NZ562882A - A walking aid comprising an attachment to footwear with a curved bottom sole - Google Patents

Abstract

A walking aid 1 for a person with a leg in a plaster cast comprises a platform surface 2 with a ground engaging sole, where the walking aid 1 can be releasably attached to the person's footwear. The sole has an arcuate cross section, with the rear portion of the sole having a small radius of curvature of between 35 to 45 mm, and the front portion 6 of the sole having a large radius of curvature. The shape of the sole permits a more natural walking action.

Description

Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $250.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION After Provisional No: 562882 Dated: 26 December 2007 A WALKING AID I Charles HAGGIE, CI- House 10, St Stephens School, Field Road, Bombay, Pukekohe, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 A WALKING AID Statement of Corresponding Applications This application is based on the provisional specification filed in relation to New Zealand Patent Application Number 562882, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field The present invention relates to a walking aid. In particular the present invention relates to a walking aid for attachment to the sole of a user's lower limb cast or footwear to provide a more natural walking action.

Background Art The use of plaster casts to limit movement of a person's lower limb after a bone break or fracture is well known. Subsequently, a person either walks, with or without the use of crutches, directly on the cast or via a ground contact surface attached to the cast such as a stop or cover.

The disadvantage with such methods of walking is that they do not enable a natural (biomechanical) walking action. This can lead to stress being placed on the injured foot and a prolonging of recovery time. Further, a non-natural walking action can lead to safety problems if the user is unbalanced which can lead to further injury.

A further disadvantage with the use of plaster casts is that they can become dirty and damaged if they come in contact with the ground and are not covered.

Frequently a stop is attached to the underside of the cast to provide a support surface between the ground and the plaster cast to limit contact of the cast with the ground. However these stops can cause pressure points to the injured foot if walked on for an 2 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 extended period of time due to the relatively small surface area of the stop. In addition known stops can cause injury to the user through slippage when walking.

More recently, cast protective supports which provide a larger support surface for a cast are known (US 3,802,424 and US 3,613,674). However, the disadvantage of these supports is that the user's walking motion is still restricted which can lead to a loss of mobility and prolonged recuperation time.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. 3 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 Disclosure of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a walking aid comprising: • a platform surface for a user's footwear; • a ground engaging sole attached below the platform surface and extending substantially the length of the platform surface, and • at least one attachment means for releasably attaching the walking aid to the user's footwear wherein the ground engaging sole has a small radius of curvature at a rear sole portion and a large radius of curvature at a front sole portion with a continuous transition from the rear sole portion to the front sole portion.

For the purposes of the specification the term "footwear" or grammatical variations thereof may refer to a plaster cast, shoes, boots or the like.

Preferably, the small radius of curvature is between 35 mm and 45mm.

Preferably, the ground engaging sole may be semi-oval or elliptical in profile.

Preferably, the ground engaging sole comprises at least one internal cavity.

More preferably, the at least one internal cavity may be hollow.

Preferably, the at least one attachment means may comprise a fastener and strap.

More preferably, the strap may be a hook and loop strap. 4 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 Preferably, the at least one attachment means may attach to the platform surface indirectly via substantially rigid side straps.

Preferably, the at least one attachment means may be two attachment means comprising one ankle and foot instep fastening attachment means and one toe fastening attachment means.

Preferably, the ground engaging sole may be made from plastic.

Preferably, the ground engaging sole may be moulded in one-piece.

Preferably, the walking aid may comprise a non-slip coating on a bottom sole surface.

More preferably, the bottom sole surface may be made from rubber.

More preferably, the bottom sole surface may comprise a tread pattern.

Preferably, the upper sole surface may be made from rubber.

Brief Description of the Drawings Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1: shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a walking aid of the present invention; Figure 2: shows a side view of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 3: shows a plan view of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1; 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 Figure 4; shows a rear view of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 5: shows a schematic side view of another embodiment of the sole of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; and Figure 6 shows a side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 5 with a cast attached.

Best Modes for Carrying out the Invention Referring to Figures 1 to 6 a walking aid is generally indicated by arrow 1. The walking aid 1 includes a platform surface 2 for a user's footwear in the form of a cast 100 (shown in Figure 6) and a ground engaging sole 3 attached below the platform surface 2 and extending substantially the length of the platform surface 2.

