IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0152783
(2008-05-16)
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등록번호 |
US-7677259
(2010-04-21)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Arbuckle, Jetta E.
- Arbuckle, David M.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
2 인용 특허 :
11 |
초록
▼
An apparatus that combines the functionality of a walker with that of a single crutch is herein disclosed. The apparatus provides for one crutch that comes up from the side support of the walker and thus the side of the user's body and is adjustable in height, as is the walker support handles, such
An apparatus that combines the functionality of a walker with that of a single crutch is herein disclosed. The apparatus provides for one crutch that comes up from the side support of the walker and thus the side of the user's body and is adjustable in height, as is the walker support handles, such that the invention can be customized for any sized user. The adjustment is facilitated by use of spring pin slip fittings, and thus can be adjusted in a matter of minutes without tools. The crutch support can be easily moved from the right to left hand side of the walker by use of a removable clamp system. It is also envisioned that certain models of the invention can provide crutches on both the right and left hand side of the walker simultaneously, based upon the needs of the patient. When not in use or not needed, the invention folds up in a manner similar to a conventional walker thus providing a low profile for ease of storage.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for providing a combined function of a walker and a crutch, said apparatus comprising: a walker section, said walker section comprising a pair of hand grip sections and pairs of front and rear legs connected thereto respectively, each said hand grip section inclu
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for providing a combined function of a walker and a crutch, said apparatus comprising: a walker section, said walker section comprising a pair of hand grip sections and pairs of front and rear legs connected thereto respectively, each said hand grip section including a hand grip portion disposed thereon, said walker section further including a plurality of side cross sectional supports intermediately positioned between said front and rear legs respectively and at least one front interconnecting member coupled directly to said front legs, at least one folding storage hinge connected thereto, a pair of glide wheels each connected to a bottom of one of said pair of front legs, and a pair of height-adjustable feet each connected to a bottom of one of said pair of rear legs; and, a crutch section, said crutch section comprising a padded support, a fore support brace and an aft support brace, wherein said padded support is coupled to a top end of said fore support brace and said aft support brace respectively, said fore support brace and said aft support brace are configured to selectively extend through a plurality of holes formed on said hand grip section within said legs, said hand grip portion disposed between said fore support brace and said aft support brace, and said fore and aft support braces are adjustably coupled to a fore support sleeve and an aft support sleeve supported on said cross sectional support respectively for adjusting a height of said padded support of said crutch section with respect to said walker section. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of holes comprise a pair of holes located fore each of said pair of hand grip sections and a pair of holes located aft of each of said pair of hand grip sections. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fore support brace and said aft support brace are further configured to slidably and linearly enter inside of said fore support sleeve and said aft support sleeve associated therewith, said fore support brace and said aft support brace extending above and below said hand grip sections respectively, said side cross sectional supports being physically supported beneath said fore and aft support sleeves respectively. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said fore support brace and said aft support brace are circular in cross sectional area, said fore support sleeve and said aft support sleeve further being circular in cross sectional area such that said fore and aft support braces are telescopically engaged with said fore and aft support sleeves respectively. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an outer diameter of said fore support brace and said aft support brace is smaller than an inside diameter of said fore support sleeve and said aft support sleeve respectively. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fore support brace and said aft support brace are provided at an angled relationship to vertical and travel inwardly along a top region of said walker section. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises: a plurality of removable rubber plugs, said plurality of removable rubber plugs are configured to be held in said holes by a friction fit and said friction fit is configured to provide a near flush surface along said hand grip sections respectively. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is formed from a group of material comprising: aluminum, reinforced plastic and any combination thereof. 