Head Or Back Support For Wheelchair

Abstract

An adjustable head or back support for universal use on wheelchairs is disclosed. The support permits individual adjustment of the head and back supports which can be adjusted to provide for support desired by the individual patient. The horizontal mounting arms are pivotally connected with the coupling bracket so as to automatically compensate for various wheelchair widths. The head and back supports are adjustable in the horizontal, vertical and angular directions to provide the necessary support for the occupant of the wheelchair.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to wheelchair head or back supports and more particularly to a head or back support which can be adjusted to the individual patient's comfort without obstructing the normal use of the wheelchair.

Collapsible wheelchairs provide some fixed back support for the occupants. The satisfactory use of such chairs is limited, however, by reason of the fact that adequate head and back support is not provided for the majority of persons required to use such chairs. In the normal use of the wheelchair, an infirm occupant who tires easily cannot maintain himself erect in a comfortable sitting position.

There are currently available devices for attachment to the wheelchair which provide some support for the occupant. An example of such device is U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,259 issued Feb. 24, 1970.

The prior art devices are not entirely satisfactory. The use of such devices would very often limit the overall usefulness of the wheelchair. Adjustments of the supporting devices would have to be made to compensate for various wheelchair widths. Quite often, complex clamping means and adjustment means were provided.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a head and back support for wheelchairs which can be attached to all wheelchairs and can be adjusted to the individual patient's comfort without obstructing the normal use of the wheelchair.

A further object of this invention is to provide a head and back support for wheelchairs having a novel pivoting means which automatically compensates for various wheelchair widths and which will permit easy removal of the supporting device.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a wheelchair head or back support which is fully adjustable in the horizontal, vertical and angular directions as required to provide custom adjustments to suit individual patient needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides an improved head or back support for wheelchairs which can be attached to wheelchairs and can be adjusted to the individual patient's comfort without obstructing the normal use of the wheelchair. The combination support is securedly attached on each of the vertical supports on the back of the wheelchair. Horizontal arms are pivotally mounted to the securing means and are pivotally held at the center by a vertical rod carrying bracket body. The headrest and backrest are each adjustably mounted on either side of the bracket body.

Other objects, details, uses and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof presented in the accompanying drawings proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings show a present exemplary embodiment of this invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the head or back support mounted on a wheel chair; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the support.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to the drawings which illustrate one exemplary embodiment of the improved head or back support of this invention, which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The combination support 10 is shown in FIG. 1 attached to a wheelchair 12 shown in phantom lines.

The combination support 10 is clamped to the vertical supports 14 of the wheelchair by identical brackets 16 and 18. The brackets are formed with a curved flange portion which engages the support 14. The brackets 16 and 18 are secured to the vertical supports 14 by suitable means such as threaded knobs 20 and 22, respectively, which urge plates 24 and 26 into clamping engagement with the supports 14. The brackets 16 and 18 are provided with tubular portions 28 and 30. To insure proper alignment of the combination support 10, it is necessary that the brackets 16 and 18 be placed at the same vertical height on the supports 14.

One end of each horizontal arm 32 and 34 is slidably inserted in the tubular portion 28 and 30 of the brackets 16 and 18. A bracket body 36, having three bores therethrough, is placed over the vertical extending ends of the horizontal arms 32 and 34. The bracket body 36 is secured in place by any suitable means such as four set screws 38 which are tightened to engage the vertical ends of the arms 32 and 34. The pivoting action of the arms 32 and 34 in the tubular portions 28 and 30 permits the combination support 10 to be mounted on any wheelchair since the pivoting effect automatically compensates for various wheelchair widths.

The vertical support rod 40 is inserted through the central bore of bracket body 36 and is secured in place by any suitable knob or thumb screw 42. The head support, designated generally as 44 and the back support, designated generally as 46, are clamped to the vertical rod 40 by identical clamping means 48 and 50, only one of which will be described in detail hereinbelow.

