Abstract:
A restraining strap assembly for restraining a person in a wheelchair which is made up of two cooperating securement strap assemblies, namely a chair securement strap assembly that is secured to the wheelchair seat and a person securement strap assembly that can be removably interconnected with the chair securement strap assembly as is used to prevent inadvertent separation of the person&#39;s legs. The chair securement strap assembly includes a pair of elongated, spaced apart strap segments that circumscribe and are connected to the seat of the wheelchair. The person securement strap assembly which is releasably connected to the chair securement strap assembly can be easily positioned by the handicapped person about his or her legs in a manner to keep the legs together.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to securement devices. More particularly, the invention concerns a securement device for securing a disabled person within a wheelchair. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     A person who is wheelchair-bound and has no physical control over, or capability of, keeping their legs closed, often has difficulty maintaining their feet securely in position on the foot plates of the wheelchair. Additionally, a wheelchair bound person may suffer leg spasms that cause the feet to involuntarily fall from the foot plates thereby rendering them virtually helpless and forcing them to wait for someone to come to their assistance. 
     This problem is particularly serious for individuals who have limited, or no feeling in the lower part of their legs. In such situations it is possible for the person to involuntarily run over their own feet and possibly fall from the wheelchair, causing serious injury. 
     While various types of securement straps have been suggested in the past, individuals with limited dexterity have great difficulty in manipulating the prior art securement straps, and require assistance from others when it is necessary to leave the wheelchair for hygienic or other purposes. Accordingly, there has long existed a pressing need to develop a securement strap system that enables wheelchair-bound persons to easily manipulate the securement straps at their own convenience for hygienic purposes and thereby eliminate the humiliation of constantly asking for assistance. 
     To avoid the embarrassment caused by involuntary leg separation, wheelchair-bound persons have at times resorted to the use of a conventional belt to keep their legs together. Such an approach is generally unsatisfactory, particularly for persons having limited dexterity. For example, if the disabled person accidentally drops the belt while attempting to connect, or disconnect the belt, assistance must be sought to retrieve the belt. Similarly, if the position of the belt shifts so that it cannot easily be manipulated, once again assistance must be sought. These types of situations are highly undesirable because the wheelchair-bound person who is troubled with involuntary leg separation and must continually ask for assistance, often becomes embarrassed and demoralized and can at times becomes frustrated and belligerent. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     By way of summary, one form of the restraining strap assembly of the present invention for restraining a person in a wheel chair comprises two cooperating securement strap assemblies, namely a chair securement strap assembly and a person securement strap assembly that can be removably interconnected with the chair securement strap assembly. In a preferred form of the invention the chair securement strap assembly comprises a pair of elongated, spaced apart strap segments that circumscribe the seat of the wheelchair or like device. Each of the strap segments has a first end, a second end and an intermediate portion. Connectors are provided at each end of each of the strap segments to enable the first and second ends of the strap segments to be releasably interconnected. A person securement connector strap assembly of novel design invention is connected to the intermediate portions of the first and second strap segments. This connector strap assembly permits the person securement strap assembly to be releasably interconnected with the chair securement strap assembly. 
     With the forgoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel restraining strap assembly for restraining a handicapped person within a chair, within a manually operated wheelchair, or within an electrically operated wheelchair. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a restraining strap assembly that can be quickly and easily securely interconnected with the chair or wheelchair and, once interconnected, can be easily used by the handicapped person to prevent inadvertent leg separation. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a restraining strap assembly of the aforementioned character that secures the handicapped person within the wheelchair in a manner such that the person&#39;s feet will not inadvertently fall from the supporting plates of the wheelchair. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a restraining strap assembly of the character described in the preceding paragraph that secures the handicapped person within the wheelchair in a manner to prevent a person from accidentally falling from the wheelchair. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a restraining strap assembly for securing a handicapped person within a wheelchair that is of simple construction and one in which the person securement strap component can be easily manipulated by persons with limited dexterity. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a restraining strap assembly as described in the preceding paragraphs that is of durable construction and is highly reliable in use. 
