Abstract:
A walker for assisting physically challenged persons to move around. The walker comprises a frame with wheels mounted on it for traveling over a surface. Oxygen tank supports are mounted on the seat and are adapted to receive oxygen bottles therein. A counterbalance is mounted on the frame to counteract the weight of any oxygen bottles received in the tank supports and thereby maintain the stability and balance of the walker.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/589,323, filed Jul. 20, 2004, the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Technical Field  
         [0003]     This invention generally relates to devices for assisting people with medical or physical problems who require a source of oxygen to remain ambulatory. More particularly, the invention relates to a device which can be used by the person to aid them in walking and which includes supports for retaining oxygen bottles or tanks. Specifically, the invention relates to a foldable walker that provides support for the person when walking, which may include a seat to allow the person to rest; which includes supports for carrying oxygen bottles and a counterbalance to keep the center of gravity of the walker low enough to prevent the walker from tipping over during use.  
         [0004]     2. Background Information  
         [0005]     A number of mobility devices have been proposed in the prior art for assisting people to move around when they have either a physical or medical problem. A number of these prior art devices include supports for holding oxygen bottles. Oxygen bottles are long and heavy and tend to affect the center of gravity of walkers, wheel chairs and other mobility-aiding devices, making them unstable and prone to tipping over. This tendency to tip over is especially problematic because of the physically-challenged nature of the user of the mobility device. Furthermore, the users of mobility devices may not be physically capable of walking long distances and consequently the devices have to be strong enough to support the person. As a result, the devices proposed in the prior art have tended to be large, unwieldy structures which occupy a large amount of space when they are not in use and which fairly frequently require the user to have assistance to get into them.  
         [0006]     A first prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,044, issued to Olson. The Olson device has a collapsible frame and a telescoping support for an intravenous drip and includes an oxygen tank support mounted on a horizontal crossbar on the frame. An armrest is the only support mechanism provided for the user to hold onto the device but, because of the compromised health of the user, this armrest is inadequate to help the user remain upright and to be able to walk with security, confidence and safety while manipulating the device over a surface. The device does allow the person to receive oxygen as they walk along but does not provide a seat for the person to sit down on and take a rest when needed. Furthermore, the positioning of the oxygen tank close to the ground and inside the enclosure formed by the frame members, makes the insertion and removal of the oxygen tank fairly difficult for someone with limited or restricted movement or strength, i.e., for the person who typically needs a walker with oxygen.  
         [0007]     A second device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,432, issued to Dickens. This device does have adequate support for the person to hold onto as they move, but the walker is not collapsible for storage purposes. The device may also be provided with either a sling-type seat or a bicycle-type seat. The seat, when provided, however, extends into the space where the person would need to stand in order to be able to walk. The seat therefore substantially prevents the person from walking and furthermore prevents the person from alternating walking and resting because the seat cannot be easily moved out of the way. This device is also fairly complicated and requires the person to have assistance in order to get into and out of the device. Additionally, because the device includes a support for an oxygen tank on only one side of the walker, the device needs to have four wheels and a fairly wide wheelbase in order to prevent it from tipping over. The provision of two front wheels with a wide wheel base makes the device difficult to maneuver through doorways and around furniture.  
         [0008]     A third device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,044, issued to Bierer. The device is essentially a wheelchair which includes supports for two oxygen bottles. The tank supports are positioned on the opposite sides of the frame. The tanks are held where their centers of gravity are below the center of gravity of the wheelchair when the patient is sitting therein. The Bierer device is not collapsible, the seat is welded into position and may only be adjusted vertically. Furthermore the seat cannot be pivoted out of the way so that the patient can walk using members  14  and  15  as supports. The person can therefore only use the device as a wheelchair. The positioning of the oxygen bottles close to the ground may make the wheelchair stable, but also makes it extremely difficult for an ill or disabled individual to insert or remove oxygen bottles.  
