A therapeutic walker has features which permit its use by persons with varying degrees of disability and is capable of adaptation to be used in different ways as the level of disability diminishes. A walker frame extends substantially around three sides of the region occupied by person using the walker and a removable closure bar is attached across the frame on its open side. An elongated crotch-cradling panel of flexible material is removably attached between the closure bar and the frame on the opposite side of the walker. The person using the walker straddles the crotch-cradling panel which is adjustable in length for persons of different sizes. The legs of the walker are adjustable in height and terminate in removable or retractable casters. A person using the walker can either sit down on the seat or stand up in the walker (with appropriate adjustments being made in the length of the legs). In more severe cases of disability, the caster wheels are employed and the seat acts as a safety feature if the person using the walker should stumble or fall, since it will catch the person and prevent or minimize injury. For persons with less disability, the seat may be removed and the casters may be removed or retracted; so that the walker can be used in a conventional manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Walkers have been used for many years by elderly persons who are somewhat 
feeble to assist them in walking unattended and to protect them against 
falling. Such walkers also have been utilized by physically handicapped 
persons and convalescent patients who are undergoing rehabilitation from 
long periods during which they were bed-ridden. The standard walker 
comprises a metal frame with a front portion and rearwardly-extending side 
portions forming hand grips at a convenient height for the person using 
the walker. Usually the frame has four legs extending from it. In use, a 
person moves ahead by picking up the walker frame and moving it ahead a 
short distance. A step or two then is taken and the process is repeated, 
with the walker supporting the weight of the person during the times that 
steps are being taken. Such walkers, however, are not capable of use by 
more seriously physically handicapped persons and convalescent patients 
requiring substantial partial or almost total support during the walking 
process. 
Various attempts have been made in the past to provide a walker which is 
capable of utilization by more severely handicapped or convalescent 
patients. One such walker, which is usable through various stages of 
rehabilitation, is disclosed in the patent to Andow, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,778,052. This walker comprises a wheeled support structure which defines 
an open framework enclosure extending at or above the head of the person 
using it. The enclosure includes an adjustable height crotch sling and 
belt assembly which is suspended from the upper from (over the head). This 
assembly is attached to the handicapped person or convalescent patient. 
Opposite side rails defining hand rails, comparable to conventional walker 
hand rails, also are provided, and these hand rails may be gripped by the 
person using the walker. In addition, the walker includes adjustable 
crutch heads for positioning beneath the armpits of the person using the 
walker. The legs of the walker are provided with casters, so that it 
readily rolls from place to place. The structure of the walker of the 
Andow Patent is large and cumbersome. In addition, the crotch sling 
support mechanism is somewhat unstable since it is suspended from a point 
over the head of the person using the walker. Consequently, if that person 
should fall, there is a possibility that the walker might tip over. The 
crotch sling apparatus of the Andow walker also involves a large number of 
straps and hooks causing it to be expensive and difficult to adjust and 
put on. 
Another approach to a safety walker, incorporating some of the features of 
the Andow walker, is disclosed in the patent to Stillings, U.S. Pat. No. 
4,342,465. This walker resembles the walkers used by toddlers who are just 
beginning to learn to walk. The height of the Stillings walker is more of 
a conventional walker height than the one disclosed in the Andow Patent. 
The walker of Stillings has a framework which is in two sections hinged 
together at one side. The sections can be opened with respect to one 
another to admit entry of a handicapped person. After entry of the 
handicapped person, the hinged sections are rigidly locked together. A 
vertically adjustable seat is supported within the framework adjacent the 
rear portion and a number of legs are provided, terminating in casters to 
permit the walker to be rolled along a surface. Once the handicapped 
person is located in the walker, a cushioned support cord is extended from 
the front of the seat and is attached to the front portion of the 
framework. This support cord functions as a saddle to partially support 
the weight of the person using the walker if that person stumbles and 
begins to fall while utilizing the walker. The support bars for the seat, 
however, may interfere with the normal walking motion of a person using 
the walker if the person does not stand close to the front of the walker 
during use. This interference could result in inhibiting the use of the 
walker by handicapped persons. In addition, the hard seat does not provide 
protection against falls to the rear in the event the handicapped person 
should lose his or her balance and fall backward. 
