Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Canes – sticks – crutches – and walking aids – Crutches
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-07
2003-12-02
Lev, Bruce A. (Department: 3634)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Canes, sticks, crutches, and walking aids
Crutches
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655400
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a medical crutch, and more particularly to a height-adjusting medical crutch and, more particularly, to a medical crutch providing increased ease of height adjustment without compromise of stability or rigidity.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In conventional medical crutches as shown by
FIG. 5
attached, side frames
102
which are made of aluminum tubes, which is light in weight and has good working properties, are formed at the light and left sides of a middle bottom frame
100
and are fixed in a two-dot method by using two screw bolts and nuts for the top and bottom positions where a middle bottom frame
100
and side frames are brought together.
The conventional configuration, which is configured. as described above, controls the length of a medical crutch in a way to move a middle bottom frame
100
up and down by removing two screw bolts and nuts when adjusting the height of the medical crutch. However, it is inconvenient for a patient to use such a height adjusting feature as this method is somewhat complex.
In order to solve the above inconvenience, recently the push-button type of medical crutch has been proposed as shown in FIG.
6
. The height adjustment method thus provided is that a rather small fixed tube
104
is fixed into the inner side of side frames
102
which are configured on the right and left side thereof, so that at the time of using the medical crutch, the middle bottom frame
100
can be moved up and down in the inner space of the tube
104
. This method has a problem in that the medical crutch is not rigid and its stability is reduced when a patient uses the crutch because, when the medical crutch is maximized in length, bearing surface is small since the length of a middle bottom frame
100
is moved up and down only in the inner side of a small fixed tube
104
at the time of controlling the length of a medical crutch.
Also, in case that while the middle bottom frame
100
is moved up and down in the inner space of the tube
104
in order to adjust the length of a medical crutch, and in this regard the clearance between a tube and a tube becomes small or binds, the moving operation of a middle bottom frame
100
becomes difficult. Therefore in order to adjust the length of a middle bottom frame, it is necessary to insert the middle bottom frame
100
by maintaining appropriate clearance for moving bottom frame
100
up and down. In this regard, because of this clearance, the middle bottom frame
100
is not rigidly supported and its stability is reduced.
Also in the method of the up and down moving adjustment of a middle button frame
100
and of fixing it, there is another problem compromising a patient's safety in that a button part falls into a hole because of its weight at the time of use since a middle bottom frame
100
is fixed relying only on the button part, which is installed on a middle button frame, and is only held in place by protrusion into the hole
108
which is punched on the fixed tube
106
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in order to overcome such drawbacks in the conventional art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a medical crutch, wherein a fixed globe is installed on a connecting part of a middle bottom frame and side frames, which allows the middle bottom frame to be moved up and down while the middle bottom frame is tightened solidly in the inner side of the fixed globe while allowing adjustment of the height of a medical crutch easily.
It is another object to provide a medical crutch which can be used more safely by mounting a fixed globe in one-dot or two-dot method even for conventional bolt or push button type of medical crutch.
To achieve these and other advantages and in connection with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, there is provided a height-adjusting medical crutch comprising a fixed globe
6
, wherein its center is penetrated, forming an aperture so that a middle bottom frame
4
may go in and out, a side frame
8
, a rivet
10
, by which the fixed globe
6
is fixed on lower part of the side frame
8
and a middle bottom frame
4
, which is moved through the inner side of the fixed globe
6
, so that the height of said medical-adjusting medical crutch may be easily adjusted.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a tight coupler
12
having an arcuate form is formed continuously on the inner radial surface of the fixed globe
6
and the tight coupler
12
adheres to space between the middle bottom frame
4
and the side frame
8
.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a side frame
8
a
is penetrated to be inserted into both sides of the inner radial surface of the fixed globe
6
a
and the side frame
8
a
is fixed on the higher edge and lower edge of the medical crutch.
According to still another aspect of this invention, there is also provided a height-adjusting medical crutch, wherein a fixed globe, which is formed in a rounded style in the shape of inner radial surfaces according to the medical crutch having the form of arcs and/or angles in this invention, is made to be fixed on the side frames in a way that the middle bottom frame can be moved up and down.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 5901724 (1999-05-01), Andrea et al.
Lev Bruce A.
Novosad Jennifer E.
Whitham Curtis & Christofferson, P.C.
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