Patent Application
20240423865
The present invention relates to medical mobility devices and, in particular, to walker glides.
Walkers are devices that provide support during movement. Walkers are typically used by people with limited mobility or functionality. For instance, they may be used by people who need assistance while walking due to advanced age, injury, or weakness as a result of an underlying medical condition. A typical walker has a frame structure with front and rear legs. Its rear legs are typically equipped with rubber tips, which do not glide easily over carpeting or area rugs or over rough or uneven surfaces (e.g., cracked and/or pocked concrete and asphalt surfaces). Rubber tips often hinder movement and do not enhance the stability of the walker.
Accidents resulting from walker use have been a significant problem. The CDC estimates that between 2001 and 2006, each day there were about 129 adults in the age group of 65+ who were treated in emergency departments across the US for injuries due to accidents involving walkers and canes. This adds up to a total of more than 47,000 each year. Notably, 87 percent of these accidents were attributable to walker use. The problem is further illustrated by the fact these injuries most commonly resulted in fractures (38 percent) and about a third of all injuries from falls involving walkers were to the lower trunk (e.g., to the hip or pelvis). One in three people whose fall involved a walker had to be hospitalized. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47,000 Older Adults Treated in Emergency Departments Annually for Fall Injuries Related to Walkers and Canes (Jun. 29, 2009), https://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090629.htm; See also Eustice, C. Elderly Falls Tied to Canes and Walkers: Tips for Safe Use, Verywell Health (Feb. 25, 2022), https://www.verywellhealth.com/elderly-falls-tied-to-canes-and-walkers-2552063. The need for improving stability of walkers continues to exist and is addressed by the present invention.
In general, this disclosure is directed to an asymmetrically designed pair of walker glides mountable on the rear legs of a walker. The asymmetrical design of the pair of walker glides improves the stability of a walker.
In certain embodiments, the glide includes a sleeve for mounting the glide on a walker leg, a seat that is designed for gliding on the ground, and fastening means including a screw, a washer and a nut that hold the sleeve and the seat together. Typically, the seat has a flat portion with a smooth bottom surface, and a raised tip (similar to a ski tip) at the front. The sleeve is positioned on the seat closer to one side of the seat such that side-to-side an asymmetric design is achieved making the seat of the glide wider on one side of the sleeve (the lateral side) than on the other side of the sleeve (the medial side). The glides provide added stability to a walker when mounted on a walker because the wider part of the seat is located laterally, and the narrower part of the seat is located medially. The details of different embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure.
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various implementations and is not intended to represent the only implementations in which the subject technology may be practiced. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described implementations may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
The embodiments disclosed herein are for the purpose of providing a description of the present subject matter, and it is understood that the subject matter may be embodied in various other forms and combinations not shown in detail. Therefore, specific embodiments and features disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting the subject matter as defined in the accompanying claims.
Stability of a walker can be improved by equipping it with glides, which provide an increased contact surface area with the ground. In some embodiments, as shown in
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in
In some embodiments, the sleeve is made of a material having a degree of elasticity sufficient for the sleeve to stretch in diameter to the size of the outer diameter of the walker leg, thus allowing the sleeve and the glide to be slidably mountable on said walker leg. The material has a degree of elasticity further sufficient to ensure that the sleeve and the glide remain mounted on the walker leg during use by means of pressure and friction applied by the sleeve to the outer diameter of the walker leg. In some embodiments, the sleeve can be made of rubber or similar material. However, in other embodiments the sleeve can be made of alternative materials known in the art including, but not limited to, a polymer (a plastic) or similar material.
In certain embodiments, the sleeve 103 is attached to the seat 102 by tensile means with a screw 502, a washer 121, and a nut 122 which hold the sleeve in place as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In certain embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the top surface 110 comprises an indicator 125 and a label 126. The indicator 125 is text indicating which of the rear walker legs 602 the slides 101 should be placed on. As depicted in
Label 126 may be used to indicate a company logo, a name brand, a residence address, etc. In some embodiments, label 126 may be a plate that is inserted into a corresponding shaped recess in the top surface 110 via friction fit and is therefore removable or replaceable. A bottom surface of the label 126 may have an adhesive to better adhere within the recess. In other embodiments and similar to indicator 125, the label 126 may be part of the material forming slide 110 (e.g., raised or indented letters), may be an adhered label, or may be printed on top surface 110 as is known in the art.
Furthermore, as shown in
In some embodiments, the seat 102 can be made of any suitable material known in the art that is sufficiently durable to slide across rough surfaces, such as concrete, without excessive wear and that is sufficiently smooth to easily slide across indoor surfaces, such as carpeting, tile, and wood floors, without damaging them. Examples of such materials include any polymer (a plastic) or similar material. In certain embodiments, the seat 102 can be made coated with another material, be made of multiple materials, or be made of a composite material such that the outside surfaces of the seat exhibit the desired durability and smoothness. In any embodiment above, the bottom surface 111 of the sleeve may be further polished for improving its ability to glide smoothly across various surfaces. Furthermore, known methods in the art can be used to fabricate the seat or portions of the seat in different colors.
In certain embodiments, as in any embodiment above, as shown in
In certain further embodiments, variations of the glide having fewer or more than four sides are envisioned. For example, the glides might have five sides (instead of four sides) with the front corner of each lateral side diagonally “clipped.” Furthermore, the sides may be straight and/or may be curved. For illustration, variations with three straight sides, three curved sides, or even two curved sides are possible. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the circumference of the seat may be defined by edges instead of sides. In such embodiments, the seat instead of having a flat portion, may have a conical shape or have a top surface defined by a plurality of polygonal faces that meet with the bottom surface at an angle thus defining the edges.
In some embodiments, as in any embodiment above, as shown in
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced other than as described. The embodiment(s) described, and references in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/522,318, filed Jun. 21, 2023, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63522318 | Jun 2023 | US |