The sole 3 is a semi-oval in profile (best seen in Figures 5 and 6) which comprises a small radius of curvature at a rear sole portion 3A and a larger radius of curvature at a front sole portion 3B with a continuous transition from the rear sole portion 3A to the front sole portion 3B. The rear sole portion 3A provides for stable placement of the ground engaging sole 3 on a ground surface, while still allowing for varying angles of strike. The continuous transition from the rear sole portion 3A to the front sole portion 3B allows for a progressive follow through from the heel to the toe during the gait cycle whereby the user's hip joint swings over the body mid line. In this way, the walking aid 1 facilitates a more natural walking motion for a user with a broken lower limb whereby the ankle and/or knee joint is immobilised by the cast 100.

The rear sole portion 3A by being positioned under the user's heel (and not distal from the heel) provides for a quick transition from heel to toe. In addition, the asymmetric profile of the ground engaging sole enables exercise of the lower leg and subsequent 6 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 toning of the user's calf muscle. While the radius of curvature of the rear sole portion 3A is relatively constant (at between 35mm and 45mm in this preferred embodiment), the radius of curvature of the front sole portion 3B may be varied depending on the length of the platform surface 2 required (which is dependent on the length of the user's cast 100).

In a preferred embodiment the walking aid 1 has two attachment means: a first attachment means (generally indicated by arrow 4) in the form of an ankle and foot instep fastening means comprising two hook and loop mating strap pairs 4A and 4B, extending around the heel and over the instep of the user's cast 100, and attachment buckles 4C and 4D; a second attachment means (generally indicated by arrow 5) in the form of a toe hook and loop mating strap pair 5A, extending around the toe area of the user's cast 100, and attachment buckles 5B and 5C. Both attachment means 4 and 5 are indirectly connected to the underside of the platform surface 2 via substantially rigid side straps 4E and 4F and 5E and 5F. These side straps 4E and 4F and 5E and 5F act as outriggers to allow for greater access of a cast 100 inside the attachment means 4 and 5. The hook and loop straps 4A, 4B and 5A allow for fitment of casts 100 of different users which may vary in dimensions. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other arrangements of the attachment means may be used to attach the walking aid 1 to a users cast 100.

Preferably the sole 3 is made of a material that provides comfort to a user, is relatively light weight, and is able to be moulded in one piece in a material - such as plastic or high density foam. The sole 3 includes a non-slip layer 6 with a tread pattern (not shown) on its underside surface to prevent slippage of the user during walking. The non-slip layer 6 may be made from a non-slip material such as rubber. It will be appreciated 7 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 by those skilled in the art that other materials may be used for the sole 3 and non-slip layer 6.

The sole 3 may have a plurality of internal compression cavities 7 defined by vertical webs 7A to provide deformity of the sole 3 upon impact of the sole with the ground under the body weight of the user when walking, thereby improving comfort to the user through shock absorption.

Where the user has a walking aid 1 attached to a cast 100 on one leg, the user's other foot will be fitted with a sole of similar height to that of the walking aid 1 to enable better balance during walking.

Thus, preferred embodiments of the present invention may have a number of advantages over the prior art which can include: • providing a more natural walking action for a user with a broken lower limb with resulting increased mobility and independence; • improving safety to a user as a result of improved balance and traction during walking; • improving comfort to a user during walking, • improving recuperation time of a user with a broken lower limb; • relative low cost of manufacture; and • ease of fitting and removal from a user's cast or other footwear. 8 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims. 9

Claims (13)

562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010 WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A walking aid comprising: • a platform surface for a user's footwear; • a ground engaging sole attached below the platform surface and extending substantially the length of the platform surface, and • at least one attachment means for releasably attaching the walking aid to the user's footwear wherein the ground engaging sole has a small radius of curvature at a rear sole portion of between 35mm and 45mm and a large radius of curvature at a front sole portion with a continuous arcuate transition from the rear sole portion to the front sole portion.

2. A walking aid as claimed in claim wherein the ground engaging sole is semi-oval or elliptical in profile.

3. A walking aid as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the ground engaging sole comprises at least one internal cavity.

4. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the at least one attachment means comprises a fastener and strap.

5. A walking aid as claimed in claim 4 wherein the strap is a hook and loop strap. 10 562882 Received at IPONZ on 20 August 2010

6. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the at least one attachment means attaches to the platform surface indirectly via substantially rigid side straps.

7. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the at least one attachment means is two attachment means consisting of one ankle and foot instep fastening attachment means and one toe fastening attachment means.

8. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the ground engaging sole is made from plastic.

9. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the ground engaging sole is moulded in one-piece.

10. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the walking aid comprises a non-slip coating on a bottom sole surface.

11. A walking aid as claimed in claim 10 wherein the non-slip coating is made from rubber.

12. A walking aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the bottom sole surface contains a tread pattern.

13. A walking aid substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to any one of the accompanying figures 1 to 6. Charles Haggie by his authorised agents James & Wells Intellectual Property 11