U.S. patent number 3,643,996 [Application Number 05/014,977] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-22 for headrest apparatus for a wheelchair.
Invention is credited to William Carnahan.
United States Patent |
3,643,996 |
Carnahan |
February 22, 1972 |
HEADREST APPARATUS FOR A WHEELCHAIR
Abstract
A wheelchair having rearwardly projecting frame members on which
headrest apparatus is adjustably mounted for movements vertically
and horizontally to accommodate patients of varying physiques.
Mounting apparatus is provided to permit the headrest apparatus to
swing in a horizontal plane and includes a swivel, and mechanism
for selectively restricting the movement of the swivel.
Inventors: |
Carnahan; William (Owosso,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
21768878 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/014,977 |
Filed: |
February 27, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/410; 297/392;
606/241 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G
5/1091 (20161101); A61G 5/12 (20130101); A47C
7/38 (20130101); A61G 5/121 (20161101); A61G
5/1054 (20161101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/36 (20060101); A47C 7/38 (20060101); A61G
5/12 (20060101); A61G 5/00 (20060101); A61G
5/10 (20060101); A47c 007/36 (); A47c 007/42 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/391-393,408,410
;128/75 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nunberg; Casmir A.
Claims
I claim:
1. In combination: a wheelchair having
a seat;
a backrest,
a rearward end, and
generally horizontally extending frame members projecting
rearwardly from opposite sides of said rearward end; and
therapeutic apparatus adapted for use with a patient seated in the
wheelchair for supporting a patient's head including;
upstanding support means rearwardly of said backrest;
head support means on said upstanding support means adjacent the
upper end thereof and extending forwardly of said backrest and said
support means;
said upstanding support means including swivel means mounting said
head support means for movement in a horizontal plane only;
means mounting said upstanding support means on said frame members
for forward and rearward movement to adjust the position of said
head support means relatively to said wheelchair; and
means for securing said mounting means in a selected position of
adjustment on said frame members.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upstanding support means
includes an upright support post along the rearward end of said
wheelchair, and said swivel means is generally in alignment with
said post.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upstanding support means
includes a generally vertically extending post and a transversely
extending member at the lower end of said post, and wherein said
mounting means includes means on opposite ends of said transversely
extending member received by said rearwardly projecting frame
members for releasably clamping said transversely extending member
to said rearwardly projecting frame members.
4. The combination of claim 1 including adjustable resistance means
for selectively resisting movement of said swivel means, and means
for adjusting said resistance means to vary the force required to
move said head supporting means in said horizontal plane.
5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upstanding support means
includes a plurality of relatively rotatable tubular sections
having telescoping portions; said head supporting means being
mounted on one of said tubular sections for movement in a
horizontal plane; and cooperating means on said telescoping
portions for selectively adjusting the resistance to rotation of
one tubular section relative to another.
6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said tubular sections are
circular in cross section; one of said tubular sections including a
reduced diameter tubular end portion coaxially fitted within an end
portion of the adjacent tubular section; said cooperating means
comprises a radially adjustable circumferentially extending braking
strip disposed between the coaxially fitted portions of said
tubular sections; and means for adjusting the radial position of
said braking strip.
7. In combination with a wheelchair, a therapeutic headrest support
adapted for use with a patient seated in the wheelchair
comprising:
generally upright, elongate support means mounted on said
wheelchair rearwardly of its seat;
head support means extending forwardly of said upright support
means and over said seat for supporting a patient's head; and
swivel means mounting said head support means on said upright
support means for rotary movement in a substantially horizontal
plane and about an axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of
said upright support means.
8. The combination of claim 7 including means for locking said head
support in a selected one of a plurality of positions in said
horizontal plane.
9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said wheelchair includes
frame members extending rearwardly thereof; and means mounting said
upright support means on said frame members for movement forwardly
and rearwardly thereof.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to wheelchairs and more particularly to
apparatus for supporting the head of a person who is restricted to
a wheelchair and who does not have complete muscular control of his
upper body. There are many persons who, for various reasons, have
lost control of all or a portion of their body muscles. The
majority of such persons are unable to sit up unassisted and,
consequently, must spend most of their time in bed in the prone
position. Continued bed rest frequently results in what is commonly
referred to as "bed sores," in addition to patient apathy and
mental dejection.
