Abstract:
An adjustable lift apparatus for use with a rocking/reclining chair having at least one support leg, the apparatus comprising an upper support having at least one leg stand to securely engage at least one leg, and an adjustment means for adjusting each leg support stand to the desired location to engage all of the chair&#39;s legs; a lift means for reversibly biasing the upper support away from the base; a base adapted to rest on the floor and support the apparatus; a controller in communication with and controlling the lift means, whereby, the adjustable lift apparatus provides an inexpensive and universal way of engaging and raising the rocker/recliner chair with varying styles of legs and bases through the use of a controller to automatically position the chair to a user desired height thereby making it easier for elderly and handicapped persons to get into and out of the chair.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to an aide for elderly and handicapped persons. The invention relates to a lifting apparatus for lifting a chair. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus that may comprise an upper support, commercially available lifting device and base, allowing an elderly or disabled person to lift a common household chair to a selected height facilitating easy and safe entrance and exit of the chair. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention relates to a device for lifting a chair. More particularly, the invention relates to a device that allows a common rocker/recliner chair typically found in homes to be raised and lowered to the desired height that is easily accessible to the user. Commonly, the user will likely be an elderly or disabled person and this device enables them to safely enter and exit their chair without the risk of falling as compared to other chair lifts that raise and tilt forward. Specifically, persons with certain infirmities that affect their balance may not have the ability to control their forward movements thereby putting them at risk when they are lifted and thrust forward with other systems. 
         [0004]    In general, prior art teaches various devices for raising chairs such as simply adding a chair leg extension on each individual leg to more complicated devices wherein they are fully integrated as part of the chair with the height automatically controlled by an electrical, hydraulic, mechanical or pneumatic device lifting the chair. 
         [0005]    The set of patents below generally teach how to semi-permanently raise different types of chairs to selected heights thus making it easier for a child, an elderly person or a handicapped person to more safely and efficiently use the chair. An early patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,382 to Stein, teaches a device for raising a chair to a predetermined height with a box frame and legs that has an adjustable planform to accommodate a conventional dining chair with legs thus converting it for use as a youth chair. U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,983 to Crochet, teaches a device for raising a child&#39;s chair using a rigid crossbeam and longitudinally extensible members. The device has a fixed height but the height of the chair can be changed by selecting different models thereby incurring additional cost. U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,960A to Anderson, teaches a device for raising a rocker/recliner by adding side runners with cross members that engages exactly to the frame of the rocker/recliner to be raised. U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,422 to Eke, teaches a device for raising the height of a piece of furniture such as a chair, table, or bed. The adjustable furniture leg extensions are independent of each other so they can adjust to different and non-standard leg spacing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,414B2 to Cuzzocrea, teaches a device for raising a bed using a unitary block adapted to fit various styles and heights of bed legs. It provides manual adjustability by changing the holes where the legs are engaged. Additionally, extension blocks are provided to increase the height of the leg further by fitting over the unitary block. U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,328 B1 to Snyder, teaches a device for raising a chair, using two elongated members that sit on each side of the chair parallel to one another. This device requires no power and uses removable pegs to accommodate different chair makes and models and the peg placement is based upon the type of chair legs and/or transverse cross-members. Each of the foregoing patents has the same shortcomings that is addressed by the present invention in that each device requires manual intervention any time the user wants to change the height no matter how small or large by forcing the user to physical lift the chair to make changes. 
         [0006]    Another set of patents below differ from the above described patents in that their height is not semi-permanent and this set of patents relate to a means for lifting or lowering a chair to a user selected height without manual intervention. The patents below teach how a user can automatically control the height adjustment of a chair within specific applications. U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,404B2 to Spangler, which teaches a device for pneumatically raising a seat assembly in an operator control station of a machine that operates outdoors in a high vibration environment. The device is specific to each machine and not universally compatible to any chair. U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,474 B2 to Fetisoff, teaches a device for pneumatically raising a seat on a wheeled chair that is used to lift and lower a handicapped person seated in the chair into and out of a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,409 B2 to Polard, teaches a device for a combination lift and reclining chair. This device fully integrates the electro-mechanical lifting mechanism into the reclining chair. The above mentioned patents provide for a means for the user to automatically control the height adjustment without manual intervention unlike the previously described patents, however, each of these patents were tied to a specific application of the device and could not be universally employed to commonly used chairs. 
         [0007]    The present invention overcomes these shortcomings in the prior art by providing a means to universally adapt the present device to a rocker/recliner chair with varying styles of legs and bases and providing a means for the user to control automatically the lifting or lowering of the chair to a user determined height using a controller. Additionally, the present device does not tilt the chair forward when raising, thus preventing persons with medical conditions affecting their balance and forward movement control from being thrust forward and injured. This is an inexpensive method to add a lift system to an already existing chair within one&#39;s home 
         [0008]    There have thus been 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 the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0009]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 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 that the conception, upon which this 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 in 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. 