Another approach to providing a walker for convalescing patients or 
relatively severely handicapped patients is disclosed in the patent to 
Duke, U.S. Pat. No. 2,459,066. This patent has a three-sided walker frame 
of generally standard configuration. The legs, however, terminate in 
caster wheels. An adjustable bar, provided with a cushioned saddle 18, 
extends from the front of the walker between the legs of the person using 
it. This bar may be adjusted to a location sufficient to support part of 
the weight of the person using the walker or to a position where it does 
not support any weight but where it is available in case the person using 
the walker becomes tired or should stumble and being to fall. Auxiliary 
crutches also are provided for adjustment under the armpits of the user to 
also support part of the weight of the user during use of the device. The 
device of Duke does not subject the user to the cross bars which are 
present in the Stillings Patent; but the crotch support member of Duke 
does not provide side-to-side freedom of movement because it is rigid. The 
Duke device also has a low center of gravity so that it is not subject to 
the instability of the Andow apparatus but, if a person using the walker 
of Duke should tend to fall backward, the open back of the walker provides 
no safety whatsoever. 
The patent to Goldberg, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,088, discloses a rolling 
seat type of walker apparatus utilizing a bicycle seat mounted within an 
otherwise standard walker provided with caster wheels on its legs. The 
device of Goldberg is intended to provide ambulatory exercise aid to a 
patient, but it is not intended to permit the patient to stand up or load 
his legs. Goldberg is subject to a difficulty in mounting and dismounting 
since the seat is more or less permanently located in the center of the 
walker at its pre-adjusted height. The person using the walker must 
approach it from the rear and straddle the seat and then sit down on it 
before it is capable of being used. 
In addition to the foregoing therapeutic walkers utilizing rollers and 
various types of full or partial support for persons using the walker, 
invalid walkers have been provided with seats for use during times when 
the person using the walker becomes tired or needs to rest. Typical of 
devices of this type is the one disclosed in the patent to Frank, U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,798,533. This patent employs a fold-down seat in an otherwise 
standard walker. Normally, the seat is moved up out of the way and the 
walker is used in its normal fashion. When the person using the walker, 
however, becomes tired, the seat may be pulled downward to rest on a 
support bar provided for that purpose. The person using the walker then 
simply turns around and sits down on the seat to rest. A number of 
variations of this type of combined walker/chair have been provided in the 
past. The seat, however, is not used during the time the walker is 
employed to assist a patient in moving from one point to another. When the 
seat is down, the walker is used as a chair in a permanent location. 
It is desirable to provide a simple, safe and easy-to-use therapeutic 
device, which is capable of use during the recovery of a convalescent 
patient during different stages, beginning with the requirement of 
considerable support and progressing through stages of lesser support. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved 
therapeutic walker. 
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved therapeutic 
roller/walker capable of being used safely by a person subject to falling. 
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an improved 
therapeutic roller/walker capable of catching the weight of a person using 
it who begins to fall within the framework of the walker. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved therapeutic 
roller/walker of stable comfiguration and which readily is configured in 
different ways as the strength of a convalescing patient improves. 
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, a therapeutic 
walker includes a frame which extends around at least three sides of the 
region occupied by a person using the walker. A closure bar is movably 
attached to the frame to selectively close the fourth side of the region 
occupied by the person using the walker. An elongated crotch-cradling 
panel of flexible material is attached between the movable closure bar and 
the portion of the frame which is diametrically opposite the closure bar, 
so that the panel is draped in a generally U-shaped configuration. This 
panel is removably attached at at least one end to permit it to be secured 
in place after the person using the walker enters the region surrounded by 
the frame. Legs are attached to the frame at spaced locations to maintain 
it at a desired distance above the surface on which the walker is used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Reference now should be made to the drawings in which the same reference 
numbers are used throughout the different figures to designate the same or 
similar components. Initially, reference should be made to FIG. 1 which 
illustrates the roller/walker of a preferred embodiment of the invention 
in the configuration it takes when it is used by a convalescent patient. 
