EP1106161A2

EP1106161A2 - Self-standing walking stick or crutch

Info

Publication number: EP1106161A2
Application number: EP00830784A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Massimo Stocchero; Daniele Caprioli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-01
Filing date: 2000-11-29
Publication date: 2001-06-13
Also published as: IT1314246B1; EP1106161A3; ITMI992510A1; ITMI992510A0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-standing walking stick or crutch, comprising a tubular body (I ) inside which longitudinally extends a drive member (3) operated by control means (7, 8, 8', 9, 9') and suitable for folding in and out at least three supporting legs (10), which in the folded-out position hold said stick or crutch raised from the ground and in the vertical position. Said drive member (3) comprises also a shock-absorbing member (3a), suitable for avoiding the breakage of the legs (10) if the latter, in the folded-out position, are unintentionally trampled upon or hit. In fact, said shock-absorbing member (3a) allows the lowering of the tubular body (1) until it touches the ground.

Description

The present invention relates to a walking stick or crutch, particularly suitable for old people or for people having deambulation difficulties, in particular it relates to a stick or a crutch capable of standing autonomously in a vertical position when released by the user.
It is known that one of the main drawbacks of traditional walking sticks and crutches is that the user must keep them in his hand even when he stops walking and needs to have both hands free; as a matter of fact, a wall or an object against which the stick or the crutch can be leant is often not available. Further, even when so leant, the stick or the crutch can easily slip and fall to the ground, thus causing a big trouble for an old or handicapped user who cannot bend down and pick it up.
Patent US 5,755,245 discloses a walking stick provided with two retractile legs which, in the folded-out or active position, provide the stick with a support shaped as an upside-down V, sustaining it in a slightly inclined position. Said two legs are mounted and rotate on relevant pins which are fixed in a lateral position inside the stick hollow body. The two legs interact, by means of a pinion and gear rack mechanism, with a drive rod housed inside said hollow body and operated by means of a push-button mechanism provided at the upper end of the stick.
However, a first drawback of the self-standing stick described in the above mentioned United States-patent is that the supporting system on which it is based works only on a perfectly horizontal ground. As a matter of fact, having only two supports, the stick has a certain inclination which depends on the length and arrangement of the legs and that cannot be higher than a certain value, otherwise the stick will fall down. Therefore, even a slight sloping of the ground can cause the fall of the stick. On the other side, because of the considerable volume of the legs and of the relevant pins inside the stick hollow body, it is not possible, in order to improve the stability of the stick, to increase the number of the legs.
Further, said stick according to the art cannot stand on irregular surfaces such as gravel or grass; in fact the two legs thereof, which are necessarily very thin, can be inserted in the small recesses of said grounds, whereas the lower end of the stick, which forms the third support, cannot be inserted into said small recesses because of its considerable thickness and therefore stands on a higher level with respect to the two legs. Obviously in said situation the stick is not stable and therefore falls.
A further drawback of the above described self-standing stick consists in that the supporting system thereof is not provided with elasticity and therefore is particularly fragile. For instance, said legs can be easily broken or bent if, when they are in the folded-out position, are accidentally trampled upon or hit.
Another drawback of the self-standing stick described in the above mentioned United States-patent is the complexity of the mechanism thereof, which also involves a high production cost.
Further, it is known from patent EP 943258 an umbrella comprising a ferrule which is formed of a multiplicity of metal legs, which are hinged to the lower end of the umbrella rod and can be folded in or out by operating a control device which is positioned next to the handle. Since the legs are external to the umbrella rod both in the folded-in and in the folded-out position and form the ferrule thereof, their number can be higher than two. In fact, in this case the problem due to the legs volume inside the rod itself, illustrated for the stick described in the above mentioned United States-patent, is not present.
However, a first drawback of the ferrule described in the above mentioned European patent consists in that, due to the poor solidity and wear resistance thereof, it is intended to be applied only to umbrellas, and not to a walking stick whose normal use implies necessarily a continuous stress on its lower end. Said continuous stresses tend to deteriorate the legs and to open them apart, thus causing the breaking thereof.
A second drawback of said ferrule consists in that, being formed of a multiplicity of thin elements hinged only at their upper end, it does not provide a sufficiently strong support, which is requested by a walking stick for people having deambulation difficulties. Besides, since the legs have to be folded out, the lower end of the ferrule cannot be covered by an antislip material, which is desirable in order to obtain a greater safety in use.
Therefore, object of the present invention is providing a self-standing stick or crutch which is free from said drawbacks. Said object is obtained by a self-standing stick or crutch whose main features are specified in the first claim and other features are specified in the following claims.
A first advantage of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention consists in that, by virtue of the presence of at least three retractile legs, the supporting system holds the stick or the crutch raised from the ground and in the vertical position. The stability of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention is therefore much better than that of the known self-standing sticks, and is good even on sloping and irregular grounds, such as grass or gravel. In fact, by virtue of their small thickness, all the legs can be inserted also in the smallest recesses of said grounds, thus reaching a solid final position, while the stick or crutch itself is raised with respect to the bearing surface defined by the three points and does not disturb said equilibrium position.
A second advantage of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention consists in that, thanks to the presence of a shock-absorbing member, the legs are not rigidly blocked in the folded out position, but they can be bent without breaking the legs themselves or their folding-out system. Resultantly, since with folded-out legs the lower end of the stick or crutch is raised from the ground, a possible hit given or a pressure exerted unintentionally on the legs does not cause the breaking or bending thereof, but only the lowering of the stick or crutch body until it touches the ground. Besides, thanks to the presence of the shock-absorbing member, it is possible to fold the legs out even if the stick or crutch is standing on the ground, or to incline the stick or crutch when the legs are folded out, without that these movements cause the legs breaking.
A third advantage of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention is that the lower end thereof can be advantageously provided with a rubber coating, which renders the stick or crutch more reliable as a support and prevents slits on smooth surfaces.
A further advantage of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention is the simplicity of the mechanism and building system thereof, which determines lower production costs and a greater solidity with respect to the self-standing sticks known in the art.
Further advantages and features of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention will appear to those which are skilled in the art from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a self-standing stick according to said embodiment of the present invention, with the supporting legs in the folded-out position;
figure 2 shows a lateral partial view of the self-standing stick of figure 1; and
figure 3 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the self-standing stick of figure 1, with the supporting legs in the folded-in position.

