US2792874A

US2792874A - Orthopedic walker

Info

Publication number: US2792874A
Application number: US349368A
Authority: US
Inventors: Olle M Sundberg
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-04-17
Filing date: 1953-04-17
Publication date: 1957-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-21

Description

May 21, 1957 Filed April IL"! 1953 o. M. SU'NDBERG ORTHOPEDIC WALKER 4 Sheets-Sheet l OLLE MMSUNDBERG,

.mmvron nrrae/vik y 21, 1957 o. .M.SUNDBERG 2,792,374

' ORTHOPEDIC WALKER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1953 OLLE M. swam,

INVENTOR.

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Af/UP/VEK May 21, 1957 o. M/SUNDBERG ORTHOPEDIC WALKER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 17, 1953 01.1.5 M. SUNOBE'RG,

I INVEN TOR.

ATTOEA/EK v May 21, 1957 O, M. su 2,792,874

' ORTHOPEDIC WALKER Filed April 17, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ous M. SUNDBERG,

INVEN TOR.

A TTOPI'VEK United States Patent ORTHOPEDIC WALKER Olle M. Sundberg, Hollywood, can. Application April 17, 1953, Serial No. 349,368

7 Claims. (Cl. 155-22) This invention relates to and has for an object the provision of a walker adapted for use by persons afflicted with poliomyelitis, paraplegics and those otherwise disabled, infants learning to walk, the aged and infirm, for

affording support and guidance during exercise periods in order to increase circulation of afllicted parts, strengthen the muscles and particularly to encourage such persons during periods of infancy, infirmity, and convalescence, and develop confidence in an artificial appliance and thereby substantially improve a users condition and complete or near restoration to physical standards of health and strength.

Heretofore, walkers for a like purpose have been used but without complete success because if a user should slip or stumble during his progress over a floor, the appliance was prone to move forwardly under the suddenly applied weight of the user, thereby causing the user to fall and the appliance to dart away from his or her grasp. Such occurrences, even though rare, are possible and could occasion serious injury to an afllicted person.

Accordingly, it is a prime object to provide a studied design of appliance which will not only afiord substantial support for a patient or user in either upright and sitting postures whereby the appliance may be propelled by the user over a surface by movement of the feet thereover, and by the provision of dependable means incorporated in the structure, will by brake-like action retard and prevent movement of the appliance by application of excess pressure on the guides, as when the body of the user should lurch forwardly.

A more specific object is to provide a light weight tubular frame with handle bars or grips by which the unit may be guided while a user is in upright or sitting position, a suitable running gear including pilot and traction wheels and a brake mechanism connected with and adapted for automatic operation when excessive pressure is applied to said bars, so as to frictionally hold the unit against movement.

Another object is to provide a modified form of walker unit adapted for use by infants learning to walk or who are physically infirm, while embodying the invention of said adult unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a walker unit of such form, structure and simple arrangement that a unit for either adult or infant use is perfectly safe against possible injury to a user, requires no special training and securely supports a patient of any age group who is physically unable to walk alone or on crutches, and therefore lends confidence and hope to such ones.

Other objects will appear as the description progresses.

The accompanying drawings illustrate three different forms of units embodying the invention but it is apparent that the structure may be modified, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of an adult unit;

guide bars

15 and 16 by

tubes

23 and 24 which are either 2,792,874 Patented May 21, 1957 Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevational view; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views of the same on lines 4-4, 5-5 and 6--6 respectively of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of an accessory unit;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the accessory unit of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of connected portions of the main and auxiliary units;

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of an infant unit;

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the same; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of one corner of the infant unit.

Referring first to one form of unit shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, said unit is designed for supporting a patient in standing position whereby when the patients feet are moved, however feebly or otherwise ineffectively, the unit will be propelled over a floor under control of the patient.

Preferably, in order to provide rigidity and minimum weight the unit is formed of tubular sections firmly secured together and simulates a bicycle frame. The base of the frame includes a horizontal front bar 1, a horizontal rear bar 2 paralleling but at a lower level than bar 1, similar coplanar horizontal side bars 3 and 4 joined to the ends of bar 1 and bent downwardly at 3' and 4 respectively at their rear ends and joined to bar 2, and

other side bars

5 and 6 pivotally connected at 5 and 6 respectively to bars 3 and 4.

