Improvements in and connected with Chairs for Invalids.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Chairs for Invalids.
I, RICHARD GIBBS, of 86, Hazelwood Terrace, Stoney. Stanton Road, Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable invalids such as persons who are partially
paralized and others who still retain the use of their arms to move themselves from
place to place with comparatively little exertion.
Now according to this invention I provide a suitable chair car or carriage in
which the invalid may sit or recline comfortably the said chair car or carriage
being supported on three or four wheels that is to say two driving or road wheels
and one or two steering wheels.
The driving wheels may be connected together by means of the usual com-
pensating gear or the chair may be propelled by means of the patient rotating one
driving wheel only which wheel may or may mot be secured to the axle carrying the
other wheel.
I prefer however to dispense with the driving axle altogether and to support
the body of the chair on two parallel tubes C shaped at rear and upon the upward
curves of which the body of the vehicle is fixed. Each road wheel is attached to
its proper tube and is thus entirely separate from the other and there is no axle-
tree as in carriages. This arrangement allows the chair to be easily turned round
corners and the like. The hub of the right hand driving wheel or the axle thereof
has a sprocket wheel attached thereto which sprocket wheel is geared by means of
a pitch chain with a second sprocket wheel keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft
or axle rotating in a bearing at the end of a suitable fork which carries the driving
wheel or axle.
The aforesaid fork which is attached to the chair in any convenient manner has
also a bearing at the end of each of the prongs thereof in which the axle of the
driving wheel rotates or, or if the driving wheel runs loose on the axle the prongs
of the fork are secured to the axle. To the axle of the sprocket wheel at the end of
the fork furthest from the driving wheel axle I attach a crank handle by rotating
which the chair may be propelled. The ends of the driving fork meet at the end
furthest from the driving wheel and to this solid end I attach a cylindrical bearing
or bracket in which the crank axle rotates. This bracket is secured to the fork
by a bolt or bolts or by screws passing through a slot in the solid end of the fork
to allow of the tension of the driving chain being adjusted.
The steering of the chair is effected by mounting the front wheel or wheels in a
suitable fork or forks which fork or forks may be partially rotated by means of a
handle or lever connected therewith by any suitable means and actuated by the left
hand or foot or feet of the patient.
Suitable brakes may also be provided to keep the chair under control when
descending inclines.

page_text: If the patient has lost the use of his right arm the driving mechanism would
be placed on the left side of the chair.
T. E. HALFORD,
11, Furnival Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for Applicant.
improvements in and connected with Chairs for Invalids.
I, RICHARD GIBBS, of 86, Hazlewood Terrace, Stoney Stanton Road, in the City
of Coventry, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:.
-
The object of this invention is to enable invalids such as persons who are partially
paralized and others who still retain the use of their arms to move themselves from
place to place with comparatively little exertion.
Now according to this invention I provide a suitable chair car or carriage in
which the invalid may sit or recline comfortably the said chair car or carriage
being supported on three or four wheels that is to say two driving or road wheels
and one or two steering wheels.
The chair is carried on two parallel bicycle tubes
"
C shaped at rear and upon
the upward curves of which the body of the vehicle is fixed.
The driving wheels may be connected together by means of the usual compen-
sating gear or the chair may be propelled by means of the patient rotating one
driving wheel only which wheel may or may not be secured to the axle carrying the
other, wheel.
Each road wheel may be attached to its proper tube and be thus entirely separate
from the other and there is no axletree as in carriages.
The hub of the right hand driving wheel or the axle thereof has a sprocket
wheel attached thereto which sprocket wheel is geared by means of a pitch chain
with a second sprocket wheel keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft or axle rotating
in a bearing at the end of a suitable fork which carries the driving wheel or axle.
The aforesaid fork which is attached to the chair in any convenient manner has
also a bearing at the end of each of the prongs thereof in which the driving axle
rotates or if the driving wheel runs loose on the axle the prongs of the fork are
secured to the axle of the sprocket wheel at the end of the fork furthest from the
driving axle.
I attach a crank handle to the said shaft by rotating which the chair may be
propelled.
The steering of the chair is effected by mounting the front wheel or wheels in a
suitable fork or forks which fork or forks may be partially rotated by means of a
handle or lever connected therewith by any suitable means and actuated by the
left hand or foot or feet of the patient. Suitable brakes may also be provided to
keep the chair under control when descending inclines. If the patient has lost the
use of his right arm the driving mechanism would be placed on the left side of
the chair. And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will
proceed to explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings
in which
Fig. 1 represents side elevation of an invalid chair constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 2'is a back view of same.

