Patent Publication Number: US-11382820-B2

Title: Stair assist cane

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority benefit to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/975,110 filed Feb. 11, 2020; the contents of which are hereby incorporated. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various types of walking canes are known in the prior art. These canes are generally configured for use on a flat surface and do not provide much support for ascending and descending stairs. Conventional canes further lack the ability to laterally support the user. This is particularly problematic for seniors, and arthritic or injured individuals who rely on a cane for mobility. 
     Thus there exists a need in the art for a stair assist cane to assist a user in ascending and descending stairs. There is a further need to provide lateral support to the user while doing the same. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to walking canes, and more particularly to a stair assist cane to assist a user in ascending and descending stairs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the stair assist cane, described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a stair assist cane which has many novel features that result in a stair assist cane which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by prior art, either alone or in combination thereof. 
     A stair assist cane is described herein. The stair assist cane includes a handle, a first leg, a second leg, a first ground contacting member, and a second ground contacting member. The first leg is connected to a first end of the handle, and the second leg is connected to an opposing end of the handle. The first ground contacting member is disposed at a bottom end of the first leg, and the second ground contacting member is disposed at a bottom end of the second leg. The handle, the first leg, and the second leg form a vertical plane when the cane is in use. A bottom end of the first leg is vertically offset in position from a bottom end of the second leg to permit a user to place each ground contacting member on different stair steps to assist the user with ascending and descending stairs. 
     Thus has been broadly outlined the more important features of the present stair assist cane so that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. 
     Objects of the present stair assist cane, along with various novel features that characterize the invention are particularly pointed out in the claims forming a part of this disclosure. For better understanding of the stair assist cane, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, refer to the accompanying drawings and description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
         FIG. 1  is a first perspective view of a stair assist cane. 
         FIG. 2  is a second perspective view of a stair assist cane. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a stair assist cane. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a stair assist cane. 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed view of two pairs of feet of a stair assist cane. 
         FIG. 6  depicts a stair assist cane resting on a pair of stair steps. 
         FIG. 7  depicts a side view of a stair assist cane having an alternative handle. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a stair assist cane having an alternative configuration of feet, where the stair assist cane is shown resting on a pair of stair steps. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective detailed view of one pair of an alternative configuration of feet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention has utility as a stair assist cane to assist a user in ascending and descending stairs. The stair assist cane may further provide lateral support to the user while ascending and descending stairs. The stair assist cane is advantageously used on a lateral side of a user, which permits the user to use the cane in several circumstances or situations that would otherwise be cumbersome with 4-legged front/side walkers. These circumstances or situations may include narrow stair corridors, the ability to have one hand free to use a handrail, as well as cost and manufacturing advantages. The following description of various embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to those specific embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention through exemplary aspects thereof. 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular  FIGS. 1 through 9  thereof, examples of the instant stair assist cane employing the principles and concepts of the present stair assist cane and generally designated by the reference number  10  will be described. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , a particular embodiment of the present stair assist cane  10  and/or its components are illustrated. The stair assist cane  10  generally includes a handle  12 , a first leg  14 , a second leg  16 , a first pair of feet  18 , and a second pair of feet  20 . A top end of the first leg  14  is connected to a first end of the handle  12 , and a top end of the second leg  16  is connect to an opposing end of the handle  12 . A vertical plane is formed by the handle  12 , the first leg  14 , and the second leg  16  when the cane  10  is in use (referred to hereinafter as the ‘frame vertical plane’). The first pair of feet  18  are disposed at a bottom end of the first leg  14 , and the second pair of feet  20  are disposed at a bottom end of the second leg  16 . The bottom end of the first leg  14  is vertically offset from the bottom end of the second leg  16  to permit the user to place the first pair of feet  18  and second pair of feet  20  on different stair steps as best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . This assists the user in ascending and descending stairs. This configuration may further maintain at least a portion of the handle  12  in a horizontal position for the user to easily grasp and provide a supporting structure for leverage or support. When the stair assist cane  10  is in use, the first pair of feet  18  and the second pair of feet  20  may laterally extend in opposing directions from the vertical plane formed by the handle  12 , first leg  14 , and second leg  16 , to provide lateral support to the user while ascending and descending stairs. However, it will be appreciated that other types or shapes of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) may be used as described below. 
