This disclosure relates generally to assistive mobility devices and more particularly to a collapsible wheeled weight bearing walker or rollator.
Assistive mobility devices, including walkers or rollators, are well known in the art as useful means for reducing the disadvantages of mobility impairment suffered for many different reasons by many people, permitting more efficient ambulation over distance and thereby increased independence and improved life quality. Data from the National Long Term Care Survey suggests that increased use of assistive technology may have helped reduce disability at older ages [Manton, et al., “Changes in the Use of Personal Assistance and Special Equipment from 1982 to 1989: Results from the 1982 and 1989 NLTCS,” Gerontologist 33(2):168-76 (April 1993)]. As life expectancy increases over the decades the mobility-impaired population increases much faster than the general population [LaPlante et al., “Demographics and Trends in Wheeled Mobility Equipment Use and Accessibility in the Community,” Assistive Technology, 22, 3-17, (2010)]. Accordingly, there has long been a growing demand for improved mobility assistance devices adaptable for improving ambulation for mobility-limited persons.
Martins et al. [Martins et al., Assistive Mobility Devices focusing on Smart Walkers: Classification and Review, Robotics and Autonomous Systems 60 (4), April 2012, pp. 548-562] classifies mobility assistance devices into the alternative devices intended for those with total loss of independent mobility (wheelchairs or autonomous powered vehicles) and assistive or augmentative devices for those with residual mobility capacity (prostheses, crutches, canes and walkers). For several reasons, most impaired individuals prefer to avoid the alternative devices associated with total incapacity. Similarly, the rehabilitation profession strongly prefers the assistive devices, which may be used for physical therapy and as mobility-training devices. Accordingly, there has long been a growing demand for improved assistive devices adapted for use by the less disabled who otherwise cannot move independently with existing assistive devices and are forced to rely on alternative devices such as wheelchairs and powered scooters.
As one type of assistive device, many wheeled walkers or rollators have been developed and are available on the market for the benefit of mobility impaired individual. U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,004 issued to Cowie et al. discloses a typical rollator that has a right side frame and a left side frame supported by front wheels and rear wheels, a seat extended between the two side frames for the rollator user to sit on, and two handles extended from the upper structures of the side frames for grasping by the user. The rollator, including the seat, is foldable from side-to-side. However, such an assistive device has many well-known disadvantages. One notable disadvantage is that the user needs to extend her of his hands downward to grasp the handles to support her or his body weight, so relatively significant hand and arm strength is needed to operate and maneuver the device. Over the time in this type of walker, a user may develop a stooping or a forward leaning posture to avoid a hobbled gait. A stooping posture stresses the user's back and arms, compresses internal organs including heart and lung, and restrains circulations. Moreover, such posture may increase the risk of tipping forward when encountering terrain obstacles. A seat in a walker, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,004, has the benefit of allowing the user to sit down for resting. But the disclosed seat constructed between the right and left side frames blocks the space available inside the walker footprint. Consequently, the user is forced to step behind the walker footprint to avoid kicking into the seat. This also encourages a stooping posture.
There has long been a clearly-felt need in the art for improved assistive devices to better help those who suffer from mobility impairment. The commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 9,585,807 issued to Fellingham et al. discloses an upright wheeled walker with armrests that support sufficient user upper-body weight to facilitate a natural upright gait. The wheeled walker has two side frames that may be collapsed and folded and two side upper supports that may be lowered, to reduce the walker width and height for storage and transportation. A large polygonal space is created inside the walker device to prevent the user from kicking into the walker structure. With improved walking posture, the user can walk longer and get more physical exercises, thereby promoting circulation and overall health, and therapeutic effects for certain diseases, or after surgery or injury. The wheeled walker apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,585,807 has improved lateral and longitudinal stability and therefore better safety for the user. This is accomplished by improving frame and connection sturdiness. The result is reduced wobbling of the upper support structure.
However, the wheeled walker of U.S. Pat. No. 9,585,807 does not include a seat. After walking for a distance when the user feels tired and wants to sit down to take a rest, the device does not provide such a seat. U.S. Pat. No. 9,744,094 issued to Liu et al. discloses a walker apparatus having a seat connected to the upright side frames. This seat is similar to the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,004 discussed above, and is of a typical type provided in walkers known to practitioners. Disadvantageously, when the space inside the walker footprint is occupied by such a seat, the user is obliged to step behind the walker footprint and to lean over to reach the walker handles, thus an unhealthy walking posture.