The headrest 44 comprises a pair of suitable cushions 52 and 54 which are secured to a plate 56 by any suitable means such as a plurality of screws 58. The plate 56 is secured to an abutment 60 by any suitable means such as a cap screw and lock washer 62 and 64, respectively. The abutment 60 forms one end of a horizontal supporting rod 66. The rod 66 is slidably inserted through a bore 68 formed in the end of clamp bolt 70. The clamp bolt 70 protrudes through apertures in clamp plate 72 and clamp body 74. A threaded knob or handle or the like 76 engages the end of clamp bolt 70. The clamp body 74 is formed with a channel or groove 78 therethrough which receives the rod 40 therein. The rod 40 is formed with a portion 80 thereby providing a flat portion against which the inner surface of clamp plate 72 abuts. Thus, when the clamping plate 72 and clamping body 74 are secured to the rod 40, rotation of the clamping means 48 and hence the headrest 44 is prevented due to the engagement of the clamping plate 72 with the flattened portion 80. When the head support 44 is mounted to the clamping means 48 and the clamping means 48 mounted on the rod 40, it can be seen that the head support 44 can be adjusted in the vertical, horizontal and angular (in the vertical plane) directions. When the desired position of the head support 44 has been obtained, the handle 76 is rotated to secure the clamping means in the desired position.

The back support 46 comprises a back cushion 82 which is secured to a back plate 84 in a manner similar to that hereinabove described relative to the head support 44. The clamping means 50 is identical to the clamping means 48 described hereinabove and need not be described again. It being sufficient to note that the clamping means 50 is secured to that portion of the rod 40 which extends below the bracket body 36. The back support is similarly adjustable to provide the necessary support to the individual patient.

Once the head support 44 and the back support 46 have been adjusted to the desired position, the assembly may be removed from the wheelchair without loss of the desired adjustments. It is only necessary to grasp the body bracket 36 and/or horizontal arms 32 and 34 in lifting the unit straight up until the ends of the horizontal arms 32 and 34 are out of the tubular portions 28 and 30. To reinstall the unit, one simply slides the ends of the horizontal arms back into the tubular portions 28 and 30.

It can be seen that this unit automatically compensates for various wheelchair widths and when installed does not interfere with normal wheelchair usage, yet provides the necessary support for the patient. This invention provides a head or back support for a wheel chair which is of simple and economical construction, is easy to adjust, i.e., only one knob each provides all the necessary clamping for the headrest and backrest adjustments.

While a present exemplary embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that this invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced by those skilled in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A head or back support for attachment to wheelchairs provided with vertical supports at the back of the wheelchair comprising:

a pair of brackets, each being attached to the vertical support at the rear of the wheelchair, each bracket having a tubular portion thereon;

a pair of horizontal arms, each arm having vertical end portions, one end of each arm being slidably mounted in said tubular portion;

a body bracket being secured to the other end of each arm;

a vertical support rod secured to said body bracket, said rod extending vertically above and below said body bracket;

a head support;

first clamp means connected with said head support and adjustably mounted on said vertical support rod above said body bracket;

a back support;

second clamp means connected with said back support and adjustably mounted on said vertical support rod below said body bracket, said first and second clamp means permitting adjustment of the respective supports in the vertical and horizontal directions and angularly in the vertical plane.

2. The support as set forth in claim 1 wherein said body bracket is formed with a central bore therethrough for receiving said vertical support rod and means for securing said rod relative to said body bracket.

3. The support as set forth in claim 1 in which each of said first and second clamping means comprises a clamp plate and a clamp body for cooperatively engaging said vertical support rod; a clamp bolt extending through said clamp plate and clamp body; threaded means engaging said clamp bolt to secure said clamp plate and body about said vertical rod; the other end of said clamp bolt being formed with a bore therethrough; a horizontal support rod extending through said bolt bore, said horizontal support rod being connected at one end with the respective support.

4. The support as set forth in claim 3 in which said clamp body is formed with a groove in one face thereof, said groove receiving the vertical support rod therein; and in which said vertical support rod is formed with a flat portion for engagement with one surface of the clamp plate wherein rotation of the clamping means relative to said vertical support rod is prevented.

5. The support as set forth in claim 4 in which said body bracket is formed with a central bore therethrough for slidably receiving said vertical support rod and means for securing said vertical support rod relative to said body bracket.