The present invention relates to hoists for lifting motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters into a vehicle load space, and to a hoist mounting frame for installation in the vehicle. In particular, the invention relates to a hoist mounting frame which can be installed in the load space of a passenger vehicle with minimal permanent modification to the vehicle.

There are known hoist systems for wheelchair or mobility scooter users. The hoists typically rely on a powered or manually operated lifting arm that is mounted on a pivot post or similar installed within a vehicle load space.

Motor driven wheelchairs and scooters are far too heavy to be lifted or handled manually, but still frequently need to be loaded into, or unloaded from, the load space of a vehicle in which they are transported. Manually operated wheelchairs are lighter, but may nonetheless be difficult to lift into, or from, a motor vehicle. This is particularly the case where a passenger vehicle such as an estate car/station wagon, people carrier/minivan or Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), may have a large lip or ledge on the entry to the load space. A hoist system provides the necessary mechanical and/or powered assistance to overcome these problems.

One example of a hoist design includes an upstanding pivot post, which is secured within and to one side of the load carrying space of a vehicle, and a lifting arm or boom pivotally connected at a lower end of the pivot post. A linear actuator, for example an electrical or hydraulic actuator, is connected between the pivot post and a point along the length of the lifting arm so that altering the length of the actuator raises and lowers the lifting arm. Adjustment means are provided for adjusting the length and reach of the lifting arm/boom, and a spreader bar is attached to the end of the arm/boom to space lifting straps or similar for attachment to a wheelchair, mobility scooter or similar. One significant drawback with these known systems is the requirement to permanently modify a vehicle during their installation.

Hoists need to be rated to lift up to 200kg, so a reliable secure mounting to the vehicle is crucial. Some hoists have removable lifting arms, but the pivot post and/or hoist mounting must still be securely fixed into a vehicle, often along with at least a large part of a power system.

The necessary modifications required for conventional installation typically involve drilling holes into the vehicle floor or/and body panels to correctly anchor the hoist and thus distribute hoist loads into strong structural areas of the vehicle such as the chassis. In many cases, the entire hoist mounting or anchor kit has to be made bespoke for a given car model. A skilled mobile fitter will then visit a customer with the bespoke anchoring kit, but will still have to remove car trim, drill holes and fit the anchoring kit.

Alternatively, a more ‘universal’ anchoring kit can be used. However, this still typically requires making up bespoke attachments at the time of installation, which usually requires installation to be performed at a specialist workshop as opposed to the customers home (to enable cutting, bending and welding pieces of steel), and depends on a highly skilled installer.

The cost, time, and inconvenience of either modification process thus place additional burdens on the vehicle owner.

The modification can be expensive, and in many cases a user cannot justify the cost of modifying more than one vehicle. This means that a family can be limited to a single vehicle if assisted access is required by one family member.

The known mounting methods also mean that the entire modification process must typically be undertaken again when a car is replaced, effectively adding cost to the purchase even where an existing system from a previous vehicle can be transferred. When a hoist system is removed from a vehicle there is also a risk that evidence of the modification will remain, requiring costly remedial action to ‘make good’ and/or possibly reducing the re-sale value of the vehicle. This restricts the freedom of a user to change their vehicle at regular intervals, for example under a lease where the customer must also typically contact the leasing agent for authority to make the necessary permanent modifications.

Finally, the fixed/permanent installation effectively excludes the use of hire cars and complicates car sharing with friends or family, depriving people of the convenience and flexibility that this brings.

The present invention aims to mitigate or address some or all of these identified problems.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided hoist mounting system as defined in the appended claim 1 . Further optional features are recited in the associated dependent claims.

The hoist mounting system comprises a frame having one or more adjustable length frame members, and one or more mounting bracket assemblies for attachment to one or more standard features of the vehicle, wherein the one or more mounting bracket assemblies are releasably secured in position on the frame.

Mounting bracket assemblies may be releasably attached to a frame or frame member and/or may be slidable along a frame member and securable in a desired position, for example using a grub screw or similar, and/or may be releasably attached to a frame member.

One benefit of the invention is that it only requires fastening to existing features of a vehicle. The existing features may be existing mounting features, for example car seat anchor points, or other suitably secure standard vehicle features such as seat frames. In any case, the use of standard features avoids the need to make modifications to the body of a vehicle for the installation. In other words, the only required fastening or fixing point(s) for attaching the frame to the vehicle are provided by the abovementioned one or more mounting bracket assemblies and standard features of the vehicle.