     The handle  12  may include a first horizontal portion  22 , a middle portion  24 , and a second horizontal portion  26 , where the first horizontal portion  22  and the second horizontal portion  26  are offset in position by the length or slope of the middle portion  24 . In more detail, the first horizontal portion  22  may have a first end connected to the top end of the first leg  14  and an opposing end connected to a first end of the middle portion  24 . The second horizontal portion  26  may have a first end connected to the top end of the second leg  16  and an opposing end connected to an opposing end of the middle portion  24 . The middle portion  24  may be substantially vertical relative to the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ) (i.e., substantially being within a few degrees in perpendicularity to the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ). Alternatively, the middle portion  24  may be sloped from the first horizontal portion  22  to the second horizontal portion  26 . The handle  12  may also or alternatively be described as being in the shape of a “Z”, where the middle portion of the handle  12  may be sloped anywhere from 20 degrees to 160 degrees relative to the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ). Further, the first horizontal portion  22  and second horizontal portion  26  may be substantially parallel relative to one another to form two horizontally parallel surfaces to rest the user&#39;s hand. However, the horizontal portions do not necessarily have to be parallel. These configurations of the handle  12  is particularly advantageous as a user may use the first horizontal portion  22  for support while descending stairs, and the second horizontal portion  26  for support while ascending stairs. For this reason, it may be further beneficial to have the middle portion  24  of the handle  12  be substantially perpendicular relative to the horizontal portion ( 22 ,  26 ) to optimize the overall lengths of the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ) for use while ascending or descending stairs. The handle  12  may further include a grippable material, for example, rubber or foam surrounding at least a portion of the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ) to improve the grip of the user on the cane  10 . 
     The first leg  14  and the second leg  16  may come in many different forms. For example, the first leg  14  and second leg  16  may be one or more shafts, one or more poles, one or more tubes, one or more bars, one or more rods, or combinations thereof. In particular embodiments, the first leg  14  and second leg  16  each include an inner top tube ( 28 ,  30 ) and an outer bottom tube ( 32 ,  34 ). The inner top tubes ( 28 ,  30 ) may fit inside the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ), where the inner top tubes ( 28 ,  30 ) are slidable relative to the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ). The inner top tubes ( 28 ,  30 ) may be fixed into position relative to the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ) via one or more ball-detent mechanisms ( 36 ,  38 ). This may permit the user to adjust the height of the handle  12  relative to the feet ( 18 ,  20 ), and also permit the user to remove the handle  12  from the rest of the cane  10  for storage or transportation if needed. It should be appreciated, that the position of the inner top tubes ( 28 ,  30 ) and the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ) may be swapped where the outer tubes are on the top and the inner tubes are on the bottom. 
     When the cane is in use, the bottom end of the first leg terminates in a vertically offset position from that of where the bottom end of the second leg terminates to permit the user to place each pair of feet on different stair steps to assist the user in ascending or descending stairs. In particular embodiments, the bottom end of the first leg  14  terminates higher than that of where the bottom end of the second leg terminates. The horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ) of the handle  12  may advantageously remain substantially parallel to the stair step runs while the cane is being used on two sequential stair steps. The bottom ends of the first leg  14  and second leg  16  may terminate at different vertical positions by way of having the first leg  14  be a different length than the second leg  16 . For example, the overall length of the first leg  14  may be less than that of the overall length of the second leg  16 . In another embodiment, the first leg  14  and second leg  16  are of the same length, where the offset in their vertical positions is achieved by the horizontal portions ( 22 ,  26 ) of the handle  12  being offset by the length or slope of the middle portion  24  of the handle  12 . 
     To provide additional stability to the stair assist cane  10 , the cane  10  may further include a cross supporting member  40  traversing from a bottom portion of the first leg  14  to a bottom portion of the second leg  16 . The cross supporting member  40  may come in many different forms. For example, the cross supporting member  40  may be one or more rods, one or more poles, one or more bars, one or more tubes, or combinations thereof. In a particular embodiment, the cross supporting member  40  is a tube having a first horizontal portion, a middle portion, and a second horizontal portion, where the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion are offset in position by the length or slope of the middle portion. This particular configuration of the cross supporting member  40  may be necessary because the bottom end of the first leg  14  is vertically offset from the bottom end of the second leg  16 . The cross-supporting member  40  may also be described as being the shape of a “Z”, where the middle portion of the cross supporting member  40  may be sloped anywhere from 20 degrees to 160 degrees relative to the horizontal portions of the cross supporting member  40 . 
     The feet of the stair assist cane  10  that make contact with the ground may come in various shapes or sizes, and are generically referred to herein as ground contacting members. For example, each leg ( 14 ,  16 ) may simply terminate at a sole that makes contact with the ground (e.g., a foot that is a single post or peg). In another example, each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) may be shaped like an upside down “T”, which may provide lateral support to the user if each foot in each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) extend laterally in opposing directions from one another. 
