Patent Publication Number: US-6655400-B2

Title: Height-adjusting medical crutch

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a medical crutch, and more particularly to a height-adjusting medical crutch and, more particularly, to a medical crutch providing increased ease of height adjustment without compromise of stability or rigidity. 
     2. Discussion of Related Art 
     In conventional medical crutches as shown by FIG. 5 attached, side frames  102  which are made of aluminum tubes, which is light in weight and has good working properties, are formed at the light and left sides of a middle bottom frame  100  and are fixed in a two-dot method by using two screw bolts and nuts for the top and bottom positions where a middle bottom frame  100  and side frames are brought together. 
     The conventional configuration, which is configured. as described above, controls the length of a medical crutch in a way to move a middle bottom frame  100  up and down by removing two screw bolts and nuts when adjusting the height of the medical crutch. However, it is inconvenient for a patient to use such a height adjusting feature as this method is somewhat complex. 
     In order to solve the above inconvenience, recently the push-button type of medical crutch has been proposed as shown in FIG.  6 . The height adjustment method thus provided is that a rather small fixed tube  104  is fixed into the inner side of side frames  102  which are configured on the right and left side thereof, so that at the time of using the medical crutch, the middle bottom frame  100  can be moved up and down in the inner space of the tube  104 . This method has a problem in that the medical crutch is not rigid and its stability is reduced when a patient uses the crutch because, when the medical crutch is maximized in length, bearing surface is small since the length of a middle bottom frame  100  is moved up and down only in the inner side of a small fixed tube  104  at the time of controlling the length of a medical crutch. 
     Also, in case that while the middle bottom frame  100  is moved up and down in the inner space of the tube  104  in order to adjust the length of a medical crutch, and in this regard the clearance between a tube and a tube becomes small or binds, the moving operation of a middle bottom frame  100  becomes difficult. Therefore in order to adjust the length of a middle bottom frame, it is necessary to insert the middle bottom frame  100  by maintaining appropriate clearance for moving bottom frame  100  up and down. In this regard, because of this clearance, the middle bottom frame  100  is not rigidly supported and its stability is reduced. 
     Also in the method of the up and down moving adjustment of a middle button frame  100  and of fixing it, there is another problem compromising a patient&#39;s safety in that a button part falls into a hole because of its weight at the time of use since a middle bottom frame  100  is fixed relying only on the button part, which is installed on a middle button frame, and is only held in place by protrusion into the hole  108  which is punched on the fixed tube  106 . 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, in order to overcome such drawbacks in the conventional art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a medical crutch, wherein a fixed globe is installed on a connecting part of a middle bottom frame and side frames, which allows the middle bottom frame to be moved up and down while the middle bottom frame is tightened solidly in the inner side of the fixed globe while allowing adjustment of the height of a medical crutch easily. 
     It is another object to provide a medical crutch which can be used more safely by mounting a fixed globe in one-dot or two-dot method even for conventional bolt or push button type of medical crutch. 
     To achieve these and other advantages and in connection with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, there is provided a height-adjusting medical crutch comprising a fixed globe  6 , wherein its center is penetrated, forming an aperture so that a middle bottom frame  4  may go in and out, a side frame  8 , a rivet  10 , by which the fixed globe  6  is fixed on lower part of the side frame  8  and a middle bottom frame  4 , which is moved through the inner side of the fixed globe  6 , so that the height of said medical-adjusting medical crutch may be easily adjusted. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a tight coupler  12  having an arcuate form is formed continuously on the inner radial surface of the fixed globe  6  and the tight coupler  12  adheres to space between the middle bottom frame  4  and the side frame  8 . 
     According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a side frame  8   a  is penetrated to be inserted into both sides of the inner radial surface of the fixed globe  6   a  and the side frame  8   a  is fixed on the higher edge and lower edge of the medical crutch. 
     According to still another aspect of this invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a fixed globe, which is formed in a rounded style in the shape of inner radial surfaces according to the medical crutch having the form of arcs and/or angles in this invention, is made to be fixed on the side frames in a way that the middle bottom frame can be moved up and down. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED DRAWINGS 
     A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendant advantage thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols represent the same or similar components, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view according to an embodiment of this invention, 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a globe in accordance with the invention, 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view according to another embodiment of this invention, 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view according to still another embodiment of this invention, 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a screw bolt type of conventional medical crutch , 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of button type of conventional medical crutch. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     From the following, the most desirable embodiment of this invention will be described in detail according to the attached drawings. The same reference number will be used to mean the same drawing elements regardless of different drawings. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, in a conventional medical crutch, which is made to be fixed in a two-dot method, in which a screw bolt and a nut are used on parts which confront a middle bottom frame  100  and a side frame  102  by using an aluminum tube, the configuration of this embodiment of the invention is that a middle bottom frame  4  is fixed in a globe  6  on the lower part of side frames  8  by a rivet  10  so that a middle bottom frame  4  may enter the center of the fixed globe  6 ; which is formed integrally in a configuration which includes continuous arcs and/or angles on an inner radial surface according to the configuration of a middle bottom frame  4  and side frames  8  which forms a medical crutch  2 . 
