Patent Publication Number: US-8990976-B1

Title: Portable vehicle and multi-application assistance seat

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/558,770 filed Nov. 11, 2011. 
    
    
     A portable, vehicle assist seat may assist individuals and healthcare providers to safely transition persons with ambulatory issues into and out of a vehicle. The seat may fit on or over the door sill of a vehicle to secure the seat in a receiving position allowing a person to enter or exit either a vehicle from either the passenger side or driver side and either front or back seat. As more completely described below, the seat may include a staggered set of telescoping legs with a short set to adjust to the seat and sill height in the vehicle and a longer set to adjust to the grade level outside of the vehicle. The seat can act as a bridge allowing the passenger to safely transfer from a wheel chair, walker, cane, crutches, or other ambulatory devices by sitting on the seat outside of the vehicle and then slide on to the internal seat at the same level avoiding strain or injury entering the vehicle. Desirably, the weight of the passenger is safely born by the seat and therefore injuries may be avoided, such as hyper-extending the lower back, shoulders, arms, elbows or legs. In addition, the seat may help prevent injury to the caregiver or other person(s) assisting the passenger into the vehicle. The device can be used for transition into a bathtub, as a handyman table on stair steps and other such purposes. While other uses on other uneven surfaces will become apparent, the disclosure and drawings will primarily focus on the exemplary use as a vehicle assistance device. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example systems, methods and so on, that illustrate various example embodiments of aspects of the invention. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. An element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Elements may not be drawn to scale and in some instances, cross-hatching is not shown to improve clarity. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an assist device adjacent to a vehicle seat. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an assist device. 
         FIG. 3  is a top, side perspective view of an assist device in a stored configuration. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of an assist device in a stored configuration. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the underside of an assist device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference now to  FIG. 1 , an assistance device  100  is shown in condition for use adjacent to a vehicle seat  102 . In use, the assistance device  100  includes a generally level platform or surface  104  supported on a frame  106 . On one side  105  ( FIG. 2 ) first legs  108  connect to the frame  106  in an angularly movable, but lockable relation. First feet  110 , may in turn adjustably extend from the first legs  108 . On a generally opposed side  115  ( FIG. 2 ), second legs  118 , generally about two to three times longer than the first legs  108 , may connect to frame  106  in a similarly angularly movable, but lockable relation. Second feet  120  may adjustably extend from the second legs  118 . Each adjustable foot  110 ,  120  may include a series of predefined holes or detents  130  for cooperation with a locking pin  140  connected to each leg  108 ,  118 . Generally, shorter legs will have a length between about 6 to 12 inches, preferably about 8 inches. The longer legs will have a length between about 12 to 24 inches, preferably about 16 inches. These dimensions in connection with the additional variability in height derived from the further extendable feet have been found to accommodate all passenger motor vehicles tested. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in use, the device  100  may assist a user entering or exiting (either deemed “egressing” herein) a vehicle such as by placing the first feet  110  temporarily on a sill plate  150  or between the sill plate  150  and the vehicle seat  102  within a doorway of a vehicle. The second legs  118  and feet  120  may be arranged to be temporarily supported and disposed on the ground. Ideally, the device is adjusted so that the surface  104  and frame  106  is maintained in an essentially level orientation. Once the user has successfully egressed the vehicle, the device  100  may be retrieved, the feet  110 ,  120  optionally retracted, the legs  108 ,  118  folded into a stored position, and the device stowed for later use. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , when in the stored configuration feet  110 ,  120  and legs  108  and  118  preferably collapse into a parallel configuration with the frame  106  and are contained within a periphery  300  of the frame  106  or the supporting platform  104 . Alternately, the feet  110 ,  120  may be left in an extended position along an axis A to enhance speed of use over storing in the most compact form. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a frame  106  may include a transverse support bar  504  attached to roughly opposing portions  506 ,  508  along the frame  106  periphery for further support of the platform  104  and to provide a connection for locking arms  510 ,  520 . In an embodiment, locking arm  510  includes a first element  512  that telescopes within a second element  514  as indicated by arrow B. In the position illustrated, locking pin  140  on the second element  514 , operably engages a receiving hole (not shown,  130  in  FIG. 1 ) in the first element. When the locking pin is disengaged, locking arm  510  may collapse its two elements, and allow leg  108  to come to a stored position parallel to the frame  106 . Optionally, a separate receiving hole in the first element will permit the locking pin  140  to lock the leg  108  in the stored position. Similarly, locking arm  520  includes first element  522  configured to telescope with second element  524  as indicated by arrow C. The arm elements may be locked into relative position, for example, extended as illustrated or stored, by locking pin  140  cooperating with a recess or hole in the first element  522 . An assist seat may also include a handle  540  formed on the frame  106  or cut through a portion of the platform  104  to allow a user to grip the device around the frame. 
     While the systems, methods, and so on have been illustrated by describing examples, and while the examples have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the systems, methods, and so on provided herein. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicants&#39; general inventive concept. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the preceding description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     As used herein, “connection” or “connected” means both directly, that is, without other intervening elements or components, and indirectly, that is, with another component or components arranged between the items identified or described as being connected. To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in the detailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed in the claims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both”. When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Similarly, when the applicants intend to indicate “one and only one” of A, B, or C, the applicants will employ the phrase “one and only one”. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995).