Patent Application
20180084876
The present disclosure relates to mobility aids, particularly to devices which are less cumbersome and have less stigma associated with their use than a traditional walker, but which provide increased stability as compared to a cane.
Walkers are readily available, and can provide an individual who has difficulty walking with additional stability and balance. While walkers are good at providing such additional stability in aiding the user in balancing while walking, culturally, there is often a stigma associated with their use. In addition, walkers are much larger, bulkier, and much more cumbersome than a cane, which is problematic when a user is seated or traveling, and when it would be desirable to stow the walker out of the way, either in a room, in a vehicle, or the like.
Canes are also available, but provide significantly less stability and balance, as compared to that provided by a walker. While this is often desirable for those users who do not require the full increase in stability and balance provided by a walker, there are often individuals who would require more assistance than is available from a cane. As such, even with the availability of canes and walkers, there is a need for alternatives that provide more stability and balance than a cane and are less cumbersome and have less stigma than a walker.
The present disclosure relates to a sidewalker mobility aid that provides greater stability than that provided by a cane, but is not so bulky or intrusive as a walker. Such a device may be configured for use with only a single hand of the user, on one side of the user's body (similar to how a cane is used). Such a device may include a handle assembly including a handle (e.g., a single handle) for one hand (either left or right), on one side of the user's body. The handle assembly may include forward and rearward substantially vertical members, where the handle extends there between. The handle may extend between the substantially vertical members, at the top thereof. Both substantially vertical members may be in a single substantially vertical plane, on one side of the body of the user, during use. As will be described herein, the other components of the sidewalker device may be collapsible into this same plane, resulting in a device that is compact upon collapse, for easy storage and vehicle transport.
The device may further include a forward lateral stability member at a distal end of the forward substantially vertical member of the handle assembly. The forward lateral stability member may extend sideways both towards the body of the user and away from the body of the user, so that the forward lateral stability member provides stability and resistance to lateral force in a sideways direction for the user during use. A rearward lateral stability member may also be provided, at the distal end of the rearward substantially vertical member of the handle assembly, with the rearward lateral stability member extending sideways both towards the body of the user and away from the body of the user, so that the rearward lateral stability member also provides stability and resistance to lateral force in a sideways direction for the user. As noted, either or both of the forward and rearward stability members may be collapsible from their deployed orientation (in which they extend sideways, both towards and away from the body of the standing user grasping the handle), to a collapsed orientation in which they are in substantially the same plane as the handle assembly. By “collapsible”, it is meant that such structures have the ability to assume a more compact orientation. Such may be achieved through what may be considered traditional collapse, or through rotation (e.g., rotation of the lateral stability members into substantially the same plane as the handle assembly), or through other means. In a preferred configuration, each respective lateral stability member may be received into the bottom end of the forward or rearward substantially vertical member of the handle assembly, and may rotate within such a coupling, allowing each lateral stability member to swivel from collapsed to deployed, and vice-versa.
In an embodiment, one or both of the substantially vertical members may not be mounted at a center of the respective lateral stability member, but at a location offset relative to the user's body, as compared to a true “center” position. In other words, the extension length of the lateral stability members may be unequal to one another, with such members extending further out (sideways) away from the body of the user, than the extension of the given lateral stability member towards the body of the user. Such a configuration may advantageously minimize any tendency for the user to inadvertently kick or otherwise hit the lateral stability member as they walk, where there is greater extension of the member away from the user, than towards the user.
Methods of use may include providing a sidewalker device as described, and deploying or collapsing the lateral stability member, as appropriate for use. For example, the lateral stability member may be collapsed from the deployed condition as the user prepares to enter a vehicle, and the collapsed sidewalker device may be stowed in its collapsed state, e.g., between the passenger seat of the vehicle and the door, in an overhead bin of a commercial airliner, or the like. Such a method may include retrieving the sidewalker device, and deploying the lateral stability member from the collapsed orientation to the deployed configuration when it is desired to leave such location, and walk elsewhere.
In addition to collapse of the lateral stability member(s) into the plane of the handle assembly, the handle assembly itself may be collapsible vertically as well, allowing the handle assembly to collapse from a given height suitable for use to a smaller height that would be unsuitable for use, but which is helpful in fitting the device into a smaller space, in its collapsed configuration. By way of example, the device may be collapsible so as to occupy a thickness in the plane of the handle that is no greater than 5 inches, no greater than 4 inches, or no greater than 3 inches. The height of the device may collapse to a height of no greater than 22 inches, no greater than 20 inches, or no greater than 18 inches. Such a collapsed configuration may fit within a commercial airliner overhead bin (which bins are typically 22 inches×14 inches×9 inches.
Additional collapsibility could be provided, to render the device even more compact. For example, the forward and rearward substantially vertical members could be configured to collapse towards one another, as well, if desired. The lateral stability members could also be configured to collapse their length, if desired. For example, if the device as deployed had a front to rear dimension of perhaps 10 to 14 inches, it could be collapsed to a front to rear dimension of less than the deployed dimension, reducing the dimensions even further upon collapse.