     The above described inner radial surface is made to have a tight coupler  12  formed continuously in arcs. When an aluminum tube is used for the tight coupler  12 , it extends into the space around the middle bottom frame  4  and side frames  8 , so that the middle bottom frame  4  is fixed solidly. 
     Also, the above fixed globe  6  should not have elasticity and is made integrally of a material which does not easily break, so it can fix the middle bottom frame  4  and side frames  8  solidly. 
     FIG.  3  and FIG. 4 are the other embodiments of this invention. If the side frames  8 a pass through the lower part, inserted into the inner radial surface of the fixed globe part  6   a  and fixed by a rivet  10  on the higher and lower part of side frame  8   a  of the medical crutch  2   a , wherein a well known conventional push button is mounted, a user can use the medical crutch, safely even in the case the middle bottom frame  4  is fully extended at the time of using the push button type of medical crutch. 
     Also, if the middle bottom frame  4  is made to be moved in the tube by making the middle bottom frame  4  extended and it is supported over a constant distance, the stability of a medical crutch can be maximized. 
     The effect of this invention configured as discussed above is that the manufacturing of a medical crutch is simplified because an arcuate tight coupler  12  is formed integrally according to the figures with the a middle bottom frame  4  and a side frame  8  which are made of the material which does not break easily, while the middle bottom frame  4  is inserted into its center to be able to be moved and the fixed globe  6  is formed integrally with them. 
     The fixed globe  6  is fixed on the side frame  8  solidly if the fixed globe  6 , which is manufactured as described above, is fitted to the lower edge of the side frame  8 ,  8   a , corresponding to the lower end of a push button type of medical crutch or conventional well-known two-dot bolt type of medical crutch, and is fixed by a rivet  10 . 
     If the middle bottom frame  4  is inserted into the center of the fixed globe  6  after completing the fixed globe  6 , the middle bottom frame  4  is located in the inner side of the side frame  8  a and V-type of space is made at the contacting locations. In this case, the middle bottom frame  4  and side frames  8  are tightened solidly because the tight coupler  12  which is formed in the inner side of the fixed globe  6  is tightened in the space. 
     At the state that the middle bottom frame is inserted as the above, the fixing operation, which fixes the middle bottom frame  4  on the side frame  8 , is completed if a screw bolt and a nut is fixed on the higher part. 
     Accordingly, through the operation that tightens and loosens a screw bolt and a nut which are configured in conventional two-dot type, the middle bottom frame  4  can be fixed easily, not because of the operation that fixes the middle bottom frame  4 , but because of the operation that tightens and loosens only one locking bolt by moving the middle bottom frame  4  through the inner side of the fixed globe  6 . In this case, not only is it possible to perform the fixing operation more simply, but also the middle bottom frame  4  and side frames  8  can be fixed solidly since the tight coupler  12  is located in the space between the globe and frame members when the middle bottom frame  4  and the side frame  8  is tightened. 
     Also, at the time that the conventional push button type of medical crutch is applied, if the fixed globe  6  is fitted onto the higher part and lower part of the side frame  8   a  as described above, and is fixed by a rivet  10 , the inner tight coupler of the fixed globe  6  is tightened on the middle bottom frame  4  and the side frame  8 , so that the middle bottom frame  4  can be fixed solidly, and so that the stability of the medical crutch can be maximized and motion within the medical crutch avoided. 
     Also, if the fixed globe parts  6 ,  6   a  are fixed on the higher part and lower part of a medical crutch, respectively, by using the fixed globe  6   a , in which both sides of inner radial surface areas penetrated, and the middle bottom frame  4  is extended, this invention is safer than the push button type of medical crutch because the bottom frame  4  is supported for a constant length. 
     Also, at the time of using a medical crutch, this invention is much safer than the conventional medical crutch when walking because the lower edge of the middle bottom frame  4  is tightened solidly in the inner side of the fixed globe  6 . 
     As described the above, this invention has a good effect in that not only the fixing operation of a medical crutch is easy, but also the height of a medical crutch is quickly and easily adjusted because a fixed globe, which forms inner radial surface corresponding to the figures of a middle bottom frame and a side frame, is installed to be fixed on a side frame. 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purpose, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.