The adjustable nature of the frame allows a large stable base to be provided for all vehicles. The one or more mounting bracket assemblies for joining the frame to the car seat anchor bolt or other standard part of the vehicle are the only components that may need to be bespoke. The design can otherwise be universal for all vehicles.

The system is designed for simple, universal and/or temporary installation in a vehicle. The mounting frame comprises one or more brackets or similar for engagement with one or more standard part of the vehicle to releasably attach the mounting frame to the vehicle during use.

The invention provides the potential for temporary installation of a hoist in a vehicle, because installation only requires access to existing/standard features within a vehicle, for example the seat anchoring bolts or seat frames, and requires no modification of the vehicle to provide additional attachment points.

The one or more adjustable frame members of the frame may comprise telescoping members, for example comprising hollow steel or aluminium sections of larger and smaller cross section.

The frame may comprise four adjustable length frame members and may be rectangular in shape. In the context of the application, rectangular is not to be interpreted as requiring a strictly rectangular frame, but rather to define the general shape and footprint of the frame as having four right angled joints between frame members. For example, ‘rectangular’ in this context should be interpreted to encompass a frame where two of the frame members are positioned inwardly of the ends of two other frame members. The frame members may comprise a pair of longitudinal frame members each secured to a pair of lateral frame members by frame brackets, wherein the frame brackets are secured to the longitudinal frame members at a fixed position and are securable to the lateral frame members at a variety of positions. For example, the frame brackets may be designed to slide along at least a portion of a lateral frame member and be secured thereto by a clamping force and/or a slot or series of spaced holes provided in the lateral frame member.

The hoist mounting system may further comprise adjustable feet, for example comprising a threaded adjustment, to support the frame on the floor of the load space.

The hoist mounting system may further comprise a mounting plate for attaching a lifting arm assembly to the frame. The mounting plate may be secured to the frame at a corner of the frame defined between two intersecting frame members and may comprise first and second plates attached to the top and bottom of said intersecting frame members. Providing plates on both the top and bottom of the frame simplifies changing the location of the lifting arm assembly from one side of a boot opening to the other, because the frame (or intersecting frame members) can simply be flipped over.

The hoist mounting system may further comprise a pivot for a lifting arm assembly attached to the mounting plate.

The one or more mounting bracket assemblies for the hoist mounting system may comprise an open section for receiving a frame member of the frame. For example, if one or more mounting brackets have a generally U-shaped open section sized to receive a frame member from above, then the one or more mounting brackets can be left securely attached to a vehicle and the frame of the hoist mounting system can be removed and re-installed as required. This may be considered a ‘quick release’ fitting, which is useful for temporary/occasional installation in a vehicle. If desired, different mounting bracket assemblies, for example different generally rigid mounting brackets, can be left in different vehicles (including from different model lines or manufacturers) to allow a single adjustable frame to be exchanged easily between vehicles.

The one or more mounting brackets may be releasably attached to the frame using butterfly nuts, wing nuts or similar fixings not requiring the use of tools, such as a knurled knob, to simply removal and reattachment of the frame to the one or more mounting brackets.

The one or more mounting bracket assemblies may comprise an articulated linkage and/or a hook for engaging with a standard vehicle feature. The articulated linkage allows adjustment of the position or angle of the hook, or an alternative fixing or bracket, relative to the mounting frame.

Alternatively, the one or more bracket assemblies may comprise a generally rigid or fixed bracket with means for attaching or securing to a frame member.

A variety of different designs of mounting bracket can be provided so that a single design of mounting frame could be provided with different mounting brackets to suit particular vehicle designs and/or mounting requirements.

The present invention also provides a hoist for lifting motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters in the load space of a vehicle, the hoist comprising a lifting arm assembly attached mounted to a hoist mounting system as previously described. The lifting arm assembly may comprise a pivot post and a hydraulically operated lifting arm attached to the pivot post.

The present invention also provides a method of installing a hoist for lifting motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters in the load space of a vehicle as defined in the appended claim 19. Further optional features are disclosed in the associated dependent claims.

The method briefly comprises the steps of: A. adjusting the size of an adjustable mounting frame to fit the dimensions of the load space;

B. securing the adjustable frame to one or more standard features of the vehicle using one or more mounting bracket assemblies secured to the adjustable mounting frame; and

C. securing a lifting arm assembly to the adjustable mounting frame.

Step A of the method may comprise adjusting the length of one or more individual frame members, for example telescopic frame members, making up the adjustable frame. Alternatively, or additionally, step A may comprise adjusting the size of the adjustable frame in two dimensions.