It is known that placing such an afflicted person in a wheelchair
and securing him therein so that he may be wheeled about, both his
physical and mental condition are improved. Due to the limited
muscular control in the neck and head area of such a person,
however, he is not able to maintain his head in an upright position
except, perhaps, for a very short time. Thus, it is necessary to
provide a headrest or support which will support the patient's head
when he is being wheeled about but which will permit him to move
his head both horizontally and vertically. It has been found that
if the headrest is permitted to swing in a horizontal plane, the
neck muscles of the patient may be exercised and, in addition, the
range of the patient's vision is increased. With patient
improvement, it is desirable to provide mechanism which will make
it increasingly difficult for the patient to move his head
horizontally, thereby gradually strengthening the patient's muscles
and improving the muscle tone.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Although prior art devices have been provided in the past for
supporting a person's head, there have been no provisions for
adjustably mounting such devices on a wheelchair for movement
forwardly, rearwardly, and vertically to accommodate patients who
have different physiques. Moreover, the known prior art devices of
this general type use a suspended swivel, which is positioned
above, and generally in concentric alignment with, the axis of the
person's upper spine so that any horizontal movement of the head
necessarily results in vertical movement of the head, thereby
limiting the person's freedom of movement. There also has been no
provision in the prior art devices for locking a headrest support
in various horizontally disposed positions, nor has there been
provided any mechanism for selectively increasing the resistance to
movement of the head support to assist the user in strengthening
his neck muscles.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair
having a headrest movably supported thereon for movement forwardly,
rearwardly and vertically to accommodate patients of varying
sizes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable headrest
which is supported on a swivel that permits the headrest to swing
in a horizontal plane.
A further object of the invention is to provide a swingable
headrest support on a wheelchair which will assist a user in
improving his neck muscles by making it increasingly difficult to
swing the headrest support.
Another object of the invention is to provide a horizontally
movable headrest support on a wheelchair and which is lockable in a
plurality of horizontal positions.
Briefly, there is provided in accordance with the present invention
a wheelchair having a head support mounted on the rearward end
thereof by swivel means which permits the head support to swing in
a horizontal plane. Mechanism is provided for selectively varying
the resistance to movement of the swivel means and for locking the
head support in any one of a plurality of horizontally disposed
positions.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the
following description when considered in relation to the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a wheelchair having headrest
apparatus mounted thereon according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the headrest apparatus
mounted on the rearwardly extending frame members of the
wheelchair;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, vertical sectional view taken on
the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of another portion
of the support means taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional plan view taken on the
line 5--5 of FIG. 1.
Apparatus constructed according to the invention is adapted for use
with a conventional wheelchair W having a seat S, a backrest B, a
pair of sidearms A, and pairs of front and rear wheels F and R
mounted on opposite sides of the chair. The upper portion of the
backrest terminates in a pair of spaced apart handles P. Extending
along the underside of the wheelchair in the usual manner is a pair
of laterally spaced apart frame members 10 which project rearwardly
of the rear end of the seat S.
The support apparatus of the present invention is designated
generally by the reference character 11 and includes a crossmember
or crossbar 12 having coupling or mounting members 14 at its
terminal ends which are slidably received on the rearwardly
extending frame members 10. Each of the coupling members 14
threadedly receives a radially adjustable anchor screw 16 which can
be adjusted radially to clamp and unclamp the members 14 to and
from the member 10. When the members 14 are unclamped from the
member 10, the apparatus 11 may be adjusted forwardly and
rearwardly of the chair.
Extending upwardly from the midportion of the bar 12 is an upright
support 17 having a lower, tubular section 18. The upper portion
18a of the tubular section 18 is offset slightly rearwardly
relative to the lower portion 18b to enable the section 18a to be
positioned a greater distance rearwardly of the back rest B.
Rotatably mounted atop the upper end of the tubular section 18 is a
second tubular section 20 formed with an inwardly turned, load
bearing flange portion 20a in engagement with the terminal end of
the tubular section 18 and a tubular terminal end portion 22
received within the upper portion of the tubular section 18.
Concentric with and secured to a reduced diameter portion 22a of
terminal end portion 22 is a case hardened metal ring 23 which is
resistant to wear. Disposed between the wear ring 23 and the inner
surface of the tubular section 18 is a friction member 24 which may
be formed from any commercially available brake lining material.
