Self-storing foot and legrest assembly

Abstract

A footrest and legrest assembly for an invalid's chair or wheelchair that is storable within the chair. A footrest is adjustably mounted on a supporting frame which is slidably and telescopically mounted in horizontal tubular elements of the chair and is movable fore and aft relative to the front of the chair. The legrest is pivotally and frictionally mounted on a U-shaped support member which is slidably mounted independently of the footrest on the supporting frame and is movable above the footrest toward or away from the front of the chair when the frame is extended forwardly of the chair. Storage of the legrest under the seat of the chair is provided when use of the footrest only is desired. Storage of both the footrest and the legrest under the seat of the chair is provided when the supporting frame with the U-shaped support and legrest is pushed to its rearmost position. A one-way, spring latch for telescoping tubes is provided to secure the frame from sliding forwardly from its storage position out of the horizontal tubes of the chair and to limit its forward movement iin working position. The latch permits free inward movement of the assembly into storage under the seat.

Parent Case Text

My co-pending application, Ser. No. 343,126, filed Mar. 20, 1973 discloses and claims the one-way latch for telescoping tubes, FIG. 7 herein, that is used in and with the invention disclosed and claimed herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention lies in the field of chairs and wheelchairs having footrests and legrests and more particularly to the matter of storing or providing for storage of such rests.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior art chairs and wheelchairs often provide legrests and footrests which are either movable to and from their working position or are removable entirely when not in use. Those which are movable from their working position without detachment from the chair, enlarge the overall dimensions of the chair and add awkwardness to moving the chair anywhere, or moving it to proximity to beds and tables or through narrow doorways and passages. A footrest or legrest removed from the chair requires storage space as well as time and effort to move the footrest or the legrest from the storage area to the chair and back again. The time and effort is multiplied if the legrest or the footrest is lost or mislaid.

Legrests for chairs and wheelchairs are known in the art but they lack the "self-storing" capabilities of the present invention, or they do not contribute to reducing the effective overall dimensions of the chair when not in their working positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention in its preferred form comprises a self-storing footrest and legrest assembly in combination with an invalid's chair or wheelchair. The footrest is mounted for angular adjustment on the telescopically sliding frame which is telescopically received in lower tubular members of the side frames of the chair. The frame is slidably movable from a rearward storage position to a forward working position in front of the chair. The legrest is mounted for restrained pivotal movement on a support member which is slidably mounted on the sliding frame. When the frame is extended forwardly of the chair, the legrest can be moved independently to either an extended position for use or to the storage position underneath the seat of the chair. Both the footrest and the legrest are secured in the storage position underneath the seat when the frame is slid into the side frame tubes of the chair. A one-way spring latch for telescoping tubes is used to secure the assembly from sliding off the chair and to keep the assembly in storage or release it for use. The latch may also be released to permit removal of the assembly from the chair. Whereupon the support for the legrest may be slid off the rearward ends of the frame.

An object of my invention is to provide a legrest and footrest assembly for an invalid's or other chair or wheelchair that is simple and economical in construction, may be used and enjoyed with little manual effort, permits selective use of the footrest or legrest and permits storage of one or both within the metes and bounds of the chair.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the foregoing and from the following description of, and claims for, my invention.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the side elevation of a wheelchair having my foot and legrest assembly with the footrest alone in its extended position ready for use.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the lower front portion of the chair of FIG. 1 showing the legrest in its extended position ready for use.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing both the footrest and legrest slid rearwardly into the chair for storage therein.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the chair of FIG. 1.

Fig. 5 is an isometric detached view of the slidable frame member upon which the legrest and footrest are mounted.

FIG. 6 is an isometric detached view of the slidable support for the legrest.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section through one of the legs of the sliding frame and the straight horizontal tubular brace in which it is slidable, showing particularly the latch mechanism which limits the normal relative motion between the frame and the tube.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, there is shown a wheelchair structure C having tubular metal side frames 10 and 11 which may be identical. Reference to side frame 10 as in FIGS. 1-3, will suffice for both side frames unless otherwise noted. Frame 10 includes upwardly extending legs 13 and 14 and a conventional armrest portion 17 with armrest 18. A lower brace member 20 is firmly connected, as by welding, between legs 13 and 14 adjacent their lower ends, and serves also as the sliding support for the self-storing footrest and legrest assembly generally indicated at 22. A tubular backrest and seat supporting frame 25 is positioned between and secured to side frames 10 and 11, and supports a backrest 26 and a seat 28. Opposite sides of frame 25 are welded or otherwise secured to legs 13 and 14 of side frames 10 and 11 as indicated at 30 and 31, respectively.

Foot and legrest assembly 22 comprises footrest 33 which is pivotally, but not freely, mounted on sliding frame member 40, FIGS. 1-5, and legrest 34 which is pivotally, but not freely, mounted on sliding support 35, FIGS. 1-6, which is slidably mounted on frame 40. The straight legs 41 and 42 of frame 40 are telescopically received in lower brace members 20: brace 20 of frame 11 is obscured in the drawings. Frame 40 is movable leftwardly and rightwardly relative to the chair as viewed in FIGS. 1-3.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, legs 41 and 42 of frame 40 comprise parallel hollow tubes having a free sliding fit and slidable in brace tubes 20. The footrest supporting part 43 of frame 40 depends from the forward ends of legs 41 and 42 and comprises forwardly disposed vertical depending portions 44 brazed or welded to the legs, and a horizontal, rearwardly extending, U-shaped portion 45 on the base 46 of which footrest 33 is secured for restrained pivotal motion by capped plain bearings 36, FIGS. 1-4. The footrest will tend to stay in a raised inclined position as in FIGS. 1 and 2 and may be gently but firmly pushed down as to the horizontal in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Legrest 34 is snugly and pivotally mounted on crossmember 39 of support member 35, FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6, by capped bearings 37 similar to bearings 36. The angle at which legrest 34 is placed relative to the horizontal, can be adjusted according to the patient's needs and comfort as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. When not in use it can be pivoted counterclockwise, as from FIG. 2 to FIGS. 1 and 3, to fit freely under seat 28.