Bars

5 and 6 extend rearwardly to substantial uniform points beyond bar 2 and have swivel casters 7 and 8, respectively attached as by means of pivot bolts 9 and 10 and including

similar wheels

11, 11. The front ends of bars 4 and 5 also have similar casters 12 and wheels 13 held in positions by bolts 14.

Guide bars

15 and 16 are hinged to bar 1 at their lower ends at points 15 and 16' respectively through

suitable fixtures

17, 17 and are cross connected by a cross bar 15a. A transverse handle bar 18 is secured to the upper ends of

bars

15 and 16 as by means of

short sections

19 and 20 rigidly secured to bar 18 and telescopically connected with 15 and 16, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Bar 18 has rearwardly bent handles or

grips

21, 21 which with bar 18 may be raised and. lowered to desired elevations and clamped as by a set screw 22 connecting lugs 22' across slits (not shown) in one or both of the

bars

15 and 16, for locking the handles in adjusted positions.

Hence, as a user when positioned erectly rearwardly of bar 18 and grip handles 21, movement of his or her body forwardly in actual or attempted walking, propels the unit forwardly under control of the user, the

swiveled traction wheels

11, 11, 13 and 13 being self aligning for such movement. However, if the user for any reason should trip, stumble or lose balance, handles 21 would unconsciously be gripped more tightly and the body would tend to lurch forwardly and consequently apply force either forwardly or downwardly to the unit, Unless the forward movement of the unit in such case were impeded or prevented the unit might be propelled out of the grasp of the user or at least sufficiently forwardly to place the user in a position of unbalance and resultant fall and injury.

To prevent such a result the cross bar 2 is linked to fixed or hinged to bar 2 and to

bars

15 and 16 as by means of fixtures 25, connections with

bars

15 and 16 being preferably hinges.

Thus, when undue pressure for any reason is applied to handles 21, as by weight of a human body,

bars

15 and 16 would tend to incline rearwardly as viewed in Fig. 1

24, tend to move

bars

5 and 6 in a counterclockwise direction on their pintles 5' and 6'. On each of the

bars

5 and 6, as shown in detail in Fig. 6, there is provided resiliently yieldable connections between said

bars

5 and 6 and bar 2, each of which connections includes an uppermost nipple 26 onto which is screwed a cap 27 for enclosing a spring 28 adapted to be compressed between the wall of

bar

5 or 6, as the case may be, and a washer 29 held on the upper end of a stud 34] by

nuts

31 and 32. Said stud extends through diametrically opposite apertures 33 in

bars

5 and, 6 and is threaded at 34 into the inner plugged end 35 of a short tube 36which in turnis rigidly secured to tube 2. Outwardly of tubes 36 bar 2 has

friction shoes

37, 37 depending therefrom for engagement with a supporting surface S, said shoes being secured to tube 2 as by means of suitable attaching

members

38, 38. Ohviously, as bar 2 is depressed by weight applied to bars 18,

.15, 16 and 24 to bar 2, the shoes 37 will be forced into frictional engagement with supporting surface S and prevent forward movement of the unit to an extent which would occasion a fall of or injury to a user.

The unit shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is accessory to that of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and is arranged to provide a trailing means for attachment to the unit of Figs. 1 to 3 for optionally supporting a unit in sitting posture. Said accessory unit includes a rigid tubular frame formed of a U- shaped bottom member 40 with parallel legs 40', 40', substantially spaced apart transversely and joined to a pair of transversely spaced upright members ll. having crutch-like arm rests 41' at their upper ends and a single upright member 42 at the rear and centrally between legs 40'. Each'leg 40' has a depending nipple 43 integral with or attached to a leg 40' for attachment of a caster fixture 44 carrying a traction wheel 45. A third traction wheel 46 is borne by a fitting 47 secured to a bracket 48 by means of a section 49 connecting fitting 47 and bracket 48.