Step B of the method may comprise selecting one or more mounting bracket assemblies, or parts thereof, to fit the one or more standard features of the vehicle and securing said one or more mounting bracket assemblies to the adjustable frame.

The method may additionally comprise the further step of:

D. adjusting supports provided on the adjustable frame based on the topography of a floor of the vehicle load space.

The method may further comprise an initial step of removing a boot floor of the vehicle to expose the sub floor for use as the floor of the vehicle load space. The boot floor can be returned to the boot after fitting the frame to cover the frame and provide a flat unobstructed load space above the frame.

The method may be used to install a hoist mounting system and/or a hoist as previously described.

Practicable embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an example hoist mounting system according to the present invention, with a lifting arm assembly attached;

Figure 2 shows a schematic plan view of a vehicle with the hoist mounting system of Figure 1 installed;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the detail marked ‘A’ in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the detail marked ‘A’ in Figure 1 ; and

Figure 5 shows a partial side view of the hoist mounting system of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a part perspective view of an alternative hoist mounting system;

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of mounting bracket assembly from the system of Figure 6; and

Figure 7A shows a part perspective view of the mounting bracket assembly from Figure 7 in a different configuration.

An example hoist mounting system 1 is shown in Figure 1 . A lifting arm assembly or hoist 2, comprising a pivot post 4 and a pivotally mounted lifting arm or boom 6, is attached to a frame 8 of the hoist mounting system 1 via a mounting plate 10.

The lifting arm assembly 2 shown in Figure 1 is essentially as described in the applicant’s UK patent GB2558756, and will not be described in detail here. Briefly, the pivot post 4 supports the lifting arm 6 and allows it to swing or pivot into and out of the loading space of a vehicle. The lifting arm 6 can also be raised and lowered by an actuator 7, and is attachable to a mobility scooter or similar. The lifting and pivoting provided by the lifting arm assembly 2 allows the mobility scooter or similar to be lifted and moved into or out of the vehicle load space. This is crucial for many users, as the weight of a mobility scooter can be as much as 100-200kg. In order to reliably lift these weights, it is clearly important that the installation of the hoist within a specific vehicle is secure and robust, hence the typical requirement for bespoke/permanent fixing as previously discussed.

The frame 8 of the Figure 1 is generally rectangular in shape and is formed from four frame members 12,14,16,18. The length of each frame member 12,14,16,18 is made adjustable by the provision of a telescoping arrangement, as will be described later. The dimensions of the frame 8 are therefore adjustable so that the frame 8 can fit snugly around the perimeter of the load space of a passenger vehicle. Mounting bracket assemblies 20,22 are attached at either end of one frame member 12 for attachment to existing mounting points within the vehicle. In this embodiment, the bracket assemblies comprise rigid shaped brackets 20,22 with openings provided to receive a bolt or similar fastener already present at said mounting point and fixings for attachment to the frame 8.

Also visible in Figure 1 is one of four adjustable feet 24, provided towards the corners of the frame 8, for supporting the frame 8 on the floor of the vehicle load space. As illustrated, the floor is a sub floor of a vehicle boot/trunk, but the frame 8 could alternatively be supported directly on a boot/trunk floor or any other floor/base of a vehicle load space 28.

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing installation of the hoist mounting system 1 in a passenger vehicle 26. The frame 8 can be seen extended to fit closely within the load space 28 of the vehicle 26, with the pivot post 4 positioned at one side of the opening to the load space 28. As shown, the pivot post 4 is located at the left of the opening, but it should be understood that the mounting plate 10 could alternatively be secured to a different corner of the frame 8 from that shown in Figure 1 to position the pivot point 4 at the right side of the same opening. The mounting brackets 20,22 are attached to pre-existing seat anchor fixing bolts 30,32 on either side of the vehicle 26. The adjustable feet 24 are also shown supporting the frame 8 on the floor of the load space 28. The hoist mounting system 1 is thereby stably and securely installed in the load space 28 of the vehicle 26 so that the lifting arm 6 can reliably lift and support a mobility scooter 33 for movement into and out of the load space 28.