         [0010]    Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection 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. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the left side of the chair attached to the upper support, scissor lift, and base in the operable position (up) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the chair, upper support, and chair attached to the upper support, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the left side of the upper support attached to the scissor lift, and base in the operable position (up) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the left side of the upper support attached to the scissor lift, and base in the collapsed position (down) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the scissor lift attached to the upper support and base, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the base, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the base, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the left side of the base, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a screw type lift system, according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a top view of a screw type lift system, according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a chair lifting apparatus in an operational position. A chair  100  is affixed a top a upper support  102  by a leg engagement means  214  that has been adjusted to fit the chair  100  and will be described later if further detail. The upper support  102  is pivotally affixed to the scissor lift  104 . The scissor lift  104  is pivotably and slideably affixed to the base  106 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the chair  100 , upper support  102 , and a composite top view  222  of the chair affixed a top the upper support  102 .  FIG. 2  further illustrates the upper support  102  with its component parts a body  200 , a front longitudinal adjustment  202 , a rear longitudinal adjustment  204 , front left lateral adjustment  206 , front right lateral adjustment  208 , rear right lateral adjustment  210 , rear left lateral adjustment  212 , and leg engagement means  214 . 
         [0023]    The front longitudinal adjustment  202  and rear longitudinal adjustment  204  are shown received within body  200  and can be extended or retracted therein. This allows the front longitudinal adjustment  202  and rear longitudinal adjustment  204  to match the depth of the chair  100  and be positioned such that the chair  100  is longitudinally centered on the upper support  102 . 
         [0024]    Each longitudinal adjustment has a pair of lateral adjustments. The front left lateral support  206  and front right lateral support  208  are telescopically affixed to the front longitudinal adjustment  202 . The rear left lateral adjustment  210  and the rear right lateral adjustment  212  are telescopically affixed to the rear longitudinal adjustment  204 . Each lateral adjustment has a corresponding leg engagement means  214  affixing the chair  100  to the upper support  102 . These lateral adjustments allow for the width of the chair  100  to be matched and positioned such that the chair  100  is laterally centered on the upper support  102 . By longitudinally and laterally centering the chair  100  on the upper support  102 , the chair  100  should be balanced during lifting operation. Additionally, two other features apply to this design; first, if the center of gravity is not in the center of the chair  100  planform then longitudinal and lateral adjustments may be applied to reposition the center of gravity of the chair  100  over the center of the upper support  102  for balance during operation. Secondly, the upper support  102  can be adjusted to different chair planforms by adjusting the longitudinal and lateral adjustments to match the base or legs of the chair  100 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the left side of chair lifting apparatus with its component parts, the upper support  102 , a scissor lift  104  and a base  106 . The upper support  102  is pivotally affixed to the scissor lift  104  by two pairs of scissor arms  302  with only one pair scissor arms  302  depicted in the current view and the second set of scissor arms  302  later depicted in  FIG. 5 . One scissor arm  302  is pivotally attached to the upper support  102  at the upper front pivot point  306  and a second scissor arm  302  is pivotally attached to the upper rear pivot point  308 . 
         [0026]    The scissor arm  302  connected to the upper front pivot point  306  extends rearward and down and scissor arm  302  connected to the upper rear pivot point  308  extends forward and down and both extend toward the base  106 . The scissor lift arms  302  are pivotally affixed at a center pivot point  304  where they cross. 
         [0027]    The scissor lift  104  is further attached to a base  106 . The scissor arm  302  extending forward and down from the rear pivot point  308  is pivotably affixed to the base front pivot point  310 . The scissor arm  302  extending backward and down from the front pivot point  306  is slidingly attached to the base  106 , wherein a sliding scissor arm pin  316  attached to the scissor arm  302  and rides in a slot  314  in the base  106 . A hydraulic lift  300  is pivotally attached to the base  106  by a lift base connection  312 .  FIG. 5  later illustrates the hydraulic lift  300  attachment to the lift point  500  where the upper support  102  is lifted by hydraulic lift  300  when the hydraulic piston  506  connected to center pivot point  304  is extended. Because two scissor arms  302  are pivotably affixed to the front of the base  106  and only rotate during operation, when the extension begins the scissor arms  302  upward movement lifting the upper support  102  while the rearward facing scissor arms connected to the sliding scissor arm pin  316  slides from the rear of the base  106  in the slot  314  toward the front of the base  106  until the desired position is reached or the upper limit is reached. The reverse process is used to lower the upper support  102 . Finally, the scissor arms  302  rotate on the pivot points allowing the upper support  102  to maintain level during either the raising or lowering operation. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the left side of the chair lifting apparatus in a down or collapsed position. Upon reversing the lifting process described above, the lifting apparatus will come to rest in a down or collapsed position wherein the upper support  102  conceals the scissor lift  104 , hydraulic lift  300 , and the base  106  providing a minimized profile. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the scissor lift with other component parts of the lifting mechanism represented, the upper support  102  is represented by general chair outline  510  and the base  106  is represented by a general base outline  508 .  FIG. 5  further depicts the two pairs of scissor arms  302  connected at the center pivot point  304  each pair disposed to each side of the lift. 
