Multifunction wheelchair handbrake especially adapted for ramp climbing

• US 4,560,033 A
• Filed: 12/14/1981
• Issued: 12/24/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Julian C. Renfro
• Original Assignee: Julian C. Renfro
• Inventors: DeWoody, Robert O., Hollerich, Ralph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HALVOSA, GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US06/330,565
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 188/2 D, 188/2 F, 188/20, 188/30, 188/74, 188/72.2, 188/82.4, 188/82.7, 188/82.8, 188/250 B, 188/265, 188/342, 280/211, 280/242 R, 280/242 WC, 280/289 WC, 297/DIG. 4, 192/45.1, 192/47, 74/533
• US Class Current: 188/2.00F
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/101 of the parking brake type, e.g. holding the wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1018 on the running surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1035 manipulated by wheelchair user
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0485 by braking on the running surface, e.g. the tyre

Abstract

A multiposition handbrake for a wheelchair or the like is provided in accordance with this invention, which involves a housing in which an elongate handle is pivotally disposed. A portion adapted to be grasped by the user of the wheelchair is provided above the pivot point of the handle, and a wheel-contacting braking assembly is provided below the pivot point. The housing is provided with a plurality of notches in which a midportion of the handle may be placed. With the notch in which the handle is residing at a given moment determining the relationship of the braking assembly to a wheel of the wheelchair. The wheel-contacting portion includes a toothed pad which may be slidably mounted such that on occasion, a brake-intensification action occurs. When the handle is in the first notch, the teeth are spaced away from the tread portion of the wheel, whereas when the handle is in the second notch, the teeth of the pad have light contact with the tread of the wheel. The arrangement of the pad is preferably such as to inhibit wheel rotation only in one direction, thereby simplifying the efforts of the wheelchair user to ascend a ramp or hill. The handle, when in the third notch, causes said teeth of the pad to forcibly contact the tread of the wheel, and thus provide considerable security to the wheelchair user, in that any rotation of the wheels is effectively prevented.

Claims

1. A multiposition handbrake for a wheelchair or the like comprising a housing,

a handle member pivotally mounted in said housing and having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being adapted to be grasped by the user of the lwheechair,

said housing being adapted to be mounted adjacent the tire of a wheel of the wheelchair and said handle having a plurality of operating positions,

a wheel-contacting assembly pivotally mounted in said housing, said wheel-contacting assembly supporting a pad adapted to be operatively disposed adjacent the tread of the tire, said pad having a plurality of pointed teeth, with said teeth possessing considerable angularity,

a lower portion of said handle member being operatively connected to said pivotally mounted wheel-contacting assembly,

said handle, when in a first position in said housing, causing no movement of the pad into contact with the tread of the tire,

the lower portion of said handle, when said handle has been moved by the user to an intermediate position in said housing, causing a corresponding movement of said wheel-contacting member such that the teeth of said pad have comparatively light touching contact with the tread of the tire, the angularity of said teeth at such time permitting forward rotation of the wheel, with rotation in the reverse direction being inhibited,

said handle, when moved to a third position in said housing, causing said pad to forcibly contact the tread of the tire, thereby firmly preventing any rotation of that wheel of the wheelchair,

said toothed pad being mounted by the use of a pair of opposed pins disposed in angled slots located in said wheel-contacting assembly, the sidewalls of said slots being disposed at non-constant radius with respect to the axis of rotation of the wheel, said pad, when its teeth are in firm engagement with the tread of the tire, being caused by wheel rotation in a certain direction to move such that its pins travel in a pad-wedging direction in their slots, thereby bringing about an intensification of braking effort.

2. A multiposition handbrake for a wheelchair or the like comprising a housing,

a handle member pivotally mounted in said housing and having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being adapted to be grasped by the user of the wheelchair, and said lower portion being operatively associated with a wheel-contacting assembly,

said housing being adapted to be mounted adjacent the tire of a wheel of the wheelchair and said handle having a plurality of operating positions,

said handle member being movable only in a single direction during the application of a braking effort, with brake release entailing handle movement in the opposite direction,

said wheel-contacting assembly supporting a pad adapted to be operatively disposed adjacent the tread of the tire, said pad having a plurality of pointed teeth, with said teeth possessing considerable angularity,

said handle, when in a first position in said housing, causing no movement of said pad into contact with the tread of the tire,

said handle, when moved by the user in the brake application direction to an intermediate position in said housing, causing a corresponding movement of said wheel-contacting member such that the teeth of said pad have comparatively light touching contact with the tread of the tire, the angularity of said teeth at such time permitting forward rotation of the wheel, with rotation in the reverse direction being inhibited,

said handle, when moved to a third position in said housing, causing said pad to forcibly contact the tread of the tire, thereby firmly preventing any rotation of that wheel of the wheelchair,

whereby when said handle has been moved to said intermediate position, the wheelchair user is enabled to climb a ramp without the wheelchair tending to roll backward during the repositioning of the user'"'"'s hands.

