves from the chair to the standing position, even to move into bed. These types of individuals are in need of assistance in helping them to stand, or, when they return to the chair, in being seated slowly, since they are too weak to lower themselves slowly into the chair. 
     Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus to assist such wheelchair bound individuals in moving from and returning to the chair, without placing undue strain on the individual, or on a third party, such as a nurse or care giver, who assists the person in this task. The prior art statement accompanying this application cites prior art patents which may be pertinent in the art, but fall short of solving the problems presented. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The apparatus of the present invention solves the problems in a simple and straightforward manner. What is provided is an apparatus, adaptable to a wheelchair, for assisting a person seated in the wheelchair to move to a standing position, the apparatus including a member slidable upward and downward along the chair; a seat, having a seat portion hinged to a back portion; at least one flexible strap member, engaged at a first end to the slidable member, and traveling along an under surface of the seat, and engaged at a second end to a stationary portion of the wheelchair, so that when the slidable member is moved to a down position, the flexible strap is pulled taut beneath the seat, lifting the seat from a sitting position to a substantially raised flat position, so that a person sitting in the seat is likewise lifted from a seated position to a partially standing position. The slidable member may be positioned along the front or rear of the chair, depending whether the person would be assisted by a third person in front of or behind the chair. 
     Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair assist apparatus which allows a third person to maneuver the seat of the chair from a sitting position to a second position, moving the person in the chair to a substantially standing position; 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair assist apparatus which, upon a third person engaging a foot member, the seat of the chair is pushed upward to lift the person seated in the chair to a standing position; 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to assist a person to be lifted from the chair with ease, or to return to the chair without having to “fall” within the chair; 
     It is still a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which is adaptable to an existing wheel chair which would allow the person in the chair to be lifted with the assistance of a third person with ease from the chair, either from the rear of the front of the chair. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an overall view of the apparatus of the present invention mounted on a typical wheelchair; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the strap members in the extended position in the apparatus of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating the seat in the sitting mode; 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating the seat in the lifting mode; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an overall view of a second embodiment of the invention with the lift mechanism mounted to the front of a typical wheelchair; and 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an overall view of a second embodiment of the invention with the lift mechanism mounted to the front of a typical wheelchair and moved to the lifting mode. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention by the numeral  10 . In combination, the present invention  10  includes a typical wheelchair  12 , with lifting components mounted to the wheelchair  12  so that the modified wheelchair carries out the function of the present invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, typical wheelchair  12  comprises a seat portion  14 , having a flat seat  16  and an upright back  18 . As with a typical wheelchair  12 , the seat  16  and back  18  may be constructed of a flexible material, such as heavy-duty plastic  20 , secured between a pair of seat frame members  22 , and a pair of upright back frame members  24 . As with a typical wheelchair, the back frame members  24  terminate at their upper ends in handles  26 , which may be gripped by a person  27  at the rear of the chair to move the chair. Of course the chair  12  also includes a pair of large rear wheels  28 , and a pair of smaller, front wheels  30 , all of which provide mobility to the chair. As in all wheelchairs  12 , the pair of handles  32 ,  34 , extending between frame members  22  and  24 , serve as a means for a person within the wheelchair to grasp the chair during certain functions. All of these features heretofore recited are found in most, if not all wheelchairs  12 . 
     Turning now to the Figures, reference is made to the invention  10  as it is secured to wheelchair  12  in the combination of the present invention. As illustrated in the Figures, there is further provided a pair of upright members  40 ,  42  which extend and are secured to the back frame portions  24  at a first upper end point  44 , with the members  40 ,  42  extending down to a terminating point  46 , where the lower end of members  40 ,  42  is secured at a second point  50  adjacent the wheels  28 . Each of the members  40 ,  42  include a channel  52  along the entire length of members  40 ,  42  with the channels  52  facing inwardly, to accommodate the upward and downward movement of a transverse bar  56 , as seen in FIG.  1 . Transverse bar terminates within each of the channels  52  allowing the bar  56  to slide upward and downward within channel  52  as the bar is moved upward and downward. As noted, the bar includes a first foot actuated member  60  which has upper ends  62 ,  64  attached to the bar  56 , and a U shaped body portion  66  which forms a horizontal foot support portion  68 , the function of which as will be described further. Further, the bar  56  accommodates the terminating end  70  of a pair of flexible strap members  72  again, the function of which will be described further. 
