Patent Application
20070151400
The present invention relates to a brake unit for a walking aid, and in particular, to a hand brake unit for a wheeled walking aid which can be operated under a non-braking state, a preliminary braking state and a parked braking state, to provide the user with a convenient and safe manner of control.
There is an increased demand for products which aid an aged person in outdoor walking, such as walking aid products. Such walking aid can support and assist an aged person in walking alone.
A conventional walking aid is commonly provided for a user to move and can be supported by both hands, similarly to using a cane. A wheeled frame structure of a conventional walking aid provides the user with a brake unit to slow or stop to help avoid accidents or dangerous sliding from high speed on a slope.
As aged person can take actions more slowly, and require the walking aid for safety and convenience. A related structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent 11-089899, which has a holding device for holding a brake control bar in position when braking a wheeled walking aid. While recovering from brake status, the user should release the brake control bar by pulling the holding device. This is inconvenient, as the user needs to release the brake control bar by rotating the holding device. It is therefore necessary to use one hand to pull the brake control bar against the handle, so as to force the holding device to depart slightly from the holding device, and then bend the holding device to the left to turn the brake control bar. Basically, the manipulation of the structure of Japanese Patent 11-089899 always requires an aged person to use both hands to control the brake, which is inconvenient.
In order to simplify the manipulation and structure of the related art, the present invention provides a solution for a brake unit of a walking aid. The walking aid comprises a wheeled frame which has a cable controllable brake device equipped with a stopper on each wheel. When the brake device is pulled by the cable, the stopper will cause the wheel to be braked.
The brake unit of the present invention comprises a user-grippable handle and a holding base. The holding base is connected with the wheeled frame and comprises a connecting housing, a positioning element and a receiving space.
The user-grippable handle has one end formed with a retaining opening, an extension arm, and a cable connecting portion. The control end of the user-grippable handle is retained by a pin which penetrates the retaining opening within the receiving space
In a non-braking state, the cable pulls the user-grippable handle against the positioning element and maintains the user-grippable handle in a non-braking position.
In a preliminary braking state, the user-grippable handle is held upwards by the palm of the user to slow the velocity of the walking aid.
In a parked braking state, the extension arm of the user-grippable handle abuts the positioning element, so as to keep the user-grippable handle downward and pull the cable to brake the wheel of the walking aid.
This is convenient for users, as when the walking aid 10 is in a parked braking state, the user-grippable handle 5 simply needs to be lifted upwards in order to change the walking aid 10 from the parked braking state into a non-braking state.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention.
Referring to
The brake unit 4 of the present invention comprises a user-grippable handle 5 and a holding base 3. The holding base 3 is connected with the wheeled frame 11 and comprises a connecting housing 31 and a positioning element 33, and is formed with a receiving space 32.
The user-grippable handle 5 has one control end 6 formed with a non-circular retaining opening 61, an extension arm 65 and a cable connecting portion 62 for connecting with the cable 22. The control end 6 of the user-grippable handle 5 is movably and rotatably retained by a first pin 37 which is penetrates and is fixed within the non-circular retaining opening 61 in the receiving space 32.
Referring again to
Referring to
The connecting housing 31 may also comprise a second pin 36 within the receiving space 32, and the control end 6 of the user-grippable handle 5 may further be formed with a slot 63 for receiving the second pin 36. In the described non-braking position, the second pin 36 is received against the very bottom of the slot 63 and helps stop the user-grippable handle 70 from further downward rotation
Referring to
Referring to
The extension arm 65 may rest on the indent 35 to keep the user-grippable handle 90 at a fixed angle. However, the positioning element 33 may be further formed with another recess (not shown) or a protruded abutment portion 34, as shown in
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be corded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 095200162 | Jan 2006 | TW | national |
