Abstract:
A cane holder comprising one or more horizontal perpendicular plates, optionally one or more horizontal parallel plates, and a pair of support members for holding a cane, wherein the distance between the support members can be adjusted to fit the length of the cane.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/386,571 filed Mar. 2, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed towards a device for securely and conveniently holding a device such as a cane securely and conveniently horizontally alongside a bed. 
     In 2000, the total direct cost of all fall injuries for people 65 and older exceeded $19 billion. The financial toll for older adults is expected to increase as the population ages, and may reach $54.9 billion by 2020. For people age 72 and older, the average health care cost of a totaled $19,440, including hospital, nursing home, emergency room and home health care, but not doctors&#39; services. 
     Falls occur in about one in three individuals age 65 or older every year. More than half of fall injuries occur at home. Elderly people are more likely to fall if they have medical problems that result in the need to get up from bed at night. Likewise, they are more likely to fall if they use a walking aid, such as a cane or walker. Elderly adults are hospitalized for fall-related injuries five times more often than they are for injuries from other causes. One in three who fall using a walker, and one in four who fall using a cane had to be hospitalized. 
     Falls can easily lead to withdrawal from social activities such as visiting friends and relatives, attending religious services, or taking trips. Mobility problems that may result from a fall can make it more difficult for an elderly person to continue to engage with others. Further, the majority of those who have a fall lose confidence in their ability to move around, and so they tend to isolate themselves. This can make the elderly prone to loneliness and depression, both of which can have a substantial negative impact on their health and quality of life. 
     For those who make use of a cane, there can be difficulty in locating the cane, particularly at night when in bcd. Such a problem can cause the person to be susceptible to a fall when searching for the cane. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments described herein provide for a cane holder. 
     The present invention provides a solution for meeting the safety needs and concerns of elderly citizens who make use of a cane. More particularly, the present invention provides a place for storing the cane when the person has retired to bed at night. 
     These and other aspects of the disclosed subject matter, as well as additional novel features, will be apparent from the description provided herein. The intent of this summary is not to be a comprehensive description of the claimed subject matter, but rather to provide a short overview of some of the subject matter&#39;s functionality. Other systems, methods, features and advantages here provided will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following FIGURES and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention will be set forth in any claims appended hereto or that are filed later. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder; 
         FIG. 2  shows a top elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder; 
         FIG. 4  shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder; 
         FIG. 5  shows a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder, 
         FIG. 6  shows a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosed cane holder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosed embodiments describe a cane holder. 
     In one embodiment, the cane holder  10  is generally planar in design, extending inwardly from the support members  25 ,  25  to the top or innermost end of the first and second horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30 . These plates are referred to as ‘perpendicular’ plates  20 , for the purpose of describing the invention because, considering the edge of a mattress as extending along an XY axis, the plates  20 ,  30  are perpendicular to that axis. Likewise, the plates  20 ,  30  are referred to as ‘horizontal’ plates  20 ,  30  because, considering the top of a mattress as a plane, the plates  20 ,  30  extend horizontal to that plane. 
     In some embodiments, each horizontal perpendicular plate  20 ,  30  has an outer edge  21 ,  31 , inner edge  22 ,  32 , upper surface  23 ,  33 , and lower surface  24 ,  34 . Further, the plates  20 , have at least one raised portion positioned  28 ,  38  on the upper surface  23 ,  33  towards the mattress edge portion of the plates  20 ,  30 . However, it is understood that such a configuration is non-limiting; that is, the one or more raised portions  28 ,  38  can be positioned, for example, on the lower surface  24 ,  34  of the plates  20 ,  30  toward the center of the plate  20 ,  30  or elsewhere as desired. 
     In other embodiments, considering the XY axis of the edge of a mattress, a pair of horizontal, parallel plates  40 ,  50  run ‘parallel’ to this axis in a plane ‘horizontal’ to the top plane of a mattress. Each horizontal parallel plate  40 ,  50  has an outer edge  41 , 51 , inner edge  42 ,  52 , upper surface  43 ,  53 , and lower surface  44 ,  54 . When secured to the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30 , the combination of the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  and the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  prevent the support members  27 ,  37  from shifting when the holder  10  is placed between mattresses, thereby insuring that the cane remains secure when stored on the holder  10 . Further, the plates  40 ,  50  have a recess  46 ,  56  centrally located on the lower surface  44 ,  54  extending at least partially along the length of the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  from both ends. 
