WO2008075209A1

WO2008075209A1 - Walking aid device with adjustable seat and back

Info

Publication number: WO2008075209A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/051182
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carmine Tosti
Original assignee: Carmine Tosti
Priority date: 2006-12-20
Filing date: 2007-04-03
Publication date: 2008-06-26
Also published as: ITRM20060684A1

Abstract

A walking aid device (1) comprising a cage-like frame (2) provided with wheels (6), a seat (10) extending toward the inside of said cage and a back (20), wherein the position of said seat (10) and/or of said back (20) with respect to said frame (2) is adjustable.

Description

WALKING AID DEVICE WITH ADJUSTABLE SEAT AND BACK

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a walking aid device for facilitating the motion of persons with limited static and/or dynamic balance, in particular a walking aid device comprising a wheel-mounted frame and an adjustable seat.

The known art comprises several types of walking aid device to allow a certain degree of autonomy in motion to persons hindered in their normal walking, like e.g. elderly persons, or affected by balance or mobility problems owing to lower limb traumas, or who are following movement rehabilitation therapies, or even suffering from forms of multiple sclerosis.

Known-art walking aid devices generally consist in a metal frame, optionally wheel-mounted, provided with handles or handgrips on which the user may have a hold with the hands. Such a structure, stably resting on the ground and resisting overturning, allows the user to lean and hold on the structure itself achieving higher balance stability.

Thanks to this, a person with walking problems will be capable of autonomously covering a distance by gradually pushing the walking aid device in front of him/her. One of the problems related to the use of several known-art walking aid devices is that a user wishing to sit shall anyhow need the assistance of a second person, both to get near to a chair or wheelchair and to be helped to support him/herself while getting from a standing to a seated position.

Moreover, during walking the near-totality of the user's body weight will rest on his/her lower limbs, speeding up the user's tiring and limiting his/her motor autonomy.

Lastly, once stationary, the user with static balance problems will anyhow be forced to hold on the walking aid device with his/her hands, and therefore could not perform any manual activity requiring to remain in a standing position. In order to solve the first of said drawbacks, some walking aid devices are provided with a frontally placed and/or folding seat. However, said walking aid devices fall short of solving said technical problem since the person, when getting seated, should rotate of 180° on him/herself and/or manipulate the devices to place the seat in a seating position. Therefore, all this entails a series of motions and operations that might prove difficult for a person suffering from motor problems.

Other walking aid devices, though provided with a back seat, force anyhow the user to choose between staying in a standing position, resting on the lower limbs by holding on the walking aid device with the hands, or staying completely seated.

Object of the present invention is to solve said drawbacks of the known art. This object is achieved by providing a walking aid device according to claim 1. Preferred features of the present invention are reported in the dependent claims thereof.

The present invention entails several evident advantages. A first advantage of the present invention lies in providing a walking aid device provided with a seat of simple and immediate use.

A second advantage of the present invention lies in that the shape of said seat and the option of adjusting its position allow different operation modes of the invention by the user.

A further advantage of the present invention lies in providing a walking aid device provided with a seat adjustable both in height and tilt.

Other advantages, as well as the features and operation modes of the present invention, will be made apparent from the following detailed description of two preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of a non-limiting example, making reference to the figures of the annexed drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the front portion of a walking aid device in a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the rear portion of the walking aid device of Figure 1 ;

- Figure 3A shows a view of the walking aid device of Figure 1 with a user walking in a standing position;

- Figure 3B shows a view of the walking aid device of Figure 1 with a user walking in a vertical seating position;

- Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a walking aid device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

- Figures 5 and 6 show a walking aid device according to the present invention, provided with further fittings. Figures 1 and 2 depict a first preferred embodiment of a walking aid device 1 according to the present invention. The walking aid device 1 comprises a frame 2 having a cage-like structure apt to define a space internal to said cage. The frame 2 has substantially the shape of a frustum of pyramid, in order to enhance its stability and resistance to overturning. Said frame 2 comprises a plurality of pillar bars 3 extending upward and a plurality of side bars 4 extending among said pillar bars 3 and integral thereto. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said bars 3 and/or 4 are made of steel or aluminum alloy. Advantageously, in the disclosed embodiment the bottom portion of the frame 2 has no horizontal bar arranged on the front of the walking aid device 1 , in order to facilitate a user's access to the internal space delimited/defined by said frame 2. The frame 2 is kept raised with respect to a bearing surface 5 by means of a plurality of wheels 6 coupled to the frame 2 by means of supports 7. Said supports are rotatably pivoted to the frame 2; hence, beside the rotation with respect to their own axis, the wheels can perform a further 360° rotation about a substantially vertical axis, thereby being suitable for carrying out multidirectional motions of the frame 2 onto the bearing surface 5.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wheels 6 are made of solid rubber and are suitable for use both in internal and external environments; in the embodiment depicted in Figures 1 and 2, said wheels 6 are three in number.