The roller/walker 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes upper and lower horizontal 
tubular frame members 12 and 13 which extend across the front and toward 
the rear along both sides of the roller/walker. In FIG. 1 these frame 
members 12 and 13 are shaped to provide an open rectangular configuration, 
with the opening located at the rear of the walker. Each of the four 
corners of the rectangle thus formed is provided with vertical legs, 
having lower portions 16 attached to the frame member 13 and upper 
portions 18 which telescope into the lower portions 16. The upper portions 
18 are connected to the upper frame member 12. 
Each of the upper leg portions 18 has a series of spaced vertical holes 
located in it. These holes face toward one another and vertical adjustment 
of the top frame member 12 with respect to the bottom frame member 13 is 
effected by means of a slide lock lever mechanism 25 mounted on the side 
portions of the lower frame member 13. The details of this slide lock 
mechanism 25 are shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The mechanism 25 
mounts over an aperture 27 formed in the inward facing side of the side 
rail portions of the frame member 13. This is shown most clearly in FIG. 
4. A thumb-operated slide button 28 is mounted on the top of each 
mechanisms 20 to move forward and rearward in a slot 30, shown most 
clearly in FIG. 3. The button 28 includes an extension attached pivotally 
to one end of a pivoted lever rod 32 which extends through the slot 27 and 
pivots about a pin 34 secured in the hollow frame member 13, as shown most 
clearly in FIG. 4. 
Movement of the slide button 28 toward the rear (toward the left in FIG. 1) 
causes the lever 32 to rotate about the pin 34 to withdraw an internal rod 
40 and an external rod 41 out of engagement with corresponding holes 20 in 
the upper leg portions 18 of the front and rear legs associated with each 
of the devices 25. Thus, movement of the slide buttons 28 in both of the 
mechanisms 25 to the rear releases the upper frame member 12 of the 
roller/walker of FIG. 1, so that it may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly 
to the desired height above the member 13 and, consequently, above the 
floor on which the roller/walker 10 is to be used. 
When the proper height is obtained, the slide buttons 28 are moved to the 
front of the apparatus (to the right as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). This 
causes the lever arms 40 and 41 to extend into the holes 20 of the 
associated leg members 18 to secure the legs in place by means of the ends 
of the rods 40 and 41. Because of the off-center location of the rod 40 
within the member 13, a simple hinge 43 is provided near the end of the 
rod 40 where it enters the hole 20 in the leg 18 to insure that no binding 
takes place. 
A coil spring 45 is provided to bias the lever 32 about the pivot pin 34 in 
a direction to cause the ends of the rods 41 and 40 to be forced into 
engagement with the corresponding holes 20 in the legs 18. This is a 
"fail-safe" feature of the locking mechanism. Obviously, other types of 
locking devices for telescoping legs may be employed, if desired. The one 
illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, however, is easy to use and permits sure 
and rapid adjustment of the vertical height of the frame member 12 
relative to the floor. It also provides secure locking of the upper 
portion of the roller/walker to the lower portion when it is in use. 
The lower ends of each of the leg members 16 are terminated in a ball type 
caster 47 which may be of a conventional design. Thus, the walker easily 
rolls in any direction under the control of a person using it. 
Since the roller/walker 10 may be used by persons in early stages of 
physical rehabilitation, where such persons may be wholly incapable of 
supporting their own weight or capable of supporting their own weight only 
for short periods of time, the additional features of the roller/walker of 
FIG. 1 which are illustrated have been provided. The upper ends of both of 
the rear legs 18 are open. Since hollow tubular material is used to form 
these legs, an elongated closing bar 50, with downwardly turned ends 51 
and 52, is readily inserted into the open ends of the legs 18 to securely 
form a fourth side to the open rectangle of the top frame member 12. The 
closing bar 50 may be completely removed from the roller/walker, but in 
most cases it is preferable to simply pivot it to one side, as illustrated 
most clearly in FIG. 6, to permit ingress and egress to the interior space 
of the roller/walker 10 by the patient. To most simply accomplish this, 
the downwardly-turned end 51 of the bar 50 is longer than the end 52, as 
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. Thus, the bar may be lifted up sufficiently 
for the end 52 to clear the top of the leg 18 into which it is inserted. 
