IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0413095
(2012-03-06)
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등록번호 |
US-8496257
(2013-07-30)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Walther, Linda M.
- Abernathey, Ethan S.
- Adhikari, Ishwor P.
- Kutsch, John H.
- Lackowski, Vincent R.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
37 |
초록
▼
Knee walker assemblies and methods of manufacturing a knee walker assembly are provided herein. One concept of the present disclosure is directed to a knee walker assembly that includes a frame, a support platform and a handle mounted to the frame, at least one rear wheel mounted proximate the rear
Knee walker assemblies and methods of manufacturing a knee walker assembly are provided herein. One concept of the present disclosure is directed to a knee walker assembly that includes a frame, a support platform and a handle mounted to the frame, at least one rear wheel mounted proximate the rear end of the frame, and at least two front wheels swivel mounted proximate the front end of the frame. A locking mechanism is operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels. The locking mechanism is configured to substantially simultaneously lock both of the at least two front wheels in a rigid-type mounting configuration.
대표청구항
▼
1. A knee walker assembly comprising: a frame with opposing front and rear ends;a support platform mounted to the frame;at least one rear wheel mounted to the frame proximate the rear end thereof;at least two front wheels, each of the front wheels being swivel mounted to the frame proximate the fron
1. A knee walker assembly comprising: a frame with opposing front and rear ends;a support platform mounted to the frame;at least one rear wheel mounted to the frame proximate the rear end thereof;at least two front wheels, each of the front wheels being swivel mounted to the frame proximate the front end thereof;a locking mechanism operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the locking mechanism being configured to lock the at least two front wheels in a rigid-type mounting configuration; anda steering mechanism with a handle mounted to the frame and operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being operable to selectively reposition the at least two front wheels when the at least two front wheels are in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 2. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least two retractable locking pins each of which is mounted to the frame and configured to selectively engage a respective one of the at least two front wheels to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 3. The knee walker assembly of claim 2, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises at least two locking discs each of which is mounted for rotation with a respective one of the at least two front wheels and configured to receive a respective one of the at least two retractable locking pins to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 4. The knee walker assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the retractable locking pins comprises a housing, a pin slidably mounted at least partially within the housing, a biasing member urging the pin out of the housing, and a retractor cable configured to draw the pin into the housing. 5. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism includes a single activating mechanism the movement of which is configured to lock both of the at least two front wheels in a rigid-type mounting configuration. 6. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, wherein the steering mechanism comprises a steering column attached at a first end to the frame and at a second end to the handle, the steering column being selectively repositionable between an upright position and a collapsed position. 7. The knee walker assembly of claim 6, wherein the steering mechanism further comprises a locking hub configured to retain the steering column in a plurality of positions relative to the frame. 8. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least two swivel forks each mounting a respective one of the at least two front wheels to the frame, the at least two swivel forks each being configured to rotate about a respective non-rolling axis, and the at least two front wheels each being configured to rotate about a respective rolling axis. 9. The knee walker assembly of claim 8, wherein the swivel forks are restricted from freely rotating about the non-rolling axes when the at least two front wheels are locked by the locking mechanism in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 10. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least two front wheels, when released by the locking mechanism, are operable to pivot less than 360 degrees about a non-rolling axis. 11. A knee walker assembly comprising: a frame with opposing front and rear ends;a support platform mounted to the frame, the support platform being vertically adjustable relative to the frame;a handle mounted to the frame;at least one rear wheel mounted to the frame proximate the rear end thereof;at least two front wheels, each of the front wheels being swivel mounted to the frame proximate the front end thereof;a locking mechanism operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the locking mechanism being configured to lock the at least two front wheels in a rigid-type mounting configuration; anda first stanchion attached at a first end to the support platform and at a second end to a trolley, the trolley being slidably mounted to the frame such that movement of the trolley relative to the frame operates to adjust the vertical height of the support platform. 12. The knee walker assembly of claim 11, further comprising a second stanchion pivotably attached at a first end to the support platform and pivotably attached at a second end to the frame. 13. The knee walker assembly of claim 1, wherein the single activating mechanism comprises a single activating lever configured to selectively engage and disengage the locking mechanism from both of the at least two front wheels. 14. A knee walker assembly for aiding a physically impaired person in walking, the knee walker assembly comprising: a rigid frame with opposing front and rear ends;a support platform mounted to the frame, the support platform being configured to support at least one human appendage;at least one rear wheel mounted proximate the rear end of the frame;at least two front wheels;a variable mounting assembly mounting the at least two front wheels proximate the front end of the frame, the variable mounting assembly including a single activating mechanism the movement of which is configured to simultaneously transition both of the at least two front wheels between a swivel-type mounting configuration and a rigid-type mounting configuration; anda steering mechanism mounted to the frame and operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being operable to selectively reposition the at least two front wheels when the at least two front wheels are in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 15. The knee walker assembly of claim 14, wherein the variable mounting assembly comprises at least two retractable locking pins each of which is mounted to the frame and configured to selectively engage a respective one of the at least two front wheels to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration such that the front wheels are restricted from freely swiveling. 16. The knee walker assembly of claim 15, wherein the variable mounting assembly further comprises at least two locking discs each of which is mounted for rotation with a respective one of the at least two front wheels and has an aperture configured to receive therein a respective one of the at least two retractable locking pins to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration such that the front wheels are restricted from freely swiveling. 17. The knee walker assembly of claim 15, wherein each of the retractable locking pins comprises a housing, a pin slidably mounted at least partially within the housing, a biasing member urging the pin out of the housing, and a retractor cable configured to draw the pin into the housing. 18. The knee walker assembly of claim 14, further comprising at least two swivel forks each mounting a respective one of the at least two front wheels to the frame such that each of the front wheels revolves about a respective non-rolling axis and swivels about a respective rolling axis. 19. A method of manufacturing a knee walker assembly, the method comprising: mounting a support platform to a rigid frame, the support platform being configured to support at least one human appendage;mounting at least one rear wheel proximate a rear end of the frame;mounting at least two front wheels proximate a front end of the frame such that the front wheels can transition between a swivel-type mounting configuration and a rigid-type mounting configuration;attaching a locking mechanism to the frame, the locking mechanism being configured to lock both of the at least two front wheels in the rigid-type mounting configuration; andmounting a steering mechanism with a handle to the frame such that the steering mechanism is operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being operable to selectively reposition the at least two front wheels when the at least two front wheels are in the rigid-type mounting configuration. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: mounting at least two swivel forks to the frame, the at least two swivel forks each being configured to rotate about a respective non-rolling axis, and the at least two front wheels each being configured to rotate about a respective rolling axis.
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