page_text: section of driving wheel axie.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.
a is the chair of wicker work or other suitable material and provided with
cushions in the usual way.
The chair a is supported on a framing of cycle tube b which frame is attached
to a steering head c at the front thereof and is curved into a C shape at the
back.
The chair may be secured to the frame by suitable clips clamps or other suitable
means or it may be suspended therefrom by means of leather straps as shewn at d
Figs. 1 and 2.
To the frame b is also secured the axle e on which revolve the wheels f g of
which is the driving wheel h is the steering wheel which rotates on a pin i secured
in the ends of the steering fork which fork oscillates in the steering head c.
As shewn by Figs. 1 and 2 the wheel f only is the driver the wheel g rotating
independently thereof on the other, end of the axle e or short axles may be secured
to each of the curved frame tubes b on which the wheels rotate. I prefer to make
the axle e in three pieces as shewn by Fig. 3. viz. a central tubular portion e having
solid ends e¹ el brazed or otherwise secured therein. The wheels f g rotate on the
ends eel and are secured thereon by linch pins lock nuts or other suitable means
the hubs of the said wheels being preferably fitted with oil retaining caps in the
usual way.
<
Or the wheels f g may be secured to the axle e which may be provided with the
usual compensating or Jack-in-the-Box" gear to enable both wheels to act as
drivers and to facilitate turning corners.
The front fork i¹ may be caused to oscillate in the steering head c by means of
an arm j attached to the said fork which arm is hinged to a'rod k having a rack
at its other end which rack gears with a pinion secured to spindle m which is
supported in bearings n n attached to the chair a or frame ib or both the said spindle
being capable of being rotated by means of a crank handle o.
? is a brake which may be applied to one or both wheels by means of the lever q.
This lever is attached to or forms part of the shaft or spindle carrying the brake
levers p and is carried up inside the chair.
In some cases the steering and braking may be effected by the same lever the
lever being pivotted to the chair or carriage or to the frame thereof the small arm
of the lever being connected to the rod k. The long arm of the lever may be hollow
and capable of being rotated on a projecting portion of the short arm and provided
with a chain connected to the brake lever so that the steering is effected by the
backward and forward movements of the lever and the braking by the rotation
thereof.
Or the steering and braking may be effected by any other suitable means. The
driving wheelf has a sprocket wheel s secured to the hub thereof (or to the axle e
if the wheels fg are rigidly attached to the axle) which sprocket wheel is geared to
a sprocket wheel t by means of a pitch chain t¹. The wheel is keyed or otherwise
secured to a spindle or shaft u which is rotated by a crank handle u¹.
The spindle or shaft u rotates in bearings in a bracket having a lug ¹ attached
thereto by means of which the bracket may be secured to the solid end of the
fork the prongs of which are secured to or form bearings for the axle e.
The fork is secured to the chair or carriage in any suitable way. The solid end
of the fork is slotted and the bracket is secured thereto by screws or bolts
passing through the said slot to enable the tension of the driving chain t¹ to be
regulated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1
Lalida shoing the combinatio
1
1

page_text: the driving wheel, a fork secured to the axle of the driving wheel and to the chair,
a bracket detachably and adjustably connected to the slotted end of the said fork
a spindle or shaft rotating in the said bracket having a sprocket wheel and a crank
or winch handle keyed or otherwise rigidly connected to said spindle or shaft
and an endless pitch chain gearing the sprocket wheel on the driving wheel hub
to the sprocket wheel on said spindle all substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
2. In invalid chairs the tubular driving wheel axle with solid ends substantially
as described.
3. In invalid chairs the construction and use of a tubular framing having the
rear portion C shaped to which C shaped portions of the frame the chair car or
carriage is attached.
4. In invalid chairs the combination of a driving mechanism consisting of a
sprocket wheel rotated by means of a winch or crank handle geared by means of a
pitch chain to a sprocket wheel secured to the driving wheel hub with a means
for steering the said chairs so that the chair may be propelled by one hand and
steered with the other hand or with the feet as specified.
5. Chairs for invalids constructed as shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of April 1898
.
T. E. HALFORD,
Agent for Applicant.