At the same time, the end 51 still remains inside the leg 18 with which it 
is associated; so that the bar 50 may be pivoted toward and away from the 
opposite leg 18, as illustrated most clearly in FIG. 6. 
To provide a significant degree of support and safety for a person 
undergoing rehabilitative walking, an elongated crotch-cradling panel 60 
made of flexible material is attached between the closure bar 50 and the 
front portion of the upper frame member 12 to drape downwardly in a 
generally U-shaped configuration, as illustrated most clearly in FIG. 1. 
The panel 60 has a wider portion 62 extending essentially from its center 
toward the rear, where it is attached to the bar 50, and a narrower 
portion 63 extending essentially from the mid-point to the front where it 
is attached to the front portion of the frame member 12. This again is 
illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 6. 
To make it as simple as possible for a patient to enter the roller/walker 
12 and to exit from the roller/walker 12, the crotch-cradling panel 60 is 
made removable from at least the closure bar 50, as indicated in FIG. 6. 
To use the device, the panel 60 is loosened; and the bar 50 is rotated to 
the position shown in FIG. 6. The panel 60 obviously will drop to the 
ground, and it is suspended at its front end over the top of the front 
portion of the frame member 12. The person who is then going to use the 
roller/walker steps into or is assisted into a standing position within 
the region defined by the frame members 12 and 13, facing the right as 
shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The bar 50 then is rotated clockwise (as shown in 
FIG. 6) to the position shown in FIG. 1 and the end 52 is inserted into 
the top of the leg 18 with which it is associated. 
The panel 60 then is pulled between the legs of the person in the walker 
and the rear portion 62 is pulled up over the top of the bar 50, wrapped 
behind it, and is fastened in one of a suitable number of metal reinforced 
fastening holes 65, formed in parallel rows on opposite sides of the 
portion 62 by means of a swivel pin fastener 67 (one of which is shown in 
detail in FIG. 5). It is apparent that adjustment of the panel 60 with 
respect to the patient who is going to use the roller/walker readily is 
effected by selecting an appropriate one of the holes 65 on each side of 
the portion 62 of the panel 60 for engagement by the fastener 67. Similar 
adjustments may be made on the front portion of the panel 60 to position 
the wide and narrow portions of the panel 60 precisely where desired with 
respect to any particular patient and also to effect the exact vertical 
adjustment of the panel 60 which is desired for the use by the patient. 
Once the patient is located within the roller/walker 10, he or she may use 
the side portions of the upper rail 12 as hand rails or a steadying device 
to move the walker. In initial stages of therapy, or for handicapped 
persons, the patient or handicapped person is actually seated on the panel 
60 and moves the walker about by moving his or her feet against the floor 
to cause the roller/walker 10 to roll on the casters 47. 
For stronger patients, where the patient's legs are capable of supporting 
at least some of his or her weight, the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 still 
may be used. The panel 60, however, is adjusted to a position just 
slightly below the crotch of the patient when the patient is standing. The 
patient then can move about, using the walker as a support. In the event 
the patient should become tired or should falter and begin to fall, the 
panel 60 acts as a seat to catch the fall or permit the patient to rest as 
desired. The panel 60 is always available as a seat; but during times when 
the roller/walker is being used by a walking patient, it is not 
functioning but merely acts as a safety backup. Since the portion 63 at 
the front of the panel 60 is narrower than the portion 62 at the rear, 
adjustment of the relative fastening positions of both the front and rear 
parts of the panel can be effected to cause it to be most comfortable in 
use when a patient is walking with the safety panel 60 in place. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate additional features which may be utilized, 
particularly for patients who are quite weak. It may be desirable to 
provide pads 70 and 71 over the side rail portions of the frame member 12 
and comparable pads 75 and 76 on each side of the region where the end 63 
of the panel 60 extends over and is fastened over the frame member 12. 