The frame 8 is illustrated as a simple rectangle in Figure 2. Returning to Figure 1 , however, it can be seen that the longitudinal frame members 14,18 that, in use, run along the sides of the load space 28 are positioned inside the ends of the of the lateral frame members 12,16. This can be beneficial in avoiding wheel arches and/or other parts of the vehicle body that might otherwise obstruct the frame members 12,16, while still ensuring the largest possible footprint for the frame 8 to maximise stability.

Figure 3 shows the detail of the area marked A at the bottom right of Figure 1 . A mounting bracket 20 is bolted to the end of a lateral frame member 12. An aperture, specifically a slot 34, is provided in the mounting bracket 20 to allow the mounting bracket 20 to be fixed to a seat anchor fixing bolt 30. The mounting bracket 20 is also shaped to position the slot as required to engage with the seat anchor fixing bolt 30. It will be appreciated that the position of a seat anchor fixing bolt 30 will differ for different vehicles. The length of the slot 34 allows for a degree of variation, but it will often be necessary to use differently shaped bespoke mounting brackets 20 for different vehicle makes and models.

The plan view of figure 4 shows a knurled knob 36 attached to a bolt 38 securing the mounting bracket 20 to the frame member 12. This arrangement simplifies the process of exchanging and securing mounting brackets 20 to the frame member 12, so that an appropriate mounting bracket 20 for a particular vehicle can be selected and used.

The mounting bracket 20 is open at an upper side, meaning that the frame member 12 can be simply lifted out of the mounting bracket 20 when the bolt 38 is removed. The opposite mounting bracket 22 shown in Figure 1 has a similar design. This allows suitable mounting brackets 20,22 to fixed to, for example, a pair of seat anchoring bolts during initial installation, and for the remainder of the hoist frame 8 to then be easily removed from and reintroduced to the vehicle as required. The mounting brackets 20,22 are considered unobtrusive enough to remain fixed to the vehicle, and provide a secure anchor for the frame 8 because their fixing to the vehicle need not be touched after the initial installation.

Should a user have access to more than one vehicle, the appropriate mounting brackets 20,22 for each can be acquired and secured to that vehicle. A single adjustable frame 8 can then be exchanged easily between vehicles, even if the vehicles are from different model lines or manufacturers. The only additional changes that may be required are to adjust the length of the various frame members 12,14,16,18.

When the time comes to sell a vehicle, the installed brackets 20.22 can simply be removed, leaving the vehicle in its initial state with no remedial work required.

In most cases the frame 8 will be mounted on a sub floor of a vehicle, below the boot floor, exposing only the lifting arm assembly 2 above floor level. The hoist assembly 2 can still be easily removed as the pivot post 4 simply sits and rotates in a cylindrical housing 48 attached to the mounting plate 10 (see Figure 1 ) with only gravity holding it in position. This arrangement leaves the boot floor completely available and unobstructed as if there were no hoist fitted. However, for temporary installation, it may be preferable to simply mount the fame 8 directly on the boot floor so as to simplify installation and subsequent removal.

Both Figure 3 and Figure 4 also show a frame bracket 40 joining the lateral frame member 12 to a longitudinal frame member 18 at a corner of the frame 8. The frame bracket 40 is secured to the longitudinal frame member 18 and surrounds the longitudinal frame member 12 where it is clamped/held in position by a mating screw 42. The longitudinal frame member 12 can slide through the mounting bracket 40 to provide a desired overhang beyond the longitudinal frame member 18 and then clamped using the mating screw 42. One or more locating holes 44 or a slot 46 may be provided in the longitudinal frame member 12 to receive the screw 42 and permit secure clamping in a variety of positions. The adjustment allows the configuration of the frame 8 to be varied as required to avoid wheel arches and/or other parts of the vehicle body, as discussed above.

Figure 5 shows a side view of the frame 8, illustrating the telescopic adjustment of the lateral frame member 12 already discussed above. Briefly, the frame member 12 comprises two end portions 52 and a central portion 62 of square tubular section steel. The central portion 62 has a smaller cross-section than the end sections 52 so that it can be received within the end sections 62 and slides within them to adjust the spacing of the end sections 52 and thus the overall length of the frame member 12.

The adjustable feet 24 provided to support the frame member 12 can also be seen in the side view of Figure 5, along with a larger adjustable foot 54 located underneath the pivot post 4 and/or mounting plate 10 to bear the additional loads that will be experienced at that corner of the frame 8. Adjustment of the adjustable feet 24 is provided by an externally threaded shaft 56 attached to the foot 24 and one or more internally threaded nuts or similar 58 secured to the frame 8. Each foot 24,54 is separately adjustable to accommodate different topographies of the underlying surface in the vehicle load space, for example strengthening ridges that would otherwise prevent the frame from sitting flat in the load space 28.

