Patent Application
20230016090
The present invention relates to a bi-axial ball tip for use with a mobility cane.
Mobility canes are often known as ‘white’ canes which are compromise equipment for assisting people with vision impairment such as blindness and low vision. According to the classification from Vision Australia, they come in a variety of types that include the following.
Identification canes that are designed to be a visible signal to others that the user is blind or has low vision. This cane does not detect obstacles but can be used to assist with detecting the height of steps, gutters, and down drops.
Support canes used to aid a person's balance and as a means of physical support.
Long canes that enable a person who is blind or has low vision to detect all obstacles and hazards within their path of travel by moving the cane in front of them.
Mobility canes can include a ball tip being a ball shape tip fitted with a sealed precision ball to enable the tip to rotate on the ground when used in a side rolling motion. The user moves the ball in front of them to detect any obstacles. However, this kind of ball tip only rotates around one axis. Whilst perhaps suitable for urban roads or regular paths when a user walks on a rough road or on a field or needs to move along with a variable path, this kind of ball tip is not really suitable and is not efficient or useful to the user.
The object of this invention is to provide a bi-axial ball tip for use with a mobility cane to address the above shortcomings or at least provide a useful alternative.
In a first aspect the invention comprises a bi-axial ball tip for use with a mobility cane, comprising: an omni ball, at least two mirrored brackets and a grip; the mirrored brackets forming a chamber to partially accommodate the omni ball, allowing the omni ball to rotate around a horizontal axis inside the chamber; the grip connecting the mirrored brackets in a manner that the mirrored brackets and the omni ball together rotate around a vertical axis which is orthogonal to the horizontal axis.
In preference each of the mirrored brackets forms a bearing housing when they are matched together; and the bottom parts of the mirrored brackets with arcuate surfaces form the chamber to accommodate the omni ball rotating inside.
In preference one bolt is screwed from outside through the bottom part of each of the mirrored bracket, a bearing and then mounted on the axle.
In preference a vertical axle is placed within the formed tube.
In preference the vertical axle is inserted into the bearings from the top and a bolt is threaded into the vertical axle from the bottom, placed in the upper parts of the mirrored brackets.
In preference the top of the vertical axle is at the bottom of the grip; and the grip is pressed into the compression bracket base and glued or otherwise attached. The two bearings are located in the mirrored bracket bearing housing and affixed on the tube axle typically with a nylon screw.
In preference the compression bracket has threads on the top; and an olive is placed the top of the grip, and a matching threaded cap top on the top of the olive; the inner side of the bracket top having matching threads to the threads on the grip.
In preference the omni ball is made of a nylon base over moulded polyurethane
It should be noted that any one of the aspects mentioned above may include any of the features of any of the other aspects mentioned above and may include any of the features of any of the embodiments described below as appropriate.
Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will refer to several drawings as follows.
The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. Dimensions of certain parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.
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As shown in
The bottom parts of the mirrored brackets 14, including the left bracket 142 and the right bracket 144, also have arcuate surfaces which form a chamber accommodate the omni ball 12 rotating inside. One bolt 26 is screwed from outside through the bottom part of the left mirrored bracket 142 or the right mirrored bracket 144 and a bearing 22, which in a preferred embodiment is made of nylon, then threaded into the tube axle 28. The omni ball 12 is therefore included in the chamber formed by the mirrored brackets 14. As a result, mirrored brackets 14 form an integrity unit with the tube on the top and the chamber on the bottom when they are clamped together as shown in
Referring to
In another preferred embodiment, the tube axle 28 and the vertical axle 20 are made of aluminium with inner threads which are matched with the threads on the bolts 202 and 26. It should be noted that the inner threads or threads on the bolts are not shown in the Figures which does not affect the protection scope of the present invention.
In another preferred embodiment, the grip 16 has and injection moulded thread section on the top as shown in
The bi-axial ball tip 10 provided by the present invention may be used at a natural angle from the user's hand to the ground. It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the bi-axial ball tip 10 can be inclined to the ground, between 0-60 or 90-30 degrees.
When the described components are assembled, the omni ball 12 itself can roll on the ground around a horizontal axis, which is controlled by and can move laterally to the motion of the user. Meanwhile the omni ball 12 and the mirrored brackets 14 together can also rotate around a vertical axis that is orthogonal to the horizontal axis, which is also controlled by enables the user to change directions or turn around. As a result, the bi-axial ball tip 10 can move around, at the same time, rotate forwards or backwards in any direction without being lifted off of the ground, but just moving on the ground, as shown in
Moreover, an important feature of the present invention that by rotating on the ground instead of dragging across it, the present invention provides a low wear and long-life ball tip use for mobility canes.
It should be also noted that the bi-axial ball tip provided by the present invention is adaptable to fit most existing mobility canes.
The reader will now appreciate the present invention which provides a bi-axial ball tip for use with a mobility cane which is easier to use than present solutions and that results in less wear and tear on the ball tip.
The drawings include the following integers.
Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in this field.
In the present specification and claims (if any), the word “comprising” and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.
