Patent Publication Number: US-10780014-B2

Title: Walker mobility arrangement

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to patient support devices and more particularly to framed walker-arrangements to assist relatively immobile individuals in standing and walking, and is based upon my U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/707,004, filed 16 Oct. 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     DISCUSSION OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Patient-assist devices are in common use today in hospitals, nursing homes and in convalescent activities. Physical therapists are called upon in many of these instances to treat patient&#39;s pains, muscles and joints. Further, patient&#39;s dignity and confidence needs to be built for long-lasting results. The ability to get a patient self lifted into a vertical orientation is desirable as it permits and encourages mobility and blood circulation. Current walkers may often require several nurses or physical assistance personnel to enable a single patient to walk at all before they will gain any sense of mobility for their rehabilitation. 
     It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to enable a disabled or relatively immobile adult individual to become mobile and vertical and have at least limited control over his or her physical movement and capabilities. 
     It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a portable, articulable, adjustable, foldably collapsible, mobile, single-patient support assembly to enable an otherwise mobility-restricted patient to be moved into and supported into a comfortable seat supported condition, if necessary, for seated or standing self-guided perambulation. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to enable comfortable and stable mobility to a patient who may need variation of height positioning than may be typically required. 
     It is yet a still further object of the present invention to provide an assist device capable of use with minimal help or assistance. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention comprises a walker assembly for use in assisting immobile or disabled patients to move about in a walking-like manner with basic control over their movement and with minimal assistance. 
     The walker assembly has a generally rectilinear rear frame side, a generally rectilinear left frame side with a curved patient grip-able uppermost frame member, a generally rectilinear right frame side with a curved patient grip-able uppermost frame member and a front side gate which is hingedly attached to a frontmost column preferably on the right frame side. The left frame side is preferably hingedly attached to a left rear column of the rectilinear rear side of the walker assembly. The right frame side is preferably hingedly attached to a right rear column of the rectilinear rear side of the walker assembly. 
     The left frame side has a lower truss extending between the left rear column and the left front column. The left frame side has an intermediate truss extending between the left rear column and the left front column. The curved uppermost frame member of the left frame side is comprised of removable and displaceable tubular portions which intermate with one another to permit customizable curved gripping portions thereof along for use in support of a particular sized individual. The curved uppermost frame member on the right frame side is similarly and correspondingly comprised of removable and displaceable tubular portions which intermate with one another to permit corresponding customizable curved patient gripping portions thereof along for use in support of a particular sized individual. 
     The generally rectilinear rear frame side has a lower truss extending between the left rear column and the right rear column. The rear frame side also has an intermediate truss extending between the left rear column and the right rear column. An uppermost arrangement of tubular members extends between the left rear column and is the right rear column to further structurally define the rectilinear rear frame. 
     A generally planar rigid rear seat has an elongated rearmost edge which is hingedly attached to the intermediate truss extending between the left rear column and the right rear column. The rigid rear seat has a left edge which rests upon the intermediate truss extending between the left rear column and the right front column of the left frame side. The rigid rear seat has a right edge which correspondingly rests upon the intermediate truss extending between the right rear column and the right front column of the right frame side. The rigid rear seat has a forward edge extending generally into the mid-portion of the walker assembly, when the seat is in its lowermost patient supporting orientation, the forward edge having a curvilinear shape of a sine wave. The apex of the sine wave configuration is disposed at the midpoint of the transverse width of the rigid rear seat. The rigid rear seat is hingedly movable from a supported horizontal orientation resting on the intermediate left and right side trusses into a vertical orientation resting against the uppermost arrangement of tubular members connecting the uppermost portions of the left rear column and the right rear column, to help facilitate collapsing of the frame portions of the walker assembly for storage purposes described further hereinbelow. 