With reference to figure 1, there is shown that the self-standing stick according to the present invention is formed of a tubular body 1 whose upper end is closed by a handle 2 having a traditional shape. Inside tubular body 1 longitudinally extends a drive member 3, formed of a metal rod provided, in the central part thereof, of a tension spring 3a. Drive member 3 could also be formed of a metal wire that in the central portion, is repeatedly winded so as to form the turns of the above mentioned tension spring 3a. The upper end of said drive member 3 is fastened to a small disk 4 whose diameter coincides with the internal diameter of tubular body 1, whereas the lower end thereof is integral with a member 5, which will be described in the following. Both disk 4 and member 5 are suitable for sliding vertically inside said tubular body 1 of the stick between an upper stroke end position and a lower stroke end position.
The above mentioned handle 2 is provided with an internal cavity 6 having a cylindrical shape and coaxial arrangement with the communicating cavity of tubular body 1. Inside said cavity 6 is housed a spiral spring 7, whose upper end is integral with the body of handle 2, whereas the lower end rests on disk 4, which limits the extension of spring 7 inside tubular body 1. A pair of knobs 8 and 8' are fastened to disk 4 and are positioned on the external diameter thereof, one in the diametrically opposed position with respect to the other, and come out from tubular body 1 through two corresponding openings 9 and 9'.
As it is clear from figure 2, showing only one opening, openings 9 and 9' have the shape of an upside-down L, that is, they are formed of a horizontal upper segment and of a vertical lower segment. Further, they are arranged on tubular body 1 in reciprocally symmetrical position with respect to the axis of tubular body 1. In other words, they are positioned in a symmetrical position with respect to each other, considering the axis of tubular body 1 as the axis of symmetry. In said figure 2, knob 8 is positioned in the horizontal segment of opening 9, which corresponds to the upper stroke end position of disk 4. Said position corresponds to a compression of the spiral spring 7 and consequently, as it will be better explained in the following, to the folded-out position of the supporting legs.
Referring back to figure 1, there is shown that member 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape and diameter coincident with the internal diameter of tubular body 1, and is laterally provided with a multiplicity of horizontal and equidistant circular grooves, and corresponding relieves. The assembly of said grooves and said relieves forms a particular, circular and continuous toothing 5a, which can be engaged with a multiplicity of vertical toothed wheels at the same time. In an alternative embodiment, member 5 has the shape of a triangular prism, and the three vertical corners of said prism are provided with a vertical toothing and can be engaged with three toothed wheels, thus offering, with respect to the circular toothing 5a, a larger contact surface with the teeth.
Three supporting legs 10 (one of the three cannot be seen in the drawing), which are regularly spaced apart and in the folded-out position, are arranged externally to tubular body 1. Said legs 10 are formed of a small metal bar provided with one toothed end 10a having a semicircular shape, as well as a central portion 10b, preferably thicker with respect to the rest of the bar. Each toothed end 10a is inserted in a relevant longitudinal slot 11, which is made on tubular body 1 at a height corresponding to that of the lower portion of toothing 5a, when member 5 is in the upper stroke end position.
Toothed ends 10a are provided with central holes, in which a single metal ring 12 is inserted, which is arranged outside tubular body 1 and is provided with a cut (not shown) in order to allow the insertion thereof in said holes. Said ring 12 forms the hinging of legs 10, and holds the toothed ends 10a engaged with the toothing 5a of member 5.
