Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Canes – sticks – crutches – and walking aids – Walker type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2001-01-09
Stephan, Beth A. (Department: 3635)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Canes, sticks, crutches, and walking aids
Walker type
C135S074000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement in the design of devices that are used to aid people as they rise from seated positions. More specifically, to the design of such a device that is portable, light weight and which easily folds up for storage.
Many individuals, especially the elderly or disabled, have difficulty rising from a seated position without assistance. Rising can be particularly difficult when seated in a cushioned chair or sofa, since the individual may be deeply seated in the piece of furniture. This difficulty can rob such individuals of their independence and self respect. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apparatus which provides assistance to such individuals that can enable the individual to rise from a seated position without the help of others.
One type of assistance mechanism consists of a mechanical lift located within a specific piece of furniture, which lifts the seat of the chair and the user up and forward, pushing the user to a standing position. While effective, these devices are expensive and limited to the piece of furniture encompassing the lifting mechanism. The expense of these devises can be prohibitive for households with more than one elderly or disabled person or retirement and nursing homes with many residents.
Other assistance devices have been designed to be portable and therefore, can be used with a multiple of chairs and sofas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,560 employs two handles to achieve this task. The use of the double unsupported handles may be too unstable and dangerous for many uses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,498 consists of an arm attached to a base which is positionable under either side of a chair or sofa. The handle can be used by the seated person to pull himself up to a standing position. However, the assistance provided by the aforementioned device is limited to one side, and only one arm of the user. The use of this device could prove to be difficult for persons who are not strong enough to pull themselves to a standing position using only one arm or for persons seated in the center, and not on either end, of a sofa. The unsupported handle design may again be too unstable and dangerous for many users.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,439 consists of a rectangular base to which a pair of support arm members are attached. The rectangular base is placed under the chair, with the arms extending upward on both sides of the chair. The seated individual uses the arms on either side of the chair to push himself into a standing position. However, the use of this device is limited to chairs that fit within the span of the rectangular base and cannot be utilized with sofas.
The designs of the above mentioned prior art do not provide a horizontally oriented bar that is positioned in front of a user which allows the user to easily grasp the bar and pull ones self forward and upwards to a standing position on any size setting arrangement. These prior designs may also be unstable for heavy use. The current device is designed to provide a stable platform in combination with a horizontally orientated bar that may be used in any seating arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a means which will make it easier for elderly or disabled persons to rise from a seated position to a standing position without the aid of others, therefore, preserving a person's independence with dignity.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a means that can be used with most chairs and sofas readily available in the market today.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a means that is lightweight and easily transportable, even by people of limited physical capabilities and strength.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a means that is inexpensive to own and operate, thereby allowing for widespread use by retirement homes and people of limited financial resources.
These objectives are accomplished by the use of a platform and handle device that can be easily transported around a home and placed in front of a chair or other seating device to help a person in rising from the chair or lowering ones self in to it. The handle is made of a U-shaped tube that is pivotally attached at one end to the rear of the platform. The pivotal attachment allows the front end of the handle to be lifted to a position that can be easily reached by a seated person when the invention is placed in front of the chair. The pivoting attachment also allows the handle to be folded down to a flat position in relation to the platform which makes it easier to move and store the invention.
The handle of the invention is held in place in its raised position by the use of the support tube which is pivotally mounted to a toe bar located at the center of the platform. The support tube is shorter than the handle tube and pivots in an opposite direction. The support tube is attached to the handle tube by the pivoting slip bracket that allows both the handle and the support to move freely while maintaining their proper orientation to one another. The travel of the pivoting slip bracket is limited by slip stops which are a pair of fixed protrusions extending from the surface of the support tubes at their most rearward ends that the bracket can not pass beyond. Additionally, the support tubes are equipped with an evenly spaced plurality of snap stops that limit the travel of the bracket but which can be depressed to allow it to pass through the pivoting slip bracket. This allows the user to set the point on the support tube at which the bracket can be held in place, allowing the user to set the height of the handle in relation to the platform.
For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention.
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patent: 3591874 (1971-07-01), O'Kennedy
patent: 4314576 (1982-02-01), McGee
patent: 4843661 (1989-07-01), Skibinski
patent: 4894871 (1990-01-01), Schmerier
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patent: 5226439 (1993-07-01), O'Keeffe et al.
patent: 5295498 (1994-03-01), Van Meter et al.
patent: 5347666 (1994-09-01), Kippes
patent: 5435028 (1995-07-01), Frala
patent: 5449013 (1995-09-01), Landers
patent: 5499645 (1996-03-01), Baliga
patent: 5509152 (1996-04-01), Kippes
patent: 5509432 (1996-04-01), Peterson
patent: 5647602 (1997-07-01), Nevin
patent: 5787515 (1998-08-01), Mason et al.
patent: 5794284 (1998-08-01), Southwell, Jr. et al.
patent: 5950258 (1999-09-01), DeDeyne
patent: 5983911 (1999-11-01), Steele
patent: 639007 (1994-02-01), None
Cook Christine Ann
Cook Steven Jay
May Donald Wayne
May Kay Ellen
Harr Curtis V.
Stephan Beth A.
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