     The foregoing, as well as other objects of the invention can be achieved by the restraining strap assembly illustrated in the drawings and described in the paragraphs which follow, 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a generally perspective view illustrating the use of the securement strap apparatus by an individual sitting in a wheelchair. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B , when considered together, comprise a top plan view of the securement strap apparatus of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of one form of the leg securement strap portion of the apparatus of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view similar to  FIG. 3  but showing the opposite side of the leg securement strap portion. 
         FIG. 5  is a generally perspective front view showing the leg securement strap interconnected with the portion of the apparatus that is secured to the wheelchair. 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the securement strap apparatus of the invention showing the wheelchair securement strap portion of the apparatus affixed to the seat of the wheelchair and showing the leg securement portion of the apparatus secured to the wheelchair securement strap portion. 
         FIG. 7  is a greatly enlarged view of the area designated in  FIG. 6  as “7”. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the area designated in  FIG. 6  as “8”. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view taken along lines  9 - 9  of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A and  2 B, one form of the restraining strap assembly of the invention for restraining a person in a wheelchair is there shown and generally identified by the numeral  14 . Restraining strap assembly  14  here comprises two cooperating securement assemblies, namely a chair securement strap assembly generally designated as  16  and a person securement strap assembly generally designated as  18 . 
     Considering first the chair securement strap assembly  16 , this novel assembly comprises a pair of elongated, spaced apart strap segments  20  and  22 . Segments  20  and  22  can be constructed from various materials, but are preferably constructed a from a heavyweight polypropylene braided webbing material. Strap segment  20  has a first end portion  20   a  ( FIG. 2A ), a second end portion  20   b  ( FIG. 2B ) and an intermediate portion  20   c  ( FIG. 2B ). Similarly, strap segment  22  has a first end portion  22   a  ( FIG. 2A ), a second end portion  22   b  ( FIG. 2B ), and an intermediate portion  22   c  ( FIG. 2B ). Connected to first end portion  20   a  of first strap segment  20  is a first connector, shown here as the female part  24   a  of a conventional, readily commercially available double-sided snapping buckle lock, the male part  24   b  of which is connected to the second end portion  20   b  of first strap segment  20  ( FIG. 2B ). Parts  24   a  and  24   b  of the first connector function in a conventional manner to interconnect the first end portion  20   a  of the first strap segment with the second end portion  20   b  of the first strap segment when the first strap segment is positioned over the wheelchair seat in the manner shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Connected to first end portion  22   a  of second strap segment  22  is a second connector, shown here as the female part  26   a  of a conventional, readily commercially available double-sided snapping buckle lock, the male part  26   b  of which is connected to the second end portion  22   b  of first strap segment  22  ( FIG. 2B ). Parts  26   a  and  26   b  of the second connector function in a conventional manner to interconnect the first end portion  22   a  of the first strap segment with the second end portion  22   b  of the second strap segment when the second strap segment is positioned over the wheelchair seat. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , conventional adjustments buckles  30  are provided proximate each end portion of each of the first and second strap segments so as to permit adjustment in a conventional manner of the overall length of the first and second strap segment to accommodate wheelchair seats of various sizes and configuration. 
     Forming an important aspect of the chair securement strap assembly  16  of the invention is a connector strap assembly that is generally designated in  FIGS. 2B ,  5  and  6  by the numeral  32 . Connector strap assembly  32  is connected to the intermediate portions  20   c  and  22   c  of the first and second strap segments  20  and  22  in the manner best seen in  FIG. 2B . The details of construction and operation of this important strap assembly will presently be discussed. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 2B and 6  of the drawings, the previously mentioned person securement strap assembly  18  of the invention is releasably connected to the lower portion of the connector strap assembly  32 . 
