Land vehicles – Wheeled – Extensible
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-04-17
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Extensible
C280S641000, C135S065000, C135S074000, C135S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217056
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a walking aid provided with wheels at the lower end of a stick.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A walking aid is known, comprising a stick body inclined in the forward-and-backward direction so that its lower end is positioned forward, a support rod installed so as to be branched from behind the stick body and inclined so that its lower end is positioned backward, and wheels provided on both sides of the lower end of the stick body and on both sides of the lower end of the support rod, steering being carried out by turning the stick body (refer to Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. Sho 64-14019, for example).
In the case of the above-mentioned walking aid, the axle of the wheels of the stick body is secured to the stick body. Therefore, when the stick body tilts right or left, one of the wheels floats, and the stability of the stick body is Impaired. Furthermore, when the stick body is turned to perform steering operation, the inner wheel on the turning side is lowered, and the outer wheel is raised, since the stick body is inclined in the forward-and-backward direction. For this reason, when the steering operation is performed while the walking aid stands upright, the outer wheel floats. If the entire walking aid is tilted outward at this time, the outer wheel can make contact with the ground. However, in either case, the stability of the walking aid in the right-and-left direction is impaired, whereby the walking aid becomes difficult to use and unstable. In particular, tilting the walking aid outward is an unnatural action causing anxiety for the user. In addition, the stick body mainly has the walking aid function of the stick, and the support rod is used as an auxiliary member. Therefore, the ground contact conditions of the wheels on the support rod side have little effect on the above-mentioned stability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a walking aid being stable and easy to use, without causing a problem of floating of the right and left wheels even when the stick body is tilted or steered.
In order to attain the above-mentioned object, the walking aid of the present invention comprises a stick body inclined in the forward-and-backward direction so that its lower end is positioned forward, a support rod installed so as to be branched from behind the stick body and inclined so that its lower end is positioned backward, and wheels provided on both sides of the lower end of the stick body and on both sides of the lower end of the support rod, steering being carried out by turning the stick body, wherein an axle installed at the lower end of the stick body and provided with the wheels on both sides thereof is supported rotatably with respect to its axis in the forward-and-backward direction. Therefore, even when the stick body is tilted or steered, the axle rocks automatically so that the wheels on both sides remain contact with the ground at all times, thereby not causing instability.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1527239 (1925-02-01), Vaughan
patent: 2249123 (1941-07-01), Fleck
patent: 2485085 (1949-10-01), Burch
patent: 2590052 (1952-03-01), Stuits
patent: 2873820 (1959-02-01), Rizzuto
patent: 3999771 (1976-12-01), Lohr
patent: 4294464 (1981-10-01), Ettridge
patent: 4341381 (1982-07-01), Norberg
patent: 4722538 (1988-02-01), Freyman
patent: 4941496 (1990-07-01), Berning
patent: 4958651 (1990-09-01), Najm
patent: 4962781 (1990-10-01), Kanbar
patent: 5188138 (1993-02-01), Yamasaki et al.
patent: 5538268 (1996-07-01), Miller
patent: 5603517 (1997-02-01), Lorman
patent: 5788260 (1998-08-01), Huang
patent: 6050642 (2000-04-01), Erb
Avery Bridget
Johnson Brian L.
Koda & Androlia
LandOfFree
Walking aid does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Walking aid, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Walking aid will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2525964