Abstract:
A mobile vehicle for use by a person having one disabled leg includes a transverse member mounted for pivotable movement with respect to the vehicle&#39;s front wheel to allow the vehicle to be folded into a more compact configuration when it is not in use. The vehicle also includes a leg rest whose vertical position can be adjusted.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to self-propelled support vehicles, and more particularly to a wheeled, collapsible vehicle for use by an individual having one leg that is injured or otherwise disabled and incapable of use in walking.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     As the population ages, there has been an increased use of walkers or other types of mobile support vehicles to assist disabled persons to move about. One type of support vehicle that has been developed is one for use, often as an alternative to the use of crutches, wheel chairs or conventional walkers, by an individual who has one leg or ankle that is injured, disabled, unable to bear weight, or otherwise non-ambulatory, and another leg that is capable of relatively normal use. In these vehicles, or carts as they are sometimes called, the user rests his or her disabled leg on a rest or support and uses the other, ambulatory leg for propulsion. The prior support vehicles of this type each, however, has a major drawback or disadvantage that heretofore has limited their use by individuals who would otherwise greatly benefit from their use.  
         [0005]     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,317 discloses a non-foldable, four-wheel vehicle, which cannot be steered and is therefore awkward and cumbersome to use in anything but straight-line movement. U.S. Pat. No, 5,839,749 discloses a three-wheel cart. Two of the wheels are in the front of the cart whereas the third, steerable wheel is in the rear of the cart. Steering of the cart is achieved by the manipulation of two handles that exert torque on the front two wheels, which, in turn, causes the rear wheel to swing either to the left or to the right, thereby to accomplish the desired change in direction. The cart disclosed in this patent is assembled for use for by a person with either an injured left leg or an injured right leg, which limits its use by several injured people in a group, such as residents of an assisted living facility or nursing facility where the non-ambulatory leg of the various group members in need of such an aid to mobility is the right leg for some and the left leg for others. The vehicle disclosed in this patent is also not foldable.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,660 discloses a four-wheeled vehicle that, although stable, is steered by the exertion of torque to the front wheels through handle bars, which cause caster-type front wheels to turn. Turning of the vehicle is accomplished by allowing the front wheels to swivel and turn separately. The vehicle disclosed in this patent is thus cumbersome in use and awkward to steer. It is also relatively large and not foldable.  
         [0007]     There thus remains a need for a lightweight, foldable mobile cart or vehicle for use by individuals with one non-ambulatory or disabled leg, such as individuals who have suffered an injury to their lower leg, foot or ankle, and who thus who cannot place weight on the injured leg, that is stable, light in weight, foldable, portable, compact and easy to steer both forward and in reverse, and which may be used irrespective of which of the user&#39;s legs is non-ambulatory.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The mobile support vehicle of the present invention includes a pair of rear wheels and a pivotable and thus steerable front wheel. A transverse column extends between the front and rear wheels and a steering column including handle bars is coupled at its lower end to the front wheel. A leg support is mounted centrally to the transverse column and is adjustable in height as well to allow its comfortable use by more than one person irrespective of which of the user&#39;s legs is non-ambulatory. The vertical position of the handle bar may also be adjusted to best conform to the height of the user. The transverse column can be pivoted relative to the front wheel when the vehicle is not in use to fold the vehicle into a more compact configuration for easier handling, transporting to a new location and storage. The vehicle can be steered by operation of the handle bar in both the forward and reverse directions. Also included is a hand brake located on the handle bar, which allows the vehicle to be secured in one location for as long as desired.  
         [0009]     To the accomplishment of the above and such further objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a mobile support vehicle substantially as defined in the appended claims as considered in conjunction with the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof along with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is an elevation of a mobile support vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a cross-section taken along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section taken along the lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section taken across lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section viewed along the lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section viewed along the lines  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section taken along the lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is an elevation of the vehicle of the invention in its folded, more compact configuration.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a mobile support vehicle, generally designated  10 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as used by a person  12  depicted in broken lines. As therein shown, vehicle  10  is generally in the form of a tricycle having a frame  14 , a front wheel  16  and a pair of rear wheels  18  and  20  rotatably mounted to the ends of a rear axle  22 . Axle  22  is secured to the lower end of a tube  24 , which is bent at  26  and then extends to define a transverse tubular member  28 . The free end of transverse member  28  is received within one end  30  of an L-shaped tubular member  32 . As seen most clearly in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , transverse member  28  is pivotably secured at its foreward end to member  32  by means of a pin  34 , which, as seen in  FIG. 5 , passes through both transverse member  28  and L-shaped tubular member  32 .  
         [0019]     As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , the lower, opposite open end  40  of tubular member  32  securely receives one end  42  of a bearing sleeve  44 , which, in turn, encircles a narrow section  46  of a steering column  48 . Steering column  48  receives at its lower end the mounting section  50  of a wheel bracket  52  to which front wheel  16  is rotatably mounted. Bearings  54  ( FIG. 7 ) facilitate the rotation of bracket  52  with respect to the steering column.  
         [0020]     The upper end of steering column  48  telescopically receives the lower end of a steering tube  56 , which includes a series of axially spaced openings  58 . A wing nut  60  is passed through one of openings  58  and through an aligned opening  62  in column  48 . A handle bar  64  is secured to the upper end of tube  56 , and conventional bicycle hand brakes  66  mounted to the handle bar include cables  68  that extend to the rim of the front wheel  16 .  
         [0021]     A padded trough-shaped leg support or rest  70  is secured to the upper end of a mounting bracket  72 , which includes two rows of horizontally aligned openings  74 . As seen best in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , bracket  72  passes through a centrally disposed rectangular opening  76  in transverse member  28 , and is secured thereto by means of a pair of wing nuts  78  that extends through transverse member  28  and through a selected pair of aligned openings  74  in the bracket  72 .  
         [0022]     The relative vertical position of both leg support  70  and handle bar  64  can be adjusted, the former by releasing wing nuts  78  and then inserting and tightening it through a selected different pair of openings  74  ( FIG. 3 ) so that the leg rest  70  is thereby positioned at the desired optimal height for the user. Similarly, the relative height of handle bar  64  can be adjusted to the desired height by releasing the wing nut  60  and then inserting it through a different one of the openings  62 .  
         [0023]     As seen best in  FIG. 8 , the vehicle  10  of the present invention may be collapsed or folded when not in use to make it more compact and thus easier to store and carry from place to place. As therein shown, in order to fold the vehicle, the user exerts an upward force on handle  36  to cause transverse member  28  to rise and to pass through a lower cutout  80  ( FIG. 4 ) formed along the lower edge of tubular member  32  and thereby pivot about pin  34  in a downward, counterclockwise direction (as viewed in  FIG. 1 ) until it reaches the final, collapsed position shown in  FIG. 8 . The handle  36  can then be grasped to carry and transport the collapsed vehicle to the next desired location.  
         [0024]     In use, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the user  12  places the knee and part of the lower portion of the disabled leg on leg support  70  and rests the other, healthy leg on the ground. The user holds on to the handle bar and propels the vehicle by pushing off with the healthy leg as in the operation of a scooter. Steering and braking of the moving vehicle are respectively controlled by the operation of the handle bar and hand brakes as in the operation of a bicycle.  
         [0025]     It will be appreciated from the foregoing description of a presently preferred embodiment that the vehicle of the invention offers numerous advantages in terms of convenience of use, ease of storage and transport in the collapsed state. It will also be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiment specifically described above without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.