     The front gate has a lower gate truss and a spaced apart intermediate gate truss each extending between a first end member of the front gate and a respective connecting hinge pivotally secured to the right front column. A generally planar rigid front seat has an elongated frontmost edge which is hingedly attached to the intermediate gate truss extending between the first end member and its respective hinge pivotally secured to the right front column. The rigid front seat has a left edge which rests upon the intermediate left side truss extending between the left rear column and the left front column when the front gate is in its closed orientation. The rigid front seat has a right edge which rests upon the intermediate right side truss extending between the right rear column and the right front column when the front gate assistance closed orientation. The rigid front seat has a rearwardly facing edge extending into the (near) mid-portion of the walker assembly when the rigid front seat is in its lowermost patient supporting orientation. The rigid front seat has a rearwardly facing edge having a curvilinear sine wave configuration. The apex of the sine wave configuration is disposed at the midpoint of the transverse width of the rigid front seat. The apex of the rearwardly facing edge of the rigid front seat and the apex of the forwardly facing edge of the rigid rear seat are slightly spaced apart from one another when the front seat and the rear seat are in a horizontal patient (sitting) supporting orientation. The open spaces on either side of the apexes of the rigid front seat and the rigid rear seat provided the locus for a patient&#39;s legs therewithin. The front gate has a sleeve above the hinge attaching the front gate to the right front column. The sleeve is curved and has an upper end with a front gate grab handle. The front gate has a grab handle on the upper end of the left end rail. The left end rail member is of “C’ shape in cross-section and mates against the left front column on the front gate is closed. The left end rail has locking members which engage corresponding locking members spaced apart on the left front column. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention comprises the front side gate which is split into twin halves, having a split right side gate pivotally connected by a plurality of hinges, to the right front column, and a split left side gate pivotally connected by a plurality of hinges to the left front column. The split right side gate has a split right front seat, splitting the apex of that curvilinear form at its midpoint. The split left side gate is a split left front seat splitting the apex of the curvilinear form and its midpoint, comprising a mirror image of its adjacent split right side front seat. The split left front seat and the split right front seat are pivotable upwardly into a vertical orientation about a plurality of hinges attached to a left gate truss and a right gate truss respectively. The split left front seat has a left edge which rests upon the intermediate left side truss and the split right front has a right edge which rests upon the intermediate right side truss. The split left side gate and the split right side gate each have a latchable column which are securely engageable with one another by a latch, when both gates are closed. 
     A yet further embodiment of the present invention comprises a rigid seating arrangement including a planar seat supported at each side thereof by a pair of flexible straps, each flexible strap attached at its upper end to the uppermost frame portions of the left side and right side respectively of the left frame side and the front frame side. Each flexible strap has its upper end preferably arranged through a wind/unwind ratchet to accommodate changes as needed to the length of the particular seat supportive strap. 
     A still yet further soft support embodiment of the present invention includes a centrally supportive flexible web seat, of somewhat “X” shape, having four corners each of which have a flexible belt connected thereto. Each belt has a distal end with a clasp thereattached. The right rear column and the left rear column each have a height adjustable clamp thereon. The right front column and the left front column also each have an adjustable clamp thereon. Each clamp may include a belt length adjusting ratchet to facilitate fine-tuning of the length of those belts. A user of the soft support embodiment of the present invention is able to attach one belt to the respective adjustable clamps on the right rear column and the left rear column. That user of the soft support embodiment of the present invention will be able to rotate the rigid front seat upwardly into a vertical out-of-the-way orientation and, once that user is within the confines of the walker assembly, attach the remaining two flexible belts from between his/her legs and through the proper respective adjustable clamps on the right front column and the left front column. It is further contemplated that the rigid front seat may be readily removable by lifting that rigid front seat off of a releasable (bayonet style) hinge arranged on the front side gate. This soft seat embodiment of the present invention provides the user the option of utilizing a pair of rigid front and back support seats or no rigid support seats and just the flexible support web or the back rigid support seat and the flexible support web therewith. 
     A lockable swivel wheel is arranged at the lowermost end of the left rear column, the right rear column, the left front column and the right front column to enable the walker assembly to be walked in any direction by a patient sitting on the seat portions, or standing with his/her legs through the open spaces between the sine wave configurations. 
     The invention thus comprises a rectilinear walker assembly having a first or rear side, a second or left side, a third or right side, and a front-gate side, each connected to a vertically adjustable corner column, wherein the rear side has a rigid rear seat hingedly thereattached to permit the rigid rear seat to be moved from a horizontal orientation to a walker storable vertical orientation, wherein the front gate side has/may have a front rigid seat hingedly there-attached to permit the rigid front seat to be moved from a horizontal orientation to a walker storable vertical orientation, and wherein the rigid rear seat has a forwardly directed edge of sinusoidal configuration and wherein the rigid front seat has a rearwardly directed edge of sinusoidal configuration. The rearwardly directed edge of the rigid front seat in the forwardly directed edge of the rigid rear seat each have an apex on their opposed sinusoidal edges which are slightly non-interferably spaced apart from one another when the rigid front seat and the rigid rear seat are in a horizontal orientation. The first or rear frame side and the second or left frame side are hingedly connected to one another. The third or right frame side is hingedly connected to the first or rear side. The front-gate-side is hingedly connected to the third or right side, to permit compact-folding of the walker assembly. 
