Patent Application
20080300468
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the area of medical equipment, and more specifically relates to apparatus and methods for inspecting feet.
2. Prior Art
Diabetics frequently experience diseases of the feet. Complications associated with diabetes such as blisters, bruises, rashes, in-grown toenails, etc on a diabetes victim will manifest themselves on the soles of a victim's foot. If these problems are not properly treated in time, these complications will exacerbate to the point where the foot becomes infected with gangrene. Once gangrene sets in and accumulates in one's foot, a doctor may have no choice but to amputate the gangrenous infected area in order to prevent its spread to the rest of the body. Unfortunately, many diabetes patients are elderly people who cannot properly examine the soles of their own feet. Such elderly people have less flexibility and are oftentimes overweight. Therefore, the only way to ensure proper inspection of their feet is to either have a doctor perform the inspection, or have a lay person inspect the person's feet. However, having other people inspect one's own feet may be awkward and embarrassing.
To overcome this self-inspection problem, the present inventor, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,950, has disclosed an apparatus that enables the self-inspection of a person's feet when the person is comfortably seated. While the apparatus disclosed in the '950 patent enables a person to perform its intended self-inspection function, the apparatus is bulky and inconvenient to transport. There remains a need for an apparatus operable for enabling the self-inspection of one's feet that is collapsible and easily transported.
The present invention is directed to a collapsible apparatus operable for enabling a person to view the solar surface of the person's feet. The collapsible apparatus substantially obviates one or more of the limitations of the related art. To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, in its most general form, the collapsible apparatus for inspecting feet comprises a top wall having a top mirror tiltably attached thereto, and a bottom wall having a left side mirror, a right side mirror and a center mirror attached thereto. A telescopically extendable locking means connects the top wall to the bottom wall. In operation, a person manually releases the telescopically extendable locking means and raises the top wall to a convenient height for viewing the top hinged mirror. The extendable locking means is then locked in position to maintain the height separation between the bottom and top walls. The person then seats himself such that he/she can comfortably view the top mirror and places his/her feet above the center mirror on the bottom wall. An image of the plantar surface of the feet appears on the top mirror and enables the person to visualize a diseased condition on the bottom of the feet.
In another embodiment, the collapsible apparatus for self-inspecting feet is a transportable console comprising a bifurcated left vertical wall, a bifurcated right vertical wall, a top wall having a top mirror tiltably attached thereto, a bottom wall having a left side mirror, a right side mirror and a center mirror attached thereto, and telescopically extendable locking means connecting the top wall and the bottom wall. The apparatus further comprises feet holding bars, one end of which is attached to a lower portion of the left bifurcated vertical wall and the other end being attached to a lower portion of the right bifurcated vertical wall. The top wall and the bottom wall are connected to one another by telescopically extendable support rods.
The top mirror is affixed to a bottom side of the top wall via affixing means. The center mirror is affixed substantially in the center of the bottom wall via affixing means. The right side mirror is affixed to the bottom wall substantially adjacent to one edge of the center mirror via affixing means; and the left side mirror is similarly affixed to bottom wall substantially adjacent to the opposing edge of the center mirror via affixing means. The foot supporting bars provide means for comfortably supporting the feet above the center mirror for viewing.
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. However the invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,950, the content and teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto, the present inventor disclosed an apparatus operable for enabling the self-inspection of a person's feet. The foot inspection apparatus may be used by diabetic patients or others to search for blisters, bruises, rashes, in-gown toenails, red spots, etc. on the soles of their feet. The prior art apparatus is also designed to be used by caregivers such as physicians, podiatrists, nurses, physician's assistants etc. for the purpose of evaluating and diagnosing any foot-related maladies. The prior art apparatus disclosed in the '950 patent is designed to be used at home by people for the purpose of self-evaluation. The present apparatus is an improvement over the aforesaid prior art apparatus in that it is collapsible and can be conveniently stored and transported as described in enabling detail below.
Briefly, the aforesaid prior art apparatus for the self-inspection of a person's feet is illustrated in perspective view in
Turning now to
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
