Patent Application
20120060877
Typically, walkers are used by the elderly or invalid persons to assist in the ambulation process, that is, to enable such person to be able to walk certain distances on their own. Such walkers are quite common and, in general, most commonly have a pair of side frames, generally configured as A-shape or inverted U-shape and which are joined together with one or more cross-members so that the walker is sufficiently strong to support the person. The side frames include legs that extend downwardly to contact the ground for support of the walker as the person ambulates.
Thus the upper portion of the side frames is a horizontal section that can be gripped by the user so that the walker can be used for the support as well as progressed forwardly by the user at each step. Preferably the overall unit can be formed of a tubular metal, such as aluminum, and the various components welded together to provide the necessary strength.
One of the features of some of the current walkers is the addition of a seat that can be moved into a horizontal position by the user so that the user can, as desired, sit down to rest or as needed in the event of a medical need. It is obviously important that the seat be readily available to the user when needed and yet be fully out of the way when the user is utilizing the walker to move from one location to another.
Most such seats require substantial dexterity in moving the seat out of the way when changing locations and in moving the seat from a stored vertical position to a horizontal position. This can be difficult for a person with limited dexterity. Such a walker is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,940,637.
In addition, in the construction of seated walkers, there is generally a side brace that joins the two legs of each of the side frames. The side brace is important to provide the structural strength and integrity of the overall walker and, accordingly, it was deemed preferable to the structural integrity that the side brace be located at a lowered position joining the legs; that is, that the side brace be relatively close to the ground that is contacted by the legs when utilizing the walker.
The braces, however, are also a convenient structural component to use as support for the seat when it is pivoted to its lower, horizontal position. Therefore, there is an unresolved conflict in the construction of such walkers. It is clearly advantageous for the seat to be supported by the side braces, but the design goal of positioning the side braces to be as low as possible would normally result in the seat being too low to be comfortable and convenient for the user. A low positioned seat, obviously, makes it difficult for the user to be able to sit and arise without difficulty. Thus, it would be advantageous to be able to construct a walker where the side braces are sufficient so as to optimize structural integrity and strength of the walker, and yet to allow the seat, when in its horizontal position, to be oriented at a sufficient height so that the user can comfortably sit and stand without difficulty.
It is also highly advantageous to provide a walker with a utility tray for carrying books and beverages, such as water bottles, soda cans and the like as well as canes and umbrellas, which can be easily mounted and removed from the walker when changing locations. In order to maximize the flexibility of the walker it is desirable to provide a readily mountable-demountable combined seat and utility tray to allow for use by elderly or impaired persons with limited dexterity.
Conventional solutions for providing movable or removable seats and/or tray tables for walkers have been unsatisfactory in various aspects. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,142, a hinged seat is employed, but the seat is not readily removable. Similar hinged seats are proposed in US Patent Publication 2005/0121258A1; Canadian Patent 1,247,513 and U.S. Design Pat. 567,151. Foldable seats permanently affixed to the walker-are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,850,641 and 4,907,839 and Chinese Patent 2815339.
A removable utility tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,027 which employs armrest platforms which require complex mounts to be permanently affixed to the walker. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,727 a tray is coupled to a top edge of a collapsible walker which makes the walker difficult to move when so mounted. Folding walker trays are commercially available, such as the folding INVACARE® Walker Tray. However such trays are not detachable, are not adapted to be used as a seat and are relatively expensive, requiring sophisticated folding mechanisms for repositioning when not in use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a removable combined utility tray and seat (hereafter referred to as a “tray-seat”) which is readily mounted and removed by impaired persons.
It is another object to provide a readily detachable combined utility tray and seat which is easily moved to a storage position and readily secured against movement to increase maneuverability of the walker.
It is a further object to provide a detachable tray-seat which can readily support a cane.
These and other objects and advantages are realized in a walker comprising: (a) a frame having (i) a pair of inverted U-shaped frame members each having a pair of legs extending downwardly; (ii) a front crossbar affixed to said frame members and disposed therebetween to maintain said frame members in an upright position; and (iii) a pair of side braces, each side brace extending between the legs of each said U-shaped members; and (b) a combined removable tray-seat detachably mounted on said pair of side braces, said combined tray-seat being generally drawer-shaped with a pair of side members, each side member extending at least to the periphery of the frame and at least to the ends of the side brace to brace the tray-seat against movement.
In another embodiment a self-adhering strap is affixed to the front cross bar of the walker and a complementary self-adhering strip is mounted on a front end of the tray-seat to retain the tray-seat in a vertical position when the walker is moved.
In yet another aspect the side braces terminate at each end in a spring clip for mounting the braces to the legs of the U-shaped members at a predetermined position.
In an additional embodiment the front end of the tray-seat has a hole aligned with broom clip mounted on the back end of the tray-seat to support a cane passing through the broom clip and hole and to act as a drain for liquids collected in the tray-seat.
In another preferred embodiment a perforated platform is affixed over a corner of the tray-seat to accommodate a beverage.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the following illustrative drawings.
Referring now to
Side braces 28 are affixed to the front and rear legs 18, 22 to provide support for the legs and to support removable tray-seat 30. The side braces are positioned sufficiently above the ground to permit the user to easily access the tray-seat 30 and its contents and to be readily seated in the tray-seat. The side braces 28 are affixed to the front and rear legs 18, 22 by clips 32 which can be slid along the legs to adjust the height of the tray-seat to the individual user. A pair of stops 34 are spaced on the front and rear legs 18, 22 of the U-shaped members 14 to prevent the tray-seat from slipping to the ground under excessive load.
At the upper portion of the U-shaped frame members 14 there is a generally horizontal portion which may include a grip 36 that is held by the user to control and use the walker 10.
Rear legs 22 are both movable and are pivotally affixed to front legs 18 so that the rear legs can be rotated from the position shown in
Preferably, the tray-seat 30 is made of wood, although any strong, durable material which has no sharp edges or rust concerns, such a a strengthened plastic material or a rust-resistant or coated metal, can be employed. The tray may be assembled with nails, screws, bolts, and/or glue and is preferably rectangular in shape. The tray-seat 30 includes a base 68, a front section 48, a rear section 58, a left side section 70 and a right side section 64. As shown in
The tray-seat 30, as shown in
As illustrated in
The tray also includes means for supporting a cane. As seen in
As illustrated in
As shown in
It is clear that the multipurpose combined, removable tray-seat can be readily adapted to fit various types of walkers, including the INVACARE® dual release walkers. The tray-seat is readily detached and easily mounted for use by impaired persons, such as those who have suffered a stroke or the like.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments it is apparent that modifications and variations thereof may be made which will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