The adjustment of the other frame members 14,16,18 in the illustrated example is also essentially as described above. The universal nature of the frame members 12,14,16,18 and their adjustment helps to simply modifications to the frame 8, for example changing the location of the pivot post 4 to suit a particular vehicle. Referring back to Figure 1 , it can be seen that the mounting plate 10 is provided above and below the frame 8 at that corner. The entire corner of the frame 8 comprising the ends of the frame members 16,18 and the mounting plate 10 can therefore be flipped so that the pivot post 4 can easily be secured at either side of the frame 8, and thus at either side of the opening to a vehicle load space 28.

Although the hoist mounting system described above provides versatile and flexible mounting, there may be instances when no accessible mounting points are accessible within a vehicle. For example, in some passenger cars a seat belt restraint may already occupy the seat anchor points (the preferred fixing locations). To account for these instances, an alternative design of mounting bracket assembly 120 is illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 7A.

Figure 6 shows a frame member 12, as previously shown in and described with reference to Figure 1 , with alternative mounting bracket assemblies 120,122 attached. Each mounting bracket assembly 120,122 is secured to the frame using a square sleeve bracket 140 that surrounds the frame member 12. The square sleeve bracket 140 can slide along the frame member 12 and be securely fastened in a desired position using a knurled knob 36 to tighten a grub screw against the frame member 12. The friction provided is sufficient to maintain a desired position of the mounting bracket assembly 120, and because the frame member 12 is completely surrounded by the sleeve bracket 140, the fixing of the frame 8 is secure. Significant flexibility in lateral positioning of the mounting bracket assembly 120,122 is provided.

The mounting bracket assembly 120 is shown in greater detail in Figure 7. An articulated arm comprising long and short arm members 164,166 is attached to the square sleeve bracket 140. A hook 168 is provided at the opposite end of the articulated arm. The connections between the arm members 164,166 and the hook 168 are provided by bolts 170, to provide three points of articulation or joints 172,174,176 along the arm. Locking washers are provided at each of the joints 172,174,176 so that a desired configuration of the arm can be set by tightening the bolts 170, and to help prevent the joints from loosening under load or due to vibrations during use. The locking washers may be attached to the arm members 164,166 and/or the hook 168, using screws or similar, to avoid them slipping or turning and thus ensure that a set configuration is as robust as possible.

The hook 168 is designed to hook underneath the frame of a rear car seat assembly and provide a secure attachment without the need for bolting or otherwise fastening to mounting points within a vehicle. The articulated arm allows for variation in the reach/positioning of the hook 168 relative to the square sleeve bracket 140 and thus the hoist mounting frame. However, arm members 164,166 of alternative lengths may be substituted, and/or additional members could be provided if required to lengthen or shorten the overall reach of the mounting bracket assembly 120.

The articulation also allows adjustment of the angle of the hook 168 to suit a particular seat frame or simply to simplify the engagement. A range of different hooks 168 may also be provided to suit different vehicles/seat assemblies.

Figure 7A shows a further alternative configuration of the mounting bracket assembly, designated 120’, where the hook 168 of Figure 7 has been replaced by a bolted bracket plate 178 with an elongated slot 134 similar to that described in Figure 3. In this configuration the assembly 120’ can attach to the same mounting point(s) and/or location(s) as the earlier embodiments, for example where no seat belt restraint is obstructing the seat anchor point(s). The increased flexibility in lateral position accommodates a larger range of mounting points without the need for different bracket plate designs.

The alternative assembly design 120,120’ therefore provides even greater flexibility in fixing locations for the hoist mounting, offering an increased choice of mounting positions and a substantial amount of free adjustment in each of the XYZ planes. This is advantageous for professional installers, and potentially facilitates the fitting and interchange of the hoist mounting by more end users.

It should be understood that the embodiments described above are only examples of how the claimed hoist mounting system could be provided. For example, frame members of more complex profiled extrusions shaped with consideration of strength, fit, aesthetics etc; and/or possibly formed of alternative materials such as aluminium, could be used while retaining the general tubular telescopic adjustment feature. It will also be understood that other mechanical solutions for providing adjustable length frame members exist. Various other modifications would also be apparent to a skilled reader. As such, it is emphasised that the forgoing description is provided by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection as defined with reference to the appended claims.