DE29718823U1 - Playing card aid for the physically disabled - Google Patents

Description

Sport Thieme GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically disabled
16.10.97, Description

Playing card aid for the physically disabled

The invention relates to an aid for physically handicapped card players whose motor control does not allow them to hold playing cards, or whose limbs are so atrophied that they cannot hold or play playing cards.

There are currently no known aids of this kind that enable or facilitate the enjoyment of playing cards for a disabled person.

The invention is based on the task of developing a device that makes it easier for a physically and/or mentally disabled person to hold and play playing cards. It is of educational importance to make group games easier for physically disabled people. Playing cards is an extremely suitable game for disabled people, as it is played while sitting down. It promotes communication and stimulates the mind to think and share ideas. The game can make it easier to promote social integration between disabled people and non-disabled people. The disabled player can and must make his own decisions while playing and does not have an assistant next to him who, even unintentionally, supports him in playing the game. Up to now, holding and playing cards has been done by "healthy" assistants.

When playing cards, several cards are usually held at the same time. A card is chosen from the pool of cards in the hand and played.

This requires motor control and coordination of two hands. The invention has succeeded in keeping an overview of all the cards, whereby no hand is needed to hold the playing cards. To play a card, the invention uses a gripper, with the help of which the card

Sport Thieme GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically disabled
16.10,97, Description

can be picked up and played. The gripper can be attached to any arm or to an improperly developed hand. In special cases the gripper could also be grasped with the foot or attached to the foot.

The object is achieved by a playing card aid for disabled people according to the preamble of claims 1, 2 and 6, 7 in that the gripper (9) consists of the handle base (5), at the lower end of which a wave-shaped holding plate (7)

1.0 is secured by a clamping screw (6) and the handle upper part (1), which passes directly into the handle (2) and which is rotatably mounted via a connecting pin (3), and also consists of a rectangular plug-in plate (10), on the top of which there are four grooves (11, 12, 13, 14) on the long side, which are spaced apart from one another at a regular distance, with a hinge (15) at the rear upper end of the plug-in plate (10), on which there is a receiving strip (16) with the groove (14) for folding up and down.

Figure 1 shows the upper part of the handle (1), which is designed in such a way that it has a long bar. At the front end, a connecting pin (3) is embedded in the upper part of the handle (1), which is rotatably connected to the lower part of the handle (5). Rotation can be ensured in the axial direction of the connecting pin (3) by 360°. The frictional connection locks the lower part of the handle (5) in any position.

The handle (2) has a C shape. The open ends are folded out by 90°. The adjusting band (4) connects the open ends. The opening height h can be changed by shortening or lengthening the adjusting band (4). This makes it easy to adjust the size of the handle (2). The lower part of the handle (5) is a kind of solid band in the shape of an upside-down L-shape. The angle γ is greater than 90°. The actual mechanism for holding the playing cards is located at the lower end. Figure 3 shows the lower end of the lower part of the handle (5). The last 2 cm only have about the same length.

Sport Themes GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically disabled
16.10.97, Description

half the material thickness of the lower part of the handle (5). At the end there is a phase (8) for better card holding. The holding plate (7) is fastened and adjusted by the clamping screw (6). The holding plate (7) is an S-shaped corrugated metal that tapers off flat towards the clamping screw (6). The holding plate (7) is arranged so that the curvature points outwards towards the lower end. This creates a kind of funnel into which the card is held. Figure 4 shows the holding plate (7) under tension with a playing card. To grip a playing card (18), the holding plate (7) is positioned at the edge of the card. The holding plate (7) is bent towards the playing card by manually pressing the gripper (9). The elastically reversible deformability of the holding plate (7) exerts pressure on the playing card (18) so that it is held firmly.

The material of the gripper (9) should preferably be a flexible material, such as plastic.