A seat 10 extends toward the inside of the space defined by the frame 2, and is connected to said frame 2 by means of a support structure 11. The seat 10 is provided with position adjusting means.

The support structure 11 comprises a tubular portion 12 integral thereto and engaged on a pillar bar 8 of the frame 2. Said tubular portion 12 is slidable along the bar 8 and is fastenable thereto by means of a reversible fastening system 13, e.g. by means of a knob screw. The pillar bar 8 is made so that the section that can be travelled by the tubular portion 12 be tilted with respect to the vertical direction.

Therefore, the sliding of the tubular portion 12 on said bar 8 and their subsequent fastening by means of the reversible fastening system 13 allows the adjusting of the position, relative to the frame 2, of the projection of the seat 10 on the bearing surface 5.

A vertical, bar 15 is fastened to the bottom portion of the seat 10 and is housed inside of a tubular portion 16 integral to the support structure 11. Said vertical bar 15 is suitable for sliding into the tubular portion 16 and may be fastened thereto by means of a reversible fastening system 17, e.g. by means of a knob screw. Said reversible fastening system allows the adjusting of the distance of the seat 10 from the support structure 11.

To a person skilled in the art it will be evident the option of making said means for adjusting the position of the seat 10 with respect to the frame 2 through means alternative to the above-disclosed one, anyhow encompassed by the principles of the present invention. E.g., position adjusting on a horizontal plane of the seat 10 could be carried out by means of a slide connected to said seat and suitable for sliding on a substantially horizontal support connected to said frame 2. - A -

The seat 10 comprises a shock absorber system 18, e.g. made by means of springs.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said seat 10 comprises a seating element shaped like a bicycle saddle. The walking aid device 1 further comprises a back 20 placed above said seat

10 and provided with means for adjusting the position. Said back 20 is connected to the frame 2 by means of a support 21 comprising a rod element 22. Said rod element 22 is inserted into a tubular portion 23 integral to the frame 2, the former being slidable into said portion 23 and fastenable thereto by means of a reversible fastening system 24, e.g. by means of a knob screw. The support 21 of the back 20 comprises a further element 25 fastened to the rod element 22 by means of an articulated joint 26, allowing the relative rotation thereof in order to modify the tilt of the back 20.

A person skilled in the art could make said means for adjusting the position and/or the tilt of the back 20 with respect to the frame 2 through means alternative to the above-disclosed ones, anyhow encompassed by the principles of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the back 20 is of a wraparound shape in order to ensure a rest at the lumbar level to the user, and to enhance his/her comfort and static balance.

The frame 2 comprises a bar 30, which has an end 31 pivoted to the frame 2 so as to be apt to rotate on a plane, which may be, e.g., vertical as shown in Figure 1. The other end 32 of the bar 30 is suitable for fastening to the frame 2 by means of a reversible fastening system 33. In an open position, the bar 30 allows a user's access to the internal space of the walking aid device, whereas the former is integrally fastened to the frame 2 during use of the walking aid device.

At a position opposite to the seat 10 and the back 20, the walking aid device 1 comprises one or more handgrip portions 35.

As it is shown in Figure 3a, a user 40, once having entered the internal space of the walking aid device 1 and locked the bar 30 in a closed position, could walk upright on the bearing surface 5, holding on the handles 35 with the hands and concomitantly pushing the walking aid device 1 in front of him/herself.

Figure 3B shows a further operation mode of the walking aid device 1. In said mode, the user 40 lies in a vertical seating posture, in which he/she is seated on the seat 10 located at a height such as to allow him/her to keep the legs sufficiently stretched out to be able to walk. Therefore, most of the user's body weight is discharged on the seat 10 instead of on the lower limbs, though not preventing the walking.

In a further operation mode of the walking aid device 1 , the user 40 could entirely seat on the seat 10 and lean his/her back to the back 20.

The fastening means 13, 17 and 24 allows to adapt the position of the seat 10 and the back 20 to the physical features of the user 40 and to the desired operation mode.

Figure 4 shows a second preferred embodiment of a walking aid device 1 according to the present invention. Unlike the aforedescribed embodiment, the walking aid device 1 depicted here comprises wheels 6, four in number, in order to enhance the stability of the walking aid device itself.

Moreover, the means for adjusting the position of a back 20 comprises a tubular portion 45 integral to a rod 22 being part of a support 21 of the back 20, said tubular portion 45 being capable of sliding on a portion of a support structure 11 of a seat 10 and of being fastened thereto by means of a reversible fastening system 46. A walking aid device 1 made according to the present invention could approximately have a base of dimensions 60 cm x 60 cm and a height of 90 cm, in order to attain a greater stability of the walking aid device 1 and a suitable option of adjusting the seat 10, concomitantly allowing an improved practicalness of use of the walking aid device itself. Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, there will be described some further functionalities that may be integrated in a walking aid device according to the present invention, as described hereto.

