FOLDABLE COVER FOR THE OVERHEAD PROTECTION OF AN OCCUPANT OF A WHEELCHAIR OR OTHER WHEELED VEHICLE
Two embodiments of a foldable cover for protecting the occupant of a wheelchair or other wheeled vehicle is described. The foldable cover includes a frame having two sections, a back section and a top section cantileverable from the back section over the normal space provided for an occupant. A mounting bar for rigidly mounting the back section and, hence, the remainder of the foldable cover is provided with both embodiments. The back section is pivotally connected to the mounting bar for pivoting movement between a stowed position in which such cover is out of the way of the occupant in a protected position in which it and the cantilevered top section cooperate to cover the occupant.
This is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 11/188,291 filed Jul. 22, 2005; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,450 granted Jan. 8, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a cover for the overhead protection of an occupant of a wheelchair or other wheeled vehicle and, more particularly, to such a cover which is foldable and storable on the vehicle when not in use and includes many features which are quite attractive to a disabled occupant.
Most wheelchairs or other wheeled vehicles designed for disabled occupants do not include a cover providing overhead protection for the occupant. While covers have been designed in the past, none has been acceptable in the marketplace for various reasons. The result of this lack of adequate covers is that many disabled do not venture out if the existing or potential weather is not conducive to uncovered travel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a foldable cover for protecting the occupant of a wheelchair or other wheeled vehicle. It can be stowed when not in use on the wheelchair itself.
In its basic aspects, the foldable cover of the invention includes a frame having at least two sections, a back section and a top section cantileverable from the back section over the normal space provided for the occupant. It most desirably further includes a mounting bar for rigidly mounting the back section and, hence, the remainder of the foldable cover, to the vehicle.
Although the mounting bar acts to rigidly secure the cover to a wheeled vehicle such as a wheelchair, the back section is pivotally connected to the mounting bar for pivoting between a stowed position in which such cover is out-of-the-way of the occupant and a protective position in which said back section and the cantilevered top section cooperate to cover the occupant. The stowed or storable position is one which is selected to facilitate erection. The cover of the invention also includes a flexible covering which is supported by the frame sections.
The cantilever arrangement is most simply provided by the hinge securance including an interference position between frame members in the path of pivoting of the top section relative to the back section. The result is that the cantilevering is provided automatically when the top and back sections are pivotally moved relative to one another.
One feature of the invention is that at least part of the top section has a transverse width sized to fit within the transverse width of the back section. This geometric arrangement facilitates the collapsing of the frame to enable the foldable cover to be positioned in the stowed position.
The invention includes other features and advantages which will be described or will become apparent from the following more detailed description of preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following, relatively detailed description is provided to satisfy the patent statutes. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, though, that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention.
The occupant space is defined by a chair having a back 18, two arms 19, and the usual footrests 21.
In accordance with normal practice, the chair 12 also includes a pair of push handles 22. It is to these push handles that the foldable cover of the invention is rigidly secured via an intermediate mount bar 23.
The foldable cover is made up of a frame 15 (described in more detail hereinafter), supporting a covering 20. The covering 20 is generally opaque although it could be transparent. In this embodiment it is generally opaque with a transparent window at the location for the back of the head of an occupant of the wheelchair. Such covering also defines small air vents at the location of the window to enable air to escape and thus prevent pressure buildup from occurring within the covering and interfering with its location over the space defined for an occupant. This is shown in
As mentioned previously, the foldable cover of this embodiment is an after market item. It is for this reason that the mount bar 23 is provided. This mount bar 23 extends between the push handles 22 and is rigidly secured in front of the portion of the same designed to receive the hands of a pusher. As is best illustrated in
Although both embodiments being described have mount bars, such a bar is really not necessary when one considers the basic aspects of the instant invention. From the broad standpoint, the foldable cover need not be an after market item and could be integrated into the chair itself with the result that the mounting bar is not needed. Even when the cover is integrated into the chair itself, it is rigidly securable to the chair. However, it is important is that the cover frame be pivotally connected for switching between a stowed or stored position on the wheelchair and a protective position in which it covers the occupant's space.