This walker footprint problem is resolved by the collapsible combination chair/walker disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,020 issued to Harroun. The combination chair/walker includes a removable seat that is detachably mounted on intermediate level side rails. Removing the seat leaves ample space inside the walker footprint for walking and standing. Disadvantageously, such a seat is not permanently attached to the walker and the necessary mounting and unmounting process is complicated and tedious. Moreover, the seat member may get lost during use, storage and transportation. U.S. Pat. No. 9,662,264 issued to Jacobs discloses a front entry upright walker that includes a seat that is connected with the frame to pivot between a deployed horizontal position where a user may sit upon and a stowed vertical position to allow a user to walk within the space. However, the disclosed walker structure has a weak connection between the left to right side frames that cannot provide a sturdy and stable walker frame during walking when the seat is flipped up at its stowed position.
Other improvements have been proposed for wheeled walkers. For example, it has been proposed to provide a combination assistive-alternative device for impaired users who have limited capability to operate a walker independently. Such a user may benefit from a walker for exercise or physical therapy, but must be transported in a transport chair or wheelchair by a helper after walking for awhile. U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,102 issued to Houston discloses a powered wheelchair that provides a movable seat to make space and allow the user to stand up inside the device footprint. Since this device does not allow the user to walk or stand up on the ground, its therapeutic effect is limited. And, the electrical components and complicated mechanisms of the device make it un-foldable, heavy and not easy to transport in a car, and costly to purchase. U.S. Application Pub. No. US 20170209319 by Fawcett et al. discloses an elevating chair walker that has a seat elevated by a parallelogram power unit to lower and higher positions and is convertible between a wider seat to sit and a narrower saddle to ride. The device allows the user to stroll, stride and coast, and relatively easily sit down and rise up, all in a functionally equipoised and weightless condition. Nevertheless, the walker chair surrounds the user from behind, so the user essentially pulls the device along when using it. Accordingly, such a device may be a good choice for one with limited mobility to use in or around the residence, for example, to walk or ride inside a house and to do chores and activities. But it does not provide benefits for outdoor use because one with limited mobility and balance needs the walker frame and support in front to lean on and provide a sense of security.
Other improvements have been proposed for individuals who are impaired or paralyzed on one side of the body because of health conditions such as stroke or neurological disorder. Such a user cannot control the walking direction of a wheeled walker. Thus, it would be advantageous to improve the walker device to be configured so that all wheels move in straight line.
Ease of use improvements have also been proposed. For example, walker or rollator devices usually have height adjustment mechanisms to fit individuals of different height. When a user gets a walker, however, he or she will try the walker including setting a preferred height for him or her to use. Since the user's height changes little over time, theoretically the height adjustment should be done only once. However, there will be needs time and again to collapse the walker device to its minimal size, including the smallest height, for storage and transportation purpose. This means that the device will need to be opened up for use, and height setting will need to be repeated time after time. It would be advantageous, therefore, if the preferred height, after being set, can be kept or memorized by a specially designed device.
These unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the inventive subject matter of this disclosure in the manner described below.
According to one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a rollator for use on a walking surface for a user having one or two forearms. The rollator includes a frame having a first side frame and a second side frame extending along respective ones of a spaced, generally parallel pair of planes. The first side frame and the second side frame each include at least one curved tube. A plurality of wheel assemblies are coupled to the frame for supporting the frame above the walking surface. A first upper body support is coupled to and disposable at an adjustable height above the first side frame. A second upper body support is coupled to and disposable at an adjustable height above the second side frame. A pair of forearm gutters are coupled to respective ones of the first and second upper body supports for engaging and supporting a respective forearm of the user during use. Each forearm gutter includes a peripheral edge, a forward midpoint on the peripheral edge, and a rearward midpoint on the peripheral edge. Each forearm gutter defines a longitudinal axis bisecting the respective forearm gutter and passing through the forward midpoint and the rearward midpoint. The forward midpoint and the rearward midpoint on each forearm gutter reside between each of the pair of planes.
The forward midpoint and the rearward midpoint on each forearm gutter may be spaced from each of the pair of planes.
The pair of planes may extend through respective ones of the first side frame and the second side frame. The pair of planes may extend through a respective pair of the plurality of wheel assemblies.
Each forearm gutter may define a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the respective forearm gutter and bisecting the respective forearm gutter. Each forearm gutter may have a centerpoint at the intersection of the transverse axis and the longitudinal axis. A first distance may be defined between the centerpoints of the pair of forearm gutters, and a second distance may be defined between the two opposing side planes. The first distance may be less than the second distance.