         [0030]    The hydraulic lift  300  pivotably attaches to the center pivot point  304  at the lifting point  500  where the system controller  504  provides input to the hydraulic lift  300  extending or retracting the hydraulic piston  506  connected to the lift point  500 . The hydraulic lift  300  is pivotably affixed to the base  106  by the lift base connection  312  and the hydraulic body connector  502 . As described earlier, when the hydraulic piston  506  extends and the upper support  102  begins to lift, the hydraulic body connector  502  rotates on the lift base connection  312  and the lift point  500  rotates on the center pivot point  304  allowing both to change angles based of the height of the lift thus preventing it from binding during the operation 
         [0031]    The next three figures depict the base  106  in differing views.  FIG. 6  shows a top view of the base  106 ,  FIG. 7  depicts a front view of the base  106 , and  FIG. 8  depicts the left side view of the base  106 .  FIG. 6  has four sides, a front  600 , left  602 , rear  604 , and right  606  when assembled create a rectangular base. A person skilled in the art can create this this base by molding or forging the part as a single piece or building it from multiple pieces of angle-iron that are welded at the seams. 
         [0032]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the left side of the base. This view further illustrates the base front pivot point  310 , the slot  314  and the lift base connection  312 . The right end of the slot  314  as depicted is the lower limit for the lift apparatus. When the lift apparatus is lowered, the sliding scissor arm pin  316  approaches this lower limit and upon reaching the lower limit, the lift apparatus is in the collapsed position. 
         [0033]    Additionally, the left end of the slot  314  and the hydraulic cylinder limits the maximum height the lift apparatus may be raised. When the lift apparatus is raised, the sliding scissor arm pin  316  slides in the slot  314  approaching the upper limit. As the sliding scissor arm pin  316  reaches this upper limit, the hydraulic piston  506  is also reaching its travel limit so both the sliding scissor arm pin  316  and the hydraulic piston  506  reach their limits almost simultaneously thus preventing the lift apparatus from exceeding the maximum height limit. 
         [0034]      FIG. 9  shows an alternative lifting apparatus to the scissor lift  104  illustrated in the previous figures which is the preferred embodiment. This screw lift  900  has four major components, a upper support  901 , a screw shaft  904 , a motor  902  and a system controller  916  that when utilized together allows the user to raise and lower the chair to the desired height. 
         [0035]    The upper support  901  has  6  major components, a center hub  905 , radial arms  906 , pivot points  908 , adjustable radial arms  910 , telescoping arms  912 , and leg engagement means  914 . The center hub  905  threadedly engages the screw shaft  904  as it passes through. A center hub  905  has four radial arms  906  that extend outward and each of the radial arms  906  is  90  degrees disposed from other radial arms. Radial arms  906  with proximate and distal ends wherein the proximal end is rigidly affixed to the center hub  905  and the distal end is pivotably affixed to the adjustable radial arm  910  at a pivot point  908 . The pivotally adjustable radial arm  910  is slidingly affixed to the telescoping arm  912 . Each of the telescoping arms  912  are affixed to the leg engagement means  914 . The pivot point  908  allows engagement of different chair planforms by adjusting the angle of the arms such that once the desired angle is selected the telescoping arms  912  can be adjusted inward or outward to position the leg engagement means  914  to match the base or legs of the chair  100 . Additionally, these adjustments can be used to the balance the chair  100  atop the upper support  901 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 9  further depicts the motor  902  affixed to the base of the screw shaft  904 . The controller  916  provides inputs to the motor  902  directing a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the screw shaft  904 , whereupon the center hub moves along the shaft raising and lowering the lift apparatus according to the user&#39;s desired height. 
         [0037]      FIG. 10  depicts the top view of the screw lift apparatus with its component parts the motor  902 , the screw shaft  904 , and the upper support  901 . 
         [0038]    The purpose of the abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection 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. 
         [0039]    While the invention has been shown, illustrated, described and disclosed in terms of specific embodiments or modifications, the scope of the invention should not be deemed to be limited by the precise embodiments or modifications therein shown, illustrated, described or disclosed. Such other embodiments or modifications are intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope of the claims herein appended.