PH12017000260A1 - Foldable crutch system - Google Patents

Abstract

A foldable crutch system is provided comprising of an armpit rest; a pair of parallel supports communicating with the armpit rest, disposed at the end portions thereof; a middle housing able to contain said parallel supports; a handle disposed on said housing; an arm swivably connected to the middle housing; a leg operably connected to said arm; and a rubber toe disposed at the distal end of said leg. A plurality off locking means are provided between the parallel supports and the housing, the arm and the housing and the arm and the leg thatallows the crutch to be folded easily and adjusts its length to the height of the user.

Description

FOLDABLE CRUTCH SYSTEM o o

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION o

This invention relates to walking aids and more specifically to foldable travel = crutches. h

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ©

Patients after surgery or after undergoing an accident as well as elderly patients = experience difficulty in walking. Walking is a necessary part of everyday life and = is also necessary to the body's recovery after surgery or after an accident thus - walking aids are essential to a patient's recovery.

To aid patients in their rehabilitation, different walking aids and crutches have been developed. The most common type of crutch is the underarm or axillary crutch. These types of crutches are used by placing a support member, usually in the form of a pad, against the ribcage beneath the armpit with the user holding a hand grip, which is below and parallel to the support member.

Various means of adjusting the underarm crutch are provided, usually for the comfort of the user. The hand grip, which has an axial bolt and secured by a wing-nut, may be moved upwards or downwards, usually by four to five notches, along the main tubular members. Another way of adjusting the crutch is by moving the central strut vertically along the main tubular members. The problem with these means of adjustments is that these are insufficient to pack-away the crutches, especially during air travel, given that the main tubular members remain fixed.

One such prior art that sought to solve this problem is US Patent No. 4,763,680 for an Adjustable Crutch with S-Curve issued in favor of Adam Acosta, Sr. (680).

This invention discloses a crutch which is specifically designed for use by people @ who are overweight, or have scoliosis (a curvature of the spine condition), there ~ being an S-curve defined in the upper portion of the crutch so that the crutch will o comfortably fit into the underarm and yet bend out and continue downward = 5s spaced further out laterally from the body so that the hip of an overweight person ) or a person with scoliosis is detoured by the crutch. The crutch of ‘680 is made © hinged and collapsible so that it is easier to store and transport to offset the = slightly more cumbersome shape of the crutch because of the incorporation of the o

S-curve. This crutch also features three-point adjustability so that the overall s length of the crutch, and its length between the S-curve and underarm support, A and between the handgrip and the ground and the handgrip and the underarm are independently adjustable. The problem with ‘680 is that while its upper portion and lower portion fold unto each other, there is no indication that its folded state could be easily and conveniently secured as it merely relies on pass-through rivets or bolts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention aims to provide for the deficiencies of the prior art. This crutch system is foldable, easy to cary, reliable, safe, height adjustable, and easy to expand. The spring lock features make it possible for the subject invention to hold the weight of the patient without collapsing on itself. It also allows the transportability of the travel crutches without it suddenly expanding.

The leg of this crutch system slides inside its arm, which arm folds into the middle housing via a swivel mechanism. The leg can be adjusted up and down through locking means inside the arm sO that the subject invention can adjust to the height of the user.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION o

Figure 1 is a top plan, full extended view of the invention. iy cv]

Figure 2s a top plan view of the invention with the leg folded inside the arm and, - in turn, the arm in swivel position inside the middle housing. © o

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the inventions middle housing sans the parallel - supports, armpit rest, arm, and leg. o =

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the invention’s middle housing sans the parallel supports, armpit rest, handle, arm, and leg.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the invention, completely folded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a foldable crutch 10 is provided comprising of an armpit rest 12 communicating with a pair of parallel supports 14 disposed at the proximate ends of said supports 14. A middle housing 16 is provided wherein parallel supports 14 may be slidably inserted fully and securely locked therein using locking means found close to the proximate ends of housing 16, said housing 16 being provided with an appropriate handle 18. A pair of spring locks 161 are provided as locking means to secure parallel supports inside housing 16.