The first side frame and the second side frame may include a curved front tube and a curved rear tube.
The rollator may additionally include a seat member translatably coupled to the frame.
The rollator may further comprise a plurality of wheel direction locks each coupled to the frame above a respective wheel assembly. Each wheel direction lock may include a wheel direction lock element adapted to insert into a lock depression in a respective wheel fork to lock the respective wheel fork relative to the frame.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, there may be provided a rollator for use on a walking surface for a user having one or two forearms. The rollator includes a frame having a first side frame and a second side frame extending along respective ones of a spaced, generally parallel pair of planes. A plurality of wheel assemblies are coupled to the frame for supporting the frame above the walking surface. A first upper body support is coupled to and disposable at an adjustable height above the first side frame. A second upper body support is coupled to and disposable at an adjustable height above the second side frame. A pair of forearm gutters are coupled to respective ones of the first and second upper body supports for engaging and supporting a respective forearm of the user during use. Each forearm gutter defines a longitudinal axis bisecting the respective forearm gutter, with at least a majority of the longitudinal axis that extends along the corresponding forearm gutter residing between each of the pair of planes.
The entirety of the longitudinal axis extending along the corresponding forearm gutter may reside between the pair of planes.
The rollator may further comprise an X-folder apparatus including an anterior element having two ends and a posterior element having two ends. The anterior element may be rotatably coupled to the posterior element. A first end of the anterior element may be rotatably coupled to the first side frame, and a first end of the posterior element may be rotatably coupled to the second side frame, such that rotation of the anterior element and the posterior element may be adapted to move the X-folder between an open X-folder state and a closed X-folder state. The first end of the anterior element may be rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the first side frame at two locations disposed at a first horizontal distance, and the first end of the posterior element of the X-folder may be rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the second side frame at two locations disposed at a second horizontal distance, such that the first horizontal distance and the second horizontal distance may be selected to dispose the first side frame into substantial parallel disposition with the second side frame.
According to a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a rollator for use on a walking surface for a user having one or two forearms. The rollator includes a frame having a first side frame and a second side frame extending along respective ones of a spaced, generally parallel pair of planes. A plurality of wheel assemblies are coupled to the frame for supporting the frame above the walking surface. A first upper body support is coupled to and is disposable at an adjustable height above the first side frame. A second upper body support is coupled to and is disposable at an adjustable height above the second side frame. A pair of forearm gutters are coupled to respective ones of the first and second upper body supports for engaging and supporting a respective forearm of the user during use, with a majority of each forearm gutter being positioned between the pair of planes.
The foregoing, together with other objects, features and advantages of the subject matter of this disclosure, can be better appreciated with reference to the following specification, claims and the accompanying drawing.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following detailed description of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like reference designations represent like features throughout the several views and wherein:
As constructed, frame 110 forms a polygonal footprint 104 on walking surface 102. Wheel assemblies 105A-D each includes a respective wheel 106A-D and a respective wheel fork 108A-D, that is coupled to frame 110 at a vertex that is a corresponding front or rear frame joint. Each frame joint above the respective wheel assembly is coupled with a wheel direction lock 500A-B to control wheel movement direction. More details of wheel direction lock 500A-B will be depicted in connection with
Wheeled walker 100 further includes an upper body support 128 having a left side upper body support 130A and a right side upper body support 130B. Each upper body support 130A-B includes a respective forearm gutter 138A-B attached to an upper support joint 136A-B to support a forearm 710A-B of user 700 (
On each upper handle support tube 142A-B just below respective upper handle 140A-B is further attached a respective brake lever 146A-B, that is connected to a respective brake 580 (
Each upper support joint 136A-B is connected to a respective height adjustment tube 132A-B, in addition to respective forearm gutter 138A-B and respective upper handle support tube 142A-B. Each height adjustment tube 132A-B is threaded through a hole inside respective frame top joint 124A-B, and is preferably tilted rearward for about 0-15 degrees off from the vertical axis that is perpendicular to walking surface 102. The height of each side upper body support 130A-B is therefore adjustable by moving the respective height adjustment tube 132A-B up and down relative to respective frame top joint 124A-B, and may be locked in place by a height adjustment tab 134A-B. More details of upper body support height adjustment are described below in connection with
Referring to
From the structure of X-folder 400 shown in
Also from viewing
It is an advantage of the apparatus of this disclosure that walker stability and user safety during use are optimized. Stability and safety are important because many impaired users are in poor health conditions with limited balancing capability. The triangular shape of delta plates 406 or 408 of X-folder 400 at each side ensures a relatively large horizontal span in the front to back direction of walker 100 between lower hinges 410A and 410C or lower hinges 410B and 410D to connect to respective side horizontal tube 114A-B. This relatively large span between lower hinges 410A and 410C or between lower hinges 410B and 410D may also be achieved through other means. For example, anterior bar 402 may be affixed to a rigid bar that is connected to hinges 410A and 410C, and posterior bar 404 may be affixed to another rigid bar that is connected to hinges 410B and 410D. Preferably, the distance between lower hinges 410A and 410C and the distance between lower hinges 410B and 410D are both greater than 10 inches. Each pair of outward curved frame front tube 116A-B and frame rear tube 118A-B ensures that respective seat rail 312A-B is relatively long, and thus a relatively large upper span between respective seat rail holders 314A-B and 316A-B. Preferably, the distance between the rail holders 314A-B and 316A-B at each side is greater than 10 inches. And it is further preferred that this span distance is greater than 15 inches.
