Patent ID: 7360548

Claim:
A cane and grasping device comprising: a. a first strut lying in a first vertical plane having a first handle end and a first tip end, said first handle end having a first open-ended slot in a first horizontal plane and a first closed-ended slot beneath said first open-ended slot in a second vertical plane, said first tip end having a first flat surface in a second horizontal plane parallel to the ground, a second flat surface in a third vertical plane adjacent said first flat surface; b. a second strut lying in a fourth vertical plane having a second handle end and a second tip end, said second handle end of said second strut having a second open-ended slot in said first horizontal plane and a second closed-ended slot beneath said second open ended slot in a fifth vertical plane, said second tip end having a third flat surface in said second horizontal plane parallel to the ground, a fourth flat surface in a third vertical plane adjacent said second flat surface; c. a pivotal connection between said first and said second struts proximate the center length of said struts and a releasable locking mechanism at said first and said second handle ends of said first and said second struts, said locking mechanism maintaining said first and said second struts in a normally closed position; wherein said first and said second struts are in a normally closed position held together by said locking mechanism, said first and said second open-ended slots forming a closed ended slot sized and shaped to receive the fingers and thumb of one hand of a user and enables the combined struts to act as a cane to aid in walking; and wherein said user inserts said fingers and thumb into said first and said second closed-ended vertical slots in said first and said second strut and releases said locking mechanism so that said user can cause said first and said second struts to pivot relative to each other and enables said second and said fourth flat surface to cooperate with each other for grasping objects at a distance from said user, and by pivoting said first and said second struts back together relative to each other, said locking mechanism securing said first and said second struts together thereby converting the grasping device back into said cane.