TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for attaching items to a wheelchair and, more particularly, to a height-adjustable system for attaching items to the footrest of a wheelchair.

BACKGROUND

Users of wheelchairs often have need of items to assist them in their daily lives. Many of these items come in the form of attachments for the wheelchair that allow them to carry common items, such as umbrellas, mobile phones, plates, cups, etc. Often, these attachments were designed to be attached to the wheelchair in inconvenient locations, such as behind the wheelchair or to the tubes near the front wheels. These locations make it difficult for the user to control or access the item attached to the wheelchair, and these systems were often very intrusive. Thus, new systems for mounting items to a wheelchair are needed. The present disclosure addresses these and other problems.

SUMMARY

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a system for removably mounting accessories to a wheelchair includes an adapter and a lock. The adapter includes a flexible collar and an attachment structure. The flexible collar is configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The flexible collar is configured to at least partially surround a portion of the wheelchair such that the flexible collar engages the portion of the wheelchair and aids in preventing rotation of the adapter relative to the portion of the wheelchair. The attachment structure has a first arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar and a second arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar. The lock includes a body and a mounting platform attached thereto. The body of the lock is configured to engage the attachment structure of the adapter to aid in maintaining the flexible collar in the closed position. The mounting platform has one or more coupling mechanisms attached thereto for use in removably mounting one or more of the accessories to the system.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a method for securing an accessory mounting system to a wheelchair includes providing an adapter including a flexible collar and an attachment structure. The flexible collar has an open position and a closed position. The attachment structure has a first arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar and a second arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar. A lock is provided that includes a body and a mounting platform attached thereto. The first arm of the attachment structure is moved relative to the second arm of the attachment structure thereby causing the flexible collar to be in the open position. With the flexible collar positioned adjacent to a portion of the wheelchair, the first arm of the attachment structure is moved relative to the second arm of the attachment structure such that (i) the first arm is directly adjacent to the second arm and (ii) the flexible collar is in the closed position. With the flexible collar in the closed position, the lock is coupled to the attachment structure such that the body of the lock engages at least a portion of the attachment structure, thereby aiding in maintaining the flexible collar in the closed position.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a canopy system for use with a wheelchair includes an adapter, a lock, and a canopy support. The adapter includes a flexible collar and an attachment structure. The flexible collar is configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The flexible collar is configured to at least partially surround an arm rest of the wheelchair to aid in preventing rotation of the adapter relative to the arm rest. The attachment structure has a first arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar and a second arm attached to and extending from the flexible collar. The adapter is configured to be coupled to a distal portion of the arm rest of the wheelchair, thereby defining a space between the adapter and a rear-seat portion of the wheelchair to provide a user of the wheelchair direct access to a rear wheel of the wheelchair during operation of the wheelchair. The lock includes a body and a gear assembly attached thereto. The body of the lock is configured to engage the attachment structure of the adapter to aid in maintaining the flexible collar in the closed position. The gear assembly has a gear, a gear locking mechanism, and an axel. The gear has a plurality of teeth and an aperture. The plurality of teeth is configured to engage the gear locking mechanism. The aperture of the gear is configured to receive the axel such that the gear is rotatable relative to the axel. The canopy support is attached to and extends from the gear. The canopy support is pivotal with respect to the body of the lock such that a user of the wheelchair can selectively deploy and retract a canopy coupled to the canopy support.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a system for removably mounting accessories to a wheelchair includes a baseplate, a first hollow member, a second hollow member, and a locking mechanism. The baseplate is configured to engage a footrest of the wheelchair. The first hollow member is coupled to the baseplate and extends therefrom. The first hollow member has a first plurality of openings positioned along a first side of the first hollow member and a second plurality of openings positioned along a second opposing side of the first hollow member such that each of the first plurality of openings is aligned with a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings. The locking mechanism includes a flexible connector and a pin. The flexible connector has a first end coupled to the pin and a second end terminating in a flexible loop. The pin is configured to be coupled with corresponding ones of the first and the second pluralities of openings to couple the locking mechanism to the first hollow member. The second hollow member is configured to slide over at least a portion of the first hollow member such that (i) a first end of the second hollow member is configured to engage the pin, thereby establishing a relative location of the second hollow member along the first hollow member and (ii) at least a portion of the flexible connector is positioned between the first hollow member and the second hollow member with the flexible loop being accessible through a second opposing end of the second hollow member.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the systems and methods in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

