Patent Application
20100102534
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to commercial strollers and particularly to devices used for aiding children with foot or leg casts or braces of various sorts. More specifically, relates to an orthopedic device detachable from a commercial stroller to support the foot, feet, leg or legs of a child casted in a predetermined position. Allowing the handler of the child a maximum of ease in transportation the child throughout a typical day, providing the child with support and comfort while confined in a cast over a period of time.
2. Description of Prior Art
Devices used for transporting a child while supporting a child's foot, feet, leg or legs fixed in a predetermined position have been around for many years. They include the common wheelbarrow, a child's red wagon, and specially designed wheelchairs or seats available from boutique orthopedic suppliers. Commercial strollers are used internationally. Different types of attachments have been made to increase the convenience and comfort of both the child in the stroller and the person caring for the child.
This invention is a tremendous step forward in the development of devices used for transporting an injured or disabled child, while increasing comfort and convenience of the child and caretaker.
Some babies are born with development hip problems, a club foot or at some point in their young lives a child may injure their foot, leg or hip. These injuries may result in one foot in a cast or one or both legs in either a leg cast or a spica cast.
A leg cast begins at the top or at the knee of a leg and continues over the foot of that leg. Sometimes the leg or foot must remain elevated to aid in the recovery process. A spica cast begins at the waist or chest and continues to above the knees, or begins at the waist or chest and continues over the foot on one leg and above the knee on the other leg. The cast positions the child's legs outwardly from the trunk, such that a child may only lie on its back, front or side with the support of strategically placed pillows or supports. A spica cast is provided with an opening whereby the child may relieve itself. The opening is covered with a diaper.
An infant with a cast as described above is relatively easy for one person to manage. A toddler or child, however, confined to these types of casts is difficult for one person to manage. The weight of the child is increased by the addition of the cast and the child cannot roll over without assistance. The child cannot be conveniently maneuvered from place-to place because the leg or foot in the cast extends beyond, outside or cannot be supported by conventional stroller leg or foot rests. The child in a foot, leg or spica cast cannot be managed in regular commercially available strollers.
There are existing devices that go beyond the standard stroller:
The orthopedic device in U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,601 to Dickey, October 1968 is desired when a child is in a Spica cast or Frejka pillow splint.
There are existing devices that attach to a stroller:
The footrests in U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,879 to Er-Jui Chen, Chuan-Tao Tai, Chih-Jung Chang, August 2000 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,435 to Eichhorn, August 1997 is desired when a child is able to sit with legs bent and foot resting on the footrest of the stroller.
The footrest in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,235 to Gregg R. Espenshade Assigned to Graco's Children's Products, November 1995 is desired when a child is ambulatory and is able to sit with legs extended and resting on the footrest of the stroller.
The seat extension in U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,056 to Kenzou Kassai Assigned to Aprica Kassai Kabushikikaisha, April 1987 is desired when a child is ambulatory and is able to sit with legs extended and resting on the seat extension of a baby carriage.
It is the expansion of these and other uses to which the present invention is directed, along with the inclusion therein of other novel and desirable features.
Besides the objects and advantages of the detachable support described in my above patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The perspective view of
Two fasteners 20, 23 are shown and used to secure the support 11 to the stroller. In this embodiment the support 11 is attached to the downward front and rear tubes of the stroller frame 10. The support 11 may be attached to the stroller frame 10 by, straps, screws, glue, clips or any method that yields a secure connection between the stroller frame 10 and the support 11. A movable joint 17 is located on both sides of the support and abut the frame of the stroller 10, and can be adjusted to match the upper shelf of the support with the angle of the seat of the stroller 15. The movable joint 17 may be located anywhere on the support, and of any number, allowing the support to be adjusted to the angle of the seat of the stroller.
When there is no longer any need for the support 11 the support 11 may be removed by manually releasing the fasteners 20, 23, which, manually attached, holds the support 11 secured to the frame of the stroller 10.
The following list includes, but is not limited to, possible materials that may be used to construct this specific device: plastic, wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, titanium, steel, copper, chrome, chrome-moly, aluminum, PVC, foam rubber, cloth, Kevlar, egg-crate foam, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carpet. The support may be built in different ways to include, but not limited to, preassembled, preassembled and attached to a stroller, or may require assembly before attachment to a stroller (i.e. a kit).
The foregoing description of exemplary physical embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.