Coupled with properly constructed anterior bar 402 and posterior bar 404, the large lower spans and the large upper spans as defined above ensure the whole frame is rigid and especially that left frame 112A and right frame 112B are kept substantially parallel to each other even under force during use. When wheeled walker 100 is at its open state, the large lower spans on the left side and right side keep the lower portion of left side frame 112A and the lower portion of right side frame 112B at the same distance from front to back. And the large upper spans on the left side and right side do the same thing for the upper portions of the two side frames. Further, the large lower spans and upper spans together with a stiff X-folder 400 keep the plane of left side frame 112A and the plane of right side frame 112B not rotating with each other. Thus the whole frame 110 is rigid and stable during use, especially when walking surface 102 is bumpy. Anterior bar 402 and posterior bar 404 are constructed in such a way to achieve required stiffness in order to stand with bending and distortion. It is preferred that material elastic modulus, cross-sectional shape, reinforcement, location and size of holes on the bars be selected to facilitate the purposes and features of the apparatus of this disclosure. For cross-sectional shape consideration for anterior bar 402 and posterior bar 404, for example, a tube is in general better than a solid bar, and a square tube is in general better than a round tube.
The distance between front wheels 106A-B and rear wheels 106C-D and the positioning of forearm gutters 138A-B are preferably selected to facilitate the purposes and features of the apparatus of this disclosure. For example, during walking when front wheels 106A-B hit a rough terrain on walker surface 102, such as an obstacle or a rock, the horizontal distance between front wheels 106A-B and forearm gutters 138A-B is preferably selected to keep walker 100 from tipping forward. The longer this distance, the safer it is for forward tipping over. Further, the distance between front wheels 106A-B and rear wheels 106C-D is preferably selected to be long enough to allow the user to walk between the left and right frames and inside the walker. In this way, backward tipping can be effectively prevented. A sufficient front-to-rear wheel distance also helps create an adequate span 160, as shown in
The inventor has considered ergonomics and user comfort in optimizing the apparatus of this disclosure. Upper body support 128 is thus constructed to best fit user's body structure. Upper handle support tubes 142A-B and forearm gutters 138A-B are tilted upward in the rear-to-front direction about 10-20 degrees. The top view of
Seat system 300 can provide the user with other conveniences. For example, when the seat is moved to and located at the anterior position it may be used to carry items, such as a shopping bag, when a user is walking inside it. Or, it may serve as a coffee table on occasion.
Referring to
Referring back to
The weight of wheeled walker 100 is another important factor for portability. To achieve lightweight and proper strength, tubular structures are preferred for the main structures, such as the side frames and the upper body support tubes. Preferably these tubular structures are made of light in weight materials, such as aluminum alloys 6061 or 6063. And, preferably the connection joints are made of molded plastic for weight and strength considerations. As such, the folded walker with lightweight may be easily handled, including being lifted up and loaded in a car trunk or a van for transportation.
Wheeled walker apparatus 200 of
In
By rotating anterior bar 452 and posterior bar 454 with respect to each other pivoting center hinge 462, anterior bar 452 and posterior bar 454 either move toward near vertical positions or move toward near horizontal positions, as in the case of X-folder 400 on wheeled walker 100 of
In
When seat member 352 moves along seat rails 362A-B to its posterior position for sitting and the anterior position for walking, the height of the seat changes due to the sloped seat rails. The angle of the sloped seat rails is determined to fit the proper sitting height while proving a front seat height for other conveniences.
