Everest & Jennings, Inc.

Allegretti & Company

James J Michel

Charles A Mattson

Ronald G Boyer

Anthony Domagalski

Stephen H Kaminski

Eric P Rose

Anthony Carsello

Bert J Goletski

Bart J Goletski

A modular power drive wheelchair is provided for rapid assembly and/or disassembly of relatively compact modular components. The wheelchair comprises a base module including a base frame and related support wheels, wherein the base frame is adapted for facilitated mounting or dismounting of a seat module. A battery module including at least one storage battery is provided for relatively easy slide fit mounting onto the base frame at a position below the seat module. A controller module is also provided for mounting onto the base module and functions during wheelchair operation to control battery powered operation of one or more drive motors coupled to the wheelchair wheels. The various modules are designed for rapid disassembly to permit easy transporting of the wheelchair, for example, within the trunk of a standard automobile. Moreover, the base and seat modules are designed for relatively easy size adjustment to accommodate changing size requirements, for example, of a growing child.

Modular power drive wheelchair

Power drive wheelchair

An improved caster wheel assembly for a wheelchair or the like includes adjustable bearing components for variably resisting swivel motion of a caster wheel to prevent undesired wheel flutter. The caster wheel assembly includes a wheel fork unit having a rotatable caster wheel, and a housing sleeve adapted for mounting onto the frame of a wheelchair or other castered device. An upstanding swivel post on the wheel fork unit is supported within the housing sleeve by the bearing components for rotation about an upright swivel axis. The bearing components include an outer bushing mounted on the housing sleeve, and having a conical bearing surface for axially engaging a mating bearing surface of a longitudinally split inner bushing. A nut threaded onto the swivel post urges the inner bushing axially against the outer bushing with a selected adjustable axial load to resist rotation of the swivel post, and thereby resist undesired rotational flutter of the swivel post and the associated caster wheel.

Adjustable caster wheel assembly

Seat module

Modular wheelchair base

A fertilizer spreader includes an attachment assembly for use with a portable hand-held air blower for entraining granular fertilizer or the like into the discharge air stream of the blower, whereby the fertilizer is broadcast by the air stream over a lawn or garden area. The attachment assembly comprises an adapter nozzle connected in-line with the discharge air stream of the blower and including a pressure port through which a portion of the discharge air stream is directed for passage through a pressure tube to a diffuser mounted within a portable vented fertilizer-receiving container near the bottom thereof. The diffuser turns the air stream upwardly within the container and divides the stream into a plurality of turbulent air flows for agitating and suspending particles in a localized region above the diffuser, with a substantial portion of the air stream escaping from the container through a vent at a position remote from the localized region. The fertilizer particles suspended within the localized region are drawn into a downwardly open suction tube which is connected back to the adapter nozzle at a Venturi throat therein to provide a vacuum source for drawing the fertilizer particles into the blower discharge air stream for entrainment therewith. A bleed hole in the suction tube is partially closed by an adjustment collar to select the magnitude of the vacuum acting upon the suspended fertilizer particles for controlling the flow rate of particles into the blower discharge air stream.

Fertilizer spreader

An edger is provided with a rotatable cutting blade for trimming grass, weeds, and the like, wherein the angular orientation of the cutting blade is quickly and easily adjusted to a selected one of several cutting positions. The cutting blade is driven by a motor mounted within a motor housing which is in turn supported for rotation about a longitudinal axis between a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly. A locking mechanism carried by the motor housing has a pair of spring-biased lugs normally received into locking recesses in the front and rear wheel assemblies to lock the motor housing at a selected rotational position and thereby lock the cutting blade at a selected angular orientation. The locking mechanism is manually retractable to withdraw the lugs simultaneously from their respective locking recesses to permit rotation of the motor housing simultaneously with respect to the front and rear wheel assemblies to alter the angular orientation of the cutting blade. In addition, the front wheel assembly includes at least one front wheel carried at the distal end of a pivot arm supported for pivoting movement about a transverse axis to adjust the vertical position of the wheel and thereby adjust the elevation of the cutting blade. A spring-loaded locking disk normally engages one side of the pivot arm to prevent wheel elevation adjustment and is retractable manually to permit wheel elevation adjustment.

Edger

A fertilizer spreader includes an attachment assembly for use with a portable hand-held air blower for entraining granular fertilizer or the like into the discharge air stream of the blower, whereby the fertilizer is broadcast by the air stream over a lawn or garden area. The attachment assembly comprises an adapter nozzle connected in-line with the discharge air stream of the blower and including a pressure port through which a portion of the discharge air stream is directed for passage through a pressure tube to a diffuser mounted within a portable fertilizer-receiving container near the bottom thereof. The diffuser turns the air stream upwardly within the container and divides the stream into a plurality of turbulent air flows for agitating and suspending particles in a localized region above the diffuser. These suspended fertilizer particles are drawn into a downwardly open suction tube which is connected back to the adapter nozzle at a Venturi throat therein to provide a vacuum source for drawing the fertilizer particles into the blower discharge air stream for entrainment therewith. A bleed hole in the suction tube is partially closed by an adjustment collar to select the magnitude of the vacuum acting upon the suspended fertilizer particles for controlling the flow rate of particles into the blower discharge air stream.

A snow thrower comprising a shock resistant drive system for rotating a cylindrical drum having a plurality of outwardly radiating paddles for scraping snow from pavement or the like. The snow is thrown by the paddles into communication with a directional vane assembly adjustable for deflecting the snow to either side.

Growing community of inventors

Agoura, CA, United States of America

James J Michel