         [0009]     A fourth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,176, issued to Kuntz. The Kuntz device is a non-collapsible walker which includes a support for an oxygen tank secured near the front and bottom of the frame. The position of the support maintains a lower center of gravity for the walker, but again makes it more difficult to insert and remove an oxygen tank. The walker also includes leg supports through which the legs of the person are received and these supports are used to carry some or all of the person&#39;s weight. The supports appear to be fairly insubstantial and provide no place for the buttocks to rest. It is likely that an elderly, sick or disabled person would feel uncomfortable relying on these insubstantial supports to hold them up if they need to take a break from walking. Furthermore, in order for an elderly, sick or disabled person to use the walker, they would have to have assistance to insert their legs into the supports.  
         [0010]     A fifth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,321 issued to Hamilton. The Hamilton device is a walker which includes an U-shaped frame having an open-topped canvas bag hanging from the center of the front support of the walker. The canvas bag is adapted to carry an oxygen tank. The walker does not include a seat and is not collapsible for storage. Furthermore, the flexibility of the canvas bag may be problematic for an elderly or infirm patient who may not have the strength to manipulate a heavy oxygen tank into and out of the bag.  
         [0011]     A sixth prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D441,694, issued to Kjell et al. This walker includes handles for the person to hold onto while walking and a seat for resting. The device does not, however, include supports for oxygen bottles.  
         [0012]     There are many devices disclosed in the prior art for assisting people who are medically or physically disabled. However, there still exists a need in the art for a device which will assist a person in moving around independently, which collapses for storage, has a reduced tendency to tip over and which may hold oxygen bottles in a manner that makes it easier for a physically challenged person to insert and remove the tanks from the device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The device of the present invention comprises a walker that includes supports for oxygen bottles and a counterbalance for reducing the walker&#39;s tendency to tip over. A first embodiment of the invention comprises a substantially triangular frame when in the operative position, with one front wheel and two rear wheels mounted thereon. Two tank supports for oxygen bottles are mounted proximate the front wheel of the walker and a counterbalance is mounted proximate the rear wheels of the walker. The spacing between the tank supports and the counterbalance aids in reducing the walker&#39;s tendency to tip over. A second embodiment of the device has four wheels and includes a seat with a pair of tank supports mounted proximate one end of the seat. A counterbalance is mounted to seat and is disposed below the seat. The counterbalance ensures that the oxygen bottles do not cause the center of gravity of the walker to shift to an unsafe position where the walker may tip over. The relative height of the tank supports on the seat makes it easier for elderly or infirm persons to insert and remove the oxygen bottles. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and are shown in the drawings and are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a walker in accordance with the present invention, showing the counterbalance and an oxygen tank mounted thereon;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the walker of  FIG. 1  showing the oxygen tank in phantom;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the walker showing both tank mounts and counterbalances and showing the oxygen bottles in phantom;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the mounting mechanism for the tank support taken through line  4 - 4 - in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the walker in accordance with the present invention, showing two oxygen bottles mounted on the walker seat;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the walker of  FIG. 5  showing the counterbalance mounted on the opposite end of the seat from the tank mounts;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a partial rear view of the walker with the oxygen bottles removed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , there is shown a first embodiment of a walker in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at  10 . Walker  10  includes a frame  12  onto which three wheels  14  are mounted. Frame  12  is made up of first, second and third struts  16 ,  18  and  20  which are connected together in a manner that allows walker  10  to be folded up for storage. Handles  21  are provided on one end of first struts  16 . Tank supports  22  are secured to second and third struts  18 ,  20  and are adapted to receive oxygen bottles  24  therein. A counterbalance  26  is mounted on each of the third struts  20 . As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the size and weight of counterbalance  26  should complement the combination of the weight of filled oxygen bottles  24  to be received in tank support  22  and the height at which tank support  22  is mounted on frame  12  so as to counteract the tendency of walker  10  to tip over.  