The sidewalker device may be used on either side of the body. For example, the lateral stability members may be swivelable not only to approximately 90°, putting them into generally the same plane as the handle assembly (i.e., where the lateral stability members are in their collapsed, compact configuration), but they may be swiveled further, allowing reversal of the positioning of the short arm and long arm of each lateral stability member. In this way, the lateral stability members may be rotated 180°, reversing the locations of the short and long arms of the lateral stability members (i.e., to be either on the right, or on the left). Such reversal facilitates use of the sidewalker device with equal ease on either side of the user's body.
In an embodiment, the sidewalker device may include wheels (e.g., retractable wheels) at the ends of one or more of the arms of the lateral stability members, as will be described in further detail hereafter.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
Numbers, percentages, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are about or approximately the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by embodiments of the present disclosure. In other words, any value is understood to be modified by the term “about” or “approximately”. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. Stated values may include values that are within 10%, within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.
Ranges between any values disclosed herein are contemplated and within the scope of the present disclosure (e.g., a range defined between any two values given as exemplary for any given parameter).
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but also include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof. As used herein, the term “may” with respect to a material, structure, feature or method act indicates that such is contemplated for use in implementation of an embodiment of the disclosure.
The present invention is directed to a sidewalker mobility aid that is designed to be used with a single hand, on one side of the body (rather than out in front, like a traditional walker). In this sense, it is similar in some respects to use of a cane, although the sidewalker provides lateral stability characteristics that are better than provided by existing canes, so as to provide lateral stability that is perhaps between that provided by a cane and a walker. Advantageously, the lateral stability members are collapsible from their deployed orientation, where they extend sideways both towards and away from the standing body of a user, to a collapsed orientation in which the lateral stability members are (e.g., swiveled) into substantially the same plane as the handle assembly of the sidewalker mobility aid. The handle assembly may also be vertically collapsible, decreasing the overall height of the device for storage (e.g., allowing it to comfortably fit in the space between a passenger seat of a car and the passenger door, in an overhead bin of a commercial airliner, or similar sized space). Such ability makes the device far more practical to store and transport than a traditional walker.
As shown in
The sidewalker 100 may include a forward lateral stability member 108 at a distal end of the forward substantially vertical member 106a of the handle assembly 102. The forward lateral stability member 108 may extend sideways both towards the body of the user and away from the body of the user, so that the forward lateral stability member 108 provides stability and resistance to lateral force in a sideways direction for the user. In the illustrated embodiment, member 108 is shown as including two arms 110a, and 110b. Arm 110a may be disposed away from (i.e., further from) the standing user during use, while arm 110b may be disposed towards (i.e., closer to) the standing user during use.
As may be best appreciated from
A rearward lateral stability member 112 may be provided at a distal end of the rearward substantially vertical member 106b of the handle assembly 102, the rearward lateral stability member 112 extending sideways both towards the body of the user and away from the body of the user, so that the rearward lateral stability member 112 provides stability and resistance to lateral force in a sideways direction for the user. This rearward lateral stability member 112 may similarly be offset in its mounting to the rearward substantially vertical member 106b, as described above relative to the forward lateral stability member 106a, for similar reasons. For example, as shown, member 112 may include arms 114a and 114b, with arm 114b extending towards the user, and arm 114a extending away from the user, analogous to arms 110a and 110b.
The illustrated configuration includes a pair of wheels 116a, 116b at the front of sidewalker 100, at the distal end of arms 110a, 110b. A pair of rollers are shown at the rear of sidewalker 100, at the distal end of arms 114a and 114b. The offset mounting by which arms 110a and 114a are longer than arms 110b and 114b provides stability in a sideways direction, providing a point of contact with the ground that is a significant distance away from the user. This provides enhanced side-to-side stability relative to the user's foot or feet. In the illustrated embodiment, wheel 116a, and roller 118a are shown on this side, furthest from the standing user. Wheel 116b and roller 118b are shown on the near side, closest to the user, also providing stability, but with less lateral extension so as to not interfere with the user's foot movement.
As perhaps best seen by comparing
Collapsibility in both such dimensions provides a great benefit, in that the collapsed sidewalker 100 may easily fit in compact spaces where a walker or cane could not; for example, within the space between a seat and door of a front passenger seat of a car (or the space between the seat and the console, towards the driver's seat). Such collapsibility allows the device 100 to assume a substantially planar configuration, with a collapsed width of perhaps no more than about 5 inches, no more than about 4 inches, or no more than about 3 inches. This collapsibility also allows the sidewalker 100 to easily fit within an overhead bin of a commercial airliner (e.g., 22 inches×14 inches×9 inches), and to do so even with commonly-sized (e.g., carry on) luggage pieces already inserted. For example, because of the narrow collapsed width, the sidewalker may often fit on top of such luggage within an overhead bin. Such is not possible with a traditional walker, and even many canes, which are not readily accommodated within a standard sized commercial airliner overhead bin. Such an ability allows a passenger to take the sidewalker on the plane with them, so that it can be used while boarding the plane, and when deplaning after landing. Such is not possible with a walker, and often not possible with typical canes, which are longer than 22 inches in length.