As with X-folder 400 of in wheeled walker 100 of
The cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the slidable seat disclosed in
Going to
An alternative embodiment of wheel direction lock 500A is shown in
Therefore, wheel direction lock 500A of
In
In the embodiments of wheel direction locks shown in
Wheel direction lock 500A-D, as discussed above in connection with
A user may experience weakness or even paralysis in one side of the body due to special health conditions such as stroke and neurological disorders. Such a user may struggle to control wheeled walker 100 if the front wheels are configured to turn freely. In this case, all the wheel direction locks, including 500A for the front wheels, may be locked to set wheels 106A-D to move in straight line. It may be necessary for a helper to the user to turn the walker left or right when necessary.
Should a user roll wheeled walker 100 into a small space, he or she may unlock wheel direction locks 500A-B for all four wheels to allow front wheels 106A-B and rear wheels 106C-D to freely turn. With all four wheels freely turning, wheeled walker 100 is most maneuverable and may take the sharpest turn. As another example, if wheeled walker need to be stored or shipped in a box, the front wheels and the rear wheels may be configured to point to each other in order to minimize the front to back length.
Referring to
The precise mating between height adjustment tube 132B and the hole in frame top joint 124B is an important feature of the apparatus of this disclosure. The usual manufacturing tolerances create a gap between these two parts. If the gap is too large, upper body support 130B will become loose and wobbling, and the walker user will feel unstable and unsafe during use. So it is preferred that the gap is minimized for user's best satisfaction. However, any dimension of a manufactured part has a tolerance range. For height adjustment tube 132B and the hole in frame top joint 124B, the outer dimension of the tube may fall in a range from part to part, as may the inner dimension of the hole in the joint from part to part. As shown in
A solution to this problem is revealed in
Returning to
As previously noted, various attributes of the wheeled walker (e.g., rollator) 100 may be directed toward enhancing the stability thereof. Along these lines, certain embodiments of the wheeled walker 100 may include forearm gutters 138A-B specifically sized, structured, and positioned to enhance the stability of the wheeled walker 100. To illustrate the stability enhancing features of the forearm gutters 138A-B, reference is made to
According to one aspect of this disclosure, each side plane 139A-B may pass through a contact point of a front wheel with an underlying surface and a contact point of a rear wheel with the underlying surface. As shown in
Each forearm gutter 138A-B may include a peripheral edge 141A-B, a forward midpoint 143A-B on the peripheral edge 141A-B, and a rearward midpoint 145A-B on the peripheral edge 141A-B. Each forearm gutter 138A-B may define a longitudinal axis 147A-B bisecting the respective forearm gutter 138A-B and passing through the forward midpoint 143A-B and the rearward midpoint 145A-B. The forward midpoint 143A-B and the rearward midpoint 145A-B on each forearm gutter 138A-B may reside between the two opposing side planes 139A-B. As shown in
Each forearm gutter 138A-B may also define a transverse axis 149A-B perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 147A-B of the respective forearm gutter 138A-B and bisecting the respective forearm gutter 138A-B. Each forearm gutter 138A-B may have a midpoint 151A-B at the intersection of the transverse axis 149A-B and the longitudinal axis 147A-B. The midpoints 151A-B may be spaced from each other by a distance X, which may be less than a distance Y separating the opposing planes 139A-B. Furthermore, the midpoints 151A-B may be spaced from the respective side planes 139A-B by a distance D3, which is greater than the distance D2, but less than the distance D1.
Each forearm gutter 138A-B may be sized and configured such that a majority of the longitudinal axis 147A-B extending along the corresponding forearm gutter 138A-B resides between the two opposing side planes 139A-B. In one embodiment, the entirety of the longitudinal axis 147A-B extending along the corresponding forearm gutter 138A-B from the forward midpoint 143A-B to the rearward midpoint 145A-B may reside between the two opposing side planes 139A-B. In this regard, a majority of each forearm gutter 138A-B may be positioned between the two opposing side planes 139A-B.
Clearly, other embodiments and modifications of the subject matter of this disclosure may occur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings. Therefore, this disclosure includes all such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings.
This application is a continuation of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 16/150,187, filed Oct. 2, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/569,108, filed on Oct. 6, 2017, the contents of all the aforementioned applications being expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. This application is related by common inventorship and subject matter to the commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/871,609 filed on Jan. 15, 2018, and the commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/874,880 filed on Jan. 19, 2018, and the commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/876,112 filed on Jan. 20, 2018, which are entirely incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16150187 | Oct 2018 | US |
Child | 16836763 | US |