Legrest support member 35 is slidably mounted on frame 40. Member 35 comprises an inverted U-shaped tube with short tubular sleeves 38 secured to the lower ends of each leg of the U which have a fairly snug sliding fit on legs 41 and 42 of frame 40. The snugness of the sliding fit does not impair positioning of the support along the legs 41 and 42 with modest manual effort, but it is intended to inhibit inadvertent sliding of the support that would interfere with the comfortable support of the legs of the occupant. When frame 40 is extended outwardly beyond the front of the chair, as shown in FIG. 1, support member 35 can be moved manually from its storage position of FIG. 1 to its working position in FIG. 2. When it is desired to store the legrest and footrest, frame 40 can be moved leftwardly as from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3, or legrest support 35 alone may be moved leftwardly, as viewed, relative to frame 40 as from FIG. 2 to FIG. 1 by sliding support 35 with legrest 34 on the legs 41 and 42 while holding frame 40 against movement.

Referring to FIG. 7, one-way movement spring latch 50-51 holds near leg 42 of frame 40 from unwanted relative movement to the right as viewed, at particular places while permitting free relative movement of leg 42 to the left. Latch 50-51 comprises a plug 50 located in aperture 52 in tube 42 and urged radially outwardly by stressed spring 51. So long as leg 42 is so related to strut 20 that the smooth interior of the strut confines plug 50, leg 42 slides freely in the strut. Strut 20, however, has two like latching openings 54 and 55, smaller than aperture 52, into which plug 50 may penetrate to about the thickness of the wall of the strut, but is restrained from greater penetration by engagement with the like camming surfaces 56 and 57 at the leftward, as viewed, sides of openings 54 and 55. Camming surfaces 56 and 57 force plug 50 radially inwardly to free sliding contact with the smooth cylindrical interior of strut 20 when leg 42 is moved leftwardly from its position shown in FIG. 7. In the position shown in FIG. 7, plug 50 forbids movement of leg 42 rightwardly unless plug 50 is manaually depressed enough to clear the interior surface of strut 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, latch openings 54 and 55 are spaced to inhibit normal rightward movement of frame 40 beyond its fully extended working position shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, albeit depression of plug 50 from its latched position of FIG. 7 permits withdrawal of frame 40 and assembly 22 entirely from the chair.

When assembly 22 and frame 40 are moved into the storage position in the chair, FIG. 3, then plug 50 enters the remote latching opening 55 of strut 20, FIG. 7 and retains the assembly in its stored position until released by depressing plug 50 inwardly of opening 55. Although a modicum of leftward, as viewed, movement of leg 42 is conveniently permitted by cam 57, FIG. 7, deleterious leftward movement is inhibited by contact between collar 38 against the forward open end 59 of strut 20 and the imminent or impending contact of vertical parts 44 of frame 40 with collars 38.

More particulars of my latch mechanism are described and claimed in my copending application. While I've suggested the sufficiency of but one latch 50-51 in leg 42, the latch may be duplicated in leg 41 of frame 40 should that prove desirable.

While I have illustrated and disclosed a preferred form and embodiment of my invention, other forms, changes and improvements therein will occur to those skilled in the art who come to know and understand my invention, all without departing from the essence and substance thereof. Therefore, I do not want my patent to be restricted to that which is specifically disclosed herein, nor in any manner inconsistent with the progress by which my invention has promoted the progress of the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A self-storing foot and legrest assembly for a chair having lower tubular brace members, said assembly comprising a frame having legs telescopically received by said brace members and movable therein forwardly out of, and rearwardly into said chair, a footrest mounted on said frame, a support member slidably mounted on said legs and extending rearwardly toward said chair and a legrest mounted on said support member, said support member comprising an inverted U-shaped tube having parallel arms and a back portion extending between said arms with a tubular collar at the end of each arm in sliding engagement with said legs, the arms of said U-shaped tube being inclined upwardly and rearwardly toward said chair with respect to said tubular collars, said legrest being pivotally mounted on said back portion of said U-shaped tube.

2. In a chair having a seat and a pair of side frames with lower hollow brace members, a self-storing foot and legrest assembly comprising a footrest, a frame having legs telescopically received by said lower brace members and longitudinally movable in said lower brace members, said footrest being mounted on a lower forward part of said frame, a support member slidably mounted on said legs and extending rearwardly toward said chair, and a legrest pivotally mounted on said support member and storable under said seat independently of said frame, and said frame and footrest also being storable in said chair under said seat, said support member comprising an inverted U-shaped tube having parallel arms with a tubular sleeve at the end of each arm, the arms of said U-shaped tube being inclined upwardly and rearwardly toward said chair with respect to said tubular sleeves, said tubular sleeves being slidably engaged with said legs.

3. The assembly of claim 2 with latch means for holding said frame in storage while said parts hold said legrest and support in storage on said frame.