         [0023]     In accordance with a specific feature of the present invention, each tank support  22  comprises a support bar  28  ( FIG. 2 ) which has a cupped support  30  mounted at one end and a ring support  32  mounted proximate the opposite end thereof. When an oxygen bottle  24  is retained in tank support  22 , the bottom (not shown) of bottle  24  is received within cupped support  30  and rests on the interior surface  30   a  thereof. Bottle  24  is kept in an upright position by ring support  32  engaging a portion of side wall  24   a  of bottle  24 .  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 &amp; 4 , tank supports  22  are secured to walker  10  by a pair of clamping members  34 ,  36  that engage second and third struts  18 ,  20  respectively. Clamping members  34  and  36  are substantially identical to each other. The following description relates to clamping member  36 , but applies equally to clamping member  34 . Clamping member  36  comprises an arm  38  and two opposing plates  40 ,  42 . Plate  40  and arm  38  are secured together by welding or some other suitable mechanism. Plates  40  and  42  are substantially “V” shaped and are movably connected together by bolts  44 . Plates  40 ,  42  can be moved toward each other to clamp around a tubular member, such as third strut  20 . Plates  40 ,  42  can be moved outwardly away from each other to release a tubular member, such as third strut  20 , from between the plates. Plates  40 ,  42  are moved toward each other by turning threaded bolts  44  in a first direction and moved away from each other by turning bolts  44  in the opposite direction. Arm  38  includes an internal axial bore  46  and is mounted onto support bar  28  by a bolt  48  which is inserted through an aperture  50  in bar  28  and then into bore  46 . Clamping member  34  is substantially identical in construction to clamping member  36  and is secured to an upper end of bar  28  in substantially the same way. The relative positions of clamping members  34 ,  36  on second and third struts  18 ,  20  is adjustable to enable tank supports  22  and therefore oxygen bottles  24 , to be held substantially vertical on walker  10 . Furthermore, tank supports  22  are mounted in a position that keeps the center of gravity of walker  10  as low as possible. As may be seen from  FIG. 3 , the bottoms  30   b  of cupped supports  30  preferably are positioned to lie at about the same height as the axles  52  of wheels  14 . Furthermore, arms  38  allow bar  28  to be mounted further away from the centerline X-X′ ( FIG. 3 ) of walker  10  than would be possible if arms  38  were not provided. This distributes the weight of oxygen bottles  24  more evenly and improves the stability of walker  10  thereby reducing the tendency of walker  10  to tip over sideways in the direction of either Arrow “A” or “B”.  
         [0025]     In accordance with another specific feature of the present invention, counterbalances  26  are secured to the lowermost section of each of third struts  20 . Counterbalances  26  preferably are substantially solid weights that are secured to third struts  20  by securing bands  54 . Counterbalances  26  may alternatively be bolted or welded onto third struts  20 . Counterbalances  26  assist in keeping a low center of gravity for walker  10 . Furthermore, because tank supports  22  are mounted proximate the front end  10   a  of walker  10  and counterbalances  26  are mounted proximate the rear end  10   b  of walker  10 , the weight of walker  10  is more evenly distributed and this tends to reduce the walker&#39;s tendency to tip forward. This is especially true when oxygen bottles  24  are inserted into tank supports  22 .  
         [0026]     In use, walker  10  is in the open position shown in  FIG. 3 . An oxygen bottle  24  is inserted through a ring support  32  of one of tank supports  22 . Bottle  24  slides through ring support  32  until the bottom (not shown) of bottle  24  rests on the interior surface  30   a  ( FIG. 2 ) of cupped support  30 . Hoses (not shown) are connected to bottles  24  in a conventional manner so as to allow the user of the walker to obtain oxygen from bottles  24 . Handles  21  can be used to push walker  10  over a surface  56 . Front wheel  14   a  is designed to swivel to allow the walker  10  to be easily moved over surface  56  and around obstacles (not shown). Counterbalances  26  assist in keeping walker  10  balanced as the user moves walker  10  across surface  56 . Counterbalances  26  further assist in maintaining the walker&#39;s position on surface  56  when oxygen bottles  24  are lifted into and out of tank supports  22 . Walker  10  preferably is also provided with a braking system  58  (not shown in detail) to stop and lock walker  10  in position when bottles  24  are being removed or inserted or when the user wishes to maintain their position on surface  56 .  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7 , there is shown a second embodiment of a walker in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at  110 . Walker  110  comprises a frame  112  with four wheels  114  mounted thereon and includes tank supports  122  and a counterbalance  126  ( FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 ). Walker  110  further includes a seat  160  for the user and tank supports  122  preferably are secured to seat  160  and to frame  112 . A basket  162  may be provided on frame  112  for carrying personal articles (not shown). Frame  112  of walker  110  is designed to be foldably collapsible for storage purposes. Walker  110  is also provided with handles  121  and with a braking system  158 .  