The stowed or stored position is selected to facilitate erection of the cover. While it is recognized that many disabled will not be able to erect the cover (or covers of any design at all), this position facilitates erection and permits erection by some disabled.
In the embodiment of
When the cover of the invention is moved to its stowed position, the front frame component 29 fits within the back section 28. That is, the transverse width of the front section 29 is less than the transverse width of the back section to accommodate such an arrangement, helping to provide the cover in a compact, collapsed condition when it is in its stored position.
Another important feature of the invention is that the cover extends over the full occupant space. In this connection, in this embodiment the top section made up of its components 29 and 31 are cantilevered from the back section 28. This is facilitated by including a hinged securance of the top midsection component to the back section with an interference position. This midsection is sandwiched between the back section and the front section component. When the cover is erected, this front component is, in essence, an extension of the midsection component so that the two top components are serially cantilevered from the back section.
The relationship resulting in the interference position for this embodiment is best illustrated in
As mentioned previously, the mount bar 23 assures that rigid securance to the wheelchair is achieved. As discussed previously, a pair of spaced groups of slots 24 accommodate Velcro straps or U bolts which extend around the two push handles of a wheelchair to enable the bar to be rigidly secured thereto. The cover itself is then pivotally connected to the bar, i.e., the back section 28 is so connected, to enable the cover to be moved from its protective position to its stowed position.
It will be seen from the above how the frame is designed not only to provide the desired foldability, but also to make sure that the full occupant space is covered. It is not necessary, though, that the top section be made up of a plurality of section components to provide the desired coverage. The embodiment of the invention shown in
With reference to
The foldable cover of the
Reference is made to
The top section 42 is pivotally hinged to the back section via bolts 52. That is, with reference to
As mentioned previously, the covering is only secured to the frame at the front edge of the foldable cover. The result is that when the top section of the frame is pivoted or folded to the stowed position in the direction of the arrow 53 in
The front panel 58 of the enclosure is provided with a pouch 61 for the occupant to carry various items, such as groceries. It should be noted that the flap 59 extends over the opening into the pouch.
A sun visor or the like similar to those provided in automobiles can be provided on the front of the cover to 15 enable the occupant to obtain shade as desired.
As mentioned previously, the mount bar 44 of this embodiment is different than the mount bar of the other earlier described embodiment. As shown in
Mount bar 44 is quite versatile and can be used to mount the foldable cover (or any other desired structure) to other vehicles, such as the scooters typically used by the disabled. As shown in
It will be recognized from the above that this embodiment is particularly lightweight and is therefore especially useful with push chairs. Moreover, the foldable cover of the invention is easily moved between the fully upright condition and a stowed position.
As mentioned at the beginning of the detailed description, applicant is not limited to the specific embodiments and variations described above. For example, it may be desirable to provide two different coverings for a single foldable cover of the invention, one covering being fully transparent for use in storms and the like (provide protection without interfering with visibility) and one generally opaque for protection from the sun. It will also be recognized that the cover of the invention can be used with other wheeled vehicles. It is not limited to use with those designed for the disabled. The claims, their equivalents, and their equivalent language define the scope of protection.
Claims
1. A foldable cover for the overhead protection of an occupant of a wheeled vehicle, which cover is storable on the wheeled vehicle when not in use in a position facilitating erection to provide said overhead protection, the cover comprising:
- a frame having at least two sections: a back section and a top section cantileverable from said back section over the normal space provided by said vehicle for said occupant, said frame being rigidly securable to said vehicle with said back section pivotally connected for switching said cover between a stowed position on said vehicle and a protective position covering the occupant space; and
- a flexible covering supported by said frame sections.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 8, 2008
Publication Date: May 8, 2008
Inventors: Ronald Ayers (Sunnyvale, CA), Ada Bull (Sunnyvale, CA)
Application Number: 11/970,975
International Classification: A47C 7/62 (20060101);