Abstract:
A mechanism and method for securing a removable tray to a walker frame. The mechanism comprises a removable spacer wherein the spacer is adapted to frictionally engage the walker tray with a walker handle. The method of attaching the removable walker tray to the walker frame comprises securing a first spacer to a first cutout in the walker tray; securing a second spacer to a second cutout in the walker tray; inserting a first walker handle into the first cutout in the tray; inserting a second walker handle into the second cutout in the tray; and where upon inserting the walker handles into the cutouts, the tray is positioned on top of the walker frame and the tray secured in a substantially level position on the walker frame by frictional engagement of the spacer between the tray and the walker handles.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a walker tray and an attachment for securing and stabilizing the tray to a walker. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Most walkers are of a standard construction, including at least two side frames, which generally include handles or hand grips for a user to grab and move the walker. Also included is a front frame that is connected by the side frames. A walker allows the user extra stability while walking or standing. It is known in the prior art to offer a removable tray for attachment to a walker. A walker tray allows the user to attach the tray to the walker allowing the user multiple uses of the walker. 
         [0003]    General walker and walker tray configurations limit the point of attachment of the tray to the walker, based on the construction of a walker frame. Trays may not fit onto a walker in a stable or generally horizontal fashion, preventing the use of the walker tray as a utility surface during movement of a walker. 
         [0004]    Additionally, removable trays for improved stability in the prior art render a cup holder hole useless when the tray is attached to the walker when the method of stabilizing the tray extends under the tray blocking the cup hole. The mechanisms for folding the walker up also can block the cup hole, preventing a user from using the cup holder as intended. 
         [0005]    The trays of the prior art cannot universally be attached to all walker frames in a level that is a substantially horizontal position. This requires the user to use abundant caution when setting uncovered bowls or cups of soups or other liquids to prevent the inevitable spills and splashes of the liquid. 
         [0006]    Removable walker trays have been described in the prior art including U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,959, U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,263, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,529. However the prior art walker trays lack support and the ability to be attached in way that can be adjusted based on the desire of the user, while retaining full functionality of the walker and the tray and without requiring a specialized walker or a permanent tray attached to the walker. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    This disclosure relates to a mechanism for securing a removable tray to a walker frame. The mechanism comprises a removable spacer wherein the spacer is adapted to frictionally engage the walker tray with a walker handle. The spacer is securable to the walker tray such that when the walker tray is placed on a walker frame, the tray is secured substantially horizontally level to a ground surface by engagement of the spacer with the walker handle. 
         [0008]    This disclosure also relates to a method of attaching a removable walker tray to a walker frame, the method comprises securing a first spacer to a first cutout in the walker tray; securing a second spacer to a second cutout in the walker tray; inserting a first walker handle into the first cutout in the tray; inserting a second walker handle into the second cutout in the tray; and where upon inserting the walker handles into the cutouts, the tray is positioned on top of the walker frame and the tray secured in a substantially level position on the walker frame by frictional engagement of the spacer between the tray and the walker handles. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top view of the tray. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the spacer. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the walker tray. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the walker tray with the spacers attached. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view along line A-A of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a right side view of the tray, which is a mirror image of the left side view of the tray. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the walker tray and spacer attached to the walker. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    This disclosure describes a walker tray and a spacer for attachment to the walker tray. The use of the spacer in attaching the walker tray to a walker frame allows the walker tray to be securely attached in a desired position to the frame. The spacer permits attachment of the tray to a variety of walker frames as explained further below. The spacer can also support attachment of the tray to the frame at a height selected by the user. The spacer also allows the tray to be attached to the walker frame, the tray being secured substantially horizontally with respect to a ground surface, the ground surface supporting the walker frame. When the spacer is inserted properly, the tray can be secured to the walker wherein the tray does not wobble and is retained steadily in a substantially horizontal or level position. The spacer, when attached, also allows both the tray and the walker to retain full functionality. 
         [0017]    Illustrated in further detail in  FIG. 1  is an exemplary version of the walker tray  10  of this disclosure. The walker tray  10  is made of a durable plastic or other suitable, lighter weight material. The tray  10  is of a thickness sufficient enough to be sturdy for holding items, but no so thick as to inhibit attachment to and use of a walker  80 . The walker tray  10  is generally rectangular in shape, with a forward edge  12  and user facing edge  14 . The forward facing edge  12  comprises a leading edge  16 , which allows for a greater surface area of the tray  10 . The user facing edge includes an indentation  15  extending substantially the length of the user facing edge  14  between cutouts  22  and  24 . The tray  10  includes two side edges  18  and  20 . The walker tray comprises a generally smooth, substantially flat user surface, or top surface  26 . The tray  10  includes a lip  25  that extends generally around a perimeter portion  27  of the top or utility surface  26 . The lip  25  forms a raised surface, which aids in retaining material, such as utensils, plates, cups or bowls. 
         [0018]    The tray  10  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3  also includes a perimeter skirt  30  extending downward from the lip  25  about the perimeter of the tray  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the perimeter skirt  30  includes a forward edge side wall  34 , a left side wall  36 , a right side wall  38 , and a user facing side wall  40 , which cooperatively define a continuous side wall about a perimeter  24  of the tray  10 . The side walls  34 ,  36 ,  38  and  40  or skirt  30  provide structural integrity for the tray  10 , prevent the tray  10  from flexing as pressure is applied to the substantially flat surface  26 . 