     The front gate side may be split into a left side and a right side. The rigid front seat may be split transversely at its apex, each half being carried by its respective gate side. The left side and the right side each have intermediate side trusses extending between their respective corner columns. Each rigid front seat and rigid rear seat have side edges which rest upon their intermediate side trusses when the rigid front seat and the rigid rear seat are in the horizontal patient supporting orientation. The sinusoidal front facing and sinusoidal rear facing seat configurations define a patient&#39;s leg-positioning-locus for receipt of a patient&#39;s legs on the respective opposite sides (left and right) of the opposed apexes. The second or left side is foldable about a backside of the first or rear side, the third or right side is foldable about a front side of the first or rear side, and the front gate side is folded about an outer side of the third or right side of the assembly. The front gate may have a left column of “C” shape in cross-section, arranged to closely engage and partially surround the left side front corner column. 
     The invention also comprises a four sided mobile walker arrangement to enable the safe movable support and confinement of a handicapped patient therewithin, comprising: a rearmost backside frame connected by an intermediate left rear column to a left side frame, and connected to a right side frame by an intermediate right rear column, the right side frame connected to a front-side gate by an intermediate right front column; and a planar rear seat portion attached to an inner side of the rearmost backside frame and a planar front seat portion attached to an inner side (when closed) of the front side gate, to define a rigid planar support there between, to enable a patient within the mobile walker assembly to sit or stand therewithin. The planar rear seat portion is hingedly attached to an inner side of the rearmost backside frame to permit the planar rear seat portion to be moved from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, and the planar front seat portion is hingedly attached the front side gate to permit the planar front seat portion to be moved from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, to enable the four sided mobile walker arrangement side portions to be folded closely adjacent/against the rearmost backside frame. The intermediate left rear column is hingedly connected to the left side frame, and the intermediate right rear column is hingedly connected to the right side frame, and the intermediate right front column is hingedly connected to the front side gate. The planar rear seat portion has a frontmost facing edge in the shape of a sinusoidal wave, and the planar front seat portion has a rearmost facing edge the shape of a sinusoidal wave. Each sinusoidal wave of the seat portions has a centrally disposed apex, and each centrally disposed apex is spaced apart from one another when the planar rear seat portion and the planar front seat portion are in their horizontal orientations. The rearmost backside frame, the left side frame and the right side frame are constructed of intermating segments to enable dimensional replacement and thus size adjustability thereof. The planar rear seat portion and the planar front seat portion each have side edges which are arranged to rest upon trusses between their respective adjacent columns. 
     The invention also comprises a four sided mobile walker arrangement to enable the safe movable support and confinement of a handicapped patient therewithin, comprising: a rearmost backside frame connected by an intermediate left rear column to a left side frame, and connected to a right side frame by an intermediate right rear column, the right side frame connected to a front-side gate by an intermediate right front column; a rigid planar rear seat portion attached to an inner side of the rear most backside frame; and a height adjustable clamp and attached ratchet secured to the right rear column, the left rear column, the right front column and the left front column; a flexible web seat having an arrangement of elongated flexible belts extending from corners thereof, each of the belts having a clasp on their distalmost end for securement to their respective height adjustable clamp and ratchet, to enable a patient a support option to utilize a rigid planar seat together with a soft support web extending between the front and rear columns of the walker assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when viewed in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a walker assembly having a single front gate, the assembly constructed according to the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is a sectional view taken along the lines  1 A- 1 A of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the front gate has been swung open 180°; 
         FIG. 2A  is a plan view of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 2  with the side and front portions thereof folded about and adjacent the rear frame side; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the walker assembly of the present invention having a dual front gate arrangement thereon; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 3  wherein the dual front gate portions have been swung open 180°; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the walker assembly showing a seat arrangement supported by a plurality of straps; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the further embodiment of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 6  wherein the front gate has been swung 180°; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the walker assembly shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein a height adjustable support pad is connectable to the corner columns enabling a supplemental support within the walker assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , present invention shown comprises a walker assembly  10  for use in assisting immobile or disabled patients to move about in a walking-like manner with basic control over their movement and with minimal assistance. 