The plug-in plate (10) has a rectangular basic shape, as shown in Figure 1. The grooves (11, 12 and 13) are inserted at regular intervals at an angle α that is greater than 90°. The depth of the grooves (11, 12 and 13) corresponds approximately to half the thickness of the plug-in plate (10). The width b is selected so that a playing card (18) can be inserted without any problem, although it should not tip over too far. At the rear end of the plug-in plate (10) is the receiving bar (16), which is pivotally mounted on a hinge (15). The opening angle β is a maximum of 105°. The groove (14) is let into the receiving bar (16). The playing cards (18) inserted into the groove (14) are therefore higher than those in the other grooves (11, 12 and 13). These can even be hidden by closing the mounting bar (16).

To explain the invention in more detail, various embodiments of the invention are explained below with reference to the drawings. These show:

Figure 1 is a perspective view obliquely from above of the

Playing card aid with gripper and plug-in plate.

Sport Thieme GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically disabled
16.10.97, Description

Figure 2 a perspective view from above of the gripper. Figure 3 a detailed area of the gripper with the clamping mechanism. Figure 4 the clamping mechanism with a playing card. Figure 5 overview from above of the gripper and the plug-in plate with

Playing cards

The inventive advantage of the playing card aid for the disabled is that a person can play a card game without using both arms or hands. The gripper mechanism is designed so that the card can be picked up and put down with one arm, without the player having to use a push button or similar construction. Due to the arrangement of the card tray, the player has an overview of his playing cards at all times, without an opponent being able to bend into them.

Sport Thieme GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically handicapped 16.10.97, Description

Reference number:

15

1 Handle top 10 Plug-in board 5 2 Handle . 11 Groove, front 3 Connecting pin 12 Groove, middle 4 Adjustment tape 20 13 Groove, rear 5 Handle bottom 14 Groove, in strip 6 Clamping screw 15 hinge 10 7 Retaining plate 16 Recording bar 8th phase 17 Stand feet 9 Gripper 25 18 Playing card

Claims (9)

Sport Thietne GmbH Playing card aid for the physically handicapped 16.10.97, Claims 1 Claims 1. Playing card aid for disabled people is characterized in that the gripper (9) consists of an upper handle part (1) with handle (2) and a lower handle part (5), wherein the lower handle part (5) is rotatably mounted via the connecting pin (3). 2. Playing card aid for disabled people is characterized in that a holding plate (7) is held at the lower end of the handle base (5) via a clamping screw (6) and that the holding plate (7) is designed to be wave-shaped in cross-section. 3. Playing card aid for disabled people according to claim 1 , characterized in that at the lower end of the handle base (5) the holding plate (7) and the clamping pin (6) are recessed in such a way that no protruding edges are formed and that the handle base (5) has a phase (8) at the lower end. 4. Playing card aid for disabled people according to claim 1 , characterized in that the handle (2) is C-shaped and is connected at its open side via an adjusting band (4) for variable size adjustment and that the handle (2) connects directly to the handle upper part (1). 5. Playing card aid for disabled people is according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the gripper (9) is made of a solid elastically reversible material, such as Sport Thieme GmbH
Playing card aid for the physically handicapped 10 97. Claims for example plastic, and the holding plate (7) consists of a shaped metal sheet. 6. Playing card aid for disabled people is characterized in that the plug-in plate (10) has a rectangular shape, on the upper side of which the front groove (13), the middle groove (12), the rear groove (11) and the upper groove (14) are located along the longitudinal side, which are spaced apart from one another at a regular distance. 7. Playing card aid for disabled people is characterized in that there is a hinge (15) at the rear upper end of the plug-in plate (10), to which a receiving strip (16) is attached for folding up and down, in which the upper groove (14) is located. 8. Playing card aid for disabled people according to claim 6 and 7 , characterized in that the groove (11, 12, 13) is set at an angle α in the plug-in plate (10) and that the angle! &bgr; can be continuously adjusted via the hinge (15). 9. Playing card aid for disabled people according to claim 6 and 7 , characterized in that the plug-in plate (10) consists of a solid and massive material, for example wood.