In particular, the walking aid device of Figure 5 is provided with a braking system 100. Such a braking system is, e.g., actuated by a lever mechanism 101. Said mechanism may be of traditional type, by means of one or more levers that can be actuated by the user manually (like bike brakes) or, preferably, placed beneath the seat 10, when the user sits on the latter. Therefore, the lever mechanism 101 acts, through one or more sheathed cables 102, on respective braking members 103 placed at one or more wheels 6 of the walking aid device. Preferentially, yet by way of example, in Figures 5 and 6 it is illustrated a braking system acting on a pair of wheels of the walking aid device, in particular the rear ones.

The braking members 103 may be made in several ways, depending on the specific type of wheel used. E.g., they may be swinging metallic arms that, shifted by the sheathed cables, interfere with the rolling surface of the wheels, thereby preventing their rotation.

The presence of such a braking system proves of utmost usefulness, safety and comfort to the user. It should always be borne in mind that who uses such a device has limitations in motions and physical resistance. Therefore it is evident how, above all in terms of safety, a system automatically preventing an involuntary displacement of the walking aid device each time the user assumes a seated position yields an increased ease of use and gives a higher confidence to the same user, even in case of sudden indispositions, etc.

Referring now to Figure 6, there will be described further optional aid devices that can, under certain circumstances, still improve the usability of the walking aid device according to the present invention.

In fact, depending on the extent of deficit exhibited by the user, it could be more or less advisable to provide further supports to aid the user.

In particular, there may advantageously be provided a pair of armpit supports 110, adjustable in height, e.g. mounted on slides, vertically with respect to the ground.

Advantageously, said armpit supports 110 are made of a material soft enough to give the right comfort.

Moreover, the walking aid device may also be provided with a pair of rests 115 for a user's arms. More specifically, the rests are suitable for forearm resting; therefore they will be of elongate shape and mounted parallelly to a direction of advance. Moreover, the rests 115 may be provided with grip handles 116, preferably frontally placed and arranged substantially vertically, to facilitate a firm grip by the user and allow an improved and more resolute pushing during the advance.

To allow a total adjusting with respect to the user's height, also the rests 115 are made so as to be arranged at various heights, e.g. by a mounting thereof on vertical slides lockable in the desired position.

A person skilled in the art, in order to satisfy further and contingent needs, could effect several further modifications and variants to the above-described walking aid device, all however encompassed by the protective scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A walking aid device (1) comprising: a cage-like frame (2) apt to define a space internal to said cage, a plurality of wheels (6) fastened to said frame (2) and suitable for a multidirectional motion on a bearing surface (5), a seat (10) connected to said frame (2) and extending toward said internal space, means for adjusting the position of said seat (10) with respect to said frame (2).

2. The walking aid device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said frame (2) has substantially the shape of a frustum of pyramid.

3. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame (2) comprises a plurality of pillar bars (3) extending upwards and a plurality of bars (4) extending among said pillar bars (3).

4. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said adjusting means comprises at least one bar (8, 15) inserted into a tubular portion (12, 16), said bar (8,15) being capable of sliding into said tubular portion (12,16) and being fastenable thereto by means of a reversible fastening system (13,17).

5. The walking aid device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said reversible fastening system (13, 17) is a knob screw.

6. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said seat (10) comprises a seating element shaped like a bicycle saddle.

7. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said walking aid device comprises a back (20).

8. The walking aid device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said back (20) is provided with means for adjusting the position and/or the tilt of said back (20) with respect to said frame (2).

9. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame (2) comprises a bar (30) having a first end (31) pivoted to said frame (2), said bar (30) being capable of rotating with respect to said frame (2), and a second end (32) suitable for fastening to said frame (2) by means of a reversible fastening system (33).

10. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims and comprising at least three of said wheels (6).

11. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims and comprising at least one handgrip portion (35).

12. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a braking system (100, 101 , 102, 103).

13. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 12, wherein said braking system is actuated by a user by means of a lever system (101) or the like.

14. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 13, wherein said lever mechanism is placed beneath the seat (10), so as to be actuated when the user seats on the seat itself and released when the same gets up.

15. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the claims 12 to 14, wherein said braking system comprises one or more braking members (103) acting on respective wheels (6) of the walking aid device.

16. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 15, wherein said braking members (103) are shifted by means of sheathed cables (102).

17. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a pair of armpit supports (110).

18. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 17, wherein said armpit supports (110) are adjustable in height.

19. The walking aid device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a pair of rests (115) for a user's arms.

20. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 19, wherein said rests (115) for the arms are adjustable in height.

21. The walking aid device (1) according to claim 19 or 20, wherein said rests (115) for the arms provide respective grip handles (116), arranged in a substantially vertical position.