Supportive device for walking

A cane or walking stick includes a grasping mechanism and optionally includes prongs for providing the user with traction in ice or snow. The preferred embodiment includes a scissor action grasping mechanism that is controlled by the user of the cane. The grasping mechanism is disposed at the lower end of the cane, while the handle for controlling the grasping mechanism is strategically provided by the handle of the cane. The jaws of the grasping mechanism may be optionally foldable from a stored, out-of-the-way position to an extended position for use. To provide traction, the ends of the jaws may be provided with grips such as prongs. Similarly, the end of the cane may also be provided with a prong, and the prong may be retracted for indoor use on floors and the like and for use out- of-doors during warm weather.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
I. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to supportive devices for walking. 
More particularly, the present invention relates to a supportive device 
for walking having attached thereto a grasping mechanism. Optionally 
provided on the supportive device are prongs for providing the user with 
traction in ice or snow. 
II. Description of the Relevant Art 
Supports for walking are commonly provided in the forms of canes or walking 
sticks. At one time it was very popular for gentlemen to use walking 
sticks to satisfy the demands of fashion. This is still the case in some 
cultures. 
Walking sticks have taken on many forms. They have been modified to include 
umbrellas and concealed weapons. However, for the most part, like the 
dress walking stick used to comply with fashion trends, these 
modifications have also been made for use by people who really do not need 
support. 
For the most part, people use canes or walking sticks because they suffer 
from an ailment or an ancient injury that limits their mobility. The cane 
is used to provide the user having unsure legs with a "third leg" of 
certain dependability. 
People who depend upon a cane for support in motion have an interest in 
generally limiting their mobility for the same reason they need the cane 
in the first place: it is simply difficult to get about. Some of these 
people live alone or, if living with others, generally prefer not to have 
to trouble other people for assistance. This becomes a problem, however, 
when the cane user requires an article of manageable size that is 
available, but is out of reach. Even if this article is only a few feet 
away, if it is beyond the arm's length of the individual, this becomes a 
problem. 
A method of allowing a cane user the ability to use the cane for increasing 
his reach seemed useful, and indeed, in some situations and according to 
the needs of the particular individual, a necessity. 
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,346,038 and 2,836,188, issued to Mason (on Apr. 4, 
1944) and Jordan (on May 27, 1958), respectively, pickup canes are 
disclosed. Both patents illustrate canes having a single retractable 
finger-like extension that utilizes the base of the cane as the fixed cam 
and the extension as the movable jaw. While providing a rudimentary method 
of grasping, both of these devices suffer from the limitation that the 
single extension is not able to efficiently grasp articles. 
Accordingly, there still remains the need for a cane or walking stick that 
is capable of assisting the user in efficiently grasping and carrying 
articles. With such a device, the user need not move from a resting 
position every time he needs to bring an article close. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The present invention provides a supportive device for walking that 
includes a grasping mechanism that overcomes the problems and limitations 
of known canes. The grasping mechanism includes a pair of jaws that 
operate with scissor-like action to grasp articles that cannot be grasped 
by canes having a single jaw. 
The grasping mechanism is disposed at the lower end of the cane, while the 
handle for controlling the grasping mechanism is strategically provided by 
the handle of the cane. A control rod is provided between the pair of jaws 
and the handle. A spring is provided to hold the jaws in an open position 
by providing resistance against the jaws at a point about which they 
pivot. 
The pair of jaws are optionally constructed so that they are able to 
reversibly pivot from a stored, out-of-the way position to an extended, 
operational position. 
To further increase the general utility of the present invention, the cane 
is provided with accessories that increase traction on ice or snow. The 
tip of conventional canes is well suited for tile, wood or linoleum 
floors, and has some advantage on pavement. However, in snow or ice, this 
attachment is quite useless. 
To overcome this limitation, the present invention is provided with grips 
fashioned as prongs on the ends of the jaws. A third grip is optionally 
provided as a retractable prong on the end of the cane. 
Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent 
from the following detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The drawings disclose the preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
While the configurations according to the illustrated embodiments are 
preferred, it is envisioned that alternate configurations of the present 
invention may be adopted without deviating from the invention as 
portrayed. The preferred embodiments are discussed hereafter. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a supportive device according to the present invention 
is illustrated, and is generally indicated as 10. The device 10 includes 
an upper handle region 12 and a lower ground-contacting region 14. An 
elongated member 16 interconnects the handle region 12 and the 
ground-contacting region 14. The elongated member 16 is shown here as 
being adjustable by means of a button 18 that may be selectively fitted 
into one of several button-receiving holes 20. 
A grasping mechanism is provided and is shown as 22. The mechanism 22 
includes a handle 24 and a jaw assembly 26. Interconnecting the handle 24 
and the jaw assembly 26 is a connecting rod 28. The length of the rod 28 
may be adjusted by threading an upper rod half 30 into or out of the 
thread-receiving lower rod half 32. 
The handle 24 is pivotably attached to a handle bracket 34. According to 
this type of bracket 34, the assembly is snapped onto the elongated member 
16. Other brackets are illustrated and discussed below. 
The jaw assembly 26 is similarly attached to the elongated member 16 by 
means of a pair of brackets 36, 36'. The jaw assembly 26 includes a pair 
of movable jaws 38, 38'. The jaws 38, 38' are movable from a grasping to a 
non-grasping position as illustrated by the arrows "A". To improve the 
grasp of the movable jaws 38, 38', each is fitted with a sleeve 40 
preferably composed of a polymerized material. 
