Wheelchair armrest storage systems and subassemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11903885-B2
Application number	US-201916667005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2019
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A wheelchair armrest storage system may include a housing for a wheelchair, where: the housing includes a proximal portion, a distal portion, a first lateral side, and a second lateral side, the housing extends longitudinally between the proximal portion and the distal portion, and at least one cover receiving cavity is defined in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side. The wheelchair armrest storage system may further include a storage area defined within the housing, and a cover configured to translate within each of the at least one cover receiving cavity defined in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wheelchair armrest storage system, comprising:
a housing for a wheelchair, wherein:
the housing includes a proximal portion, a distal portion, a first lateral side, and a second lateral side;
the housing extends longitudinally between the proximal portion and the distal portion; and
at least one cover receiving cavity is defined in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side;

a storage area defined within the housing; and
a cover configured to translate in a direction between the proximal portion and the distal portion within each of the at least one cover receiving cavity defined in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover is defined by a plurality of coupled segments.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a top surface, wherein the top surface defines an opening to the storage area, and wherein a pad is defined on the top surface on a first lateral side of the opening and a second lateral side of the opening.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a top portion, wherein a first cover receiving cavity is defined in the top portion of the housing in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side, and wherein the cover is configured to translate longitudinally within the first cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side and the first cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein:
a second cover receiving cavity is defined in the proximal portion of the housing in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side, the second cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side communicatively coupled to the first cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side and the second cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side communicatively coupled to the first cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side; and
a proximal end of the cover is configured to translate:
from the first cover receiving cavity into the second cover receiving cavity on each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side as a distal end of the cover is translated proximally from a closed position toward an open position; and
from the second cover receiving cavity into the first cover receiving cavity on each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side as the distal end cover is translated distally from the open position toward the closed position.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the housing further includes a bottom portion;
a third cover receiving cavity is defined in the bottom portion of the housing in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side, the third cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side communicatively coupled to the second cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side and the third cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side communicatively coupled to the second cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side; and
the proximal end of the cover is configured to translate:
from the first cover receiving cavity into the second cover receiving cavity and into the third cover receiving cavity on each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side as the distal end of the cover is translated proximally from the closed position toward the open position; and
from the third cover receiving cavity into the second cover receiving cavity and into the first cover receiving cavity on each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side as the distal end of the cover is translated distally from the open position toward the closed position.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein:
the housing further defines an opening to the storage area; and
the first cover receiving cavity of the first lateral side and the first cover receiving cavity of the second lateral side are configured such that the cover is removable through the opening.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the cover includes a first part of a locking mechanism, the housing includes a second part of the locking mechanism, and the first part of the locking mechanism is configured to interact with the second part of the locking mechanism, when the cover is in the closed position, to prevent access to the storage area.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cover pad, wherein at least one cover pad receiving cavity is defined in each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side, and the cover pad is configured to translate longitudinally within each of the at least one cover pad receiving cavity to pad the cover when the cover is in a closed position or a partially closed position.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a device configured to at least one of automate or assist the longitudinal translation of the cover.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the device comprises at least one of a mechanical device, a cylinder and rod device, or a motorized device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a flexible display configured to depict at least one of images or information.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the flexible display is an organic light-emitting diode display, an organic liquid crystal display, or an electronic paper display.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover is defined by a plurality of coupled segments, and wherein one or more than one segment define a display configured to depict at least one of images or information on the cover.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein:
as the cover is translated distally, a plurality of linkages are configured to cause a distal portion of the display to flip-up or rise relative to a top surface of the housing; and
as the cover is translated proximally the plurality of linkages are configured to cause the distal portion of the display to flip-down or fall relative to the top surface of the housing.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
each of the plurality of segments include:
a protrusion extending from a first lateral edge of the cover; and
a protrusion extending from a second lateral edge of the cover; and

a first protrusion extending from the first lateral edge of the cover is arranged to slidingly interfere with a first wall defined in the first lateral side of the housing, and a second protrusion extending from the second lateral edge of the cover is arranged to slidingly interfere with a second wall defined in the second lateral side of the housing to cause the plurality of linkages to flip-up the display as a proximal portion of the cover is translated distally.

17. A wheelchair armrest storage system, comprising:
a housing for a wheelchair, wherein:
the housing includes a proximal portion, a distal portion, a first lateral side, and a second lateral side;
the housing extends longitudinally between the proximal portion and the distal portion;
a plurality of cover receiving cavities are defined in a proximal portion of each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side; and
a plurality of cover receiving cavities are defined in a distal portion of each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side;

a first storage area defined within the proximal portion of the housing;
a first cover configured to translate between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the housing within the plurality of cover receiving cavities defined in the proximal portion of each of the first lateral side and the second lateral side;
a second storage area defined within the distal portion of the housing; an

Assignees

• Toyota Motor North America Inc

Inventors

• Lee Christopher Paul
• Moore Douglas A

Classifications

• A61G5/10 Primary

  Parts, details or accessories · CPC title

• A61G5/125 Primary

  for arms · CPC title

• E05B65/5238

  parallel to the wing edge · CPC title

• E05B65/5269

  about an axis parallel to the surface on which the lock is mounted · CPC title