9. An apparatus for providing a combined function of a walker and a crutch, said apparatus comprising: a walker section, said walker section comprising a pair of hand grip sections and pairs of front and rear legs connected thereto respectively, each said hand grip section including a hand grip portion disposed thereon, said walker section further including a plurality of side cross sectional supports intermediately positioned between said front and rear legs respectively and at least one front interconnecting member coupled directly to said front legs, at least one folding storage hinge connected thereto, a pair of glide wheels each connected to a bottom of one of said pair of front legs, and a pair of height-adjustable feet each connected to a bottom of one of said pair of rear legs; a crutch section, said crutch section comprising a padded support, a fore support brace and an aft support brace, wherein said padded support is coupled to a top end of said fore support brace and said aft support brace respectively, said fore support brace and said aft support brace are configured to selectively extend through a plurality of holes formed on said hand grip section within said legs, said hand grip portion disposed between said fore support brace and said aft support brace, and said fore and aft support braces are supported by said cross sectional support; and, a height adjusting mechanism operably coupled to said walker and crutch sections in such a manner that a height of said crutch section is selectively adjusted up and down with respect to said walker section. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said plurality of holes comprise a pair of holes located fore each of said pair of hand grip sections and a pair of holes located aft of each of said pair of hand grip sections. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said fore support brace and said aft support brace are further configured to slidably and linearly enter inside of a fore support sleeve and an aft support sleeve associated therewith, said fore support brace and said aft support brace extending above and below said hand grip sections respectively, said side cross sectional supports being physically supported beneath said fore and aft support sleeves respectively. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said fore support brace and said aft support brace are circular in cross sectional area, said fore support sleeve and said aft support sleeve further being circular in cross sectional area such that said fore and aft support braces are telescopically engaged with said fore and aft support sleeves respectively. 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said height adjustment mechanism comprises: a spring pin arrangement including an inner circular member, said inner circular member being defined by one of said fore support brace and said plurality of holes; a mounting pin coupled to an interior surface of said inner circular member; a spring mounted on an exterior surface of said mounting pin; and, a cap assembly directly affixed about a distal end of said mounting pin. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said inner circular member is located inside of said fore support sleeve or said aft support sleeve, said spring is configured to act against said inner circular member and said cap assembly is configured to resiliently sit within said inner circular member by using a flange. 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said height adjustment mechanism further comprises: one a plurality of friction collars, a plurality of stop pins, a plurality of set screws and the like. 16. A method for using an apparatus that provides a functionality of a crutch walker, said method comprising the steps of: a. providing a walker section by providing and connecting a plurality of hand grip sections each having a hand grip portion mounted thereon and a plurality of front and rear legs connected thereto respectively; b. providing and intermediately positioning a plurality of side cross sectional supports between said front and rear legs respectively; c. providing and coupling at least one front interconnecting member directly to said front legs; d. providing a crutch section by providing a padded support, a fore support brace and an aft support brace; e. coupling said padded support to said fore support brace and said aft support brace respectively; f. extending said fore support brace and said aft support brace through a plurality of associated holes formed one said hand grip sections within said legs respectively, said hand grip portion disposed between said fore and aft support braces, and coupling the fore support brace and said aft support brace to a fore support sleeve and an aft support sleeve supported on said side cross sectional support respectively; g. providing and operably coupling a height adjusting mechanism to said crutch section between said support braces and said support sleeves respectively; h. providing and operably coupling a pair of glide wheels to a bottom of each said pair of front legs thereof said walker section; i. providing and operably coupling a pair of height-adjustable feet to a bottom of each said pair of rear legs thereof said walker section; and, j. selectively adjusting a height of said crutch section up and down with respect to said walker section. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: adjusting a height of said hand grip section by adjusting said pair of height-adjustable feet; placing said crutch section on at least one side of said walker section; and, adjusting a height of said padded support to a position just underneath a user's armpits while the user is positioned in a normal walking stance. 18. The method claim 17, further comprising the steps of: placing at least one of the user armpits upon an associated one of said padded supports; placing at least one of the user hands upon an associated one of said hand grip sections; walking forward in a step-by-step fashion; picking up said apparatus with each step; and, putting down said apparatus slightly forward of a previous step.
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