As shown, the forward lateral stability member 108 made up of arms 110a, 110b may be provided with wheels 116a, 116b at or near both ends of arms 110a, 110b. Rearward lateral stability member 112 is shown as including rollers 118a, 118b at or near both ends of arms 114a, 114b. Glides or skids could alternatively be provided with the rearward lateral stability member 112. The illustrated combination of wheels and rollers is helpful in providing a device that can be rolled along the ground, without requiring the user to pick up the device, and without the bulk of a walker. The front wheels 116a, 116b may be configured as casters, as shown. The casters may face perpendicular to the arms, and may be configured as “rigid casters” so as not to swivel relative to arms 110a and 110b, but to only roll back and forth. In other words, the front wheels 116a, 116b may be fixed relative to arms 110a, 110b, although they are of course swivelable in combination with arms 110a, 110b when the member 108 is rotated clockwise (from above) inwardly to collapse arms 110a, 110b into substantially the same plane as handle assembly 102.
The wheels 116a, 116b may be of the compression brake style, so that when a user presses downward thereon with a threshold force, the wheels lock, preventing them from further rolling until the threshold force is released. Any of various other mechanisms for selectively locking the wheels may be employed.
The illustrated configuration shows rollers 118a, 118b mounted within rear arms 114a, 114b. Such rollers may be of the spherical style, allowing 360° rolling (e.g., forward, rearward, sideways, etc). Of course, a wide variety of other wheels or rollers may alternatively be employed. The functionality of illustrated rollers 118a, 118b is in contrast to the front wheels 116a, 116b, which may only roll forward and rearward (i.e., they do not swivel, spin or twist to allow sideways rolling). As shown in
The single handle 104 of the handle assembly 102 may be forwardly inclined, so that a front 124 of the handle is higher than a rear 126 of the handle 104. Such an inclined bar surface may be more comfortable and more stable for the user than a strictly horizontal surface for the handle 104. As shown, a grip 128 (e.g., an elastomeric, grippable material that increases grip within the hand of the user) may be provided over the single handle bar 104.
A button 130 or other similar mechanism may be provided for allowing selective collapse of the substantially vertical members. While a button 130 is shown, various other mechanisms, e.g., including but not limited to two tabs that squeeze together, allowing selective collapse could also be used. In any case, button 130 is shown within cross-bar 132 of handle assembly 102, where cross-bar 132 is disposed below handle 104, e.g., but above the distal end of the substantially vertical members of handle assembly 102. Button 130 is advantageously not disposed on handle 104, but below handle 104, to minimize any risk of inadvertently collapsing handle assembly 102. Pressing button 130 may permit members 106a and 106b to collapse vertically downward, into members 106a′ and 106b′. Any suitable mechanism for selectively locking and allowing selective collapse may be employed. Numerous suitable mechanisms for permitting such vertical collapse will be apparent to those of skill in the art, in light of the present disclosure.
By way of example, a height from the middle of handle 104 (e.g., at 134), where a user is most likely to grip, may be approximately 31 inches from this location to the floor (i.e., to the bottom of wheels/rollers 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b). Such distance may typically range from 31 inches to 40 inches (i.e., at least about 31 inches). A mechanism may be provided for locking handle 104 at a desired, selected height, within such a range, allowing the user some ability to customize how high the handle is, depending on the height of the user. For example, spring loaded pins and associated receptacle holes within the substantially vertical members of the handle assembly 102 could provide such functionality. Other possible mechanisms will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, in light of the present disclosure. Pressing button 130 could disengage such a pin (e.g., on one or both sides) from the corresponding holes, allowing the handle to be collapsed downward, or extended upward. Such a mechanism may be similar to the pins and holes of a crutch. Such pin retraction mechanism could be operatively coupled to button 130, and hidden within cross-bar 132.
In addition to vertical collapse, the forward lateral stability member 108 (i.e., arms 110a, 110b with attached wheels 116a, 116b can be swiveled clockwise (as viewed from above) inwardly, turning arms 110a and 110b into substantially the same plane as handle assembly 102. Similarly, the rearward lateral stability member 112 (i.e., arms 114a, 114b with attached rollers 118a, 118b) can be swiveled counter-clockwise (as viewed from above) inwardly, turning arms 114a and 114b into substantially the same plane as handle assembly 102. This fully collapsed configuration is shown in
It will be appreciated that counter-clock wise rotation of forward lateral stability member 108 and clockwise rotation of rearward lateral stability member 112 is also possible, if the user were using the sidewalker on their other side. The swiveling nature of both lateral stability members 108 and 112 allows the user to configure the sidewalker, e.g., as shown in
In an embodiment, one or more of the illustrated bar or tubular structures may be formed of a substantially oval tubular cross-sectional shape, which oval cross-section is shown in
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/399,917, filed Sep. 26, 2016, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62399917 | Sep 2016 | US |
