Patent Publication Number: US-6338354-B1

Title: Collapsible power gait walker

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a collapsible orthopedic walker, and more particularly to a rear crossbar articulated walker. 
     Traditional walkers have enabled people with reduced use of their legs to walk. However, there are features of these traditional walkers that are not optimal. 
     For example, the front crossbar design of a traditional walker greatly reduces the length of a person&#39;s gait. The gait is the measured distance covered by a person in one or more steps. While a user may have a reduced gait already due to an injury or affliction, the user never has the opportunity to graduate to full gait length with a traditional walker. 
     In addition, the single-button collapsible feature of the traditional walker is not ideal. The purpose of the single-button feature is to allow the user to simply press one button to collapse the walker. Both legs then fold inwardly, to create a spatially reduced structure that can be stored in the back of a car, restaurant, movie theater, etc. A common complaint regarding single-button collapsibility is the fact that both legs must be collapsed and not one only. This hinders users from being able to collapse a single side leg to navigate through a narrow doorway, for example. 
     In addition, a traditional walker does not have a standing aid. Without an aid, a user finds it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get up from a seated position without the help of an outside source. This is particularly awkward in a more private atmosphere, such as a restroom. 
     In addition, the ergonomics of traditional walkers are not optimal. There is a need for a better interface between the handles of the walker and the user&#39;s hands. 
     In view of these problems, some improvements have been made by others to the traditional walker. For example, the walker has been modified to provide a standing aid. A “stair-step” approach has been added to the handgrip area in order to provide a lower handgrip disposed subjacent to the standard handgrip. This two-step approach allows the user to “march” up, one handle grip at a time, in order to rise to a standing position. However, this requires increased upper-body strength for the user to be able to maneuver himself to a standing position. 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved light-weight stable walker. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a walker with a standing aid to permit a user to easily stand from a sitting position. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a walker that will facilitate toilet use. 
     It is another object to provide a walker that may be used both indoors and outdoors. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible walker for storage and travel. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker that can be partially collapsed to help the user safely navigate through a narrow doorway. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker for people who need a transition between a wheelchair and walking. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker without a front crossbar. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a walker having a pair of side frame members and a rear crossbar member. The crossbar member is pivotally mounted for independent movement relative to each of the side members. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walker according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the left side frame of the walker of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an end view of the left side frame of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of a wrist guard of the walker of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of the wrist guard of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear crossbar of the walker of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a walker  11  is constructed from a left side frame  13 , a right side frame  15  and a rear crossbar  17 . Crossbar  17  has one end  19  pivotally connected to left side frame  13  and another end  21  pivotally connected to right side frame  15 . Side frames  13 ,  15  are generally identical (mirror images), as shown. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, left side frame  13  is formed from a hollow light-weight cylindrical tube  23  which is bent to the shape shown in FIG.  2 . Bending may begin with the backside of the frame working forward. Tube  23  also may be cut and plugged together in a conventional manner to facilitate bending. 
     Frame  13  is preferably planar, lying within the planes defined by the outside and inside surfaces of tube  23 , as shown in FIG.  3 . The preferred tube  23  is made from aluminum or other metal alloys or plastics, for example, to be lightweight and has an outside diameter of one inch. 
     Frame  13  includes a linear rear leg portion  25  and a linear front leg portion  27 . Each leg portion  25 ,  27  terminates in a respective support end  29 ,  31 . End  31  provides a flat surface for making supporting contact with the floor during a walking maneuver of walker  11 . End  29  preferably provides a convex curvilinear surface for making supporting contact with the floor, in a rocking-type motion similar to a rocking chair, for ease of forward advancement during a walking maneuver. As will suggest itself, ends  29 ,  31  may be capped with a rubber tip or cup  33  (FIG. 1) to provide a non-slip surface. The curvilinear surface of end  29  may be achieved through shaping either the end  29 , the cup  33  or both. Leg portions  25 ,  27  are twenty (20) inches in length and are spaced apart in a substantially parallel relationship by a distance of twenty-nine (29) inches center to center. 
     A main hand grip portion  35  is a linear section of the tube  23 , approximately 7.28 inches long. Portion  35  is located forward, to the front, of the centerline  37  of the frame, and disposed at an acute angle with the floor (or horizontal). 