     In an embodiment, centered above the recess  46 ,  56  are one or more ports  45 ,  55 . The ports  45 ,  55  are adapted to receive a securing member  60  such as a nut and bolt. The horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  further contain one or more ports  25 ,  35  for also receiving the securing member  60 , thereby securing the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  to the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50 . The port  25 ,  35  can have a recess  29 ,  39  for receiving at least a portion of the securing member  60  (e.g., the nut), thereby providing a locking mechanism. The horizontal parallel plates  20 ,  30  have multiple ports  25 ,  35  spaced equidistant from one another from each end of the plates  20 ,  30 . This multitude of ports  25 ,  35  enables the spacing of the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  to be varied from each other, thereby enabling the distance between the support members  27 ,  37  to be adjusted as needed based on the length of the cane. In another embodiment, the recesses  25 ,  35  can be configured to mate with a portion of the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  in a ‘snap-on’ securing configuration. Further, though the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  are described such that their lower surface  44 ,  54  are adjacent to the upper surfaces  22 ,  32  of the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  when secured together, one skilled in the art would readily recognize that the opposite configuration is also possible, namely, the upper surfaces  43 ,  53  of the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  can be adjacent to the lower surfaces  24 ,  34  of the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  when secured together, with the recesses  46 ,  56  located on the upper surfaces  43 ,  53  of the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50 . 
     Because, in some embodiments, the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  may be raised above (or alternatively, below) the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  when secured together, slippage of the holder between the mattress and box spring is minimized. Still, the holder can be further modified to prevent slippage by, for example, adding a plurality of raised areas  28 ,  38  along either the horizontal perpendicular plate  20 ,  30 , horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50 , or both. These raised areas  28 ,  38  can be located on the upper surfaces  23 ,  33 ,  43 ,  53 , lower surfaces  24 ,  34 ,  44 ,  54 , or both. 
     In yet another embodiment, extending outwardly from one end of the horizontal perpendicular plate  20 ,  30  may be a U-shaped support member  27 ,  37  for carrying or supporting the cane when the individual is at rest in the best. 
     When in use, the holder  10  with the horizontal perpendicular plates  20 ,  30  secured to the horizontal parallel plates  40 ,  50  may be inserted between a mattress and box spring until the U-shaped support members  27 ,  37  abuts against the mattress or box spring. The holder  10  is inserted with the upper surfaces  23 ,  33 ,  43 ,  53  adjacent to the mattress and the lower surfaces  24 ,  34 ,  44 ,  54  adjacent to the box spring. The cane can then be placed in the support members  27 ,  37  such that the handle of the cane is close to a person lying or sitting in bed. The cane holder  10  can be placed between the mattress and box spring in a position where a person in bed can conveniently and confidently access the cane when needed to leave the bed. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the holder may comprise a substantially rectangular horizontal plate having a linear groove extending substantially along an outer edge of the plate. Support members separate from the plate having a C-shaped portion at the inner side of the U-shaped support member can then be snapped onto the horizontal plate in a locking fashion into the groove. In this manner, the U-shaped support members  27 ,  37  can then be slid along the groove, thereby spacing the members apart from each other based on the length of the cane. 
     The holder can be designed from a variety of materials. Because the holder has potential for use in a hospital environment, in an embodiment, the holder is injection molded using a polymeric material suitable for use in a clean or sterile environment. The polymeric material should be sufficiently flexible to bend in use when the weight of a person on the mattress is applied to the holder, yet stiff enough to support the cane. Suitable polymers include polypropylene, polyamides, polycarbonate, polysulfone, styrenics and polyesters. Preferably, the polymeric material is at least a polycarbonate. Polycarbonates are known to have clarity, high strength and impact resistance, good heat resistance, low water absorption and biocompatibility, making them useful in medical devices. In another embodiment, the polymeric material is a combination or blend of various polymers, such as a polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) blend or a polycarbonate/polyester blend. 
     Because the holder may be utilized by home consumers; additives can be added to the polymeric material to further differentiate the product. One such additive is color. Color technologies in this regard include chroma-shift, metallic, edge glow and glow-in-the-dark. In an embodiment, at least the support members of the holder contain a light emitting additive, preferably a phosphorescent pigment. By addition of a glow-in-the-dark pigment, an individual can more easily locate the cane at night. Further, phosphorescent pigment comes in a variety of colors, thereby allowing for greater product differentiation. 
     A further additive for inclusion in the polymeric material is a biocide or antimicrobial additive. Choice of biocide is dependent upon a variety of factors, such as cost of the biocide used, the type of polymeric material it is added to, and the environment that it will be exposed to. Various types of biocides useful in polymeric materials include, for example, silver-based biocides, organic-based biocides such as triclosan, and silane-based biocides. As the holder  1  has healthcare applications, the polymeric material preferably includes a biocide. 
     In some embodiments, the resin to be used is Polycarbonate. The color is provided by Techmer Polymer Modifiers (Techmer PM) and is identified as PCM6437. This colorant is specially formulated to match the selected polycarbonate resin base. 
     The present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teaching herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.