. As shown in Fig. 9 the unit of Figs. 7 and 8 is attachable to the unit of Figs. 1 and 2 by joining the rear ends of

bars

5 and 6 of the main unit to the front ends of legs 40' of the auxiliary unit with a coupling 50 having axially

alined sockets

51 and 52 adapted to receive and to be attached to

bars

5 and 6 and legs 46' and 40 respectively as by set

screws

53 and 54, or otherwise.

The auxiliary unit has a seat 55 hinged at 56 to a fixture 57 which is secured to upright member 42. Said seat may thus be normally swung downwardly or when desired "raised to and supported in horizontal position by a suitably-releasable brace 58. Said brace may be held at its ends in suitable fixture 59 on the lower side of seat 55 and in a slot or aperture in fixture f) in such a manner that it will reliably support the weight of a body thereon and may be released so as to collapse downwardly when or continued exercise of the legs and feet while in a sitting posture and possibly with the arms resting upon the rests 41. Said arm rests, as shown are telescopically adjustable vertically for conveniently and comfortably adapting them to persons of different stature.

Wheel 46 is pivotally connected with member 42 at 59 and also yieldably by a tension spring 6t) so as to normally urge the wheel leftwardly as shown in Fig. 7. Thus, when the seat 55 is not occupied, the auxiliary unit is supported on surface S by

wheels

45 and 46 with the brakeshoe'37 on the bottom of member 42 held out of contact with surface S.

When, however, the weight of a patient is exerted on seat 55 member 42 and shoe 37 are thrust downwardly and wheel 46 swings rightwardly as viewed in Fig. 7 so that the auxiliary unit is then supported on

wheels

45 and 46 and shoe 37, thereby retarding forward or backward movement of the unit.

It may be understood that both the main and auxiliary units hereinbefore described maybe more of variable and complementary sizes to adapt them for use of patients of different ages and sizes from infancy to adulthood.

A particular adaptation of the invention for use by infants and very young children is illustrated in Figs. 10 to 12, inclusive and is arranged in the form of a mobile platform surrounded by skeleton frames to form a pen or enclosure which, depending upon its size serves to contain toys and other nursery articles, helpless babies to prevent injury to them in unguarded intervals and foremostly means for supporting an infant who is learning to walk by propelling the unit over a surface.

Like the previously described units in principle, but of different form, the infants unit includes a .set (four being shown) of swivelled

pilot wheels

61, 61, etc., one of'which is mounted at each corner of the unit outwardly of and below a central platform P on

suitablefixtures

62, 62, etc., aflixed to

diagonal bars

63, 63, etc., arranged at angles of apart and hinged at 64, 64, etc.

Springs

65, 65, etc., are compressed between

socket members

66, 66, etc., secured to bars 63 so as to urge the wheels 61 into contact with a supporting surface S.

Platform P is surmounted by a pen formed by a'prcferably square wall formed by similarly or differently patterned sides as at 68, including corner posts 69 cross connected by slots or rungs 7%.

Each bar 63 may support a brake shoe 38 borne on a depending leg 71 at a point beneath each post 69. The wheels 61 being located outwardly of the corners of platform P it would be difficult if not quite impossible for an infant to overturn the unit by propulsive or downwardly applied force. Hence, an infant attempting to walk from a starting erect posture with one of the rails or rungs 70 grasped in its hands could easily and safely propel the unit forwardly. If in its progress the infant should trip or stumble, or lurch forwardly the pressure applied to the super structure in an attempt to recover balance would tend to depress the area of the unit and one or more of the bars 63 would yield on its or their hinges 64, thereby ,moving corresponding brake shoes 38 downwardly into frictional contact with the supporting surface S and pre venting movement of the unit until such pressure is relieved.

Essentially, in each of the forms of unit shown it is apparent that the same objects are attained and regardless of age or the particular infirmity of a person requiring exercise necessary in therapeutics to correct deformities which can be accomplished by walking or attempts to i walk, one or another of said units can-be found effective.

I claim:

1. A therapeutic appliance comprising: amobilevunit having a frame with front and rear traction wheels thereon, braking means normally supported on said frame, out of contact with a supporting surface for said wheels, and guide means on said frame operatively connected with said braking means, whereby when the weight of a user is applied to a portion of said frame, said braking means will be moved into frictional contact. with said supporting surface to prevent movement of the unit until the forces applied there are relieved, said braking means including frictional shoes mounted on said frame, between said front and rear traction wheels, said guide means being pivotally attached to the front of said frame and linked to said shoes so that pressure applied by a user tovthe guide member is effective'for rendering the shoes operative.

2. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a frame structure having front and rear traction wheels thereon rollable along a supporting surface; brake means carried by said structure and adapted to engage the supporting surface; spring means operatively connected to said brake means and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; and supporting means carried by said structure and movable downwardly for engaging said brake means with the surface against the force of said spring means, said supporting means including a handle bar having hand gripping portions for supporting the arms of a person when in a substantially upright position to enable the weight of said person to move said supporting means in a downward direction.

3. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a frame structure having front and rear traction wheels thereon rollable along a supporting surface, said structure including spaced side members between which a person can stand and walk upon the surface; brake means carried by said structure and adapted to engage the supporting surface; means operatively connected to said brake means and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; and means carried by said structure and adapted to support a portion of a persons body when in a substantially upright position between said side members for engaging said brake means with the surface against the action of said retain ing means.

4. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a forward frame portion and a rearward frame portion; said forward frame portion having spaced Wheels thereon rollable along a supporting surface; said rearward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable upon the surface; said forward portion including a pair of spaced side members; said rearward portion including a pair of spaced side members between which a person can stand and walk upon the surface; said lastmentioned pair of side members being pivotally connected to said first-mentioned side members; brake means carried by one of said frame portions and adapted to engage the supporting surface; means operatively connected to said brake means and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; and means mounted on one of said frame portions and connected to said brake means and adapted to support a portion of a persons body when in a substantially upright position between said rearward spaced side members for engaging said brake means with the surface against the action of said retaining means.

5. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a forward frame portion and a rearward frame portion; said forward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable along a supporting surface; said rearward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable upon the surface; said forward portion including a pair of spaced side members; said rearward portion including a pair of spaced side members between which a person can stand and walk upon the surface; said last-mentioned pair of side members being pivotally connected to said first-mentioned side members; brake means secured to said forward frame portion and adapted to engage the supporting surface; spring means between said forward and rearward frame portions and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; and means connected to said forward portion and adapted to support a portion of a persons body when in a substantially upright position between said rearward spaced side members for depressing said forward frame portion to engage said brake means with the supporting surface against the force of said spring means.

6. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a forward frame portion and a. rearward frame portion; said forward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon reliable along a supporting surface; said rearward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable upon the surface; said forward portion including a pair of spaced side members; said rearward portion including a pair of spaced side members between which a person can stand and walk upon the surface; said lastmentioned pair of side members being pivotally connected to said first-mentioned side members; brake means secured to one of said frame portions and adapted to engage the supporting surface; spring means between said forward and rearward frame portions and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; and means connected to one of said frame portions and adapted to support a portion of a persons body when in a substantially upright position between said rearward spaced side members for depressing said frame portions to engage said brake means with the supporting surface against the force of said spring means.

7. An appliance for supporting a person in a walking position: a forward frame portion and a rearward frame portion; said forward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable along a supporting surface; said rearward frame portion having spaced wheels thereon rollable upon the surface; said forward portion including a pair of spaced side members; said rearward portion including a pair of spaced side members between which a person can stand and walk upon the surface; said last-mentioned pair of side members being pivotally connected to said first-mentioned side members; brake means secured to said forward frame portion and adapted to engage the supporting surface; spring means between said forward and rearward frame portions and normally retaining said brake means elevated above the supporting surface; an operating structure pivotally connected to the front and rear parts of said forward frame portion and inclined upwardly and rearwardly; said operating structure having an upper portion adapted to support the upper limbs of a person standing between said rearward spaced side members, whereby a portion of said persons weight can depress the rear part of said forward frame portion and engage said brake means with the supporting surface against the force of said spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,967,332 Smith July 24, 1932 2,182,915 Connolly Dec. 12, 1939 2,314,478 Brower Mar. 23, 1943 2,556,121 Thomas June 5, 1951 2,590,382 Danielson Mar. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,820 Great Britain 1891