Referring to FIG. 2, a close-up, detailed view of the jaw assembly 26 is 
illustrated looking at it from a front view. This view clearly illustrates 
the expanded, non-grasping position of the jaws 38, 38'. The grasping 
position of the jaws 38, 38' is shown in shadow lines. A pair of 
intermediate arms 39, 39' pivotably interconnect the jaws 38, 38' and the 
connecting rod 28. 
The jaw assembly 26 includes, in addition to the jaws 38, 38', a fixed base 
48. The base 48 is attached to the elongated member 16 by means of the 
brackets 34, 34'. Furthermore, the jaw assembly 26 includes a return 
spring 50 that provides resistance such that the jaws 38, 38' are 
maintained in an open, non-grasping position when at rest. This open 
position is very useful when the device 10 is fitted with the optional 
traction accessories, as discussed below. 
A pivoting assembly 42 provides the jaws 38, 38' with the leveraging 
necessary to furnish strong grasping movement of the jaws 38, 38'. As may 
be understood, this construction provides the jaw assembly 26 with 
increased force, thereby allowing the user to pick up and firmly grasp 
even otherwise hard-to-hold articles. 
To further increase the grasping ability of the jaw assembly 26, each 
sleeve 40 preferably includes a raised holding pad 44. The pad 44 is 
preferably composed of a resilient material, thereby allowing the user to 
maintain a firm grasp on the selected article, even if it is of a delicate 
nature. 
As discussed above, a further feature of the present invention is increased 
traction for use on ice and the like. This traction is provided for in the 
form of prongs 46 that are optionally provided at the ends of each of the 
jaws 38, 38'. The prongs 46 provide the user with a proper grasp of the 
ice. The prongs 46 may be replaced with cleats or multi-pointed assemblies 
(not shown). 
As noted above, when fitted with the optional prongs 46, the spaced apart, 
at rest position of the jaws 38, 38' provides the device 10 with 
considerable traction and stability. 
Referring to FIG. 2, a detailed side view of the jaw assembly 26 is 
illustrated. This view more clearly illustrates the relationship between 
the pivoting assembly 42 and the end of the connecting rod 28, which is 
bent in an "L" shape to cooperate with openings in the pivoting assembly 
42. 
As noted above, the base 48 of the jaw assembly 26 is fixedly attached to 
the elongated member 16. The brackets 36, 36' shown and discussed above 
with respect to FIG. 1 are of the snap type, frictionally held in place on 
the elongated member 16. However, to more permanently fix the jaw assembly 
26 (and the handle 24 [not shown]) to the elongated member 16, the base 48 
may be fitted thereto by means of permanent clamps 52, 52'. These clamps 
are of the clam shell type, and include a bottom half 54 (attached to the 
base 48) and a top half 56. A fastener 58 is provided to hold one half to 
the other. 
It should be understood that while the embodiments illustrated show the 
handle 24 and the jaw assembly 26 fixed to the elongated member 16 by 
means of clamps, it is also envisioned that the handle 24 and the assembly 
26 may be fixed directly to the member 16 by means of fasteners such as 
screws, or, in the event that the member 16 is composed of a polymerized 
material, may be attached to molded fittings. It should also be noted that 
certain portions of the grasping mechanism 33, such as the connecting rod 
40, may be included inside the elongated member 16. 
Referring to FIG. 4, a supportive device, generally illustrated as 100, is 
shown. This device 100 is an alternate embodiment of the device 10 
discussed above and shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. 
According to this embodiment, a handle 124 is provided to operate a jaw 
assembly 126. These components are substantially identical to their 
counterparts discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 through 3 except the 
jaw assembly 126, which includes an assembly base 127, is itself pivotably 
attached to the member 116 such that the assembly 126 may be reversibly 
swung from an operational position as illustrated to a stored position 
(not illustrated) by pivoting the assembly 126 at pivot point 102 in the 
direction of arrow "B". A pivoting knuckle 104 is fitted on a connecting 
rod 128 to interconnect a lower rod half 106 and an upper rod half 108. 
In its down-folded, operational position, the jaw assembly 126 is held to 
an elongated member 116 by a snap-type fastener that includes a plunger 
110 and a plunger receptacle 112. The user selectively moves the jaw 
assembly 126 from one position to the other. 
To further enhance the traction of the present invention when used on ice, 
and in addition to the prongs 46 identified with respect to FIG. 2, a 
third grip, a prong 114, is retractably provided at the ground-contacting 
end of the member 116. The prong 114 may be selectively controlled by the 
user by operation of a trigger 118. When the trigger 118 is squeezed, an 
interconnecting shaft 120 extends the prong 114 beyond the base of a tip 
122 provided at the end of the member 116. A spring 130 provides slight 
resistive force to return the prong 114 into the end of the member 116 
when not in use, thus allowing the device 100 to be used on other, 
non-iced surfaces without leaving scratches. 
When the prong 116 is used in conjunction with the prong 46 described 
above, a three-point support system is provided, thus giving the user not 
only considerable traction on ice, but also remarkable stability. The 
stability feature, of course, may also be achieved on embodiments of the 
present invention that do not have the traction feature, but nevertheless 
have the advantage of three-point support as provided by the tip of the 
cane and the tips of the jaws. 
Having described my invention, however, many modifications thereto will 
become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without 
deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the 
appended claims.