Patents on the soles of your shoes...: Oh, patents! Benoît Systèmes

France's Concours Lépine Police Commissioner Prize was awarded to Ben oît Systè mes for the MOBILITY Kit, a Power Pack that transforms any chair into a motorized indoor wheelchair. Regardless of whether the chair happens to be an antique Louis XVI “bergère” armchair or a modern Eames molded-plastic chair, the chair will fit securely on top of the MOBILITY kit power platform, allowing the user to drive around the house, using a joystick, comfortably seated on his or her favorite chair.

The MOBILITY Kit is the latest Power Pack addition to the Benoît Systèmes product line, where each product is expertly designed to further facilitate the mobility and comfort of adults and children, who are wheelchair-enabled. The Benoit Systèmes line of products includes:

The Light Drive Power Pack

The Light Drive Power Pack, and Mini Light Drive for children, transform any wheelchair into a motorized wheelchair.

The Light Active Power Pack

The Light Active Power Pack is designed as a motorized performance booster for wheelchairs, particularly for users with good upper body strength and capacity, who otherwise struggle to negotiate slopes and hills. The Active Power Pack is a wheelchair add-on that is easily installed and removed.

The Light Assist Power Pack

The Light Assist Power Pack installs in 20 seconds on almost any wheelchair as a pair of long motorized handles at the back of the wheelchair, facilitating the pushing and navigation tasks, performed by those who attend to adults or children, who are wheelchair-enabled.

The Kitcool

The Kitcool is a cushion with an assembly that attaches to the back of any wheelchair with handles. The Kitcool assists with reclining the wheelchair, and is thus ergonomically designed to provide increased comfort to wheelchair-enabled adults.

The functionality and ergonomy of the Benoît Systèmes company products come as no surprise when you find out that the Founder, CEO and CTO of the company, and Inventor of the products, Robert Benoît, is an engineer who became paraplegic at the age of 21, following a car accident.

Benoit Systèmes products are partially subsidized by France’s national Social Security healthcare plans, and grants are widely available to refund the balance not covered by the State healthcare plans.

The Benoit Systèmes products are patented. The following is a list of some of these patents and patent families:

FR3050638 (A1) - 2017-11-03 - Tray table system for a wheelchair, and wheelchair equipped with such a system
WO2017187094 (A1) - 2017-11-02 - Tray table system for a wheelchair, and wheelchair equipped with such a system
FR2739019A1 - 1997-03-23 - Accessoire pour fauteuil roulant destiné à le maintenir en une position stable de relaxation
WO9710791A1 - 1997-03-27 - Accessoire pour fauteuil roulant destiné à le maintenir en une position stable de relaxation
AU7133996A ― 1997-04-09 - Accessory for supporting a wheelchair in a stable reclined position
US6099021A - 2000-08-08 - Accessory for supporting a wheelchair in a stable reclined position
EP0959860A1 - 1999-12-01 - Accessory for supporting a wheelchair in a stable reclined position
FR2670381 (A1) - 1992-06-19 - Groupe propulseur d'assistance à l'avancement d'un fauteuil manuel pour handicapé
WO9210157A1 - 1992-06-25 - Groupe propulseur d'assistance à l'avancement d'un fauteuil manuel pour handicapé
EP0561986A1 - 1993-09-29 - Auxiliary drive unit for a manual wheelchair
AU9144891A - 1992-07-08 - Auxiliary drive unit for a manual wheelchair
DE69104064T2 - 1995-05-11 - Auxiliary drive unit for a manual wheelchair
ES2065164T3 - 1993-03-29 - Grupo propulsor de ayuda al avance de una silla de ruedas manual para minusvalidos
US5244222A - 1993-09-14 - Collapsible wheelchair
EP0561774 - 1993-09-29 - Fauteuil roulant pliable
US3921744 (A) - 1975-11-25 - Wheelchair with detachable drive means

The YouTube video below shows the 20-second installation and removal of a Power Pack kit for the transformation of a manual wheelchair into a motorized wheelchair, and back again to the manual mode.