         [0019]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the walker tray  10  includes substantially rectangular cutouts  22  and  24  adjacent to the lip  22  and proximate side walls  36  and  38 . The cut outs  22  and  24  substantially co-extend along the lip  25  along side edge  18  and  20 . The cut outs  22  and  24  are of sufficient length and width to fit over walker handles such that the walker handles extend through the cut outs  22  and  24 . The cut outs  22  and  24  are used to attach the tray  10  to the walker. Illustrated in farther detail in  FIG. 6 , the side walls  36  and  38  are adapted with a depressed length  41  and  42  substantially along the length of the cut outs  22  and  24 . The depressed length, or adapted sections  40  and  42  allow for extra room between a users hands or knuckles and the tray sides when the walker handles  78  and  82  extend through the tray cutouts  22  and  24  thereby allowing a user to fully grip the walker handles without scraping the tray with the user&#39;s fingers. 
         [0020]    A lip or extension portion  44  and  46  extends from the bottom surface of the walker tray close to the proximal end of each of the cutouts  22  and  24 , extending along the width of the cutouts. The lips  44  and  46  supports attachment of the spacer to the tray. 
         [0021]    The walker tray  10  also includes a circular cut out  48 , which may be used as a cup holder. The top surface  26  also includes a depression  50 , the depression  50  being in the shape to accommodate a mug with a handle. 
         [0022]    Illustrated in  FIG. 2  is a spacer  60  of this disclosure. The walker tray  10  and spacer  60  can be used with a majority of standard walkers in the marketplace. The spacer  60  is made from a suitable polymer that permits sufficient bending to attach to the tray while being sufficiently stiff to retain attachment of the spacer  60  to the tray  10 . The spacer  60  is separable from the tray  10 . The spacer  60  is sufficiently thick to be stable, but not so thick as to inhibit the spacer from snapping or sliding in to place. The spacer is also sufficiently wide to provide a sufficient surface for engagement with a surface of the walker handle  78  or  82 . 
         [0023]    Illustrated in further detail in  FIG. 2 , the spacer  60  comprises an outer side  62  that is generally rounded at the top  64  leading to a flat top side  66  which is connected by a rounded bend to substantially flat back side  68 . The bottom side  70  of the spacer is generally rounded. The bottom edge  72  is further rounded to curve inward. The top inner side and space  74  is substantially rectangular in shape wherein the bottom side of the rectangular shape connects to the side of the top of the bottom inner side and space  76  which is substantially square shaped. When the spacer  60  is snapped into place (attached to the tray), the opening between the top portion and the bottom portion interacts with the tray  10  at the proximal edge of the width of the cutout  22  or  24 . The top inner side and space  74  of the spacer interacts with the top surface  26  of the tray  10 . The bottom inner side and space  76  of the spacer  60  interacts with the lip  44  or  46  and/or the bottom surface of the tray  10 . AS illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , the spacer is attached to the tray by inserting, for example, lip  46  into space  76 . The top  64  of the spacer  60  is then bent slightly away from the edge of the cutouts  22  or  24  sufficiently to permit the top edge of the cutout  22  or  24  to be retained within the space  24 . Due to the elasticity of the polymer that comprises the spacer  60 , the spacer  60  although slight bent to attach to the tray, regains its original shape and is not deformed. The spacer can be removed and reused repeatedly. 
         [0024]    The spacer  60  secures the tray  10  to the walker frame  80 , by frictional engagement of the outer side  62  with the surface of the walker handle  78  or  82 . The top inner side and space  74  frictionally engages with the top surface of the tray  26  at the cutout  22  or  24 . The bottom inner side and space  76  frictionally engages with the tray  10  at the bottom surface of the tray  10  and/or with the lip  44  or  46 . In essence, the spacer fills in the space between the tray  10  and the handles  78  or  82  of the walker. This space, in the past, has resulting in the tray “failing” to engage top mechanisms of the walker. This has resulting in trays not being level and not being secured to the walker. 
         [0025]    The shape of the spacer is different at the top portion  64  and the bottom portion  72  to provide a visual and tactile cue to a user as to the preferred orientation of the spacer for insertion. In the illustrated example, the difference is the size between spaces  74  and  76 . 
         [0026]    The spacer  60  is preferably made of rubber, but can also be made of plastic or other suitable semi-flexible materials that would allow the spacer to snap into place. The spacer  60  permits the tray  10  to be used with various walker configurations. The spacer  60  engages the lip  44  or  46  and the proximal width of the cut out  22  or  24  simultaneously with a walker handle  78  or  82 . The spacer  60  permits securing the tray  10  substantially horizontal to a ground surface, the ground surface supporting the walker frame  80 , and at a selected height with respect to the handles  78  and  82 . The spacer  60  can also snap into secure connection with the cut out handle portion of prior art trays, as the spacer  60  can be used securely with a tray without the lip. 
         [0027]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , to secure the walker tray in a generally flat and horizontal position, a spacer can be secured in each cut out so that the spacer engages with each handle of the walker. Two or more spacers may be used to increase frictional engagement or stability of the walker tray when attached to the walker. 
         [0028]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.