Footrest apparatus for a wheel chair and method of adjusting the same

Abstract

Footrest apparatus for use on a wheel chair comprises: a footrest shaft comprising two tubular members coaxially aligned to accommodate a sliding of one of the two tubular members within the other for length adjustment of the shaft. One end of the footrest shaft is attachable to a structure of the wheel chair and a footrest plate is attachable to the footrest shaft at the other end. A plurality of inline, spaced apart, diametrically opposed pairs of apertures are provided along the sides of the other tubular shaft member. The one tubular shaft member includes a pair of diametrically opposed spring loaded pins which retract into and protrude through apertures at the outer surface thereof, the pins being aligned with the diametrically opposed aperture pairs of the other shaft member. Accordingly, when the one tubular shaft member slides within the other tubular shaft member for length adjustment of the shaft, the pins retract during sliding and spring out and lock into a selected pair of apertures of the other member at a desired shaft length. The footrest apparatus may include a cam clamp attachable to the periphery of the other shaft member. The cam clamp includes a lever operative in a first position to secure the other shaft member to the one shaft member at the desired shaft length and operative in a second position to release the other shaft member from the one shaft member for shaft adjustment. A method of adjusting the footrest apparatus of the wheel chair is further disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . Footrest apparatus for use on a wheel chair, said apparatus comprising: 
 a footrest shaft comprising two tubular members coaxially aligned to accommodate a sliding of one of said two tubular members within the other for length adjustment of said shaft, said footrest shaft being attachable to a structure of the wheel chair at one end;    a footrest plate attachable to the footrest shaft at the other end;    the other of said two tubular shaft members having a plurality of inline, spaced apart, diametrically opposed pairs of apertures along the sides thereof; and    the one of said two tubular shaft members having a pair of diametrically opposed spring loaded pins which retract into and protrude through apertures at the outer surface thereof, said pins being aligned with the diametrically opposed aperture pairs of the other shaft member, whereby when the one tubular shaft member slides within the other tubular shaft member for length adjustment of the shaft, the pins retract during sliding and spring out and lock into a selected pair of apertures of the other member at a desired shaft length.    
     
     
         2 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  including a cam clamp attachable to the periphery of the other shaft member, said cam clamp including a lever operative in a first position to secure the other shaft member to the one shaft member at the desired shaft length and operative in a second position to release the other shaft member from the one shaft member for shaft adjustment.  
     
     
         3 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the cam clamp is attachable at an end of the other shaft member into which the one shaft member slides.  
     
     
         4 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the one end of the footrest shaft being attachable to the wheel chair structure through a latching/unlatching mechanism comprising a first mechanical assembly attached to the one end of the footrest shaft for attaching the shaft to the wheel chair, said first assembly including a latching tab for engaging and disengaging said first mechanical assembly with said wheel chair structure.  
     
     
         5 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the other shaft member is attachable at one end to the structure of the wheel chair, said one end of the other shaft member including a hinge plate in the shape of a partial horseshoe which is rotatably attachable to another hinge plate on the structure of the wheelchair to permit the footrest apparatus to be rotated between use and out-of-the-way positions.  
     
     
         6 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the other shaft member has a knee bend at about two thirds of its length from the other end and includes a support brace member attached thereto just below the knee bend and extending from the other shaft member in the same direction as and substantially parallel to the bent upper third of the other shaft member, said support brace member being about the same length as the upper one third of the other shaft member and including a hinge plate end shaped similar to the hinge plate of the other shaft member and engageable with a corresponding hinge plate on the structure of the wheelchair for footrest apparatus rotation, said plate end of the support brace member having a portion of one leg of its partial horseshoe bent downward, and the downward portion including a tab with a notch for functioning as a latching tab when engaged with the corresponding hinge plate on the structure of the wheelchair.  
     
     
         7 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the one shaft member includes a tubular shaft attached to the bottom thereof and which protrudes out from the one member at approximately a ninety degree angle, the footrest plate being rotatably attachable to the tubular shaft so as to be rotated between horizontal and vertical positions.  
     
     
         8 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the one and other tubular shaft members are circular in cross section.  
     
     
         9 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pair of spring loaded pins comprises a V-shaped spring member having a pin located at each tip of the V-shaped member, said V-shaped spring member being disposable into the one tubular shaft member until the pins thereof protrude through the pair of apertures of the one tubular shaft member.  
     
     
         10 . The footrest apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the one tubular shaft member includes more than one pair of apertures; and wherein the V-shaped spring member being disposable into the one tubular shaft member until the pins thereof protiude through a selected pair of the more than one pair of apertures.  
     
     
         11 . Method of adjusting footrest apparatus of a wheel chair, said method comprising the steps of: 
 attaching one end of a footrest shaft of the footrest apparatus to a structure of the wheel chair;    attaching a footrest plate to the footrest shaft at the other end;    providing a plurality of inline, spaced apart, diametrically opposed pairs of apertures along the sides of one of two telescoping tubular shaft members of the footrest shaft;    providing a pair of diametrically opposed spring loaded pins to retract into and protrude through apertures at the outer surface of the other of the two tubular shaft members; and    adjusting the length of the footrest shaft by sliding the other shaft member into the one shaft member with the pair of pins retracted into the apertures of the other shaft member until the pair of pins spring out and lock into a selected pair of apertures of the one shaft member at a desired shaft length.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  including the steps of: attaching a cam clamp to the periphery of the one shaft member; securing the one shaft member to the other shaft member at the desired shaft length by moving a lever of the cam clamp to a first position; and releasing the one shaft member from the other shaft member for shaft adjustment by moving the lever of the cam clamp to a second position.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  including attaching the cam clamp at an end of the one shaft member into which the other shaft member slides.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  including the step of attaching a first mechanical assembly at the one end of the footrest shaft to the wheel chair structure through a latching/unlatching mechanism by engaging and disengaging a latching tab of the first mechanical assembly with said mechanism.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  including the step of rotating the footrest apparatus between use and out-of-the-way positions by engaging and disengaging the locking tab of the first mechanical assembly with the latching/unlatching mechanism.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  including the step of rotating the footrest plate between horizontal and vertical positions for use and out-of-the-way positions of the footrest apparatus, respectively.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  including the step of disposing a V-shaped spring member having a pin located at each tip of the V-shaped member into the other tubular shaft member until the pins thereof protrude through the pair of apertures of the other tubular shaft member.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein more than one pair of apertures is provided in the other shaft member; and wherein the V-shaped spring member is disposed into the other tubular shaft member until the pins thereof protrude through a selected pair of the more than one pair of apertures.