With reference to figure 3, there is shown that metal ring 12 is kept in position by a fastening member 13, which is formed of a short tube segment inserted on the tubular body 1 and adherent to this, and having a height equal to the distance between the position of the metal ring 12 and the lower end of tubular body 1. The upper rim of said fastening member 13 is provided with a circular groove suitable for housing metal ring 12, and is also provided with three equidistant vertical cuts (not shown) which form the seats of the toothed ends 10a of the three legs 10.
In order to allow an easy assemblage of metal ring 12 and of fastening member 13 on tubular body 1, the latter is provided with short longitudinal engravings (not shown) positioned in the lower portion thereof. Further, on the lower rim of said tubular body 1 is mounted a calibration ring 14, suitable for preventing possible deformations thereof, as well as an anti-slip rubber 15.
Further, figure 3 shows that when said legs are in the folded-in position, their central portions 10b are partially inserted into tubular body 1 through corresponding longitudinal slots 16 which are aligned above longitudinal slots 11 and are suitably dimensioned.
When knobs 8 and 8' are in the position of figure 1, that is, blocked in the upper horizontal portion of openings 9 and 9', disk 4 and resultantly member 5 are in their upper stroke end position. The toothed ends 10a engage the lower end of toothing 5a of member 5 and legs 10 are, as already pointed out, in the folded-out position. In order to fold the legs in, it is sufficient to unblock knobs 8 and 8', bringing them in the vertical portion of the openings, so that spring 7 operates on disk 4 bringing it in the lower end stroke position. By means of drive member 3, also member 5 is taken in the lower end stroke position. Toothing 5a, by interacting with toothed ends 10a, transforms the translation movement of member 5 in a rotation movement of legs 10, which are folded in and inserted into slots 16.
In a preferred embodiment, spiral spring 7 is mounted under torsion, so that knobs 8 ad 8' are automatically introduced into the horizontal portions of openings 9 and 9' as soon as they reach the entrance thereof.
Tension spring 3a does not intervene in the normal folding out and folding in operations of legs 10, and remains in its equilibrium condition during these operations. In fact, its function is extending itself in the case that one of legs 10 is unintentionally trampled upon while knobs 8 and 8' are inserted in the horizontal portion of openings 9 and 9', thus allowing member 5 to go down towards the lower end of the stick with partial folding-in of the legs. Since normally, thanks to the suitable length of legs 10, the lower end of the stick is raised from the ground, said partial folding-in will cause the stick to touch the ground.
Obviously, a crutch according to another embodiment the present invention can have the same structure above described for the stick, but for the top portion wherein handle 2 is replaced by a curved crosspiece at the armpit level and by another crosspiece at the hand level.
Further variations and/or additions can be made by those which are skilled in the art to the embodiments herewith described and illustrated while remaining within the scope of the invention itself. For example, the number of legs 10 and of the relevant slots 11 and 16 can be higher than three, in particular it can be four or five. Consequently, member 5 can have substantially the shape of a right prism whose number of lateral corners corresponds to the number of the legs.
Besides, the legs control system can be formed with known devices different from the above described device comprising knobs 8, 8', slots 9, 9' and spring 7, for instance it can be formed of a lever mechanism or a push-button mechanism.
Further, in possible other embodiments the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention can be rendered extensible in length by any of the extension devices known in the art.
For the construction of the self-standing stick or crutch according to the present invention it is possible to use any known material considered useful for the construction of sticks or crutches of a traditional kind.

