Patent Publication Number: US-2012031447-A1

Title: Cane

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cane and, more particularly, to a can with a primary handle and a movable auxiliary handle. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     A senior citizen or a disabled person often finds it difficult to walk or just stand on their feet that are weak. A cane is an important tool to help a user support his or her weight and keep balance. There are various canes. A first type of cane includes a handle to be held with a single hand. A second type of cane includes a crossbar to be located in an armpit. A third type of cane includes four feet and two handles to be held with two hands. Different persons use different types of canes to meet their needs. 
     The first type of cane can include a telescopic element from which the handle extends. The length of the telescopic element is adjustable according to a user&#39;s figure. The first type of cane is useful for a user to walk with; however, it is not of much help while the user is trying to stand up. To overcome this problem, the first of cane can be equipped with an auxiliary handle connected to the rod below the handle, which extends from an upper end of the rod. A user can hold the auxiliary handle while trying to stand up. It is still inconvenient that the elevation of the auxiliary handle cannot be adjusted according to the figure of the user. 
     The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a cane effective for a user while standing and while trying to stand. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the cane includes a rod, a primary handle, a ring, an auxiliary handle and a skid-proof device. The rod includes a first end for contact with the ground. The primary handle extends from a second end of the rod. The ring is provided on the rod in a rotatable and movable manner. The auxiliary handle extends from the ring. The skid-proof device is provided between the rod and the ring. The skid-proof device includes annular ribs on an internal side. A diameter of the annular ribs is at least equal to a diameter of the rod. The auxiliary handle is rotatable about and movable along an axis of the rod due to little friction between the rod and the annular ribs as the auxiliary handle is not pivoted toward the first end of the rod. The auxiliary handle is locked on the rod due to friction between the rod and the annular ribs as the auxiliary handle is pivoted toward the first end of the rod. 
     Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cane according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the cane shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a partial, enlarged, cross-sectional view of the cane shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is another partial, enlarged, cross-sectional view of the cane shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the cane shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a cane includes a rod  10 , a primary handle  16 , a ring  25 , an auxiliary handle  20  and a skid-proof device  30  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The rod  10  includes a first, lower end for contact with the ground, a floor, a stair or the like. The rod  10  is preferably hollow for good balance between weight and strength. More preferably, the rod  10  is a telescopic element with an adjustable length. 
     The primary handle  16  preferably extends from a second, upper end of the rod  10 . An axis of the primary handle  16  is in perpendicular to an axis of the rod  10 . There is preferably a curved section extending to the primary handle  16  from the second end of the rod  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the ring  25  includes an aperture  26  defined therein. The aperture  26  includes two open ends spaced along an axis thereof. The ring  25  includes an annular groove  27  defined in an internal side, about the axis of the aperture  26 , near the first open end. The ring  25  includes an annular flange  28  formed on the internal side, about the axis of the aperture  26 , near the second open end. 
     The auxiliary handle  20  extends from the ring  25 . An axis of the auxiliary handle  20  is in perpendicular to the axis of the aperture  26 . A soft sleeve  21  is provided on the auxiliary handle  20  to provide a user with a soft, comfortable touch. 
     The skid-proof device  30  preferably includes two identical skid-proof elements  31  and  35 . The skid-proof elements  31  and  35  are arched. Both of them extend for almost 180 degrees about an axis of the skid-proof device  30 . The skid-proof element  31  includes an arched flange  32  formed on an external side and arched ribs  33  formed on an internal side. Each of the arched ribs  33  extends around the axis of the skid-proof device  30 . A diameter of each of the arched ribs  33  is equal to or marginally longer than a diameter of the rod  10 . Like the skid-proof element  31 , the skid-proof element  35  includes an arched flange  36  and arched ribs  37 . 
     The ring  25  is provided on the rod  10 . That is, the rod  10  is inserted through the aperture  26 . The axis of the ring  25  is coaxial with an axis of the rod  10 . Normally, the ring  25  is rotatable about and movable along the axis of the rod  10 . 
     The skid-proof elements  31  and  35  are provided between the rod  10  and the ring  25 . The skid-proof elements  31  and  35  are spaced from each other in a radial direction of the rod  10  by two gaps. The axis of the skid-proof device  30  is co-axial with the axis of the rod  10 . The arched flanges  32  and  36  are inserted in the annular groove  27 . A lower end of each of the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  is abutted against the annular flange  28 . Thus, the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  are not movable relative to the ring  25  along the axis of the rod  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the auxiliary handle  20  is not pivoted toward the first end of the rod  10  when the user does not hold the auxiliary handle  20  and use the cane to support his or her weight or keep balance. The arched ribs  33  and  37  are in slight contact with of the rod  10 . That is, there is little friction between the rod  10  and the arched ribs  33  and  37 . Hence, the auxiliary handle  20  is movable along the axis of the rod  10 . Furthermore, the auxiliary handle  20  is rotatable about the axis of the rod  10  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the auxiliary handle  20  is pivoted toward the first end of the rod  10  when the user holds the auxiliary handle  20  and uses the cane to support his or her weight or keep balance. Some of the arched ribs  33  are in firm contact with the rod  10 . Some of the arched ribs  37  are in firm contact with the rod  10 . That is, there is significant friction between the rod  10  and these arched ribs  33  and  37 . The auxiliary handle  20  is locked on the rod  10  due to the significant friction. That is, the auxiliary handle  20  cannot be rotated about and moved along the axis of the rod  10 . 
     The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the ring  25  can include two annular flanges while each of the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  can include two arched grooves that can receive the annular flanges of the ring  25 . 
     For instance, the ring  25  can include two annular flanges while the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  do not include any grooves. The annular flanges of the ring  25  can be abutted against two ends of each of the skid-proof elements  31  and  35 . 
     For example, the ring  25  can include two annular grooves while each of the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  can include two arched flanges. The annular grooves of the ring  25  can receive the arched flanges of the skid-proof elements  31  and  35 . 
     For example, the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  can be made one like a C-ring. That is, the skid-proof device  30  includes a single skid-proof it element with two ends spaced from each other with a gap. 
     For example, the skid-proof elements  31  and  35  can be made one like a sleeve. That is, the skid-proof device  30  includes an end-less single skid-proof element. 
     Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.