     The walker assembly  10  has a generally rectilinear rear frame side  12 , a generally rectilinear left frame side  14  with a curved uppermost frame member  16 , a generally rectilinear right frame side  18  with a curved uppermost frame member  20  and a front side gate  22  which is hingedly attached by a plurality of hinges  21  to a front right column  24  on the right frame side  18 . The left frame side  14  is hingedly attached to a left rear column  26  of the rectilinear rear side  12  of the walker assembly  10  by a plurality of angle lockable hinges  23 . The right frame side  18  is hingedly attached to a right rear column  28  of the rectilinear rear side  12  of the walker assembly  10  by angle lockable hinges  25 . 
     The left frame side  14  has a lower truss  36  extending between the left rear column  26  and the left front column  38 . The left frame side  14  has an intermediate truss  40  extending between the left rear column  26  and the left front column  38 . The curved uppermost frame member  16  of the left frame side  14  is comprised of, for example, a plurality of removable and displaceable tubular portions  42 ,  44 , which intermate with one another for example, in a tightenable male/female manner to permit customizable grippable curved portions thereof for use in support of a particular sized individual, as may be seen in  FIGS. 1  thru  5 . The curved uppermost frame member  20  on the right frame side  18  is similarly and correspondingly comprised of removable and displaceable tubular portions  42  and  44  which intermate with one another to permit corresponding customizable curved portions thereof along for use in gripped support of a particular sized individual. 
     The generally rectilinear rear frame side  12  has a lower truss  46  extending between the left rear column  26  and the right rear column  28 . The rear frame side  12  also has an intermediate truss  48  extending between the left rear column  26  and the right rear column  28 . An uppermost arrangement of tubular members  50  extends between the left rear column  26  and is the right rear column  28  to further structurally define the generally rectilinear rear frame  12 . 
     A generally planar rigid rear seat  52  has an elongated rearmost edge  54  which is hingedly attached by a plurality of hinges  56  to the intermediate truss  48  extending between the left rear column  26  and the right rear column  28 . The rigid rear seat  52  has a left edge  58  which rests upon the intermediate truss  40  extending between the left rear column  26  and the left front column  38  of the left frame side  14 . The rigid rear seat  52  has a right edge  60  which correspondingly rests upon the intermediate truss  62  extending between the right rear column  28  and the right front column  24  of the right frame side  18 . The rigid rear seat  52  has a forward edge  66  extending generally into the mid-portion of the walker assembly  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when the rigid rear seat  52  is in its lowermost person supporting orientation, the forward edge  66  having a curvilinear shape of a sine wave  96  when viewed from above. The apex  72  of the sine wave  70  configuration is disposed at the midpoint of the transverse width of the rigid rear seat  52 . The rigid rear seat  52  is hingedly movable, as represented by arrows “A” in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , from a supported horizontal orientation, best represented in  FIG. 5 , resting on the intermediate left and right side trusses  40  and  62  respectively, movable into a vertical orientation represented in phantom in  FIG. 5 , as shown by arrow “A, resting against the uppermost arrangement of tubular members  50  connecting the uppermost portions of the left rear column  26  and the right rear column  28 , to help facilitate collapsing of the frame portions  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18  of the walker assembly  10 , as represented in  FIG. 2A , for storage purposes described further hereinbelow. 
     The front gate has a lower gate truss  78  and a spaced apart intermediate gate truss  80  each extending between a first end member  82  of the front gate  22  and respective connecting hinges  21  pivotally secured to the right front column  24 . A generally planar rigid front seat  84  has an elongated frontmost edge  86  which is hingedly attached by a hinge arrangement  88  to the intermediate gate truss  80  extending between the first end member  82  and its respective hinge arrangement  21  pivotally secured to the right front column  24 . The rigid front seat  84  has a left edge  90  which rests upon the intermediate left side truss  40  extending between the left rear column  26  and the left front column  38  when the front gate  22  is in its closed orientation, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the front gate  22  being shown in its open orientation in  FIG. 2 . The rigid front seat  84  has a right edge  92  which rests upon the intermediate right side truss  62  extending between the right rear column  28  and the right front column  24  when the front gate is in its closed orientation, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The rigid front seat  84  has a rearwardly facing edge  94  extending into the mid-portion “M” of the walker assembly  10 , as represented in  FIG. 1 , when the rigid front seat  84  is in its lowermost person supporting orientation. The rigid front seat has a rearwardly facing edge  94  having a curvilinear sine wave  96  shape, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The apex  98  of the curvilinear sine wave  96  is disposed at the midpoint of the transverse width of the rigid front seat  84 , as may be seen in  FIG. 2 . The apex  98  of the rearwardly facing edge  94  of the rigid front seat  84  and the apex  72  of the forwardly facing sine wave shaped edge  70  of the rigid rear seat  52  are slightly spaced apart from one another when the front seat  84  and the rear seat  52  are in a horizontal person-supporting orientation, as may be seen in  FIG. 1 . The openings “O” on either side of the apexes  72  and  98  between the rigid front seat  84  and the rigid rear seat  52  provided the situs for a patient&#39;s legs therewithin. 