     Hand grip portion  35  is supported by a linear section  39  and a curved section  41  of tube  23  connected between front leg portion  27  and hand grip portion  35 . Three curved sections  43 ,  45 ,  47  and two linear sections  49 ,  51  are connected between rear leg portion  25  and hand grip portion  35 . As will suggest itself other shapes of tube  23  may be used to dispose grip portion  35  relative to leg portions  25 ,  27 . 
     The sections  43 ,  45 ,  49 ,  51  provide a smooth upwardly increasing section of tube  23  to provide a plurality of hand holding areas or handles to permit the user to get up from a seated position. Linear sections  49  of the two frames provide a set of low handles or handholds where the user may grip the walker initially when seating himself in order to lower himself or herself onto a seat or a toilet. In performing this seating maneuver, the user, while standing, merely moves or slides his or her hands down to handles  49 . Once the user&#39;s hands are in place on handles  49 , the user bends his knees to a sitting position. To stand, the user may place his or her hands on handles  49 , to raise himself or herself upwardly an incremental amount, and then move his/her hands in sequence (left, right, left, right, etc.) along handle sections  51  and finally to hand grip portion  35  to complete the standing maneuver. Handle section  51  has a greater angle to the floor than handle sections  49 ,  35 . 
     Each leg portion  25 ,  27  may be telescopically extendable in order to lengthen leg portions  25 ,  27  so as to adjust the height of the walker with respect to the height of the user. Extending or shortening leg portions  25 ,  27  adjusts the height of hand grip portion  35  to a comfortable position. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the front and rear leg portions of each frame  13 ,  15  are joined by a respective side crossbar  53 ,  55 . Side crossbars  53 ,  55  are disposed parallel to the floor or horizontal. 
     The ends of crossbars  53 ,  55  are cut out in a radius for mating with the outside cylindrical surface of leg portions  25 ,  27 . A press fit plug (not shown) may be placed in each end of a side crossbar  53 ,  55  to permit securement of the crossbars to the leg portions  23 ,  25 . A bolt (not shown) passes through a respective side frame and into an axially threaded hole (not shown) in the plug of the side crossbar. Other securement means may be used including nuts and washers, welding, etc. 
     Referring again to FIG. 1, a pair of identical wrist guards  61 ,  63  are connected respectively to sides  13 ,  15 . The wrist guards support the inside of the wrists when the user is gripping the hand grip portions. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, each wrist guard  61 ,  63  is preferably formed from a hollow light weight cylindrical tube  65  made of aluminum or other metal alloys or plastics, for example, and having an outside diameter equal to that of tube  23 . Tube  65  is bent in the shape shown. Each wrist guard  61 ,  63  is generally planar lying within the planes defined by the outside and inside surfaces of tube  65 , as shown in FIG.  5 . Two sets of a pair of holes  67 ,  69  pass through each end of wrist guards  61 ,  63  for receiving bolts (not shown) to secure guards  61 ,  63  either to the inside or outside surface of frames  13 ,  15 . Nuts and washers (not shown) may be used on the other side of the bolt. As will suggest itself, the two ends of the wrist guard may be flattened for a conforming fit against the cylindrical surface of the frame, in the area where guards  61 ,  63  contact the frame. During use, the wrist guards  61 ,  63  make contact with the interior portion of the user&#39;s wrists. This provides a greater stability for the user while he or she is using the walker. This may allow for a user with a relatively strong upper body (such as, for example, an athlete recovering from a lower body injury or paraplegic to support his or her entire body weight using just his or her hands and wrists. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, rear crossbar  17  includes a pair of linear cylindrical tubes  71 ,  73  held in a parallel spaced apart relationship by a spacer plate  75  placed at the two lateral ends of the tubes. Each tube  71 ,  73  is 20.5 inches in length. A plug  77  is press fit into each of the four ends of the two tubes  71 ,  73 . Each plug  77  has a threaded hole  78  for receiving a threaded bolt  79 . A pair of spacer plates  75  (one shown) are secured to the ends of tubes  71 ,  73 . Each one of four bolts  79  pass through a hole  81  in spacer plate  75  and into a plug  77 . Holes  81  in spacer plate  75  are countersunk so that the heads  85  of bolts  71  lie flush with the top surface  87  of spacer plates  75 . A hole  83  is bored in each end of tubes  71 ,  73  for receiving a screw (not shown) or the like to secure the plug  77  in position within tubes  71 ,  73 . 