     In particular embodiments, each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) may generally include a first foot ( 42 ,  44 ) and a second a foot ( 46 ,  48 ), where the first foot ( 42 ,  44 ) extends in a first lateral direction from the frame vertical plane (or away from the user), and the second foot ( 46 ,  48 ) extends in an opposing lateral direction from the frame vertical plane (or towards the user). In particular embodiments, the feet in the first pair of feet  18  and the second pair of feet  20  extend in opposing directions and in a vertical perpendicular plane relative to the frame vertical plane such that the first pair of feet  18  and second pair of feet  20  are substantially parallel to the stair step risers when the cane  10  is in use (as best seen in  FIG. 4 ). The first foot ( 42 ,  44 ) and second foot ( 46 ,  48 ) may have top ends that connect or join at an apex ( 53 ,  55 ) (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), where the first foot ( 42 ,  44 ) and second foot ( 46 ,  48 ) arc and/or extend in a down and away manner from the apex  53  and terminate at a sole which makes contact with the ground. The soles (representatively shown in  FIG. 4  as  50  and  52 ) of each foot ( 42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48 ) may be capped with a polymeric (e.g., rubber) material to provide a grip on the ground surface and/or to protect the ground surfaces on which the cane  10  is used. 
     Each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) may further include a vertical adjustment member ( 54 ,  56 ) in the form of at least one of a shaft, tube, pole, or bar extending vertically upwards from the apex  53  as best seen in  FIG. 5 . In particular embodiments, the vertical adjustment members ( 54 ,  56 ) are in the form of a tube that fit inside the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ) of their respective legs ( 14 ,  16 ) such that the vertical adjustment members ( 54 ,  56 ) can slide therein. This permits the user to adjust the height of each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) relative to the handle  12 . The height of each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) may be adjusted and fixed in place using ball detent mechanisms. For example, the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ) may include a series of detents ( 58 ,  60 ), that can receive one or more balls ( 62 ,  64 ) positioned on the vertical adjustment members ( 54 ,  56 ) (the one or more balls ( 62 ,  64 ) on the vertical adjustment members ( 54 ,  56 ) are shown in  FIG. 5 ). In a specific embodiment, the vertical adjustment members ( 54 ,  56 ) includes two balls ( 62 ,  64 ) where the spacing between the balls ( 62 ,  64 ) are half that of the spacing between the detents ( 58 ,  60 ). This increases the resolution in which the height of each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) can be adjusted. In addition, the top two detents ( 58 ,  60 ) on the outer bottom tubes ( 32 ,  34 ) may have the same spacing as the two balls ( 62 ,  64 ) on the vertical adjustment member ( 54 ,  56 ) to further secure the position of each pair of feet ( 18 ,  20 ) in their highest vertical position. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 7 , the stair assist cane  10  may include a different configuration of a handle  12 ′. The handle  12 ′ may include a first horizontal handle  70 , a second horizontal handle  72 , and a vertical portion  74 , where the first horizontal handle  70  is vertically offset in position be the length or slope of the vertical portion  74 . In one embodiment, the first horizontal handle  70  has a first end connected to a first end of the vertical portion  74  and extends from the connection in a horizontal direction towards the cane  10 . The second horizontal handle  72  has a first end connected to an opposing end of the vertical portion  74  and an opposing end connected to the top end of the second leg  16 . In another embodiment, the vertical portion  74  is an extension of the first leg  14 , where a portion of the first leg extends vertically beyond the second handle  72 . Here, a first end of the first horizontal handle  70  is connected to a top end of the first leg  14  and extends from the connection in a horizontal direction towards the cane  10 . A first end of the second horizontal handle  72  connects at a location along the length of the first leg  14  that is below the first horizontal handle  70 , where an opposing end of the second horizontal handle  72  connects to a top end of the second leg  16 . The configuration of the handle  12 ′ is likewise advantageous because a user can use the first horizontal handle  70  for support while descending stairs and the second horizontal handle  72  for support while ascending stairs. The handle  12 ′ may further include a grippable material, for example, rubber or foam surrounding at least a portion of the horizontal handles ( 70 ,  72 ) to improve the grip of the user on the cane  10 . The grippable material may further extend onto the vertical portion  74 , first leg  14 , or second leg  16 . 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a stair assist cane  10  that provides additional lateral stability is shown. The first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) in each pair of feet ( 18 ′,  20 ′) projects farther in the lateral direction than the second foot ( 46 ′,  48 ′) in each pair of feet ( 18 ′,  20 ′). In this configuration, the first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) is the foot that projects in a lateral direction away from the user, while the second foot ( 46 ′,  48 ′) projects in a lateral direction towards the user. The first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) may project farther than the second foot ( 46 ′,  48 ′) by way of the first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) having a horizontal portion  76  that extends laterally from the apex  53  before the foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) arcs and/or extends in a down and away manner to terminate at a sole which makes contact with the ground. The horizontal portion  76  adds length to the first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) for the additional stability. In a specific embodiment, the first foot ( 42 ′,  44 ′) in each pair of feet ( 18 ′,  20 ′) is between 1.5× to 3× longer than the second foot ( 46 ′,  48 ′) in each pair of feet ( 18 ′,  20 ′). It should be appreciated that the feet ( 18 ′,  20 ′) for added stability may be adapted or used on any of the aforementioned stair assist canes  10 . 
     Other Embodiments 
     While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detail description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the described embodiments in any way. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.