Low impact hand rim apparatus for hand-propelled wheelchair
US6120047A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 19, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61G5/028
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A hand rim assembly for a wheelchair wheel is disclosed, which includes an larger diameter hand rim and a smaller diameter hand rim. In one embodiment, the hand rim assembly is biasly coupled to the wheelchair wheel by a plurality of shock absorbing resilient fasteners. The shock absorbing resilient fasteners generally lessen the shock impact to the user's hands, arms, and shoulders, thus reducing the potential for repetitive stress injury and the like. In another embodiment, the smaller diameter hand rim has a different exterior coefficient of friction than that of the larger diameter rim so that users can use the hand rim with a higher coefficient of friction for propulsion and the rim with a lower coefficient of friction for braking. In addition, the rim used for braking, typically the smaller diameter rim, is formed of a thermally conductive material to reduce the potential for burning of the user's hands during braking.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.