Claims

Self-standing stick or crutch comprising a tubular body (1) inside which longitudinally extends a drive member (3) operated by control means (7, 8, 8', 9, 9') and connected to at least three legs (10), characterized in that said legs (10) are pivotally mounted next to the lower end of said tubular body (1) and can rotate within a first folded-in position wherein they are partially housed inside the tubular body (1) and a second folded-out position, wherein they hold said stick or crutch raised from the ground and in a vertical position.
Self-standing stick or crutch according to claim 1, characterized in that each one of said legs (10) is provided with a semicircular toothed end (10a), which is inserted in a suitable slot (11) of said tubular body (1), and that said drive member (3) is connected with its lower end to a member (5) which is suitable for sliding inside said tubular body (1) between an upper stroke end position and a lower stroke end position and is provided with at least one toothing (5a) suitable for engaging said toothed ends (10a) of the legs (10).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said drive member (3) is provided with a shock-absorbing member (3a) which is suitable for allowing a longitudinal lengthening of said drive member (3).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said shock-absorbing member (3a) is formed of a tension spring.
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said member (5) has a substantially cylindrical shape and that said toothing (5a) is a single continuous circular toothing, formed of a multiplicity of horizontal circular grooves and corresponding relieves provided on the lateral surface of said member (5).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said member (5) has substantially the shape of a right prism whose number of lateral corners is equal to the number of the legs (10) and that each one of said lateral corners is provided with a toothing.
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said toothed ends (10a) of the legs (10) are provided with a hole wherein is inserted a single ring (12), arranged externally to said tubular body (1) and held by fastening means (13).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said fastening means (13) consist in a short tube segment inserted on the lower end of the tubular body (1) and provided with a circular groove, suitable for housing said metal ring (12), and of at least three vertical equidistant cuts which form the seats of the toothed ends (10a) of the legs (10).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the lower end of said tubular body is provided with short longitudinal engravings suitable for allowing the mountage of said metal ring (12) and of said fastening means (13).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that on the lower end of said tubular body (1) is mounted a calibration ring (14) suitable for preventing deformations thereof.
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tubular body (1) is provided with at least three slots (16) aligned and positioned above said slots (11) and suitable for housing the legs (10) in the folded-in position.
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper end of drive member (3) is fixed to a disk (4) suitable for sliding longitudinally inside the tubular body (1) between an upper stroke end position and a lower stroke end position and provided of a pair of knobs (8, 8') coming out from two openings (9, 9') of said tubular body (1).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to one of the preceding claim, characterized in that said openings (9, 9') have the shape of an upside-down L, and are made in a reciprocally symmetrical position with respect to the axis of the tubular body (1).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that said disk (4) limits the extension of a spring (7) positioned inside the tubular body (1) on the opposite side with respect to the drive member (3).
Self-standing stick or crutch according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower end of the tubular body (1) is provided with an anti-slip rubber (15).