At the distal end of housing 16, an arm 20 operably communicates with said housing 16 by having swivel means 24 that allows said arm 20 to fold by rotating into housing 16. Locking means through swivel locks 162 may be provided to securely fasten arm 20 inside housing 16. Another embodiment of this system may have the locking means fabricated in the swivel means 24 itself. In either

. | 4 . © case, a swivel lock 162 secures arm 20 inside housing 16 when crutch 10 is «© folded and when arm 20 is outside housing 16 when fully extended. . o

A leg 22 is provided that operably communicates with arm 20 in that leg 22 may - be slidably inserted fully and locked securely and fixedly inside arm 20 with ~ locking means. A toe 221, which may be made in the form of rubber or any © similar material, is fixedly attached at the distal end of leg 22 so that the user can = use crutch 10 fully without slippage. © 2

Locking means provided in arm 20 may be in the form of a plurality spring-loaded - pins 201 that should be strong enough to carry the weight of a user. Lacking holes (not shown) are provided along the length of leg 22 that operably acts with pins 201 to allow variable lengths of the crutch for users of different heights.

Spring locks 161 and swivel lock 162 should be strong enough to carry the weight of a user when crutch 10 is fully extended.

Referring to Figure 2, arm 20 can swivel following the semi-circle direction A into housing 16 when leg 22 is fully folded inside said arm 20.

Referring to Figure 4 where a perspective view of the invention’s middle housing 16 sans the parallel supports 14, armpit rest 12, handle 18, arm 20, and leg 22 is shown, a swivel channel 163 with a corresponding swivel notch 164 to allow the fully folded arm 20 to swivel inside housing 16 and aligns said arm 20 with parallel supports 14 just below the handle (not shown).

Referring to Figure 5, a spring loaded rest button 121 is provided in the dorsal side of armpit rest 12, which button 121 operably acts on spring locks 161, which allows spring locks 161 to retract inside housing 16 when button 121 is pressed.

Doing this will allow parallel supports 14 to slide inside housing 16. A plurality of < locking holes (not shown) are provided along both lengths of parallel supports 14, o said holes aligned with each other in pairs, so that crutch 10 can have variable lengths for different heights of users. =

The preferred embodiment of this invention is described in the above-mentioned @ detailed description. It is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive @ modifications and/or variations to the embodiment shown and described therein. =

Any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description ° are intended to be included therein as well. Unless specifically noted, it is the & intention of the inventor that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meanings to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art. The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention known to the applicant at the time of filing the application has been presented and is intended for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS 5 ~

1. Afoldable crutch system comprising of: an armpit rest; = a pair of parallel supports communicating with the armpit rest, disposed at ) the end portions thereof; © a middle housing able to contain said parallel supports; = a handle disposed on said housing; = an arm swivably connected to the middle housing; o a leg operably connected to said arm; and © a rubber toe disposed at the distal end of said leg.

2. The foldable crutch according to Claim 1, wherein a spring-loaded button is provided under the armpit rest to enable said armpit rest and parallel supports to slidably be inserted inside the middle housing.

3. The foldable crutch according to Claim, wherein the swivel means are provided between the housing and the arm to allow the arm to rotate inside the housing when the crutch is folded.

4. The foldable crutch according to Claim 3, wherein locking means are provided to the swivel means to securely fasten the arm when folded inside the housing and to securely lock the arm when fully extended.

5 The foldable crutch according to Claim 1, wherein locking means are provided to securely fasten the parallel supports inside the middle housing.

6. The foldable crutch according to Claim 1, wherein locking means on the arm are provided to securely fasten the leg in folded position.

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7. The foldable crutch according to Claim 1, wherein a channel and a notch ~ are provided on one edge of the housing to allow the arm to swivel inside ~ the housing in alignment with the parallel arms. © ~- _ = 0 C15