Exercise devices – Involving user translation or physical simulation thereof – Occupant suspended from above for foot travel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-02
2001-03-06
Richman, Glenn E. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
Involving user translation or physical simulation thereof
Occupant suspended from above for foot travel
C482S051000, C482S143000, C434S255000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196949
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to portable structures for supporting infants, and in one aspect to such structures for training and assisting infants in walking.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain prior art devices for assisting an infant to walk or increase mobility by using his or her legs generally include wheeled carts which suspend the child in a lower-body harness or other suspension means in order for the child's legs to reach the travelling surface. These devices are generally used more for entertainment purposes than for training the child to walk. To the extent the currently available art is used for training purposes, they do not require the attention of an adult, and as a result, both direct interaction with and attention to the child is lacking.
A variety of prior art patents disclose an adult-operated child suspension means for enabling, teaching, or assisting infants to walk. Certain prior art baby-walking aids that provide overhead suspension means rely upon the child's manually grasping the apparatus for support. U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,616 describes an apparatus operated overhead by an adult holding with two hands a first set of gripping handles whereby the child manually supports itself by grasping a second set of gripping handles located at the bottom ends of a single piece of rigid sheet material.
Other prior art baby-walking aids provide support for the child by means of a support or harness attached to the body of the child. U.S. Pat. No. 2,108,566 describes a staff-controlled baby walker whereby the body of the child is supported by a harness and a rigid staff, which rigid staff is held by an adult operator in a position vertically superior to the child. U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,939 describes an overhead baby walking aid comprising a pair of hand holds to be grasped by a child's hands and finger grips for a single hand of an adult operator to guide the child suspended by a body harness attached to the walking aid.
The prior art also discloses wheeled rigid structures that a child stands in or sits in and in which the child alone may move about.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Young children learn to walk at different ages. This invention is, in certain embodiments, a portable structure for supporting infants for the purpose of training and assisting infants to walk. The structure, in one aspect, includes a frame, generally U-shaped at the top with two leg elements with each of the frame's two leg elements being generally J-shaped, with the J-shaped leg elements being parallel to each other, and preferably with the J-shaped leg elements being padded. The structure provides a space which allows placement of the child as well as movement of the child's upper torso and head; the child grasps the one or more J-shaped is leg elements for support; alternatively, the child supports itself by positioning its armpits and upper arms on the one or more J-shaped leg elements. The frame, in one aspect, is made of a light-weight material, such as aluminum or steel tubing, wood or plastic, and the padding is made of a flexible, yet durable impact-absorbing material, such as a polystyrene-type foam.
This invention, in one embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end, and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element. The middle section of the frame element may include at least one handle. An impact-absorbing material, such as a polystyrene-type foam, may cover the at least one J-shaped leg element.
This invention, in one embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element wherein the curved bottom end of the at least one J-shaped leg element is a closed loop.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element wherein the curved bottom end of the at least one J-shaped leg element is a nearly closed loop.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element, and at least one extension member connected to and extending from the at least one J-shaped leg element, the at least one extension member contacting a traveling surface for resting or rolling the apparatus on the traveling surface.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element, and at least one extension member connected to and extending from the frame element, the at least one extension member contacting a traveling surface for resting or rolling the apparatus on the traveling surface.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element, with at least one handle located on the frame element.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element, wherein the at least one J-shaped leg element includes a separate elongated generally vertical top end element with a top and a bottom and a separate generally horizontal curved bottom end element with a front end and a rear end, the front end of the separate generally horizontal curved bottom end element of the J-shaped leg element pivotally attached to the bottom of the separate elongated generally vertical top end element, and the separate generally horizontal curved bottom end element of the J-shaped leg element folding into the separate elongated generally vertical top end element.
This invention, in another embodiment, is an apparatus for assisting and training a child to walk which includes a frame element with a first end, a second end and a middle section, and at least one J-shaped leg element with an elongated top end and a curved bottom end, the elongated top end of the at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to an end of the frame element, wherein the
Hwang Victor K.
Richman Glenn E.
Samuel Brown Silverman
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