Patents by Inventor Rick Gaither

Rick Gaither has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Photoelectric-activated switch for a motorized wheelchair
    Patent number: 8522908
    Abstract: A motorized wheelchair kill switch for improving the safety of motorized wheelchairs is described. The motorized wheelchair kill switch includes a photoelectric sending unit and a photoelectric receiving unit that are used to kill the operation of a wheelchair joystick. The photoelectric sending unit emits a light beam toward the photoelectric receiving unit along a path that will be broken if a user is safely seated in the wheelchair. If the light beam is detected a determination is made that the user is not properly seated. In that case the joystick operation is disabled, locking the wheelchair motor and preventing accidental movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Inventors: Richard Collins, Rick Gaither