Motorized sled for stair chairs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9004204-B2
Application number	US-201314097593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Aug 29, 2008
Publication date	Apr 14, 2015
Grant date	Apr 14, 2015

Abstract

A lightweight motorized and tracked sled for attachment to a variety of stair chairs is described. A power supply or power source provides power to a motor driving a track configured to engage a set of stairs. The motor and track can lift and support the stair chair and a patient thereon up or down one or more flights of stairs. The track driven by the motor has a length sufficient to simultaneously engage the lips or edges of a pair of sequential steps, but may be otherwise limited in length to reduce the weight of the track. To ensure that the sled and attached stair chair are stably supported while ascending or descending stairs, the sled may have rails, skis, or passive tracks having a length sufficient to ensure that the rails, skis, or passive tracks are always over the edge or lip of no fewer than two steps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sled for attachment to a stair chair including first and second rear wheels, the sled comprising:
a motorized track configured to engage a staircase; and
first and second elongate stair-engaging portions spaced outwardly of the motorized track and configured to contact the staircase while the motorized track is engaging the staircase, the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions being pivotably attachable to the stair chair proximate the stair chair rear wheels;
the motorized track being separately attachable to and detachable from the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions when the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions is pivotably attached to the stair chair, wherein the motorized track and the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions are pivotable in unison from a generally upright stowed position to a deployed position for engagement with the staircase.

2. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions have long axes disposed substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to a long axis of the motorized track on opposite sides of the motorized track.

3. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions include first and second passive belts.

4. The sled according to claim 3 , wherein the first and second passive belts include teeth for engaging the staircase.

5. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the motorized track is centrally located between the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions.

6. The sled according to claim 1 , further including an upper transverse support extending between the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions, the motorized track being attachable to the upper transverse support.

7. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the motorized track includes a motor and a continuous track belt that is driven by the motor.

8. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the motorized track includes first and second laterally extending supports for engagement with the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions.

9. The sled according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second elongate stair-engaging portions include first and second rails.

10. A sled for attachment to a stair chair including first and second rear wheels, the sled comprising:
first and second passive tracks being adapted to pivotably couple to the stair chair proximate the stair chair rear wheels and being movable from a stowed position to a deployed position angled rearwardly of the stowed position when mounted to the stair chair, the first and second passive tracks each including a continuous belt to simultaneously engage a plurality of steps of a staircase in the deployed position; and
a motorized track positioned between the first and second passive tracks, the motorized track being separately attachable to and detachable from the first and second passive tracks, wherein the motorized track is removable from the first and second passive tracks when the first and second passive tracks are pivotably coupled to the stair chair, and wherein the motorized track is pivotable in unison with the first and second passive tracks as the first and second passive tracks transition from the stowed position to the deployed position for engagement with the plurality of steps of the staircase.

11. The sled according to claim 10 , wherein the motorized track is centrally located between the first and second passive tracks.

12. The sled according to claim 10 , further including an upper transverse support extending between the first and second passive tracks, the motorized track being attachable to the upper transverse support.

13. The sled according to claim 10 , wherein the motorized track includes a motor and a continuous track belt that is driven by the motor.

14. The sled according to claim 10 , wherein the motorized track includes first and second laterally extending supports for engagement with the first and second passive tracks.

15. The sled according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second passive tracks each include a continuous looped track belt.

16. A method for operating a stair chair including first and second passive tracks pivotably coupled to the stair chair, the method comprising:
attaching a motorized track to the first and second passive tracks, the motorized track including a continuous belt configured to simultaneously engage a plurality steps of a staircase;
rotating the motorized track and the first and second passive tracks in unison from a stowed position to a deployed position for engagement with the plurality of steps of the staircase;
reclining the stair chair until the continuous belt of the motorized track engages at least one of the plurality of steps of the staircase;
activating the motorized track to move the stair chair along the plurality of steps of the staircase; and
removing the motorized track from the stair chair while the first and second passive tracks remain attached to the stair chair.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising rotating the first and second passive tracks from the deployed position to the stowed position.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the motorized track is centrally located between the first and second passive tracks.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the motorized track includes a motor to drive the continuous belt.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the first and second passive tracks each include a continuous looped track belt.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Walkingshaw Nathan R
• Wenzel Mark

Classifications

• A61G5/047

  by a modular detachable drive system · CPC title

• A61G5/061

  for climbing stairs · CPC title

• A61G5/066 Primary

  with endless belts · CPC title

• B62D55/04

  with tracks and alternative ground wheels, e.g. changeable from endless track vehicle into wheeled vehicle and vice versa {(for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635)} · CPC title