     Reference is now made to FIG. 2, where it is illustrated that the flexible strap members  70  terminate at a second end  73  secured to a rigid stationary transverse bar  75  located across the front portion of the chair at the level of the seat  20 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the strap members  70 ,  72  has been pulled taut and form a direct straight path between an upper roller  76  connectedly engaged across the upper portion of the upright frame members  24  as illustrated. Therefore, the manner in which the straps are pulled taut, as illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein a person  27  has pushed down on the U shaped frame  60  attached to movable bar  56  which engages the terminating ends  72  of strap members  70 . When the bar is moved downward in the direction of arrow  80 , the strap members are pulled from a first slack position to a second extended or taut position as seen in FIG.  2 . The function of this feature will be described further. 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, reference is made to the wheelchair  12  as it would appear with the U-shaped foot actuated bar member  60  in the up position with the straps  70 , the first terminating ends  72  secured to transverse bar  56  and looping over the roller  76 . The straps  70  then extend downward along the back  18  of chair  12 , and along the seat portion  16  of the chair  12 . The second ends  73  of the straps are fixedly secured to the stationary bar  75 . At this point, it is noted that the straps  70  are in the full extended position and are resting along the back  18  and seat  16  of the chair  12 . One feature of the chair  12  which most wheelchairs don&#39;t have, as illustrated in FIG.  3  and other figures, is the fact that there is a secondary seat  80  which comprises a first padded seat portion  82  and an upright padded back portion  84 . Each of these portions  82 ,  84  are secured together via a hinge member  86  which allows the seat and the back portion to move from a first position, as seen in FIG. 3, where a person can be seated in the chair  12 , to a second position, as seen in FIG. 4, where the back  18  and the seat member  16  are extended flat and pulled away from the chair. The manner in which this occurs is when the foot actuated member  60  is pushed downward in the direction of arrow  80 , as seen in FIG. 1, this downward movement of the member  60  puts downward stress on straps  70  wherein the straps  70  are moved from the position as seen in FIG. 3 to the straight position as seen in FIG.  4 . In this manner, although the original flexible seat portion  14  is maintained on the chair  12 , the secondary seat portion  80  is pulled to an upright position in the direction of arrow  90 , by the straps  70  being pulled taut as was described earlier in FIG.  2 . 
     Therefore, if one uses this operation of chair  12 , and while a person is seated in the chair, one could well imagine that a person would be seated in the chair, as seen in FIG. 3, with the person seated on the secondary seat member  80  in a comfortable position. At the point that the person in the chair  12  would like to be raised from a first seated position to be helped upright. In the case of an invalid or a weak person, reference is made to FIG. 1 where a care giver could simply hold onto handles  26 , and with a downward movement of the foot on portion  68  of frame  60 , the straps are moved from the seating position, as seen in FIG. 3, to the position, as see in FIG. 4, outward in the direction of arrow  92 . When this occurs, of course, the person seated on the seat  82  would be moved from the seated position, as seen in FIG. 3, to an almost standing position, as seen in FIG.  4 . This movement would be a great assist in moving the person upward and forward from the chair  12 . While the person is gripping onto side handles  32 ,  34  of the chair, the person could move to a substantially standing position quite easily. Of course, once a person has moved to the standing position, the pressure on the foot member  68  could be relieved, and the strap would be allowed to return to the position as seen in FIG. 3 with the seats refolding back into the seating position. 
     In an additional embodiment, reference is made to FIGS. 5 and 6 where again there is included the wheelchair  12  with the same components as was identified in the chair as illustrated in FIG. 1, except for the following features. As seen in FIG. 5, the upright frames  42 ,  44  and the components which move up and down within those frames have been moved to the front of the chair where again there is illustrated a first upright frame  42 , a second frame  44 , each of the frames including a channel  52  therein for allowing movable bar  56  to move upward and downward in the direction of arrow  57  by putting downward pressure on the U shaped member  60 . Also, there is included the terminating end  75  of the straps  72  secured to the movable bar  56  and the straps again would extend beneath the seat portion  82  and the back portion  84  to terminate in a second end  70  secured around a stationary bar  71 , which would take the place of the roller  76 , as was described in the first embodiment. In this particular embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, there would be a person seated in chair  12 , and the person would be in the need of being lifted from the chair. Therefore, the foot pedals  95  and  96  could be moved to the upright position so that a care giver could move in the space  97  between the foot pedals  95 ,  96  and grasp the hands of the person seated in the chair  12 . When this care giver has grasped the hands of the person, the care giver would push downward on frame  60  at point  66 , and when doing so would move the strap members from the seated position, as seen in FIG. 5, to the taunt position as seen in FIG.  6 . When this is done, again a similar effect would occur as was described earlier in relation to FIG.  4 . That is, the back portion  84  and the seat portion  82  would move from the first seated position, as seen in FIG. 5, to a straight, substantially upright position as seen in FIG.  6 . When this occurs, as the seats are being straightened, the care giver would help pull the person from the chair quite easily instead of having to pull the person completely from a straight seated position. 
     Again, it is foreseen that this invention can be retrofitted to any existing wheelchair and could accommodate any existing wheelchair that is constructed in a similar manner as is seen in the drawings and described in the specification. Also, this invention could be adapted to be included as part of any newly constructed wheelchair and could operate in the same fashion in either manner. It has been shown that the downward force that must be placed on either of the members  60  whether it be in the rear of the chair or the front of the chair is quite minimal in order to have the straps move from the seated position to the taut position as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6. It is through this minimal effort which makes it quite effective for the invention to operate with even quite a large person seated in the chair so that they are easily assisted out of the chair during use. 
     Of course, if a person who is invalid or weak wants to return to the chair, it is foreseen that the seat could be placed in the positions as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6 and the person could simply lean back against the seat while pressure is being placed on the foot actuated member  60 , and the person could simply let the foot actuated member rise very slowly and move the seat from the position as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, to the seated position as seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. This, of course, would allow a large or weak person to move quite comfortably into the chair without having fear of falling into the seat and perhaps injuring oneself or being banged up against the seat as the person falls therein. 
     The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.