These pads are illustrated in FIG. 6 and a detail is shown of one of the 
pads in FIG. 7. The pad 70, for example, has an outer layer of suitable 
smooth protective material 80. the interior is formed of a foam pad 
cylinder 81, and the interior of the cylinder also is covered with a 
protective layer 82. The inner and outer layers 80 and 82 are extended 
downwardly beneath the rail 12 (as shown most clearly in FIG. 7) and are 
snapped together by means of conventional snap fasteners 90. If the pads 
70, 71, 75 and 76 are not desired, it is a simple task to remove them 
leaving the rail member 12 uncovered as shown in FIG. 1. To prevent the 
pads 70, 71, 75 and 76 from turning on the member 12, Velcro strips or the 
like may be attached to the member 12 and the facing surface of the inner 
layer 82 of the pads. 
As the patient progresses in strength, a point ultimately will be reached 
where the caster rollers 47 are not necessary to provide forward motion 
and where the roller/walker 10 may be used as a more conventional walker. 
To accomplish this purpose two different alternative structures may be 
employed. These are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. 
In FIG. 8, the lower end of the leg 16 is shown as terminating in an 
outwardly flared, inverted bell-shaped member 95. The caster 47 then is 
attached to an elongated rod 96 which terminates in a lever 97. This lever 
97 extends out of a vertical groove formed through the leg member 16. This 
groove terminates in circumferentially turned notches 98 and 99 at its 
upper and lower ends, respectively. When the portion of the rod 96 which 
extends out of the groove is turned to engage the lower notch 99, the 
caster 47 is in the dotted line position shown in FIG. 8. This also is the 
position illustrated in FIG. 1 for utilization of the casters 47 to roll 
the roller/walker 10 from point to point. In the position shown in solid 
lines in FIG. 8, with the rod 96 engaging the notch 98, the caster 47 is 
withdrawn into the bell housing 95 to clear the bottom of the bell housing 
96; so that it is in a retracted position. In this position, the 
roller/walker may be used in a conventional manner to move it on a 
step-by-step basis as the person using it lifts it, moves it, and then 
walks. 
An alternative to the arrangement of FIG. 8, and one which is more simple 
in structure, is illustrated in FIG. 9. Here a conventional caster 47 is 
attached to a plug member 101 which is inserted into the open lower end of 
the leg 16 when the caster 47 is to be used. When the roller/walker 10 is 
to be used as a more or less standard walker, the caster 47 and plug 101 
to which it is attached are removed; and a rubber or neoprene tip 102 is 
placed over the end of the leg 16. This tip may be of the type commonly 
used on the ends of crutches, walkers and canes and is readily available. 
It also is apparent that when a patient has progressed to the point that 
the device is being used as a standard walker, the closure bar 50 and the 
panel 60 no longer are necessary. Consequently, these may be easily 
removed and stored for subsequent use. The walker then may be used in the 
manner of a standard walker. 
The invention, which has been described, is a multi-purpose therapeutic 
tool which is capable of being used by persons barely able to move their 
legs; and by persons nearly capable of walking completely unaided. It is 
not necessary to purchase different types of therapeutic devices in order 
to handle the progression of the patient's increasing strength through 
these different stages of recovery. The single roller/walker device 10 
which has been descrcibed is capable of handling all of these different 
phases or aspects of the patient's recovery. 
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment is to be considered 
as illustrative only of the invention and not as limiting. Various 
modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art without 
departing from the true scope of the invention. For example, the manner in 
which the vertical legs are telescoped into one another and locked into 
place can be accomplished in a variety of different ways. Similarly, the 
particularly structure of the closure bar and the manner in which it is 
inserted into and pivots to permit ingress and egress from the space 
defined by the interior of the roller/walker may be varied. A bar which is 
permanently hinged to one of the vertical legs may be utilized. It is 
possible to use a bar which pivots upwardly instead of in a horizontal 
plane. Similarly, variations may be made in the structure and manner of 
fastening the panel 60 to the upper frame member 12. Obviously, the 
rectangular configuration may be modified to a round one, if desired. 
Other changes also will occur to those skilled in the art without 
departing from the scope of the invention.