Supports – Brackets – Article holding means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-04
2001-11-06
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Article holding means
C005S662000, C135S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311942
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of walking aids and supports for the infirm and more particularly concerns a holder for securing a walking cane at the side of a bed for use as a support by an infirm person while rising from the bed, the cane being releasable from the holder for use as a walking aid.
2. State of the Prior Art
The infirm often require a handhold of some type by which they can pull themselves up and out of a bed, and hospital beds typically have side rails for this purpose. However, most beds found in the home do not have any such handholds, and frail individuals frequently have difficulty rising from such beds. It is not uncommon for elderly persons to fall while rising from bed, leading to bone fractures and other injuries which in such persons are difficult to treat and may be life threatening. While seriously incapacitated patients may be best served by full fledged hospital beds, many otherwise self-reliant individuals need some help in getting out of bed but may not wish to give up their conventional box-spring/mattress beds. Improvised bedside support can be obtained by placing four legged supports, such as so-called walkers, next to a bed. The continuing trend towards home care of the ill and elderly calls for a bedside support solution compatible with existing home furnishings, particularly for persons who are ambulatory with the aid of a walking cane.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention addresses the aforementioned need by providing a cane holder for supporting a walking cane at the side of a bed. Although the cane holder may be used with different walking canes, a preferred walking cane is also disclosed.
In general, the cane holder includes a first member shaped and sized for insertion between a mattress and a box spring of a bed and a clamp assembly on the first member configured for releasably holding a cane in predetermined upright position relative to the first member. The cane holder is for use in combination with a walking cane, the cane preferably having a locking element movable thereon to and from locking engagement with the clamp assembly for securing the cane in the predetermined relationship in the clamp assembly.
A presently preferred walking cane for use with the holder frame has a cane shaft, a top hand grip on the shaft, a cane foot at a lower end of the shaft, and a mid-height hand grip intermediate the top hand grip and the cane foot, the mid-height grip being pivoted to the cane shaft for movement between a deployed position transverse to the shaft and a retracted position parallel to the shaft.
More specifically, the invention is directed to a cane holder for holding upright a walking cane at the side of a bed, the cane holder having a generally planar frame sized and configured to be inserted between a mattress and a box spring of a bed and to resist displacement from a generally horizontal plane defined between the mattress and the box spring, and a clamp assembly secured to the frame so as to protrude to one side of the mattress and box spring, the clamp assembly having first and second clamp elements hinged for movement between an open position for admitting the cane between the clamp elements and a closed position for holding the cane in transverse relationship to the frame.
A locking element on the cane is displaceable for securing the clamp elements in closed position with the cane held therebetween. The weight of a person on the mattress holds the frame in place thereby supporting the cane for use as a support by a person rising from the bed. The cane can then be released from the clamp assembly, by displacing the locking element, for use as a walking aid away from the bed.
The first and second clamp elements may each be a half-cylinder and the locking element may be a sleeve slideable along the cane to and from a locking position, the clamp elements being contained in the locking sleeve and about the cane in the locking position.
The frame is planar in shape for convenient insertion between the mattress and the box-spring and sized and shaped to ensure retention of the frame against significant lateral displacement between the mattress and the box spring under the body weight of the user. In particular, the frame has side dimensions much greater than the longitudinal dimension of the clamp elements. The presently preferred holder frame is rectangular and said clamp assembly is mounted on a corner of said holder frame.
The presently preferred walking cane for use with the cane holder is a quad style cane having a top hand grip and an mid-height hand grip, the mid-height grip being pivoted to a shaft of the cane for movement between an extended position transverse to the shaft and a retracted position parallel to the shaft, such that the mid-height grip in extended position supplements the top hand grip as a support for a person rising from the bed while the cane is held in the clamp assembly.
These and other improvements, features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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patent: 5924434 (1999-07-01), Cato, III
Bradley Willis C.
Rotter Leah
King Anita
Lenjoy Engineering, Inc.
Natan Epstein Beehler & Pavitt
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