     The front gate  22  has a sleeve  108  above the hinge  21  attaching the front gate  22  to the right front column  24 . The sleeve  108  is curved and has an upper end with a front gate grab handle  102 . The front gate  22  has a grab handle  104  on the upper shape in cross-section, as shown in  FIG. 1A  and mates against the left front column  38  when the front gate  22  is closed. The first end member, also called the left end rail  82  has locking members  110  which engage corresponding locking members spaced apart on the left front column  38 . 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , wherein the invention includes the front side gate  112  which is split in half, having a split right side gate  114  pivotally connected by a plurality of hinges  116 , to the right front column  24 , and a split left side gate  118  pivotally connected by a plurality of hinges  120  to the left front column  38 . The split right side gate  114  has a split right front seat  122 , splitting the apex  124  of that curvilinear form at its midpoint. The split left side gate  118  has a split left front seat  136  splitting the apex  124  of the curvilinear form at its midpoint, comprising a mirror image of its adjacent split right side front seat  122 , as may be seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The split left front seat  136  and the split right front seat  122  are pivotable upwardly into a vertical orientation about a plurality of hinges  140  attached to a left gate truss  142  and a right gate truss  144  respectively, as indicated by arrows “U”. The split left front seat  136  has a left edge  146  which rests upon the intermediate left side truss  40 , as shown in  FIG. 3  and the split right front seat  122  has a right edge  148  which rests upon the intermediate right side truss  62  as may be appreciated as in  FIG. 4 . The split left side gate  118  and the split right side gate  114  each have a latchable column  150  which are securely engageable with one another by a latch  152 , when both gates  114  and  118  are closed. 
     A yet further embodiment of the present invention comprises a rigid seating  160  including a planar seat supported at each side thereof by a pair of flexible straps  162 , each flexible strap  162  attached at its upper end to the uppermost frame portions  16  and  20  of the left side and right side respectively of the left frame side  14  and the right frame side  18 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Each flexible strap  162  has its upper end  164  arranged through a wind/unwind ratchet  166  to accommodate changes as needed to the length of the particular strap. 
     A still further arrangement of the walker assembly  10  comprises a soft support embodiment as shown in  FIG. 8 , which includes a centrally supportive flexible web seat  230 , of somewhat “X” shape, having four corners each of which have a flexible belt  232  connected thereto. Each belt  232  has a distal end with a clasp  234  thereattached. The right rear column  28  and the left rear column  26  each have a height adjustable clamp  236  thereon. The right front column  24  and the left front column  38  also each have an adjustable clamp  236  thereon. Each clamp  236  may include a belt length adjusting ratchet  238  to facilitate fine-tuning of the length of those belts  232 . A user of the soft support embodiment of the present invention is able to attach one belt to the respective adjustable clamps on the right rear column  28  and the left rear column  26 . That user of the soft support embodiment of the present invention will be able to rotate the rigid front seat  84  upwardly, as represented by the arrow “V”, into a vertical out-of-the-way orientation and, once that user is within the confines of the walker assembly  10 , attach the remaining two flexible belts  232  through the proper respective adjustable clamps  236  on the right front column  24  and the left front column  38 . It is further contemplated that the rigid front seat  84  may be readily removable by lifting that rigid front seat  84  off of a releasable (bayonet style) hinge  240  arranged on the front side gate  22 . This soft seat embodiment of the present invention thus provides the user the option of utilizing a pair of rigid front and back support seats  52  and  84  or no rigid support seats and just the flexible support web  230 , or just the back rigid support seat  52  with the flexible support web seat  230 . 
     A swivel wheel  170  is arranged at the lowermost end of the left rear column  26 , the right rear column  28 , the left front column  38  and the right front column  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 . Entry into the walker assembly  10  is accomplished in a similar manner by the various embodiments discussed hereinabove. A walker user would face towards the gate once he/she were situated therewithin.