     A pair of cylindrical hinge tubes  91  (one shown in FIG. 6) is welded to each spacer plate  75 . The axis of tube  91  is disposed parallel to the top surface  87  of plate  75  and in the plane defined by the axes of tubes  71 ,  73 . 
     Hinge tube  91  is three inches in length and has an inner diameter of slightly larger than one inch so as to receive frame tube  23  in a rotatable or pivotal manner. The cylindrical hinge tubes  91  preferably have a slightly larger diameter than the diameter of legs  25 ,  27  such that a low friction sleeve (for example, a teflon plastic sleeve) (not shown) can be press fit between the tubes  91  and legs  25 ,  27 . These sleeves are intended to allow vertical and pivotal movement of rear crossbar  17 , as will be further discussed below. As shown in FIG. 1, hinge tube  91  is located on the linear rear leg portion of tube  23  of each side frame  13 ,  15 . Left side frame  13  pivots or rotates within one hinge tube  91  allowing rotation of left side frame  13  relative to rear crossbar  17 . Right side frame  15  pivots or rotates within the other hinge tube  91  allowing rotation of the right frame  15  relative to rear crossbar  17 . Thus, one side frame may be pivoted independently of the other side frame. 
     Each hinge tube includes a pair of button holes  93 ,  95  {fraction (5/16)} inches in diameter. Button holes  93 ,  95  of left hinge tube  91  have their centers disposed at 87.2 degrees relative to each other. Button holes  93 ,  95  of right hinge tube  91  have their centers disposed at 92.8 degrees. A spring loaded button (not shown) may be mounted within tube  23  in a position for movement outwardly into button holes  93 ,  95  when the respective side frame is at a predetermined angle with respect to crossbar  17 . This allows the side frames to be locked in a conventional walking position where the crossbar is substantially perpendicular to each side frame. The user may press the locking buttons inwardly to allow one or both of the frames to pivot. By adjusting the height of the crossbar, the user may avoid the locking buttons entering the button holes to allow both side frames to freely pivot. This allows for an articulated movement of the walker as the user moves in ordered steps one step following the next. As the user moves his or her left foot forward, he or she lifts and moves the left side frame  13  forward keeping his or her weight on the right frame  15  which is not moved. The rear crossbar  17  pivots on both frames  13 ,  15  as this first step is taken. The user then shifts his or her weight to the left frame  13  and moves his or her right foot forward. As the user moves his or her right foot forward, he or she lifts and moves the right side frame  15  forward keeping his or her weight on the left frame  13  which is not moved. 
     Referring again to FIG. 1, two pairs of cylindrical hinge vertical stops  97 ,  99 ,  101 ,  103  are disposed on rear leg portion  25 , both above and below hinge tubes  91 . Stops  97 ,  99 ,  101 ,  103  have an inside diameter of approximately one inch for freely receiving leg portion  25 . A pair of threaded holes (not shown) pass through stops  97 ,  99 ,  101 ,  103 , for receiving a threaded screw to secure the stops tightly to the frame in a desired position. This constrains the vertical position of crossbar  17 . 
     The stops  97 ,  99  are preferably placed at a height which allows the crossbar  17  to clear the top of a toilet seat as the user backs the walker over the seat. Stops  101 ,  103  are preferably placed at a height which allows the crossbar  17  to be placed below the level of the seating portion of a chair, couch or bench. In this manner, the user may back into a seating position on a chair or the like without the rear crossbar  17  interfering with the user&#39;s legs. 
     In addition, the walker may be collapsed for storage. One side frame may be pivoted 90 degrees against the inside of crossbar  17 . The other side frame may be pivoted 270 degrees against the outside of crossbar  17 . Locking buttons and locking holes on hinge tube  91  may serve to lock the walker in its collapsed position. 
     Numerous modifications may be made to the foregoing system without departing from the basic teachings thereof. Although the present invention has been described in substantial detail with reference to one or more specific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.