         [0028]     In accordance with one of the specific features of the present invention, tank supports  122  mounted on seat  160  comprise a ring support  132  and a cupped support  130 . Alternatively, tank supports  122  may comprise two spaced apart ring supports (not shown). Cupped supports  130  are mounted to an upper surface of seat  160 , proximate one end thereof. Ring supports  132  are secured to a portion of frame  112  so that they are axially aligned with the cupped supports  130  on seat  160 . Ring support  132  and cupped support  130  are sized to abut the outer surface  124   a  of oxygen bottles  124  ( FIG. 7 ). This reduces the tendency of bottles  124  received therein to rattle in supports  132 ,  130  and to have the weight of bottles  124  shift around therein and thereby potentially destabilize walker  110 .  
         [0029]     In accordance with another of the specific features of the invention, counterbalance  126  is mounted on a crossbar  164  extending from the underside of seat  160 . Counterbalance  126  is mounted at the opposite end of seat  160  from cupped supports  130  ( FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 ). The position, size and weight of counterbalance  126  is designed to keep the center of gravity of walker  10  as central and as low as possible so that walker  10  is as stable as possible. Counterbalance  126  further reduces the walker&#39;s tendency to tip forward when oxygen bottles  124  are inserted or removed from tank supports  122 .  
         [0030]     In use, walker  110  is set up by inserting a bottom end  124   b  ( FIG. 7 ) of an oxygen bottle  124  through one of ring supports  132  and then into the aligned cupped support  130 . During insertion of bottles  124 , counterbalance  126  maintains walker  110  in a stable and upright position. Ring support  132  and cupped support  130  hold the oxygen bottles  124  in a substantially vertical position. Bottles  124  may then be hooked up via hoses (not shown) for the user to obtain oxygen therefrom. The user (not shown) grasps handles  121  and pushes walker  110  in the direction indicated by arrow “C” in  FIG. 6 . When they have walked a distance and are tired, they can stop the forward motion of walker  110  by engaging braking system  158  and sit down on seat  160 . Handles  121  can be grasped to assist the user in lowering themselves into seat  160  or when they get up when they are ready to continue walking. When the user is seated in seat  160 , oxygen bottles  124  provide a backrest to seat  160 , thereby allowing the user to rest themselves more fully. If the user has reached their destination and wishes to collapse walker for transport or storage purposes, the user must first remove oxygen bottles  124  from tank supports  122 . When walker  110  is to be used again, the user unfolds the frame  112  and reinserts oxygen bottles  124  into tank supports  122 .  
         [0031]     It will be understood, that walker  10  and walker  110  preferably are designed to be collapsed for storage, but may be made to be non-foldable. Furthermore, while two sets of tank supports  122  are shown for carrying two oxygen bottles  124 , any number of tank supports may be provided on walker  110 , but it is desirable that they be located in a position that enhances the stability of the walker. While the preferred embodiments have shown a tank support comprising a coaxially aligned ring support and cupped support, it will be understood that the ring and cupped supports may be replaced with a substantially continuous tubular member without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0032]     While tank supports  22 ,  122  have been disclosed as a coaxially aligned ring support and cupped support, it will be understood that tank supports may be elongated tubular members having an axial bore into which oxygen bottles are inserted. Alternatively, tank supports  22 ,  122  may comprise a pair of spaced apart spring-loaded clips which engage the outermost surface of an oxygen bottle.  
         [0033]     Other devices, such as poles for supporting intravenous bags may be provided on walker  10  with consideration being given to evenly distributing weight over walker  10  to provide it with the greatest possible stability.  
         [0034]     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.  
         [0035]     Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.