Patent Publication Number: US-2005127658-A1

Title: Footrest platform of medical scooter

Description:
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/352,557 filed Jan. 27, 2003 to which application priority is claimed. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to the field of medical scooter, and in particular to a footrest platform of the medical scooter having a net-like anti-slip configuration material for enhancing safety while driving the scooter drainage of water.  
      2. Description of the Prior Arts  
      A medical scooter comprises a chassis on which a seat is mounted for supporting a driver on the scooter. A footrest platform is formed on the chassis in front of the seat for supporting the driver&#39;s feet.  FIGS. 6 and 7  of the attached drawings show a conventional footrest platform of the medical scooter, in which the footrest platform comprises a foot board A mounted to a chassis B 1  of a medical scooter B by means of separate fastening strips A 1 . The footrest board A is generally made of plastics. Another example of the conventional footrest platform is shown in  FIG. 8  of the attached drawings in which a piece of blanket C is positioned and fixed on the footboard A.  
      Since the footboard A is attached to the chassis B 1  by the separate fastening strips A 1 , it is difficult to have the foot board A completely and securely fixed to the chassis B 1 . In addition, the fastening strips A 1  must be removed and replaced by new ones in order to remove the footrest platform A from the chassis B 1  and re-mount the platform A back to the chassis B 1 . This causes difficulty and inefficiency in mounting/dismounting the footrest platform A. Thus, cleaning the footrest platform A can only be done with the footrest platform A mounted on the chassis B 1 . In addition, the footboard A that is generally made of plastics, does not allow water or liquid to penetrate therethrough for drainage. Thus, the blanket C is easily subject to contamination.  
      Further, the conventional footrest platform is structurally weak, which makes it not able to support a great load.  
      The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a footrest platform for a medical scooter having a chassis, the footrest platform comprising resilient fastening members integrally formed with the platform for securely mounting to the chassis to attach the platform to the chassis.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a footrest platform for a medical scooter, the platform comprised of net-like structure for drainage of water and eliminating deposition of dust and also for visual observation and inspection of the frame or chassis of the scooter.  
      A further object of the present invention is to provide a footrest platform for a medical scooter having a net-like structure made of frictional resilient cables with reinforcement to effectively support the scooter driver and forming a friction enhanced net-like structure for elimination of potential slipping of the scooter driver, also with reduced costs of manufacturing.  
      To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a footrest platform mounted to a chassis of a medical scooter. The footrest platform comprises a net-like structure forming a plurality of interconnected apertures for ventilation and drainage of water and elimination of deposition of dust on the platform. A plurality of ribs extends across the apertures for reinforcing the net-like structure. Resilient fastening strips are integrally formed on opposite sides of the net-like structure and are fit over the chassis of the medical scooter to secure the footrest platform to the chassis. An opening is defined in the platform for the extension of a steering shaft of the medical scooter therethrough.  
      The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical scooter in which a footrest platform in accordance with the present invention is mounted;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the medical scooter shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of a portion of the footrest platform of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a medical scooter in which a footrest platform in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is mounted;  
       FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the medical scooter shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a medical scooter in which a conventional footrest platform is mounted;  
       FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the medical scooter shown in  FIG. 6 ; and  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a medical scooter in which another conventional footrest platform is mounted. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a medical scooter, generally designated with reference numeral  200 , comprises a chassis  210  to which wheels (not labeled) are mounted. A steering shaft  220  extends from the chassis  210  in a vertical direction for controlling the moving direction of the medical scooter  200 .  
      A footrest platform constructed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with reference numeral  100 , is mounted on the chassis  210  of the medical scooter  200 . Resilient strips  10  are integrally formed on opposite edges of the footrest platform  100  and longitudinally folded to form an angle less than or equal to 90 degrees with respect to the footrest platform  100  for fitting over opposite edges of the chassis  210  to secure the footrest platform  100  to the chassis  210 . The resiliency of the strips  10  allows the strips  10  to elastically deform, thereby inducing a clamping force to securely attach the footrest platform  100  to the chassis  210 . The resiliency also allows the strips  10  to be manually deformed for removal from the chassis  210 . Thus, the footrest platform  100  of the present invention can be repeatedly and readily removed and re-mounted to the chassis  210 . Also referring to  FIG. 3 , the footrest platform  100  has a net-like structure, comprising a plurality of apertures  20  interconnected with each other. The net-like structure can be made by weaving or intersecting flexible cables or wires, such as metal cables or metal wires, which together form a support surface having enhanced frictional effect to eliminate potential slipping of a person standing and moving in and out of the scooter  200 . The footrest platform  100  comprises a plurality of ribs  21 , such as thin metal bars, extending between and across the apertures  20  to mechanically reinforce the footrest platform  100 . An opening  30  is formed in the footrest platform  100  for the extension of the steering shaft  220  therethrough.  
      The apertures  20  of the footrest platform  100  allow for air flow therethrough for ventilation purposes. The apertures  20  also allow for drainage of water deposited on the footrest platform  100 , such as rains. Thus, water is not residual on the platform  100 . This helps cleaning of the footrest platform  100  and also reduces the likelihood of falling down of the driver caused by slipping on the residual water.  
      The net-like configuration of the footrest platform  100  helps reducing the overall weight thereof and provides mechanical strength in resisting impact and colliding. The ribs  21  further enhance the mechanical strength of the footrest platform  100  whereby the scooter driver is allowed to stand up and even jump on the footrest platform  100 . No undesired deformation may be induced on the platform  100 . If desired, a protection layer, such as a plastic layer, can be formed on the net-like structure of the footrest platform  100  made of metal cables or wires, which provides aesthetic function and helps preventing corrosion of the footrest platform  100  and potential slipping of the scooter driver.  
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show another embodiment of the footrest plate  100  in accordance with the present invention, which comprises a net-like structure similar to the previous embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . However, resilient strips  10  are omitted. Thus, the net-like structure is directly fixed to the chassis  210 . Similarly the net-like structure can be formed with resilient cables, such as metal cables, on which a plastic layer is formed for protection and enhancement of friction. Since apertures  20  are formed in the net-like structure, drainage of water and flow of air can be provided readily. The size of the apertures  20  is preferably such that it prevents undesired penetration of water moving from underside of the chassis through the apertures  20 .  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.