     Person securement strap assembly  18  here comprises a person securement strap  34  having first and second end portions  34   a  and  34   b  and first and second sides  34   c  and  34   d  respectively ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). Securement strap assembly  18  can be constructed from various materials, but at least the central portion thereof is preferably constructed from a heavyweight polypropylene braided webbing material. For a reason presently to be described, the central portion  35  of second side  34   d  is provided with a multiplicity of small loops  37  of the character found in connector materials sold under the name and style “VELCRO”. Similarly, for a reason presently to be described, second side  34   d  of end portion  34   b  of the person securement strap is provided with a multiplicity of small hooks  39  of the character found in “VELCRO” type connector materials. Connected to first end  34   a  of the person securement strap is a connector  36 , shown here as a conventional buckle type connector, that functions, in a manner presently to be described, to releasably interconnect the first end portion  34   a  of the person securement strap with the second end portion  34   b  thereof. 
     Considering once again the connector strap assembly  32  of the chair securement strap assembly, as shown in  FIG. 2B  of the drawings this important assembly comprises a first extender segment  40  and a second extender segment  42 , both of which are made from a readily commercially available elastic material. As indicated in  FIG. 2B , the first end  40   a  of first extender segment  40  is connected to the intermediate portion  20   c  of strap segment  20  while second  42   a  of extender segment  42  is connected to the intermediate portion  22   c  of strap segment  22 . Overlaying the first ends of extender segments  40  and  42  and connected thereto is a first transverse segment  45  that spans the pair of spaced apart strap segments  20  and  22 . 
     Also forming a part of connector strap assembly  32  is a second transverse segment  47  that is connected to and spans the first and second extender segments  40  and  42  in the manner shown in  FIG. 2B . Transverse segment  47  is provided with a multiplicity of first connector elements shown here as a multiplicity of small hooks  49  of the character found in connector materials sold under the name and style “VELCRO”. 
     Referring particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 6  of the drawings, in using the securement apparatus of the invention, the securement straps  20  and  22  are laid over the seat of the chair, in this case the wheelchair W, so that the intermediate portion of the straps  20   c  and  22   c  are located proximate the front edge of the seat (see  FIG. 6 ). Next, using the conventional adjustment buckles  30 , the length of the straps is adjusted so that the end portion  20   a  and  22   b  of the straps are located proximate the rear of the seat in the manner shown in  FIG. 6 . The first portions  20   a  and  22   a  of the straps are then extended beneath the seat so that the male connectors  24   a  and  26   a  can be interconnected with the female connectors  24   b  and  26   b , respectively, to join the straps in a secure position about the wheelchair&#39;s seat in the manner shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. With the securement straps  20  and  22  properly positioned around the wheelchair seat, the connector assembly  32  will depend downwardly from the front of the seat in the manner shown in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. With the connector assembly  32  in this position, the person securement strap  18  can be affixed to the lower transverse member  47  by interconnecting the hook-like elements  49  of member  47  with the loop-like elements  37  of the person securement strap  18  in the manner indicated in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. 
     An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that by simply inverting the securement strap  18  and turning it end for end it can be affixed to the connector assembly so that the strap can be easily operated by either a right-handed or a left-handed person. In either case, as indicated in  FIG. 5 , once the end  34   b  of the strap is fed through the connector buckle  36 , the forward portion  34   b  of the strap, which as shown in  FIG. 4 , is provided with a multiplicity of small hooks, can be releasably interconnected with the intermediate portion of the strap that is provided with a multiplicity of small loops. In order to assist in feeding end  34   b  of the strap through the connector buckle and in pulling the strap tight about the legs in the manner shown in  FIG. 5 , a pull ring  51  is provided (See  FIGS. 1 and 5 ). 
     Because of the construction of the connector harness and the elastomeric members  40  and  42 , it can be appreciated that the strap assembly  18  can be affixed about the user&#39;s legs at various locations from the knee to the thigh at whatever location is most comfortable. 
     Once the strap is affixed to the connector harness, there is no danger that it will be accidentally dropped thereby requiring the assistance of a third person. Further, because of the unique design of the person connector strap, it is easy to manipulate and secure about the legs in the manner shown in  FIG. 5  of the drawings without the assistance of a third party. Similarly, it is easy for the person to disconnect the person securement harness without the necessity of seeking aid from a third party. 
     Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.