The friction member 24 may be bonded or otherwise suitably secured
to a backing plate 25 which rotatably receives the terminal end
portion of an adjusting screw 26 threadedly received within a
threaded aperture 18c formed in the wall of the tubular section 18.
The plate 25 is secured to the terminal end portion of the screw 26
so as to follow the radial movements of the screw 26. A manually
operable knob 27 is provided on the screw 26 to facilitate turning
of the latter in the opening 18c. Turning the knob 27 so as to move
the screw 26 radially inwardly increases the pressure of the brake
lining material 24 against the wear ring 23, thereby increasing the
resistance to movement of the tubular section 20 relative to the
tubular section 18.
At its upper end the section 20 telescopically receives the lower
end of a tubular section 30 which has an external diameter slightly
less than that of the tubular section 20 to permit the sections 20
and 30 to slide vertically, relative to each other. To lock the
member 30 in place, the upper threaded portion 20b of the member 20
is provided with vertically extending grooves 20b which permit the
upper portion of the tubular section 20 to contract radially and
grip the section 30 when a nut 32, which has a slightly smaller
internal diameter than the outer diameter of portion 20b, is
threaded onto the threaded portion 20b. To adjust the vertical
position of the section 30, the nut 32 is unthreaded, the section
30 is moved relatively to the section 20 and the nut 32 then
replaced to force the upper portion 20b of the tubular section 20
into engagement with the tubular section 30. The tubular sections
18, 20 and 30 may be formed of steel or aluminum.
Mounted on the upper portion of the tubular member 30 is a headrest
or support member, generally designated H, including a generally
U-shaped horizontally disposed member 31 having its base connected
to the tubular section 30 with a bolt 32 and a nut 32a. The legs
31a of the U-shaped headrest are adapted to extend along opposite
sides of the patient's head, as shown in FIG. 1, and include
apertures 31b therein in the area normally occupied by the
patient's ear. Extending downwardly from the forward portion of the
legs 31a of the U-shaped member is a generally U-shaped chin strap
34 on which the chin of the user is adapted to be supported.
Extending upwardly along the rearward portion of the legs 31b is
another U-shaped member 36 which serves as a rest for the back of
the head. The portions 31, 34 and 36 of the head support H may
comprise individual sections of tubular material secured together
with suitable fastening means and wrapped in resilient material
which has a wear-resistant covering thereover.
The head support H is adjusted vertically to a particular patient
by adjusting the tube 30 relatively to the tube 20 so that the chin
strap 34 is slightly below the normal position of the user's chin,
thus enabling the user to exercise his neck muscles in a vertical
direction by raising his head off the chin strap 34. The chin strap
34 would be used as a rest in the event the patient's neck muscles
tire. The tubular members 18, 20, and 22 cooperate to define a
swivel on which the head support H is pivotally movable in a
horizontal plane about the longitudinal axis of the tubular members
18, 20 and 30.
In operation, the patient is seated in the wheelchair W and straps,
not shown, are used about the waist and shoulders to strap the
patient into the chair. The head support member H is adjusted
vertically, by unscrewing the member 32 and adjusting the tube 30
relatively to the tube 20 before again replacing the nut 32. The
head support H is adjusted forwardly or rearwardly as necessary by
unscrewing the screws 16, moving the bar 12 forwardly or rearwardly
depending upon the size of the patient, and then tightening the
screws 16. If the user's strength is such that he is able to keep
his head raised for a sustained period of time, and he is able to
move the head support H in a horizontal plane with ease, the screw
27 may be turned inwardly to increase the force with which the
brake lining material 24 engages the wear strip 23, thereby
impeding the movement of the tube 20 relative to the tube 18. The
increased resistance to movement thereby increases the effort which
the patient must exert to turn the headrest support H, thereby
strengthening the patient's neck muscles.
If it is desired to fix the head support H in any selected position
about the longitudinal axis of the member 30, the support H may be
moved to the desired position and the member 27 may be turned
inwardly an amount sufficient to force the members 23 and 24 into
locked engagement to prevent any further movement of the head
support in the horizontal plane.
Since it is obvious that changes and modifications can be made in
the above described details without departing from the nature and
spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention
is not limited to the details except as set forth in the appended
claims.
* * * * *