3. A multiposition handbrake for a wheelchair or the like comprising a housing, a pivoted, elongate handle operatively mounted in said housing and having three distinct operative positions, said handle being movable only in a single direction during the application of braking effort, an upper part of said handle involving a portion adapted to be grasped by the user of the wheelchair, and a lower part of said handle, below the pivot point thereof, interconnected with a wheel-contacting assembly, with a relatively stiff spring being utilized in said interconnection, said wheel-contacting assembly utilizing a pad equipped with a plurality of pointed teeth possessing considerable angularity, with the points of said teeth being in a direction to oppose rearward rotation when brought into contact with the tread of a tire of the wheelchair, said wheel-contacting assembly being movable in response to handle movement so as to place said toothed pad into or out of contact with the tread of the tire, said handle, when in a first position, causing said toothed pad to be spaced from the tread of the tire, and when moved in the brake application direction to an intermediate position in said housing, causing said wheel-contacting assembly to move such that said pointed teeth have comparatively light touching contact with the tread of the tire, such that wheel rotation in the forward rotative direction is permitted as a result of tooth angularity, but in the other direction prevented, said handle, when moved in the brake application direction to a third position, causing said toothed pad to forcibly contact the tread of the tire, thereby firmly preventing any rotation of the wheel of the wheelchair, whereby said handle, when in its intermediate position, enables a wheelchair user to avoid undesired wheel rotation during the repositioning of his hands.

4. The multiposition handbrake as defined in claim 3 in which said toothed pad is mounted by the use of a pair of opposed pins disposed in angled slots located in said wheel-contacting assembly, the sidewalls of said slots being disposed at non-constant radius with respect to the axis of rotation of the wheel, said toothed pad, when its teeth are in firm engagement with the tread of the tire, being caused by wheel rotation in a certain direction to move such that its pins travel in a pad-wedging direction in their slots, thereby bringing about an intensification of braking effort.

5. A multiposition handbrake for a wheelchair or the like utilizing a handle movable only in a single direction during the application of a braking effort, said handbrake comprising a housing having means such that it can be mounted adjacent the wheel of a wheelchair, an elongate handle pivotally disposed in said housing, an upper portion of said handle involving a portion adapted to be grasped by the user of the wheelchair, and a portion below the pivot being in operative connection with a wheel-contacting assembly, said operative connection including the use of a relatively stiff spring, said housing having a plurality of notches adjacent a portion of the handle above the pivot point, into any one of which notches the handle may be selectively placed on occasion, said wheel-contacting assembly utilizing a toothed pad adapted to be operatively disposed closely adjacent the tread of a tire of the wheelchair, said toothed pad having a plurality of pointed teeth, with said teeth having considerable angularity, said toothed pad being movable on occasion by the user into or out of contact with the tread of the tire as a result of handle manipulation, said handle, when in a first of said notches, causing the teeth of said pad to be spaced from the tread of the tire, said handle, when moved in the brake application direction and placed in a second notch, causing the teeth of said pad to have comparatively light touching contact with the tread of the tire such that as a result of the angularity of said teeth, the wheel can rotate only in the forward direction, with rotation in the reverse direction being inhibited, said handle, when moved in the brake application direction and placed in a third of said notches, causing said teeth to forcibly contact the tread of the tire, thereby firmly preventing any rotation of that wheel of the wheelchair, whereby when said handle has been placed in said second notch, the wheelchair user is enabled to climb a slope without the wheelchair tending to roll backward during the repositioning of the user'"'"'s hands.

6. The multiposition handbrake as defined in claim 5 in which said toothed pad is mounted by the use of a pair of opposed pins disposed in angled slots located in said wheel-contacting assembly, the sidewalls of said slots being disposed at non-constant radius with respect to the axis of rotation of the wheel, said pad, when its teeth are in firm engagement with the tread of the tire, being caused by wheel rotation in a certain direction to move such that its pins travel in a pad-wedging direction in their slots, thereby bringing about an intensification of braking effort.