Renewable wheelchair and gurney protection system

• US 6,481,736 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2001
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aaron Chan
• Original Assignee: Aaron Chan
• Inventors: Chan, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): DePumpo, Daniel G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINNER, TONY H
• Application Number:
  US09/898,767
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 280/288.4, 280/304.3, 280/304.4, 280/304.5, 297/219.1, 297/291.11, 297/229, 548/7, 548/8, 5 8/11.C
• US Class Current: 280/288.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/10 Parts, details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1054 Large wheels, e.g. higher than the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0502 Dispensers of disposable sheets

Abstract

A renewable protection system protects wheelchair and gurney users against diseases due to contacting contaminated surfaces with impervious sheet protectors—paper or plastic—covering all contact surfaces. Identical protectors separated by perforations form a roll from which they are detached for each successive user. The roll is placed in an openable storage tube with a protector dispensing slit. The storage tube is mounted detachably on wheelchair or gurney bottom frame bars. For a wheelchair, the protector is cruciform, with the crosspiece forming flaps extending over the sides of the wheelchair, and the longitudinal strip extending over the top of the back of the wheelchair. Four detachable adhesive stickers secure the protector to the wheelchair at the back and sides. For a gurney the protector has the width of the gurney platform and a length extending to the top of the headrest, to which the protector is attached by an open pocket.

Claims

1. A renewable wheelchair protection system for protecting wheelchair users against diseases transmitted by contact with wheelchair surfaces, said wheelchair protection system comprising:

a protector roll storage tube of split construction detachably attached to a lower portion of a wheelchair by means of a storage tube attach assembly, said storage tube having a dispensing slit; and

a roll of impervious identical wheelchair protectors in series, one said wheelchair protector separable from the next, placed inside said storage tube, with a first wheelchair protector at a free end of said roll pulled up through said dispensing slit and out of said storage tube to cover a seat, two sides and a back of said wheelchair, said first wheelchair protector being detachably secured to said two sides and said back by wheelchair attach means;

whereby a first wheelchair user is completely isolated from normally contacted wheelchair surfaces;

whereby after departure of said first wheelchair user said first wheelchair protector is (a) separated from a contiguous second wheelchair protector on said roll, then (b) removed from said wheelchair by detaching said wheelchair attach means, and (c) placed in a suitable trash container;

whereby in preparation for a second wheelchair user said second wheelchair protector is now pulled up through said dispensing slit and out of said storage tube to cover said seat, said two sides and said back of said wheelchair, said second wheelchair protector being detachably secured to said two sides and said back by said wheelchair attach means to completely isolate a second wheelchair user from normally contacted wheelchair surfaces; and

whereby similarly a third, fourth and so on said wheelchair protector is pulled up through said dispensing slit and out of said storage tube to securely cover in a similar manner said seat, said two sides and said back of said wheelchair to completely isolate a third, fourth and so on wheelchair user from normally contacted wheelchair surfaces.

2. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein said storage tube is made of rigid plastic material.

3. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein said impervious wheelchair protectors are made of thin plastic sheet material.

4. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein said impervious wheelchair protectors are made of thin paper sheet material.

5. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein said storage tube split construction comprises an upper tube half shell and a lower tube half shell, both provided with mating internal shell grooves for opening up said storage tube and loading with said roll of wheelchair protectors and subsequent closing, said upper tube half shell accommodating said dispensing slit, and said lower tube half shell accommodating a pair of attachment slots.

6. The wheelchair protection system of claim 5 wherein said lower portion of a wheelchair is a pair of wheelchair bottom frame bars, and said storage tube attach assembly comprises (a) a pair of nut-and-bolt fastenings connecting said lower tube half shell pair of attachment slots to (b) a pair of U-brackets embracing said pair of wheelchair bottom frame bars, and (c) a pair of closure bolts firmly securing said pair of U-brackets to said pair of bottom frame bars, whereby said storage tube may be attached and detached from said pair of wheelchair bottom frame bars.

7. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein a common edge between said first wheelchair protector and a contiguous said second wheelchair protector in said roll is a lateral linear perforation which is torn end to end to separate aid first wheelchair protector from said second wheelchair protector.

8. The wheelchair protection system of claim 1 wherein said impervious identical wheelchair protectors are flat cruciform sheets with

a longitudinal dimension extending from said dispensing slit over said seat, up to a top of said back and down an exterior of said back, with a width equal to a width of said seat; and

a lateral dimension extending from an exterior of a first wheelchair side over a top of said first side, down the interior of said first side, across said seat, up an interior of a second wheelchair side, and over a top of said second side to an exterior of said second side, with a width equal to a length of said seat;

whereby said exterior portions on said first side and on said second side of said lateral dimension , designated a first flap and a second flap, are folded inward when rolling up a virgin said roll of said wheelchair protectors to form a constant width said roll for storage in said storage tube.

9. The wheelchair protection system of claim 8 wherein said wheelchair attach means are four detachable adhesive stickers:

two back stickers attaching said terminal exterior back portion of said longitudinal dimension of said wheelchair protector to a rear of said wheelchair back;

a first side sticker attaching said first flap from said exterior of said first wheelchair side through an open portion of said first side to a portion of said lateral dimension protector on said interior of said first side; and

a second side sticker attaching said second flap from said exterior of said second wheelchair side through an open portion of said second side to a portion of said lateral dimension protector on said interior of said second side.