US5496050A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Foldable wheelchair and side frame assembly for foldable wheelchair
Assignee: GF Health Products Inc
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Filing: 1994-02-08
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Granted: 1996-03-05
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Expires: 2014-02-08
Abstract
Abstract A foldable wheelchair has a folding mechanism connecting two side frame assemblies to each other. The side frame assemblies each support a castor frame piece, pivoting shafts of the folding mechanism, drive wheel axles and a seat back tube. The side frame assemblies are made of two halves that are secured together and may be fabricated from compression or injection molded composite plastics. The seat angle is adjusted by pivoting the side frame assemblies around a pivot point located in an upward and forward region of the side frame assembly.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Geiger
- 👤 A. Scott Robertson
- 👤 Neville Page
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 08:47
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61G; A61G5/00; A61G5/08; A61G5/0808; A61G5/0816; A61G5/0825; A61G5/10; A61G5/1054; A61G5/12; A61G5/128
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly comprising: a side frame piece; a caster frame piece; mounting means located at a forward region of the side frame piece for pivotally mounting the caster frame piece at a pivot point on the side frame piece to permit relative pivoting movement between the side frame piece and the caster frame piece about said pivot point; a plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions located at a rearward region of the side frame piece for mounting a drive wheel, said spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions being disposed along an arc of a circle having a center of curvature coincident with said pivot point.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly comprising: a side frame piece; a caster frame piece; mounting means located at a forward region of the side frame piece for pivotally mounting the caster frame piece at a pivot point on the side frame piece to permit relative pivoting movement between the side frame piece and the caster frame piece about said pivot point; a plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions located at a rearward region of the side frame piece for mounting a drive wheel, said spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions being disposed along an arc of a circle having a center of curvature coincident with said pivot point.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pivot point is disposed at an upper forward region of said side frame piece and including a plurality of angle adjustment holes disposed at a lower forward region of said side frame piece for orienting said caster frame piece and said side frame piece at a desired orientation relative to one another.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side frame piece is formed of two composite molded halves joined together.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said two composite molded halves are shaped such that said side frame piece has the appearance of a tubular construction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said side frame piece includes upwardly extending molded-in and contoured sides that define a cradle for receiving a seat tube of a seat assembly.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
75 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 1, including a drive wheel axle receiving plate for receiving an axle of a drive wheel, said plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions including a plurality of bolt holes formed in said side frame piece for attaching the axle plate to said rearward region of said side frame piece, said axle plate including a plurality of openings for receiving a drive wheel axle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 1, including an opening extending the height of said rearward region of said side frame piece for receiving a seat back tube.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
A wheelchair side frame assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions includes a plurality of holes positioned along said arc of a circle whose center of curvature is coincident with said pivot point.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
82 words
A side assembly as set forth in claim 6, including a plurality of camber plugs which are positionable one at a time in one of the openings in the drive wheel axle receiving plate, the openings in the drive wheel axle receiving plate each having an axis, each of the camber plugs being constructed to receive and orient an axle of a drive wheel at a different angle relative to the axis of the openings in the drive wheel axle receiving plate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
167 words
A wheelchair frame comprising: a pair of side frame assemblies, each of said side frame assemblies comprising a side frame piece and a caster frame piece, a forward region of each side frame piece including mounting means for pivotally mounting a respective one of the caster frame pieces at a pivot point on the side frame piece to permit relative pivoting movement between each side frame piece and the respective caster frame piece about said pivot point, a rearward region of each side frame piece including a plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions for mounting a drive wheel on each side frame piece, the spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions on each respective side frame piece being disposed along an arc of a circle having a center of curvature coincident with said pivot point on the respective side frame piece; a seat assembly extending between said pair of side frame assemblies; and a connecting frame piece for connecting said side frame assemblies to one another.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
167 words
A wheelchair frame comprising: a pair of side frame assemblies, each of said side frame assemblies comprising a side frame piece and a caster frame piece, a forward region of each side frame piece including mounting means for pivotally mounting a respective one of the caster frame pieces at a pivot point on the side frame piece to permit relative pivoting movement between each side frame piece and the respective caster frame piece about said pivot point, a rearward region of each side frame piece including a plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions for mounting a drive wheel on each side frame piece, the spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions on each respective side frame piece being disposed along an arc of a circle having a center of curvature coincident with said pivot point on the respective side frame piece; a seat assembly extending between said pair of side frame assemblies; and a connecting frame piece for connecting said side frame assemblies to one another.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 10, wherein said pair of side frame assemblies are formed of two composite molded halves joined together.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 10, wherein said seat assembly includes a pair of extruded tubes, each having means for retaining a flexible seat sling extending between said pair of extruded tubes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 12, wherein each side frame piece includes upwardly extending molded-in contoured sides that form a cradle for receiving said extruded tubes of said seat assembly.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 10, wherein said pair of side frame assemblies are identical to one another to permit the side frame assemblies to be interchanged with one another for use as both left and right sides of said wheelchair frame.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 10, wherein said plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions at the rearward region of each respective side frame piece includes a plurality of spaced apart holes.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
88 words
A wheelchair frame according to claim 10, including a pair of drive wheel axle receiving plates which each include a plurality of openings for receiving a drive wheel axle at one of a plurality of positions and which are each mountable on a respective one of the side frame pieces, the plurality of spaced apart discretely defined mounting positions at the rearward region of each respective side frame piece including a plurality of spaced apart holes for mounting the respective one of the drive wheel axle receiving plates.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
82 words
A wheelchair frame according to claim 16, including a plurality of camber plugs which are positionable one at a time in one of the openings in each of the drive wheel axle receiving plates, the openings in the drive wheel axle receiving plates each having an axis, each of the camber plugs being constructed to receive and orient an axle of a drive wheel at a different angle relative to the axis of the openings in the drive wheel axle receiving plates.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
A wheelchair frame according to claim 11, wherein said two composite molded halves are shaped such that said side frame assemblies each have the appearance of a tubular construction.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
A wheelchair frame as set forth in claim 10, wherein said connecting frame piece includes means for folding said side frame assemblies.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-03-05 | 1999-09-04 | 2000-03-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-03-05 | 2003-09-04 | 2004-03-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-03-05 | 2007-09-04 | 2008-03-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |